Man overboard!

Man overboard! All hands on deck! Mario went down this afternoon with a bad headache. Too much video games if you ask me. But the poor guy wasn't feeling good and Mariesa – the loyal shipmate that she is – stepped right in and filled his shoes!

Mario and I had previously decided to revisit Otto's menu and try to recreate the Spaghetti all Gricia- Spaghetti with Garlic, Onions and Guanciale (page 186). We were excited, because we know how the Captain prefers this dish and we would immediately know if our meal was on course or terribly lost at sea. As Saturday morning quietly floated into Saturday evening Mario began to feel under the weather and was sent to his quarters to recuperate. Luckily for us, Mariesa courageously stepped up and took his place.

We began by cutting the guanciale, red onions and garlic, proceeded to heat up the olive oil, and add in the red pepper flakes and guanciale. As soon as the guanciale had rendered most of its fat and was crisp and golden brown we added in the onions and garlic, and started to boil our water for the spaghetti.

As the water began to come to a rolling boil, Mariesa had me rolling in the kitchen with a recap of a science class prank she witnessed. Tears rolled down my cheeks as we both laughed. It was nice to hear her talk, carry on a conversation with her and no worries of anything else but getting the dishes ready to plate. There wasn't anyone else I would have rather cooked with that evening.

Earlier this week while looking though our Captain's book, I ran across a recipe for sauteed spinach. You know that craving you get when you see something that looks delicious and can't wait to eat it? Well that's how I felt about the spinach. It wasn't the best accompaniment to the spaghetti, but on its own it was simply divine. Mariesa and I removed our spaghetti from the boiling water and added it to the pan with the guanciale and tossed them until they were thoroughly mixed together. Mariesa rang the dinner bell and we all gathered around the table to enjoy this amazing dish.

The spaghetti was delicious and very light. Our captain writes in his book that Italians often feel that eating white food (in bianco) serves to settle and upset stomach and gives the internal organs a rest. We all agreed and gave the dish five crocs!

Mario and I would like to thank Mariesa for doing a wonderful job and keeping our ship on course!

Ciao,
Mario, Mario & Mariesa
The Three Tocayos

Porko Buco? Really?

Let us start off by revisiting the Captain's log and turning the pages back to March 18, 2011. Friday was a beautiful day in New York City, the high was near 70º, birds were chirping and singing, everyone was outside sitting at sidewalk cafes and memories of winter simply melted away. When lunch time came around I headed out to take a stroll on the High Line and then make my way over to Chelsea Market.

The recipe for Osso Buco - Veal Shanks with Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata (page 363) calls for 3 to 4 inch veal shanks, which I assumed I would be able to purchase at Dickson's Farmstand Meats. To my disbelief the butcher informed me that they do not carry veal. I quickly turned the gears in my head and came to the realization that I would not be able to go across town to Eataly and make it back before my lunch was over. The butcher asked if I was making Osso Buco and suggested using pork shanks. He assured me that it would be a great substitute. I took his advice and purchased the meat. My intention was to have the pork as a backup plan, I still had a chance of purchasing the veal shanks at my local grocery store.

The local grocery store did have veal shanks, but unfortunately they were only about an inch thick! As I stood there, staring at these emaciated shanks, I knew that I would need to make a decision. Go with the veal and stay true to the recipe or choose the meaty pork. WWMD? I decided to go with the pork, which were meatier and fresher than the veal shanks at the grocery store. As I walked to the checkout line my mind raced with images of disapproving looks and turning heads. Have I let the Captain down? Would this be our meltdown and our first one croc meal? I picked my head up and straightened my shoulders, confident with my decision. Porko Buco it is!

We started around 2:00 in the afternoon. Mario and I moved quickly through the prep work and pulled the pork out of the fridge to begin the browning. As we opened the crisp, white paper wrapping, I knew the right choice was made. Each of our shanks were about 4" thick and looked amazing! We placed then into the Dutch oven which had about 6 tablespoons of EVOO and proceeded to brown all sides. We removed the shanks from the pot and placed them onto a plate as we added in the onions, carrots, celery and thyme to the pot. We allowed them to get golden brown and then added the tomato sauce, and white wine. We brought it back a boil and put the shanks back in. We had the oven preheated to 375º and Mario placed the pot inside for its two hour layover.

Within about an hour the house filled with the wonderful aroma of the Porko Buco. Half an hour before we removed the pot from the oven Angela stepped in and started to make the  Risotto alla Milanese - Saffron Risotto (page 144). A classic accompaniment to Osso Buco per our Captain.

We sat down at the table and Angela served everyone some risotto, and I tired to serve the Osso Buco as it melted away from the bone. We all sat down and gazed at this beautiful dish (our photos do not do it justice) said our prayer and dug in! The meat was extremely tender and any lingering questions about my decision to use the pork faded away. Another hit out of the ballpark for The Three Tocayos.

After dinner was finished and the kitchen was cleaned Mario and I started the dessert portion of our meal, Sebadas - Sardinian Ravioli Cookies (page 494). We had prepared the dough earlier in the day and proceeded to roll it out and cut out the circle shapes. We made the filling, which consisted of yogut, ricotta and lemon zest, and placed a dab onto one of our cutouts and then placed another on top and sealed it with a fork. After we were finished deep frying the cookies we sprinkled them with confectioners sugar and warmed up a small bowl of honey for dipping. Delizioso! The Sebadas reminded both Anglea and I of the Sopapilla's that were served as a dessert at the local Mexican restaurants back home in Texas.

