Escarole and meatball soup

Escarole and meatball soup
Serves 4 as a main course

Often referred to as Italian wedding soup, this hearty bowl has been mistranslated for many years. The name, minestra maritata, really means "married soup," which refers to the pleasing combination of vegetables and meatballs. Light but substantial, the soup contains escarole, curly bitter greens, and pork and beef meatballs simmered in homemade or prepared chicken stock. Near the end of cooking add dried pasta -- ditalini, bow ties, orzo -- and top with shredded Parmesan. Add crusty bread and salad and you have a satisfying supper. No license required.

SOUP
8 cups chicken stock
2 carrots, thickly sliced
1 celery stalk, thickly sliced

1. In a soup pot over medium heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil.
2. Lower the heat and add the carrots and celery. Simmer for 30 minutes.

MEATBALLS
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
2[1 ]eggS, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt, and more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and more to taste
1 head escarole, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup small pasta (ditalini, bow ties, orzo)
Extra shredded Parmesan (for sprinkling)

1. In a bowl, combine the beef, pork, egg, parsley, Parmesan, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. With your hands, shape small balls (about 1 tablespoon each). You should get about 40.
2. Add the meatballs and escarole to the simmering soup. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until it is tender but still has some bite. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper, if you like. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan. Adapted from Alice Taverna

Layered omelet with ham and cheese

Summer stretches ahead with its picnics, beach days, weekend guests, and impromptu suppers. Often that means looking for ways to feed friends and family without much fuss. This colorful layered omelet can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. It leaves the kitchen cool and the cook unflustered. Begin by making three thin egg and scallion omelets, then layer them with a dill-flecked mayonnaise and ham, cheddar cheese, and slices of crunchy cukes. After you get the hang of it, you can experiment with thinly sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, use turkey instead of ham, or replace the mayonnaise with sour cream and chives. At the table, cut the round into wedges and pass the icy drinks.

Ingredients: Serves 6

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 scallion (white and green parts separated), each finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
10 slices cheddar cheese
1/2 English cucumber, cut into 30 thin slices
8 slices honey baked ham, cut in half

Directions:

1. Have on hand a serving dish with a 9-inch flat surface.

2. In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise, mustard, and dill; set aside.

3. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt, and white part of the scallions.

4. Heat a 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds. With a paper towel, wipe most of the oil from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Using a 1/3-cup measure, pour the egg mixture into the skillet, swirling it around so it covers the bottom of the pan. Let it sit for 1 minute or until it sets. Carefully slip a spatula under the omelet and flip it over. Let it cook for another 30 seconds. Turn it out onto the counter.

5. Repeat the omelet layer 2 more times, turning them out in a stack.

6. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise dressing onto 1 layer of the omelet. Set it on the dish. Lay 5 or 6 pieces of cheese on top of the omelet to cover the entire surface. Add half the cucumber slices to cover the cheese completely. Then add half the ham.

7. Spread another omelet round with 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise. Set it, mayonnaise down, on the ham. Add the remaining cheese, cucumbers, and ham.

8. Spread the omelet round with the remaining mayonnaise. Set it, mayonnaise down, on the ham. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the top layer. Cover the entire dish with foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to overnight. Sprinkle the green scallion on top. Cut into wedges.

Debra Samuels

Baby bok choy

Serves 4

Baby bok choy, steamed with slivers of fresh garlic and plenty of ginger, is ready in about 10 minutes and produces a flavorful dish of mini green bundles. The small greens are often used in Chinese dishes as a bed for tofu or scallops, but this mild member of the cabbage family can stand on its own cute little stalks. Bok choy (in Cantonese it's pronounced pak-choi) is sometimes called white cabbage or Chinese chard. Each bunch consists of white stalks with green leaves at the top; they're entirely edible. Larger bok choy are sliced for stir-fries; the babies, each between 4 and 6 inches long, are more tender and can be served whole or halved. Both have a celery-like crunch with a mild cabbage flavor. Very young baby bok choy can even be eaten raw.


8 bunches baby bok choy
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 slices fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, cut into thin matchsticks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup water, and more if necessary
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:

1. Halve the bok choy lengthwise.

2. In a wok or medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the bok choy and salt. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

3. Add the water, bring it to a boil, and cover with a lid. Let the vegetables steam for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for 1 minute or until the water evaporates.

4. Add the soy sauce and cook for 30 seconds more. Sprinkle with pepper.

Caponata

Makes about 2 cups

Caponata is the sweet, sour, and salty Sicilian eggplant appetizer that looks like a relish and often comes as one of the tastes in an antipasti course. The dish begins with sauteed eggplant cubes, which lend their deep purple color to the mixture, and is cooked briefly with chopped green olives, cherry tomatoes, and golden raisins. The tangy spread also contains vinegar, sugar, raisins, and pine nuts, a combination that reflects the influence of Arab cuisine on the Sicilian table. The classic version we have adapted here from "Treasures of Sicilian Cuisine," by Paolo Salerno et al., calls for deep-frying the eggplant, but we give it a saute in olive oil, which lends a nice caramelized taste. Celery and capers make the caponata chunky, and the final effect is jewel-like. Spoon it on slices of crusty bread or over fillets of fish before roasting.


5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup green olives with pimento (preferably Sicilian), chopped
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup golden raisins
5 tablespoons red- or white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until it is softened but not mushy. Transfer to a bowl.

2. In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When it is hot, cook the celery and onion for 3 minutes.

3. Add the olives, cherry tomatoes, capers, pine nuts, and raisins. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the vinegar and sugar. Let the mixture come to a boil. Return the eggplant to the pan and add salt and pepper. Turn down the heat and simmer for 3 minutes until the eggplant is cooked through.

5. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature.

Debra Samuels

Spaghetti lasagna

If there was ever a universal crowd pleaser, it's lasagna. This dish is a variation on the layers of wide noodles and tomato sauce that usually go into the dish. Here spaghetti, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese are stacked in a dish, then baked until the top turns golden. Cut big squares and serve with a salad and crusty bread. Bring it to football-watching get-togethers, serve it to a table of teens, or take it to a rented winter vacation house for nourishment after skiing. It can be transported, reheated, and frozen, all without harm.

Serves 8

Olive oil (for the dish)
2 teaspoons salt, and more to taste
1 pound spaghetti
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 cans (28 ounces) whole imported tomatoes, crushed in a bowl
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 pound shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (for sprinkling)

Directions:

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Oil the dish.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the noodles are not quite tender. Strain into a colander and transfer to a bowl. With a scissors, snip the spaghetti in several places. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss well and set aside.

3. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, oregano, brown sugar, a generous pinch of salt, and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

4. Ladle enough tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish to make a thin layer. With tongs, add a layer of spaghetti, using one-third of the mixture, tucking spaghetti into the corners of the dish. Cover with sauce, one-third of the mozzarella, then continue layering, ending with Parmesan on top.

5. Set the dish on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling at the edges and the top is browned.