Fabulicious!: Teresa's Italian Family Cookbook (16 page)

Makes 8 servings

Who doesn’t love a hot Roman? This is one of my family’s most favorite dishes.
Fagiolo
means “bean” in Italian, but the exact bean we use in this recipe has many names. In my house, we call them Romano beans, but you might see them labeled as Roman beans, cranberry beans, borlotti beans, or shell beans. You can make this dish as soupy as you want by adding or subtracting water.

2 large celery ribs, thinly sliced, leaves reserved

2 (15 ½-ounce) cans Roman beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14½-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup The Quickie Tomato Sauce (
page 22
)

3 large carrots, chopped

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups small shell pasta

Salt

1.
Combine 1 quart water with the celery leaves in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil over high heat. (The leaves will flavor the water and turn it green.) Remove and discard the celery leaves.

2.
Add the beans, broth, tomato sauce, celery, carrots, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

3.
Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. If the soup gets too thick, thin it with hot water. Season with salt. Serve hot.

Gemelli Twists with Tomato Soffrito

Makes 4 to 6 servings

A
soffrito
is a combination of onion, carrots, and celery mixed with herbs, sautéed in olive oil, and used as a base for many Italian dishes. I add tomatoes and mix it with pasta to make a quick, meatless weeknight dinner that is easy on the budget.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 celery rib with leaves, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

½ cup tap water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound gemelli pasta

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

1.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.
Stir in the tomatoes, rosemary sprigs, chopped basil, sage, and water. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked into a thick, chunky sauce, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard the rosemary sprigs.

3.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.

4.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the sauce and parsley and mix well. Serve hot, with the grated Parmigiano passed on the side.

E
very culture and religion has its own holidays, feasts, and festivals, and we Italians are no exception. We love a good party! And I really don’t think we go over the top. (Alright, so maybe you didn’t have Marie Antoinette serving sushi off her dress at your baby’s christening, but that’s probably just because you didn’t think of it.) If it’s a special occasion—especially a once-in-a-lifetime event like a bar (or bat) mitzvah,
quincea
ñ
era,
or (hopefully) a wedding, you should go all-out.

But you definitely don’t have to break the bank to put out a good spread. Italians are known for our delicious antipasti platters, and I’m going to teach you how to arrange a perfect one, and how to make some of our traditional appetizers, all of them great for big events or small family gatherings. Where there’s people, there should be food!

There’s really no big secret to creating an antipasti platter. I know the stores would like you to think there is so you can spend $75 on a plastic tray full of sliced deli meat, but you can easily make it at home. There’s no special plate you need. No special way of presenting it. Just lay everything out real nice, overlap the layers, roll it if you can, add bits of fresh parsley or hard-boiled eggs cut in half for a garnish, and you’re done!

Audriana’s 1st birthday

Audriana’s Christening

There are a million variations, but at a minimum, gatherings usually have:

The Salami Platter

Overlapping slices of salami, prosciutto, coppa, soppressa, and/or mortadella. You can cut them as thin or as thick as you like.

The Crostini Platter

Crostini
means “little toasts” in Italian, and that’s exactly what they are: toasted bread slices. You can either top them individually ahead of time with diced, spiced veggies (bruschetta), or set them next to a bowl of dip for your guests to serve themselves. Another option is to use
grissini,
thin Italian breadsticks, either for dipping or individually wrapped in a slice of prosciutto.

The Marinated or Stuffed Veggies Platter

Stuffed olives, garlic bites, roasted peppers . . . the possibilities are endless. Papà’s Roasted Peppers (
page 26
) is a great place to start.

The Fritto Platter

OK, so
fritto
means “fried,” and it’s not very healthy, but we’re talking a couple appetizers here, not a three-pound main meal. In just a sec, I’m going to give you my recipe for deep-fried cauliflower.

I’m going to teach you how to make my favorite appetizers—even my famous calamari! But first, let’s take it nice and easy . . .

Olive Juice Bread Bath