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CHIARA MONTALTO GIANNINI

WRITER – ACTOR

Chiara Montalto-Giannini was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and started writing creatively in the fifth grade. She began formally studying acting and writing while a student at Eugene Lang College of The New School, from which she holds a degree in Urban Studies and NYC history. 

CHIARA MONTALTO-GIANNINI

WRITER –  ACTOR

Food

chiaraaaacooks

36

chiaraaaacooks

Cozze ripiene
(Stuffed mussels)

Da morire

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Cozze ripiene (Stuffed mussels) Da morire

Cantucci with vin santo at Montepulciano @ristorsntedegliarchi

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Cantucci with vin santo at Montepulciano @ristorsntedegliarchi

Posted @withregram • @niafitalianamerican Emilia-Romagna needs our help! 🇮🇹

Join us in supporting the flood victims of ...

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Posted @withregram • @niafitalianamerican Emilia-Romagna needs our help! 🇮🇹 Join us in supporting the flood victims of Emilia-Romagna, NIAF's 2023 Region of Honor. Your donation can make a difference in the lives of those affected by this devastating natural disaster. Together, we can help rebuild and restore hope for the people of Emilia-Romagna. To donate click the link in our bio! #EmiliaRomagnaFloodRelief #NIAFRegionOfHonor #DonateNow #Flood #emiliaromagna

Bistecca Fiorentina… Not made by me.. but enjoyed with my family at a lovely family meal in Florence.

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Bistecca Fiorentina… Not made by me.. but enjoyed with my family at a lovely family meal in Florence.

Limoncello Charlotte with strawberries

This is perfect for Mothers Day, easy peasy - can be done with kids.

Most of my cookware ...

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Limoncello Charlotte with strawberries This is perfect for Mothers Day, easy peasy - can be done with kids. Most of my cookware and bakeware is old - either my grandmothers’ or vintage 90’s (kitchen aid and cuisinart) I find most things today do not last - even name brand) Manufactured obsolescence all around An exception - Nordic ware baking pans. In particular- this Charlotte pan. It’s so easy, so pretty and there’s so much you can do with it. This easy limoncello Charlotte with strawberries makes a beautiful presentation - and couldn’t be any easier. A few notes You really do need lievito Paneangeli here - to get the taste just right. You could use baking powder- but it won’t have that Italian pasticceria taste. I use lemon curd here - I get it at Trader Joe’s. Feel free to use what you like. For the Charlotte About 1.5 c ap or 00 flour - sifted with 1 envelope Paneangeli About 3/4 c sugar 2 eggs Pinch salt 1/2 c whole milk 1/2 c vegetable oil Peel and juice of one lemon Generous pour of limoncello I do this by hand. Start by beating the eggs and sugar till light and fluffy- about ten mins. Should be pale yellow. Fold in sifted flour/lievito pinch salt. Beat in milk/oil add lemon juice &zest. Pour in limoncello and mix to combine. Pour in we’ll greased pan bake 350 about 40 mins. Cool remove from pan Top with a thin layer of lemon curd and fresh strawberries . I promise this will transport you to the south of Italy! #italianamerican #baker #italianrecipe #limoncello #explorereels

Mexican hot chocolate cookies

It’s rainy and cold and I’m tired. There are a million other things I should be doing right now. There are...

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Mexican hot chocolate cookies It’s rainy and cold and I’m tired. There are a million other things I should be doing right now. There are healthier things I “should” be making. I have choice words for should that I should not repeat here (I’ll always love a dumb joke) Here are a few other shoulds.. You should not waste anything I had two packets of Mexican hot chocolate from when I had my niece & nephews here. Hot chocolate isn’t really my thing— but I wasn’t gonna let them go to waste. So here are rainy day Mexican hot chocolate cookies You could easily up the quantity- I simply wanted to use what I had 3/4 c ap flour 1/4 c sugar 1/2 stick unsalted butter melted 1 tsp baking powder 1 egg Mexican vanilla 2 envelope abuelita hot chocolate Pinch salt Mix dry ingredients together Add melted butter, and egg that you beat with a little vanilla. Mix. I do by hand Form into small balls and bake 400 for 12 mins Bathe them in powdered sugar And enjoy

Ode to bread

No, I did not bake this bread, I bought it. (I do bake bread but that’s another post for another day)

Thinking about...

