Sunday, August 5, 2018

Venetian Canederli

This is a very old family recipe: my grandfather would regularly make some canederli to be shared with the extended family. This version of the recipe was given me by my aunt, that picked up the tradition with my grandfather passing. I have really nice memories associated with this dish.
Canederli are the Italian version of Knödel, a traditional dish from Tirolo. They are very flavorful and delicious bread dumplings.

Ingredients

  • a bag of bread left-overs
  • whole milk
  • parmisan
  • spek (you can use proscitto crudo, or coppa if you cannot find any)
  • flour
  • 1 egg
  • a pinch of salt
  • green onions

Step by step instructions

  • save the bread that do not get eaten every day. Chop it in 1 inches cubes and store it in a plastic bag and keep it in the fridge. It should get hard, but not too hard. Once the plastic bag is full, you are ready!
  • put the bread in a large bowl.
  • boil the milk and pour it on top of the bread.
  • add a pinch of salt
  • add the finely chopped green onions and mix them in.
  • cover and wait until the temperature goes down to lukewarm
  • add a row egg and mix it in.
  • mix in the finely chopped spek
  • add the flour to change the dough consistency until it is no longer sticky.
  • make few spheres (the size of a snowball)
  • roll them in flour to finish up

And they are ready! Store them outside the fridge, covered with a kitchen towel until it's time to cook them. You then prepare them as the potato cousin, the "gnocchi". My favorite is to cook them following the [burro e salvia recipe], but the most popular way it to serve them in chicken or vegetable stock.

Canederli traditionally served with chicken or vegetable broth. (c) Paolo Perini

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Pollo alla Niero

This recipe has been passed down in my family from a generation to another. It is not difficult, but it is a little time consuming, so I usually prepare this dish when I have some guests over for lunch or dinner. It's delicious.


Ingredients
(serves 6)
  • 12 chicken tights (you can substitute with chicken breasts if needed)
  • 3 green peppers
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes (freshly chopped San Marzanos are the best)
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
  • Italian Herbs (thyme, oregano, marjoram)
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt

Step By Step instructions

  • Use a large and deep non-stick pan. It should be large enough to contain all the chicken in a single layer. Also pick one that is relatively deep to avoid spills.
  • Wash the vegetables and chop them separately
  • In a large (and deep) pan add olive oil and the chopped onions.
  • Saute' the onions until they are transparent.
  • Add half the garlic to the bottom.
  • Add the chicken in a single layer.
  • Cover everything with the freshly chopped tomatoes. The chicken should be covered at this point. If not, add some more tomato sauce.
  • Add the rest of the garlic, some more olive oil, and the salt at this stage.
  • Start cooking on medium until the sauce starts boiling, then continue cooking on low. This is very important: slower the cooking, better the final result.
  • Add the sliced bell-pepper on top.
  • Cover with a lid to ensure even cooking, and to reduce spilling and power consumption.
  • Every 15 minutes very gently move the chicken around to ensure even cooking.
  • You want to keep cooking until the chicken is well-done and very tender. The meat should separate completely from the bone. I usually cook it on low for a couple of hours. This is one of those dishes that more you cook it, better it is. If it starts to get dry, add a little bit of broth or more tomato sauce.
  • When it is ready sprinkle the Italian herbs on it. Serve warm, with the delicious sauce.
Notes
  • This dish should be served with good bread: you will want to dip it in the delicious bell pepper - tomato sauce this dish comes with!
  • This is one of those dishes that can be enjoyed for few days in a row: every time you reheat it it gets better! This makes it a great dish for potlucks. You can cook it the day before, and simply reheat it on the day of the event.