FamilyFood

Christmas Day Menu

Tonight my whole family will be cooking like crazy for tomorrow's Christmas lunch. My mom's side of the family takes turns hosting  "The Family Party" every year and this year it's our family's turn. We're cooking for about 50 people. Here's the menu. (I'll post pics and recipes soon.)

• Antipasti—salami, prosciutto, cappicolla, roasted red peppers, marinated mushrooms, olives, cheeses
• Seafood mousse
• Three pastas: farfalle with Italian tuna (in oil), capers, parsley, and lemon; penne with pesto alla siciliana; fresh (uncooked) tomato pasta with basil
• Eggplant caponata
• Fennel and blood orange salad
• Roast suckling pig
• Crusty bread
• Green salad made with Waimanalo (local) baby lettuces
• Panettone

Rigatoni Alla Mondello

My preferred brand of pasta is DeCecco. It's what I grew up eating, and as far as dried pasta goes, I think it's the best. I like it mainly because it cooks up al dente like pasta should if you are paying attention, and then retains its toothsomeness instead of turning to mush. In a pinch I will buy Barilla, but for an everyday pasta, my favorite is DeCecco.

The other thing I like about DeCecco pasta are the interesting recipes you find on the back of the boxes. When I saw the recipe for Rigatoni Alla Mondello, a vegetable sauce, I knew I had to try it. I love a tomato-eggplant sauce, especially the way my Italian aunt makes it with crispy-salty pieces of eggplant in a very fresh and flavorful tomato sauce.

This sauce, however, includes zucchini and also curry powder which sounded intriguing. Once cooked it has beautiful Indian flavors, almost like a korma sauce. If you like creamy tomato sauces like the ubiquitous Penne Alla Vodka, and you like spicy flavors, you'll like this.

RIGATONI ALLA MONDELLO

Recipe copied almost verbatim from DeCecco.

Notes: I used campanelle instead of rigatoni.  Any short pasta will work. I fried the veggies in olive oil in a cast iron skillet (fill half way up with oil).

Ingredients:

some of the ingredients

• 1 lb DeCecco rigatoni
• 3/4 lb. eggplant, diced
• 3/4 lb. zucchini, diced
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 cups pureed tomatoes (I used a can of crushed San Marzanos)
• 1 1/2 cups cream
• Parmesan cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1-2 tbsps. curry powder
• salt (and pepper)

Wash and dice the eggplant. Salt them so that they will lose their bitter taste. Wash and dice the zucchini and deep fry in oil. Drain them and place them on paper towel. Deep fry the eggplant. (Drain on paper towel.) In another large skillet, cook the very finely chopped onion in very little oil until transparent and then add the pureed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Take off heat and add curry and cream mixing thoroughly.

When the rigatoni are al dente, drain and pour into the skillet with the sauce. Then add the fried eggplant, zucchini, and chopped basil. Mix well over high heat (I used medium) for a few minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side. Serves 6.

[photo credit: Stefania Pomponi Butler; white plate from IKEA]

Easy homemade macaroni and cheese

It's such a cliché that macaroni cheese is thought of as a go-to kids meal, but there's a reason: it's delicious.  What I want you to know is that in the time it takes to make macaroni from a box, you can make home made mac n cheese that tastes...different.  I was going to say better, but let's not kid ourselves, sometimes, the box stuff just hits the spot, doesn't it?

Anyway, if you have just a few staples on hand, you can make a delightful macaroni and cheese that the whole family can enjoy.

MACARONI AND CHEESE CITYMAMA-STYLE

Ingredients:

• 1 box cavatappi or other short pasta
• 1 clove of garlic, smashed/cracked (leave as whole as possible)
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups of milk (anything but non-fat)
• 3 cups of grated cheese (you can use all cheddar or a blend—I like a blend of medium cheddar, jack, and fontina)
• dash of freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and grated pepper to taste

Cook pasta 1-2 minutes less than the time indicated on the box to ensure that it is perfectly al dente.

While pasta water is coming to a boil and pasta is cooking, begin making a roux. Cook butter and garlic together in a sauce pan over low heat until the butter is completely melted and slightly foamy.  Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and discard.

Add flour and whisk together with butter.  Cook 1-1.5 minutes to get rid of any raw flour taste in your sauce.  Slowly whisk in the milk along with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Raise heat slightly so that the mixture simmers, whisking constantly. Adjust heat if you need to to ensure a low simmer.

The roux will thicken after a few minutes. Be sure to continue stirring constantly. When ready for cheese, the sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in cheese a handful at a time (reserving some shredded cheese for garnish) until it is completely melted.

Drain pasta and return to pot that it was cooked in.  Add cheese sauce and stir to combine. Serve in individual bowls and top with grated cheese if desired.

Note: At this point you can also put the macaroni and cheese into a buttered casserole dish and bake it topped with fresh buttered breadcrumbs (325º for 30-40 minutes or until top is nicely browned).

[photo credit: Stefania Pomponi Butler]