We started this cooking blog back in 2011, in preparation for the DeLucia Family Reunion. Out of curiosity, I looked back to see what our most popular recipe has been. The results took me a little by surprise. The going favorite is....not food.
In the number 1 spot, we have an adult beverage that has been known to "ruin" Christmas for a certain few nameless wusses. The winner is....THE BOMBARDINO!
Who's making Bombardinos? I'm coming over!
http://thedeluciafamilycookbook.blogspot.com/2011/05/bombardino.html
Cin Dun!
Monday, January 2, 2017
Pignoli Cookies
These cookies are full of deliciousness and deserve a coveted spot at the Cookie Table. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the Wikipedia link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_table.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Very Secret Chicken Soup with 3 Secret Ingredients
Shhh! Don't tell anyone. I'm about to divulge an ancient family secret. I only dare publish this recipe here, because my mother doesn't know how to use the internet!
Taste this version and you will never want to order from a restaurant or deli again.
The reason why? Secret ingredients one and two! They are very expensive and hard to come by: Time and Patience!
It doesn't take long to put the ingredients together, but the flavors wake up most richly over hours and days of simmering.
Another important note: get your beef and chicken from a Jewish butcher. Did I say beef? Yes, that is the 3rd secret ingredient to "chicken" soup. Beef.
Here we go.
1 whole Soup Chicken (throw out heart & liver)
1 piece of Flanken (I don't even know what this is, but ask for it at the kosher butcher when you buy the soup chickens). If you can't get flanken, use beef short ribs instead.
Clean all the chicken and meat in hot water. Put in a very large stockpot.
Add all of the below in chunks:
1 large peeled onion
1 peeled parsnip
1 peeled turnip
3-4 celery stalk
bunch of parsley
bunch of dill
bunch of leeks (rinse these very well and remove outer layer, for they can be sandy, and you do not want any grit)
Add 3 quarts of water per chicken.
I usually double the above recipe.
You'll notice that there is no salt included in the recipe. We've found it best to salt individually per taste/bowl. Also, the key here is simmering. Too little and the soup will not be rich in flavor. The soup is ready when it is truly a golden yellow color.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 3 hours, until all the meat and vegetables are tender. I prefer to let this simmer longer (4 or 5 hours).
Let soup cool. Remove all the meat, bones, and vegetables. Strain the soup from one pot into another, repeatedly, until the soup color looks clear.
Refrigerate overnight.
Next day, remove most of the fat from the tap of the soup. Reheat until warm. Can be served on this, the 2nd or 3rd day, or frozen. Use as stock, or serve with matzoh balls and egg noodles.
 |
| One Hour In |
The reason why? Secret ingredients one and two! They are very expensive and hard to come by: Time and Patience!
It doesn't take long to put the ingredients together, but the flavors wake up most richly over hours and days of simmering.
Another important note: get your beef and chicken from a Jewish butcher. Did I say beef? Yes, that is the 3rd secret ingredient to "chicken" soup. Beef.
 |
| Sniff Test |
Here we go.
1 whole Soup Chicken (throw out heart & liver)
1 piece of Flanken (I don't even know what this is, but ask for it at the kosher butcher when you buy the soup chickens). If you can't get flanken, use beef short ribs instead.
Clean all the chicken and meat in hot water. Put in a very large stockpot.
Add all of the below in chunks:
1 large peeled onion
1 peeled parsnip
1 peeled turnip
3-4 celery stalk
bunch of parsley
bunch of dill
bunch of leeks (rinse these very well and remove outer layer, for they can be sandy, and you do not want any grit)
Add 3 quarts of water per chicken.
I usually double the above recipe.
You'll notice that there is no salt included in the recipe. We've found it best to salt individually per taste/bowl. Also, the key here is simmering. Too little and the soup will not be rich in flavor. The soup is ready when it is truly a golden yellow color.
 |
| Five Hours In- the color is nearing perfection... |
Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 3 hours, until all the meat and vegetables are tender. I prefer to let this simmer longer (4 or 5 hours).
Let soup cool. Remove all the meat, bones, and vegetables. Strain the soup from one pot into another, repeatedly, until the soup color looks clear.
Refrigerate overnight.
Next day, remove most of the fat from the tap of the soup. Reheat until warm. Can be served on this, the 2nd or 3rd day, or frozen. Use as stock, or serve with matzoh balls and egg noodles.
4-Step Salmon
There's rarely a morsel of this salmon dish left when we serve it, but everyone always demands the recipe. I'm usually reluctant to give it out, because once people hear it, they cease to be amazed by me. It is ridiculously easy. Only trouble is that sometimes Macadamia Nuts can be hard to find. An annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve favorite!
Honey
Salt
Macadamia Nuts
Salmon
1. Marinate salmon skin side down in honey.
2. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
3. Cover with crushed macadamia nuts.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Honey
Salt
Macadamia Nuts
Salmon
1. Marinate salmon skin side down in honey.
2. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
3. Cover with crushed macadamia nuts.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Wine Chicken
This chicken dish is another simple, easy, long-time Kramer/Schachner favorite. The wine based gravy keeps the chicken incredibly tender.
Sprinkle chicken with paprika. Be very generous with the amount of paprika you use (I find the more the better). Brown chicken (with skin on) until skin pops and sizzles under the broiler. (Don't forget to use the paprika on both sides).
Transfer chicken to a dutch oven. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano.
