I
would like to take a moment to acknowledge the events of the past week. I have
lived in New York City since I was born and seeing Hurricane Sandy cause such permanent
emotional and physical damage is heat-breaking. My family and I were very
lucky, but unfortunately many were not. There is still so much to be done, so I
am taking this opportunity to ask you to please donate to The Red Cross, every
amount helps. Even just $5 will go a long way in the recovery. Thank you very
much.
One
of my favorite memories of being in Ischia was looking in the gourmet shops in town.
They had beautiful oils, vinegars, cookies, pasta, crackers and herb kits; it
was a foodie’s heaven. My mother and I were staying in a hotel without a
kitchen in our room, so unfortunately there was a limit to what we could work
with. For some reason, I especially loved all of the packets of fresh herbs.
Once, we actually did buy a pack for tomatoes and made a fresh tomato and
cannellini salad in the room!! So, you can imagine how excited I was to receive
some samples of Ariosto seasonings, straight from Italy!!
Ariosto
has been around for more than 50 years and has a wide variety of seasoning
products. They are completely natural, free of flavor enhancers and food
coloring, the only ingredients are sea salt from Sicily and Italian herbs. I
received seasonings for meat and chicken, tomatoes, fish, potatoes and risotto.
The question now is, what to make?!?!
Well, I decided I was in the mood for a
classic chicken and potatoes kind of meal, but a little more interesting than
just that. I decided to make a potato, onion and pancetta bake using the potato
seasonings which ingredients included sea salt,
garlic, rosemary, sage, juniper, basil, marjoram, oregano, bay leaf, coriander,
parsley and herbs. For the entrée, I made a seasoned fried chicken cutlet using
the meat seasonings which have salt, rosemary, garlic, sage, juniper, bay leaf,
oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil and herbs. As you can see, you can understand
all of these ingredients!! No words that you can’t pronounce. Furthermore, all
of these spices are my favorites and I look for any excuse to cook with them.
They were very easy to use and as soon I opened the packets, the
smell of the herbs brought me right back to Ischia. As soon as my food had started cooking, it
enhanced the herbs and the kitchen smelled amazing. The scents of rosemary,
garlic, sage and basil danced in my kitchen. When I finally got around to
eating everything, I could not believe how everything tasted. It really was a
perfect meal. The potatoes were so well seasoned, the bake was crunchy on the
top but soft on the inside and the pancetta added a wonderful smokiness to the herbs.
The chicken was so moist and flavorful; the herbs just made everything come
together perfectly. Luckily, Ariosto Seasonings are available in New York and
if you are interested, you can take a look here and please be sure to check out
their facebook page. If you have ever used these seasonings, please comment and
let me know what you think. Until next time miei amici!! Buon Appetito!!
Potato
Bake with Onions and Pancetta
2-3
slices of pancetta, chopped (if you can’t find pancetta, bacon will be fine)
1
large onion, sliced paper thin
8
small-medium size red skinned or Yukon gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
3
tbsp. cup olive oil
Salt
+ Pepper (to taste)
½ pack
Ariosto potato seasonings
Brown the pancetta in a pan till slightly crisp. Add the sliced
onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook slowly till soft. In a small
bowl, put ½ a packet of Ariosto mix, olive oil and blend. Slice potatoes paper
thin (I use a Japanese slicer, they are easy to find at specialty shops or a mandolin)
Using a small casserole or baking dish, brush lightly with the
spice/oil mix. Starting with a layer of potatoes, next pancetta/onion mix,
continue alternating layers and end with a layer of potatoes. Lightly brush the
top with the spice mix and sprinkle coarse salt on the top, bake very slowly in
a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes (depending on the thickness of your
casserole). Test by piercing with a thin knife, if it goes through smoothly, it’s
done!! You can increase or decrease any of these ingredients to fit any size baking
dish, large or small, just adjust your cooking time and test with a thin knife.
Enjoy!
Seasoned
Chicken Cutlet
¼ cup
olive oil
1 packet
Ariosto meat seasonings
4
chicken cutlets
¾ cup
chickpea flour
Salt
Pepper
Neutral
Oil for frying
Blend olive oil and ½ packet of herbs (or to taste.) Marinate
chicken in herbed olive oil for at least an hour (more if you can or want.)
Blend flour, remaining herb mix, salt and pepper. Pat chicken lightly to take
off some of the oil, coat in the herbed flour mix, let sit a few minutes for
the flour to adhere. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and fry chicken until
golden on each side, roughly 2-3 minutes per side depending on the thickness of
your chicken. Use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked
thoroughly. I served the chicken with a pesto aioli, the potatoes and a light
green salad!! Buon Appetito!!
