Guest Chef- Cookin' Italian with Joe Sciorrotta

Italians are serious about food.

There, I said it. You know it. I know it. What good Italian family doesn't gather around a table piled high with delicious food every chance they can? It might be a bit of a cliche, but it's absolutely true. 

Today we are going to get to know Joe Sciorrotta. I've known Joe for quite a few years. His wife Heather and I worked together in an office and he would stop in all the time and visit. I had no idea he was such an amazing cook! Joe likes to share pictures of his dishes online and recently launched a private chef/catering service- he prepares a fantastic meal for you to enjoy in your own home. It's a great niche market for busy people who want that home cooked experience, maybe a romantic dinner for two away from the crowded restaurant scene. Joe makes all kinds of homemade sauces and dressings as well, and has a lot of very happy customers.

Joe has been cooking literally elbow-to-elbow with his parents since he was about four years old. He says he would stand on a chair and chop garlic,  or stir sauces. He loves cooking old school Italian American dishes, the kinds of foods that simmer all day long. With all his experience he has his secrets to getting that slow-simmered taste into foods in a hurry but Joe really loves dishes that you put a lot of time, and love into.

I asked Joe about his role models, and who he feels inspires him in the kitchen. Again, he gives the nod to his parents, and his Nana, Congetta Sciorrotta, who he says was the most influential of all, always with a story to tell and a lesson to teach. He spent most of his time in the kitchen with her. Joe also talked about his grandfather Lyman Michael, who was a Navy cook. Like all big Italian families, he includes great aunts and cousins in the mix.

It's always fun to find out where the great cooks like to eat, so I asked Joe where he likes to eat around the Des Moines area. Tursi's Latin King, he says, is always great (and I have to agree- I have always enjoyed every meal there). Sonny's Bistro is what Joe calls "a diamond in the rough". He has eaten literally everything on the menu and enjoyed every one. Like me, Joe likes eating local, where there is almost always a tradition, a family, a story behind the restaurant, not some corporate entity.

Delicioso!!  Joe's son Gino is getting
a head start on his culinary career

Joe says for him, family, friends and food are life. Nothing brings a family together better than a great meal.

Joe is going to make some Italian Roasted Ped Peppers for us today. When you want to cook Italian, you need to have a solid foundation of the basics, and this is one of the most important basics. Roasted peppers are very versatile and can be part of a fantastic salad, they are delicious on sandwiches and when pureed, make an unbelievably wonderful sauce. 

Roasting brings out the natural sugars in the peppers and creates such intense flavor. When the skin is charred and blistered, it separates from the meat and is easily removed with a swipe of a paper towel. 

The char creates a slightly smoky flavor. Don't be afraid to let the skins really blacken.

Joe combines the roasted peppers with chopped garlic and onion, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. 

Italian Roasted Red Peppers

red bell peppers

extra virgin olive oil

fresh garlic

onion

Italian seasoning 

crushed red pepper flakes

Choose fresh, plump peppers that don't have wrinkled skin or soft spots. Wash and dry thoroughly. Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet. Heat the broiler to high. You can also blister the peppers on the grill if you like. 

Broil the peppers until the skins become blistered and charred. Turn them several times to char the entire skin.

Place the peppers in a large bowl and cover tightly to keep the steam in. This will loosen the charred skin from the meat.

When cool enough to handle, wipe the charred skin off. A paper towel makes this a snap.

Remove the stems, seeds and membranes and cut the peppers into good sized strips. Set aside on a plate.

Peel garlic cloves to taste. We like A LOT of garlic around here. Chop the garlic, it doesn't have to be a fine mince, just a rough chop is fine.

Trim, peel and cut up an onion. Chop or slice into thin wedges, whichever you prefer.

In a large skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. You can get a little color on the garlic but watch it carefully- you don't want burned garlic, which is bitter and can ruin the dish. 

Add the peppers to the skillet. 

Next goes in about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

Allow the peppers to simmer briefly to meld the flavors.

Our peppers are done, so now what? My friends, the possibilities are endless. These peppers are delicious piled onto a sandwich with stacks of Genoa salami, soppressata, provolone cheese. Chopped up with some olives and sprinkled with Balsamic they are a fantastic topping for bruschetta. Use the peppers to stuff pounded out chicken breasts, boneless pork chops or veal. Roll up and roast! Sprinkle strips onto a pizza. Buzz in the food processor and use instead of marinara sauce.

