We have the food, we have the people, but what do we have to drink!? This is the perfect dessert accent for your Easter party. So sit back, make a plate of Peeps and chocolate, and enjoy-- Cheers! #MGroupEvents
Mulled Wine – Vin Brulé Serves 6. Ingredients: 1 orange 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine 2 tablespoons sugar 4 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 bay leaf 1 whole star anise 1) Using a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler, cut peel from orange in wide strips, avoiding the white pith. 2) In a large pot, combine orange peel, wine, sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and star anise. Bring to a bare simmer (do not let simmer or boil) over medium- low heat. 3) Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and serve hot.
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Last week we told you all about our sweet Momma Corso, so it's only appropriate to release one of Dad Corso's famous recipes. Whether you use this recipe on Easter, or on a cold winter night, there is essentially endless possibilities for when this recipe is the perfect addition for dinner. Try out this recipe and add your secret ingredient... let us know how you made this your own creation by tagging us or using #MGroupEvents on your pictures!
Dad Corso’s Stuffed Pickled Sweet Cherry Peppers Makes 1 gallon peppers. Equipment: Helps to have pastry bags available. If not, a heavy-duty gallon bag with the corner cut will do the same job. Stuffing Ingredients: 2 cans anchovies in oil, do not drain 2 cans chunk light tuna, packed in oil, do not drain 1 15-ounce can seasoned bread crumbs 12 – 15 pimento-stuffed green olives 12 – 15 black olives Tabasco Sauce or cayenne to taste 1 gallon sweet cherry peppers 1) Place all stuffing ingredients in food processor. 2) Add the sweet pepper pickling juice, including the coarse pepper, from gallon jar. 3) Process to form semi-stiff paste. 4) Clean and core peppers. Wash out seeds. 5) Fill pastry bag with stuffing mix. Fill peppers. This is more than food. It’s an act of love and tradition. Every year that Chef has lived in California, his mother Gloria would send him a homemade Pizza Giena in the mail. We all would start off our Easter Sunday eating the pie and we are quite certain that this is why Jesus rose again... it's just that good. Enjoy our family tradition started by the lovely Gloria, who will be with us this Easter to celebrate! What's your spring tradition? Tag #MGroupEvents to show us!
Gloria Corso’s Pizza Giena – Italian Meat Pie Serves 16-20 as appetizer. Prep: Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Crust for Pizza Giena Ingredients: 5 cups flour Salt and coarse black pepper to taste 1 teaspoon baking powder 5 tablespoons shortening 4 eggs ½ glass cold water 2- ½ size aluminum foil hotel baking pans 1) Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Cut in shortening until sand particles are formed. 2)Add eggs one at a time and hand blend well until a round ball is formed as in regular pie crust. 3) Pour water around sides of bowl. Cut dough into two balls. 4) Make one of the balls twice as large as the other. Use the large ball to form the bottom crust. 5) Roll out and line pan. Add the filling. (See instructions below.) Use the smaller ball to form the top crust. Place top crust on top of the filling, flute the edges firmly and bake according to directions below. Filling for Pizza Giena Ingredients: 1 pound ham 1 pound cured meat, i.e., soppressata, salami, etc. 1 pound ricotta 1 pound farmers cheese * 8 eggs 1) Beat eggs and ricotta cheese. Mix in the remainder of the filling ingredients. 2) After the bottom crust has been placed in one of the pans, add the filling. (You will need to double the pans due to the weight of the Pizza Giena – it will be heavy.) 3) Cover top with remainder of dough. Flute edges of crust. Bake 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 4) Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for approximately 1.5 hours. Cool in pan for 1 hour. Notes: * Farmers cheese is more common on the East Coast. Queso Panela (a Mexican cheese) can be substituted and is more readily available. As we gear up for Easter, we are going to post a weekly recipe that is sure to make the Easter Bunny stick around after hiding the eggs. Let us know what kind of recipes you would like us to post by tagging #MGroupEvents!
Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding with Crème Anglaise Serves 4 - 6. Prep: Heat Oven to 350 F. Crème Anglaise Ingredients: ½ cup whole milk ½ cup whipping cream 1 2-inch piece vanilla bean, split (1 teaspoon vanilla extract may be substituted) 3 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons sugar 1) Combine milk and cream in heavy medium saucepan. 2) Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean or add vanilla extract. 3) Bring milk mixture to simmer. Remove from heat. 4) Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. 5) Return custard to saucepan. Stir over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, approximately 5 to 10 minutes (do not boil). 6) Strain sauce into bowl. Cover and chill. (Can be made 1 day ahead.) Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding with Crème Anglaise Ingredients: 2 eggs slightly beaten 2 ¼ cup whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon salt 2 cups 1-inch bread cubes ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup raisins or chopped dates (optional) Crème Anglaise 1) In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs with milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, bread, sugar and raisins. 2) Pour into 1 ½ -quart baking dish. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes at 350. 3) Pudding may be served warm or cool. Sorry for the delay, Groupies... we were out celebrating a birthday and then "V-day" back to back. Ooooh baby....you’re gonna love us for this one. Sure, you might be thinking, "Chef M, what are you thinking?! Chocolate Noodles?" Yes. This is a nood that everyone is sure to appreciate. Tag #MGroupEvents to let us know what toppings you think should go with this!
Chocolate Fettuccine Ingredients: Pasta: 1 3/4 c Flour 1/4 c Cocoa powder 2 Egg 4 T Water Sauce: 1/2 c Cream 8 ounces White Chocolate 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter Noodles: 1) Mix flour and cocoa well. Mound on your work surface or in a large bowl. 2) Make a deep well in the center of the mound and break the eggs into it. Beat the eggs in there with a fork, adding about 2 Tbsp water. 3) Using a circular motion, draw the flour and cocoa into the center. Toss in another Tbsp of Water. Stir with your fork until all the flour is moistened. Add a little more water as needed. 4) Finish mixing by hand. Pat the dough into a ball. Clean off your work surface, and flour it. 5) Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until the dough becomes silky and elastic. 6) Cover the dough and let it rest for half an hour so the gluten can activate in the flour. 7) Roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time, the same way you would any pasta. Slice into strips, ¼ inch wide, and long. 8) Cook it al dente, cool it. Sauce: 1) Bring 1/2 cup cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove saucepan from heat. 2) Add 8 ounces white chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Preparation: 1) In Teflon coated sauté pan, melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add cooled chocolate pasta. 4) Just get it slightly hot, Drizzle the white chocolate sauce and any other sauce over the pasta. 5) Garnish with shaved white and dark chocolate, berries, etc. Serve for the two of you with candles, wine, classic Barry White, etc, etc. This recipe is definitely a little more challenging than sticking Pillsbury pre-mades on a pan, but well worth the challenge. Sip as you enjoy, laugh as you prepare, and bond while you eat this Italian delicacy! Tag #MGroupEvents to let us know what desserts you want to see next in our February "Sweet"-heart recipes.
