by Deborah Perugi | Oct 16, 2012 | Pickles, Recipes, Vegetables
From Grandma to D Perugi
To 3 lbs. of pickling cukes (small to medium firm) in 1 gallon jar add:
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 or 4 sprigs dill including seed heads
2 tsp. whole pickling spice
Arrange in layers: cukes, spice, dill, garlic. Then add brine made by boiling 1/2 C kosher salt in 2 quarts water and cooled to tepid. On top, place 3 or 4 small pieces jewish rye bread or pumpernickle bread crumbs and 1 or 2 pinches of alum for crunchiness. Put cheesecloth over jar attached with rubber band. Use weught to keep pickles submerged if necessary.
“Half-done” are ready in 5-7 days. Then put in refridgerator with cap to slow up process and preserve.
by Deborah Perugi | Oct 16, 2012 | Main Dish, Recipes
From VP Slate to John Slate
Beef tripe 1 to 2 lb. Should be very white. Boil about 1-1/2 hours until medium soft.
After tripe has been parboiled, cut off all fat. Then cut into thin strips 2″ long. Wash well with cold water.
Saute in a small amount of olive oil:
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Transfer sautéed vegetables to a large pot and add:<BR>
The cooked tripe cut into strips<BR>
1/2 can stewed tomatoes<BR>
chopped fresh parsley<BR>
small can of chicken broth<BR><BR>
Simmer 1/2 to 1 hour. Serve over rice. Serves 4<BR><BR>
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by Deborah Perugi | Oct 16, 2012 | Appetizer, Recipes, Veal
Grandma’s favorite!
Veal cutlets
Proscuitto
Fresh Sage leaf
Parmesan Cheese grated
Tomato sauce
Flour and butter
White wine or Marsala
Pound veal cutlets thin and roll with Proscuitto, fresh sage, parmesan and tomato sauce. Tie with string.
Dip in flour and fry in butter. Deglaze with white wine or Marsala and use as sauce. Serve one per person
for a meal or slice and serve on toothpicks for hors d’oeuvres.
by Deborah Perugi | Oct 16, 2012 | Beans, Main Dish, Recipes, Sausage
From Archie Perugi
1 Cotechino sausage (can be found in NYC or even your local Italian market!)
2-1/2 C. large lentils, washed and dry
2 small onions or 1 large, diced
1/4 c chopped pancetta
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 can tomato sauce or 1 cup homemade sauce
Boil sausage in water for 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
Remove from water and add lentils to water and boil.
Saute chopped onions in olive oil, then add pancetta,carrots, celery, and garlic.
Add partially cooked lentils to the carrots, etc. Then add the tomato sauce and sausage. Add some of the sausage water. Pierce the sausage to release the juices into the lentil mixture. Cook for 45 minutes over medium heat or until the lentils are soft.
Serve with sliced sausage on top.
by Deborah Perugi | Oct 16, 2012 | Fish, Fruit, Main Dish, Recipes, Vegetables
(In her own words)
Here is the basic batter used for frying zucchini, artichokes, shrimp, chicken, and eggplant.
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup warm water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
Break the egg into a bowl, add the oil, water, and salt. Beat until nicely mixed and homogeneous. Slowly sprinkle in the flour, beating batter.
Let it sit for a couple of hours before using. When you use this batter to coat cut-up vegetables or anything else, drop in only a few pieces at a time, turn them slowly with a fork to coat all sides and, then take them out and immediately put them into frying oil.
Note: This batter is also good for frying apples. Cut apples no less than 1/4 inch across.
When mixing the batter, beat with a fork until nicely mixed and the consistency of a good pancake batter. It’s good also for fish. Cod is very good.
Cook at medium heat.
by Deborah Perugi | Oct 16, 2012 | Chicken, Main Dish, Polenta, Recipes
From Grandma via Archie
Take cut up chicken and saute in olive oil partway. Add chopped parsley, celery, minced garlic and chopped onion. Continue to saute until chicken is browned on all sides. Add fresh sage leaves, Del Monte tomato sauce*, salt and pepper to taste. You can add a little white wine) and simmer gently until chicken is done. Serve with Polenta.
*Alternatively, instead of Del Monte and tomato paste you can add 1 cup or more of Passata, which is a bottled tomato sauce from Italy. You can find it at Whole Foods, World Market or online. Pam and I used this June 2024 and I thought the sauce was better for it.
by Deborah Perugi | Oct 3, 2012 | Family Tree, Lea Battani
I have a copy of an organized list of all the family names, marriages and children from the 1800’s to our generation, not including our children. Pretty exciting to see all the names we never heard of and some we know. We have cousins about our age that we never knew about! Our list is on page two. Find these items in the Old Italy Gallery.
Note: The list came with a letter from “Dipl. Ing. Oskar Francini”, WIEN III. I think that is Vienna. There is information in german on the list as well.
by Deborah Perugi | Sep 17, 2012 | Pasta, Recipes, Soup
Dough:
5 C. flour
4 eggs
ground nutmeg
salt
1/2 eggshell water per egg
Knead well and let stand one hour. The more you knead the better.
Filling:
2 Chicken breasts browned in butter and put through meat grinder.
1/4 lb. prosciutto
1/4 lb. mortadella (with nuts, optional)
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 C. grated parmesan cheese
Stir. Add two eggs.
Add to homemade chicken broth or use canned Old Colony Chicken Broth. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
by Deborah Perugi | Sep 17, 2012 | Beef, Lasagna, Main Dish, Pasta, Recipes, Sauce, Sausage
From N Krug:
Meat sauce:
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 Tblsp. butter
1 lb. Mild Italian sausage
1 lb. Ground round
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (“or red” -D.P.)
2 cups chopped tomatoes peeled and seeded
3 Tblsp. tomato paste
2 cups beef bouillon
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Becciamella sauce:
5 Tblsp. butter
6 Tblsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
Dash nutmeg
Other:
1 lb. Lasagna noodles
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese grated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
To prepare meat sauce:
Combine onion, garlic and celery and saute over low heat in 2 Tblsp. butter 8-10 minutes.
Remove to heavy 3-4 quart saucepan. In same frying pan, saut the sausage and ground round in olive oil until browned.
Remove excess grease. Add wine to meat and boil stirring constantly until wine is almost evaporated. Add meat to sauce pan with onion mixture and add the tomatoes, paste, stock and seasonings. Simmer for 1 hour.
To prepare the becciamella sauce:
Melt 3 Tblsp. butter into heavy 2-3 quart saucepan over low heat.
Stir in flour. Cook slowly 2-3 minutes. Pour in milk and cream slowly stirring with a whisk to obtain a smooth sauce. Heat to boiling stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. salt and nutmeg.
To build the lasagna:
Butter a 9 x 13 x 3 inch-baking dish. In a large 6-8 quart pot, cook the lasagna. When cooked, drain and cover lasagna with cold water.
Spread layer of meat sauce on bottom of baking dish. Over this, lay 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat 2 more times. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
