Appetizers and Artichoke Recipes

In 1966, for my Sweet Sixteen birthday party, Ma careful wrapped Italian cold cuts around dozens of hard Italian bread sticks.

That was the standard party snack for our family.

Unfortunately, it didn't go over too well with my German, Irish and Polish classmates.

Well, that was then.

Now everyone's palates and expectations for appetizers have broadened.

These are a few favourite appetizers.

Along with a few favourite artichoke recipes.

Enjoy!!

Carmela Soprano's Asparagus and Prosciutto Rolls and Anna Sultana's Appetizers

Carmela Soprano's Fried Mozzarella Sticks and Anna Sultana's Appetizers

Carmela Soprano's Calamari Fritti (Fried Calamari) 

     / Maltese klamar mimli / Squid information

Anna Sultana's Ful bit-tewm 

     - Broad Beans and Garlic, Maltese Style

Anna Sultana's Fazola bit-tewm 

     - Butter Beans with Garlic, Maltese Style

Anna Sultana's Ravjuletti bl-Irkotta 

     - Deep fried Ravioli Appetizers, Maltese Style

Carmela Soprano's Stuffed Mushrooms

Carmela Soprano's Cheese Puffs - Appetizers

Carmela Soprano's Cheese Puffs #2 - (appetizers)

Carmela Soprano's Stuffed Hot Cherry Peppers

Carmela Soprano's Eggplant Fritters - (appetizers)

*************

Carmela Soprano's Stuffed Mushrooms and Anna Sultana's Qaqocc Mimli 

     - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

Anna Sultana's Qaqocc Mimli 

     - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

Anna Sultana's other Qaqocc Mimli 

     - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

Carmela Soprano's Carciofi Ripieni 

     - Stuffed Artichokes l Vegetable Stuffing Recipe

Anna Sultana’s Chicken Piccata, Maltese Style

Some folks don’t care for brunch type dishes, even on special days.

No problem.

Chicken Piccata is as easy and festive as Frittatas.

And, if you bought a four pound box of chicken breasts that was on sale, economical.

About a year ago I posted Carmela Soprano's Veal Piccata with Capers.

The recipe also works with chicken, as in Chicken Piccata.

Here’s a variation for Chicken Piccata.

Check out both and see which you’d prefer.

And don’t be afraid to buy a jar of capers.

Capers are  also an ingredient in the recipe for Spaghetti Puttanesca.

Hints:

If you don't have a meat pounder or mallet, just use a heavy plate or a hammer.

You might want to give the hammer a quick wash first.

Plastic wrap does tear sometimes... especially when it's being whacked.

Cook the number of cutlets at one time that will fit in the pan without crowding.

You want them to get nice and crisp, not soggy and glued together.

                        Chicken Piccata

On a plate spread

1/3 Cup flour

Cut and then split horizontally in half

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts

You should have 8 thin pieces of chicken.

Gently pound breasts with a mallet to a 1/4 inch thickness. 

Sprinkle the meat with

salt and pepper to taste

Dredge them in flour and shake off excess.

In a large frying pan place

2 Tablespoons butter 

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil 

Heat over medium high heat until it just starts to sizzle. 

Add 2 pieces of the dredged chicken.

Cook for 3 minutes on each side to brown the chicken. 

Remove from pan, place on a plate, and keep warm. 

Cook two more pieces of chicken and place on the plate. 

Add 

2 Tablespoons butter 

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil

Cook the remaining pieces of chicken and place on the plate. 

Remove pan from heat, and add 

1/3 Cup lemon juice 

1/2 Cup chicken broth

1 small can of tomato paste

1 jar of pickled artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed

1/4 Cup capers, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon garlic 

1 Tablespoon basil

Stir to combine. 

Return pan to the stove and, scraping the brown bits from the pan, bring liquid mixture to a boil. 

Return all of the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Remove chicken and artichoke hearts from pan. 

Add

2 Tablespoons butter

Whisk to thicken the sauce. 

Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Sprinkle with 

1/3 Cup fresh parsley, chopped

Serve with lemon wedges.

