Hospitality 101

Welcome to Hospitality 101 where you'll learn to make all (or at least most) of the food mentioned in my blogpost, Hospitality Lost and Found. That post told the story about entertaining a family of five missionaries for five days at Chez Tarantini, our hundred year old house which on most days houses a family of five.

            When our company arrived that summer evening, they were met with a veritable Italian feast with spaghetti and meatballs at the center of the celebration. I was not born and raised Italian, but I married into it and soon learned that man does not live on spaghetti and meatballs alone. When you sit down to eat in an Italian home, there should be so many serving dishes on the table that there's no room for anything else.

            Today we tackle three appetizers. These are all super easy and can be made a day or two ahead if necessary. We'll start with white pizza. White pizza is my family's term for what the rest of the world calls focaccia. In case you have no idea what either is, Webster's Dictionary defines focaccia as a flat Italian bread, typically seasoned with herbs and olive oil. Bingo. We add cheese because, well, cheese makes everything better, don't you think?

White Pizza

1 batch of bread dough

(homemade, machine-made, or thawed out frozen)

2 T. olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3-1/2 c. Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated

1/3-1/2 c. fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary)

Crushed red pepper (optional)

-Pour the olive oil into a small bowl. Crush the garlic cloves into the oil. Set aside while you gather the rest of your ingredients.

-Drizzle some of the garlic oil onto a pizza stone. Spread with clean fingers or a pastry brush.

-Place bread dough onto the oiled stone. Stretch, press, or roll dough to the edge. Form a rim if desired.

-Use clean fingers or the handle of a wooden spoon to dimple the dough. Brush with garlic oil.

-Sprinkle the dough with salt and pepper. Evenly administer the grated cheese. Sprinkle the herbs over the top evenly. If using, apply a light dusting of hot pepper flakes.

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Let the pizza rise for at least 15 minutes on the the stovetop of the preheating oven.

-Bake 20 or more minutes until golden. Another way of testing doneness is by tapping the surface with a wooden spoon handle. It will sound hollow when it’s done.

-Remove from oven and smack everyone who tries to beat you to the first slice.

-Serve with dipping oil. (recipe follows)

Dipping Oil

-In a small bowl, combine 2 T. olive oil with 2 T. balsamic vinegar.

Add the following ingredients:

1 T. Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

½ t. salt

1 crushed garlic clove

1/8 t. fresh ground black pepper

1/8 t. + crushed red peppers (optional)

1/8 c. fresh minced herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary)

-Stir to combine then adjust seasonings to your taste.

-Double, triple, or gazillionth this recipe to accommodate your needs.

            Now, when we’re entertaining (or when the kids beg), I have two other must-make appetizers that I prepare. This next one is one of the easiest appetizers on the planet. I stole the idea from a fancy restaurant up Pittsburgh way.

Roasted Bell Peppers with Havarti

1/2 red bell pepper, roasted and cut in 1 ½ ” squares

1/2 yellow red bell pepper, roasted and cut into 1 ½ ” squares

1/2 orange bell pepper, roasted and cut into 1 ½ ” squares

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Havarti cheese (Don’t you dare buy “lite.”)

Crackers of your choice (We like a woven wheat option like Triscuits.)

-In a container with a lid, combine the vinegar and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Add the roasted bell pepper squares, stir and cover. Marinade in the fridge for a few hours or days.

-Slice Havarti cheese (I like to use Pampered Chef’s wavy cutter for a pretty result.). Store in a ziplock bag until right before serving.

-About an hour before company arrives, remove Havarti from refrigerator. It is key that the cheese be at room temperature. This ensures its creaminess.

-About 30 minutes before company arrives, arrange crackers on a pretty plate. Top each with a piece of cheese. Top each with a roasted bell pepper square.

-Try not to eat them all before your friends get a chance to taste  them.

Tarantini Tapenade

(This is a doctored version of a recipe that I found in Bon Appetit years ago.)

1 red bell pepper, roasted and coarsely chopped

1 6 oz. jar of artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped

½ c. minced fresh parsley (preferably flat leaf)

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

 ½ c. black olives, drained

½ c. green olives, drained

¼ c. capers, drained

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 T. fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Toasted baguette slices

-Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.

-Process using on/off turns until mixture is well blended and finely chopped.

-Transfer mixture to pretty bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Serve with toasted baguette slices.

Note: You might want to place a bowl of mints nearby. Though absolutely scrumptious, tapenade is guaranteed to give you dragon breath.

So there you  have it. Three ab fab and easy, Italian appetizers. Next time you decide to entertain, consider offering these items. Your family and friends will thank you:)

Real Live Spaghetti and Meatballs



I coulda been a food blogger. Note I did not say shoulda. I am a talented cook for sure but I think my true calling is with words. Least I hope so. However, there was a post of mine last summer—Hospitality Lost and Found—that was positively delicious. I had a HUGE response to it and many folks requested the recipes.

            So I thought, I can do this. I can food blog, or whatever the politically correct phrase is. I said that about this time last week but now I sit at my computer before you, head hung in shame. Heart full of humility. Yellow streaks on my chin.

