Check out today's Wall Street Journal for "Italian Mammas Put Meals on Wheels, Say 'Mangia!' to Faraway Offspring: Trucking Ravioli From Calabria to Rome"
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Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
GTL Thursday: On top of spaghetti...all covered with cheese
I'm an Italian who doesn't eat pasta.
Don't worry. This is not a pity-party masquerading as a GTL post. I actually have some wonderful news for the Guidos out there who don't want the carbs of pasta to counteract and nullify their hard work at the gym.
Everything I've read says you should scrub the squash very well--even though you don't eat the rind.
To prevent the squash from breaking open during baking, pierce it all over with a skewer. This is especially important if you are microwaving it.
To bake in the oven: Preheat the oven at 375ºF. Halve or quarter the squash, clean out the pulp and place the pieces in a shallow baking pan, rind side up, and bake for 40 minutes or more, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork. I've read that you can also bake it whole, but it takes longer.
Doesn't it look JUST LIKE SPAGHETTI??
Thoughts? Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? Does it just freak you out? Do you have other pasta alternatives worth trying?
I have early stages of type 2 diabetes. Wah wahhhhh.
While I don't have to shoot up or test my levels every day, I do have to avoid sugar and carbs. When I cheat, I experience awesome sugar highs. When I'm not snacking regularly, I get looow (3-6-9, damn you fine). I can't really drink more than one glass of wine in a sitting without getting giddy, and I can't eat a few forkfuls of pasta without gaining 3 lbs on the spot. Basically, sugar is my kryptonite.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I love love love pasta. But, like so many of my failed relationshps, pasta doesn't love me back. Or maybe, just maybe, it DOES love me back. Too much. And thats why it sticks to my thighs and hips and cheek bones. The more I talk about, the more I realize that me and Pasta have a bad romance...kinda like Ronnie and Sammi Sweetheart...but I digress...
On Sundays, the whole Festino family is feasting on gravy smothered linguini...and I'm limited to meatballs. I sit there. Watching them twirl the languid noodles around their forks.
It is mocking me, this pasta.
And so I become Miss Pissy because all I want is a bowl of the starchy-white-deliciousness of the fresh fusili.
I miss it. Everyday. This is no blogger's hyperbole. I literally ache for a bowl of spaghetti carbonara.
Don't worry. This is not a pity-party masquerading as a GTL post. I actually have some wonderful news for the Guidos out there who don't want the carbs of pasta to counteract and nullify their hard work at the gym.
Tonight, I had a bowl of spaghetti bolognese. And I don't feel sick or guilty or like a passenger on the Good Ship Lollipop. I feel awesome. Perche? Because it was spaghetti squash.
Yea. I know. I didn't believe the hype either. Pasta from a squash? Ewwwww. Thanks-but-no-thanks. I've ignored it for years.
But then, during one Sunday dinner last month my cousin Maria made it for me and I took a bite...with some hesitation...and BAM. Santa Cleopatra! I realized what I had been missing!
The guts of this large vegetable look like spaghetti. The texture, when cooked properly, isn't too different either. And best of all, it tastes like it too. That is, it tastes like nothing...just like the chewy al dente heaven of real spaghetti.
Don't take from me. Try it yourself. Here's what you need to know:
Choose a firm spaghetti squash with no bruises. A four-pound squash will have a yield of about four cups.
Everything I've read says you should scrub the squash very well--even though you don't eat the rind.
To prevent the squash from breaking open during baking, pierce it all over with a skewer. This is especially important if you are microwaving it.
To bake in the oven: Preheat the oven at 375ºF. Halve or quarter the squash, clean out the pulp and place the pieces in a shallow baking pan, rind side up, and bake for 40 minutes or more, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork. I've read that you can also bake it whole, but it takes longer.
Sidenote: Do not throw the seeds away. They are good roasted. Simply toss in a little bit of olive oil (not greasy), sprinkle with some sea salt, and bake for about twenty minutes to one hour at 250ºF, depending on quantity. Serve warm.
To microwave: Place in a microwave dish, cut sides up, with about a quarter cup of water. Cover and set the timer for about eight to twelve minutes, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork. Let stand for a few minutes before taking the squash out.
To boil: Place the squash in boiling water and let boil for about twenty minutes or so, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork.
As soon as sufficiently cool, scrape a kitchen fork over the soft side of the squash and give birth to your faux spaghetti strands. It is that easy!
Serve alone or as a side dish. I recommend covering it in homemade gravy or bolongese and some romano cheese...like I did here:
To microwave: Place in a microwave dish, cut sides up, with about a quarter cup of water. Cover and set the timer for about eight to twelve minutes, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork. Let stand for a few minutes before taking the squash out.
To boil: Place the squash in boiling water and let boil for about twenty minutes or so, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork.