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Ode to bread No, I did not bake this bread, I bought it. (I do bake bread but that’s another post for another day) Thinking about “wellness” Thinking about inflation Thinking of the many meanings of bread- the staff of life— give us this day our daily bread— communion Union together The bread I grew up on more than anything else looked a lot like this and it came from a now defunct (I think, anyway) bakery in Brooklyn called Reliable bakery. Yes— reliable. A word that I take to heart in everything I do. Reliable. Rely. Trust. Lean.. support.. Bread you can rely on. My mom remembers my grandfather getting off the subway every night, stopping at Reliable and coming home with fresh bread for dinner. My husband who grew up in Florence, Italy— had the same experience- there was always bread on the table. You could rely on that. And here we are. You want to lose weight, cut out carbs. I have done this myself. It never feels right to me. I wonder if it’s not the bread that’s the problem — but something deeper I’ll always want reliable bread In an unpredictable and upside down world Where fish costs $60 at Costco Eggs are $10 a dozen And stability does not exist Give me the reliable bread 🥖

Papparedelle al pesto)
(And thoughts on self-care, grief & feeling lost on Sundays)

Self-care sure is a buzzword these days; ...

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Papparedelle al pesto) (And thoughts on self-care, grief & feeling lost on Sundays) Self-care sure is a buzzword these days; it's omnipresent in the instaworld— lots of talking heads offering up the three or five things or ten million things you can do — give up milk, carbs do twenty-five backflips with your eyes closed blah blah blah. This is normally the stuff I roll my eyes at and may have a choice hand gesture or two about. But recently - a group of close friends started a text thread - what are we doing to take care of ourselves? And I realized I had nothing to say. Nothing. (Eye rolling at myself) I used to go for runs, but my health has been up and down, stress, recession blah blah blah Add grief to the mix and my general sense of being lost I feel on Sundays. On Sundays, I grieve a way of life that’s gone, a routine once so familiar it was boring. I miss feeling like time moves slowly. Time hurtles these days, faster than I like. I miss familiar faces in a familiar neighborhood that no longer exists. I miss people I love being close enough to drop by on a few minutes' notice. It goes without saying, but I miss my beloved dead. Sundays are hard. Yesterday my self-care involved doing the one thing that calms my nerves— getting my hands dirty, making dough & turning it into something other-worldly good. There are a bazillion videos on making fresh pasta. I love the pasta queen; hers are perfect. I do this as I learned it, a muscle memory, learned in an era bygone by people who are now my ancestors. This pasta is simple 3 medium eggs +1 yolk to about 2 c flour (00) and salt. I do not measure; it’s all by eye. You can use your hands, make a well, use a fork to incorporate eggs, or - a Cuisinart will do fine too. Be careful - as soon as it forms a ball, take it out and knead it by hand. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes. I cut the ball into about 5 pieces, press them into rectangles with my hands, and press a little with a small rolling pin so it’s uniform. Then, I run through the pasta machine and set aside to cut pappardelle. Boil water. Make pesto Pesto - if you did not know, has stress-reducing properties. (c'td )

Fava Cicoria

(Fava with Chickory)

On the importance of bitter

Italians often eat bitter greens, we drink amari- or ...

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Fava Cicoria (Fava with Chickory) On the importance of bitter Italians often eat bitter greens, we drink amari- or bitter herbal liquors - bitterness is celebrated in all types of ways in Italian (and Mediterranean cuisines) why? Because it’s good for us! Bitter greens are everywhere in Italian food - from escarole to radicchio to broccoli rape and here - cicoria barese. Bitterness isn’t to be avoided - as in the American diet- but rather to be embraced. Bitter greens (or liquors) help in digestion (why amaro is taken after a meal as a digestivo and not before) This is a completely vegan and gluten free dish that I first learned from one of the best cooks I have ever met @curlyroseena mom. This dish is typical of Mola di Bari. This is my littke twist on it - and if cicoria barese is not available - try chickory or broccoli rabe or another bitter green. Dried fava are linked in my Amazon shop. Soak dried fava overnight. Garlic Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 small potato Bay leaf Water For cicoria (or another green) Garlic olive oil chili peppers (i use Calabrian) Water A few fresh tomatoes or a little tomato paste. For fava Soak overnight - at least twelve hours. Drain. In a large Dutch oven or pot, put olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper. Brown but don’t burn. Add your fave and toast. Add potato chopped small. Cover with a generous amount of water, a drop of white wine and bay leaf. You need to watch this and ensure it never dries out. I cook this a minimum of three hours. Sometimes longer. It’s a great thing to do on a cold, rainy day. When it’s done use your wooden spoon to kind of smash it into a think soup. More soupy than hummus, but thick. You could purée it but I don’t. Clean your greens. Sautée a lot of garlic in a pan with salt and pepper. I add a little peperoncino and a drop of tomato paste with some water- making a mind of quick pan sauce. Add your greens and cook till done. Serve warm, bread on the side is great. Hearty, healthy Remember without the bitter there’s no sweet .

