Capodanno, An Italian New Year     It won’t be long before you are planning your holiday season and New Years celebration. Suppose I gave you something new to consider for New Years. Why not indulge in some true Italian heritage.

     Long considered a staple in certain parts of for the Holidays and New Years Eve celebrations and something new for Chefs who have never tried this famous dish is Zampone. Zampone di Modena IGP, to be exact, is considered the best in the world. Every year I make my annual trek to visit immediate family in and I never thought too much about it until my last visit back to the land I love. It seemed there was never enough of it for me. It is the famous sausage from Modena , stuffed into a Pigs Trotter or foreleg and is considered a delicacy along with aged Modena Balsamic Vinegar.

     If you can find this particular brand in the States, you are indeed very lucky because of strict importation regulations.  I know I tried sneaking two boxes of it back into the states upon my return from Venice and it was confiscated. You can find hand made Zampone if you make a few phone calls or emails of which I have. Below the article are three suppliers for your convenience.

     Traditionally served on New Years Eve in Modena with green lentils, it is symbolic of what Americans eat on New Years day, such as black eye peas and ham. The lentils signify coins and the later in the night that it is eaten, the better luck you will have for the coming year.

     The commune of Modena, north of Bologna , adheres to strict production guidelines when making Zampone. A veritable tour de force of artesianal knowledge goes into every box. Zampone di Modena is made of lean pork, pork fat, pork rinds, pork snout and other forcemeat from the animal, along with a variety of seasonings such as oregano, marjoram and black pepper; it is then stuffed into a boned pigs foot and shin.

      The casing for the sausage must be made from the same animal and not some other animal. It is then wrapped in gauze or cheese cloth and simmered for four hours. The cooking liquid is discarded and the Zampone is sliced while warm into ½ inch circles. Every part of the Zampone is edible including the rind which is of gelatinous consistency. The interior of Zampone di Modena must be a mottled pinkish red to red in color and the meat mixture must have a close textured appearance with uniform particle size.

     Historians have dated this Italian dish back to the late 1400’s early 1500’s. Some have suggested that it originated from a butcher in Modena during the 16th century, who was experimenting with sausages due to the popularity of yellow sausages during the time. Other historians have placed the origins sometime between the 1400’s and 1500’s from the fact that because the reigning Pope, Pope Guilio II, a war pope was angered over the people of Mirandola pledging allegiance to the Venetians. He besieged them, blocking all sources of imports coming into the town. On the verge of starvation, they used every part of the butchered animals available, thus creating the dish. Even after the war was over, the people still continued to make this specialty even today, using the old world methods.    

     If you purchase already cooked Zampone di Modena, IGP in the box, there is no need to refrigerate it. All you need to do is boil it in the bag for twenty to thirty minutes and discard the cooking juices, slice and serve with green cooked lentils. If you purchase uncooked raw Zampone, the most flavorful of all if handmade, then you must soak overnight in cold water to soften the skin, wrap it in gauze and simmer for four hours in water to cover it. Afterwards, pull out of water, unwrap and slice and serve.

     Several butchers and fine gourmet markets carry Zampone and I have listed it below along with a recipe for the green lentils. For you to undertake the production of Zampone onboard is indeed a major feat. So as a Professional chef to another, leave this much desired and sought after product to the true professionals who know how to do it best and you just enjoy the holidays.

Bari Pork Stores in New York City ** www.bariporkstore.com

718-372-6405

I called and spoke to them. They only carry it for the holidays and New Year so plan ahead.

www.BounItalia.com An online wholesaler to restaurants and store for consumers of fine imported Italian specialties such as Baccala, Burrato and of course Zampone. A little expensive but well worth it, the Zampone arrived handmade, overnight for my Christmas and New Years Eve celebrations. Overnight shipping can be expensive as well with some of their products. Zampone retails for $17.00 to $18.00 a pound. 

Salumeria Biellese ** 212-736-7376

www.salumeriabiellese.com

I highly recommend this store. I also called them and found out that they are a very large importer of Italian specialties; Zampone di Modena is on their list. Call ahead to order. It retails for $12.95 a lb and they sell it in 3 to 5 lb boxes.

