Recipes At My Table

Liver Sausage and Polenta

It takes a master to make a good liver sausage, which is done by mixing good pork and liver. My Liver Sausage And Polenta uses a homemade product from Johnny Prosciutto located in Quebec. Growing up, my nonno was the master of sausage making and I can still see him cutting the liver with two knives. As the knives worked in harmony, they played a sweet rhythm that I am sure was passed on for many generations.

Why Liver In Sausage

Known as the Salsiccia Nera, especially in Calabria, this sausage is part of the Cucina povera. The farmers in Italy all raised a pig and that pig’s meat fed the family for the whole year. Adding liver to some of the pig meat stretched the meat and added more sausage for preserving. Meat was used sparingly at meals. In Calabria my grandparents often served this liver sausage with rapini, but today I am enjoying it with Polenta. I cook it the same way my nonna did using simple ingredients. The big flavour is in the sausage and even if you don’t like liver this has a unique taste and I encourage you to try it.

Ingredients For LIver Sausage and Polenta

4 liver sausages
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup red or white wine
2 cloves of garlic sliced
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 large onions finely sliced
fresh thyme for serving

For cooking Polenta see my blog https://recipesatmytable.com/baked-polenta/

Process

Put a skillet on the stove on medium heat and warm it up. Add in the sausage and let it cook a minute on each side. Now add in the water.

Cover the pan for about 5 minutes and let the water cook the sausage. Remove the lid and let the water evaporate. When the water evaporates add in the olive oil and the garlic.

Remove the sausage from the pan and keep it warm. Add the onion to the pan and brown. Return the sausage to the pan and add in the wine. Cover again with a lid and let the sausage soak in the wine. Set on medium/low.

Meanwhile cook your polenta.

Add your wine to the sausages in the pan and cover with a lid for one minute. Now remove the sausages to your serving platter and let the wine reduce.

Place Polenta on a large serving platter or board. Place sausages and sauce on top and let everyone serve themselves. Sprinkle with fresh thyme for serving.

February 21, 2022February 25, 2022

Baked Fish With Pomodori

I love fresh sauces and tomatoes in winter need a little help. This Baked Fish With Pomodori is light and flavourful. We use a lot of tomatoes in Italian cooking and sometimes we call these sauces pizzaioli because this is how we often dressed our pizzas. I use this sauce on steaks and sometimes I use it to dress a fresh pasta salad. Experiment with it and see where it leads you.

Italians and Fish

Half of my family comes from the Island of Sicily where fish is in abundance. We are also a culture that was invaded by many over the years and our food has hints of Greek, Moroccan, Roman and even the Normans to name a few. That is why I find the Sicilian cuisine so fascinating. My nonna Marietta was also a master in the kitchen. When we visited in 1975 and spent some time with her, she too instilled in me that good food stems from great ingredients. And of course, there is nothing that compares to those Sicilian tomatoes. These fresh pomodori salsas always take me back to her kitchen made of clay with the big sink right in the middle. Thanks for the memories nonna Marietta.

Another one of my fish recipes on the blog https://recipesatmytable.com/dressed-up-trout/

Ingredients For Baked Fish With Pomodori

3 portions of any white fish, I used halibut

1 large tomato diced

1 medium red onion finely chopped

3 tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 cup of white wine

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

A little extra olive oil for drizzling

Process

Salt and pepper the fish and place in a lightly oiled baking dish. In a small bowl combine the tomatoes, onion, parsley, garlic and olive oil.

Place the fish into the baking dish and top with the tomato marinade.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the marinade.

Pour the wine around the edges of the dish. Do not pour it over the fish. Drizzle a little extra olive oil over everything.

Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Serve as is with a side of your choice.

Baked Fish With Pomodori

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

3 portions of any white fish I used halibut
1 large tomato diced
1 medium red onion finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup of white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
A little extra olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

Salt and pepper the fish and place in a lightly oiled baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the tomatoes, onion, parsley, garlic and olive oil.
Place the fish into the baking dish and top with the tomato marinade.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the marinade.
Pour the wine around the edges of the dish. Do not pour it over the fish.
Drizzle a little extra olive oil over everything.
Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.

February 16, 2022February 16, 2022

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Pancetta Focaccia

Focaccia is a bread like pizza. My Pancetta Focaccia stems from the Cucina povera and uses the finest quality meats from Johnny Prosciutto. The ingredients are simple and the focaccia dough rises overnight. This makes a whole meal and served with a salad, some cheese and olives, brings me back to little Italy and my grand parents.

Focaccia

Every region of Italy has its own focaccia. Both my grandparents from Calabria and Sicily made it when making bread. They used whatever the land provided. My Calabrese nonna often used salami or pancetta to dress it a bit. Some herbs and olive oil finished the beautiful bread.

