Easier than an “open fire”, use your oven to bring Chestnut goodness inside your home.  Preheat oven to 425*F. Using a sharp paring knife, cut an “X” into the flat side of each chestnut to allow steam to escape. This prevents them from exploding.
Place chestnuts in a single layer on a baking pan with the cut sides up.
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until chestnuts are tender and easy to peel.
Let cool then peel off the shells and skin.

P.S. Cooked and peeled chestnuts can also be found at your local supermarket or online!

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

This is a great side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner. I know that cutting and peeling butternut squash is a time-consuming task. Luckily, many grocery stores (Trader Joes for example) sell it already peeled and chopped. If you buy a whole squash you can peel it with a vegetable peeler and microwave for 1 minute to make it easier to chop.

For Butternut Squash & Parmigiano Bake you will need day-old focaccia buy some mix here, and cooked (either steamed or roasted) butternut squash.

Place 2 cups of 1/2-inch cubed, peeled and cooked butternut squash in a saute’ pan with 1 Tbs olive oil, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 garlic clove, minced and 2 fresh sage leaves. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes to caramelize the squash. Sprinkle with a dash of sea salt.
In a medium bowl, beat together, 2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, dash white pepper and a dash of ground nutmeg. Stir in cooked butternut squash. Place 2 cups 1/2-inch cubed day-old focaccia bread -original or rosemary flavor- in a greased 9×9-inch baking dish. Pour egg mixture on top. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Bake at 350*F. for 45 minutes.

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

This common veggie combines the colors of fall with the earthy flavors of a winter squash. Hidden within pale beige skin and a vase-shaped body the deep-orange  flesh with a sweet, nutty taste is adaptable to so many recipes.  Easy to prepare, this squash finds a tasty place in savory or sweet dishes. Our cookbook Cooking Dinner features these recipes: Butternut Squash Soup, Roast Chicken with Vegetables and Creamy Vegetable Soup.

Butternut squash is available year-round but is at its peak from early fall through winter. It is very low in saturated fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a very good source of  Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese.

Many stores sell butternut squash already peeled and chopped. These are easy to boil or oven roast. If you buy a whole one here’s a kitchen tip: To soften the skin, place the whole squash in the microwave and cook for 1 to 2 minutes prior to cutting.

For a quick meal, saute’ pre-cooked squash cubes with chopped onion, minced garlic and a few fresh sage leaves in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Mix with cooked penne. Stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

Italian cooking is very regional that is why you will never find Cacio e Pepe in Tuscany or Scampi e Fagioli in Rome. Some foods real taste you will never know unless you take a trip to that particular region. Some ingredients, for instance “basil” taste the best when it is grown on Ligurian land, watered with Ligurian water and grown under Ligurian sun.
Anybody can make pesto but nobody can make it taste like the one they make in the Genova area, where pesto orginates. Personally the best pesto I ever had was served over  “Lasagnette.” I had in while  visiting San Fruttuoso with my family. One of the best kept secrets in Italy, San Fruttuoso, is a medieval monastery turned into three little very rustic restaurants, is nestled in the cove right next to Portofino. It can be reached only by a 2 hours mountainous hike or by boat.

Recipe for the best Lasagnette al Pesto:

take a trip to Portofino, find for Renzo the handsome boat captain,  ask him to drop you off in San Fruttuoso, have him pick you up in 3 hours, after your lunch and coffee!

This recipe pairs well with lots of sun and wind on your face!

Cook and travel with your heart! Rima

Here is the recipe for a fantastic fall dessert:  Pumpkin Toffee Bread Pudding that I demonstrated this morning on Sacramento & Co. TV  channel 10. The base for this dessert is Raisin Focaccia that I prepared from our 5 Minute Raisin Focaccia Bread Mix.  Here is a gift for you. Receive a complimentary original mix when you make a purchase at our online shop. Just enter TED in the coupon code.  (shop now)

Place 3 cups cubed raisin focaccia in the bottom of a greased 9 x 9-inch baking pan.

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

Thanks to my wonderful husband, I have the perfect assortment of herbs growing in a pot just outside my kitchen door.  It makes adding fresh herbs like Basil, Oregano, Thyme and Sage to my cooking so easy. A few tips: use a tall, wide pot so you can grow several varieties at once and so you don’t have to bend too far to pick a few sprigs.

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

It’s the end of the tomato season and at the fresh vegetable market you can now by tomatoes buy the box for as little as $10. It’s the perfect time to be canning your own tomatoes. The fruit is ripe, full of flavor and economical.

