Nonni's Lemon Pie Filling

This recipe from my grandmother is delicious, super easy and made from real lemons.  A whole recipe will fill 24 tarts or a 9" single pie crust.  You can purchase a frozen pie shell, bake it, let it cool and then fill it.

Filling:
3 Tbs flour
3 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups of boiling water
1 TBS of butter (unsalted)
3 egg yolks (mix with a fork)
Juice of 1 lemon
grated rind from 1 lemon

Directions:
Add about 2 inches of water to a double-boiler. Or use a pot, and place a stainless steel bowl over it.
Do not let the bowl touch the water. Boil the water. In the top portion, add the flour, sugar and salt. Gradually stir in the cold water, then add the boiling water.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and mix until thickened.  (about 5-8 minutes).

Add the mixed yolks and continue stirring till thick.

Add the lemon juice and rind and remove from the heat.

Add the butter.  Taste, and you can add more lemon juice if you like it more tart.  Cool.

Fill the cooled tart shells, or pie shell with the cooled lemon filling.  Serve topped with whipped cream.

Lobster Watercress Salad

Watercress is a peppery salad that is a nice change from arugula. I like to use a lemon olive oil and a white lemon balsamic which is a little sweet to complement the greens. You could substitute another seafood like crab or shrimp.  Great recipe for a ladies' lunch.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb of cooked lobster meat or other seafood
1 package of Cress salad greens
8 spears of asparagus (steamed and cooled)
8 marinated artichoke hearts, cut in half
12 black olives and 8 green olives
8 campari or red cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters, or halves
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Olive Oil (lemon)
White balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Directions:

This is a salad that should be served in individual bowls, rather than mixed in a big bowl.
Set out 4 bowls.  Add a generous handful of the Cress.

Cut the cooled asparagus into 2" slices on a diagonal.  Add to each salad.
(Asparagus is cooked in a saute pan with about 1/2 cup of water on medium, till it turns bright green, then removed and cooled).

Cut the artichoke hearts and place in each bowl.

Cut the tomatoes and add to the bowls.  Add the olives.

Drizzle olive oil (about 1 TBS) per salad bowl on the ingredients. Then drizzle the vinegar lightly over each salad.

Top each salad with about 4 oz of the seafood. And then squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the seafood.  Salt and pepper can be optional for each guest.

Horseradish Cream Sauce

This is an easy sauce that goes well with beef tenderloin, chicken and even vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 TBS prepared horseradish
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Taste, and add more horseradish if you like a little stronger flavor.

(Can be made a day ahead). Keep refrigerated.

Roasted Vidalia Onions with Balsamic Glaze

When we lived in Atlanta, the huge bags of Vidalia onions would be available in the spring.
These are sweet onions and I found this recipe - using a cast-iron pan makes the onions brown evenly and gives them a rich taste. 

Ingredients 

4 medium sized sweet onions 

     (cut in half horizontally and peeled) 

3 TBS olive oil 

Salt 

White pepper 

1 to 2 tbs water

½ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbs light brown sugar 

2 tbs butter

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 375F 

Rub the onion halves with olive oil. You can leave the outer skin on.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the onions, cut side down in a large oven proof skillet in an oven over 375F. Bake uncovered until the onions are soft, about an hour. 

Scoop the onions up using a spatula and put them on a serving dish flat side facing up. 

Stir together the water, vinegar, brown sugar and butter in the skillet that the onions were roasted in. 

Scrape the skillet to dissolve the baked-on onion juices.  Heat to a boil.  Boil for several minutes to reduce, then spoon some over each onion.  Taste and add more salt if necessary.  Serve hot or at room temperature. 

You can use a balsamic glaze - use 1/2 the amounts shown, and just mix the glaze, butter and sugar in a dish and microwave it about 25 seconds to melt the butter. Omit the water. Spoon the glaze over the onions once plated. 

