Mangia Con Elena

  Grilled Greek Marinated Pork Chops IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangiaconelena After a long winter inside it is finally starting to look like spring and that means time to clean the grill and light it up! This is a simple and delicious marinade perfect for pork chops but most definitely can be used for chicken as well. Nothing beats the combination of garlic, greek oregano and lemon and this marinade has all three! I often will pair these pork chops with Greek Lemon Potatoes. An amazing combination that reminds me of our amazing trip to Greece oh so long ago! The recipe for the potatoes is in an earlier post. Try the two together and I promise you will be wanting to break out the ouzo!  Ingredients 8 bone in centre cut pork chops 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil zest and juice of one large lemon 3 large garlic cloves chopped or minced 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar 1 tbsp of Greek oregano (regular will do if you don't have Greek) 3 sprigs of rosemary. Two intact and one chopped fre

Slow Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangia con elena Slow roasted lemony potatoes that will remind you of Greece. I love these potatoes. If you love Greek food then you will adore these! They slow roast in a delicious bath of lemon, olive oil , garlic and chicken stock. Give them a try and let me know what you think! Ingredients 5-6 medium size russet potatoes cleaned, peeled and then quartered 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice zest of half to a whole lemon (up to you) 1/2 tsp of oregano (optional) 3-4 garlic cloves minced 2 cups of chicken stock sea salt and freshly ground pepper parsley roughly chopped sea salt  Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes in cold water while preparing the dressing to prevent them from going black and will also remove some of the starch.  Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl. Rinse and dry potatoes and place in a deep roasting pan. Pour dressing over to

Cime di Rape (Rapini) filled Calzone   IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangiaconelena Growing up in our Italian household we ate a great deal of pizza. My mother would whip up pizza dough quickly and in no time there would be pizza on the table. Her toppings were not very fancy, a simple tomato and basil, potato and rosemary or salami and onions. Sometimes anchovies or roasted peppers. They were delicious. Her dough was thick and moist and the crust perfect.  She was known for her pizza. When my siblings and myself had people over she made pizza for us. When there was a special celebration there was always pizza on the table, cold or hot. The one pizza we all fought over was her filled pizzas with rapini. We never called them calzones. Calzones are a traditional pizza originating out of Naples and named after the Italian word for the leg of trousers or pants. In our region they are just called "Pizza ripiena con rapini" meaning rapini filled pizza. My  mother's version o

  Pasta with Tuna, Olives and Capers IG : @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: Mangia Con Elena Good Friday is just around the corner and with that comes many traditional foods to mark this significant event in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar.  Good Friday signifies the end of Lent, the crucifixion of Jesus and Easter Monday celebrates his resurrection.  On each Friday during the Lenten season many Catholics abstain from meat and traditionally eat fish. Good Friday in my childhood was a day of fast that would be broken at dinner with a meal consisting of fish. The dish my mother served frequently was spaghetti with tuna and olives in a rich and spicy tomato sauce. Along side the pasta there was usually a pinzimonio which is cut up vegetables, olives, cheese and other finger foods as well as pizza filled with rapini and a salad.  I have always loved my mother's pasta con tonno. I loved the smell of it and the taste is incredible. I know that it is not for everyone, however I would highly r

  Ciambellone di Pasqua/ Easter Breakfast Cake and Easter Traditions IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangia con elena My mother would make this "dosa" as she called it for Easter Morning and I absolutely loved it. Breakfasts in our house were always a cafe latte with some type of sweet or dried biscuit such as this ciambellone. My mother would warm up milk on the stove until it was super hot then add some fresh coffee and sugar. It was served in a large cup and we would dunk our ciambelle or ciambellone into the sweet and comforting hot drink. I have been drinking coffee for as long as I can remember. It was especially welcoming on cold winter days before we set off for school.  On Easter Mornings this "dosa" would be waiting for us! We would happily eat it and then get dressed into our Sunday best and go to church. My mother would stay home to prepare the Sunday feast. At church we would greet all of our friends and relatives and wish them a "Buona Pasqua&quo

Rapini/Broccoli Rabe   IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangia con elena Depending on the region in Italy this amazing green leafy vegetable is known as rapini, broccoli rabe and cime di rape. This nutrient dense vegetable is a member of the turnip family. They are high in vitamin C and A and have anti-inflammatory properties.  Whatever you call them, they are incredible tasty. They were a staple in our house growing up. My dad grew them in the garden and we would eat them all summer long. My mom would then blanche and freeze whatever was left and in the cooler months they became a part of minestrone and other dishes such as pasta, calzone, polenta and bean dishes. Rapini can be served as a side dish and pair well with most meats but exceptionally well with pork.  They are an important part of the Mediterranean diet. My mother tells me of how they would grow them on her farm and they ate every part of the plant. They have a bitter and peppery taste that is tempered by blanching them in

  Growing Up Italian- Two Doors and a Key My Journey Back to my Roots IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangia con elena My father lived in the small room at back of house The house they moved into My Mother's house where she was born and raised My parents took us back to Italy several times as children. My first visit was when I was three years old. I remember bits and pieces of those visits such as my cousin's First Communion and the festivities and the food! So much food. We would stay at my paternal Nonno and Nonna's house in the tiny village of Supino that is located in the Lazio region  about a few hours drive from Rome. It is nestled in the valley surrounded by the Lepinni mountains and hills. My father was born in a tiny space at the back of a house and it is where he lived. Later, after my father immigrated to Canada, my Nonni were able to move into another house right next door and that is where I stayed when we would visit. It had one bedroom, one bathroom and a k

Polenta IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangia con elena   I adore polenta. Growing up my mother would make it often for Sunday dinners. I love its thick, creamy and flavourful texture. In our region it is served with a rich and meaty meat sauce loaded with sausages and shredded short rib meat that has been simmering all day long.  Eaten with rapini and a dollop of ricotta cheese on top. What a combination! Be sure to get a little bit of everything in each bite and savour that taste sensation! My mother would pour the polenta on a large wooden board the size of our kitchen table that my dad had made for her when they were first married. She would smooth it out before it cooled and then put little dips into it with the back of her spoon for holding the sauce. The sauce would be poured on and the rapini and the sausages placed in the middle. We would then take a bit of ricotta and place in front of us and we began to dig in. We each had our own section and together we made the map of It

  Lentils with Pancetta and Rosemary IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangiaconelena Lentils make an appearance on our dinner table weekly and sometimes more. They are delicious and incredibly healthy for you. They are loaded with fibre, folate, magnesium, iron and protein and more. They are an integral part of the Mediterranean Diet and are incredibly versatile. You can add them to soups, stews and salads and they are fantastic side dishes. They are a healthier option to rice and white potatoes. There are many varieties of lentils and each variety has a slightly different taste and texture composition. This recipe calls for brown lentils as they hold their shape well and add an earthiness that combines so well with crispy pancetta and rosemary. This dish can be served as a side dish or as a main. Try poaching two eggs, place on top and add a dash of extra virgin olive oil and would be great for a hearty breakfast or breakfast for dinner!  Dried lentils or canned lentils can be used f

  Growing Up Italian Life in our Neighbourhood I was born and raised in a Northern Ontario city that started its beginnings in the 1880s as a transient camp for workers building the western expansion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was soon discovered that its land formation was rich in minerals, iron, nickel, copper and ore and overtime it became the hard rock mining company of the world. INCO took over the mines in 1928 and there was a need for workers. The city grew quickly and eagerly welcomed immigrants to work in the mines.    Meanwhile Post WW11 Italy was in a state of  indescribable ruins, destruction, famish, no work or little hope. In 1953, after serving his obligatory military duties my father and some of his cousins made the voyage by sea to the "land of milk and honey."  He was 25 and was sponsored by my Godfather's father who had arrived pre war for work and when he was unable to return home, he began sponsoring many from his home town. My father arrived