I knew today's video recipe was called Italian Wedding Soup because it's traditionally served at weddings, but I wanted to find out why this soup, with these ingredients in particular, was chosen.
I had a few theories. I figured the greens probably represented money, and symbolized hopes that the bride and groom would enjoy a prosperous union. The soup's signature mini-meatballs were a tougher nut to crack.
How could taking large, virile, normal-size meatballs and shrinking them down to dainty little shriveled dumplings serve as a metaphor for marriage? I just don't see a connection. Well, come to find out (according to two reliable sources; Wikipedia, and my friend and fellow About.com Guide, Kyle) the name has nothing to do with people getting married.
Apparently, what we Italian-Americans from the northeast call Italian Wedding Soup is actually a misinterpretation of an Italian soup called, "minestra maritata," which basically means "married soup." The "married" refers to the delicious pairing of the greens and meat, and not the ritual of marriage.
So, the soup ended up being a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. What better choice for a first course at your Italian-American wedding reception than something called Italian Wedding Soup?
That should give you enough soup-related cocktail party conversation material for a while. Whether you fondly remember this from weddings past, or you've never had it or heard about it before, I really hope you give it a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 quart beef broth 1 quart chicken broth Note: A little more or little less broth will not affect the recipe 1/3 cup pastina or other tiny pasta 1 bunch kale salt and pepper to taste For the meatballs: 1 1/4 pound beef 1 egg 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup cream 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 tbsp fresh parsley 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
Anyone that grew-up in an Italian-American family can tell you about Sunday dinner, where someone just like the adorable woman in this video cooks an old family favorite, after which the family gathers around to eat, drink, and talk way too loud.
I've wanted to film a version of Steak Pizzaiola for a while now, but can't decide which version to do; the quickly seared, pan sauce style, or the long, slow-cooked recipe seen here. Maybe I'll try and combine the best of both. Thanks to fellow YouTube foodie, Foxbytes, for this tasty-looking clip. If you have a favorite recipe for this Italian-American classic, please send it my way. Enjoy!
Very soon, if not already, you're going to be faced with one of summer's great dilemmas; what the hell am I going to do with all these zucchini?
Maybe they're from your garden, or possibly some sadistic neighbor's, but regardless of where they came from, there they sit on the counter, taunting you with their size and numbers.
While it will probably only put a small dent in your cache of courgettes, this recipe I posted last year is very simple and quite tasty. Enjoy! Tuna Zucchini Elbow Pasta - It's Just Dinner
I almost didn't film this meal. Initially, it struck me as so mundane and unimpressive that I wasn't sure it would make a worthwhile video recipe. Then I remembered I'm an atypical Food Wishes fan. While it's getting harder and harder for me to impress myself, thankfully most of you remain fairly easy to impress.
I don't say that with condescension, but with envy. I have to remind myself that not everything I make has to be a "special." That it's okay to just cook, film, and post without a point, or an angle, or even a reason.
This recipe is not impressive, it's not interesting, there are no new techniques, it doesn't remind me of any funny stories, and it certainly isn't going to win any beauty contests. I promised myself to never use the phrase, "it is what it is," but here, I really have no choice. It is what it is, and that's just dinner. Enjoy!
1 lb elbow macaroni olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 6 large zucchini, 1/2-inch cubes 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes 1 tsp dried Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc., the usual suspects) 3 1/2 cups marinara sauce 1 1/2 cups water 12 oz tuna Parmesan cheese
Last year you just watched. This year, you actually make the bread. That's the plan at least. Below you'll see two videos; one for my family's traditional Easter bread, and one for a pink lemon icing.
These video recipes ran last year, but we have so many new visitors on the blog these days, I decided it would make a good pre-Easter rerun.
I'm sure some of you gave this try, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as we do every year. Sure you can bring that half-dead lily plant to your Easter gathering, or you can bring a couple loaves of this great bread. What would Jesus do?
One of the most common "food wishes" I get is for tomato sauce. Even though I've received hundreds of requests for my tomato sauce recipe, I've resisted filming it for a few reasons.
