42 replies to this topic

[Katie Meadow]

Last night I made Devil's Chicken and it was a major hit with my husband and daughter. Having a kid who survives on dorm food and caffeinated drinks is a sure way to get appreciated for a nice home-cooked meal. I confess that I cut the amount of pepper in the mustard slather by a lot, but made up for it with liberal used of the hot oil later. I also used a big chicken--5 lbs--and tented it for the first half hour, adding as well a little chicken broth to the roasting pan at the beginning. I ended up with lots of yummy sauce. The chicken was juicy and perfect and the dish was as pretty as the pictures.

The caponata with tuna looks delicious, Tupac. But tell me, what do you think I should do with the six gallons of hot oil left over?

[tupac17616]

Last night I made Devil's Chicken and it was a major hit with my husband and daughter. Having a kid who survives on dorm food and caffeinated drinks is a sure way to get appreciated for a nice home-cooked meal. I confess that I cut the amount of pepper in the mustard slather by a lot, but made up for it with liberal used of the hot oil later. I also used a big chicken--5 lbs--and tented it for the first half hour, adding as well a little chicken broth to the roasting pan at the beginning. I ended up with lots of yummy sauce. The chicken was juicy and perfect and the dish was as pretty as the pictures.

The caponata with tuna looks delicious, Tupac. But tell me, what do you think I should do with the six gallons of hot oil left over?

Sounds like a lovely dinner, Katie. I'm glad it was a hit with the family. I think our chicken was a bit over 4lbs, but the left-overs sure didn't last long, I can tell you that! I also scaled down the spicy oil recipe a lot, so ended up with very little leftover (which I just added to the leftover meat I shredded before popping in the fridge). But as for what to do with your leftover oil, I would think it should keep pretty well in a cool, dark place. It would be delicious drizzled over pizza, for sure. That's always the first thing that comes to mind for me with olio piccante. I also think it might be a nice way to flavor a meaty piece of fish before grilling, like swordfish or tuna. You know, I haven't really given it much thought, but I would think there should be several tasty uses for it. Let us know what you try!

[tupac17616]

Tonight, I dipped into Molto Italiano once again and made:

Cauliflower Pancakes (p.17) with Eggplant Caponata (p.426), Basic Tomato Sauce (p.71), and Braised Kale & Turnip Greens

[Kevin72]

If you're talking about chili oil, yes, put it in a squeeze bottle and toss it in the fridge. You'd be surprised how many uses you'll come up with for it. Pizza of course is as the top.

How much caponata do you have left, Tupac? Every time I make it I love it, but wind up having to toss it after eating off it in vain for the next couple weeks.

[tupac17616]

How much caponata do you have left, Tupac?  Every time I make it I love it, but wind up having to toss it after eating off it in vain for the next couple weeks.

I didn't really look at the quantities listed in the recipe. Just did it by taste. Also, I added capers, anchovy, roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes instead of basic tomato sauce; and I didn't have any cocoa powder. So my interpretation of the recipe was, well, loose. That said, we got about 4-5 servings out of it. I just killed off the last of it right now. I was thinking of warming it up, and having it with crostini. Realizing I had no bread, I shamelessly devoured it cold straight from the fridge.

[piazzola]

is Mario Batali' an Italian chef?
he!he! He is as Italian as I am

[Kevin72]

I'm not sure what you're getting at . . . he is of Italian descent and spent 3 years in Emilia Romagna cooking at a well thought-of trattoria. While it's easy to take shots at him now that he's moved into saturation marketing mode, he still remains intensely knowledgeable about Italian regional cooking.

Edited by Kevin72, 21 November 2007 - 08:19 AM.

[piazzola]

I'm not sure what you're getting at . . . he is of Italian descent and spent 3 years in Emilia Romagna cooking at a well thought-of trattoria.  While it's easy to take shots at him now that he's moved into saturation marketing mode, he still remains intensely knowledgeable about Italian regional cooking.

Yeah! Right! but he is NOT Italian born and I am glad. otherwise there would be millions claiming Italian citizenship and original recipes. I have no problems accepting him as an "American" (North of Rio Grande citizen).
Would you accept me as an American because I am blonde and blue eyed of Russian origin and Spanish speaker? Yeah right?!

[Maureen B. Fant]

... He uses pasta, butter, garlic, cheese, no cream.  She describes alfredo sauce "the sexy, Roman way" as using (for one pound of pasta) a stick (quarter pound) of butter, 1 cup of cream, and handsful of good grated parmesan.  ...  This discussion is about cream vs. none. 

I feel like the last person on the planet who has never seen Mario Batali on television or read a word he's written -- though I saw him in person at a panel thing at the NY Public Library and was appalled at his Italian-language errors. In any case, cream is not original to the recipe for "fettuccine al triplo burro," which is the original Italian name of fettuccine Alfredo. But cream is at least on the same team as butter and cheese. But Mario calls for garlic????? And nobody has objected?

Edited by Maureen B. Fant, 24 November 2007 - 02:57 AM.

[FrogPrincesse]

I really like the meatballs and make them regularly. The recipe uses ground beef, eggs, bread, garlic, pecorino, plenty of fresh parsley, and roasted pine nuts (recipe here). The meatballs are browned first and then simmered in the sauce. They are very tender. The best part is the pine nuts inside - a delicious surprise!

Neapolitan Meatballs (Polpette alla Napoletana)



They are delicious with homemade tagliatelle (purists, please avert your eyes), or on their own.

[FoodMan]

I'm not sure what you're getting at . . . he is of Italian descent and spent 3 years in Emilia Romagna cooking at a well thought-of trattoria.  While it's easy to take shots at him now that he's moved into saturation marketing mode, he still remains intensely knowledgeable about Italian regional cooking.

Yeah! Right! but he is NOT Italian born and I am glad. otherwise there would be millions claiming Italian citizenship and original recipes. I have no problems accepting him as an "American" (North of Rio Grande citizen).
Would you accept me as an American because I am blonde and blue eyed of Russian origin and Spanish speaker? Yeah right?!

What an odd thing to say and to get hung up on. My kids are born in the US, they are still Lebanese as well. Man, Irish people who have been here for generations still say they are Irish.

[Katie Meadow]

Batali's meatballs are the only ones I make. My Batali recipe is a little different. It uses 2 kinds of ground meat, less egg, less bread product, but definitely the cheese and the pine nuts. Sometimes I make them with beef and veal, sometimes I add a little ground pork. I especially like the technique of quick saute for the meatballs and then warming them up in the red sauce so they don't overcook.

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night I was looking for a recipe for duck breasts, and found this recipe for Duck Scaloppine with Dried Cherries and Grappa in Molto Italiano (I don't have the book but the recipe was available online). The breasts are separated and cut into pieces. They are pounded until thin, dredged in flour, and cooked in olive oil (the recipe called for 1/4 cup but I used a couple of tablespoons). He uses dried cherries, red wine, grappa, chicken stock and butter for the sauce. I did not have any stock on hand so I just used water. As for the grappa, I decided to substitute armagnac and reduce the amount from 1/2 cup (!) to a more reasonable ~ 3 tablespoons.

 

 

 

It's a great dish because it takes very little effort and only uses one pan. The sauce is a tad oily (it's not degreased) but it's very flavorful and has a luscious texture. 

 

 

I found the recipe here.

Edited by FrogPrincesse, 21 March 2013 - 10:51 AM.