Nonna's Pizza

I am still thrilled that Eva sent me this recipe, even though it has been over a year ago.  The post I did on latent chestnut best describes what this pizza means to me, and there is not much left for me to say.  One thing I didn't do was share the recipe on latent chestnut and I am more than happy to do it here on Family Tree-Eats.  I absolutely love this recipe, and I have made it many times for family and friends over the last 12 months. 

If anyone has any memories or stories they would like to share about Nonna's pizza, I would love to hear them.  Please feel free to leave them in the comments section, or just e-mail me!

Nonna's Pizza

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups lukewarm water

2 1/2 tablespoons baking yeast

1/2 teaspoon onion powder or garlic salt

4 1/2 cups flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine water, yeast, onion powder/garlic salt, and flour, and stir until combined.  Flour board and knead dough.  Put olive oil in bottom of new bowl, put in kneaded dough.  Seran wrap it and then put a towel on top of that.  Leave until doubled in size.  Then, knead dough again and cut in half.

Spread dough into two 14x2 inch round pizza tins.  Add cheese on top of dough, then sauce.  Put grated parmesan on top.  Put on toppings and bake for 25 minutes.

*Note*

I remember Nonna's pizza had a whole wheat crust and Aunt Mare told me she used a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flour.  I do not know what ratio she used, but I find that 3 cups of all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour makes a delicious crust. 

Liver and Mushroom Kabob

In February, Aunt Sue emailed Eva and I a list of dates in which Nonna had recipes printed in the Kokomo Tribune.  So, I loaded the family into the car and headed to the library to do some research.  We made our way down to the Genealogy department where a librarian showed us to the microfilm machine.  She asked me if I was looking for an obituary; I politely told her no, I was looking for recipes.  She smiled and led us to the machine.

As it turnes out, The Kokomo Tribune held an annual recipe contest in autumn, and there was a section of prize-winning recipes in several categories.  I was able to find five recipes that were submitted by Nonna.  I may have missed some in the first year that I checked because I didn't realize the format, and I didn't want to bother the librarian to get the film out again.

One recipe caught my eye right off the bat, Liver and Mushroom Kabob.  It was the third prize winner in the 'Lazy Daizies' category.  The recipe was published in the September 22, 1968 Kokomo Tribune.  I am a fan of liver, though I had never prepared it, myself.  Valerie was a bit more tentative, so we decided to make it on a Friday night with Ang and Michael and also prepare some kabobs with chicken instead of liver. 

The kabobs were easy to assemble and tasted great!  I preferred them over the chicken kabobs.  The liver and the onions were a perfect combination, as the onions gave off a hint of sweetness.  The mushrooms were firm and juicy which provided a nice contrast in texture.  In the future, I would like to prepare a sauce to accompany them, because they were a bit on the dry side.  Nevertheless, a prize-winning recipe, to be certain. 

Liver and Mushroom Kabob

Printable Recipe

1 pound calves liver

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 sliced onion

1/2 pound mushrooms

1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Have liver sliced 1-inch thick.  Cut into 2-inch squares.  Clean and remove stems from mushrooms.

Alternate a piece of liver, a mushroom cap, and a slice of onion on 8 skewers until all the ingredients are used.

Mix oil, vinegar and mint thoroughly.  Brush over liver and mushrooms on both sides.  Place on broiler rack about 5 inches below flame.  Broil 3 minutes on each side or until light brown.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Brush with remaining liquid.  Broil 1 minute longer and remove from skewers or serve on skewers.  Serve sizzling hot.  Serves 4.

Alphabet Soup

I can still picture Nonna stirring a pot of alphabet soup on the stove as I anxiously waited for it to be ready.  As I watched her ladle the hot soup into a Corelle bowl, I could not wait to dig in.  She took the bowl to the counter, added a pat of butter, and served it to us piping hot.  She always told us to eat from around the edges of the bowl first because it would be cooler.  I never learned, though; as I almost always burnt my tongue.

Alphabet soup is a food memory I wanted to try to recreate for my kids, as well as take me back to my childhood.  I didn't have a recipe, and I don't know if Nonna did either, but I it seemed simple enough to make, and it actually is.  I think Nonna used a chicken bouillon cube to flavor the soup, and I use chicken stock, preferably homemade.  The kids love it as much as I did, but they are smart enough to let it cool before they eat it.  In fact, Ari usually eats more than I do, and still asks for more.  Here is my recipe; I only hope it would make Nonna proud.

Alphabet Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4 cups good quality chicken stock
2 cups water
Salt to taste
8 oz. alphabet noodles
Butter

Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the water and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Add salt to taste until the broth reaches your desired flavor.  Add alphabet noodles and cook until tender, about 7 minutes.  Once noodles are ready, immediately ladle into bowls and add a small pat of butter.  The soup can also be served with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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Mud Pie Cookies

This is a recipe my mom told me about when she gave me a box of Nonna's old recipes.  She said they were one of her favorite cookies and Nonna used to make them for her when she was young.  She was surprised when I told her I had never had them before.  When I found the recipe card in the box, I knew I had to give them a try.