Over all the night was a huge success, although we did have our first injury (see Mario's thumb above). Mario and I were very relaxed and did not feel pressured to get the meal out quickly. We had time to prepare the dough for the Sebadas and prep for the Osso Buco. We all agreed that this would be a meal we would share with others. As always, wish you were here!

Ciao,
Mario & Mario
The Three Tocayos

Visit Eataly with Mario Batali and Martha Stewart

Eataly is the market that Mario and I shopped at the last time he was in the city.  This video takes you on a tour of Eataly with Mario Batali and Martha Stewart. We thought this would be a nice treat for you all to see. You'll notice that the video starts out with Mario and Martha walking into the market, this is the same spot that I took the photo of Mario when we were purchasing our veggies (see blog post: Para Mi Sobrina).

Being Saturday,  and the fact that we took it easy last week Mario and I wanted to give ourselves a bigger challenge, so for tonight's menu we decided to serve... wait for it... wait for it....

Osso Buco con gremolata di Pignoli - Osso Buco with Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata (page 363) with Risotto alla Milanese - Saffron Risotto (page 144) and finishing with Sebadas - Sardinian Ravioli Cookies (page 494). Wish us luck!

Ciao,
Mario & Mario
The Three Tocayos

Beautiful Mess

We were supposed to cook yesterday (Saturday) but were invited to have dinner with friends, and we are not a family to pass up some great home cooking. We had a great night and a wonderful meal!

Mojo and I decided that we would get started early and have a nice lunch. This worked out really well because today has flown right by thanks to our springing forward. We gathered our ingredients for the Pasticcio di Maccheroni - Baked Pasta with Ricotta and Ham (page 190) and quickly moved through the recipe. It didn't take us long before we had it ready for the oven. It is very similar to lasagna but with less cheese. We placed it into the oven and in 25 minutes we were ready to serve.

Once again the house filled with the warm aroma of a great meal. Mariesa and Mario were very excited. Cheese, pasta and tomato sauce, what kid wouldn't be excited? We all agreed this was another winner and all of us went back in for seconds. The recipe was very straight forward and did not require a lot of time or create a large mess which made Mariesa very grateful, today is her day to do the dishes and as she said "I'm in no mood to do dishes!" Who ever is, right?

Ciao,
Mario & Mario

The Three Tocayos

We're Moving!

The Lenten season has started and this of course limits our dinner options on Fridays. In an effort to make available all of our Captain's recipes we have decided to move to Saturdays! The extra day will allow us to take our time and not feel rushed by empty stomachs on Friday nights. We aplogoize to all our loyal followers for the short notice, but we'll see you again on Sunday evenings when we will post a recap of Saturday's events.

Ciao,
Mario and Mario
The Three Tocayos

Winner Winner, Minty Chicken Dinner!

The title says it all...Last night we were all winners! The menu included Pollo allo Zafferano - Chicken Thighs with Saffron, Green Olives and Mint (page 310), Angela's now famous – at least here at home – risotto, and for the adults some pre-dinner Mojitos. The list of ingredients to purchase was short this time around, due to the fact that we had most of the ingredients in stock. The only major component we did not have was the saffron. Angela helped us out this evening by purchasing the saffron on the way home. Oh boy, was this stuff expensive! I thought Angela was pulling my leg. $20 for a small jar with a little envelope of the saffron tucked inside. The way this stuff was packaged I had flashbacks of college when we made those special brownies. This was the first time I have used saffron. It has a distinctive smell – very floral – and I was somewhat hesitant about using it, but our Captain had given us our orders and I diligently added the 1/2 teaspoon of saffron threads.

After the red onions, saffron and olives had come to a boil and softened we returned the fried chicken and let it simmer for 15 minutes with the pot covered. The house quickly filled with the aroma of the saffron and olives. We weren't sure if we enjoyed the smell or not. Mario and I looked at each other and wondered if our Captain had gone crazy with scurvy while writing these orders. We shook our heads and prayed for the best. We removed the chicken after letting it cook and additional 10 minutes without the cover and added pepper, salt and the fresh mint leaves to the sauce.

The mint was the key to balancing the flavor of the saffron. It was amazing, just by adding this simple fresh ingredient the whole complexity of the sauce changed. Mario and I plated the dishes with a small bed of Angela's risotto as the first layer, placed our chicken thighs on top for the second layer, and a delicate amount of sauce poured over the chicken to complete the dish.

It was divine. What had started out as us questioning our Captain, once again turned into us praising his genius. We all agreed this was a great meal and very simple to put together.

We would like to send a special Grazie (thank you) to Maneize and Grandpa for hooking us up with brand new "The Three Tocayos" aprons! We would also like to thank all of those who have sent emails and posted comments, its nice to know your out there.

And last but not least, we would like to thank Mariesa for all her creative input regarding the copy and design of this blog!

Ciao!
Mario & Mario
The Three Tocayos