Limoncello Tiramisu Serves 12. Ingredients: 5 large eggs 5 or 6 lemons 1 cup sugar 1½ cup Limoncello liqueur 1 cup water 1 pound (2 cups) Mascarpone, at room temperature 40 ladyfingers (preferably imported Italian savoiardi), Preparation: 1) Pour just enough water in the double-boiler pan so the water level is right below the bottom of the mixing bowl when it is sitting in the pan. Heat the water in the double-boiler to a steady simmer. 2) Separate the eggs, putting yolks into the large bowl of the double-boiler and the whites into another stainless bowl for whipping by hand or with an electric mixer. 3) Remove the zest of two or more of the lemons, using a fine grater, to get 2 tablespoons of zest. Squeeze out and strain the juice of these and the other lemons to get ¾ cup of fresh lemon juice. 4) Turn off the heat on the water, beat the egg yolks with ¼ cup of the sugar and ½ cup of the Limoncello until well-blended. Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly, frequently scraping the whisk around the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the egg mixture expands and heats into a frothy sponge. (appx. 5 minutes) 5) When the sponge has thickened enough to form a ribbon when it drops on the surface, take the bowl off the double-boiler pan and let it cool. 6) Pour the remaining cup of Limoncello, all of the lemon juice, 1 cup water and ½ cup of the sugar in a saucepan. 7) Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and cook for 5 minutes, evaporating the alcohol. Let the syrup cool completely. 8) In another large bowl, stir the mascarpone with a wooden spoon to soften it, then drop in the grated lemon zest and beat until light and creamy. 9) Whip the egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup sugar by hand or by machine, until it holds moderately firm peaks. 10) When the cooked Limoncello sponge (or zabaglione) is cool ed, scrape about a third of it over the mascarpone and fold it in with a large rubber spatula. Fold in the rest of the zabaglione in two or three additions. 11) Fold in the whipped egg whites in several additions, until the Limoncello-mascarpone cream is light and evenly blended. 12) Pour the cooled syrup, no deeper than ¼ inch, into the shallow-rimmed pan to moisten the ladyfingers (savoiardi). One at a time, roll a ladyfinger in the syrup and place it in a casserole or baking dish. 13) Wet each cookie briefly - if it soaks up too much syrup, it will fall apart. Arrange the moistened ladyfingers in neat, tight rows, filling the bottom of a 9”x 13” pan completely. You should be able to fit about 20 ladyfingers in a single layer. 14) Scoop half of the Limoncello-mascarpone cream onto the ladyfingers, and smooth it to fill the pan and cover them. Dip and arrange a second layer of ladyfingers in the pan, and cover it completely with the remainder of the cream. 15) Smooth the cream with the spatula, and seal the tiramisu airtight in plastic wrap. Before serving, refrigerate for 6 hours (or up to 2 days), or put it in the freezer for 2 hours. February is always a special time of year for us. Valentine's Day has always been more about the love we share with our family and friends who have become family. This month, we will be focusing on sweet dishes to share with your sweethearts. Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions? Share them with us by tagging #MGroupEvents
Chocolate Torte 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided 1/2 cup water 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 5 large eggs, beaten Equipment: 9-inch Springform pan 1 Large (18-inch) roll of heavy-duty foil Preparation: 1) Preheat oven to 300 F with rack in middle. Wrap outside of cake pan in plastic wrap, then wrap lightly in a layer of foil. 2) Lightly butter pan, then dust with sugar, knocking out excess. 3) Heat 1 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. 4) Melt chocolates in a large bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), stirring occasionally, until melted. 5) Stir together butter (2 sticks) and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in another bowl until combined. Stir butter mixture into melted chocolate. Stir in sugar syrup. 6) Gently stir in eggs (avoid making bubbles) until combined. Transfer to pan and bake in a hot water bath until center is almost set (it should barely wobble), about 45 to 50 minutes. 7) Cool completely on a rack. Chill, covered, at least 8 hours. 8) Run a thin knife along side of pan, remove side, and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature Comfort food is better when the ingredients are just as fun by themselves as they are together, right?