            Food blogging is hard, people. Especially the taking pictures part. I pretty much inhale oxygen at that. In fact, I’m still in the process of trying to figure out whether or not to use the blurry pictures. I’m probably going to have to post some of them, like the one below, since I only have one shot of the cute little herb bouquet perched in a shot glass.

(See. I told you I was a lame photographer.)

            Due to the stress I encountered during this process (But really, nothing a wee crystal glass of Limoncello can't fix.), I don’t plan to food blog often. Since I like to finish what I start (No, I don’t. That’s a lie. Ask my family.) I will share a couple of blogposts with the recipes for the foods mentioned in Hospitality.

           

Today I am proud to present REAL LIVE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS. This recipe is from my one hundred percent I-talian ma-in-law. I can pretty much guarantee you will totally wow your family and friends if you take the time to make this meal. The cool thing is, if you don’t have a ton of people over, you will have lots of sauce and meatballs to spare and both items freeze just fine.  Or, you can invite loads of folks over for supper and have no leftovers but several very happy, super impressed, full-as-a-tick-on-a-bear's-back diners.

Sauce

Extra virgin olive oil

2 lbs. chuck roast, cut in 1 ½ ” chunks

1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 small onion, peeled with ends removed

LOTS of garlic cloves, 6 maybe, crushed

Herb bouquet tied with kitchen twine to include:

1-2 sprigs each of parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary

1 bay leaf

Salt (I typically use 1 tablespoon added 1 teaspoon at a time, stir and taste, etc.)

Fresh ground pepper, 30-50 grindings

Water

1 jalapeno or banana pepper (Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t add much heat.)

Meatballs (recipe down below)

Pasta

(I make homemade pasta but you don’t have to. I would recommend purchasing FRESH pasta though. It really is a lot yummierJ)

Parmesan or Romano cheese, freshly grated

-In a large, heavy pot over medium high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it shimmers (Oooh, shiny!). Add meat hunks (18-ish at a time). Do not crowd meat or it will steam, not brown. Turn after a few minutes. Remove to plate. Continue with rest of meat cubes then return all cooked meat to pot along with accumulated juices.

-Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT for water, jalapeno, and meatballs.

 (Everything but the water, pepper and meatballs.)

-Now for a fancy schmancy cooking technique. Fill each empty tomato product can once with water. Pour the water into the pot. Stir well.

(After I added the water.)

-Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and partially cover. Simmer 1 ½ hours.

-Add the whole jalapeno to sauce. Do not cut it or slit it in any way or you WILL add heat to your sauce.

-Now add the meatballs. Stir gently. Partially cover again. Simmer 1 ½ hours longer. Stir every 30 minutes if you think about it.

-When your sauce has finished cooking, remove and discard the whole onion, the whole jalapeno, the bayleaf, and the herb bouquet.

To serve (and this is kind of a duh thing), cook the pasta to your liking. Drain. Scoop a pile of pasta onto each plate. Top with a ladleful of sauce, one or two meatballs, and a couple of meat chunks. Grate fresh Romano or Parmesan (or Asiago, or Fontina, whatever you love) over the sauce. Place in front of a drooling diner along with a fork. Otherwise it gets really messy really fast.

Note: The first time I ate this sauce at my in-law’s house I thought, “My! It’s quite runny.” Now I love it. But if you prefer a thicker, more viscous sauce (I love the word viscous, don’t you?), let the sauce simmer for that second hour and a half without the lid. Lots of water will evaporate and this will thicken the sauce.

Note: I had a boss who told me a chef friend of his swore by adding one pork chop to the sauce. If you try this, let me know how it turns out please.

Meatballs

¾ c. breadcrumbs

2 T. water

1 t. salt

¼ t. pepper

¼ t. fennel seed (optional)

Parsley, snipped, maybe 2 T. (optional)

1 small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 egg

1 lb. ground beef

-In a large bowl (I like to use my Kitchenaid mixer, aka “Big Mama Mixer."), combine all ingredients EXCEPT the ground beef.

(Everything but the meat)

-Add the ground beef. Stir (or run mixer on low) until everything is mixed well.

-Shape into 1 ½” balls (For uniformity purposes, I use a measuring tablespoon to scoop the meat mixture.)

-Place the meatballs on a plate until all of the meat mixture is used.

(This is how my meatballs look.)

-Drop meatballs into simmering sauce at the 1 ½ hour point. Yes, they will be food safe (if your sauce has a true simmer going on). This will give them a soft,  delicate texture plus, you'll have fewer dishes to wash afterward. However, feel free to bake the meatballs on a sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes before adding to the sauce if that makes you feel better or, if you like a little bit of a crust on your little roly-poly guys.

(Meatballs added to sauce and stirred gently.)

-Note: This recipe yields about 28 meatballs. Consider doubling your meatball recipe because everyone ADORES meatballs!

-Another note: If you have a mortar and pestle, grind the fennel seed before you add it to the meatball mixture. It really ups the flavor!

Still to come:  Real Live Focaccia and other pre-spaghetti treats, easy make ahead side dishes served at the Italian Feast, and the "Sunday items" mentioned in Hospitality Lost and Found.