Maria's Blog - Food & Fate

Memories of Uovo in Purgatorio

By Maria Filice • February 23, 2010

My poached egg and eggplant parmigiana in my last blog reminded me of a time when my nanna would prepare poached eggs with left over tomatoe sauce for nonno. The dish was called “uovo in purgatorio”.

My father remembers whenever there was leftover tomatoe sauce, my nanna would prepare it with eggs. I told him how greatful I was to have the ‘little of that gene’ and the concept makes it easy to prepare dishes. No mistakes, just ingredients and foods that you enjoy best by taking it to the next level!

Here’s an example. At lunch, I had approx. 1 cup of leftover zuccini, stewed tomatoes and onion (my southern melange) and yes, had poached egg with the leftover zuccini. I sprinked a little red chili.

It was eggsellent!

“Stairway to Heavenly” Eggplant!

By Maria Filice • February 19, 2010

How can you tell I’m a fan of eggplant or Led Zepplin? I now made eggplant two days in row. It reminds me of a Seinfeld episode when Steinbrenner had an obsession for eggplant calzones! I didn’t make calzone’s but I made a delicious eggplant parmigiana with a red chili-roasted garlic-caper twist!

2 large Eggplant

1 fresh mozzarella, sliced (10-12 slices)

2 cups of tomotoe sauce or 16 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

3 heads of garlic

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 tablespoon capers

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoon pesto, optional

Preheat the oven at 350 F

Heat a grill pan or a grill to medium high. Meanwhile, cut the eggplant (leave skin and seeds) lengthwise (cut 1/4 inch thick). Each eggplant should yield approx. 6 slices. Salt and pepper (each side) immediately to avoid the sensitive fresh to turn brown.

Spray the grill with a vegetable spray or brush the grill with vegetable oil. Add the slices to the grill pan and turn each side after 5 minutes, total cooking 10 minutes.

Heat the tomatoe sauce in a small pot over low. Optional: add pesto. Tip: I keep a container in my freezer and will scoop 1-2 tsp. and add directly to the pot. I didn’t have fresh basil to add to the sauce and thought a little pesto would give it a touch!

Layer a 9-by-13 baking pan with 1/4 cup of tomatoe sauce. Add eggplant and top with mozzarella, capers, tomoatoe sauce, and parmigiano cheese. Repeat one more layer.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from over and let it set for 10 minutes. Top with the roasted garlic (don’t forget to drizzle the oils from the garlic) and ready to serve! The sweetness of the garlic plus the heat of chili and saltiness of the capers created the perfect ‘stairway to heaven’ly Eggplant!

Roasted Garlic:
Peal a few layers of the garlic bulb skin, making sure that the bulb is intact. With a knife, cut off 1/4 of the top of the clove, explosing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic heads in a double layer of foil wrap and create a little dish (no mess remember). Drizzle each garlic head with olive oil and season with a litle salt and red chili flakes. Bake for approx. 20 minutes (next to the parmigiano!) or until the garlic are softened and golden. Remove from oven and set aside for 15 minutes.

Tip: I wrapped six individual pieces for freezing. It will be perfect when I get my Steinbrenner cravings!

ps – I had a piece for breakfast with a poached egg on top!

enjoy,

maria

The Unpretentious Eggplant

By Maria Filice • February 18, 2010

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and one that I never tire!

They were on sale at the local fruit stand and bought four large eggplants. Tonight, I needed to be creative …… working with two ingredients: eggplant + garlic.

preheat oven at 450 degrees

2 eggplant

3 garlic heads

1/4 tsp. red chili flakes

1/4 tsp. dry oregano

Sea salt

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove fresh garlic chopped

Cut the eggplant (leave skin and seeds) lengthwise (cut 1/4 inch thick). Each eggplant should yield approx. 6 slices. Either spray the baking pan with a vegetable spray or drizzle the pan with olive oil and 2 teaspoon of salt. Then layer the eggplant and bake for 10-12 minutes on each side.

Roasted Garlic:

Peal a few layers of the garlic bulb skin, making sure that the bulb is intact. With a knife, cut off 1/4 of the top of the clove, explosing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic head in a baking dish or cut a double layer of foil wrap and create a little dish (no mess remember). Drizzle each garlic head with olive oil and season with a litle sea salt. Bake for approx. 20 minutes or until the garlic are softened and golden. Remove from oven and set aside for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, squeeze the roasted garlic and give it a little squeeze to let all of the oils and juices come out! Slice the eggplant in cubes and slices and add to the bowl. Add the red chili flakes, oregano, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt to taste.

I served the eggplant with grilled chicken. It was light and flavorful. The flavors of the roasted garlic and fresh garlic marinated in the eggplant was a nice combination. See how we stretched two ingredients……

Leftover tips: add the eggplant to your favorite tomatoe sauce and top over your favorite pasta!

Library Journal Review!

By Maria Filice • February 16, 2010

I want to share the review from Library Journal, the foremost book review source for the national libraries. I really wanted the book to reflect elegance, simplicity and unpretentiousness = the formula for a successful gathering!

This is just the beginning (or the antipasto)…

Filice, Maria. Breaking Bread in L’Aquila. Food & Fate: Telos. Apr. 2010. c.150p. photogs. ISBN 978-0-914386-43-8. $29.95. COOKING Pre-order a copy today!

Filice traveled many times with her late husband, Paul Piccone, to his native central Italy. Her cookbook is full of elegant and rich traditional dishes from the L’Aquila region, arranged as a week of feasts-each day has a menu of four courses, which can each be used as a stand-alone meal, plus a dessert. The recipes showcase the unpretentiousness of the region and use ingredients that can be found in most North American grocery stores. Filice includes notes on her experience with all the recipes, tips on entertaining, a wine guide, pantry stocking suggestions, and a measurement guide. VERDICT Although this wonderful book is not essential for smaller library collections, it will appeal to foodies and cooks looking for effortless Italian cooking. -Ginny Wolter, Toledo-Lucas Cty. P.L.

It’s OK to Wing It!

By Maria Filice • February 15, 2010

It’s ok to wing it from time to time…I’m referring to my wings and potatoes. A perfect anytime dinner served with a leafy green salad!

1 lb. chicken wings (approx. 8, depending on the size can range)

1 lb small new potatoes (approx. 10-12)
½ cup brown mustard

10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. red chili flakes

1 tbsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil.

Preheat the oven at 375 F

In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, red chili flakes, olive oil and set aside.

Take a sharp knife or kitchen scissors and cup off the wing tip. Here’s a quick tip (no pun intended) for the wing tips…. “Take these broken wings” and make a chicken stock, never throw them out.

Place the wings and the potatoes in a baking dish and add the salt , pepper and garlic. Add the mustard sauce to the wings and potatoes. Mix with your hands (or large spoon) to make sure the mixture coats the wings and potatoes.

Cook for approximately 45-50 minutes or until the wings are golden brown. Make sure you stir them occassionally until they are evenly cooked.

Serve immediately.

Memories of Uovo in Purgatorio

“Stairway to Heavenly” Eggplant!

The Unpretentious Eggplant

Library Journal Review!

It’s OK to Wing It!

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