This week in the #ComfortFoodSeries, we dabble with mixing work and play in making Penne alla Vodka... What's your secret ingredient? Let us know by tagging #MGroupEvents on your posts. Penne alla Vodka Salt One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) with their liquid 1 pound penne 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 10 cloves garlic, peeled Crushed hot red pepper 1/4 cup vodka 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil for finishing the sauce, if you like 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing if you like 1) Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. 2) Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food processor. Using quick on/off pulses, process the tomatoes just until they are finely chopped. (Longer processing will aerate the tomatoes, turning them pink.) 3) Stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes. 4) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the hot oil. Cook, shaking the skillet, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. 5) Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes close to the skillet and carefully — they will splatter — slide the tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and generously with crushed red pepper. Boil 2 minutes. 6) Pour in the vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer until the pasta is ready. 7) Just before the pasta is done, fish the garlic cloves out of the sauce and pour in the cream. Add the 2 tablespoons butter or oil, if using, and swirl the skillet to incorporate into the sauce. 8) If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. 9) Check the seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and boil until the sauce is reduced enough to cling to the pasta. 10) Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Use the additional cheese as a garnish. Continuing on our Comfort Food Series, we wanted to share our favorite Shrimp Scampi recipe. What we love about this recipe is how simple it truly is to put together! So curl up with a bowl, a great glass of wine (white is encouraged -- but hey, we won't judge), and your favorite loaf of french bread. I hear if you tag #MGroupEvents, calories don't count...
Serves 4 Shrimp Scampi Provencale 16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour Additional all-purpose flour for dusting shrimp 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon chopped garlic ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ cup canned low-salt chicken broth ¼ cup drained capers ¼ cup diced tomatoes ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian (flat) parsley 1) Heat olive oil in large skillet 2) Lightly dust shrimp in flour Add shrimp to each skillet and cook quickly, remove and hold separately. 3) Combine 1 tablespoon butter and 1 ½ tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Bring wine, garlic, lemon juice and broth to boil in skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in butter-flour mixture and boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. 4) Stir in capers, diced tomatoes, parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper 5) Pour sauce over shrimp and serve alone or over pasta On rainy days like these, what is better than our favorite comfort food: spaghetti and meatballs? There is something to be said about a fresh pasta sauce that warms the soul. Let The M Group know what your favorite comfort food is by tagging #MGroupEvents on your posts; we would love to know what recipes you'd like to see here in our comfort food series.
Serves 6 - 8. Marinara-style Spaghetti Sauce 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or bacon fat 1 28 ounce can (3 ½ cups) tomatoes (imported Italian tomatoes please, squished by hand in can or bowl) 1 ounce can tomato paste 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 2 garlic cloves(more is always good) 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper, jalapeno, to taste 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper 1) In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and tomatoes. Cook tomatoes until well-blended and reduced, or about 15 minutes. 2) Add the tomato paste, parsley, garlic, oregano, red pepper, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. 3) Simmer for 30-45 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally and reducing heat to avoid sticking. The longer --- the better….add a little water or beef broth to thin it out if desired. Meatballs 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French or country-style bread 1/3 cup whole milk 8 ounces ground beef (15% fat) 8 ounces ground pork 1 cup finely ground (not grated) Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 large eggs 2 large garlic cloves, pressed Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for serving) Prehead oven to 425°F. 1) Combine breadcrumbs and milk in small bowl; stir until breadcrumbs are evenly moistened. Let stand 10 minutes. 2) Place beef and pork in large bowl and break up into small chunks. Add 1 cup ground Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. 3) Whisk eggs to blend in small bowl; whisk in garlic. Add to meat mixture. 4) Using your hands squeeze milk from breadcrumbs, reserving milk. Add breadcrumbs to meat mixture. Quickly and gently mix meat mixture just until all ingredients are evenly combined. It is important to not over-mix. 5) Chill mixture at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. 6) Moisten hands with some of reserved milk from breadcrumbs, and then roll meat mixture between palms into golf-ball-size balls, occasionally moistening hands with milk as needed. 7) Arrange meatballs in single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 8a) Bake in the oven for approximately 10 – 12 minutes if you will be adding them into your spaghetti sauce. They will finish cooking in the simmering sauce. Reduce the heat for the sauce to medium-low, add the meatballs, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. 8b) If you will not be adding the meatballs to the sauce, fully-cook the meatballs by baking them for 13 – 15 minutes, depending on size. Keep an eye on them and check for doneness. Chef's Secret: The meatballs and sauce can be made up to two days ahead. Be sure to store them in the refrigerator. |