Just Like Mom Makes

As an adult, there is something so comforting about a meal that is either a favorite prepared by mom or a dish you prepare “just like mom” did if she is only in memory. And it’s fun to get a taste of dishes other moms have prepared for their families throughout the years—especially if the dish comes from an Italian mom known for cooking up delicious meals. In Elisa Constantini’s “Italian Moms: Something Old, Something New,” the sequel to her debut cookbook, “Italian Moms: Spreading Their Art to Every Table”—which was just published in October 2017 when she was 78—Costantini shares her vision of Italian home cooking with some new twists.

The daughter of farmers, Constantini was born in Poggio Valle, Italy, and learned to cook at a very young age at the hip of her Aunt Ida, who was a celebrated chef and caterer in the province of Teramo, located in the Abruzzo region of Italy. For her first book, Costantini gathered family recipes—rustic, authentic recipes of “true” Italian cooking—compiled with assistance from her son Frank. The book led to TV appearances including “Rachel Ray” and the “Today” show.

In her second book, she includes “something new” with dishes such as a modern, gluten-free version of her traditional Eggplant Parmigiana. She also offers comforting classics such as the Beef and Polenta recipe featured here, which she says is a cold-weather favorite, especially when you are sitting by a wood-burning stove or fireplace. “I recall my younger days of preparing the polenta in the fireplace over some coals,” she writes. “It is the fondest memory of my childhood in the kitchen with my mother. This dish warms the stomach, heart and soul!” And where would we be without a treat such as biscotti to serve with some morning or afternoon coffee?

Both books are peppered with family photos and tales of the self-described “reluctant immigrant” who only came to appreciate life in her adopted country long after she had arrived. If anything she learned over the years could be useful to someone else it would be a blessing, she notes. —Mary Subialka

Beef and Polenta Polenta con Manzo

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

For the Beef

3 garlic cloves, minced ½ cup olive oil 2 pounds chuck steak, cut into 2-inch cubes salt and black pepper, to taste 2 Spanish onions, sliced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 4 cups beef stock 2 cups chopped tomatoes 2 cups dry red wine 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves 2 fresh sage leaves freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish

For the Polenta

2 teaspoons salt 1 cup yellow Italian polenta 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Prepare the beef: In a large sauté pan, sauté half the garlic in ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the beef, with a pinch of salt and black pepper, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.

2. In a separate large sauté pan, place the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil and the onions, and sauté over medium heat until the onions are tender (approximately 5 to 7 minutes). Add the tomato paste and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock, tomatoes and red wine, and mix thoroughly. Add the beef mixture, top with the rosemary and sage, and add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to very low, and simmer, covered, for 1½ hours, until the meat is cooked through.

3. Prepare the polenta about 20 minutes before the beef is fully cooked: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and the polenta is tender but still very loose and creamy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off heat. Add the olive oil and mix thoroughly.

4. Transfer the polenta to individual pasta bowls and ladle the beef over the polenta. Garnish with some fresh Pecorino Romano cheese and serve.

Lemon Poppy Biscotti Biscotti al Limone e Semi di Papavero

MAKES 2 DOZEN BISCOTTI

2 eggs 8 tablespoons salted butter, softened 1½ cups sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon lemon extract 1 tablespoon lemon rind 1⁄4 cup poppy seeds, plus more for the glaze juice of 1 lemon ¼ cup solid shortening 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. With an electric stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment, cream the eggs, butter and sugar on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low, and then add the flour, baking powder, lemon extract and lemon rind, and blend until mixed thoroughly. Finally, add the poppy seeds and fold in thoroughly.

3. Lightly flour a clean work surface and divide the dough into four equal sized parts. With a rolling pin, roll out each piece into a log about 2 inches wide. Place two logs, side by side and 2 to 3 inches apart, on each of the lined baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut the logs into 1-inch-diagonal strips and allow biscotti to cool on wire racks.

4. In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice, solid shortening and confectioners’ sugar, and stir constantly over low heat until combined well. Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes. Add some poppy seeds and mix thoroughly. Drizzle glaze on top of the biscotti.

Cook's Note:

For crispy biscotti, at the end of step 3 you can return the cut logs to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, then cool on wire racks.