As soon as sufficiently cool, scrape a kitchen fork over the soft side of the squash and give birth to your faux spaghetti strands. It is that easy!
Serve alone or as a side dish. I recommend covering it in homemade gravy or bolongese and some romano cheese...like I did here:
Doesn't it look JUST LIKE SPAGHETTI??
Thoughts? Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? Does it just freak you out? Do you have other pasta alternatives worth trying?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
GTL Thursday: Everything else is gravy...
I know its time to beat that beat up...but I got something else on my mind just now...
I grew up spending Sunday mornings stirring the big pot of deliciousness on the stove...every 15 minutes...as not to burn the thick meaty, rich, red GRAVY. While the stove simmered the mixture on a steady low heat, the smell of onion and browning meat permeated the whole house.
And yes, I just called it gravy. You wanna make somethin of it? You wanna be startin somethin?
The question of what to call the half tomato/ half meat concoction is a debate as old as time...tune as old as song. Gravy? Or sauce?
I know what I think. Gravy is a sauce made, in part, from meat juices. Therefore, this includes, but is not limited to, the beige buttery joy that is poured on Turkey, the bold brown brothy tastiness that smothers meatloaf, AND the red awesomesauce cooked with sausage, meatballs, and pork on Sundays.
Contrary to popular belief, I wholeheartedly recognize that my word is not the bible. There are lots of differing opinions out there...not only by non-ginzos, but also within the Italo-Americano community. So I did the logical thing...I wikipedia-ed the situation. Did you know that you could make a chocolate gravy (in Appalachian cultures) or Onion gravy (served on bangers and mash)? I had no idea. I want me some chocolate gravy like whoa...
Anyway, wikipedia didn't satiate my appetite on the great gravy debate. Thus, I decided to poll some my wolfpack to see what they had to say. Without further ado...
From my cousin, Mary:
I call the red sauce made with meat - GRAVY. The meatless sauce is in fact - SAUCE. I confess that when talking to non Italians I sometimes say tomato sauce for what is really gravy. It's like saying pasta instead of macaroni although in Italian the correct word is pasta....hmm.
From my dad, Enzo:
Hey Dani, gravy in the Italo American culture pretty much covers all the bases from Sunday (Ragu) to turkey and roast-a-beef, its all gravy.
From my wicked smart colleague and foodie friend, Michael:
I dunno. But in Asian cuisine they call many of their sauces "gravy" and nobody questions it.
From my paisano, Joe:
Gravy is put on meats like turkey, roast beef, chicken, etc…Sauce is put on pasta… or macaroni, but that is another debate entirely.
From my paisana, Melissa...who happens to be engaged to Joe:
Ugh macaroni is the elbow shaped and used by Kraft or in a “macaroni salad” with mayo. It is not pasta…it’s a disgrace. Also, what about an Alfredo with fettuccini and chicken and broccoli or something….people would say Alfredo Sauce….but there’s meat it in and it’s sort of beige ;-)
From my BFF, Chaci:
To me "gravy" as always been the brown stuff. Sauce has always been red sauce. I can see how people use gravy though. Gravy is a sauce produced by the fat or residue of meat. But - even when meat is in tomato sauce - it still feels like tomato is the main ingredient - opposed to gravies like turkey gravy.
From my long-lost friend, Ben:
My family has always called red sauce gravy. At some point (I am thinking the 50s), waspy middle America stole the phrase and made it seem as if it could only apply to the stuff that goes on turkey. But yeah, red sauce can be gravy.
From my lovely co-editor Kate:
Gravy is brown. Or beige. Or greyish.
I grew up spending Sunday mornings stirring the big pot of deliciousness on the stove...every 15 minutes...as not to burn the thick meaty, rich, red GRAVY. While the stove simmered the mixture on a steady low heat, the smell of onion and browning meat permeated the whole house.
And yes, I just called it gravy. You wanna make somethin of it? You wanna be startin somethin?
The question of what to call the half tomato/ half meat concoction is a debate as old as time...tune as old as song. Gravy? Or sauce?
I know what I think. Gravy is a sauce made, in part, from meat juices. Therefore, this includes, but is not limited to, the beige buttery joy that is poured on Turkey, the bold brown brothy tastiness that smothers meatloaf, AND the red awesomesauce cooked with sausage, meatballs, and pork on Sundays.
Red sauce that is cooked sans meat is marinara.
Contrary to popular belief, I wholeheartedly recognize that my word is not the bible. There are lots of differing opinions out there...not only by non-ginzos, but also within the Italo-Americano community. So I did the logical thing...I wikipedia-ed the situation. Did you know that you could make a chocolate gravy (in Appalachian cultures) or Onion gravy (served on bangers and mash)? I had no idea. I want me some chocolate gravy like whoa...
Anyway, wikipedia didn't satiate my appetite on the great gravy debate. Thus, I decided to poll some my wolfpack to see what they had to say. Without further ado...
