The turning of the calendar inevitably brings New Year’s resolutions.  Whether it’s a desire to have more family time around the dinner table or just looking to trim the family budget a bit, making a resolution to eat in more often doesn’t have to mean boring, tasteless meals or long hours slaving away in the kitchen. Bite Me, a stomach-satisfying cookbook by sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, is a great way to achieve your New Year’s resolution of cooking more meals at home in 2011!

An inspired collection of food and fun, Bite Me contains ... Read More »]]>

The turning of the calendar inevitably brings New Year’s resolutions.  Whether it’s a desire to have more family time around the dinner table or just looking to trim the family budget a bit, making a resolution to eat in more often doesn’t have to mean boring, tasteless meals or long hours slaving away in the kitchen. Bite Me, a stomach-satisfying cookbook by sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, is a great way to achieve your New Year’s resolution of cooking more meals at home in 2011!

An inspired collection of food and fun, Bite Me contains 175 dependably delicious recipes created for the urban and the suburban, the aspiring and the well-seasoned cook. With a side order of sass (the section dedicated to soups is aptly named “Spoon Me”, the chapter on Fish is entitled “Catch Me” and the book concludes with “Fork Me:  Desserts for a Happy Ending”), the recipes in Bite Me do not require an army of sous-chefs, a pantry of guava paste, or blowtorch to turn a bag of groceries into a satisfying meal for a weeknight meal, casual dinner party, or formal holiday gathering. Both authors are busy working mothers with three kids each — they both understand the importance of making cooking and entertaining fun and stress-free.

Bite Me blog — a blog of dishful thinking!: http://www.bitemecookbook.com/blog/2010-11-19/giblets-gravy-grannys

Bite Me recipes (including the recipe for the Chunky White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies!): http://www.bitemecookbook.com/recipes/

Party ideas — including dishes, decorations and play lists!: http://www.bitemecookbook.com/bash

Chic Galleria is giving away a Bite Me pack which consists of a copy of Bite Me, a Bite Me grocery bag (always handy!), a Bite Me water bottle to keep hydrated at the gym (New Year’s resolution #2!) or while cooking up a storm in the kitchen and a Bite Me t-shirt. (ARV $55) To enter, just leave a comment letting us know if you or someone you know would love to receive this gift pack.  A winner will be chosen at random and announced here on January 31, 2011.  US entries only please. Please note that the t-shirt is included though not in the above photo.

For extra chances to win, follow @BiteMeBook on Twitter and become a fan of Bite Me on Facebook.

We would love for you to send out a tweet: I entered to win a Bite Me gift pack from @BiteMeBook on @ChicGalleria http://bit.ly/cYr8Gq

Please leave a comment of each additional entry.

Congratulations Charlene Kuser (CharlieGurl57)!

Sweet Potato Purée with Cider Reduction

by Chez Cherie

This recipe can go two ways—as a first course soup or as a side dish. In a pinch, you can use canned sweet potato or butternut squash purée. A can and a half should do the trick.

Ingredients:

2½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups Trader Joe’s Spicy Cider

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons butter

salt, pepper, and hot sauce

mascarpone and diced pancetta, for garnish, optional

Directions:

Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water (or vegetable or chicken broth), and bring to a boil. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 ... Read More »]]>

Sweet Potato Purée with Cider Reduction

by Chez Cherie

This recipe can go two ways—as a first course soup or as a side dish. In a pinch, you can use canned sweet potato or butternut squash purée. A can and a half should do the trick.

Ingredients:

2½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups Trader Joe’s Spicy Cider

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons butter

salt, pepper, and hot sauce

mascarpone and diced pancetta, for garnish, optional

Directions:

Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water (or vegetable or chicken broth), and bring to a boil. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. While the potatoes cook, simmer the cider in a medium sauté pan until syrupy and reduced to about ½ cup. When the potatoes are tender, drain them . Place the ginger, sweet potatoes, butter, and the cider syrup in a food processor [and purée. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Garnish with a small dollop of mascarpone and a little diced pancetta, if desired.

If making soup, reserve the cooking liquid from the sweet potatoes. Once the sweet potatoes are puréed, add the cooking liquid until the soup is of desired consistency.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Notes: Vegetarian (if made without pancetta garnish), Gluten-free

From The I Love Trader Joe’s Party Cookbook

Cherie Mercer Twohy received her Professional Culinary Arts diploma from the California School of Culinary Arts. In addition to her formal chef’s training, her passion for travel and interest in culinary tradition have taken her around the world. Closer to home, she has received instruction at the renowned Culinary Institute of America Greystone campus in the Napa Valley.

