Things my M.I.L. Taught Me - Week 4

It's here.

The best week of all.

Better than one, two, and three combined.

Tiramisu (tiramisu) (I kid)
Ingredients:
4 eggs
400-500 gram package of italian lady fingers
450 grams of mascarpone cheese 
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of espresso 
1/3 cup of dark rum
100 grams of grated semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsp of cocoa
1 tsp of lemon extract

STEP 1: Separate the eggs into two bowls. Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside.
Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and light. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat until mixed well. Add lemon extract.
At this point, fold in the egg white mixture.
STEP 2: Prepare espresso and combine with rum. In a large (preferably glass) serving dish, place first layer of lady fingers. Spoon the espresso/rum over cookies until moistened. Spread half of the mixture onto the cookies. Sprinkle with cocoa and chocolate. 
Note: I recently found this incredible product made by Ghirardelli that combines the two. No grating required!  
Repeat STEP 2. Cover the top layer completely with cocoa and chocolate - you should see minimal mixture peeking through.
Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate.

Other than gelato {duh}, tiramisu is my very favorite italian dessert.
I was always hesitant to try it because it seemed so complicated. It's really not. The only thing to keep in mind is that it is a process and the steps must be followed in order for it to turn out correctly. I also can't stress the importance of buying the VERY BEST mascarpone you can find. 
Ideally from Italy. More ideally, by Galbani. 
OK, now I'm starting to SOUND like my M.I.L. 
It's a good thing.
As is this tiramisu.
Buon Appetito!

Things my M.I.L. Taught Me ~ Week 3

If you've been following along the last few week's...you will now be able to prepare a full {and fabulous} italian dinner that is sure to impress your own mother.in.law

Today's entree is one of my son's favorites. 
For good reason.

Veal Parmigiano (veal parmesan)
Ingredients:
thinly sliced veal cutlets (I use 8-10 slices for my family of 4)
bread crumbs
2 whole eggs
grated parmigiano cheese
grated mozzarella cheese
1 batch of Rita's sugo 

In a bowl, beat two eggs with one tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese.
Prepare bread crumbs. (I always lay them on aluminum foil for easy clean-up)
Salt and pepper the cutlets to taste.
One by one, dip the veal into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs until all of the veal is prepared.
At this point, you have 2 options. 
a. fry the veal for approximately 2-3 minutes (max) per side in canola oil over medium heat.
b. drizzle olive oil on both sides of the meat and bake in a 375 degree oven for approximately 7-8 minutes turning over at halfway mark.
(in an effort to fry less.bake more - I opt for option b most times. That said, option a {and anything fried for that matter} will almost always sadly be tastier)
Once cooked, layer each slice with a good amount of sugo and some grated mozzarella cheese.
Place in oven on broil until cheese is melted.

I served mine with a radicchio salad this evening.The bitter flavor of this leaf offsets the meat very nicely. Sauteed spinach would be lovely as well.
Buon Appetito!

 P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Things my M.I.L. Taught Me ~ Week 2

My husband {who I have now mentioned twice in two days!} is big into greens.

Seriously, I can make a simple pasta and then this contorni or side dish and he is one happy guy.

My M.I.L. will make numerous side dishes for a family dinner but this one and rapini are my very favorites. And I am SO not a vegetable kind of girl.

Spinaci saltati con aglio (sauteed spinach with garlic)

Ingredients:

Large bunch of fresh spinach (bagged is fine, fresh is best)

3-4 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 

Clean, wash and dry spinach well. 

Place a good amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan along with sliced garlic cloves.

Warm and brown slightly.

Add spinach. It will look like a ridiculously huge amount but once cooked down, will look like a ridiculously small amount.

Saute until garlic is fully browned and spinach is completely wilted. Add kosher salt to taste.

Note: It is equally good cooked slightly less so that the leaves remain intact.
Also note: you can totally remove the garlic pieces since you don't actually eat them or leave them to add some interest to the dish.

Plate and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Sprinkle with a good parmigiano reggiano.

Buon Appetito!