First, I always thought I would eventually put all my most requested, unpublished recipes on a DVD, and totally get rich. That scheme has been thwarted since, over the course of the last couple years, I filmed and posted just about every recipe that fits that description.
Second, tomato sauce recipes are so personal that what I may think is a perfect all-purpose sauce, you may taste and think is the worse one you ever had. I remember going out to eat as a kid and listening to my mom and aunts talk about how the sauce we were eating was an abomination compared to "our" sauce.
Anyway, those issues aside, this is my basic, all-purpose tomato sauce. I trust you'll taste and adjust the seasoning as you see fit, and be relatively gentle when comparing it to your grandmother's clearly superior version.
One thing I hope you do not change is the tomato. There is little debate among tomato sauce aficionados regarding the advantages using the magnificent San Marzano tomato. This long, intensely red, plum tomato variety imported from Italy can be found in any good Italian market, and most of the larger high-end grocery chains.
Any sauce recipe is only as good as the tomatoes, and unless you're going to use a basket of sugar-sweet, vine-ripened tomatoes in the middle of summer, these are your best option. I hope you find some and give this sauce recipe a try.
The other ingredient that may give you pause is the hint of anchovy paste. Use it. No one will taste it, and while I can't prove any of this, it really does "something." Enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 cans (28-oz) whole peeled San Marzano plum tomatoes 1/4 cup olive oil 1 onion, diced 1 rib celery, fine dice 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs pinch of red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon anchovy paste 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley water as needed
I was at it again – taking a perfectly good recipe and putting in way too much of something just to see what would happen. In this case it was a basic meatball recipe that was the object of my curiosity.
I wanted to know what would happen if I put in a relatively large ratio of ricotta cheese. What happened was tasty, very tender, and fairly light meatballs. I feared the extra mixing required to incorporate the ricotta make the meatballs tough and rubbery. I'm happy to report it did not.
The cheese actually gave the meatballs a very nice texture, and ironically, this recipe could end up being a cure for the chronic over-mixers among us. A recipe that eliminates the problem of over mixing by using an ingredient that forces you to over mix it? Is that a paradox?
While you're googling "paradox," I'm going to finish off the last of these delicious meatballs that I served with the customary spaghetti. And, by customary I mean in America, since our Italian friends still refuse to admit how great these two things are together, and remain adamant about serving them at different courses. Hey, their loss! Enjoy.
1/2 onion, minced 2 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup ricotta cheese 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley 1 egg, beaten 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt) 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper cayenne to taste 1 pound ground beef (85% lean) 1/3 cup plain breadcrumb 1 (28-oz) jar prepared marinara sauce 1 cup water
If you saw the video recipe for the London Broil I did using the Normanton Farm's grass-fed beef, you saw me save some of the top round, which had a little more connective tissue in it, to make a meat sauce recipe. This is that.
Most meat sauce recipes call for ground beef, and as most butchers will tell you (off the record), it isn't exactly the premium cuts that go into making ground beef. In fact, usually included somewhere in their answer is the statement, "you really don’t want to know."
This super-easy video recipe for a braised beef pasta sauce is similar to regular ground meat sauces, but instead uses freshly cubed beef as the base. The advantages are obvious and quite delicious.
Using this method, you get to choose the cut you like; I used top round, but rump roast, or chuck steak would be just as good. You can also control the fat content, trimming as you and your summer Speedo see fit. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 pound top round steak (may substitute rump roast, or chuck steak) 2 tbsp olive oil salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste red pepper flakes to taste 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped 1/2 cup beef broth or water 1/2 cup milk 1 (28-oz) jar prepared pasta sauce 1 (14.5-oz) package penne pasta, cooked grated Parmesan cheese as needed
I knew today's video recipe was called Italian Wedding Soup because it's traditionally served at weddings, but I wanted to find out why this soup, with these ingredients in particular, was chosen.
Apparently, what we Italian-Americans from the northeast call Italian Wedding Soup is actually a misinterpretation of an Italian soup called, "minestra maritata," which basically means "married soup." The "married" refers to the delicious pairing of the greens and meat, and not the ritual of marriage.