Zampone con Lenticchie (Emilia Romagna ) (Zampone with Green Lentils) 

(1) 3 1/2 lb Zampone plus enough water to cover it in a large pot (boxed or freshly made)

2 cups of dried green lentils

2 quarts of water for the lentils

2 medium sweet onions, chop one and leave one whole

3 celery stalks, 2 stalks chopped in half, 1 minced fine

Salt to taste

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

3 ounces of Pancetta

If using boxed Zampone di Modena, then just boil in the bag for twenty minutes and discard the liquids inside the bag, slice and serve with lentils. If using fresh handmade Zampone, then prick the Zampone all over with a tooth pick.  Wrap tightly in a double cheese cloth and tie off with kitchen twine. Bring enough water to boil to cover the Zampone and place the Zampone in the water, about 4 inches to cover. Boil for 4 hours, 1 hour per pound of Zampone and keep covered in boiling water as the Zampone cooks.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in a casserole dish with the two quarts of water, salt, one whole onion and chopped stalks of celery. Bring to boil for 15 minutes or one hour depending on the lentils and turn off the heat when al dente or to your likening. Drain the lentils and discard the onion and celery. 

Heat the olive oil over medium heat using a large sauté pan and add the pancetta. Add the minced celery and onions. Add the lentils along with 1 ½ cups of the Zampone cooking water if using hand made Zampone Untie and unwrap the Zampone.  Slice into ½ inch rounds. Place slices of the Zampone on top of the lentils overlapping each other. Serve.

Serves 4

ingredients:

4 oz of chopped Pancetta

4 tablespoons of olive oil

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

2 oz of Roman pecorino cheese

4 tablespoons of milk

In a saucepan combine oil, pepper and pancetta and cook up until pancetta is done.
Boil pasta iand when it is cooked put back into the pot with the egg and the
four spoons of milk. Mix fast.
Add the bacon and the dish is ready

A typical Veneto Region specialty where anchovies in oil are cooked with onions and then mixed with dark brown pasta or bigoi. If Bigoi is not available, then use regular spaghetti or fettucine. This dish is super fast, easy and so good for you.

BIGOI " IN SAUCE

Banana Pecan Coffee Cake with Vanilla Glaze

Chef Mary Lawton Johnson, CEPC, CCC

 This is a wonderful breakfast coffee cake for any holiday including Valentines Day when you want to serve breakfast in bed to that special someone or have it out for people to snack on when they don’t want a heavy meal first thing in the morning. It is great with a hot cup of coffee on those chilly mornings around the holidays!

 3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

2 sticks of melted butter

4 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup of chopped pecans

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

2 eggs beaten

1 ¾ cups of heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Spray a large bundt pan with non stick cooking spray.For the Batter: Combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, sugars, butter and mix until combined. For the Topping: Remove ½ cup of the mixture and place in another bowl and add the chopped nuts. Mix well. In the first batter bowl, add the bananas, eggs, heavy cream. If it is lumpy, that is okay.  Combine well. Pour ¼ of the nut mixture batter into the bottom of the bundt pan for the bottom coating. Add the cream cheese-egg batter next on top and finally top with the remaining nut mixture. Bake until firm, about 40-50 minutes 

For the Vanilla Glaze:

2 Tsp of Vanilla Extract

2 cups of confectioner’s sugar

6 Tbls of water. 

Combine all of the above and mix. It will be slightly hard to stir. Drizzle over the cake once cake has cooled

Cool Beans

This recipe is compliments of Dick and Vicky Waite. Dick is  a marine designer for the Yacht Rebecca

2 cans of baked beans (about 15 oz each can)

1 can of lima beans (about 15 oz.)

1 can of kidney beans (about 15 oz)

1 cup of catsup

1 cup of brown sugar

¼ cup of vinegar

1 lb of cooked ground beef

Onion and cooked bacon to taste

Mix and heat. That is all there is to it. Great on those fall brisk evenings when you need something to warm you.

  Dining Out:  Sauces:   

     During the middle ages, most sauces were thick, mucky concoctions that used to cover up poorly cooked rotting meat as they didn’t have refrigeration during those times. Sauces have come a long way since then. We can thank the French for their endeavors to make our food more palatable. We can also thank the classical school of thought in the culinary world for the extra fat added to our dinner with the accompanying final products used to finish our sauce. If you are trying to watch your sodium, calorie and fat intake be aware of the sauces that are served with your entree in restaurants. Beneath that beautiful steak, chop or chicken might be loads of calories, fat and saturated fats combined with unhealthy starches.

