Delicious Memories: Recipes and Stories from the Chef Boyardee Family

by Anna Boiardi, Stephanie Lyness, Ellen Silverman (Photographer)

Overview

From Chef Boyardee’s granddaughter: “Part cookbook, part family history, and part homage to her ancestors—immigrants who made their way in a new country” (NPR).
 
The Boiardi name has reached tables across America for more than seventy years. Most Americans have fond memories of this iconic brand, evoking nostalgia for a simpler time. From a very young age, Anna Boiardi spent countless hours helping her mother and grandmother, kneading and folding, and listening to stories as rich as the tortellini she and her mother would work to perfection. Now, for the first time, Anna brings us the authentic recipes that inspired the brand, including Ravioli with Ricotta and Squash Filling, Cotechino with Lentils, and Baked Fennel with Butter and Parmesan. Recipes for sauces, meats, and of course pasta dishes are just some of the secrets Anna shares in Delicious Memories.
 
“This loving paean to home-style Italian cooking and the culinary traditions of a family dynasty rooted in food offers just the right balance of nostalgia and appetizing recipes.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“If you’ve never been excited by Chef Boyardee’s spaghetti and ravioli dinners, fear not—there’s much more to the Boiardi family’s recipes than what you’ve seen in the supermarket.” —Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613121399
Publisher:	ABRAMS, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	195
Sales rank:	602,252
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Anna Boiardi is the granddaughter of Mario Boiardi and the great-niece of Hector Boiardi, founders of the Chef Boiardi Food Product Co. Born and raised in Italy in a family of chefs, Boiardi learned to cook at home with her mother and grandparents. After college, she launched Cucina Academy, which has been featured on CNBC, and she appears regularly on QVC presenting her dessert line, Delicious Memories. Boiardi lives in New York.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

First Bites: Antipasti Antipasto di salumi Roasted Red, Yellow, and Orrange Peppers Tuna, Anchovis, Olives, and Artichokes Grilled Party Vegetables Caponata, My Way Grape Tomato Bruschetta My Favorite Frittata Potato Salad, Italian Style Christmas Eve Baccalà

In Italy, our meals always start off with an antipasto, which just means something to nibble on while everyone has a glass of wine and socializes. When we're eating out in a restaurant in Italy, we order several antipasti for the center of the table, and everyone shares. They're not just for more formal occasions, though. It's a nice way to make people feel taken care of. My mom makes sure there are a few antipasti on her kitchen counter when Jack and I come by for dinner. She presses cocktail plates into our hands, and we snack on olives, little toasts called bruschetta, and plates of grilled vegetables and roasted peppers while we talk about the day. It makes things feel special.

Sadly, neither I, nor my students, have a lot of time for this ritual in our everyday lives, so we need recipes that can be put together quickly. The first two recipes — Antipasto di Salumi, and Tuna, Anchovies, Olives, and Artichokes — require no cooking at all, and a third, Grape Tomato Bruschetta, just needs some bread-toasting.

An antipasto or two can keep you feeling organized if you're running late. Worst-case scenario? Your dinner friends show up just as you walk in the door, shopping bags in hand. You assemble one of the antipasti while your friends are taking their coats off. Get someone to open a bottle of wine, and voilà! Everybody's taken care of for a while. Enough time for you to make dinner.

Antipasti do come in very handy for dinner parties because they can be made ahead and served at room temperature: I set out two, three, or even four of them on the table for my guests to snack on as they arrive. They also make wonderful cocktail party food arranged on top of bruschetta, because people can pop them easily into their mouths between conversations. Some recipes — the roasted peppers, grilled vegetables, potato salad, and caponata — can double as dinner vegetables.

This is a short list of my favorite antipasti, combining the most delicious, doable, and traditional recipes that I grew up with.

ANTIASTO DI SALUMI

SERVES 4

The area around Piacenza is known for its locally made pork salumi — which means cured meats — such as prosciutto, capicollo (which we call coppa in Piacenza), pancetta, salame, and cacciatorini. When my mom was growing up, a single pig slaughtered in the fall would feed the family for an entire year. How much of the animal can you eat?? (Stop. I don't really want to know.)

Before it was legal to import salumi into the States, my grandmother used to smuggle it through customs sewn into the hem of her skirts. (My mom went one better: she had a false-bottomed suitcase custom made to sneak hunks of Parmesan and salumi into the country.) My grandmother's short, round frame hid the meats pretty well, but as an added measure of security, my brother and I were delegated to be her "beards" when we traveled with her.

