Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

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Amy’s Writing, Photography and Art can be found at amybisson.com

  • 06 Apr 2025: Pane del Pescatore

    We recently spent several weeks in Sicily and Firenze. If you ever need some inspiration for eating and cooking as an art, these are the places you need to go.

    Our morning in Firenze began with a walk along the Arno which is remarkably uncrowded at 7 am, after which we stopped in at a local bar for Americano or cappuccino and pastry. Italians love sweets for breakfast, and while cakes and cream filled pastry are normal, I couldn’t quite make eating such a morning habit. Once discovered, I made an exception for Pane del Pescatore or Fisherman’s Bread.

    Like a scone, the Pane are well baked and filled with dried fruits and nuts and often covered in a honey syrup. While we are back to our routine of cereal and coffee at home, these pastries did help ease the transition.

    Pane del Pescatore

    Recipe adapted from Cookie Madness

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    In a large bow, mix together:

    • 150 grams type 00 flour (can substitute bread flour)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt plus a pinch
    • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    • 60 grams sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
    • 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

    Cut in 50 grams unsalted butter until the flour mixture resembles coarse meal.

    Using hands, mix in the following:

    • 1 large egg brought to room temperature
    • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/4 Fiori di Sicilia (available through King Arthur Baking)
    • 1/3 cup toasted nuts (pecans, pine nuts, almonds)
    • 1/3 cup golden raisins or dried cherries
    • I needed a bit of milk (2-3 TBSP) to ensure the dough was thoroughly mixed

    Now drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Top with a few almond slivers and some coarse sugar. Pop into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. The outsides will be well-cooked and crunchy.

  • 19 Feb. 2025: Tuna Burgers

    When we were kids, my sisters and I were given a copy of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls. My memory which is possibly faulty is that our version had a spiral spine. Professional! Sometimes I wish I knew where that tome went, I’m sure it would be chockfull of classics from our growing up years. This recipe, however, seems to have transcended time. I’d forgotten about it until I began looking for family favorites from our childhood.

    Reminiscent of tuna melts, here, in all of it’s 1960s glory, I give you Betty Crocker’s version – Tuna Burgers.

    Ingredients

    • 1 – 7 oz. can tuna 
    • 1 cup chopped celery
    • 1/2 cup cheese or processed cheese, diced (feel free to update that to something less processed)
    • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • 6 hamburger buns

    Method:

    • Split and butter buns. 
    • Mix tuna, celery, cheese, mayonnaise and seasonings in bowl. 
    • Fill buns with tuna mixture. 
    • Wrap in wax paper and heat on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

  • 16 Feb 2025: Spinach Casserole with Thyme

    Back in the early days, well before the Internet was available, we relied on The Boston Globe for recipe ideas. We had just a few cookbooks in those days, so the Wednesday Food Edition of the Globe was the source of all things culinary. Who else remembers cutting recipes from the newspaper and gluing them to 3×5 cards?

    Although the recipe card credits Adrien for this vegetarian favorite, we are both fairly certain it’s real source was the newspaper. It’s a pretty easy one to assemble, and the leftovers are just as yummy as the hot-from-the-oven version.

    Spinach Casserole with Thyme

    Probably from the Boston Globe

    Ingredients

    • 2 TBSP Butter or some other oil
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 10-oz package for frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and then drained by squeezing out all of the liquids)
    • 1 cup cottage cheese
    • 2/3 cup or 2 oz. coarsely grated cheddar cheese
    • 3 TBSP flour
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp thyme

    Method

    1. Grease 1-1/2 quart casserole. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Melt butter (if using) and set aside OR measure out the oil (coconut oil is tasty).
    3. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Then add all of the other ingredients. Stir well.
    4. Pour into casserole and bake until set and slightly puffy (about 1 hour).
    5. Serves 6.

  • 08 Jan 2025: One-Pot Tofu and Broccoli Rice

    Whenever I see a recipe in the New York Times that has been developed by Ali Slagle, I know it will be stellar – easy to cook and delicious. This offering contributed by Ali to the New York Times Cooking Section last March is that and then some.

