All Posts By: NANCY DeLUCIA REAL

Ever wonder where our rustic breads made with oat and spelt flour originated? The ancient Greeks and Romans made a variety of breads with white and dark flours. However, ancient Gaul (modern-day France) is the rock star for delicious recipes made with grains. Spelt was high on their foods’ list. Here’s a recipe for oat-spelt bread from my July 23 & 24 historic culinary course, Feasts & Opulence in Roman Gaul, at the Getty Villa, Los Angeles. Check out my KCET interview for this course here-

http://www.kcet.org/living/food/the-public-kitchen/recipe-homemade-cheese-ancient-rome.html

Due to organic spelt and oat flours, this bread is not only healthy but also light in texture. Once you taste this grainy, honey-sweetened bread, you won’t want the ready-made stuff anymore.

Active prep time: 30 minutes (mixing and assembling dough)
Inactive prep time: 60 minutes (two 30-minute dough risings)
Bake time: 25 to 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (1 envelope) Rapid Rise Yeast®, dissolved in 3/4 cup warm water and set aside to rise for 10 minutes
1 cup organic oat flour
2 cups organic sprouted spelt flour
1-1/2 to 2 cups organic, all-purpose, unbleached white flour 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 to 2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raw oatmeal (for garnish)

Directions for Preparing the Dough:

1. Combine the oat, spelt and all-purpose flour in a large, shallow mixing bowl.

2. Stir in the salt

3. Make a well in center of dry ingredients.

4. Pour in the risen yeast-water mixture, 1 more cup of water, honey and olive oil into the well.

5. Using a fork, mix the wet ingredients until combined.

6. Gently mix in, a little at a time, flour from the inner sides of the well.

7. Each time you mix in some flour, make sure to blend it well into the wet ingredients.

8. Gather flour from sides of well in small amounts until a soft dough has formed. If dough is too
dry, add water in 1/4 cup increments until it amalgamates and becomes soft.

9. If dough is too wet and sticky, add flour in small amounts until the dough is uniform and you
can gather it. The dough should be soft and smooth.

10. With lightly-floured hands, gently knead the dough inside bowl, adding small amounts of
flour, until it is smooth and elastic.

11. Set dough aside on a floured surface while you oil the bowl.

12. Return dough to the oiled bowl and cover it with aluminum foil or a clean kitchen towel.

13. Set the dough aside for 30 minutes to rise.

Directions for Shaping & Baking the Bread:

1. After 30 minutes, punch down the dough in center.

2. Lift dough out of bowl and place dough on a parchment-lined 18 X 12-inch baking sheet.

3. Gently flatten and stretch out the dough to a 10-inch circle.

4. Cover the dough again and let it rise for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

5. After 20 to 30 minutes, preheat oven to 400°F.

6. Meanwhile, oil a sharp knife and score the dough into eight wedges.

7. Sprinkle the bread dough with the raw oatmeal.

8. When oven is preheated, place baking sheet with bread dough on rack positioned in center of oven.

9. Bake the bread for 25 minutes (ovens vary in baking time).

10. After 25 minutes, test doneness of bread by lifting the bottom with a spatula. It should look golden brown. If bottom of bread is not golden brown, bake it for 5 more minutes.
Text and Photograph ©2015 Nancy DeLucia Real

These days, the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market and other farmers’ markets in California provide us with fresh, seasonal cauliflower. Cauliflower is high in Vitamin C, low in carbs and fat and rich in dietary fiber. The longer cauliflower is cooked, the more its nutritional value dissipates. Therefore, it is recommended to cook this vegetable until it is barely “al dente” or crunchy-tender.

 
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6 (as a side dish)

Try this exciting cauliflower salad, flavored with olive oil, lemon, bits of fresh oranges, raisins and fresh oregano. Serve it at a barbecue, lunch or dinner this summer. Vegan or not, they’ll all chow down this colorful, healthy salad in minutes!

Ingredients:
One cauliflower head, leaves removed & discarded and white florets separated into 2-inch chunks
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 orange, peeled, rind removed and fruit cut into 1-/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons white or dark raisins
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

Directions:
1. Place the cauliflower florets in a 4-quart saucepot; barely cover with cold water.

2. Cover the sauce pot and bring the cauliflower to a boil.

3. Boil the cauliflower for approximately 2 minutes.

4. After 2 minutes, pierce one cauliflower floret with a fork to check for tenderness. Do not overcook the cauliflower.

5. If fork resists piercing, it means the cauliflower is still raw. If needed, cook for an additional 1 or 2 minutes.

6. After 1 minutes, check doneness of cauliflower with fork and/or taste it. The cauliflower should be “al dente” or crunchy-tender.

