Asparagus Parmesan

Asparagus parmesan is my family’s favorite vegetable. It’s easy, savory, and pairs well with a lot of dishes. Asparagus parmesan is also the mother dish for many of my other recipes. It can be used in crespelles, frittata’s, and mixed with pasta. You are only limited by your imagination. Leftover asparagus never go to waste in my house.

Makes 6 serving

1 Bunch (about 1 Lb.) Green Asparagus *

Olive Oil for drizzling

½ C Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese *

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste (If the cheese is very salty do not add salt)

½ C Italian Flavored Bread Crumbs

¼ C Water

Preheat oven to 350°F

Wash the asparagus and trim off the bottom ends.  Arrange the asparagus evenly in a baking dish.  Cover them with the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the asparagus with the water, then drizzle olive oil over them. 

Note: the asparagus can be prepared up to 2 hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator. The cooking time will be longer.

Cover the asparagus with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  Check for doneness at 20 minutes and watch for the steam. The cooking time can be reduced if you like your asparagus crisp. Thin asparagus will cook faster.

Serve immediately.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Asparagus – You can use either green or white, thin or thick asparagus for this recipe but the cooking times will vary. I prefer the thicker asparagus – I think they taste better and are less likely to overcook.

Parmesan Cheese – You can substitute grated Locatelli Romano cheese for a more intense cheese flavor.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Asparagus Parmesan.

Cannoli

A cannoli is a crispy Italian pastry tube filled with sweet and velvety cream that combines to tantalize your tongue. Throughout my life my favorite dessert has always been cannolis.  Walking into an Italian baker would practically take my breath away. For me the best bakery in the world is Sal & Dom’s on Allerton Avenue in the Bronx. You walk in there and the smell assaults you like a dessert dream come true. The cookies, pastries, and breads would make your mouth water. Oh how I miss them. After leaving New York and my beloved Sal & Dom’s, it took me many years, but I have finally mastered the art of making a cannoli filling that I think has the right taste and texture.  The cream is sweet, but not too sweet, and velvety smooth but firm.

Making the cannoli tube/shell is a very labor intensive process and you need to have special tube to fry the shells in. I’ve found that I can purchase the cannoli shells at many megamarts and Italian specialty stores. This makes this a quick and easy dessert. I’ve also added some variations that can give this classic dessert some variety. I hope you enjoy them.

Now this filling has many uses beyond cannolis.  I put it in Cream Puffs and as a filling in cakes.  It is also good as a topping for fresh fruit.

Makes 12 servings

Cannoli Filling

1 lb Mascarpone Cheese (Room Temp) *

1 lb Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

½ tsp almond extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 C Confectionary Sugar

12 Cannoli Shells

Variations

Jam Filling *

Nutella^® Hazelnut Spread

Mini Chocolate Chips

Unsalted Chopped Pistachios

Place the Mascarpone cheese on the counter for one hour so that it can get to room temperature.

Place the mascarpone cheese and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on low until the sugar is incorporated. Turn the mixer to high and beat until light and fluffy.  Drain any liquid from the ricotta cheese.  Add the ricotta, almond extract and vanilla extract and beat on medium just until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour prior to filling the cannolis.

Cannoli shells can get soggy. It’s best to fill them as close to the time you are serving them as possible.

Filling Cannolis

Filling a cannoli is easy. You can use a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip or you can put your filling into a Ziploc^® bag with a corner of the bag cut off (the hole should be ½ inch across). Pipe the cream from the center of the shell out working from each side.

Cannoli Variations - The variations on cannolis are endless. Here are but a few that I’ve made. 

1. Using a piping bag or Ziploc bag, pipe a layer of the filling on the   

    bottom of the cannoli (see 1 in diagram)

2. Pipe a thin amount of jam or Nutella^® in the middle (see 2)

3. Fill the remaining space with the cannoli filling (see 3)

End topping – After a cannoli is filled, dip the ends in mini chocolate chips or unsalted, chopped pistachios.

* Pronto Substitutes

Mascarpone Cheese – You can substitute cream cheese but it will be slightly sweeter.

Center Filling – You can pipe any jam or other filling into the center of the cannoli. I’ve added strawberry, Fig and raspberry jam as well as Nutella^® Hazelnut Spread to my cannolis.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Cannoli.

Apple-Blueberry Sonker

You may ask what a sonker is.  Imagine a dessert with a spicy apple-blueberry pie filling topped with a sweet cookie like crust. Well a sonker is like a fruit cobbler with a thick cookie like crust. I was introduced to this delicious regional dish when I went to a sonker festival just outside of Mt. Airy NC (aka Mayberry) where Andy Griffith grew up. You can make it with any fruit filling or even sweet potatoes (think of candied sweet potatoes). I usually serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It tastes especially good if accompanied by a bluegrass band, sitting in folding chairs, in front of a 200 year old house (you had to be there).

When I went to the sonker festival I was not expecting to be inspired. I didn’t even know what a sonker was until I got there. You need to constantly try new dishes wherever you may be to find the inspiration for new dishes. The topping for the sonker came from a local recipe but the filling was my own creation.

Filling

2 Lg Granny Smith Apples (about 1 ½ lbs) *

1 C Blueberries (fresh or frozen) *

¼ tsp Table Salt

½ tsp Fresh Ground Nutmeg

1 TBS lemon juice

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

¾ C Sugar

Crust

1 C All-Purpose Flour

1 C Sugar

1 Lg Egg

1 stick Salted Butter

8”x8” Baking Dish

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Peel and core the apples. Slice the apples thinly (1/4 inch) and place them in a large bowl with the remaining filling ingredients. Pour the mixture into the 8”x8” baking dish.