Cherie is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and recently joined Julia Child and Jacques Pepin as a Certified Culinary Professional, one of only 300 culinarians worldwide to achieve that designation. She is also a proud member of the American Institute of Food and Wine, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.

Cherie was recently selected by Saveur Magazine to present the Saveur Cooks cooking classes for food lovers in Southern California. She can be seen as a recurring Guest Chef on Home & Garden Television. Her first book, The I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook, was released in October, 2009. Visit her website at www.chezcherie.com

Chic Galleria is giving away a copy of The I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook to two (2) lucky readers. Would you or someone you know enjoy having this cookbook? To enter, just leave a comment on this article/recipe. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments and announced here on November 30, 2010. (ARV $17.95)

Congratulations to our winners Courtney (hebert024) and Julie B (jhbalvin)!

“Waste Not, Want Not” and Make it Delicious! By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, Author of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

There is no more appropriate time than now to think about how and why we cook. Food is a way of connecting with the people who surround us. Through it, we communicate emotions like love, compassion and understanding, and there is no better opportunity to communicate with our children than at the table. It’s where we can discuss our values of life that are important to us as individuals, ... Read More »]]>

“Waste Not, Want Not” and Make it Delicious!
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, Author of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

There is no more appropriate time than now to think about how and why we cook. Food is a way of connecting with the people who surround us. Through it, we communicate emotions like love, compassion and understanding, and there is no better opportunity to communicate with our children than at the table. It’s where we can discuss our values of life that are important to us as individuals, as a family and as a part of the world we live in.

As overconsumption and greed have come to haunt us, now is a time for reflection. We should be looking back at the generations before us to understand their approach to the table. Growing food, shepherding animals, foraging for the gifts of nature is all part of respecting food. Nothing needs to be wasted. Bread can be recycled and used in soups, casseroles, lasagnas and desserts. Water is carefully conserved as in the pasta recipe I share below where the same water in which vegetables are cooked is used to cook the pasta that follows, and then that is saved for soups or for making risotto.

When one respects the food we prepare, it also leads to a more sensible and balanced intake of proteins, legumes and vegetables.

So “waste not, want not” and make it delicious!

Excerpt from Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009)

FRESH CAVATELLI WITH CAULIFLOWER
Maccarun ch’I Hiucc

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

Serves 6

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables, and I regret that many people don’t sufficiently appreciate its unique flavor and nutritional value. This is not the case in Molise, where it is cooked often and creatively, as exemplified by the following two simple vegetarian pasta dishes. The first recipe, maccarun ch’i hiucc, is zesty with garlic and peperoncino.

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta pot

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

7 plump garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 large head cauliflower, cut in small florets

1 batch (1½ pounds) Fresh Cavatelli (preceding recipe), or 1 pound dried pasta

1 cup freshly grated pecorino (or half pecorino and half Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, for a milder flavor)

Recommended equipment: A large pasta pot; a heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12 inch diameter or larger

Fill the large pot with salted water (at least 6 quarts water with 1 tablespoon salt), and heat to a boil.

Pour the olive oil into the skillet, set over medium-high heat, and scatter in the sliced garlic. Let the garlic start to sizzle, then toss in the peperoncino and parsley; stir and cook for a minute. Ladle in a cup of the pasta cooking water, stir well, and adjust the heat to keep the liquid in the skillet simmering and reducing gradually while you cook the cauliflower and pasta.

With the pasta water at a rolling boil, drop in the cauliflower florets, and cook them for about 3 minutes, until barely tender. Drop in the cavatelli, stir, and return the water quickly to a boil. Cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is fully tender and the pasta is al dente (if you are using dried pasta, it will, of course, take longer).

Lift out the florets and cavatelli with a spider or strainer, drain briefly, and spill them into the skillet. Toss well, to coat all the pasta and vegetable pieces with the garlicky dressing, then turn off the heat, sprinkle over the skillet the grated cheese, and toss again. Heap the cauliflower and cavatelli in warm bowls, and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE BREAD PARFAIT
Pane di Cioccolato al Cucchiaio

Serves 6

This recalls for me the chocolate-and-bread sandwiches that sometimes were my lunch, and always a special treat. And it is another inventive way surplus is used in Umbrian cuisine, with leftover country bread serving as the foundation of an elegant layered dessert. Though it is soaked with chocolate and espresso sauce and buried in whipped cream, the bread doesn’t disintegrate, and provides a pleasing textural contrast in every heavenly spoonful.