"Act like you're really tired," she would prompt us as we approached the customs officers. Wanting to spare an overburdened old lady with jet-lagged kids, they quickly shooed us through.

These days you can find cured meats at a good Italian deli or even in the supermarket. The idea here is to cater to a variety of tastes. I like sweeter meats, for instance, while Jack likes them spicy (like our personalities, I tell him), so I always buy one sweet and one spicy salami to serve along with the hams. Ask the person behind the deli counter to slice the meats very thin. The five meats listed in the recipe are just suggestions to get you going. You can serve more or fewer varieties, or add cheese. It's your party.

¼ pound olives
¼ pound spicy salami, thinly sliced
¼ pound sweet salami or coppa, thinly sliced
¼ pound prosciutto, cotto (cooked ham), thinly sliced
¼ pound prosciutto, very thinly sliced
¼ pound mortadella, thinly sliced
Breadsticks
Sliced baguette or bruschetta crackers
KITCHEN STAFF
A really pretty oval serving platter

SHOPPING WITH ANNA

There's no magic to the selection of meats, variety is what counts. You could forgo one of the meats and substitute ¼-pound cubed Parmesan cheese, Good-quality, store-bought marinated vegetables (artichoke hearts are traditional) can replaced olives. Or serve the vegetables in addition. We generally serve a raw ham (prosciutto) and a cooked ham (prosciutto coto): hams sold as "French ham" are most like the prosciutto cotto we eat in Italy.

* * *

PLACE THE OLIVES in a small, pretty bowl in the center of a large, decorative platter. Arrange each variety of meat separately around the olives: the salami and coppa can be laid out in overlapping rows. Drape the prosciutto slices, one next to the other. Do the same with the cooked ham. Fold the mortadella slices in half and then in half again to make triangles, and overlap them, one next to the other. Pay attention to color as you're arranging; the lighter-colored mortadella and cooked ham will make the darker-colored meats pop.

Put the breadsticks and crackers or bread in a basket. Set a stack of small plates alongside the antipasto arrangement.

ROASTED RED, YELLOW, AND ORANGE PEPPERS

SERVES 4

I almost always include this recipe in a class for beginning cooks. Everyone has eaten roasted peppers — at a restaurant, or from a deli, or a jar. People just assume they're hard to make. And discovering that they're not takes some of the fear out of cooking right away. At the end of the class, everyone is filled with pride to have mastered this difficult thing the first time out.

These peppers make a nice antipasto on their own, as one element of a more varied platter, or as a topping for bruschetta. They also add great color and flavor to other dishes: a plate of grilled vegetables (page 26), a plain turkey sandwich, or a tomato-mozzarella salad (see sidebar page 31). If you have a panini maker at home (one of my favorite kitchen tools), mozzarella and roasted peppers make great panini. These peppers will last for days in the refrigerator. Homemade roasted peppers are so much better than anything you can buy in jar — they are definitely worth a try!

1 firm red bell pepper
1 firm yellow bell pepper
1 firm orange bell pepper
¾ teaspon salt
pinch freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, cut into thin slivers
1 tablespoon nonpareil capers (the tiny ones) in vinegar, drained (optional)

* * *

PREHEAT THE BROILER to high and arrange an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the element.

Wipe the peppers clean with a paper towel (do not wash). Cut off and discard the tops and stems. Cut each pepper in half through the stem ends, and pull out the seeds with your fingers. Cut out the white ribs with a small knife.

Place the pepper halves, skin side up, in a shallow foil pan or baking sheet. Broil until the skins are blackened, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, cover with foil, and let cool for 1 hour.

Peel the skins off the cooled peppers with your fingers. Cut the peppers into 1-inch strips (see sidebar) and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Add the olive oil, garlic, and, if you're using them, the capers. Toss to coat the peppers with the seasonings. Set aside at room temperature until you're ready to serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days; bring the peppers to room temperature before serving.

TUNA, ANCHOVIES, OLIVES, AND ARTICHOKES

SERVES 6

Here's another super-easy antipasto that generations of Italian families have made in generations of kitchens. When my mom was growing up, canned tuna came in large, beautiful chunks, packed into foot-high cans and covered in olive oil. (When she talks about it, her eyes light up and she gestures a lot, so I believe that it tasted really fabulous.) It was sold by the pound at the local grocery store. She would tell the owner how much she wanted, he would ladle it into a jar for her, and she'd take it home, maybe to make into this antipasto.

