Nonna Antoinette's Tips
Pull up a chair, grab an espresso
and join me for some of my best tips!
Old
Fashioned with a Modern Flair
Pizza Dough Tip
For a lot of people, making homemade dough
can be intimidating at first. It’s totally fine to use
store-bought dough until you’re comfortable making
your own at home.
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Important tip for store-bought dough:
Make sure to give the dough a chance to warm up and rise!
Store-bought dough has very little yeast to prevent over fermentation. It is also kept cold for that same reason.
In order for you to achieve the best results, leave the bag of dough out on the counter all day. It will become puffy but perfect.
Dough will be ready to use by the evening meal.
Stuffed Artichoke Tip
Tip for Italian Stuffed Artichokes
Save the stems from the artichokes. Trim the ends and peel the sides. Add them to the broth with the stuffed artichokes and let them cook together. They’re an extra little treat!
If you’d like, you can add a couple of peeled and quartered potatoes and two peeled and cut carrots to the broth. But if you do, add extra broth (1 to 2 cups) and some salt. Cook with the artichokes.
You can add some sliced cheese on top of each artichoke before you finish them in the oven for extra flavor. Broil on low until cheese is melted and golden.
Italian
Trifle
Tip for Italian Trifle
You may use any cake you prefer for this recipe, including leftover Panettone,
Pandoro or Colomba.
My amazing granddaughter, Lexi, makes hers with Velvet Cake for a more colorful presentation.
If you don’t have time to make the Italian pastry cream, you may substitute it with instant pudding (French Vanilla and Chocolate flavors), making sure to use ¼ less milk than box directions.
This is to prevent that the pudding is too liquid once you add the whipped cream.
You can use Cool Whip for the whipped cream.
You can add chocolate shavings over the top with the berries if you wish.
Ciambella Tip
Tip for Savory Ciambella or Stuffed Breads
Don’t be afraid to switch deli meats and cheeses with the ones you have on hand or that you prefer.
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The only exception is fresh mozzarella. It contains too much liquid and it will make your breads soggy.
Spezzatino
Tip
Spezzatino con Piselli
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I usually use small diced beef but you can substitute beef with veal, lamb, pork, turkey or chicken.
Use the polenta bowl step to impress your family or guests! I actually came up with the idea of a polenta bowl when I made chili one night.
As you can see, my recipes are flexible and interchangeable. Feel free to use the polenta bowl idea for any thick stew or soup.
Just make sure to let the polenta set a couple extra minutes before pouring anything hot in it. You don't want the polenta to melt into your soup before you serve it! Lol
Nutellotti
Tips
Tip for Nutellotti
​If you have a food scale (which I highly recommend), weigh the ingredients instead of measuring. It will be more precise, making the resulting dough perfect.
I use 00 flour from Italy. It’s a lighter flour, more appropriate for sweets. You can substitute with all purpose flour.
​Make sure not to over bake cookies or they will be crumbly. This recipe is like an Italian version of brownies and, therefore, the cookies should still be soft when you take them out of the oven.
​You may sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over the tops, after you have finished filling the cookies with Nutella.
Spaghetti Puttanesca
Tip
Spaghetti Puttanesca
with Tuna
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If you don’t want to use fresh tomatoes, replace with a 28 Oz can of crushed tomatoes.
You may use any type of pasta for this sauce.
If you don’t want the chopped garlic in your sauce, sauté garlic cloves whole and discard.
You may add fresh chopped parsley before serving.
St Joseph's Zeppole
Tip
St Joseph's Zeppole
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If you like your zeppole extra shiny, add a teaspoon of sugar to the water.
Do not add eggs all at once! Make sure to follow the directions for one egg to be completely incorporated before adding the next.
The zeppole dough is very delicate and does not like quick temperature changes while baking. Follow the directions of not opening the oven door and allow to cool off gradually after baking.
Pizza Casareccia Tip
As always, you can substitute store bought pizza dough for the homemade one. The dose in this recipe makes about 20 ounces of dough therefore, substitute accordingly.
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Do not make your sauce watery. Drain any excess water from tomatoes before adding the other ingredients.
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You may use extra grated cheese as topping if you desire.
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You may also use extra olive oil to drizzle on top.
Please use the best quality ingredients for this recipe. Since it’s so simple, the quality of the tomatoes, grated cheese and olive oil is what it’s going to make it delicious.
Pollo alla Birra Tip
Make sure to use a clear (light colored) beer. If you use any other type, you will end up with a bitter sauce.
Feel free to cut up the whole chicken in more than 4 pieces. Just adjust cooking time accordingly since smaller pieces cook faster.
The chicken is delicious just out of the pan. I prefer a little color for presentation reasons. That’s why I brown it under the broiler for a few minutes. You can skip this step if you wish.
You may sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over the chicken before serving.