Recipes In Honor Of Our Mothers

Mother’s Day Menu
Chicken Cacciatore
Parpadelle with Chives
Green and Yellow Vegetable Sauté
Crumbly Rhubarb Pie

Now that I have children, I sometimes look back on parts of my childhood and teenage years (especially the teenage years) and cringe. Then I think about all of the heart attacks our daughters have or will give us and I cringe again. It’s of course not until much later, looking back on your childhood, that you realize that your parents are filled with amazing patience and heroic fortitude. If I were to write a letter to my mom it might look something like this: “Dear Mom, I’m sorry for all the times that I procrastinated and finished my papers very late on the night before they were due. Once they were finished, you then stayed up for another two hours typing it – on a typewriter. Thank you for that. I’m sorry for the time I gave you the finger, but I’m really glad you gave it back to me. I was so shocked I never did it again. I should also apologize for the boys I dated that you didn’t like. That was why I dated them. The secret is that I didn’t really like them either. Don’t worry though, I did eventually choose well, my husband is a great man. I’m also sorry that I often forget to send a card for you and dad’s anniversary and that your birthday card is sometimes late. I hope that you know that I love you. You did a really good job raising me, because even though I wasn’t a perfect kid and now I’m not a perfect adult, I know you love me.”

In honor of the nurturers of the family, the ones who listen, cuddle, scold and multitask, I’ve created a comfort food menu for Mother’s Day. It’s not too fancy or extravagant, but that’s how it is with most mothering. If you’d like to shave more time off, use a store-bought pie shell for the Crumbly Rhubarb Pie. I’ve honored my mom’s house rules growing up and not included ice cream to go with the pie. If my mom made a homemade pie for us, we couldn’t have ice cream to go with it. She’d say if she spent all that time on a pie, we weren’t going to muddy it with ice cream, but enjoy the pie itself. Many happys to all of the mothers out there.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 pounds chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
2 tablespoons garlic
12 oz. button mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons rosemary
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine
4 cups cans diced tomatoes, 2 28oz. cans

In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Coat the chicken on all sides with the seasoned flour. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Carefully add the chicken, skin side down. You may need to brown the chicken in two or three batches, as you only want one layer of chicken at a time in the pan. Brown well on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove all chicken from the pan and add the onions and garlic. When the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms and the rosemary. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stock and tomatoes. Add the chicken and any juice from the platter and combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover until the chicken is cooked through. About 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Parpadelle with Chives

Parpadelle, is a pasta that looks like fat ribbons. I have used this basic pasta recipe for years, but I originally found it in Chez Pannise: Pasta, Pizza and Calzone by Alice Waters.

1 cup semolina flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons or more water
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chives

In a medium bowl combine flours with the salt and make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and stir with the tips of your fingers working the flour on the outside into the dough. When the flour and egg are mixed, add the water and bring it together in a ball. The water will vary with the size of the eggs and the moisture in the flour. Turn it out onto the counter and knead for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover to prevent a dry skin from forming and let rest for 45 minutes. Roll and cut using a hand-cranked or electric pasta machine. The pieces should be about 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Once the pieces are rolled, you can dust them with flour and let them sit on the counter until you are ready to cook them. Loosely shake off the excess flour before moving to the boiling water.

When ready to serve, drop loosely into a pot of salted, boiling water. Stir well but gently. The pasta is done when it floats or is al dente – just the tiniest bit firm when you bite into it.

Strain the water from the pasta and return the pasta to the pot. Add the butter, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the chives. Gently combine. Reserve the other 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese for garnishing and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Green and Yellow Vegetable Sauté

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 yellow summer squash, cut in half and sliced into 1/2 inch half rounds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
juice from 1/2 lemon

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and broccoli and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the yellow pepper and squash and salt and pepper. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes or until all the vegetables are slightly tender. Squeeze the lemon juice on top and serve.

Crumbly Rhubarb Pie

To save some time, you may also use a store-bought pie shell.

1 unbaked pie shell (recipe below)
Rhubarb Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
5 cups rhubarb

Crumble Topping:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out the pie dough into an 12 inch circle. Line a 9 or 10 inch pie pan and pinch the edges decoratively. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces and combine with one cup of sugar and 1/3 cup flour. For the crumble topping, blend sugar, flour and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife and set the crumble mixture aside. Spoon the rhubarb filling into the prepared pie shell and then top with the crumble mixture. Bake for 10 minutes at 400° and then reduce oven to 350°. Bake for another 50 minutes.

Makes 1 pie, serving 8-10 people

Pie Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/8 cup shortening
2 tablespoons ice cold water (or more)

Combine the flour, salt, and shortening into a medium bowl; cut in well with a pastry knife. Add the water and mix until dough pulls away from the bowl and forms a ball. Add more water if necessary 1 teaspoon at a time to get the dough to form a ball.

Makes 1 crust