7. Drain the cauliflower in a colander set over a sink. Let it cool slightly, for 5 minutes.

8. After 5 minutes, transfer the drained cauliflower to a glass or porcelain serving bowl.

9. Add the olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, raisins and fresh oregano leaves. Stir to combine.

10. Taste the cauliflower salad and adjust seasonings, if needed.
Text and Photograph ©2015 Nancy DeLucia Real

Because I’ve been teaching art and culinary courses (which I absolutely love) all summer, I didn’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen. When I tested this amazingly quick recipe at home, my husband said it was fantastic. I think you should be the judge – enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 pound (16 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh dill weed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green onion, root and dark green tops discarded; flesh cut into 1/4-inch thick circles
Juice of 1/2 lime
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 Persian (small) cucumbers
One 6-ounce package crackers (any variety)
Fresh mint leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

1. In a 2-quart bowl, combine the ricotta, dill weed, garlic, green onion, lime, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a dash of black pepper; set aside.

2. Cut off tips from one cucumber. Peel the cucumber and cut the flesh lengthwise in half.

3. Cut each cucumber half lengthwise in half once more (you have made 4 spears.

4. Cut the spears horizontally into 1/8-inch pieces.

5. Stir the cucumber pieces into the ricotta mixture; set aside.

Assemble, Garnish & Serve the Ricotta Tzatziki Dip:

1. Transfer the crackers to a serving platter; set aside.

2. Take the remaining cucumber; cut and discard tips.

3. Do not peel the cucumber, but cut it into 1/8-inch thick circles.

4. Place each circle on a cracker.

5. Mound a small dollop of the ricotta tzatziki on each cucumber circle.

6. Garnish with fine slivers of mint leaves and/or dill weed (cut the slivers with shears).

7. Serve immediately.
Text and Photograph ©2015 Nancy DeLucia Real

With okra in season, why not prepare a delicious pasta dish for our upcoming July 4th celebration? While stewing the okra and tomatoes, the rigatoni pasta cooks in minutes – just add it to the okra in skillet. Enjoy and have fun!

Prep time: 8 minutes (for cutting okra, tomatoes & onion)
Cook time: 10 minutes (okra and pasta)
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped white or brown onion (1/4-inch pieces)
1 large ripe tomato, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 pound fresh okra, tips cut and discarded; flesh cut into 1/2-inch rings
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup water
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound Rigatoni pasta (or other preferred, short variety)

Directions:
1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil on medium-high setting.

2. When oil is hot, add chopped onion; stir-fry onion for 2 to 3 minutes or until it is translucent and turns light golden brown.

3. Stir in the okra; cover and cook on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. After 1 to 2 minutes, stir in the wine; cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a 4 to 5-quart sauce pot of water to a boil – keep water aside at a low boil.

6. After the okra and tomatoes have cooked 2 minutes, stir in 1/4 cup water, salt and black pepper.

7. Cover and stew the okra and tomatoes on medium-low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, add the rigatoni to the boiling water; cook according to package directions – 8 to 10 minutes or until “al dente” (crunchy-tender).

9. While pasta boils, set the skillet with okra and tomatoes aside on a cold burner or on a countertop (this will ensure that it will not dry out).

10. When pasta has is cooked, drain it in a colander, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

11. Bring the okra and tomato stew to a simmer.

12. When okra and tomatoes simmer, stir in the drained pasta and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.

13. Stir and heat through on medium-high heat, reducing the liquid a little. If more pasta cooking liquid is needed, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more. NOTE: The pasta and okra mixture should not be soupy.

14. Divide the rigatoni, okra and tomatoes among 4 to 6 dishes. Ask guests to add some grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and some crushed pepper to their rigatoni dish (optional).

15. Serve this pasta dish with chilled Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio wine (both are white wines).
Text and Photograph ©2015 Nancy DeLucia Real

Sometimes I just don’t know where my tastebuds are headed – do I want sweet or savory foods? Maybe I want both. For this salad, I used three types of melon: cantaloup, honeydew and watermelon. Then, I added red onion, lime juice, salt, pepper and Feta cheese. The flavors in this salad definitely satisfy a sweet or savory palate. Enjoy this refreshing salad all summer long!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup lime juice
1-1/2 cups diced cantaloup
1-1/2 cups diced honeydew melon
1-1/2 cups diced watermelon
1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste (if needed)

Directions:
1. Place the sliced red onion in a bowl with lime juice; set aside for 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes and in a separate bowl, combine the diced melons with red onion and slightly toss.

3. Top the melon and onion with Feta cheese and black pepper. Taste.

4. If needed, add a little salt (1/4 teaspoon); taste again. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.

5. This salad pairs well with fish or poultry.
Photograph & Text 2015 Nancy DeLucia Real