One of the great things about this recipe is that it's just a collection of store-bought foods that — with the exception of the lettuce — you can keep in the pantry. If I've got sliced salami, I set out a dish of that, too, and add a plate of sliced bread.

Anchovies, while traditional (and very high in calcium), are not my favorite food. (Except on pizza. When I'm in the mood for something salty. Anchovies add just that little kick. ...) If you or your guests aren't fans either, replace the anchovies with chunks of Parmesan cheese.

4 large leaves Boston lettuce, washed and spun dry
1 (7-ounce) jar Italian, oil-packed tuna
2/3 pound green and black Cerignola olives, drained
1(3-ounce) jar Italian, oil-packed anchovies (optional)
2/3 pound marinated artichoke hearts
Breadsticks, for serving

* * *

COVER A LARGE, DECORATIVE PLATTER with the lettuce leaves. Spoon the tuna onto one leaf. Mound the olives on another. Spoon the anchovies on a third leaf, and the artichoke hearts on the fourth (they'll overflow a bit onto the platter). Put the breadsticks into a tall, decorative glass. Voilà!

GRILLED PARTY VEGETABLES

SERVES 4

These vegetables are actually better if you make them a day ahead, which means they're ideal for parties: The vegetables get a chance to absorb the taste of the garlic, and you get a chance to get a dish out of the way! I usually put them with something else — I'll set out a plate of sliced meats, say, or tuck thick ribbons of roasted peppers (page 23) between the zucchini and eggplant (the peppers are great for color). And I make extra if I can afford the time, because I like having them around the house. They're an easy side dish for dinner, and, with a couple of slices of mozzarella cheese, they're wonderful on panini.

Eggplant and zucchini are both watery vegetables. Salting them for several hours before cooking them pulls out some of the liquid (and putting a weight on top helps press out more); it makes them much tastier! And this recipe doubles, triples, quadruples — however many people you're feeding — very successfully; just use two colanders, one for each vegetable.

2 firm Italian eggplants
3 firm zucchini
Salt
Olive oil spray, for grilling
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Freshly ground pepper
2 nice sprigs freshly basil for garnish
KITCHEN STUFF
A grill pan (preferably nonstick)

SHOPPING WITH ANNA

I burry the smaller eggplants, called "Italian" eggplants, because they have fewer seeds than the large guys and they're less watery.

* * *

TRIM OFF THE ENDS and cut the eggplants crosswise into rounds about inch thick. Trim off the ends and cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick strips; cut the zucchini strips crosswise into four equal rectangles, each about 3 inches long.

Set a colander on top of a deep plate. Put the eggplant slices into the colander, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss with a fork so that each slice is seasoned with some of the salt. Add the zucchini to the colander, sprinkle with another 1 teaspoon of salt, and toss with the zucchini. (Be careful to keep zucchini and eggplant relatively separate from each other; the eggplant gives off a bitter liquid, and you want that on the plate, not dripping onto your zucchini.) Set a plate directly on top of the zucchini and put something heavy on top (I use a 28-ounce can of tomatoes) to help press out the water. Let stand at least 1 hour (3 hours is even better).

Spread a paper towel on your work surface. Remove the vegetable slices from the colander and arrange them in a single layer on the paper towel; cover them with a second paper towel and blot well so that the vegetables are good and dry. Remove the vegetables to a baking dish. Continue blotting this way, changing paper towels as they get wet, until all the vegetables are dry.

Heat a grill pan (preferably nonstick) on the stove over medium-high heat until hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Spray the pan lightly with olive-oil spray. Arrange a single layer of vegetable slices on the grill. Cook until you see nice grill marks on one side, 2 to 4 minutes. (If it takes longer than that, you probably need to raise the heat under the pan.) Turn, and cook until the other side is marked and the vegetables are soft, 2 to 4 more minutes. Remove to a large platter. Continue until all the vegetables are cooked.

Drizzle the vegetables with the oil, turning them with a fork so that all the pieces are coated and very moist. (The vegetables will absorb a lot of oil, so if they seem dry, don't hesitate to add another tablespoon or 2.) Scatter the garlic slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Set aside for at least 2 hours. Or refrigerate, covered, overnight; bring to room temperature before serving.

