Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 16, 2010
Kay's Cooking Corner
Kay Bona
Momma-mia – the time has come, for every good cook to test their skills, especially the Italian ones! Try your hand at this quiz. Have fun.
1. Antipasto, can be anything from cured meats and/or cheeses to marinated vegetables. Which of the following is NOT a traditional Italian antipasto? A. Skewered cubes of cheddar, boiled ham, and pepperoni sausage. B. Slices of toasted bread with sliced tomatoes and Mozzarella. C. Melon slices wrapped in Prosciutto. D. Raw vegetables served with a dip of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
2. What does the name “biscotti” mean in Italian? A. Baked slowly. B. Diagonally sliced. C. Twice-cooked/twice baked. D. Toasted.
3. “Delizie” is a name given to many Italian desserts. What does it mean in English? A. Delicious. B. Delight. C. Delicate.
4. Hazelnuts are used widely in Italian cuisine, particularly in desserts and biscotti. What is their Italian name? A. Nonno. B. Nodi. C. Nocci. D. Nocciola.
5. What are you making when you mix eggs and thinly cut up vegetables (like potatoes and broccoli) and fry or bake them in a skillet? A. Risotto. B. Ricotta. C. Pasta e fajole. D. Frittata
6. While shopping, you see small fresh balls of mozzarella floating in a liquid. What’s the Italian name for what you’re seeing?. A. Rigatoni. B. Bocconcini C. Pesto.
7. What is “gnocchi”? A. Salty fish. B. Dumplings. C. Cheese D. A dessert
8. How are tortelloni different from tortellini? A. Tortelloni are filled with meat, tortellini with cheese. B. Tortelloni are made with spinach in the dough. C. Tortelloni are larger.
9. How do you order Spaghetti and meatballs in Italian? A. Spaghetti con le melanzane. B. Spaghetti con le salsicce. C. Spaghetti con polpette. D. Spaghetti con le vongole.
10. True/False: Ragu is the brand name of an American brand of pasta sauce, not the name of an actual Italian pasta sauce.
ANSWERS: 1. A. Skewered cubes of cheddar, boiled ham, and pepperoni sausage. You will never see Cheddar cheese at an Italian table. Also, pepperoni is actually not a traditional Italian sausage; it is an American creation. The word “peperoni” in Italian means “peppers”. 2. B. “Twice-cooked” or “twice baked”. Most biscotti are first shaped into long, thin loaves and baked. After they have cooled, they are sliced diagonally and then toasted on either side. Thus, they are “baked twice” (“bis” - again + “cotti” - cooked or baked). 3. B. Delight. 4. D. Nocciola. 5. Frittata, an Italian omelette. 6. Bocconcini, which means “little mouthfuls”. It’s packaged in whey or water or sometimes brine. 7. Gnocchi, or dumplings, is basically a northern Italian dish, made of potato flour or cornmeal and flour dough, rolled into balls, and served with a tomato or pesto sauce, and sometimes just melted butter. 8. The suffix “-one” indicates a larger size; “minestrone” is a big, hearty soup, whereas “minestra” is lighter, and thinner. “Panettone”, is a large, high loaf of sweet bread. “Polpettone” is a meatloaf whereas “polpette” are meatballs. “Tortelloni” are large stuffed pasta circles of the same shape as “tortellini”; they are served much like ravioli. 9. Spaghetti con polpette. 10. False: The commercial pasta sauce “Ragu” took its name from the same root as the French “ragout”, meaning a thick stew. The name “ragu” indicates a rich, thick sauce usually containing meat and/or chunks of vegetables.
Chicken and
White Bean Soup
2 teaspoon extra virgin
Olive oil
2 leeks
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
sage
28 ounces reduced-sodium
chicken broth
2 cups water
15 ounce can cannellini
beans
2 pounds precooked
rotisserie, chicken,
no skin
Heat EVOO in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks, stirring often, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in sage; continue cooking about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and water, increase heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Add beans and chicken and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.
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