From my cousin, Mary:
I call the red sauce made with meat - GRAVY. The meatless sauce is in fact - SAUCE. I confess that when talking to non Italians I sometimes say tomato sauce for what is really gravy. It's like saying pasta instead of macaroni although in Italian the correct word is pasta....hmm.
From my dad, Enzo:
Hey Dani, gravy in the Italo American culture pretty much covers all the bases from Sunday (Ragu) to turkey and roast-a-beef, its all gravy.
From my wicked smart colleague and foodie friend, Michael:
I dunno. But in Asian cuisine they call many of their sauces "gravy" and nobody questions it.
From my sister of another mister, Bonez:
Growing up sauce was red and on pasta and gravy was for turkey. I think it will be like that forever for me. When I used to go to your house when I was little I was so confused that you put gravy on pasta...hahaha
From my paisano, Joe:
Gravy is put on meats like turkey, roast beef, chicken, etc…Sauce is put on pasta… or macaroni, but that is another debate entirely.
From my paisana, Melissa...who happens to be engaged to Joe:
Ugh macaroni is the elbow shaped and used by Kraft or in a “macaroni salad” with mayo. It is not pasta…it’s a disgrace. Also, what about an Alfredo with fettuccini and chicken and broccoli or something….people would say Alfredo Sauce….but there’s meat it in and it’s sort of beige ;-)
From my BFF, Chaci:
To me "gravy" as always been the brown stuff. Sauce has always been red sauce. I can see how people use gravy though. Gravy is a sauce produced by the fat or residue of meat. But - even when meat is in tomato sauce - it still feels like tomato is the main ingredient - opposed to gravies like turkey gravy.
From my long-lost friend, Ben:
My family has always called red sauce gravy. At some point (I am thinking the 50s), waspy middle America stole the phrase and made it seem as if it could only apply to the stuff that goes on turkey. But yeah, red sauce can be gravy.
From my lovely co-editor Kate:
Gravy is brown. Or beige. Or greyish.
duh.
winning.
xoxo.
And lastly, a slightly longer explanation from my amico, Paul...who teaches Italian to middle-schoolers:
D: this is an easy one. I'll clear it up for you right now:
Any god-fearing, garlic-loving, ginzo/gumba/guido will tell you that GRAVY is the red stuff their Nonna makes and puts on pasta every Sunday after church. And Ang Festino, too.
True, it is additionally the term Americans use for turkey dressings (the brown stuff, which is nasty), but any Italian-American worth his/her salt knows that gravy is also a term used to describe what other Americans call pasta sauce/red sauce (or, "spaghetti sauce", which actually makes me shudder... I really don't like that one-- just a personal pet peeve).
It's still OK to call it "sauce", too, but to me that would suggest that it is not meat-based (for example, "marinara sauce", which has no meats, obvi).
I hope this has cleared things up. If somebody has been giving you trouble about calling it "gravy" instead of "sauce", let me know who they are and I will set things straight for you with them. Or just forward them this email with the subject line "suck it, gravy boy".
And lastly, a slightly longer explanation from my amico, Paul...who teaches Italian to middle-schoolers:
D: this is an easy one. I'll clear it up for you right now:
Any god-fearing, garlic-loving, ginzo/gumba/guido will tell you that GRAVY is the red stuff their Nonna makes and puts on pasta every Sunday after church. And Ang Festino, too.
True, it is additionally the term Americans use for turkey dressings (the brown stuff, which is nasty), but any Italian-American worth his/her salt knows that gravy is also a term used to describe what other Americans call pasta sauce/red sauce (or, "spaghetti sauce", which actually makes me shudder... I really don't like that one-- just a personal pet peeve).
It's still OK to call it "sauce", too, but to me that would suggest that it is not meat-based (for example, "marinara sauce", which has no meats, obvi).
I hope this has cleared things up. If somebody has been giving you trouble about calling it "gravy" instead of "sauce", let me know who they are and I will set things straight for you with them. Or just forward them this email with the subject line "suck it, gravy boy".
~Paul
Well there you have it. Its a tie. 5 votes for sauce and 5 votes for gravy. What do you think guys? Are you getting on the gravy train? Don't worry...you can be honest...this is a safe space.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
I am a Domestic Goddess
Today I cooked. But I didn't just cook something simple like cookies. Nope. I cooked individually-sized chicken pot pies to take to work for lunch. I'm simply delighted with myself.
In other news, D and I finally had our reality show picked up. So we'll be moving to New York and buying fedoras. You can watch the trailer below.
I love my friends. I love my face. We're gonna rock this town tonight.
xo kate
 |
| Oh, also, I photographed them in hipstamatic, because I'm domestic, but still a little edgy. |
I love my friends. I love my face. We're gonna rock this town tonight.
xo kate
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