Melt the butter in the microwave for 45 seconds on high.

In a separate bowl mix the flour and sugar together. Beat the egg in a small bowl and add it to the flour sugar mixture. With a fork, mix the ingredients together until it forms large crumb like pieces. All of the flour/sugar will not mix completely. Spread the mixture evenly over the fruit filling. Drizzle the melted butter over the flour mixture. It’s ok if every little space is not covered with the butter.

Bake, uncovered, at 400°F for 40 minutes or until golden brown. You’ll smell it if it’s done.

Serve warm topped with ice cream.

* Pronto Substitutes

Apples – Substitute peaches.

Blueberries –Substitute blackberries or raspberries.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Apple-Blueberry Sonker.

Restaurant Review: Biaggi's, Cary NC

$$-$$$ ★★★★☆

Location: 1060 Darrington Drive, Cary, NC 27513


It is very unusual for me to go to an Italian restaurant; I’m usually disappointed and think to myself that I can make it better at home. Biaggi’s is a jeweled exception with great Italian food that is fresh, delicious, with a creative flair.  

We started with a roasted beet, arugula and goat cheese salad that was simple yet complex with a fresh taste that set up the palate for the rest of the meal.


The appetizer brought me back 30 years to when I first got married. My wife and I would travel to Bethlehem Pennsylvania to visit her sister and we would inevitably order Stromboli. I have been searching for an equivalent ever since and I finally found it at Biaggi’s. Think of a rolled up pizza with a thin crispy crust, melted mozzarella and pepperoni baked to perfection, I can’t wait to order this as my main course so that I can eat the entire Stromboli.


For dinner I had a shrimp and crab cannelloni. Think of a thin spinach pasta shell wrapped around shrimp, crab, and ricotta, then covered with a rich lobster-tomato cream sauce. It was light, rich, and delicious.

There is one dish that is served at almost every Italian restaurant, veal parmigiana. It’s one of the dishes that I use to compare restaurants and to compare against how I would make it at home. Biaggi’s veal parmigiana is as good as my mothers and the best I can remember since living in New York.


My friends often ask me what my favorite Italian restaurant is and I finally have an answer – Biaggi’s.

Cuisine: Italian

Atmosphere: Casual

Service: Eager to please

Recommended: Veal Parmesan, Shrimp & Crab Cannelloni, Stromboli

Open: lunch and dinner daily

Reservations: accepted

Other: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover; everything is à la carte; alcohol; smoke free; gluten-free menu available; half portions of pasta available

Review: Jerusalem Garden Cafe Asheville

Restaurant Review: Jerusalem Garden Cafe $$$ ★★★★☆

Location: 78 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28801-3315

I recently visited Asheville and I found a wonderful restaurant that had good food and great atmosphere. The Jerusalem Garden Cafe was founded by Frank Badr in 1999 on the goal of bringing the taste of Istanbul Turkey, Cairo, Lebanon, Morocco, and The Holy Land to your table. Jerusalem Garden Cafe offers Choice Cut Filet, Prime Cut Steaks, Fresh Seafood, Vegan and Veggie dishes!

Eating at the Jerusalem Garden Café was like dining in Morocco. The walls were draped with colorful cloths giving you the impression that you were eating in a tent. You can eat at a table or sit on the floor if you are adventurous. On Saturday nights they even feature a belly dancer. The atmosphere is romantic and exotic for that special night out.


The food was excellent. The Lamb Shawarma was perfectly spiced with thinly-sliced marinated leg of lamb grilled with sliced onions on a bed of rice and spinach. The special was Tagine Kefta, Moroccan meatballs smothered in a wonderful tomato based sauce over a base of rice and zucchini. The hummus was smooth and fragrant with the taste of tahini.

   

Atmosphere: colorfully exotic

Service: excellent

Recommended: Tagine Kefta

Open: lunch and dinner daily

Reservations: accepted and recommended on weekends

Other: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover; no alcohol; smokefree; accommodates children; solid vegetarian selection;

I dine anonymously and pay for all meals. I rank restaurants in five categories: ***** Extraordinary **** Excellent. *** Above average. ** Average. * Fair.

The dollar signs defined: $ Entrees average less than $10. $$ Entrees $11 to $16. $$$ Entrees $17 to $25. $$$$ Entrees more than $25.

Three Bean Salad

I’ve always enjoyed three bean salads and I was determined to create one with Italian ingredients and great flavor that even my wife, who isn't fond of three bean salad, would enjoy. The creaminess of the cannellini beans contrasts with the sweetness of the roasted bell peppers and the acidity of the balsamic vinegar to give a distinctly Italian flavor to this salad. The other great feature of this salad is that it’s so easy to make and it will last up to a week in the refrigerator. I’ll sometimes add tuna fish to it and take it as a lunch.

Ingredients

1 15oz can Chick Peas

1 15oz can Cannellini (Garbanzo) Beans

1 15oz can Black Eye Peas

½ C Roasted Red Peppers

1 TBS Capers (optional)

1 TBS Fresh Parsley (chopped) *

1 TBS Fresh Basil (chopped) *

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 TBS Balsamic Vinegar *

1 TBS Lemon Juice

Makes 12 servings

Drain and wash off the chick peas, cannellini beans and black eye peas.

Dice the roasted red peppers into ½ inch squares.

Chop the parsley and basil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and the lemon juice. Add all remaining ingredients and toss.

This salad is even better if made the day before and allowed to marinate overnight.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTES

Parsley and Basil – Substitute 1 teaspoon of dried parsley or basil for the fresh parsley or basil, lets salad marinate at least 1 hour before serving to rehydrate the dried herbs.

Balsamic Vinegar – Substitute red wine vinegar.

To print this recipe, go to Three Bean Salad.