Rice and a salad would round out the meal.

And a bottle of wine would be nice, too.

Anna Sultana's other Qaqocc Mimli - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

A few months ago I posted Ma's recipe for Qaqoċċ Mimli.

It's my favourite.

And I hope you enjoyed it, too.

Like I said in that post, Maltese recipes are often just a guideline.

Some folks prefer a certain flavour, like garlic.

Other folks hate a certain flavour, like garlic.

Sometimes there's a sale.

Sometimes a gardener has a good crop and wants to use it before it goes bad.

That post was about one way Ma prepared artichokes.

But of course she had other ways, too.

And she would be open to suggestions.

Especially if it used an item that was on sale.

                        Qaqoċċ Mimli

Serves 8

Artichoke Prep Work

The 8 artichokes are soaked in salted water for 25 minutes.  

Then the leaves are opened by taking the upside down artichokes 

and smashing them against a table top.  

The Stuffing

Mix in a bowl

8 Tablespoons parsley

2 Cups plain bread crumbs

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 olives, chopped

8 anchovies, finely chopped 

8 Tablespoons Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Gently spread the artichoke leaves apart and lightly stuff the artichokes.

Place the artichokes in a pot large enough to hold them upright.

Cooking the Artichokes

Add to the pot

3/4 inch water

Drizzle over the artichokes 

4 Tablespoons wine vinegar

Cover the pot and place over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.

If the water evaporates away add more warm water so they won't scorch.

Cook until the leaves can be easily pulled out, about 1 1/2 hours.

Serve hot.

Although some folks prefer them cold.

Anna Sultana's Qaqocc Mimli - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

I recently posted Paulie Walnuts' recipe, Stuffed Artichokes - Carciofi Ripieni.

It's okay, but I mentioned I prefer my Ma's recipe.

When I started posting Carmela's and Ma's recipes, I wasn't too exact.

I had posted Ma's recipe for stuffed vegetables, more or less.

Okay… way less.  I'm sorry.

So, of course, I got some e mails.

Maltese recipes, except for cakes and pastries, are often just a guideline.

Think of the way you'd explain how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I mean, you don't say "A third of a cup of peanut butter…"

A lot of Maltese recipes make use of what's in the house or garden.

Or what a picky family member likes to eat.

Or what's on sale.

Another feature of Maltese recipes is a heavy reliance on carbs.

Really.  We've never met a carb we didn't like.

There's our classic comfort food - timpana.

A layer of flaky or puff pastry lining the pan, which is then filled with pasta. 

Then the pasta is covered with another layer of pastry.

Dr. Atkins would have a fit.

Ma had her own recipe for Stuffed Artichokes - Qaqoċċ Mimli.

Here's her recipe.

More or less.

Depending on what she had on hand.

It's all good.

                        Qaqoċċ Mimli

Serves 8

Artichoke Prep Work

The 8 artichokes are soaked in salted water for 25 minutes.  

Then the leaves are opened by taking the upside down artichokes and smashing them against a table top.  

The Stuffing

Mix in a bowl

8 Tablespoons parsley

300 grams plain bread crumbs

200 grams finely chopped anchovies

2 garlic cloves, chopped

12 olives, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Gently spread the artichoke leaves apart and lightly stuff the artichokes.

Place the artichokes in a pot large enough to hold them upright.

Cooking Artichokes

Add to the pot

3/4 inch water

Drizzle over the artichokes

3 Tablespoons Olive oil

3 Tablespoons wine vinegar

Cover the pot and place over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.

If the water evaporates away add more warm water so they won't scorch.

Cook until the leaves can be easily pulled out, about 1 1/2 hours.

Serve hot.

Ma had a second recipe for Stuffed Artichokes.
Try both!

Carmela Soprano's Carciofi Ripieni (Stuffed Artichokes) l Vegetable Stuffing Recipe

Today is Earth Day.

I'm old enough to say I've seen them all.

Okay, it's not like being able to say "I've seen every Christmas".

But still, it makes me feel like I've been part of an era.

Yeah, it doesn't take much.