Combine 5 ounces of chicken soup, 2 ounces of water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 3 ounces of Sauterne white wine, 1 TBSP of ketchup and pour over chicken.
The chicken should be mostly covered with the sauce. Double or triple sauce recipe as needed.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours until tender (with cover on). Remove cover for last 15 minutes or so.
Sprinkle chicken with paprika. Be very generous with the amount of paprika you use (I find the more the better). Brown chicken (with skin on) until skin pops and sizzles under the broiler. (Don't forget to use the paprika on both sides).
Transfer chicken to a dutch oven. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano.
Combine 5 ounces of chicken soup, 2 ounces of water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 3 ounces of Sauterne white wine, 1 TBSP of ketchup and pour over chicken.
The chicken should be mostly covered with the sauce. Double or triple sauce recipe as needed.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours until tender (with cover on). Remove cover for last 15 minutes or so.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
[American Jewish Style, Italian American Made] Potato Latkes
The attached photo can make you famous. Seriously famous. I'm not a Jew. But, I married one. The hardest part of that has been to prove to my mother-in-law that I'm a worthy suitor for her daughter.
She was entirely unconvinced until I made these latkes. Now I think she likes me more than her own son.
Some tips:
She was entirely unconvinced until I made these latkes. Now I think she likes me more than her own son.
Some tips:
- Grapeseed oil is a must. It gets very hot and the latkes don't soak up much. It's pricey but worth it. Do not substitute.
- Don't wait too long between when you take the shredded potato out of the water and frying.
- Make your latkes small. While a large latke may be attractive, especially when it replaces the bread on a reuben, there's no denying that small latkes are better latkes. They dip in applesauce better. They dip in sour cream better. They don't break when you crunch into them. Admit it, you're already convinced that your latkes will be small.
- Speaking of applesauce, you will completely ruin the experience if you buy jarred apple sauce. Get over the fact that you must peel and chop a bunch of apples, boil them down for a couple hours, and then add some cinnamon. It's worth it just for the aroma your house takes for a half day, but even moreso for the latkes.
Do it right and you'll be invited back to every party. Good luck!
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Fanny's Banana Bread
The first night of Chanukah and Christmas Eve rarely coincide. This Saturday night will be only the fourth time since 1900 that the first night of Chanukah has fallen on Christmas Eve. As a humanist Buddhist Jew married to an atheistic mathematician, with Italian Catholic in-laws, a Food Jew Mom, an "ish" Dad, and kids more Jewish than me, the 24th is going to be a Pascal feast of latkes (potato pancakes), sufgoniyot (jelly doughnuts), at least seven fishes, ham, and many other long-served dishes from the extended Pascal/DeLucia family repertoire.
In honor of that, I'll be posting a couple of recipes that are traditional in my family. Like in many families, the definition of family is actually quite complicated. Thus, one of my favorite "breads" came from the woman who raised my father. Fanny McNair could never be categorized: while the family paid her as a "nanny," my father considered her first and foremost his mother. The first "Jewish" recipe is therefore not Jewish at all, but handed down through a Jewish family, originating with the most loving (Southern African-American) grand-mother I ever had.
Pre-kids we only made the bread with crushed walnuts. Now, with kids, we substitute chocolate chips for walnuts. When we make it for ourselves, we use both. The decision is yours.
One of the best things about this recipe is that it takes about 15 minutes to whip together.
Ingredients
Butter
Sugar
Flour
Baking Soda
Bananas
Walnuts
Chocolate Chips
Directions
Melt one stick of butter. Add one cup of sugar. Beat. Add two eggs. Beat again. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of sifted flour. Add one teaspoon of baking soda. Stir. Add 3-4 mashed bananas. Stir.
Add crushed walnuts and/or chocolate chips as desired.
Grease loaf pan generously. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Test with toothpick, which should not come out not-quite clean because of the bananas. Keep an eye (that's how my mother put it, but it's okay if you use two eyes) on the bread from 45 minutes on. Let cool in pan. Use knife to loosen edges and flip over to remove.
In honor of that, I'll be posting a couple of recipes that are traditional in my family. Like in many families, the definition of family is actually quite complicated. Thus, one of my favorite "breads" came from the woman who raised my father. Fanny McNair could never be categorized: while the family paid her as a "nanny," my father considered her first and foremost his mother. The first "Jewish" recipe is therefore not Jewish at all, but handed down through a Jewish family, originating with the most loving (Southern African-American) grand-mother I ever had.
Pre-kids we only made the bread with crushed walnuts. Now, with kids, we substitute chocolate chips for walnuts. When we make it for ourselves, we use both. The decision is yours.
One of the best things about this recipe is that it takes about 15 minutes to whip together.
Ingredients
Butter
Sugar
Flour
Baking Soda
Bananas
Walnuts
Chocolate Chips
Directions
Melt one stick of butter. Add one cup of sugar. Beat. Add two eggs. Beat again. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of sifted flour. Add one teaspoon of baking soda. Stir. Add 3-4 mashed bananas. Stir.
Add crushed walnuts and/or chocolate chips as desired.
Grease loaf pan generously. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Test with toothpick, which should not come out not-quite clean because of the bananas. Keep an eye (that's how my mother put it, but it's okay if you use two eyes) on the bread from 45 minutes on. Let cool in pan. Use knife to loosen edges and flip over to remove.
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