Recipes
from Nino Panagia (whose cooking style was
inspired
by his mother’s southern Italian cooking)
PASTA E BROCCOLI
(broccoli pasta)
Ingredients
3 broccoli
"heads"
4 cloves of
garlic (each clove split in half)
Crushed red
pepper: a sprinkle to taste
8 tbs
extra-virgin olive oil
About 20 pitted
green olives (or black olives for a milder taste)
1/8 lb grated
romano cheese
3 (?) teaspoons
of salt
1 lb
"orecchiette" or "large shells" pasta (De Cecco brand is
excellent)
Preparation
Wash the broccoli. Cut the florets into 2-3" long pieces.
Peel the stems, and slice them (1/4-1/2" thick), discarding just the
bottom. In a tall pot bring 8 qts of water to boil.
Add the salt and the stems, and check the
taste: it should taste like a mild broth. Add the pasta and let it cook for 5
minutes. Add the broccoli florets and let them cook together until the pasta
is "al dente" (approximately
6-7 more minutes but you MUST check it yourself). Drain the pasta and the
broccoli (reserve a cup of the cooking water).
Pour the oil in the same pot and let it
warm up at high heat, add garlic and red pepper and let them release their
flavor stirring occasionally to prevent the garlic from sticking to the pot and
from burning (approximately 2 minutes or until garlic start take a pale color).
Toss in the pasta and the broccoli, add
the olives and stir thoroughly for a couple of minutes (until pasta and
broccoli are well coated with the oil mixture and have warmed up again; if it
is too dry add some cooking water or oil while stirring). During this process
the broccoli florets will partially dissolve in a sort of a green sauce.
Serve
immediately. Sprinkle each plate liberally with grated Romano cheese.
Serves 4 hungry persons.
Recommended wine:
Corvo rosso, Ciro`, Salice Salentino
PASTA AL LIMONE
(lemon pasta)
Ingredients
1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced (2
if YOU like garlic)
The juice of a lemon
Generous grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb pasta: linguine [or spaghetti,
or penne rigate]
Preparation
Marinate the oregano, red pepper and
garlic in a mixture made of the oil, lemon juice and salt, for an hour, at
least. At the end, hold the garlic if you don't want to eat it. Cook the pasta
in abundant salted water (typically 5 quarts per pound of pasta) until "al
dente". Drain the pasta and toss
immediately with the sauce. Serve
immediately and top each dish with a liberal quantity of grated Parmesan cheese
and, according to your taste, with freshly ground black pepper.
Serves 4.
PASTA AL SALMONE
(salmon pasta)
(An "upscale" version of "pasta al limone")
-- The
"base" sauce (to prepare 1/2 hr in advance in large bowl)
2 tbs Small capers (well washed!)
1 tsp Parsley or oregano
(dried)
4 tbs Extra-virgin olive oil (more to taste)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/3 tsp Onion powder
"Enough" freshly ground
black pepper (a sprinkle)
8
oz. Smoked salmon (chopped in
1/2" squares)
½ cup Loosely packed fresh parsley (coarsely chopped)
1 lb Pasta "penne rigate" [if you feel comfortable with
"long" pasta you may wish
to try fresh egg-noodles]
Cook pasta in abundant
salted water until “al dente”.
Drain the pasta but save
a cup of cooking water.
Toss the pasta with the sauce so as to coat pasta
thoroughly (add cooking water or oil, if needed).
Toss the salmon in (add cooking water as needed to keep the
pasta moist).
Toss the parsley in and bring the pasta to
the table immediately.
Serves 4 people.
Recommended wine: Corvo Bianco or
your favorite dry white wine
PASTA ALLA SALSA
(Mexican salsa pasta)
Ingredients
4-8 tbs of extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbs of fresh Mexican salsa
Generous grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb of pasta “penne rigate”
Preparation
In a skillet heat the oil and, when hot,
add the salsa and let it cook at high heat for a few minutes, stirring
frequently with a wooden spoon, until the onion becomes golden and tender.
Then, turn the heat to very low, just to
keep the sauce warm. Cook the pasta in abundant salted water (typically 5
quarts per pound of pasta) until "al dente". Drain the pasta, saving a cup of cooking water,
and toss promptly with the sauce in the skillet. (Add some olive oil or cooking water if pasta looks "too
dry"). Serve immediately and top each dish with a liberal quantity of
grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4.
PASTA CON I FINOCCHI
(fennel pasta)
Ingredients
2 stalks of
fennel (an equal amount of
celery may substitute fennel)
2 medium-sized
onions
10 fresh Roma
tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp dried
oregano
1/3 tsp salt [I
NEVER measured it!!! say, use "enough" for your taste!]
A pinch red
pepper
4 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup white
wine
Freshly grated
Parmesan cheese (or, optional, shredded ricotta salata cheese)
1 lb of fusilli
or conchiglie or orecchiette
Preparation
Chop onions finely and sauté them with oil
in a large saucepan at high heat until golden (about 5 minutes) stirring
occasionally.