What makes them unique is the almond extract.  I am a huge fan of almond extract in cookies, namely spritz, but I had never had them in a chocolate cookie before.  The cookies are delicious, and I can see why my mom liked them so much when she was a child.  I can definitely taste the almond extract, but it is not overpowering.  The cookies aren't overly chocolaty either.  They are very light and chewy, which is also an interesting combination.

I am so glad I found these cookies and it is always nice to add a delicious recipe to the cookie arsenal.  This being a family recipe makes it much more special.

Mud Pie Cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

½ cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
4 tablespoon cocoa
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup evaporated milk.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream sugar and shortening, add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Add milk and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoon on greased baking sheet and bake at 350˚ for 8 to 10 minutes.

Bone Marrow Dumpling Soup

I always love it when my mother-in-law makes bone marrow dumpling soup.  I guess I'm not the only one, my husband and his sister told me they used to fight over who was served the most dumplings after counting them floating in the broth when they were younger.  I had to learn how to make these.  Here's the secret family recipe, you'll see the hand's of Francine and Madame Sutter. 

You'll need:

The marrow of 5 beef bones

3 shallots

tiny bit of nutmeg

pinch of salt

lil' pepper

one egg

4-5 tablespoons of all-purpose flour 

3-4 tablespoons of dried, fine breadcrumbs

Tablespoon or so of chopped fresh parsley (we didn't have any)

Here's what to do:

Remove the marrow from the bones

Incorporate three shallots, minced finely (here with the aid of a Moulinex.) 

add the salt and pepper

touch of nutmeg

in goes the egg

Now, mash it all up with a fork.

Add the flour and breadcrumbs.

Adjust the amount of flour and breadcrumbs, a lot depends on the amount of marrow in the bones, size of egg.  Mix until it's consistent and firm.  

Once rollable, take a handful and roll it out onto some breadcrumbs.

Form a snake and cut little two centimeter morsels.

Roll between palms until mini balls are formed.

Put in lightly boiling water or broth or soup for 8-10 minutes, until they float to the top. 

They plump out and get so delicious.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Tuna Nooda

Tuna noodle casserole!  (groan)  I know, I know, it doesn't sound very exciting.  However, making the whole thing from scratch elevates this casserole from blasé to breathtaking.  Well, maybe not quite breathtaking, but it is delicious.

It was a Friday night.  Valerie was serving Ari his dinner and he asked her what we were having.  She responded, 'tuna nooda casserole'.  We all got a good chuckle when she misspoke, and little did she realize she renamed the dish at that very moment.  We dropped the casserole, and just call it 'tuna nooda.'  For a while, Valerie thought we were making fun of her when we said it, but we really did just like the name.  Plus, it's a lot more fun to say.

The mild, subtle flavor of the tuna with creaminess of the noodles paired with the tender sweetness of the peas and carrots all combined with the salty crunch of the crumbly topping makes this a delightful meal.  We always serve it with some fresh baked buttermilk biscuits, and rarely have leftovers.  I came up with the recipe myself because most of what found on the internet called for cream of mushroom soup; which I do not like to use.  I usually just make the dish from memory, but I wrote down the recipe last time I made it, and I am happy to share it. 

Tuna Nooda

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked macaroni

2 5 oz. cans of tuna

1 16 oz. bag of frozen peas and carrots

Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

3 cups milk

Topping

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup crushed club crackers

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Cook the macaroni 1-2 minutes less than directed on package, drain and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Whisk flour, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt and pepper into butter and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.  While whisking, slowly add milk until it is all incorporated.  Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, stirring occasionally. 

While the sauce is thickening, make the topping by adding all ingredients to a small bowl and incorporate butter with your fingers until well combined.  Set aside.

When the sauce comes to a boil, check seasoning and add additional salt and pepper to taste.  Turn off the heat, add the frozen peas and carrots, tuna (drained), and macaroni and stir to combine.  Pour  into a 9x13 serving dish and evenly distribute the topping over the mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Making Cheese

Raw milk at my favorite farm is quite cheap and really good. Two liters of it went into a tupperware container with a lid. Cream formed on top day 2, and by day 4, the milk had become solid enough to put into cheese cloth to allow the excess liquid to drain off:


Once strained, sliced on a plate, we drizzled it with a vinaigette and devoured it as an appetizer! It was very tender and creamy with a just a little bit of acidity.

I'd like to make this cheese (or fromage blanc?) again soon, it's so easy and healthy. I know those cows at the farm eat only the best grasses, the omega factor must be off the charts.
Bon appetit!

Blog Eats Time

This is really neat Eva! How auspicious too, because Jeremy and I just made pizza from scratch last night! I guess that could be the first recipe I post! :0)

Welcome to Family Tree-Eats!

I talked to my sister Katie one night on the phone. She was making bread for the first time. Over the length of our two hour conversation she discovered yeast bubbles and the wonderment of a doubling in size.
What fun baking can be together, even over the phone!

It is in this spirit of familial sharing that Luke and I wanted to collect recipes from each family member to be published into a book.
On further thought, we opted for this congenial blog where we will let the posts come in, meld together, rise, at their own pace. The resulting body of posts could then eventually be made into a bound volume if everyone wishes.

Posts are responses to the question: What’s cooking, Family? And can be related to culinary successes, adventures, experimentations and memories.
So, welcome to Family Tree-Eats!