Anna Sultana’s Farfalle Salad

Back in 2010 I posted Carmela Soprano’s Bow Ties with Fresh Tomatoes and Mozzarella recipe.

She used farfalle (bow-tie pasta).

Farfalle aren’t served often enough.

They’re a little different, both in appearance and texture.

Something solid to bite into, and easy to pick up with a fork.

And the kids get a kick out of them.

Well, Ma served farfalle in a very nice salad.

Of course there’s a bit more to it than there is in Carmela’s recipe.

Ma’s recipe is more of a complete meal.

It’s just our Maltese way.

Hints:

If you’d prefer - or have on hand - a different pasta, such as elbow, no problem.

You can substitute 2 Cups halved cherry tomatoes or whole grape tomatoes for the chopped regular tomatoes.

You can also use mushrooms, or green pepper strips, or corn, or 1-inch asparagus pieces.  Or a mixture, if you’re trying to use up odds and ends.

Use your favourite Italian Dressing - store bought or homemade - as spicy or as mild as you like.

You can add 2 Cups cooked chicken or pork strips or diced bacon just before serving.

If you’d like to prepare this salad in advance, don’t add the tomatoes and dressing until an hour before serving.

                        Farfalle Salad

16 servings, 1 cup each

Chop and keep the broccoli separate

broccoli florets - enough for 2 Cups

1 red pepper 

3 tomatoes

In a large pot place

4 quarts water

salt to taste

Bring to a boil.

Add

1 pound farfalle 

Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is almost al dente.

Add

the broccoli florets 

Cook another 3 minutes.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and rinse with cold water.

Place in large bowl. 

Add 

the chopped red pepper and tomatoes 

1 Cup Italian Dressing 

Mix lightly.

Refrigerate 1 hour. 

Stir gently before serving.

Top with

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Serve immediately.

Anna Sultana's Tuscan Sun Chicken

Yes, my Ma was Maltese.

No, she never went to Tuscany.

But, to me, this recipe will always be Ma's Tuscan Sun Chicken recipe.

Sometimes recipe names are pretty straightforward.

Take peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

What you said is what you get.

Then there are recipes that have a little story that only means something to the cook.

For example, in The Sopranos Family Cookbook Artie Bucco has a chapter Mia Cucina.

In it Artie sometimes explained how he got his inspirations.

Artie's recipe for Quail Sinatra-Style, in Mia Cucina, was inspired by Artie listening to Frank Sinatra singing the song Luck be a Lady.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

As I said last January, Ma and I used to exchange recipes, especially during this time of the year, what with all the holiday recipes floating around.

In 2003 Ma had sent me a package of recipes she'd clipped from newspapers, such as the New York Daily News.

A few of them were chicken recipes.

High cholesterol runs in the family.

She wasn't going to send me a recipe for a standing rib roast.

After the package came, Paul and I went to see the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.

It's a movie about Frances, a writer who gets divorced.

She joins a gay bus tour in Italy.

During a stop Frances notices a poster for a villa for sale in Cortona. 

A little further on, the bus stops to allow a flock of sheep to cross the road. 

Frances realizes that they've stopped in front of the villa that she had seen for sale.

She believes it is a sign. 

Frances goes to meet the owner.

While there, a bird shits on Frances.

The owner believes it is a sign. 

She agrees to let Frances buy her broken down villa in beautiful Tuscany.

Your basic rom-com.

Okay… back to the recipes that Ma had sent me.

The day after Paul and I saw the movie, I cooked this chicken recipe.

While we ate it, we talked about Under the Tuscan Sun.

Whenever we eat Tuscan Sun Chicken, we remember the movie.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

                        Tuscan Sun Chicken

Serves 2 generously

In a large pot place

4 quarts water

salt to taste

Bring to a boil.

Add

1/2 pound spaghetti, or any favourite pasta

When the pasta is almost ready add

4 cups broccoli florets

Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking

In a large saucepan heat over medium-high heat

2 teaspoons olive oil

Add

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Cook 7 minutes on each side or until done (170ºF). 

Top with

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Remove chicken from the pan.

Cover to keep warm.

Add to the large saucepan

1/4 cup Italian Dressing

1/4 cup chicken broth

Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Add 

cooked pasta and broccoli

Toss gently and place on heated platter.

Top with 

the cooked chicken

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Serve with a green salad.

Wine is nice, too.

Lindsay Duncan, as the character Katherine, had a few memorable lines in Under the Tuscan Sun.  One of my favourites:

Regrets are a waste of time. They're the past crippling you in the present.

Don't have regrets.

Have Tuscan Sun Chicken.

Carmela Soprano's Rigatoni with Broccoli

The holiday season does bring back lots of memories of the past.

Including memories of family dinners from long ago.

Most dinners immigrant families remember weren't very fancy.

At least not on a regular basis.

Oh, there might be a roast on Sunday.

And a wonderful meal on holidays was always done.

But the only way a family could afford that was by eating simply during the week.

Junior's chapter The Soprano Family Tradition in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook

is filled with basic Italian family recipes.

Easy on the budget, delicious on the tongue.

Rigatoni with Broccoli could be served as a side dish.

Or, if you're watching your budget as well as your waist, a main course.

Vegetarians will love it.

If you want to increase the pasta, no problem.

Some extra oil, garlic and crushed red pepper would be a good idea.

Oh, and the cheese, of course.

This recipe also works with penne or any largish pasta.

This looks more complicated than it is.

It's just that, to not overcook the broccoli, you should cook the pasta 

while frying the broccoli.