     Most Chefs try and make their sauces from scratch starting first with a homemade stock or purchased frozen stock. They then transform that stock into a sauce where it is thickened and finished. There are several methods they use to thicken it and several methods used for final presentation or finishing. They might have used a roux, which uses white flour and fat as a thickening agent to create a mother sauce and then used a liaison with butter or cream to finish it. Bet you really never gave it a second thought did you?   

     The most common form of thickening is by the use of starches such as arrowroot, cornstarch or tapioca powder or by creating a roux.  

     The classical schools of thought use butter in a roux because absorption is greater in butter. The kinds of flour used in a roux are bread flour or all purpose flour because of the high gluten content. It gives it greater binding abilities. A definite no-no if you are weight conscious, especially if you are gluten intolerant or you don’t want white flour in your diet. Tapioca seems to be the best starch to use because it doesn’t create the gelantinous results or gummy feel associated with starches..

     Liason’s are meant to be the final step in producing a sauce for presentation. Fat is used as the bridge between the liquid and the thickening agent.  Final Liaison is a French term for any mixture that is used to thicken or bind sauces, soups and other preparations. Today, it is mainly used to describe an egg and cream addition to thicken and finish the sauce. Thickening agents, emulsifiers to blood can be used in the liaison. Liaison Finale with Starch is similar to using cornstarch slurry for thickening sauces. The starch is mixed together with a little liquid and then added to the sauce while it is boiling. Liaison Finale with Beurre Manie is combining two parts butter with one part flour and adding it to the sauce to thicken. The liaison that is most notorious is the Liaison with Egg yolk. This liaison uses whisked eggs which are tempered with a little sauce and then added back into the sauce to thicken.

     A culinary classic is using the blood of the animal such as poultry or game to thicken it. This is called Liaison Finale with Blood.  The blood takes the place of the egg yolks when used with heavy cream. You would use this for the classical Coq au Vin. Liaison Finale with Fat uses butter, cream or foie gras to thicken. If you use butter, you are lifting the sauce, or “monter une sauce au beurre”. The use of butter gives a rich sauce and is done over a very low heat. If the sauce says it has foie gras used as a final liaison, then foie gras was pureed with heavy cream and added to the sauce. This is commonly used for dishes containing truffles.

     Just so you know the ratio’s used in finishing sauces using a liaison with eggs and cream, the common proportions used are six egg yolks to one cup of cream. Sure these ingredients have no carbs so to speak but they are not so healthy additions to a sauce that perhaps might be accompanied with a lean dinner. Newer liaisons are now using vegetable purees to thicken rather than butter and flour and egg for a healthier sauce which is a wonderful option if looking to restrict your calories, and fat intake. Be sure to ask your server details about any sauce served with dinner or lunch. Does the chef use a final liaison, starch or roux in making their sauces and finishing them or does the chef believe in using pureed vegetables to thicken his/her sauce?

     There are some restaurants Chefs that use a speed scratch method meaning, they have help with prepackaged sauces in which they just add a liquid such as water, cream and milk. These particular types of sauces are loaded with sodium, calories and possibly saturated fats. Again, beware of these types of sauces. Sometimes it is really hard to tell what is homemade and what is not. You would be surprised how many will tell you, its made from scratch when in fact, the Chef’s had a little help.

     When you go out to eat in Manhattan , you have your choice of so many restaurants for lunch and dinner and even breakfast that don’t forget that even though you might be ordering something light, that sauce may not be.

Fall/Winter Chili

1 lbs of ground Turkey or lean ground beef

2 tablespoons of extra virgin Olive oil

 1 sweet onion, minced

6 vine ripe tomatoes diced

2 cups of tomato sauce

2 16 oz cans of dark red kidney beans

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

½ cup of Ketchup (optional)

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon of Garlic powder

1 teaspoon of Paprika

½ teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

1 teaspoon of oregano

 Salt to taste /Pepper to taste

Directions: Heat the olive oil in a deep pan and add the turkey or hamburger and onion and cook over medium heat until done. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat for twenty minutes. Serve.

Wild Rice with Pecans 

2 cups of boiling salted water

1 cup of wild rice

¼ cup of toasted pecans  

Make sure the water is boiling when you add the rice. Once added, cover and reduce heat. Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Add the toasted pecans and toss. If there is any water left be sure to drain the water before adding the nuts. Otherwise the pecans can become soggy.