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

8 ounces country-style white bread, crusts removed

½ cup freshly brewed espresso

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cups chilled heavy cream

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Recommended equipment: A large rimmed tray or baking sheet, such as a half-sheet pan (12 by 18 inches); a spouted measuring cup, 1 pint or larger; 6 parfait glasses or wineglasses, preferably balloon-shaped

Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl set in a pan of hot (not boiling) water. When the chocolate begins to melt, stir until completely smooth. Keep it warm, over the water, off the heat.

Slice the bread into ½-inch-thick slices, and lay them flat in one layer, close together, on the tray or baking sheet.

Pour the warm espresso into a spouted measuring cup, stir in the rum and sugar until sugar dissolves, then stir in half the melted chocolate. Pour the sauce all over the bread slices, then flip them over and turn them on the tray, to make sure all the surfaces are coated. Let the bread absorb the sauce for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or with an electric mixer.

To assemble the parfaits: Break the bread into 1-inch pieces. Use half the pieces to make the bottom parfait layer in the six serving glasses, dropping an equal amount of chocolatey bread into each. Scrape up some of the unabsorbed chocolate sauce that remains on the baking sheet, and drizzle a bit over the bread layers. Next, drop a layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using up half the cream. Top the cream layer with toasted almonds, using half the nuts.

Repeat the layering sequence: drop more soaked bread into each glass, drizzle over it the chocolate sauce from the tray and the remaining melted chocolate. Dollop another layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using it all up, and sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of each parfait. This dessert is best when served immediately while the melted chocolate is still warm and runny.

©2010 Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, authors of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

Author Bio
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, coauthor of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipe, is the author of five previous books, four of them accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia (among others), and she lectures on and demonstrates Italian cooking throughout the country. She lives on Long Island, and can be reached at her Web site, www.LidiasItaly.com

Tanya Bastianich Manuali, Lidia’s daughter and coauthor of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipe, received her Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance art history from Oxford University. Since 1996 she has led food/wine/art tours of Italy. She lives with her husband and children on Long Island.

Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen By Mary Ann Esposito

In Mary Ann Esposito’s new book, Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites, she shows home cooks how to turn just five ingredients into an easy, delicious, and economical Italian dish for the family dinner table. Mary Ann Esposito knows that the genius behind great Italian cooking is the simple philosophy of using just a few quality ingredients to create something delicious. In Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites she shows home cooks how to make that philosophy work for them so that they can save time and money without sacrificing flavor. ... Read More »]]>

Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites
Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen
By Mary Ann Esposito

In Mary Ann Esposito’s new book, Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites, she shows home cooks how to turn just five ingredients into an easy, delicious, and economical Italian dish for the family dinner table. Mary Ann Esposito knows that the genius behind great Italian cooking is the simple philosophy of using just a few quality ingredients to create something delicious. In Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites she shows home cooks how to make that philosophy work for them so that they can save time and money without sacrificing flavor. With seventy-five authentic Italian recipes — from antipasti to pastas, main courses to desserts — Esposito draws on the Italian culinary tradition of simplicity in the kitchen to create such effortless and tasty dishes as:

• Prosciutto di Parma, Fontina, and Fig Wraps
• Spicy Soppressata Tartlets
• Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs
• Pistachio-Dusted Pork Chops
• Oven-Poached Halibut with Shallot and Fennel
• Escarole Salad with Mustard Dressing
• Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Banana Tartlets
• Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Vanilla

With Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites, Mary Ann Esposito serves up a surefire way to please family and friends with easy recipes that are quick and delicious.

Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of the long-running PBS series Ciao Italia, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010. She is the author of eleven successful cookbooks, including Ciao Italia Slow and Easy and Ciao Italia Pronto! She lives in Durham, New Hampshire.

For more information, please visit www.CiaoItalia.com.  Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites: Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen

Chic Galleria is giving away copies of Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites to 2 lucky Chic Galleria readers. Just leave a comment on this article and tell us your favorite Italian dish! The winners will be chosen at random from those who leave a comment and the winners will be announced December 14, 2009.

Congratulations Bart Henry and Em!

Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread, is all the rage in Italy; “Nutellaphiles” eat it by the spoonful right out of the jar. And that may be as good tasting as it gets unless you decide to make these puff pastry tartlets. Nutella, mixed with mascarpone cheese and spread on top of banana slices in ready-made puff pastry is one of the easiest desserts I know.