Grain or wheat pie

The dessert part of our breaking of fasts.

To the earlier point about the demonizing of certain foods. Basta. ...

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Grain or wheat pie The dessert part of our breaking of fasts. To the earlier point about the demonizing of certain foods. Basta. This is the staff of life. What we do to grain in this country to make it shelf stable is another story. This though, this sort of sweet delicate, spring like cake is one of my favorites to bake. I don’t make mine too sweet. I find that many sold in bakeries are too sweet for my taste, mine could even be eaten for breakfast. A few tips - I buy the wheat already cooked. You can find it in specialty store and even on Amazon. Buying and cooking the wheat is another day to the process and frankly you wind up with too much. The crust - its another twist on a pasta frolla or a short crust pastry. I like pastry flour here, but 00 or ap is fine too About 2 c 1 stick butter cold I eyeball it but about 1/3 c sugar Orange flower water Lemon zest Cold water Vanilla sugar 3 eggs beaten Ice water Flour, sugar, vanilla sugar & flavorings and butter in food processor till it becomes crumbly - add eggs and ice water till it becomes a ball. Refrigerate - I let it rest overnight in fridge. Cold dough is always easier. 2lbs ricotta 1/3c sugar 1 jar grano cotto Nutmeg Cinnamon Orange flower water Orange peel from Sicily chopped fine (I do not use citron) Orange zest 3 eggs Vanilla powder Beat three eggs with sugar and vanilla till light and fluffy - about 5-10 mins. Add in your ricotta. If it’s fresh, drain through cheesecloth. Beat well. Add in cooked grain - stir to combine. Add flavorings and orange peel. Let rest overnight. Assembly. Roll out your bottom crust. Again I use two rolling pins, one large -what I start with and then a smaller one to make sure I’ve got a uniform thickness. I like this crust to be on the thinner side. Starting from center. You could do this in a springform, but I like a deeper round pie or quiche pan. (I buy at-home goods when they have them. Again, a springform is fine. Put holes in crust with a fork. Put filling in. Take extra crust and create strips - I cut edges with my ravioli wheel - and put in a cross pattern on top. Bake 375 about an hour and fifteen minutes

Pollo al mattone
Chicken under a brick

Hands down this is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken (frankly I don’t really like chicken...

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Pollo al mattone Chicken under a brick Hands down this is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken (frankly I don’t really like chicken all that much) but chicken this way.. especially when you’re looking at the rolling hills of Tuscany in front of you — is paradise. So what do you do when you’re not in Tuscany and you don’t have a grill? You thank the good heavens your ancestors taught you how to do the best you can with what you’ve got — and then do this. Buy the best chicken you can - organic:hormone antibiotic free. One reason why I hate chicken & never have it out is here is because meat here sucks. Why hormones and antibiotics are allowed in our food is another topic for another day. Today, we’re pretending we’re in Tuscany. And we’re buying the best chicken we can. You are gonna need a brick. Or a heavy object that’s heat proof. A cast iron. An oven proof pot lid. If you’re using a brick - cover it with foil. And you’re gonna need a grill pan. I have a cast iron one. You’re gonna wanna make a marinade for your meat. A lot of garlic/ chopped fine/ with sea salt Juice of two lemons/zest of one Rosemary - a lot Olive oil q.b. White wine q.b. S & P q. b. Chop your garlic fine. Crush the rosemary in lemon juice & oil - I use a mortar and pestle. Have at it. Now you wanna prep the meat. I do this in the sink. You’re gonna loosen and cut out some of the rib cage. You can remove it and make a soup , or just loosen it and then flatten the chicken out a bit. The hipsters call this spatchcock- I call it muscle memory from 9th grade biology You want to put that garlic and marinade all over the chicken Let it rest at least an hour at room temp. Remove top rack from oven if you have & preheat Oven to 400. Oil in pan, get pan hot. Put chicken in. Cook on one side about 5 mins. Flip it. Yup. No - its not so easy. Cook about 5 mins. Put your brick on it and put it in the oven. Cook till done. I like to then remove the brick, raise to 425 just a few minutes to crisp the skin. No, you won’t suddenly be transported to Tuscany. But you will eat some damned good chicken ! 🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓

So today is my big brother’s birthday! And while he’s not on IG (and this is from a few years ago) I wanted to share my spin on one of his all ...