Tomatoes have been canned at home for centuries. But if not done properly canning your own food, including tomatoes, can be very dangerous to your health. Make sure you follow every step carefully and always use sterilized equipment. To sterilize equipment boil for at least 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

6 pounds Roma tomatoes

9 basil leaves

6 garlic cloves

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 peppercorn

1 tablespoon sea salt

Tools you will need: Jars, lids, several deep pots, tongs, ladle and kitchen towels.

To sterilize jars: Wash jars, and lids with hot soapy water. Separate jars from lids. Put jars in a deep pot, and lids a small pot making sure the water covers 2 inches over the jars and lids. Bring to boil for 10 minutes. Do the same thing with tongs and ladle. Use sterilized tongs to take jars out of water.

Cook tomato sauce: Meanwhile wash and cut tomatoes and basil and put all ingredients in large pot. Cook on medium heat, mixing every 5 minutes, for 30 minutes.

When tomatoes are cooked, using a hand held blender, blend tomatoes into sauce.

Being careful not to burn yourself, fill jars using the sterilized ladle. Do not fill jars to the top, leave at least two fingers of empty space in jars.  Put lids on jars.

To seal jars: Put closed jars in a deep pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Boil jars for 45 minutes. To take out jars from hot water use the tongs. Place jars upside down on a kitchen-towel lined surface until cool.

The sauce will bubble inside jars. By the time the jars have cooled off the lids will be concave (sucked in) and the jars are now sealed. To check press on lid, if it does not move, the jar is sealed. If the lid still moves under the pressure of your finder, refrigerate sauce and use within two weeks.

Risks of homemade canning: some microorganism like Clostridium botulinum (which causes botulism) can still survive most sterilization techniques at least in small numbers.

Store in dark, cool place.

This sauce is good on pasta, pizza or any way you usually use tomato sauce.

Buon appetito!

Cook with your heart!  Rima

It’s hard to imagine cooking without Solanum Lycopersicum aka the Tomato. But this fruit is actually relatively new to the gastronomic world. Most likely the first variety to reach Europe from South America was yellow in color, since in Spain and Italy tomatoes  were known as pomi d’oro, meaning yellow apples. Introduced first to southern Italy in the 16th century,  it became popular in all Italian cooking by the 19th century and is still closely associated with Italian cuisine.

Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are an excellent source of lycopene which is a bright red phytochemical, vitamin C which is most concentrated in the jelly like substance that surrounds the seeds and potassium which surprisingly similar to the levels found in bananas. Because processing increases the concentration of bioavailable lycopene, tomato sauce is the best source especially when served with olive oil. Check out these delicious ways to use tomatoes on pages 49, 63, 68, 86, 92, 96, 104, 106, 110, & 142 from our cookbook: Cooking Dinner!

Tomato varieties:
Cherry tomatoes make a great bite-sized snack and have the highest quantity of vitamin C; Early Girl is the most popular garden variety; the Better Boy Hybrid is one of the most succulent and juicy; Beefsteak are monsters and great for thick sandwiches; Romas are the best for cooking since they have more pulp to juice; and Heirloom are the sweetest and are grown from seeds that have been passed down for at least 3 generations!
Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia and Cook with your heart! Rima

Better Boy

Did you miss Rima at NapaStyle in Yountville last weekend?  Not to worry – Claudia will be demonstrating the art of making Risotto at NapaStyle, Los Gatos this Sat. Sept. 25th from 4 to 7 pm.  You have seen the Risotto recipes in our cookbook Cooking Dinner (pgs 109 and 129) but maybe you are reluctant to try them.

Stop by NapaStyle 32 N Santa Cruz Ave. Los Gatos for a lesson, a sample and a smile….

OR visit us in Lodi this Sunday, Sept 26th at Taste of Lodi 1 m – 5 pm
Visit Lodi! Conference & Visitors Bureau is hosting the 9th annual wine and food experience with wine, food, and numerous activities throughout the day.

Venue:    Wine & Roses 2505 W. Turner Rd       Lodi, CA   (800) 798-1810

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

This morning my daughter wanted muffins for breakfast and was resistant to my suggestion of making them from scratch.  She was very hungry and wanted them NOW! Nothing new with a teenager.  I told her that I could make muffins in 25 minutes.  You can too – especially if you mix the dry ingredients and store in a sealed container. Then just mix the rest of the ingredients together for a great breakfast or snack!

Pumpkin Muffins

In a bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tsp sea salt.  Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Add 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tbs vanilla and 2 beaten eggs. Stir in 1 cup canned pumpkin. Divide into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for 18-22 minutes or until done. [OR use a loaf pan for a delicious, moist Pumpkin Bread.]

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia