Carla's Kitchen Capers: Spicy Ladies of the Evening Sauce...Puttanesca

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Spicy Ladies of the Evening Sauce...Puttanesca: As I was wandering up and down the isles of the grocery store scanning the shelves for hidden treasures I came upon a rare package of Bucati...

Spicy Ladies of the Evening Sauce...Puttanesca

As I was wandering up and down the isles of the grocery store scanning the shelves for hidden treasures I came upon a rare package of Bucatini (a thick spaghetti with a hole in the middle like a straw) and I immediately thought of this sauce.
2 28oz cans of whole tomatoes in juice crushed by hand
1 6oz can black olives chopped
1 2oz can anchovies
3 tbspn capers in brine
4-5 cloves of garlic (I just smash and peel mine and through it in whole so hubby can pick it out)
1 tsp or more of crushed red pepper flake
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbspn olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (easy on the salt, the anchovies and capers are already salty)
1 lb of pasta of your choice

heat oil in a pan add anchovies until melted, add garlic and cook about 3 minutes, add olives, capers and red pepper flakes, cook another 3 min then add tomatoes and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and simmer about an hour. Toss with your favorite pasta and top with grated cheese.
* add more red pepper flakes if you like it extra spicy like I do
** a side salad, garlic bread and a nice bottle of red wine makes a nice dinner party meal

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Soup Season....Quick and Easy Beef Barley

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Soup Season....Quick and Easy Beef Barley: A Nor-Easter is on it's way to CT tomorrow so what better time to make a pot of soup. This is my version of beef barley. 1 lb ground beef ...

Soup Season....Quick and Easy Beef Barley

A Nor-Easter is on it's way to CT tomorrow so what better time to make a pot of soup. This is my version of beef barley.
1 lb ground beef
1 cup barley
2 14.5oz cans beef broth
1 14.5oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 large carrots diced
2 ribs celery diced
1 parsnip diced 
1 leek halved and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tblsp olive oil
salt, pepper and goya adobo to taste

Brown the ground beef in the olive oil and season with salt, pepper and adobo, add the carrots, celery, parsnip and leeks and cook about 5 minutes. Next add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, and bay leaf, add about 4-5 cups of water and the barley. Simmer about 45 minutes or until the barley plumps and is tender. Serve with a topping of grated cheese.
* you might have to add more water depending on how thick you like your soup.
** I like to add some of the celery leaves they are full of flavor.
*** always taste at the end and re season if needed.

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Feeling a lil Asian Tonight

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Feeling a lil Asian Tonight: Sometimes when I'm craving Asian I choose homemade. Shrimp with veggies but the possibilities are endless. The absolute must have...

Feeling a lil Asian Tonight

Sometimes when I'm craving Asian I choose homemade. Shrimp with veggies but the possibilities are endless. The absolute must have ingredients are, fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, veggies and protean of your choice, soy sauce and white rice.
Stir fry veggies in order of what takes longer to cook remove from skillet add shrimp (or chicken, beef, pork) teriyaki, soy sauce and cook 2-3 min re-add veggies, and a little water, thicken with a corn starch slurry, serve over plain white rice. Season with sliced green onion and and cilantro serve over white rice.
*be careful with the sriracha it very hot!!!!

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Pepperoni Bread 2 Ways....MexItalian

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Pepperoni Bread 2 Ways....MexItalian: So I've been making homemade pizza or stuffed breads once a week, I found some rare poblano peppers in my grocery store and the wheels start...

Pepperoni Bread 2 Ways....MexItalian

So I've been making homemade pizza or stuffed breads once a week, I found some rare poblano peppers in my grocery store and the wheels started turning. Pepperoni bread with rajas for me and with tomato for hubby. For 2 loaves I used:
2 lbs pizza dough (I used store bought)
4 cups shredded cheese (I used muenster)
2 pillow packs of thin sliced pepperoni about 2 cups
4 poblano peppers seeded, sliced and fried in olive oil, salt and pepper
1 tomato sliced
salt and pepper

stretch out the dough into two rectangles, now layer cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes/rajas (salt and pepper the tomatoes) evenly between the 2 loaves, top with more cheese and fold short sides first then long and pinch the seams. bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes. Let set for at least 15 minutes.
* homemade pizza dough would probably be better but I don't like to follow precise measurements and that's why I don't like to bake so much
**note the ever present Mr. Martini ;)

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Sunday Sauce with meatballs and sausage

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Sunday Sauce with meatballs and sausage: Nothing smells as good as a pot of sauce simmering away on the stove on a Sunday afternoon. Meatballs and sausage are the main characters bu...

Sunday Sauce with meatballs and sausage

Nothing smells as good as a pot of sauce simmering away on the stove on a Sunday afternoon. Meatballs and sausage are the main characters but you can add any kind of meat you like, pork ribs, beef, pepperoni or my favorite braciole. Every Italian woman think her sauce and meatballs are the best so I'm not gonna give you my specific recipe just the procedure. Ingredients you must have to make a good sauce:
canned whole tomatoes in juice (not puree)
ground beef, pork and veal
italian sausage
ciabatta bread
red wine
eggs, grated cheese, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, a carrot, salt and pepper. 

First step mix, roll and fry the meatballs in olive oil. I cook the entire sauce in one pot, I think this is first most important step because all those brown bits on the bottom of the pan are full of flavor. 

After you fry the rest of the meat drain off all but 1/4 cup of the oil add the onion and saute until soft. Now the second most important step deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup of red wine and reduce until it looks like a syrup. Now add the tomatoes. I add mine right into the pot and puree them with an immersion blender. Season the tomato puree with basil, oregano, salt and pepper return fried meat to the pot. Toss in a whole peeled carrot, this is for sweetness most people use sugar but I think the carrot makes a sweeter sauce.

*the longer you simmer the thicker and tastier your sauce will be, I slowly simmer at least 4-5 hours stir often but gently you don't want to break the meatballs
**we NEVER call it gravy!!

Carla's Kitchen Capers: My daddy came to America almost 50 years ago from ...

Carla's Kitchen Capers: My daddy came to America almost 50 years ago from ...: My daddy came to America almost 50 years ago from Scafati, Italy to meet his pen pal my mommy. He brought this delicious salad recipe with h...

My daddy came to America almost 50 years ago from Scafati, Italy to meet his pen pal my mommy. He brought this delicious salad recipe with him and told me " you havea to squeese it with your manos ".
Escarole (sqadool) Salad:
1 large head of escarole broken down and washed (really good) and dried
2 plum tomatoes diced
3-4 cloves of garlic diced finely
olive oil, salt, pepper and hot red pepper flakes (poobon) to taste  

squeese all together with your manos (mix with your hand and squeeze).
*please make sure to wash the escarole good because's it very sandy
**I served it with grilled chicken tonight to make it a perfect week night dinner for two

Carla's Kitchen Capers: is Mexican by day

Carla's Kitchen Capers: is Mexican by day: I work at a dry cleaners and love to cook "comida" for my amigos. I have a make shift kitchen there and half of my pots,...

is Mexican by day

I work at a dry cleaners and love to cook "comida" for my amigos. I have a make shift kitchen there and half of my pots, pans, dishes and utensil's made a home there. Today I made huevos and chorizo tortas.

Huevos & Chorizo Tortas

simply remove the chorizo from the casing and fry then whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and scramble in the pan with the chorizo. Next build your roll (torta) or  tortilla with queso fresco (alternative low salt feta), avocado, pickled jalapenos and mayo.

*no need for a fancy stove as long as there is heat or fire good food is on the horizon!!

** checkout my eye candy wall in the back round in the first pic hehehe

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Carla's Kitchen Capers: Hubby's out I cook what I ...

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Carla's Kitchen Capers: Hubby's out I cook what I ...: Carla's Kitchen Capers: Hubby's out I cook what I like!!! : I love pork he hates it, fried pork chops yum!! Black bean and chorizo soup for ...

Risotto is not as hard as you think

Risotto another simple dinner where you can grab anything out of the fridge and make something extra special. I decided instead of my once or twice weekly pasta dinner I'd make risotto instead. It only took 45 minutes start to finish. With a couple of tries your sure to include this in your everyday meal rotation trust me.

Mushroom and Spinach Risotto

1 14 oz box of mushrooms (your favorite anything works) simply slice and sauteed in olive oil, salt and pepper
1 large shallot diced
2 cups aborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (dry vermouth is a nice change of pace)
3 cans chicken stock
2 big handfuls baby spinach
1/2 cup grated cheese (I like romano)
3 tblspns butter
1 tblspn chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste (ALWAYS tastse as you go)
saute shallots in butter about 3 minutes (salt and pepper), add rice cook another 2-3 minutes add wine. When wine is reduced start adding chicken stock about a 1/2 cup at a time (I never heat the stock I use it straight out of the can). Simmer and stir until liquid is absorbed and add another half cup as many time as it takes until the rice is soft and creamy. After the last addition of stock add the mushrooms, spinach and grated cheese, check if it need more salt and pepper add parsley and serve promply.

*always salt and pepper at the start and finish of anything you cook if you just put it in at the end or on your plate your food will be bland (my opinion once again)
**try my recipes and COMMENT please ;)

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Hubby's out I cook what I like!!!

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Hubby's out I cook what I like!!!: I love pork he hates it, fried pork chops yum!! Black bean and chorizo soup for my amigos tomorrow. Black bean soup 1 lb dry Goya black...

Hubby's out I cook what I like!!!

I love pork he hates it, fried pork chops yum!! Black bean and chorizo soup for my amigos tomorrow.

Black bean soup

1 lb dry Goya black beans

1 lb chorizo diced

1 large white onion chopped

3 carrots sliced

3 ribs of celery sliced

2-4 serrano chilis sliced

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 4 oz can chipolte sauce

1 tblspn goya abodo

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

water (freebie)

slash of olive oil

add all veggies, chorizo, seasoning, salt, pepper and oil to a large stock pot and saute until chorizo browns and renders some of its fat, add chipolte sauce, diced tomatoes and beans (I do NOT soak but I do rinse) and 8-10 cups of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 5 hours.    

By the way those were the best fried pork chop I've made in a long time, just a squeeze of lemon was all that they needed. 

*note no need to ever soak dried bean before cooking!!! (once again my opinion) 

Carla's Kitchen Capers: My bags of tricks and tonight's dinner

Carla's Kitchen Capers: My bags of tricks and tonight's dinner: When I go grocery shopping I'm like a kid in a candy store. I wander down the isles picking and choosing items and contemplating recipes. ...

My bags of tricks and tonight's dinner

When I go grocery shopping I'm like a kid in a candy store. I wander down the isles picking and choosing items and contemplating recipes. I much rather spend my extra money on food than on clothes, purses or shoes but I always make sure I save enough for my bottle of Stolichnaya. What came out of that bag of tricks tonight was beer battered fried shrimp and french fries.


Beer battered fried shrimp


1 lb shrimp shelled and deveined
2 cups flour
1 can of beer
1/2 tsp baking powder

salt, pepper, cayenne and goya adobo to taste


whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, cayenne and adobo add beer and dredge shrimp and fry.


serve with tarter sauce, a simple mixture of mayo and relish and lemon wedges
* note Mr. Martini lurking in the back round.

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Fried Dough

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Fried Dough: I don't usually cook on Friday but I had some dough left over in the fridge from last weeks grocery shopping so I decided to make fried doug...

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Hi

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Hi: I'm starting this blog to share my cooking adventures. I've never done blogged before so I'm learning as I go. I almost live in my kitchen a...

Fried Dough

I don't usually cook on Friday but I had some dough left over in the fridge from last weeks grocery shopping so I decided to make fried dough. A simple 3 ingredient quick sauce (marinara) is the perfect topping. Pizza dough from your favorite pizza parlor or grocery store, or if your ambitious from scratch and your good to go.

Marinara sauce:

1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes

4-5 cloves of garlic smashes

5 basil leaves torn by hand

2 tblspns olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

add oil and garlic to a small sauce pan and heat for 3 minutes (I don't like color on my garlic I think it makes it taste bitter), add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes. Heat about an inch of veggie oil in a large frying pan and stretch dough into 6 inch circles fry and top with sauce and a sprinkle of grated cheese.

Why would you ever pay $5 for a fried dough topped with jarred sauce (never purchased a jar of sauce in my life...nasty) is beyond me. I warned your "my opinion". ;)