    This recipe is gifted from my subscription to the Times, but it won’t be available forever. I’ve included the ingredient list below so you know what ingredients you’ll need ahead of time. If you like it, you will probably want to subscribe to Ali Slagle’s Newsletter, 40 Ingredients Forever, or even better, buy her cookbook, I Dream of Dinner, available through her website.

    One-Pot Tofu and Broccoli Rice

    Ali Slagle, New York Times

    Ingredients

    • garlic cloves
    • fresh ginger
    • long-grain white rice
    • toasted sesame oil
    • soy sauce
    • peanut butter
    • chile crisp or chile sauce
    • block of extra firm tofu
    • small broccoli florets
    • cilantro

  • 03 Jan. 2025: Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup

    Chickpea/Lentil soup in yellow bowl

    This red lentil soup variation, shared by my sister, Molly, comes from “Once Upon a Chef” by Jenn Seagal. The addition of leftover veg makes a tasty contrast to the lentils, tomatoes and chickpeas, and the finished soup was a deliciously warming soup on a cold January evening.

    The recipe is freely available on her website, but for convenience, I’ve listed the ingredients here. Versatility – and using up leftover vegetables – is high on my list of resolutions for 2025. This is a great recipe for using vegetables you have on hand in the freezer or fridge.

    Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup

    Jenn Seagal, Once Upon a Chef

    Ingredients:

    • olive oil
    • onion
    • garlic
    • carrot
    • smoked paprika
    • cumin
    • vegetable or chicken broth
    • canned diced tomatoes
    • thyme
    • bay leaves
    • canned chick peas
    • red lentils
    • leftover cooked vegetables

  • 22 Dec 2024: Baked English Muffins

    King Arthur Baking’s newest cookbook, King Arthur Flour’s Big Book of Bread, has not only helped this old bread baker to perfect some techniques, it has opened my eyes to trying some new bakes. The Big Book of Bread’s English Muffin recipe is more of a traditional bake – longer rise time and griddled muffins – which I could never quite pull off in time for breakfast. So when I recently discovered this baked English Muffin recipe, I gave it a try.

    These muffins have fewer pronounced nooks and crannies, but the taste is fabulous. I’ve listed the ingredients here for reference and planning, bakers can save and download the recipe free from King Arthur Baking.

    Baked English Muffins

    Downloaded from King Arthur Baking website. Click here for a direct link.

    Ingredients:

    • Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    • Salt
    • Baking Powder
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Yeast
    • Milk
    • Butter
    • White Vinegar
    • Yellow Cornmeal or Semolina Flour

  • 20 Dec. 2024: Mexican Wedding Cakes

    This recipe comes from my Aunt Eleanor’s collection of recipes, and while the original source is no longer known to us, it was one of my Dad’s favorite cookie recipes. Aunt Eleanor, a career woman who did not marry until later in her life, always made sure we were well-stocked with cookies whenever we visited family in her hometown of Buffalo, New York. Her cut-out cookies were legendary – and included a secret ingredient: jello (more on that later)!

    These buttery short cookies are include a dried fruit of choice and candied pineapple was her original ingredient. Later, Mom used glacéed cherries and mixed the extracts to be half-and-half almond and vanilla, but for this iteration, I’ve kept to Aunt Eleanor’s originals

    Mexican Wedding Cakes

    Eleanor (Puglisi) McMillen

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup butter (softened)
    • 4 TBSP confectioner’s sugar
    • 1 TBSP vanilla (Mom’s variation, 1 TBSP vanilla, 1/2 tsp almond)
    • 2 cups flour
    • 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
    • 1/4 cup chopped candied pineapple (Mom’s variation was to used glacéed cherries)
    • Additional confectioner’s sugar for coating

    Method

    1. Cream together butter, 4 TBSP confectioner’s sugar and flavoring extract.
    2. Work in the flour, chopped nuts and candied fruit
    3. Suggestion from Mom: Chill dough overnight
    4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    5. Form 1/2 inch balls of dough and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
    6. Bake 15-20 minutes (the bottoms can brown quickly so keep an eye on them)
    7. Roll baked cookies in confectioner’s sugar while they are still warm (maybe a minute out of the oven) and then coat them again when fully cooled.
    8. The recipe came with a note to my Dad, Eleanor’s brother, Bud: “allow to ripen a week or more” – which we did not bother to do. Still delicious.