You can also reduce or omit the sugar. If you're using a flavored balsamic, like fig or cherry, then I would recommend reducing the sugar. 

Chick Pea Salad

This is a recreation of a salad we purchased at Smith's in Sudbury. It was so delicious, we made our own home version.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup Tricolor chick peas (or if not available),
1/2 cup of Sprouted Chick Peas*

2 TBS freshly squeezed orange juice, or 1 TBS orange juice concentrate
1 TBS finely diced red pepper
1 TBS finely diced green pepper, or yellow pepper
1 TBS finely diced red onion
1 TBS finely chopped green onion, white & green
Juice of 1/2 lime (about 2 tsp)
1 TBS white wine vinegar
1 TBS chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
salt & pepper
pinch of sugar (optional)

Directions: 

Add all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Mix, and adjust to taste.
Keeps in the fridge for about 2-3 days.

* The sprouted chick peas are available at Whole Foods, but if you can't find them, you could use canned chick peas (1 can Garbanzo beans). Drain the chick peas, and then double the ingredients given above as it will make a larger quantity.

Zucchini Spears with Parmesan Cheese

This recipe has been modified from a recipe I saw on:
damndelicious.net - some great recipes here! 



Serves 4 













Ingredients 

1 TBS olive oil 
2 medium sized zucchinis, cut into quarters lengthwise 
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 
1/4 tsp dried thyme (or fresh) 
1/4 tsp dried oregano (or fresh) 
1/4 tsp dried basil (or fresh) 
1/8 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove finely minced) 
Salt & Pepper to taste 
1 TBS fresh parsley, finely chopped 

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a cooling rack with Pam or brush with olive oil. 
Place the cooling rack on a baking sheet and set aside. 

Cut the zucchinis into quarters. Cut off the ends. 
Brush the spears with the olive oil. 

In a small bowl, mix the herbs, parmesan, and garlic together. Sprinkle this mixture on the zucchinis. 

Bake for about 15-17 minutes (do not over cook). The spears should still be a little firm. Then broil for 2 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Zucchini will taste bitter and get mushy if it is overcooked. 

Serve with fresh parsley garnish. 

These are also delicious cold in a salad. 

Nonni's Veal or Chicken Stew

This is my Italian Grandmother's recipe for a veal stew (or you can use chicken). Using this recipe, you can make risotto or if you prefer, serve the stew over fettuccini or any pasta.  Polenta is another Italian grain that goes very well with this stew recipe. Just follow the package directions.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBS butter
2 1/2 lbs of veal stew (cut into two-inch pieces), or
   2 1/2 lbs of boneless chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 fresh tomato, chopped
sprinkle of cinnamon
salt & pepper to taste
1 jar of tomato sauce (24 oz)
1/2 cup of water

2 cups of short grain, Italian Arborio or Carnaroli rice (for risotto)
or 1 package of pasta for 4 people

Grated Parmesan cheese to serve on top.

Directions 

Melt the butter with oil in a large pot. Add the veal or chicken and cook on medium high for
three to five minutes until lightly browned.  Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The meat will be ready when there is no water in the pot, and you can see a bit of oil only.  Sprinkle the meat with the cinnamon (about 1/4 tsp), salt & pepper.

Add the tomato sauce, water and juice. Bring to a boil.

Add the chopped vegetables, parsley, mushrooms, and tomato. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 2 hours until the oil settles on top.

If you are going to make risotto, remove the veal or chicken using a slotted spoon.  Place the meat in an oven-proof dish and keep warm.

Wash the rice.  Add it to the sauce. Stir the rice in the sauce until it gets thick and then you can start to add more water. Have a kettle of boiling water ready and add boiling water gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) to the rice. Keep stirring the rice. Add more water until the rice is cooked but still al dente. This should take 20-30 minutes.

If you are just making pasta, prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Serve into bowls and then ladle the sauce over the noodles.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Garnish with fresh parsley.