Jennifer Reber, my partner in Creative Arts and Media combines the new Splenda product on the market which offers brown sugar and splenda with Oleo and liquid smoke seasoning to offer a new take on corn on the cob. It produces a sweet smoky taste.

Ingredients:

8 Corn on the cobs

Oleo

¼ cup of Splenda brown sugar blend

¼ cup of liquid smoke mesquite seasoning

1 Tbsp of fresh thyme

½ tsp cumin

Dash of curry powder

Garlic salt and white pepper

Directions: Husk and dry cobs. Make an oleo based mix with all the ingredients and generously coat each cob. Grill them turning frequently for about 15 minutes.

This recipe came from one of my good friends, Allan Agustin who is an excellent cook in his own right. Allan has introduced me to a myriad of flavors found in the Filipino diet.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of boiling water

4 thin slices of fresh garlic

1/8 of tablespoon of ground pepper

½ of a white sweet small onion, chopped small

¼ tablespoon of salt

3 tablespoons of Grapeseed oil

Fried whole small snapper

12 squash blossoms 

Directions: 

Put all of these ingredients except the fish and squash blossoms in a sauté pan with the oil. Sauté the onions and garlic in the grapeseed oil for two minutes. Add the water, seasonings, and fish and squash blossoms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for four minutes. Remove and serve in bowls with chopped herbs on top. 

Fried Fish 

One whole small snapper fish (other fish can be used)

Season the snapper with salt and pepper and fry in more grapeseed oil until done. Flip while cooking to ensure even cooking. 

You are probably reading this thinking, that you are the only person who is guilty of not always buying extremely nutrient dense items, or healthy items for your home. You are not alone in your thinking.  Everyone is guilty at some point in their life. Okay, I am guilty of it too. On occasion, I don’t always buy the healthiest of all items although, I do try. How I made my list was to look around my pantry, refrigerator and yes, my antique pie safe. (I store my beans, grains, whole wheat pasta's and dry goods in my pie safe) and this is how I made my list. Some of the items I have suggested such as winter vegetables only because we are about to go into fall and winter are not available at the current moment or at least not all of them. Keep in mind that these items that I have suggested can be purchased an item at a time on your next trip to the store. Keep it simple, remember, an item at a time to help your wallet and your journey to a healthier you. 

 All it takes is a little planning and before you know it, you will indeed being eating healthier nutritious foods.  You may find that you like some and some you may not like. Just by taking little steps you will increase your intake of healthier foods and start to feel better.                                                                                                     

Legumes: Besides being a significant source of protein, fiber and folate, legumes such as red beans, kidney bean, black bean, dried peas, chick peas and lentils are a significant source of protein, fiber and folate. Buy dry beans rather than canned. Processing will remove some nutrients. When combined with rice, you have a protein perfect meal. 

 Grains: Spelt, Amaranth, Kamut, to Bulgur and Quinoa and other grains offer fiber, protein vitamins and minerals. Bulgar is actually healthier for you than plain rice and couscous. Quinoa is actually a relative to the leafy green family such as spinach even though it is commonly considered a grain. Quinoa is a complete protein meaning that it contains all the 9 amino acids and lysine which is responsible for tissue re-growth. 

Pasta: go with whole wheat or whole grain pasta. It is better for you than the over processed versions containing white bleaching agents. Try some spelt pasta instead of the plain and boring white noodles. Also spelt pasta has shown to be tolerable to people suffering from celiac disease.

Seasonings: Remember that light, heat and not closing the lids will affect the flavor and nutrition of spices. Throw out any spices or seasonings that are over 6 months of age. Buy some really good airtight jars if you make your own seasonings. Stock up on rosemary which complements meats including thyme, oregano, sea salt and pepper corns, and cayenne pepper. Here are some reasons why to invest in these spices.

 1) Rosemary offers: caffeic acid and rosemarinic acids, both powerful antioxidants as well as anti inflammatory agents.

 2) Cayenne Pepper has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal qualities. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. Cayenne offers digestive properties and at the same time offers vitamin A, vitamin C and carotenoids.

 3) Thyme if eaten as 2 teaspoons a day will offer 60.0% of your daily value in vitamin K and is often added to beans, meats and vegetables for flavor. It also contains flavonoids which increases its antioxidant properties.

 4) Oregano offers itself as an antibacterial because of one its oils, thymol which is also a phytonutrient. Oregano has 4 times more antioxidant properties than blueberries. Keep fresh or dried on hand.

