Fabulicious!: Teresa's Italian Family Cookbook (25 page)
Read Fabulicious!: Teresa's Italian Family Cookbook Online
Authors: Teresa Giudice
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Juicy Bits from Joe
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N
ot a lot of people know this, but I’ve been making my own wine for years. Me and my father, we started making wine as a tradition when I was a kid. Now Gabriella helps me. All the girls help out, but Gabriella loves it. She comes in, cleans the bottles for me. She’s a great helper.
To make your own wine, you need a good wine room. It’s the first room I built in my house. If you have a good temperature controlled room with the right stuff, you don’t need to put sulfites in your wine, and that’s good because it’s the sulfites that give you the headaches.
You need grapes of course. You can get whatever type you like. I do Chilean grapes, California grapes, and Italian grapes. I mix it all up. It’s hit and miss. Sometimes it’s incredible and sometimes it’s just OK. It’s a little gamble you take. But if you use good grapes, more than likely it’s all gonna come out good.
So you take your grapes and you de-stem them and crush them and let them ferment in a tub for about three or four weeks. Then you press it in the wine press, put the juice back in the tub, and let it sit, and ferment. You have to keep passing the wine back and forth into different tubs actually so the sediment sits at the bottom, then you can put it in oak barrels. The longer you leave the wine in the tub though, the darker it will be. I like the darker color, the deep red wine color.
The whole process takes about a year. I probably do about 350 cases a year. My dad, he does about 250 cases. My friends come over and help me out and then of course, we drink it.
Me and Tre are hoping to start a new restaurant in Parsippany, New Jersey called Villa di Vino. It’s going to feature all of her great recipes and my wine. When it opens, come by and we’ll hook you up!
Makes 4 servings
Nothing is faster, tastier, or healthier than baked fish and veggies. You can use any combination of vegetables that you like for this. Look at it as a way to use up some of the produce hanging around in your fridge, but remember that the veggies have to be tasty and fresh.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (about 2 ½ cups)
3 cups broccoli florets or 1½ cups each broccoli and cauliflower florets
2 large carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Lightly oil a 13 × 9-inch baking dish.
2.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and the garlic together in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots, and celery and stir well. Add ¼ cup water and cover. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3.
Meanwhile, season the tilapia with the salt and pepper. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with the lemon juice, and then the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake for 5 minutes.
4.
Remove the baking dish from the oven. Heap the vegetable mixture over the fish and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the fish looks opaque when flaked with the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve hot.
Makes 4 servings
Farfalle
means “butterfly” in Italian, and my kids just love eating the little bow tie—shaped pasta. This is one of our favorite weeknight meals.
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 medium zucchini, cut into ⅛-inch-thick rounds
8 ounces farfalline (tiny bow-shaped pasta) or farfalle
Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish
1.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of oil, the balsamic vinegar, and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
2.
One at a time, place half a chicken breast between two plastic storage bags. Pound with the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin until the meat is about ½-inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on both sides with the chopped basil.
3.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides and the chicken feels firm when pressed in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate, tent with aluminum foil, and keep warm.
4.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
5.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.
6.
Divide the pasta among 4 deep soup bowls. Top each with a chicken breast half, and then equal amounts of the zucchini. Drizzle each serving with the balsamic vinegar mixture. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This recipe is extremely flexible, easy to throw together with whatever you have lying around the kitchen (and hopefully, in your freezer). It’s also pretty laid back—you toss a few things in the oven, let them cook, add a few more, come back later . . . and eventually you have a beautiful sausage-and-vegetable dinner.
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 carrots, cut into ½-inch rounds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound Italian sweet or hot turkey sausage, with casings, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces