LILY AND GENEROSO’S VIET-ITALO KITCHEN

Generoso and His Triple Layer Italian Cream Birthday Cake!

Standard

It is 1:15AM on Generoso’s Birthday so I guess its now time to make his birthday cake!! A triple layer Italian chocolate and vanilla cream cake which is damn delicious, if not terribly decorated (we have no skill here). This cake does take some time but I think you will love to make one for yourself and Generoso and Lily will show you how.   You will need at least a dozen eggs, a pound of butter, confectioners sugar, a couple of large chocolate bars, vanilla extract, sugar, milk, flour and one serious blender!

Background music is by  my buddy, Ottorino Respighi and his Suite no. 1 from Ancient Airs and Dances.

It’s Fall! It’s Time For Che Bap!

Standard

In this week’s cooking video, Lily shows you how to make probably one of the easiest dishes she makes, Che Bap.

Che Bap is a dessert made with corn, coconut milk, tapioca, and sugar. It’s a very easy warm dessert that can be made in a large batch. The Fierro house often eats it in the fall and then hides away from cold weather.

Enjoy! Music provided by Niccolò Paganini’s Violin Concerto no. 1 in Eb, Op. 6.

The Joy of Making Pasta e Fagioli With Generoso

Standard

“Pasta e Fagioli” is the best proof of the Italian language helping to make even the most basic things sound elegant.  The direct translation for the essential dish, is “pasta with beans” but as I stated with my recipe for chicken cacciatore, it is not a put it down because basic can sometimes be very delicious.  Many people make this dish like a soup but not in the Fierro household, where Pasta e Fagioli has always been prepared as a non-watery, intensely garlicky pasta dish.   The ingredients are super basic; tomatoes, garlic, cannellini beans (sometimes called navy beans), ditalini pasta and olive oil.  Also, by definition, this dish is vegetarian, even vegan actually, and should only take an hour or so to prepare.  Enjoy the video and let me know how yours turned out!  Music is the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D Minor by Edouard Lalo

 

How to Make Lily’s Version of Cantonese Tomato and Egg

Standard

Tomato and egg is a very pedestrian dish that is a common quick bite in the Fierro House. Lily grew up eating it right after school with rice, but as an adult, she began to make her own version with thick rice noodles (mostly only because she is a noodle fiend). Lily’s version incorporates the egg into the tomato, which is different from the traditional stir fry. See how to make this simple, yet satisfying dish! Enjoy!

Music courtesy of Joseph-Maurice Ravel’s Ma mère l’oye

Do You Want To Make Chicken Cacciatore? Generoso Will Show You How!

Standard

In the Fierro household we love chicken cacciatore, that very hearty Italian chicken dish that could also be made with a rabbit if you happen to have one handy.  Cacciatore does mean “hunter’s style” so this is not a delicately made entree, its one that is normally made in the middle of the woods but that doesn’t mean its anything less than delicious.  Wine, onions, mushrooms. olive oil, garlic and a bit of time are all you need to make this delicious entree. Generoso will show you how, step by step as always!

 

 

Shake! Shake! How to Make Dau Hu Luc Lac

Standard

In this week’s episode of cooking at the Fierro home, Lily shows you how to make Dau Hu Luc Lac, one of her favorite vegetarian dishes.

Luc Lac is traditionally made with beef, but the Fierros often eat the tofu version.

Watch as Lily shows you how to transform blocks of tofu into Dau Hu Luc Lac, which actually translates into “Shaking Tofu.” This dish is traditionally served under a simple salad and a side of rice, but you are welcome to serve it any way you would like!

Music provided by Francesco Geminiani and his Concerto Grosso No. 2.

Veal Marsala Is So Delicious, Learn to Make It, The Generoso Way!

Standard

Have you ever eaten veal marsala and thought…I wonder if Generoso could teach me how to make veal marsala.  And then did your mind wander and thought…If only Generoso could be in his hot little kitchen, sweating profusely, wearing the same apron he uses when he spray-paints positive messages on the seats in the back of the bus.   Well, your thoughts are my command as I show you how to make this tasty sweet Italian dish using just the right inexpensive ingredients.  Let me know how yours turns out in the comments below!  Music supplied by Boccherini because he owed me a favor.  His Concerto for Cello and Orchestra In B flat Major.

 

 

How to Make Thit Kho, the Pork Stew of Stews!

Standard

In this week’s edition of cooking with the Fierro family, Lily shows you how to make a staple of any Vietnamese household, Thit Kho, or as she calls it, Caramelized Pork and Egg Stew.

Watch as she explains the mysteries behind melting sugar, fish sauce, and the entire process of making thit kho. This dish is traditionally served with rice and is one that definitely gets better with time….assuming that you have leftovers, which Generoso and Lily rarely do. Music is provided by the very non-Vietnamese Johannes Brahms with his Trio in A Minor.

Learn To Make Minestrone, The Fierro Way!

Standard

What does radio DJ Generoso know about everyone’s favorite Italian soup, minestrone? Well, he sure does eat a lot of it, and his momma taught him out to make it so he wouldn’t be penniless from eating out every night. Completely vegetarian (even vegan if you can avoid covering it in romano cheese like Generoso does) and outrageously delicious!  Video is 13 minutes in length.  Music supplied by famed non-Italian, Antonín Leopold Dvořák!