Discard the feathery stem and the outer
"layer" of the fennel and chop the "cores" into small
dices. Add diced fennel to the onion mixture still at high heat for additional
5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure that they do not burn.
Add the diced tomatoes and keep cooking at
high heat for another 5 minutes.
Add oregano, red pepper and salt, stir
again and let it cook at high heat for another two minutes. Add 1/8 cup of the
wine, reduce the heat and cover the saucepan with its lid.
Let it cook slowly (total about 1/2 hour)
checking at regular intervals that the sauce is not drying too much and to add
some wine (at 1/8 cup per time).
At the end you have a sort of an orange
stew of fennel that will be used as a sauce for the pasta (add a few tbs of
cooking water if the sauce is too dry and/or one or two tbs of olive oil).
After the pasta is cooked "al
dente" add it to the saucepan where you cooked the fennel sauce and stir
it for 1-2 minutes for an ideal sauce coating and blending of all flavors.
Serve it in individual plates with a
sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese or shredded ricotta salata.
Serves 4 Wine: Corvo bianco, Beaujolais,
young Chianti.
(eggplant pasta)
In general, I prefer to bake the eggplant and marinate it in oil, rather than pan-frying it, because in this way it results in a lighter dish.
Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small eggplants
Olive oil (~1/2 cup total)
Garlic powder (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Dried oregano & basil (to taste)
Capers (~1 tablespoon) (we use the small ones that are sold in a vinegar brine)
Pasta (8 oz. – half a box -- Gemelli or Penne)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Slice the eggplant into approx. ½ - ¾ inch rounds.
Place on alum. foil (spray foil with Pam to prevent sticking)
Bake for approx. 45 min. at 350 degrees, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes, until soft but not falling apart.
Take from oven and put in a marinade dish that has a good amount of olive oil (1/4-1/2 cup) with garlic powder, dried oregano and basil already mixed in. Slosh the eggplant around and douse with a little extra salt and garlic powder (or onion, if you prefer). Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for a least a few hours, preferably leave overnight in the fridge.
Remove
the marinade from the fridge when ready, and then cut in to bite-sized
pieces. Add about a heaping tablespoon
of capers (rinse first) and then warm up for about 60-90 seconds in the
microwave (just to get the chill off).
Add a few tablespoons of boiling water from the pasta water to the
eggplant marinade.
Cook pasta in boiling water until it is al dente, then drain and add to eggplant marinade, mixing well. You might want to add just a little more olive oil, or reserved pasta cooking water at this point. Sometimes the pasta just soaks it up from the marinade.
Serve with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (Not the “powder”, please!)
This dish will serve three, or two very hungry types. We usually serve this as a main course with a salad on the side.
PASTA E FAGIOLI
(bean soup w/ pasta)
Ingredients
2 (16 oz) cans of kidney or
cannellini beans
4 cloves of garlic
2-3 Bouillon cubes (vegetarian or
chicken)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
4/3 cups of "ditalini" or
"elbow macaroni" pasta
Preparation
In a 5-quart pot heat the oil and let the
garlic start turning golden in it (but do NOT burn it!) together with the red
pepper. Add the beans with their liquid, two canfuls of water, the herbs and
the bouillon. This is intended to be a
rather thick soup. If you like more
liquid, add another canful of water. Bring the soup to a boil and, then, reduce
the heat and let the soup cook for about half hour. Add the pasta and let it
cook for about 10 minutes or until it is "al dente".
Serve the soup very hot, topping each bowl
with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (a Mediterranean touch) or a tbs of
sour cream (more American), or, if you have it, a teaspoon of pesto would also
be great!
It should be accompanied with a
full-bodied red wine.
CECI IN UMIDO
(chickpeas stew)
Ingredients
2 medium-sized onions
2 16-oz cans of chickpeas
1/2 cup of white wine
2 little bags of broth powder (or
enough salt)
1 tsp of dried oregano
A pinch of red pepper
4 tbs of extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
Heat the oil in a deep skillet and cook
the onion, thinly sliced, at high heat and stirring frequently until golden
(3-5 minutes). Add the broth powder, oregano, red pepper and some of the wine.
After a couple of minutes add the chickpeas (one can drained, the other one
with the canning liquid), stir well and bring it back to "full
steam". Reduce the heat to low and
let it simmer for at least 1/2 hour, adding part of the wine when the liquid is
reducing too much. Keep in mind that
the final result looks like a VERY thick soup, with chickpeas immersed in a
sort of light syrup.
Serve "ceci" warm as a side
dish. Leftover "ceci in umido"
can be used to make a delicious "pasta e ceci" soup (see the recipe
for "pasta e fagioli").
Serves 4... and
more!
PEPERONATA
(sweet pepper stew)
Ingredients
2 Red sweet peppers
2 Yellow peppers
2 Green peppers
2 large onions
2 large ripe tomatoes (or 1 can of
peeled tomatoes, drained)
Hot red pepper (1/4 tsp) [more, or less, or
none to YOUR taste]
Broth cube (bouillon? 2)
Dried basil (1/2 tsp)
Dried thyme (1/2 tsp)
Dried oregano (1/2 tsp)
White wine (1 cup)
Olive oil (1/4 cup)
Preparation
Slice the onions rather thinly. In a
medium deep pot, heat the oil and cook the onions (and red hot pepper) at high
heat, turning often to prevent them from burning, until they turn golden
(approximately 5 minutes).
* OPTIONAL * Add the tomatoes, rather
thinly sliced (for a faster cooking), and let them cook for another five
minutes at high heat (still turning often).
Add the peppers (discard stem and seeds,
and cut them first in quarters and then in 1/4 inch thick slices) and the
herbs, lower the heat and let them cook for at least half hour. Add some white wine (about 1/4 cup) every
time that the mixture starts drying up. Let the wine evaporate, so that the
flavor is preserved but the alcohol is gone.
Serving
Suggestions
This can be served as a side dish with
virtually everything. For example, it can be used as a pasta sauce with the
addition of a little extra-virgin olive oil (about1-2 tsp per person) and some
cooking water. It is a good practice to hold the tomatoes if some other dish
that you are serving contains them.
One can prepare a delicious dish for a
brunch: For each person, cut an english muffin in half and top each half with a
generous amount of peperonata (two tablespoons). Put on top of each a slice of
provolone (or mozzarella) sprinkled with oregano and paprika. Place on a cookie
sheet and heat in a pre-heated oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes (i.e. until the
cheese melts) and serve them VERY hot.
FAGIOLI E GRANTURCO
(bean and corn stew)
Ingredients
1 16 oz can of kidney beans
(drained)
1 16 oz can of corn niblets
(drained)
2 large onions (thinly sliced)
2 ripe tomatoes (rather thinly
sliced)
(or a 16 oz can of peeled tomatoes,
drained)
Red pepper (1/2tsp)
Broth
cube (bouillon, 3)
Chili powder (1/2 tsp)
Dried cumin (1/2 tsp)
Dried basil (1 tsp)
Dried thyme (half tsp)
Red wine (1 cup)
Olive oil (1/4 cup)
Preparation
Slice the onions rather thinly. In a
medium deep pot, heat the oil and cook the onions at high heat, turning often
to prevent them from burning, until they turn golden (approximately 5
minutes). Add the tomatoes (rather
thinly sliced for a faster cooking), and let them cook for another five minutes
at high heat (still turning often). Add
the beans, the corn, and herbs, lower the heat and let them cook for at least
half hour. Add some red wine (about 1/4
cup) every time that the mixture starts drying up. Let the wine evaporate.
Serve it hot accompanied with red
wine. Since it may be rather spicy, one
may serve cottage cheese and/or a small lettuce/cucumber/tomatoes salad as side
dish(es).
INSALATA TRICOLORE
(tricolor salad)
This is a simple salad which takes its
name from the colors of the ingredients, and which reproduces the Italian flag
colors when white corn is used. I first made this in 1985 and I’ve never tired
of it!
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 salad
tomatoes, ripe but still firm
- 1 can (about 15
oz) corn niblets, discarding liquid,
or 2 fresh corn ears (white if available)
- 4 tbsp extra
virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic
vinegar (or 1 tbs red wine vinegar)
- 1 tbsp small
capers
- 1 tsp Grey
Poupon "Country Dijon" mustard (or any grain mustard of your taste)
- 1/2 tsp (or
more to taste) dry oregano
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of
onion powder
Preparation
Cut the tomatoes in wedges (approximately
a dozen per tomato) and put them in a salad bowl.
Add the corn niblets, and the capers.
Prepare vinaigrette blending oil, vinegar,
salt, onion powder, dry oregano and mustard.
Pour it over the salad and toss
thoroughly.
Peel the avocado and cut it in cubes
(about 1/2-1/3 of an inch).
Add to the salad and toss gently (to avoid
crushing the avocado pieces badly).
Serve it as a side dish. It makes also an excellent lunch with some
cheese of your choice and a glass of red wine.
Nino’s YOGURT CHEESECAKE
A delicious
low-fat and low-calorie alternative to traditional cheesecake.
Ingredients
1 whole egg
1/3 (or 1/2 if
you like it sweeter) can of condensed milk
1-pint vanilla
yogurt
1 ready-made
graham cracker crust
Stir lightly the yolk and the white of the
egg together in a mixing bowl (use a wood spoon NOT a blender or a mixer to
avoid forming foam). Stir the yogurt in
its container first, and stir it in with the egg. Add the condensed milk and stir further. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake in
a preheated oven at 350 F for 35 minutes.
At the end, turn the heat off and leave the cake to cool and firm up in
the oven for about a couple of hours (optional; if are in a hurry bake for
additional 5-10 minutes and then let it cool outside). Once cool, put it in the refrigerator for a
couple of hours (at least).
Approximate
calories per slice (1/8 of the cake): 200.