To serve, shingle the eggplant on one half of a serving platter, the zucchini on the other. Decorate with the basil.

CAPONATA, MY WAY

SERVES 8 TO 10

Caponata is a vegetable dish that's made all over Italy. Everybody has a slightly different recipe, but the version most recognizable to Americans is Sicilian, typically made with olives and capers, as well as vinegar and sugar to give it the familiar sweet-and-sour taste. Our version is made with nothing more than vegetables, seasoning, and olive oil, with the vegetables all cooked together in a big pan on top of the stove.

This recipe is bicultural, the result of a year I spent at school in the south of France when I was twenty. The lady of the house where I stayed was a wonderful cook, and she often made ratatouille, a vegetable stew that is similar to caponata — at least the way we make it in Piacenza (not surprising — southern France is not far from northern Italy). But instead of cooking everything all together, Madame Gueno cooked the vegetables one at a time and then combined them at the end.

Madame's method appealed to me because it considers each vegetable's cooking time (peppers take longer than zucchini, for instance). Nothing overcooks, I can taste each vegetable, and nothing turns to mush. I imported it to my mother's kitchen when I returned from France. The final step — number 9 — is my own. Baking gently melds the flavors.

You can serve this as an appetizer or vegetable side dish, but I make it more often as an antipasto. When it's spooned on top of toasted bread slices or bruschetta crackers, people love it. Jack, in particular, is crazy for it. (He begs me to make it every year for his birthday, a big bash with about seventy to a hundred guests ... and how can I say no?)

If you do plan to serve it with bruschetta, cut the vegetables very small — about ¼-inch dice. I make it in large quantities because it's more than a little chopping (which I don't want to do too often). It's good cold or hot, and it gets better as it sits — two days after you make it, it's perfect.

4 firm Italian eggplants, abaut 1-½ pounds total
4 firm zucchini Salt
5 large plum tomatoes , or 1 (14-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, with juice
2 firm red bell peppers
2 firm yellow bell peppers
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 medium onions roughly chopped Freshly ground black pepper or peperoncino (red pepper flakes)

SHOPPING WITH ANNA

When you're buying zucchini, steer clear of the really gigantic ones, They have mushy, seed-filled interiors. Look for medium-sized vegetables that weigh 4 to 5 ounces each.

* * *

SET YOURSELF UP with two colanders. Trim the stems from the eggplant. Slice the eggplant Lengthwise 1/3 to ½ inch thick. Cut the slices lengthwise into strips about 1/3 to ½ inch wide, and cut those strips crosswise into cubes. Put the eggplant cubes into one of the colanders. Cube the zucchini the same way, and put it into the second colander. Thoroughly toss each vegetable with about 2 teaspoons salt. Set a plate directly on top of the vegetables in each colander, and weight the plates with a couple of large cans. (This will press out the water and intensify the flavor of the vegetables.) Put the colanders in the sink, or on two deep plates to catch the water, and set them aside for at least 2 hours to drain.

If you're using fresh tomatoes, bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Set a plate near the stove. Add the tomatoes to the water and let them bob around until the skin begins to pull away from the flesh, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the tomatoes to the plate with a slotted spoon or "spider" and let them cool a few minutes. When they're cool enough to handle, peel off the skins with your fingers. Chop the tomatoes, put them in a bowl, and set them aside. (If you're using canned tomatoes, coarsely chop the tomatoes — a food processor works just fine for this — and set them aside in a bowl with their juice.)

Cut off and discard the tops of the bell peppers. Cut the peppers in half through the stem ends and pull out the seeds with your fingers. Carefully cut out the fleshy, white ribs with a small knife. Then slice the peppers into strips 1/3 to ½ inch wide; cut the strips crosswise into squares.

Dump the eggplant out onto paper toweling. Cover with more paper toweling and pat dry completely. Do the same with the zucchini, keeping the vegetables separate.

Set a 9-by-13-inch baking dish next to the stove. Place two large skillets on top of two burners over medium heat. Add ¼ cup oil to each pan and heat until the oil is hot enough to sizzle when you add a piece of eggplant. Then put the eggplant into one pan and the zucchini into the other. Cook, stirring every now and then with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables just begin to color, about 20 minutes. Scrape all the vegetables out into the baking dish.

