Adri Barr Crocetti

Tagliatelle agli spinaci con polpettine d’agnello

Gaetano Crocetti

One hundred years ago this month my grandfather, Gaetano Crocetti, arrived in America. He left his native Abruzzo and traveled west to Naples where he boarded the steamship Hamburg for the long voyage, trading the region’s towering mountain peaks, verdant hillsides, fields, vineyards for the smokestacks and steel mills of Steubenville, Ohio. America was good to him, but he never forgot his homeland, and my grandmother’s cooking kept those memories alive. Read the remainder of this entry »

Black Kale, Sausage and Barley Soup

It’s Winter, and that means soup to me. I was craving something satisfying, so I decided on meatballs and cavolo nero. And to be honest, I wanted a shortcut. Then I remembered the fennel sausages in the freezer. Bart had brought them home from his last trip to Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica. I used the sausages as a base for the meatballs, and the scheme worked beautifully. The meatballs were a snap to make, had great flavor, and they held together perfectly in the soup. If you are not a fan of fennel, or if you have something else in your freezer, maybe some spicy sausage, go ahead and use that.

I recommend using pearl barley. It is barley that has been processed to remove the outer hull, and it cooks more quickly and is somewhat less chewy than hulled barley. Note that I call for fresh breadcrumbs in the meatballs, not dried. I like to use egg bread, although a good Italian bread will do. Be certain you do not use sourdough. To make fresh breadcrumbs, place slices of bread on cutting board. Trim and discard crusts. Cut bread into quarters. Place in workbowl of food processor fitted with metal knife and process until finely ground.

Zuppa di Cavolo Nero con Salsiccia ed Orzo
Black Kale, Sausage and Barley Soup

serves 4

Meatballs

makes about 25 1 inch meatballs

1/2 pound Italian sausage with fennel seeds
1/2 small onion, grated
1 large egg yolk plus half an egg white
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
generous 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Soup

1 medium yellow onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 quarts brodo di pollo (chicken broth)
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 bunch (about 9 ounces) cavolo nero, well rinsed, tough inner ribs removed and discarded, cut into 1 inch slices
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
generous pinch Peperoncino flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to finish soup, if desired
Parmigiano to pass at table

To make the meatballs:

Remove sausages from their casings. Discard casings. Break sausages into small pieces. Set aside.

Grate onion. Blot and discard any liquid produced while grating.

In medium bowl combine onion, egg yolk and white, parsley, salt and pepper. Add cheese and bread crumbs, and combine well. Add sausage meat, and gently, but completely mix. Form into 1 inch meatballs. Place on parchment lined sheet pan while you proceed with soup base.

To make the soup:

In a 6 quart pot heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, salt and peperoncino flakes. Saute until just translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and saute lightly until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add chicken brodo. Bring to boil and add barley. Lower heat to a mild simmer. Cook 10 minutes.

Add meatballs. Cook 5 minutes to allow meatballs to firm up.

Place kale over meatballs, pressing down very gently to submerge. Cook 20 minutes more at a gentle simmer until kale has softened and barley is cooked to your liking. Serve with a bit of olive oil drizzled over soup, if desired. At table pass Parmigiano to grate over soup.

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I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

Before dawn on the morning of April 6, 2009 the town of L’Aquila in Italy’s Abruzzo region was struck by a violent 6.3 magnitude earthquake, terremoto in Italian. Townspeople awoke in terror as the walls of their homes, businesses, government buildings and churches collapsed around them. The air was cold, but the people of L’Aquila ran outside to safety in whatever they had on to escape falling debris. When the sun shone on the town, the devastation was virtually complete. Rubble was everywhere. The dead were lined up in rows, and rescuers from the Abruzzo Civil Authority and Ministry of the Interior, along with the town’s inhabitants, worked feverishly to save those trapped and to remove the dead from the rubble. 308 people died that day. As of June 2010 Italian government statistics tell us that 48,810 people who lived in L’Aquila and surrounding villages are as yet unable to return home. The reconstruction effort continues.

Maria Filice, author and food stylist has written Breaking Bread in L’Aquila, a collection of 49 recipes from the Abruzzo region. Ms. Filice, whose family hails from the region of Calabria has a deep and abiding love for the Abruzzo region and L’Aquila in particular; her late husband Paul Piccone was born in that beautiful city, and the two traveled often to the region.

Ms. Filice has produced a wonderful volume. Its recipes are divided into days of the week with a complete menu presented for each day. Mix and match as you will. I certainly do. The author has generously included sections on how best to use her book, her entertaining philosophy and a primer on Abruzzese wines along with pantry essentials and a most welcome measurement conversion chart. The photography and food styling are ravishing, and the reader is given a warm and enticing introduction to this majestic region, land of shepherds and the sea. My grandfather, Gaetano Crocetti was born in Abruzzo in 1894, so this book holds pride of place on my shelf.

The net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the L’Aquila earthquake restoration efforts. With Christmas around the corner I cannot think of a better gift for the cook or Italophile in your life. It would be a gift for two, whomsoever receives the book and the people of L’Aquila.

I am pleased to share with you, reprinted here courtesy of Telos Press, Paul Piccone’s recipe for polpettine, little meatballs. I have also included Maria’s charming introduction. She serves these with her Tomato Sauce and an Abruzzese specialty, pasta alla chitarra. The polpettine are delectable and simple to make. Enjoy, and please support L’Aquila earthquake relief by purchasing a copy of Maria’s book.

Click here to purchase the book at Food & Fate

Check out Maria’s blog here.

Take a look at the Breaking Bread in L’Aquila Facebook page here.

Follow Maria on Twitter @FoodandFate

Pasta alla Chitarra con Polpettine di Paolo

(Pasta alla Chitarra with Paul’s Meatballs)

Paul’s meatballs were famous-not only for their flavor, but also for their size: he liked them small! Though, he was a fabulous cook, once he let me in the kitchen (and taught me how to make his favorites), he didn’t come back in. As queen of the kitchen, I began making his favorites, like this one. We would sometimes serve these meatballs on top of pasta alla chitarra, Abruzzo’s famous pasta. This is made with a pasta guitar (it looks like a harp) to produce squarish-shaped spaghetti. You can also use spaghetti or your favorite pasta. Growing up, my mother would serve it with our favorite rigatoni or penne pasta.

serves 6

3 cups of tomato sauce (see page 44 in the book)

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

2 eggs

1 ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

1 tablespoon fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup bread crumbs (unseasoned)

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1 pound of pasta alla chitarra (fresh)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, eggs, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the cheese. Add the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper and combine well. Using your hands, form quarter-sized meatballs and place them on a tray. (If the mixture is too stick, rinse your hands under cold water and leave them slightly damp.)

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the meatballs in batches, turning them frequently, until they form a nice brown crispy layer on the outside and are cooked through (approximately 10 to 12 minutes). Drain them on paper towels.

Heat the tomato sauce in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.

Using a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it is al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce with meatballs and toss well. Top with remaining Parmigiano and serve.