 Nuts, Nut Oils  Buy nuts, such as flax seeds and walnuts to pumpkin seeds which are high in alpha linolenic acid and omega-3 fats which help your heart.  If you find you can’t tolerate flax seeds, then buy flax seed oil. Another option is to buy nut butters available in your local health food store. Instead of using peanut butter, try almond nut butter or cashew butter. Also take advantage of chestnuts when in season. 

 Vegetables:  Always keep a fresh supply of green, fresh in season vegetables on hand.  Due to the change in weather and climate, more winter foods such as kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli rabe, turnips, winter squash, garlic, onions, pumpkin and sweet potatoes will be plentiful. Just by adding more orange-red carotenoids into your diet such as squash and pumpkin, will offer more vitamin A into your diet.

 Fruits:  Try and buy fruits from local farms wherever possible. The reason being is that often imported fruits will lose some of their nutritious content over a period of time before it actually arrives at your local market. Other times they are loaded with waxes to prevent rapid deterioration so you really don’t have an idea of how old a particular fruit might appear to be.  Some fruits are better for you than others such as blueberries, acai berry and mangoes due to their antioxidant properties. Another fruit to consider is the Papaya for its digestive properties.

 Lean Organic Meats and Seafood: If you are a meat lover, choose meats free from antibiotics, ones that are considered organic and ones that are lean such as organic lean beef or lean organic turkey. Seafood is always a good choice such as the oily fish as salmon and mackerel and sardines which also have high concentrations of omega-3’s. 

 Oils:   Do buy extra virgin olive oils not only to add flavor but because they are a plentiful source of monosaturated fats. has some of the world’s best olive oils. Buy grape seed oil due to its ability to go to high temperatures. It doesn’t cause free radicals when heated on high like olive oil can and has an almost nutty somewhat neutral taste that can be used to sear items and for sautéing to infusing with herbs for a fresh light salad dressing. 

 Miscellaneous items to buy and use:

 *Be sure to have on hand some aged balsamic vinegar. In the summer time I serve a salad of aged balsamic vinaigrette over seedless watermelon. It also flavors meats very well and salads as a dressing with olive oil. * If you were to look in my refrigerator right now you would find low sodium chicken stock, beef stock, a good demi-glace and two different types of Miso. By having Miso on hand you can create quick and easy dinners such as Miso soup with seaweed or use it to flavor fish. I also have several mustards on hand, one of them being champagne mustard that I put on turkey and Dijon for marinating Lamb. * I always keep fresh ginger on hand and it does freeze well. Ginger is wonderful for queezy stomachs and adds flavor to stir fries and marinades. I learned the ginger tea trick and caramelized ginger when out on the open ocean and the guests were prone to sea sickness. I have included a recipe on the web blog for Fresh Ahi Tuna that is seared in soy sauce and ginger. Next is the fun part of actually creating a meal that you can enjoy and one that is healthy for you. Why not take some chickpeas, add a little olive oil, put it in a food processor and add some lemon juice and viola, you have Hummus. Perhaps your idea of a satiating meal is beans and rice with some mesquite seasoning thrown in to add flavor. It is not so hard now is it?

Ingredients:

2 lbs of lump crab meat or regular crab meat (can use fish. lobster)

1 1/2 cups of low fat, fat free or heart healthy mayo

1 cup of chopped fresh curly parsley

1 oz of Coleman's Dry Mustard

1 teaspoon of minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of Chesapeake or Old Bay Crab Boil Seasoning

1 oz of horseradish

Celery Salt to taste

White Pepper to taste

3 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill

4 oz of Japanese Panko Bread Crumbs

3 organic large eggs

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying

Directions:

Combine all the spices, mayo and eggs together. Make a wet mix. Add the bread crumbs and finally add the crab meat, folding in after each addition. Be careful not to break up the crab meat lumps. Refrigerate for thirty minutes. Heat the oil and deep fry until brown on each side. These crab cakes will fall apart easily if disturbed too much when frying. Remove and drain on single use towels. Serve  with a fresh salsa or on a bed of mixed baby greens.

This recipe works equally well with fish, lobster if chopped fine and other seafood.

Serves 4

1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise into large slices, soaked in water with 2 tablespoons of salt

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Soak the eggplant in salted water for 10 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Heat a grill and lay the eggplants on the grill. Baste with Balsamic Vinegar as it cooks. Can use other seasonings such as Italian seasoning. Remove once done. Serve.