Turn the heat to low under one skillet. Add another ¼ cup oil and the garlic to the skillet. Heat the oil until you smell the garlic a bit, 1 to 2 minutes. (Don't let the garlic color or it will get strong tasting.) Now add the chopped tomato (fresh or canned, with juices), ¼ teaspoon salt, and the parsley. Cover and simmer very gently until the tomatoes are soft and saucy, about 25 minutes for fresh or 35 minutes for canned. Scrape into the baking dish.

While the tomatoes cook, add the remaining ¼ cup oil to the second pan, set it over medium heat, and heat until a little piece of onion sizzles when you add it to the pan. Add the chopped onion and cook 5 minutes. Add the diced peppers and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring now and then, until the peppers are very soft, about 25 more minutes. Add to the baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and center a rack in the oven.

Add 1/8 teaspoon black pepper or peperoncino to the vegetables in the baking dish and gently stir all the vegetables together. Taste, and add salt or pepper to your liking. (We don't really do spicy, but you can add more red pepper, if you like.) Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes.

GRAPE TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

SERVES 4

These are like open-faced tomato sandwiches — toasted bread topped with mini grape tomato and basil salads. Bruschetta comes from verb bruscare, which means "to toast over coals." Bruschetta are great for parties. If people are arriving at seven, I make the tomato topping in the afternoon, and let it sit at room temperature. I'll start toasting the bread at six thirty, top the toasts with the tomatoes, and put the bruschetta out on a platter. When people arrive, the bruschetta are still a little warm, the toast hasn't gotten soggy yet, and the house smells wonderful!

I make bruschetta with baguettes or ciabatta bread, but you can use any bread you like. If you use baguette, cut the bread on the diagonal into 1½-inch-thick slices and toast it just like the ciabatta.

The basil is cut into thin strips, called a "chiffonade." Stack the leaves, roll them like a cigar, and cut them crosswise as thinly as you can.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Delicious Memories"
by .
Copyright © 2011 Anna Boiardi and Stephanie Lyness.
Excerpted by permission of Abrams Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION: TRADITION WITH A TWIST: FROM BOIARDI TO CHEF BOYARDEE,
12 ESSENTIALS TO MAKE 15 DINNERS,
CHAPTER 1 First Bites: Antipasti,
CHAPTER 2 Soups, Risotti, and Other Primi,
CHAPTER 3 Pasta,
CHAPTER 4 Seafood, Poultry, and Meats,
CHAPTER 5 Vegetables and Salads,
CHAPTER 6 Dolci,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,
CONVERSION CHARTS,
INDEX,
RECIPE INDEX,

Editorial Reviews

Boiardi, granddaughter of one of the founders of the Boyardee food empire, celebrates family traditions in this warm and inviting book. While the name Chef Boyardee may conjure up images of canned ravioli and Beef-a-roni, the recipes she includes are authentic Italian comfort food suitable for everyday meals. She provides a useful "12 Essentials to Make 15 Dinners" section that lists essential items to keep on hand and the dishes that can be made solely from these ingredients. Chapters cover everything from antipasti and pasta to seafood, poultry, meats, and desserts. Familiar dishes such as minestrone soup, lasagna, and chicken cacciatore spark memories for Boiardi as she offers family tips and twists on recipe adaptations. For Italian staples such as risotto, she provides complete and separate recipes for numerous variations including parmesan cheese, asparagus, porcini mushrooms, and lobster. Aside from the classic fare, she includes some recipes for unexpected dishes such as potato salad Italian style, apple cider rosemary roast chicken, and baked cauliflower. Enhanced with striking full-color photos throughout, this loving paean to home-style Italian cooking and the culinary traditions of a family dynasty rooted in food offers just the right balance of nostalgia and appetizing recipes. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Part nostalgic background, part recipes, this cookbook offers new Italian recipes and presents the history behind Chef Boyardee, with photographs. Boiardi, the granddaughter and great-niece of the company's founders, and Lyness (regional food critic, New York Times) include dishes like Tuna, Anchovies, Olives, and Artichokes; Fresh Egg Pasta; and Grilled Veal Chops. If you've never been excited by Chef Boyardee's spaghetti and ravioli dinners, fear not—there's much more to the Boiardi family's recipes than what you've seen in the supermarket.

Library Journal