When the first Earth Day was held in 1970 I was a student at Pratt Institute.

Classes were cancelled for the day.

We had a big inflated balloon on campus.

We entered it, bounced around a bit, and celebrated that we were living on earth.

Yeah, like we had a choice.

What can I say?

We were children of the 60s and it didn't take much to impress us.

I mean, compare what the performers did in Dream Girls to what teen stars do now.

We'd have run screaming out of the building if we'd seen fireworks onstage.

Back to Earth Day…

Veggies grow on the earth.

Time to eat a veggie.

Paulie Walnuts' chapter My Nucci in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook has a nice veggie recipe, stuffed Artichokes - Carciofi Ripieni.

Yeah, he stuffs it.

Just like my Ma would.

Hint:

To remove the choke, use a small knife to scrape out the fuzzy leaves in the centre.

                        Carciofi Ripieni

Serves 8

Artichoke Prep Work

With a large sharp knife

trim off the top 1 inch of the pointy end of

8 artichokes

Rinse them well under cold water.

Cut off the bottom stems so the artichokes can stand upright.

DON'T THROW THE STEMS AWAY - you need them for the stuffing.

Peel off the tough outer skin of the stems.

Snap off the small leaves around the base of each artichoke.

With the kitchen shears trim off the pointy tips of the remaining leaves.

Removing the choke is optional.

Place the artichokes in a pot large enough to hold them upright.

The Stuffing

Finely chop the artichoke stems.

Mix them in a bowl with

3/4 Cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 Cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 Cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil - enough to moisten the crumbs

Gently spread the artichoke leaves apart and lightly stuff the artichokes.

Return the artichokes to the pot.

Cooking Artichokes

Add to the pot

3/4 inch water

Drizzle over the artichokes

3 Tablespoons Olive oil

Cover the pot and place over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.

If the water evaporates away add more warm water so they won't scorch.

Cook until the leaves can be easily pulled out, about 45 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Would I make Carciofi Ripieni again?

No.  

Well, without anchovies and olives they're kind of blah.

I prefer my Ma's recipe.

One recipe down.  Nineteen more to go.

Carmela Soprano's Stuffed Mushrooms and Anna Sultana's Qaqocc Mimli (Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style)

In a perfect world meals are the result of study and reflection.  Without the culinary arts, existence would be unbearable.

Well... that's what Hugh Jackman said in Kate & Leopold and I believed everything he said while he was wearing that cute suit.

I live in an imperfect world.  

Sometimes my meals are a result of scanning the flyers.

This week Sobeys is having mushrooms, buy one - get one free.

Alrighty then.

Back to Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos.  Eureeka!!!  Carmela has a recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms.  If stuffing mushrooms is your thing, you know what to do.  Snap stems, fill with finely chopped stems, seasoned breadcrumbs and olive oil, and bake at 400º for 20 minutes.

Want exact measurements?
Here's the recipe for Carmela Soprano's Stuffed Mushrooms.

She said to wash the mushrooms under running water.  I prefer wiping them with a damp cloth so they won't get mushy.  

Mushrooms weren't on the menu at Ma's house.  I don't know if they weren't available in College Point or if she'd had a bad experience with a mushy one.

I've looked through my Maltese cook books and there wasn't any mention of mushrooms.  Maybe it just wasn't part of the regular diet.

What Maltese do like to stuff is globe artichokes, qaqocc.  

Qaqocc Mimli is a bit more of a hassle than the mushrooms.  

The artichokes have to be soaked in salted water for 25 minutes.  Then the leaves have to be opened by taking the upside down artichokes and smashing them against a table top.  The stuffing includes finely chopped anchovies, garlic and olives, along with the breadcrumbs.

The artichokes are then placed in a saucepan.  Oil and vinegar are drizzled on the chokes and water is added to the pan.  Cover and simmer for 1  1/2 hours, or until the leaves can be easily pulled out.

Like I said, more of a hassle.

Would I make Carmela's Stuffed Mushrooms?    

Sure, they're easy and mushrooms are often on sale.

Another recipe down.  Forty-eight more to go.