Category: tuesday tip

I watched America’s Test Kitchen the other day where one of the hosts made a beef braciole using flank steak. I didn’t have any flank steak but I did have some nice think boneless pork chops in the freezer. I decided to use those to make myself some pork braciole and boy was it tasty! I hope you’ll try out this recipe and like them as well. For more recipes check out my Cook’s Treat section or download Recipes for the Romantic Soul for free on Kindle Unlimited at https://amzn.to/3vwT6FJ.

Ingredients

6 thick boneless pork chops
1.5 cups Italian-style bread crumbs (mixed with 1 tbsp olive oil)
6 slices prosciutto
2 cups fontina, grated
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp oregano
Butcher’s Twine

Directions

Butterfly the pork chops. I found it was easier to do when they were semi-frozen. First I sliced them in half (not all the way through) and then I sliced each of those halves (again not all the way through). Place plastic wrap on your cutting board and place the pork chop there. Top with plastic wrap and then pound until the chop is about 1/4 inch thick.

Lay out about 10-inch lengths of butcher’s twine on the cutting board. lay the pork chops on their length-wise. Top with about 2 tbsp of bread crumbs. Then place about 2-3 tbsps of fontina cheese on the bread crumbs. If you like it really cheese, you can also sprinkle it with some parmesan at this point.

Lay a slice of prosciutto length-wise on top of the fontina.

Roll the pork chop tightly and tie the butcher’s twine. A trick to make tying it easier, do two loops and pull tight. Making two loops will keep the string from loosening. Then make a knot and cut off the excess string.

Heat some olive oil (about 1-2 tbsp) in your pan. Brown the braciole on one side. Turn and brown on the second side. Remove from the pan.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan and heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft. About 5 minutes or so. Drain the fire-roasted tomatoes and add the fire-roasted tomatoes and stir. Add the can of plum tomatoes and using a spoon, chop them up coarsely.

Simmer for about 10-15 minutes and then return the braciole to sauce, cover the pot and simmer until fork-tender. That may take 45 minutes or so.

Once the braciole is fork-tender it’s time to eat. I served mine with grilled polenta and some greens. Very tasty!

Pizza Rustica is a typical Italian Easter dish. It’s also a great way to clean out the fridge the rest of the year if you happen to have some salami, ham, or other Italian meats hanging around. This is my easy version of the classic since it uses pre-made puff pastry and/or crescent dough instead of homemade pie crust. The prep work is minimal but you will need at least an hour to bake. What to do in that hour? How about pouring yourself a glass of wine and grabbing a good book to read? I’d recommend Beringer Knights Valley cabernet and Lost in Little Havana so you can get started on the South Beach Security Series! You can find out more about the series at https://amzn.to/36KrDcR. P.S. – Pizza Rustica is more like a quiche than a calzone or cheesecake.

Ingredients

5 large eggs
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 ounces mozzarella cheese
2 ounces asiago, fontina, or any other Italian cheese
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
6-12 slices salami and/or soppressata, chopped
4-6 slices prosciutto or ham, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a regular 9″ pie plate. Spread the crescent dough/puff pastry into the pan, making sure to cover the sides. Use any extra dough to make a lattice on the top of the pie after you put in the egg mixture.

Beat the five eggs. Add all the other ingredients and mix. Pour into the pie plate. Decorate with extra dough.

Bake for an hour or so. Pizza Rustica will be done when the knife inserted into the center comes out cleanly. If the pastry dough is getting too dark, cover it with foil.

Once it’s baked, remove it from the oven and let cool for about five minutes (if you can wait! LOL!)

This recipe will serve 4. You can also chill and eat it cold or at room temperature.

To mix this up, cook some spinach and squeeze out any water and mix in with the eggs. Some people will also make this with cooked sausage instead of charcuterie.

Buon Appetito!

I was lucky enough to get to know my husband’s maternal grandmother Elizabeth. She was a fascinating woman and lived to the ripe old age of 103. She shared a number of recipes with me including this tasty recipe for eggplant caponata. It’s a delicious mix of eggplant, olives, celery, onions, and other goodies. Caponata is used as an appetizer or side dish normally, but you can also mix it into a bowl of pasta! I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
4-6 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions
2 stalks celery
1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes (not crushed ones)
4 ounces green olives
1/4 cup capers
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar

Directions

Peel the eggplant and cut into one inch cubes. Hubby’s grandma would then salt the eggplant, let it sit in a colander for an hour and then rinse and dry it. Salting the eggplant this way can remove the bitterness and keep it more solid, but I find that with this recipe, it’s not necessary to do this.

Heat about 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a skillet. When shimmering, add the eggplant and cook until soft and starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes.

Remove the eggplant from the heat and put in a separate bowl. Do a quick wipe of the skillet with a paper towel and heat another 2 tbsp of olive oil.

Fine chop the onions and celery and cook in the oil until softened.

While the onions and celery are cooking, rough chop the green olives. You can also use a mix of green and calamata olives if you like. Add to the onions and celery and continue cooking, but do not let the onions brown.

Open the can of tomatoes and pour them into a colander placed over a bowl to collect the sauce. Open the tomatoes and remove an extra liquid. Rough chop the tomatoes. Once the onions are softened, add them to the onion/celery/olive mixture and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add capers to the onion/celery/olive/tomato mix. I normally use capers that are brined. If you use capers packed in salt, rinse them before adding them to the mix.

Return the eggplant to the skillet with the onion/celery/olive/tomato mix. Stir. If it looks like the mix is too dry, add a little of the reserved sauce from the tomato can, but do not make it too saucy.

Mix the sugar and vinegar until the sugar is dissolved. Add to the onion/celery/olive/tomato mix. You can add the pine nuts at this time, but I skip this step on account of the cost of the pine nuts. I’ve never tried it with another nut, like walnut or pistachio and it’s not really necessary.

Cover the skillet and cook at a low simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Transfer into jars and seal. The caponata will keep for at least a week. If you want to keep it for longer, I recommend freezing it until you are willing to go through the process of preserving by boiling, etc. In our house, this never lasts long enough to require that! LOL!

Only 35 More Days!

I’m counting down to the release of Lost in Little Havana. Only 35 more days until you can get your hands on a copy of the first book in the South Beach Security series.