For a quick pizza try my warm milk pizza dough https://recipesatmytable.com/warm-milk-pizza-dough/

Ingredients

*3 cups flour

*1 tsp each of sugar and salt

* 2 tsp fast rising yeast

*1 1/2 cups warm water

Toppings

2 slices of the finest pancetta cubed

2 cloves garlic slices

Sprigs of thyme

Salt

2 tbs olive oil

Process

Assemble all your dry ingredients in a large bowl for the dough and whisk. Pour in your warm water mixed with the olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together and cover it with plastic wrap. Now cover this with a tea towel or table cloth and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen overnight.

Remove the plastic film off the dough in the morning and place the dough into a 9 x 13 pan. I used 1 tbsp of olive oil at the bottom of the pan. Also, use a scraper or a spatula to remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, push the dough towards the edges of the pan. Don’t force it. You don’t want to deflate the bubbles. Gently it will get there. Now cover the dough again with the plastic wrap and tea towel and let it rise another hour.

Take a small bowl and fill it with water and now dip your fingers in the water and press them into the dough. Again, be very gentle. Cover the dough for another half hour and now you should see these little air bubbles on your dough. Look at those natural air bubbles.

In a small pan place the olive oil, pancetta, sliced garlic and thyme on medium low. Do not stir, just swirl. Leave to cook for about 5 minutes.

Now the pancetta is ready to meet the focaccia. Gently spoon over the focaccia. Bake at 450 F for about 20 minutes.

If done properly, you should see beautiful air bubbles when you cut into this. Out of the oven and onto the board. So Many possibilities.

You can’t just have one piece and it looks like bread.

Pancetta Focaccia

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups flour
1 tsp each of sugar and salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water

Toppings

2 slices of the finest pancetta cubed
2 cloves garlic slices
Sprigs of thyme
Salt
2 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Assemble all your dry ingredients in a large bowl for the dough and whisk. Pour in your warm water mixed with the olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together and cover it with plastic wrap. Now cover this with a tea towel or table cloth and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen overnight.
Remove the plastic film off the dough in the morning and place the dough into a 9 x 13 pan. I used 1 tbsp of olive oil at the bottom of the pan. Also, use a scraper or a spatula to remove the dough from the bowl.
Using your hands, push the dough towards the edges of the pan. Don’t force it. You don’t want to deflate the bubbles. Gently it will get there. Now cover the dough again with the plastic wrap and tea towel and let it rise another hour.
Take a small bowl and fill it with water and now dip your fingers in the water and press them into the dough. Again, be very gentle. Cover the dough for another half hour and now you should see these little air bubbles on your dough.
In a small pan place the olive oil, pancetta, sliced garlic and thyme on medium low. Do not stir, just swirl. Leave to cook for about 5 minutes.
Now the pancetta is ready to meet the focaccia. Gently spoon over the focaccia. Bake at 450 F for about 20 minutes.

February 14, 2022February 14, 2022

Honeydew Melon Salad

Generally melons appear after supper on an Italian table or wrapped with prosciutto, but my Honeydew Melon Salad is adds a touch of savoury to any table. I love all types of fruit and I am trying to get in more at the table. This salad combines the sweetness of the melon with some beautiful salty Kalamata olives and fetta. Once again Greeks ingredients come to my Italian table.

Melons and the Italian Table

My earliest memories of melon comes from the outside tables set out in Little Italy. You went from house to house stopping, sitting, chatting and eating. We always had honeydew and cantaloupe. My favourite melon is the yellow one from Sicily and is the symbol of summer in Sicily. It has a white flesh and sweet taste. It contains many vitamins, fibre and minerals. In the early days, Sicilians put the melon inside stockings and hung it on their balconies. It was traditional to serve it on Christmas today. On a hot Sicilian day, I love some melon, wine, bread and cheese for lunch. Oh take me back to Sicily please.

Another fruit salad on my blog check https://recipesatmytable.com/avocado-fruit-salad/

Ingredients for Honeydew Melon Salad

2 cups diced honeydew melon
1 cup blueberries
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 cup Greek Kalamata olives
juice of 1/2 a lemon and the zest
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
chopped parsley

Process

Cut up your honeydew into small cubes or uses a melon baller. After scooping out the pulp of the melon, keep it for serving the salad..

Add in the blueberries.

Go in with the olives and then make slivers of your red onion using the potato peeler method.

Put in the feta next and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, zest and honey. Mix the dressing and pour it over the ingredients and toss. Place the tossed ingredients back into the melon shell.

February 9, 2022February 9, 2022