Italian cuisine

Currants, Capers, and Pollock Join Forces For Generoso’s Involtini di Pesce

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As my dearest Lily kicked my butt last week with her Cha Gio (Vietnamese Egg Rolls) I had to return the favor by making rolls of my own and so I whipped a pan of my Involtini di Pesce (Italian fish rolls) my take on the traditional Sicilian dish, Involtini di Pesce Spada (Swordfish Rolls).  I have made this dish using swordfish before but truthfully, I have used a variety of fish based on whatever was the freshest option I had before me at the market that day, so for this version I am using six beautiful fresh pollock filets.  From prep to plate should only take you an hour and you’ll have a sweet and savory piece of fish that will take your taste buds for a loop.

You will need a decently sized backing pan, aluminum foil, and about two pounds of pollock filets, breadcrumbs (I like panko for this), cashew nuts,capers, currants, olive oil, salt, pepper. Enjoy and let us know how yours turned out. Love, Generoso XOXO

Music: Dvorak-String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97, B. 180

Generoso’s Rigatoni Con Due Formaggi e Salsiccia (Rigatoni With Two Cheeses and Sausage)

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The word decadent does not even begin to surmise Generoso’s creation, Rigatoni Con Due Formaggi e Salsiccia (Rigatoni With Two Cheeses and Sausage). WARNING: This dish is for the dead of winter so we implore you not to make this ridiculously fattening, creamy dish during a season where you cannot easily burn it off.

You will need: Two boxes of rigatoni, 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, 6 oz of pecorino romano cheese, 8 oz of whole milk mozzarella, three large eggs (oh no, not eggs too!), 1 can of tomato puree, six cloves of garlic, fresh parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil.

Music by Mauro Giuliani, 2 Rondo for Piano and Guitar. Op.68

Generoso’s Fiendishly Delicious Chicken Scarpariello! (Shoemaker’s Chicken)

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Today, we will teach you how to make Chicken Scarpariello (Shoemaker’s Chicken) Truthfully, I have absolutely no idea why it’s called this or the origins of this incredibly bad for you dish.  What I will say is that the final product, a creamy mix that has sausage, chicken and artichoke hearts was so delicious but heavy, that it knocked Lily and I out for about an hour.  If done correctly, the whole dish should take you about an hour but we really feel that it is worth it.

You will need the following: 2 pounds of chicken breast, 1 pound of Italian sausage (we used our local butcher’s Calabrese sausage for this as it’s a bit more firm but harder to find), three medium sized potatoes, one cup of chicken stock, a tablespoon of butter, two cups of white flour, six ounces of artichoke hearts, a lemon, rosemary, salt, pepper, onion powder, and olive oil.

You can put this on top of a light pasta if you are insane but trust me, you really want to avoid making this dish any heavier than it is.  Let us know how yours came out.  Love, Generoso and Lily!

Music:Niccolò Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6

 

Generoso’s Dangerously Fatty and Delicious, Neapolitan Sausage Soup!

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I wait for the coldest and snowiest days of the year to make this soup, a blend of small and large flavors with a whole lot of fat to keep you going through the wintry mess. Though no cream is added, you will find this to be a savory and creamy soup that I hope you will enjoy despite the rather unhealthy ingredients 🙂

You will need: One pound of sweet Italian sausage, four strips of bacon, one sweet onion, one leek, two large potatoes, ten ounces of kale, one box of vegetable stock, salt, pepper, olive oil, four cloves of garlic and shredded Parmesan. Enjoy and let me know how yours turned out!

Music: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 by Hector Berlioz

Generoso’s Bizarre Take On Rollatini di Melanzane

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We have all had some kind of mutant version of eggplant rollatini.  Just think of all of the times where you have been accosted with this faux traditional Italian delight at work potlucks, elderly birthday parties, and bizarre down home small neighborhood baby showers (I hear that’s where this dish really lives).  Well, I have been the recipient of many of these attempts and have been making my own version for years, but soon after a visit to a Ethiopian restaurant I had the idea to add a couple of bizarre ingredients into my ricotta filling: spinach and cinnamon.  I eventually loved the way those products broke up the acidity of the tomatoes and I have been using them ever since.  Hopefully, you will love this taste as well.  You will need three long eggplants, 20 ounces of unflavored bread crumbs, four cloves of garlic, one can of crushed tomatoes, two 32 ounce containers of WHOLE MILK ricotta, 4 cups white flour, olive oil, salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, grated parmesan, and one bunch of fresh spinach.  Let me know how yours turned out! Music: Cell sonata in D, from 12 Sonatas, Op 6 by Pietro Locatelli

 

 

The Joy of Making Pasta e Fagioli With Generoso

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“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

 

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

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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!

 

 

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

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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.