Delicasa - revisit

Restaurant Review

Delicassa This place is a real oasis in the middle of the land of crappy fast food on Saint Michael's. Created by the folks who bring you La Boca, it's a cheap and cheerful joint in a strip mall. Light on decor and service (it's an order-at-the-counter-and-wait-at-your-table system), but the food is outstanding. I had a great cup of soup, a delicious Panini, and a whoopie pie, go figure. It was all delicious though the ham was very tough to eat and kept ending up hanging out of my mouth. Cut it thinner, or in thin strips? Maybe I need to order more basic foods. And they now do dinner!

Frozen Cappuccino

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Have you ever had a Frozen Cappuccino full of alcohol? Well, here it is. It’s like a very adult malted. If you are going to drink this, do not operate heavy machinery!

Ingredients
1 ounce light cream
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur
1 tablespoon Irish cream liqueur
Crushed ice

Procedure
Combine the liqueurs, ice cream and cream in a blender with half a cup of crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a parfait glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Add a straw, and serve. Now that's a party!

Amaretti Stuffed Peach Halves

The Altitude Adjustment Section
In keeping with our easy and Italian theme, I have a recipe for stuffed peach halves. Fresh peaches are still available, but I have used good quality canned peaches (Trader Joe's has great ones in jars... but only sometimes). The stuffing is made with amaretto cookies, you can make your own, or buy the great Italian ones that come in the red tin. I think Kaune's sells them.

Ingredients
3/4 cups ground almonds
3/4 ground Amaretto cookies
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks lightly beaten
6 peaches
1/2 cup Marsala wine

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Combine the Almonds, amaretto cookies, and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks a bit at a time. Add just enough egg yolk to hold the sticky mixture together. Form the mixture into 12 walnut sized balls. Butter a shallow baking dish. Cut the peaches in half or use halves to begin with. Place the peaches in the buttered baking dish tight together. Press a ball of almond mixture into the center of each peach. Dot the top with little bits of butter and pour the Marsala wine all over the top. Now bake for 30 minutes until the almond mixture is crusty and golden. Serve warm with some ice cream or gelato. This recipe serves 6 people.

Chicken Fricassee with Red Cabbage

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Marcella Hazen is one of the goddesses of Italian cuisine and cookbooks. Her recipes are so authentic and well written ǿ I can always trust her. The only thing to watch out for in this recipe for Chicken Fricassee with red cabbage is the timing. Things cook differently at this altitude. This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients
1 cup onions sliced very thin
1/4 extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
2 garlic cloves peeled and cut into 4 pieces
4 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1 pound)
1 3-4 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup dry red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Put the onion, 1/4 cup olive oil, and the garlic in a sauté pan. Turn the pan to medium heat and cook till the garlic turns golden brown. Now add the shredded cabbage. Stir thoroughly and add salt and pepper. Cook at a low simmer with the lid on stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes till the cabbage is very tender.

Wash and dry the chicken pieces. In a separate pan, put the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sear off the chicken pieces in the hot pan. Now place all the pieces into the pan with the cabbage and turn the chicken to coat in the cooked cabbage. Add the wine and a little more pepper. Cover the pan leaving the lid slightly ajar and continue to simmer for 50 minutes, At this point, the cabbage should have become a dark thick sauce, Adjust the seasoning and serve at once. Sometimes you need to add a bit more liquid as it cooks. That could be water or more wine. I go with more wine.