Six Chix: The Comic Strip

This post is a little late, because it refers to the meals prepared by my Mom and sisters over the Christmas holiday. Friends asked me how my vacation was, and I thought this might be the best way to answer. Out of the 30 some dishes they prepared, these are 3 of my favorites. I’m going to paraphrase the recipes as they told them to me.

For Nonna Franca’s Lasagna: To make the pasta refer  to Marcella Hazan’s “The Classic Italian Cookbook” (It gives the best version of how my mom makes pasta). Prepare about 3-4 cups Bechamel Sauce, and add some grated gruyere or emmental cheese to it. Saute some Swiss chard (or whatever vegetable you like) in a little garlic and olive oil. Here is the order of ingredients to go into the lasagna pan in layers: bechamel sauce, pasta, chard,  bechamel,  grated parmesan cheese, pasta, chard and one last layer of pasta. Take one egg, beat it into the remaining bechamel, and pour it on top of the last layer of pasta. Sprinkle some more parmesan on top, and bake at 375F for about an hour and 15 minutes.     For the Mushroom Sauce: Slice up a handful of your favorite mushrooms (shiitake in this case) and saute them in olive oil. Once they are brown, add 3 cloves of crushed garlic and some very thinly sliced onion. Add some chicken broth, and let it simmer down. Add a little cornstarch to thicken, pour in a little white wine, and some salt and pepper, and serve in a bowl with a spoon, alongside the lasagna

For Francesca’s beet greens: fill a sink or bowl with water (because they can be very sandy) to rinse well. While they are rinsing, snap off the bigger stems, because they are tough, even when cooked. While they are getting clean, get a frying pan hot with some olive oil (you can add garlic or onions at this point, and take them out if you just want to flavor the oil, but not actually eat the garlic and onions). Put the clean, but still wet greens (you can cut them into 1 inch strips first if you want) into the hot pan. It will sizzle! Add  in some salt and some red pepper flakes. Add in a handful of pine nuts or pumpkin seeds. Turn down the heat and saute until done.

For Katie’s Tarte Tatine: Get some ready- made puff pastry. Peel and core some apples, and cut them in half lenghthwise. Take a heavy iron skillet, and melt 1/2 cup of sugar in it until it the sugar is bubbly. Set the pan aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Arrange the apples in the pan so that the curved side is down, and the cut flat part with the core is facing up. Pour the butter and lemon all over the apples and into the little holes where the core was. Put the puff pastry on top, and bake at 400F for 25 minutes. Once it’s out, let it cool a little before you flip it out of the pan. Have a big plate ready, because although the pastry will probably hold together, the apples sometimes slip around a bit. Serve with whipped cream!