                        Rigatoni with Broccoli

Serves 4

Trim and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 1/4 pounds broccoli

In a large pot place

4 quarts water

salt to taste

Bring to a boil.

Add the prepared broccoli.

Cook for 5 minutes.

Scoop out the broccoli.

SAVE THE COOKING WATER in the pot for the rigatoni.

COOK THE PASTA WHILE YOU ARE FRYING THE BROCCOLI.

Bring the water to a boil.

Add

1/2 pound rigatoni

Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente.

Set aside 1 Cup of the cooking water.

Drain the pasta and add it to the broccoli and oil in the dutch oven.

WHILE THE PASTA IS COOKING:

In a dutch oven pour

1/4 Cup olive oil

Add

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

pinch of crushed red pepper

Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.

You want the garlic to be lightly golden.

Add 

the precooked broccoli

a pinch salt (optional)

Cook, stirring occasionally over low heat for 10 minutes.

After you've added the pasta

Add

the reserved cup of cooking water

Cook, stirring often over low heat for 5 minutes.

Place in a large serving bowl.

Sprinkle with

1/2 Cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Toss and serve immediately.

Would I make Rigatoni with Broccoli again?

Sure.

It's great as is.

And, with a few slices of leftover meat, it can become a dinner in a dish.

One recipe down.  Sixty-one more to go.  

Carmela Soprano's Fettuccine Primavera - Fettuccine and Vegetables in a Cream Sauce / Wine Tips and Lacrima Christi

Artie has something similar to Carmela's Rigatoni with Sweet Sausage recipe.

In his Mia Cucina chapter in The Sopranos Family Cookbook

there's a recipe for Fettuccine Primavera.

Primavera means Spring.

No, wait, this can be made in winter, too.

The only Spring thing in it is asparagus tips.

And some folks don't like asparagus.

So, go a little heavier on the other veggies.

So, there.

If you don't have fresh basil, 3 tablespoons of dried basil should work.

More or less, depending on what you like.

Fettuccine is another type of pasta, similar to linguine.

Yes, the Italians have invented a lot of pasta types.

Different strokes for different folks.

Try something new or not - suit yourself.

If you can't find fresh pasta, use dried and allow for a longer cooking time.

Speaking of suiting yourself, here are some of Artie's wine tips:

For white wines from Avellino he suggests Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, 

Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio, and Asperino di Aversa.

For Avellino red wines try a Taurasi or the red version of Lacrima Christi.

There's a bit of a story to Lacrima Christi:

When the Archangel Lucifer was kicked out of heaven, he stole a piece of Paradise and dropped it into the Bay of Naples.  When Christ saw this, he cried.  His tears landed on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius and from these tears came the grapes for the classic Lacrima Christi.

But, even a professional like Artie says a wine from California is fine, too.

It is your meal, after all.

Salut'!!

                        Fettuccine Primavera

     

Serves 6

In a large pot place

4 quarts water

salt to taste

Bring to a boil.

Add

1 Cup broccoli florets (cut into 3/4 inch pieces)

1 Cup asparagus tips

Cook for 1 minute.

KEEP THE WATER IN THE POT AND KEEP IT HOT.

With a slotted spoon, scoop out the vegetables.

Drain the vegetables well.

In another large pot or skillet melt over medium heat

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Add

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced

Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

Add 

the cooked broccoli and asparagus

1/2 Cup fresh or frozen peas

1 Cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Bring to a simmer.

Stir in

10 fresh basil leaves, stacked and cut into thin ribbons

Turn off the heat.

In the original large pot of boiling water

Add

1 pound fresh fettuccine

Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente.

Drain the pasta and add to the pot of vegetables.

Add

3/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Toss well.  Serve immediately.

Would I make Fettuccine Primavera again?

Sure.

Paul doesn't like asparagus.

So, I'll add more broccoli and make it anytime.

One recipe down.  Seventy-two more to go.  

Carmela Soprano's Broccoli with Garlic and Hot Pepper

Summer is drawing to a close.

Here we are... Labour Day, the start of Autumn.

Well, it is, for all practical purposes.

Time to get back to routine.

Time to pack away summer clothes.

Time to get back to real meals.

Summer is the time for salads.

But now it's time to eat vegetables with more heft to them.

It's time to make like a bear and bulk up for Winter.

Broccoli and pasta is perfect.

In the Final Celebration chapter of Carmela's Entertaining with the Sopranos, 

there's a recipe for Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Hot Pepper.  

Maybe the nephew / editor has a point.

Nothing says you're alive like sitting down to a heavy meal.

Well, okay, maybe something else can remind you you're alive.

But, this is a family-oriented blog.

We'll stick to food.

Honestly, some people...

In the movie Goodfellas, Paulie uses a razor blade to thinly slice garlic.

Yeah, well, what else did he have to do while he was locked up in prison?

You have a life.

If you'd rather finely chop than slice, go for it.

Remember garlic burns easily. 

                             

                              Broccoli with Garlic and Hot Pepper 

Into a large skillet pour

1/4 Cup olive oil

Add

4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes.

Add

2 pounds broccoli, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1/4 Cup water

Salt to taste

Cover the pan and cook about 5 minutes.

Check half-way through that there's enough liquid.

If it's too dry, add some water.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Carmela suggests tossing the cooked broccoli with hot cooked pasta.

Would I make Broccoli with Garlic and Hot Pepper again?

Sure.

The pasta toss is a nice idea.

But I prefer broccoli with Roasted Beef Tenderloin.

I know Carm served the beef tenderloin with asparagus.

But that's for Spring.

Now's the time for broccoli.

Another recipe down.  Five more to go.