You don't even have to get too complicated here- layer with mozzarella on Italian bread for a grilled cheese sandwich unlike anything you ever had as a kid.

It will be summer here in Iowa before we know it, and I for one, cannot WAIT for all the beautiful fresh vegetables. I hope you will give Joe's roasted peppers a try, and experiment a little too- you can use this same roasting technique with Roma tomatoes for a roasted tomato sauce that is out of this world!

If you would like to contact Joe, you can reach him at Intimate Dining and Catering, 515-422-3026 or email joesciorrotta@ymail.com or click the Facebook link highlighted above.

Gettin' my char on- Roasting peppers

What is it about a roasted pepper? The smoky undertones, vibrant color, and juicy pepper flavors make it a special treat for all kinds of dishes. Roasting peppers helps bring out the sweetness that's often hidden by a pepper's heat, or in the case of bell peppers, sharpness. Much like the caramelizing of onions, roasting peppers brings a whole new flavor profile to a vegetable that is often lost in the salad bowl, forgotten as a garnish, or piled onto a veggie tray and drowned in ranch dip.  

Fresh Hatch chilies ready to be roasted. The Hatch chili is one of the tougher
skinned peppers and is almost always roasted before using in dishes.

Gypsy peppers are very similar to bell pepper in size, thickness
and flavor and make a great pepper for use in salsa and any
roasted pepper dish. The red Gypsies are especially sweet.

With a table full of tomatoes to play with, I thought I'd get some salsa going, and instead of just throwing in some raw peppers, this time I would roast them first. I have a bowl of Hatch chilies to use up and they do have a thicker, tougher skin so removing that makes a much more enjoyable experience.

So how do you roast peppers anyway? It's easy- and there are a couple ways to do it. If you've got a grill, fire it up and throw them on the grill and turn often until charred all over. If you don't have a grill, you can roast them under the broiler, also turning all over until charred and blistered all over. Either way you go, once the peppers are charred and blistered and smelling wonderful, place them in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let them cool and they will steam and wrinkle and the skins are so easy to remove when cool. What you're left with is a delicious pepper to use in just about any recipe.

What kind of pepper can you roast? Well, pretty much any pepper. You will get better results with thicker peppers- ones with more "meat" and thicker skin than you will thin-walled peppers like habaneros, although you CAN still roast them and use them with a new smoky depth of flavor. Red bell peppers are often roasted and used in spreads, dips, and on antipasti platters. Some of the spicier peppers, such as poblanos, also benefit from a trip over the fire, and are big enough to handle easily.

Let's roast some peppers-

Since I am using the broiler to roast mine, I am preheating the broiler to high. Get your peppers ready by placing on a sheet tray. Remove any leaves but you can leave the stems on so you'll have something to grasp when peeling. Go ahead and set out a bowl to place the roasted peppers in too, and grab the plastic wrap.

Watch the peppers carefully while charring. I think the broiler takes longer than the grill. When you have evenly blistered skin and charred areas (the entire peppers doesn't need to be black) remove the peppers from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow them to steam as they cool.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, place on a cutting board. Using a knife, scrape and peel the charred and loosened skin off the pepper. 

It should come off quite easily. Cut off the stem and remove any seeds (I left the jalapeno seeds in my jalapenos but removed from the Hatch chilies) and place in a bowl. Doesn't that look beautiful? 

I've roasted my peppers, and removed the skins. Now what? You have a world of culinary options available to you at this point! Strips of roasted red pepper, marinated in a little olive oil and Italian herbs makes a fantastic addition to your antipasti. Add some to a homemade pizza with mushrooms and garlic. Add to sub sandwiches, crunchy panini or puree and create a smoky red pepper soup or dip. Add to hummus before processing. Chop up and add to tapenade when making a muffaletta for a crowd. Replace the tomatoes in a caprese salad and you get an entirely new flavor! Use your imagination- there literally is no end to how to use roasted peppers. Roasted peppers with a bit more heat make great salsas too- which is where mine are going!

My mixture of Hatch chilies, jalapeno and yellow and red gypsy peppers turned out super pretty and delicious. I almost don't want to put them in salsa! I'm quite sure if I had a loaf of crusty bread I would drizzle these babies with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and eat piled on slices of bread. Oh so good!