As I sit at the desk writing this week, the air conditioning repairman is traipsing in and out the back door, rooting around in the crawl space and working to tune up our air conditioner for the summer here at the gallery. Coincidentally, this week’s recipes are things we used to eat in the hot July and August months when nobody wanted to be inside. We’re so spoiled now – the gallery is a constant 72 degrees, and my house is in the trees and stays naturally cool all summer long. The Broadway Market? Not so much. It was and is an old building, built around the turn of the last century; the heat in the winter came from the gas heater in the back of the store (which allowed us to have roast chestnuts all winter long) and was barely adequate. The air conditioning was two open doors and several box fans. Even at that, the house and the store were always hot. The house my grandparents lived in was attached to the back of the store, and its only redeeming feature in the summer was the back yard. My grandfather converted what was a concrete parking space into a sheltered patio with café tables like you see outside trattorias in the summer; there was even a Cinzano umbrella for several years, lending that “just so” Italian touch. Big old box elder trees provided ample shade, and we ate Sunday dinner outside more often than not for most of the summer.
Nonna still cooked almost every night during the summer; the back door was right next to the stove, so she simply left it open and worked her magic in the heat. But there were times, especially on Sunday, when Nonno cooked. I have vivid memories of him out in his giardino (garden – what he called the back yard), grilling chicken attired in a ribbed white tank top that is universally known by a very non-PC name. I’m giving three recipes this week, one for his sublime barbecued chicken, the second for his bean salad, and the third for Ricotta pie – baked by my mother – his favorite dessert in the summer. More often than not, after we all finished our dessert and espresso Nonno polished off the remainder of the pie while watching the nightly news, so if you didn’t get enough right away, you were out of luck! When you serve the pie, be certain to cut yourself a sizeable slab first, just in case…
The Recipe:
Nonno’s Barbecued Chicken
Serves 8-10
The longer this chicken marinates, the better and more intense the flavor will be. Nonno always started it in the morning and let it marinate for several hours before cooking. Ingredients are very approximate – Nonno measured even less often than I do, so use this as a framework and taste as you go. He also used button mushrooms from a can, because it’s what they had in the store, but fresh ones are so much better now that they’re readily available, so I’ve substituted.
Total prep and cooking time: 15-20 minutes to prepare the marinade, 30 minutes active cooking time plus an additional 45-60 minutes additional cooking.
Ingredients:
2 roasting chickens, cut into pieces,
or 4 lbs. chicken breasts and thighs (bone in/skin on makes for better flavor)
1 bottle dry red wine (something you’d drink)
½ C. olive oil
6-10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed or roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. (about as much as fits into your palm) dried rosemary
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
additional wine and/or chicken stock for braising (optional)
1 small bunch Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
1 lb. small Crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and cut in halves or quarters
Mix the wine, olive oil, garlic and Worcestershire sauce in a large glass bowl or baking dish big enough to hold all of the chicken. Crush the rosemary between your palms to release the essential oils, add this and several healthy grinds of pepper to the liquid. Taste, and then add additional salt, Worcestershire, pepper and garlic to taste. Add the chicken pieces, stir to coat and marinate (in the refrigerator, of course) for at least 4 hours, rotating the pieces occasionally so all are equally soaked. You will be reusing the marinade to braise the chicken, so reserve it when you remove the chicken pieces for barbecuing.
Prepare a charcoal barbecue to provide high heat for searing the chicken. Wipe the grill with olive oil and then cook the chicken pieces over direct flame until nicely marked – about 4 minutes per side, depending on the heat. Remove the chicken from the barbecue and place into a large covered roasting pan (a turkey roasting pan is ideal, so long as it fits inside your barbecue). Stir the coals, spreading them out to the edges of the barbecue to reduce the heat level significantly, pour the marinade over the top of the chicken and cook, covered, with the barbecue lid on, until desired doneness is reached, roughly 30-45 minutes. Check occasionally and add more wine, or maybe a little stock, if the pan starts to dry out; this shouldn’t happen if your roasting pan is tightly covered and your barbecue heat is low enough. About 20 minutes before serving, put the mushrooms in the pan, stirring to incorporate. Mix the parsley in just before serving.
The Recipe:
Nonno’s Bean Salad
Serves 6-8 as a side dish
In true Nonno fashion, this salad was slightly different every time he made it. The thing that makes it special is the dressing, pink and sweet from the ketchup. Start slowly with the olive oil and vinegar, tasting often until you like the flavor and consistency of the dressing. This is much better than the jarred stuff alone. Feel free to add fresh green beans or other vegetables to your liking.
Total prep time: 20 minutes, plus additional time for chilling
Ingredients:
1 large jar of prepared 3 Bean Salad, well drained
2 additional 15 oz. cans of beans – your choice of cannellini, kidney or garbanzo – drained and rinsed
3 ribs of celery, diced
1 medium onion (I prefer red ones) quartered and thinly sliced
½ C. mayonnaise
¼ C. ketchup
2 tsp. sugar
1-3 Tbsp olive oil
1-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 small bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Place the bean salad, beans, onion and celery into a large serving bowl, mix well to incorporate. Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and sugar in a small bowl and then start adding the vinegar a splash at a time until the desired level of tartness is reached. Add olive oil until the consistency reaches that of heavy cream, then pour over the salad and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste, then chill for several hours. Just before serving, add the parsley and mix well.
The Recipe:
Ricotta Pie
Serves 6-8
My mother’s adaptation of a classic dessert. In typical Italian fashion, this pie is rich and dense, and not too sweet. Traditional recipes include the addition of raisins, candied orange peel and pine nuts, but my mother always omitted them. Best served chilled; fresh berries would be a nice accompaniment, if you wish.
Total prep and cooking time: about 2 hours
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 C. flour
½ C. shortening (my mother uses lard)
¼ C. ice water
1 tsp. sugar
zest of one lemon, finely grated
Mix all ingredients in a bowl or food processor until well incorporated, roll into a ball and chill at least 30 minutes before rolling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then prepare the crust; reserve ¼ of the pastry, then roll the remaining ¾ to form a bottom crust for a large, deep pie plate or springform pan, finishing the edges however you wish. Return crust and reserved pastry to refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
For the filling:
5 C. (about 2 ½ lbs.) Ricotta cheese (full fat is best, of course!)
1 Tbsp. flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of one orange, finely grated
confectioners’ sugar for serving
Place all of the ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor or stand mixer and mix until creamy. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust, smooth out and then roll the remaining pastry out and cut into strips to form a lattice top for the pie. Bake 60-90 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out completely clean. Some cracks may form in the surface of the filling – this is just fine. Chill for several hours, then dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve in small wedges.
Mangia, mangia, fatte grande!
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