Home Cooking with Mary Ann Esposito

home cooking with Mary Ann Esposito

Celebrate International Women’s Day

Connect to other cultures by preparing these delicious recipes.

I wonder how many of us know the significance of March 8 for women around the world. Historians say this day—known as International Women’s Day—was born out of grievances by female garment workers in New York City in 1907. The protest highlighted the lack of women’s rights, including the denial of a vote, poor working conditions and lack of respect for women in the workforce. But the movement gained more speed and attention in socialist and communist countries where the outcry for women’s rights was greater. France proclaimed its first Woman’s Day in 1911, followed by Russia, where Vladimir Lenin declared Woman’s Day an official holiday. Spain and China followed suit. After 1945, the name was changed from Woman’s Day to Women’s Day and was celebrated mainly in socialist countries. The United Nations General Assembly officially recognized March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1975, and by 2014, it was observed in over one hundred countries. Purple was the color chosen to symbolize achieving dignity and justice for all women.

Today, this observance has grown into a festival of marches, ideas and recognition of women worldwide who have made an impact. The celebrations take many distinct forms; some of them a bit unusual—in China, men dress in women’s clothing and high heels to climb mountains to express the hardships women face!

In Rome after World War II, Italians started honoring women with bouquets of bright yellow mimosa flowers that bloom in March, and the flower became the symbol of The Festival of Women (La Festa delle Donne).

Food is also central to the day’s events. So why not make the day special and fun by preparing some global-inspired

dishes? I like to draw from different cultures and prepare foods using as many typical ingredients as are available. Some options could be Chinese wonton soup, Korean spicy cabbage, English fish and chips, or Irish corned beef. Let’s celebrate the women of the

world! NHH

Text, Food Prep and Styling by Mary Ann Esposito | Photography by John W. Hession

28 | New Hampshire Home march/april 2020

Traditional Greek Salad Serves 4

This easy-to-make Greek salad is not only colorful, but also full of flavor and high in healthy doses of vitamins. No dressing is made beforehand for this salad; a good, extra-virgin olive oil is drizzled over the top before serving.

4 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into thick wedges 1 cucumber, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thick strips 1 red onion, quartered then thinly sliced ½ cup pitted whole Kalamata olives ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 small block feta cheese 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

1. In a salad bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, olives, artichoke hearts and oregano. Place the feta cheese over the top of the salad.

2. Drizzle the olive oil over the top. Add salt to taste, and serve with crusty bread.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

nhhomemagazine.com New Hampshire Home | 29

home cooking with Mary Ann Esposito

Mimosa Cake Serves 8–10

This impressive-looking but easy-to-make torta mimosa is made to honor Italian women on International Women’s Day.

For the Cake

Butter, for the pans 4 extra large eggs 6 egg yolks

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 11/3 cups cake flour ¼ cup potato flour or cornstarch 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter three 8-inch-by-11/2-inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper and butter the paper. Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer on high speed, beat the eggs and egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture turns light yellow, is smooth and quadruples in volume. Stir in the vanilla. The mixture should be very thick.

3. In a seperate bowl, sift the cake flour, potato flour or cornstarch, baking powder and salt together. On medium speed, blend in the flour mixture. Divide and pour the batter into the cake pans.

4. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cakes are firm to the touch and light golden brown. Cool the cakes to room temperature. Remove them from the pans and peel away the parchment paper. Let the cakes cool completely.

For the Filling2 cups whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks

½ cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided

1/3 cup flour Zest of 1 large lemon

2 cups heavy cream

1. Pour the milk into a 1-quart saucepan, and stir in the vanilla extract; cook over medium heat until the milk just begins to bubble at the edges. Remove from the heat.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar with an electric hand mixer until they are light yellow. Beat in the flour, a little at a time, until smooth. Beat in 1/3 cup of the milk mixture and blend well. Add the egg and flour mixture to the remaining milk in the pan and cook until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest.

3. Pour the resulting pastry cream into a bowl and cover with a buttered sheet of wax paper. Refrigerate several hours or make ahead.

4. Whip the heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and fold into the pastry cream. Refrigerate until ready to fill the cake.

30 | New Hampshire Home march/april 2020

We believe spaces are beautiful when they work.

For the Sugar Syrup

½ cup water ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup liqueur, such as Cointreau or limoncello

1. Pour the water into a small saucepan, stir in the sugar and bring it to a boil.

2. Lower the heat; when the mixture looks clear, remove it from the heat and stir in the liqueur.

3. Cool and set aside.

To Assemble

Confectioners’ sugar

1. Cut each cake in half horizontally to get 2 layers. Set aside 3 layers. Trim the outside dark crumb of the remaining three layers if necessary and cut the layers into ½-inch cubes. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer; cover and reserve them until ready to assemble the cake.

2. Line an 8½-inch-by-4¼-inch-deep glass bowl with plastic wrap, allowing it to overhang the pan by 4 inches.

3. Place 1 cake layer in the base of the bowl and gently press it down so it is touching the base of the bowl. Brush the cake with 1/3 of the Sugar Syrup and spread with 1/3 of the pastry cream. Repeat with 1 more layer of cake, syrup and pastry cream.

4. Place the third cake layer on top. Fold the overlapping plastic wrap over the cake and gently press on it to settle and even the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour.

5. When ready to serve, unwrap the top of the cake and place a cake plate over the top of the bowl. Turn the bowl over to release the cake and gently pull back the plastic wrap and discard it.

6. Spread the cake with the remaining pastry cream, covering it completely. You can save any leftover Sugar Syrup for another use.

7. Press the reserved cake cubes onto the top and sides of the cake.

8. The cake can be made and refrigerated at this point, loosely covered with foil. When ready to serve, sprinkle the cake with confectioners’ sugar and cut into wedges with a serrated knife.

Recipe from Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy by Mary Ann Esposito

creating beautifully functional spaces

Lea Kelsey, President

7 Henniker Street, Concord, NH info@3wdesigninc.com 603.226.3399 www.3wdesigninc.com

nhhomemagazine.com New Hampshire Home | 31

home cooking with Mary Ann Esposito

Quiche Lorraine Serves 6–8

Quiche Lorraine is a custardy and savory tart that originated in the French Lorraine region. The word quiche means cake and, in this case, is a tart made in a buttery crust.

Dough (see recipe below)1 tablespoon butter2 shallots, minced1 cup diced country ham

2 cups shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese, divided

6 large eggs1½ cups heavy cream1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper¼ teaspoon ground nutmegSalt, to tasteFreshly cracked black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until ¼-inch thick. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough, letting the excess overhang the edges of the pie plate. Cut the excess and crimp the edges. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the shallots and ham. Cook until the ham begins to crisp. Transfer the mixture to a plate, and let it cool to room temperature.

3. Scatter the shallot-and-ham mixture into the pie crust along with 1 cup of the cheese.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, cayenne and nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the ham and cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

5. Bake until the crust is golden brown and eggs set, about 30–35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Dough

1¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt

1 stick frozen butter, grated on a stand cheese grater

4 tablespoons ice-cold water, divided

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt until combined. Blend in the grated butter, working it into the flour with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles pea-size crumbs. Add the ice water by the tablespoon until the mixture forms a dough.

2. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it about 45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito32 | New Hampshire Home march/april 2020