This blog post part of the Foodbuzz 24 bloggers in 24 locations over 24 hours event.

(Pictured from left: fresh artichokes, baked pasta, stuffed artichokes, fried cardoons)

Late October in Rochester, NY is always unpredictable–sometimes sweater weather, while other times a full coat and scarf is required. But while cool and cloudy outside this weekend, the kitchen was warm and packed full of some of my favorite foods–and people.

The whole extended family (nieces, nephews, cousins and family friends) descended on my parents’ house for my dad’s surprise 60th birthday party. In Addition to the cakes, cookies and pizza there was an abundance of home cooked dishes including baked pasta, oversized meatballs, stuffed artichokes and fried cardoons. While the prep time on these dishes is long, the taste is really worth the wait.

Even amongst all the chaos and cooking, we all still found an opportunity to make flavored martinis and sit back and sip.

I like mixing vodka, triple sec, pomegranate juice and lime into an ice-cold concoction I call the Sidekick.

2 parts vodka
1 part pomegranate juice (pure juice, not the blend)
Splash of triple sec
Splash of fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and agitate for about 10-15 seconds until cold. Strain and pour into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with lime wedge.

And now for the food. While in Rochester I always do my shopping at Wegmans. Since my childhood the supermarket chain has evolved from the local favorite to a multi-state mammoth that is even heading into Westwood MA–a little to late for me, though. Even now living in SF with so many option and fresh produce stands, the hometown supermarket is still a favorite–huge selections, from ethnic to gourmet and organic, and much, much cheaper than food out here. They also have an impressive produce section–including artichokes and cardoons (sometimes called cardone), recipes below.

Fried Cardoons
My father’s parents often made this dish as part the multiple-course, hours-long Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. And while they haven’t made an appearance at the holiday table in several years, I took this opportunity to cook the dish with my grandmother to be sure I was authentically recreating the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 stalk of cardoons
2 eggs
lemon
flour
breadcrumbs
salt & pepper

Wash and pat dry the cardoons. Trim the tops and bottom as you would celery, discard the tough outer stems, as well as the leafy parts. Use a vegetable peeler or small knife to remove the fibrous strands. Cut stems in approx. 3″ pieces and let soak in cold water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon

Next, boil the cut cardoons in salted, boiling water for 25-30 minutes until they are fork tender. Remove from the boiling water and allow to dry on a towel and cool.

Then bread the vegetable using the same process used for breading meat: dredge in seasoned flour, dip in egg wash, then dredge in seasoned bread crumbs.

Fry the breaded cardoons in a frying pan with about 1/2″ of hot oil until golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges.

The artichokes too are quite time consuming, but are one of my favorite vegetables. I always request these each time I make a visit home. And while I always simply called them my grandmother’s stuffed artichokes, the Talisman Italian Cookbook refers to them as Artichokes Sicilian Style.

Stuffed Artichokes
My grandmother’s secret to keeping the stuffing moist is to occasionally baste the tops of the artichokes with the cooking liquid.

6 artichokes
1 C Breadcrumbs
1/4 C Pecorino Romano cheese grated
1/4 C Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Bowl of cold water

Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in bowl. Set aside.
Remove stems from artichokes then snap off any tough, lower leaves.
Cut top 1/3 of leaves and trim any prickly petals that remain.
Soak stems and artichokes in bowl of water and lemon juice. Drain on paper
Spread leaves apart, making room for stuffing.
Stuff artichokes, making sure to get between all the leaves.
Bring about 1″ of water to boil in large Dutch oven
Place artichokes in pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Cover and let cook 30-40 minutes, adding water to pan as it evaporates.
The leaves will easily pull away from heart when fully cooked.

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I haven’t made these in a while so when a co-worker suggested I make some I happily obliged. This is one of those simple dishes that, with just a few ingredients, bring a sugary, sweet smell to the kitchen and satisfies a sweet tooth.

It’s one of the first recipes I remember making with my grandmother. She always had a box of rice cereal and a bag of marshmallows in the cupboard for when we came over–though she always used margarine at the time. If  I remember correctly, it was my middle brother that always asked for these. And I don’t think we ever let them cool completely before eating.

In an attempt to deviate slightly from classic recipe I add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of almonds and drizzle the final product with a bit of caramel.

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I had planned to make this eggplant bolognese for dinner, but never made it to the market. So instead I cobbled together what I had at home including, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, carrots and a piece of salt pork.

Here’s my ingredient list:
Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
3 tomatoes, chunked
2 zucchini, chunked
1 lb mini eggplant, chunked
1 28 oz can (peeled) tomatoes
Approx. 2 inch cube salt pork
1lb whole wheat pasta
Red wine
Bay leaf

Boil salt pork in water for about 10 minutes, then drain and cool.

Meanwhile, saute onions until translucent, then add cooled salt pork to pan and cook for about 5 min. on med. heat. Then add carrots and garlic and cook until the veggies are soft and translucent, but don’t let garlic burn. There should be a bunch of brown bits on the bottom of the pan from the pork and carrots.

Next, deglaze the pan with approx. 3/4 cup red wine and stir until wine reduces. Next I added the eggplant and zucchini and saute for another 5-10 minutes until tender. Then I added fresh and canned tomatoes, bay leaf, a little black and red pepper and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Serve over pasta. I garnish with a bit of chopped basil and parsley.

Note: I don’t think I boiled the salt pork long enough because the sauce was just about perfectly salty without adding extra. But I did enjoy the extra fresh tomato flavor that the heirloom tomatoes added.

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