  • 19 Nov. 2024: Sloppy Joes

    What says I grew up in the 1960s more than a Sloppy Joe dinner? This recipe comes from my Mom’s recipe collection, although the ingredient list calling for Hunt’s tomato sauce seems to hint of at the origins.

    Feel free to substitute lower fat meat options like turkey or experiment with meatless proteins. The secret to this recipe’s appeal is definitely the sauce – a sweet and pungent mix of tomato, mustard and a hit of vinegar. 

    Ingredients & Method:

    Chop: 1 onion and 1/2 green bell pepper. Saute in fat/oil for a “short time”

    Add: 2 lbs ground beef. Brown the meat with the onions & peppers.

    Add:

    • 2 tsp salt
    • 2 TBSP dry mustard
    • 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce (Hunts)
    • 1/4 cup vinegar (apple cider vinegar was recommended)
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup tomato catsup

    Simmer for 45 minutes. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

  • 15 Nov 2024: Fudge Nut Bars

    This recipe comes from the 1963 (!) Pillsbury Bake-off, the 60s version of the Great British Baking Show. I baked these so often that my Girl Scout leader used to call them Amy Puglisi’s. While not taking credit for their origin, they’ve been a family favorite, especially with the tweak described below.

    Since there never seems to be a good use for a partial can of Sweetened Condensed Milk, it seemed economical to make TWICE the chocolate filling and pile that on top of the short crust. Twice the chocolate? No one will argue with that, right?

    Melt over boiling water (or use your microwave):

    • 1 6-oz package semi-sweet chocolate bits*
    • 1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
    • 1 TBSP butter
    • 1/4 tsp salt

    Remove from heat and add:

    • 1/2 c chopped nuts
    • 1 tsp vanilla

    Sift together 1-1/4 c flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.

    Cream 1/2 C butter with 1 C firmly packed brown sugar

    Add 1 unbeaten egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Blend well.

    Stir in the dry ingredient plus 1/2 C quick cooking oatmeal.

    ————————

    Press 2/3 of this mixture into a greased 9×9 inch pan. Spread chocolate filling on top and the crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture over the chocolate. Sprinkle with 1/4 c walnuts (or skip this if you want).

    Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into rectangular or square bars.

  • 08 Nov. 2024: Molly’s Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta & Pine Nuts

    My sister Molly, a terrific cook, adapted this recipe from a Cooking Light offering (March 2010), and it is really a delicious and quick pasta meal that includes veggies. Always a good idea to add veg to pasta. For this iteration, we used Casarecce pasta, pasta that originated in Sicily.

    Tossing the pasta in a lemon vinaigrette gives this pasta entree a fresh flavor. Making four good-sized servings, this is a great dish for weeknights, or any time really.

    Molly’s Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta and Pine Nuts

    Adapted from Cooking Light (March 2010)

    Ingredients:

    • 8 oz. short pasta (like penne, fusilli)
    • 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-1/2 inch pieces
    • 1 tsp minced garlic
    • 3 TBSP pine nuts (can substitute walnuts)
    • 2 oz. diced pancetta (can substitute bacon or jamon serrano)
    • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
    • 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
    • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/4 cup (1 oz.) crumbled or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

    Method:

    1. Preheat over to 400 degrees F.
    2. While oven is heating up, cook pasta according to package directions. Add asparagus to pot during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain.
    3. Sprinkle pasta mixture with garlic, return to pot and toss well.
    4. Arrange nuts in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 3 minutes or until golden and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn. Place nuts in a small bowl.
    5. Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees F. Arrange pancetta on jelly-roll pan. Bake at 475 degree F for 6 minutes or until crisp.
    6. Combine lemon juice, 2 TBSP olive oil, salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture, toss well to coat. Sprinkle with pine nuts, pancetta, and cheese.