Recipes of the Week

Lidia's Italy - Beef Goulash)

Spread the onions out on the pan bottom and drop the beef cubes on top of the wedges, filling the pan in one layer. Sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, all the paprika and oregano over the meat, and drop in the rosemary. Without stirring or turning the meat pieces, cover the pan tightly. Heat the meat-with the seasonings on top and the onions below-so its starts to release its juices and stew.

Ciao Italia - Chicken with Orzo, Spinach and Lemon)

Add the butter to the pan and stir in the onion; cook until the onion wilts down, about 3 minutes.  Add the capers and cook 1 minute. Stir in the wine, raise the heat to high and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice and zest and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly.

Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless - Chillied Peanuts and Pumpkin Seeds)

In a medium bowl, toss the peanuts with the lime juice until all have been moistened. Sprinkle evenly with chile, then toss until the chile evenly coats the nuts.

Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless - Black Bean Bathed Enchiladas)

Cucina Toscana - Biscotti Ice Cream)

Lidia's Italy - Sesame Candy)

Lidia's Italy - Steamed Swordfish Bagnara-Style)

Serves: 6 

As I wrote in this chapter's introduction, the fishermen of Bagnara, a beautiful port on the Calabrian coast just north of the Strait of Messina, are renowned for their skill in catching the magnificent swordfish that migrate to this corner of the Tyrrhenian Sea every year. During our recent visit, I was not surprised to learn that the cooks of Bagnara are equally skilled when it comes to cooking pesce spada as well. The one I share with you here is among the simplest and best I have ever tasted, anywhere. Of course, as always in seafood cookery, the freshness of the fish is the key to success, so be sure to get swordfish at its absolute best. 

Lidia's Italy - Chickpea Soup with Porcini Mushrooms)

This hearty vegetarian soup gets superb flavor and texture from the long cooking chickpeas and dried and fresh mushrooms. But the secret to the great taste is the paste (pestata) of aromatic vegetables and herbs, ground in the food processor. Before adding it to the soup however, you give the pestata even more flavor by browning it in a skillet-which makes it, in culinary Italian, a soffrito. As you will see in the coming pages, this pestata - soffrito step is used in many Maremma recipes, in sauces and stews as well as soups. In the country, such a soup is often served with grilled bread, making a whole meal. Adding rice or small pasta to the soup pot during the final 10 minutes of cooking is another way to enhance it. Or drop some good Italian sausages into soup for the last 20 minutes cooking. Slice them right into the soup or serve the sausages separately as a second course. 

Made In Spain with Jose Andres - Impossible Cake)

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and position the rack in the middle. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch round cake pan (you need one that's 3 inches deep), sprinkle with flour, tip the pan, tapping on the side of the counter several times, to evenly distribute the flour over the bottom and sides, then shake out the excess.  Microwave the cajeta for 30 seconds to soften it, then pour over the bottom of the pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly.  Set a kettle of water over medium-low heat.  Set out a deep pan that's larger than your cake pan (a roasting pan works well) that can serve as a water bath during baking.

Lidia's "Nona Tell Me a Story" - Fried Ribbon Cookies (Crostoli))

Blend butter, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Add milk, egg and yolk, citrus juices and citrus zests and process everything together until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, dump in all of the flour, and process in pulses until the dough comes together. Clean the bowl again and pulse a few more times to mix thoroughly.