Winter is in full swing and with subzero temperatures, mother nature is showing us who the boss is! Boy is it cold! 

With this cold weather engulfing us this week, I picked any excuse to open up the oven and warm up the kitchen and house. We're only days away from Super Bowl Sunday, so I decided I needed to post a recipe on chicken wings, which seem so fitting for Super Bowl Sunday! I didn't have any pictures of our family's favorite mode of cooking them, so I bought two large trays and decided to make some so I could add them here. A multi-purpose post of a new recipe for you, plus my kitchen was nice and warm!

This recipe didn't make it in my new cookbook, The Five Ingredient Italian Cookbook, but it really is 5 ingredients or less. One word about this and any recipe that calls for only a handful of ingredients. As I mentioned in my book, I can't stress enough how important quality ingredients are. Italian cooking is about quality over quantity, and the outcome is only going to be as good as what you put in.

This delicious dish calls for chicken wings, eggs, parmigiano cheese and breadcrumbs. With a light drizzle of olive oil added before sliding them to the oven. 

Let's start with the breadcrumbs. If at all possible, use unseasoned bakery breadcrumbs, or make your own using older, dried out bread. I don't like promoting the crumbs you find on the grocery store shelf in cardboard containers. They are often stale, flavorless, and the flavor they do carry is usually of cardboard. Visit a local bakery or the bakery department at your grocery store, and get some fresh crumbs. It's actually also very simple to make your own. Dry out some quality bread by leaving it out on your counter for several days, or place it in the oven after it's been turned off. When it's completely dry and hardened, just add it to a food processor and turn it into crumbs.

Let's turn to the Parmesan cheese. The term "parmesan cheese" now captures every form of grated cheese, authentic or otherwise, Italian or local. Please, please, please, do not use the one that shall remain nameless and that comes in a green tub found on the grocery store shelf. That tube is filled with fillers that aren't even cheese. It's actually legal to have a certain percent of wood chips in there, labeled as cellulose. Don't, just don't. Use instead authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or Grana Padano - the cheaper cousin). Buy a chunk of it ungrated. Check the label to make sure you see the words "Parmigiano Reggiano" (or part of the words) on the label. The term "Parmigiano Reggiano" is actually protected,  so you can be sure you are getting the real thing.  

The other two ingredients are just eggs and the chicken wings. Make sure both are as fresh as possible. With fresh, authentic ingredients, you're in for a delicious Super Bowl snack! 

Now, I will admit, much to the dismay of some family members, I use almost equal parts bread to cheese! This is pretty atypical when making cutlets. Most recipes call for 3 parts bread to 1 part cheese, if that, some even call for less cheese than that. I, for one,  like them very cheese! My motto is "the cheesier, the better!" I've adjusted the recipe below a bit to what is most typical. You can adjust the measurements as you like, these are just suggestions and not written in stone. (No recipe ever is!) 

Parmigiano Crusted Chicken Wings
Serves 4 - 8, depending on appetite! 
​
Ingredients
Cooking Spray
3 - 4 cups fresh breadcrumbs 
1 1/2 cups + freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
​3 medium - large eggs
24 - 30 fresh chicken wings, (wing and drumette separated) 
Salt
Olive Oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 
2. Add the breadcrumbs and grated cheese to a medium bowl. Using a fork or your fingers, mix well.
3. In a second bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
4. Sprinkle some salt over the chicken wings and working with 1 or 2 at a time, dredge them in the beaten egg. 
5. Remove from the egg, dripping to remove excess, and dredge them in the breadcrumb and cheese mixture. Press to adhere coating. 
6. Place the wings on the prepared baking sheet and continue with the rest. 
7. Once you have coated all the wings, drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, bake them on the second to lowest rack in the oven for 40 -45 minutes, or until golden brown. 

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Let me preface by saying that I have a love/hate relationship with escarole.

It is one of my favorite vegetables, yes. But boy do I hate prepping it! You see, let's just get real, escarole is sandy and dirty. Yup, unlike some other veggies that take little or no time to prep and rinse clean, I mentally have to prepare myself when I'm about to cook escarole. It requires time to chop it and clean it properly, washing it upwards of 4 times in cold water before I feel it's perfectly clean and sand-free to start cooking it. I don't know how they do it on some TV shows! The chop it and add it straight to the pan! I get that *hopefully* it's been washed before, but still, they should warn the audience that it requires proper cleaning before using it. 

Below is a step by step guide on how to clean it and cook it with beans, everyone's favorite way of cooking it, that and in Italian wedding soup, but that's another post. ;) 

Here we have two escarole heads that are on the smaller side. Thankfully! Sometimes I find them when they're huge, requiring even more prepping and washing! 

Remove the outer leaves. Escarole tends to wilt quickly, so use it within a day or two of purchasing it. I had mine in the fridge for 4 days, so it required trashing the outer wilted leaves. Cut the lower end piece, but just cut a very thin layer. I have seen folks chop upwards of a quarter from the bottom. Don't do this, there's lots of flavor there and it's just wasteful! 

Cut the escarole head in half and then cut that half in half again, so you will have 4 quarters per head. Then chop each quarter as you would romaine lettuce or other leafy green. I can't say I've ever measured it, but I'd say it's about 1 inch pieces. Continue with the rest of your escarole and add them to a large bowl. 

I really didn't do a good job at taking pictures of the sand, but here you see sand on the leaves. It doesn't look like much but it's deceiving. 

Bring the escarole to the sink and just start washing the life out of it! For my first wash, I use tepid water. I find that it removes the dirt better than cold water. Let the water run and just wash it fully. When the bowl is filled with water, grab handfuls of the escarole and add them to a large strainer. You obviously don't want to just dump them in there with the water to drain, as you would be adding all that dirty water back. 

Here's the bowl of water after the first wash. The escarole has been removed and is now on the strainer. You can see how dirty the water is! Not very appealing! Rinse the bowl and add the escarole back a second time, repeat the washing steps of washing the escarole well, removing it and cleaning the bowl. I do this at least 3 times, sometimes 4, depending on how dirty the escarole is! 

This is after the 3rd wash. You can see it looks very clean and it's looking a lot brighter. Aww, feeling satisfied, finally!

Add the escarole to a soup pan and add just enough water to cover it by about one inch. You don't need much more. Add salt to taste, at least 1 - 2 teaspoons. As it starts to boil, press it down with a wooden spoon and boil it for about 10 minutes. 

Once it's cooked to your liking (some like it more tender than others), drain it in a strainer and use it as you wish. At this point, you can add it to soups, stir fry it with EVOO and garlic, plate it as a side with a drizzle of EVOO, add it to frittatas, top it with freshly grated parmigiano cheese and breadcrumbs for some crunch, make it with beans, or use in any other way. 

Below are the steps for making it with beans. A classic dish beloved by all southern Italians. Every household has its own way of making this dish. Some boil both the escarole and beans together, but I find that just breakdown the beans far too much. Some skip the boiling step of the escarole all together and just cook it with the beans in EVOO. For me, that keeps the greens far too undercooked. I find that by at least par boiling the escarole first, then just cooking it a bit with the beans with plenty of oil is the most flavorful way. And that's how my mama makes it, and you never want to question an Italian mama! ;) 

Escarole & Beans
Ingredients 
2 large heads of escarole, cleaned and boiled as detailed above
2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and trained
2 large garlic cloves, cut in large pieces for removal before serving
3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil (approx) 
Salt to taste

Directions
1. In a large skillet, add all of the above ingredients and bring them to simmer over medium heat.
​2.  Gently mix the ingredients, allow them to cook together so they gain flavor for about 5 - 7 minutes. If it's drying too quickly, add additional oil. 
3. Remove from heat and plate. Serve with crusty Italian bread. 

*See above captions for added tips. 

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For me, it usually hits around 3:00PM. That time of day when both lunch and dinner seem so far away! I usually turn to fruit and something that satisfies the craving. Or the never disappointing coffee with a biscotto. If that doesn't do it, I turn to nuts. The thing with nuts is that while they are healthy, they are also very addictive. I can keep going far past the recommended dose, and then feel guilty about it. It's far too easy to overeat nuts, so recently, I decided I needed an alternative.

My paternal grandparents in Italy owned a bar right under their house. They lived about 20 minutes from our own home and every time we would visit them, they would always be hard at work tending to their clientele. I have vivid memories of walking in and being hit by the smell of wine. There would be men playing cards at the tables, gambling their small income, drinking homemade wine and munching on snacks my grandmother had prepared. 

My grandmother was a savvy businesswoman in her own right and she knew that giving those card-playing men salty snacks would lead to more wine sales! 

I digress.  What does this have to do with chickpeas, you ask? Well, one of the snacks my grandmother made was roasted chickpeas! Far cheaper than nuts, she'd toast these up with plenty of salt (to induce thirst) and serve them to the unsuspecting men. They'd eat them by the handfuls and keep buying wine by the glass. They'd run a hefty tab, all thanks to cheap legumes!

These really hit the spot when afternoon munchies occur. They are healthy, delicious, adaptable and you can keep eating them without the guilt that accompanies eating far too many cashews! Just don't over do it on the wine. ;) 

The recipe below is just for guidelines. You can obviously use whatever herbs and spices you like. I prefer the milder Italian herbs, but some other nice spices that have more of a kick include paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper. Adjust to taste.
​
​I will admit, they really go well with a glass of vino. Just one glass! ;) 

Roasted Italian Herbed Chickpeas

2 15 oz cans chickpeas
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 - 2 tablespoons mixed Italian herbs (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a clean baking sheet in the oven to heat up. 
2. Rinse the chickpeas and place them on several layers of paper towels or a clean linen kitchen towel to dry. 
3. Place chickpeas in a bowl and add the oil, herbs and salt. Mix well with wooden spoon.
4. Remove pan from the oven and add the chickpeas.
5. Roast chickpeas for 40 - 45 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes so they don't stick. 
6. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet completely before plating them to a serving bowl. 

