Suzi's Blog

The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone

by Brian on January 30th, 2010 in Cookbook Reviews, Recipes 1 Comment

A winter weekend can be as busy as a summer one.  True, we may stay indoors a bit more, but there are errands, house tasks, and of course the Sunday papers to devour.  There isn’t always time to spend hours of attention to cooking yet we all look forward to having a great weekend meal.  Thanks to Michele Scicolone, you can have that great meal with just modest effort on your part.  All you have to do is dust off the slow cooker.  You know, you have one.  Somewhere.  Check the basement, grab a chicken and get ready.

The Italian Slow Cooker is Michele’s latest work of culinary art.  It’s a concise encyclopedia for slow cooking with recipes from soup to dessert.  Whatever you crave, you can find a recipe here. 

Those soups range from Butternut Squash to Zucchini with Mint and Pecorino to Calamari Soup.  The fruit-oriented desserts include Pears in Marsala and Apple-Raisin Cake. 

And for entrees there is plenty of pasta and protein.  Whole chapters are devoted to Seafood; to Risotto, Polenta, and Grains; to Eggs, Chicken and Turkey; and to Beef, Veal, Pork, and Lamb.

Of course, the ever thorough Michele provides concise introductions to slow cooking, techniques, and ingredients.  In just a few pages, you are fueled and ready to begin

Suzen’s eye was caught by the Country-Style Pork Ribs with Tomato and Peppers.  You need a half hour of work to get started, then the slow cooker takes over for six hours.  The result is an aromatic dish that tastes as rich as it looks: a deep, dark red. The flavors merge into an irresistible combination.  By hour number five, your kitchen will be filled with the warm scent of melded meat and veggies.  The only hard part of this dish is having the patience to wait until that meat is really, truly falling off the bone.

You can serve this dish over Michele’s slow cooked bean or rice or noodles.  This versatile dish is the perfect, yet easy way to cap a busy day.

Country-Style Pork Ribs with Tomato and Peppers

 
4 pounds country–style pork ribs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons  olive oil
2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup canned tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 medium red bell peppers

Pat the ribs dry with paper towels and sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add as many of the ribs will fit into the pan without torching.  Cook the meat, turning it occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides.  Place browned ribs in the slow cooker and brown the remaining ribs.

Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.  Stir in the wine and tomato paste and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid begins to simmer.  Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from the heat.

Scatter the peppers over the pork in the slow cooker.  Pour on the sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hour, or until the meat is tender and coming away from the bones.  Discard and loose bones and skim off the fat.  Serve hot.

Source: The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone

The Mojito Trio: Classic, Mango, and Kiwi

by Brian on January 29th, 2010 in Cookbook Reviews, Dedicated Drinker's Diary, Recipes 1 Comment

I am not a subtle person.  I describe myself as incisive.  Other people might use other adjectives.  I can be intense and I cook and make drinks that way.  A teaspoon of cinnamon?  Oh, no, two is better.  I can draw a very evil stare from Suzen when I’ve overdone it.

Still, she likes my drink concoctions.  She knows that first sip will be strong.  Which is why I just surprised her.  I made a mojito and I followed the classical recipe: I put in club soda. 

Jessica Strand has written a lovely drink book, Margaritas, Mojitos and More.  Her Classic Mojito recipe, given below, has that club soda that I’ve always heard goes into a real mojito.  I always left the club soda out, opting for an intense hit of just mint, rum, and sugar syrup.  What interested me about Jessica’s recipe was the relative balance of ingredients: not too much mint, nor too much rum, and just a little sugar instead of my usual heavy splash of sugar syrup.

So, I experimented and followed her recipe exactly.  Not one extra teaspoon of sugar.  The result?  Very interesting.  It tastes like a mojito, but it is subtle.  There is no overpowering “wham” in your mouth.  That distinctive mojito flavor is there, but it just resonates instead of blaring away.

The book has a bevy of mojito-like recipes.  I tried the mango, which was good, and the kiwi, which was like a smoothie with rum.  For that one, I did add some extra sugar but then again my kiwis were a tad less than ripe.  As with many fruit cocktails, you do need to adjust sugar AND tartness based on your fruit.  If you do add sugar, then some additional lemon or lime juice provides the right counterpoint and maintains the liquidity. You really don’t want a thick cocktail that you have to chew.

Try this mojito with a soft, low intensity cheese and you have beginnings for perfect party.

Classic Mojito

½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon superfine sugar

5 mint leaves, plus 1 sprig for garnish

Crushed ice

2 ounces white rum

1 ounce club soda

Put the lime juice and sugar in a highball or other glass.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the mint leaves and crush or muddle them against the glass with the back of a spoon or muddler.  Fill the glass with crushed ice.  Add the rum and club soda, and stir gently.  Garnish with a mint sprig.