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​We moved from Italy to the US when I was almost 11 years old. It was the end of March, so the school year was wrapping up, and although I would start it in Italy, at the small elementary school located right across the street from our home, it would end at the Franklin School in Newton, MA.  We all knew the transition would be difficult, but in my 11-year-old rationale, I saw this as far more of an adventure than scary.  It would be my first time on a plane, and ironically, I recall vividly what I was wearing: purple pants and a purple and hot pink sweater, far too heavy for the season. 

​It’s funny the things we recall, and although 31 years have since passed, I still have vivid memories of my time in Italy, and the yearly trips we would take back growing up. It’s not surprising that most of those memories revolve around food in some fashion or another. Whether it’s family dinners, picking olives in our small plot of land, stopping by the pastry shop on Sundays on the way home from church, throwing on a kiddie apron and baking with mom, or simply coming home from school and finding a delicious lunch freshly prepared by mom. And that’s the beauty of food, these scenes become permanent bookmarks in our mind and, like mom’s famous “S” cookies, one is never enough.

​While every meal is important to Italians, la cena, (dinner) is perhaps the most beloved of them all. Just like the US, daytime is reserved for school, work, errands, appointments and whatever else may come your way.  And while some, in fact, many, are able to return home to have their pranzo (lunch), it is often rushed, and many times, may not include every family member at the table. As such, la cena is a sacred time for Italians. Time to regroup, reconnect, and enjoy dinner at a more leisurely pace.  Much of an Italian’s life revolves around the dinner table, time to gossip, catch up and discuss what tomorrow’s meal will be! 

​“Si mangia?” If I recall correctly, those were my father’s favorite words! “Are we eating already?” or “Butta la pasta,” he’d proclaim, meaning, “throw the pasta in the water.” If my sister and I were working on a homework assignment in our room, mom or dad would come calling us, alerting us that dinner would be served soon and it was time to get ready for dinner, or help was needed in some fashion in the kitchen. Seeing my dislike for homework, I didn’t need a second asking. I would have preferred being in the kitchen all along.  My sister, on the other hand, who didn’t have many domestic inclinations, had to be pulled away from her schoolwork, frequently doing assignments that weren’t yet assigned just to get a head start. A philosophy I never understood! 

​“Ti hai lavato le mani?” That was the first question I would be asked before I was permitted to touch anything in the kitchen. “Did you wash your hands?” I’d put my hands up to my mother’s nose, where she’d get a whiff of our Felce Azzurra hand soap on my hands as validation. I loved and still love that soap, using 3 – 4 pumps at a time, far more than my tiny hands required.  

​Over the course of those years growing up in Italy, I became my mother’s shadow, and frequently “helped” her with the daily chores of a housewife. I use quote marks around the word "helped," as I am sure I was perhaps more of a nuisance, though she never said so, I likely delayed her more than anything! I recall dropping, and breaking, the occasional water glass while attempting to put them away, much to my father’s dismay, or eating most of the peas I shelled while assisting mom with the dinner preparation. “Solo questi ci sono?” “This is all you got out of all that peas you shelled?” My mother would ask. I would say yes, but of course, had likely eaten about a quarter of a pound during the shelling process! I have no doubt that my mother knew what I was up to, especially since inevitably, I would be lamenting of a stomachache soon there after.  “Troppo piselli?” She would ask? “Too much peas?”  With a wink and a nod that said, I know what you’re up to! 

​One of my preferred tasks was setting the table. Then, just like now, we would use a linen tablecloth over the table and I would fold the napkins in half, diagonally, ever so delicately. My father used a cloth napkin, that is what he preferred, but my mother soon realized that cloth napkins were futile with kids, since we’d get more sauce on our face than anywhere else, they would get dirty within one use, not to mention occasionally using them as nose tissues, so best for us to get the paper kind! And boy, did we go through tons of napkins!

 Occasionally at dinner, when something a bit more formal was served, such as a roast, or perhaps fresh pork, my sister and I would be permitted to drink some gassosa. It was a treat to have this soft drink, which closely resembles what we know here as 7Up, minus the lemon and lime. And this was the time where I would butter up my father for an even greater treat. I'd look at my dad, playfully. He knew what I wanted without asking. I would look at him, he at me, and then we’d both look at my glass. I’d give him a pitiful look. “La vuoi rosa?” “Do you want me to turn that pink?” And I did. And he would add a few drops of red wine, no more than a teaspoon or two, into my glass. And my drink would turn pink, my kiddie wine. We’d bang our glasses together and proclaim “salute!” To our health.

​La cena for an Italian family is sacred. It’s a daily celebration of life. It was then, and for my Italians and Italian Americans, it still remains so, I am happy to say. Memories are made, laughter is shared and yes, delicious food is eaten. But even when the meal is a simple soup or just some pasta al pomodoro, it turns out, it’s less about the food, and all about the family and the memories. Oh the memories…. 

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Ready to make your 2020 Italian Travel Dreams come true? Consider joining us in one of our Culinary Adventures! 

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