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So today is my big brother’s birthday! And while he’s not on IG (and this is from a few years ago) I wanted to share my spin on one of his all time favorites - cannoli cake! Yes, this is ten million percent Italian American. It’s also not that hard and extremely delicious. This was a three tier cake - but my instructions below are for a two tier version cause let’s face it - three tiers is maybe a lil extra. Cake 3c flour 1/3/4 c sugar 5 eggs medium organic 1 c whole milk 1 c vegetable oil 1 env lievito pandeangeli or tsp baking powder Pinch salt Vanilla sugar Drop of Marsala (you could use run or amaretto if you prefer) Start by beating eggs with sugar, sift in flour/lievito add in milk oil & flavorings. Grease two 9 inch round baking pans, divide batter and bake preheated 350 about 35-40 mins, till done. Cool cakes and remove from pans. Cannoli cream Ricotta (2lbs ricotta) 1 and a half cups sugar (you could use more or less to taste) Dark chocolate chips or nubs 1 -2 bags (i like a lot of chocolate) I add a drop of cocoa Crushed pistachio (about 1/4 c, for this, finely ground) You want the ricotta a little more dry here, so supermarket stuff actually works better. If it’s fresh, drain in cheesecloth. Beat with sugar and cocoa, add in chocolate & ground pistachio. Some people beat a little whipped cream and fold it in - I do not. Simple syrup -2 to one ratio of hot water with whatever alcohol you used to bake. Assemble - Some people like to level off their cakes. I don’t do this unless absolutely necessary. Dab cakes with simple syrup, let rest a few minute (10) now add a generous layer of cannoli cream. Add second cake, too with cannoli cream.Decorate. I prefer to serve this with cherries (a la actual cannoli) but if you can’t get them, as it’s sometimes hard to find them in March, strawberries are great - and if you chocolate dip them even better. This cake is much easier than you’d think - even if it’s a little time consuming - it’s totally worth the effort — #italianamerican

Rainbow cookie cake

9 eggs

325 g flour (about 2c)
300 g a gar (about 1 & 3/4 c)

One & 1/3 c veg oil
1 ...

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Rainbow cookie cake 9 eggs 325 g flour (about 2c) 300 g a gar (about 1 & 3/4 c) One & 1/3 c veg oil 1 env lievito paneangeli or 2 tsp baking powder Pinch salt 1 bottle almond flavor Red & green food coloring 1 bag chocolate chips Apricot or raspberry preserves Growing up - either you loved or you hated these cookies. There was always a fight over the few that would be interspersed with the rest of the Italian butter cookies.. Before I get into how I do this cake I created based on the cookies — Italians don’t come at me. We know you don’t have these in Italy - they are Italian American. Cookies are born of the pride Italian Americans have for Italy & our shared culture. I do this a little different from how I do the cookies. You’re gonna make one batter & divide it in three and then color it. Beat 9 eggs and sugar very well, till light and fluffy, about ten mins, high speed. Sift and then fold in your flour, and stir in the oil. I do this with paddle on low. You want it well combined but do not deflate it. Add a pinch of salt and one bottle of almond extract. These are almond cookies, after all. Divide the batter in three. I eyeball it, you could weigh. Dye one red, one green and leave one with no color. Bake 350 till done 30-35 mins. Take from oven, cool and then remove from pans. Make your simple syrup. I like to use amaretto & boiling water. Brush syrup on red or green layer. Cover with a thick layer of jam. Repeat with white layer (syrup & jam) and cover with remaining layer. Melt 1/2 bag chocolate chips and spread on top. Let chocolate harden. Cover and put in fridge with a weight on top. (I take one of the pans I used for baking and put a container of ricotta in it- use what you’ve got) let rest overnight. Next day, take cake out. Uncover and flip it onto the dish you’ll use to serve it. Melt the other half of the chocolate chips & cover & decorate. Put in fridge till about fifteen mins before you serve it. I used 8-inch square pans, you could use regular ones if you want. I suggest blasting some Dino & celebrating every ounce of your Italian American ness when you enjoy. Made this for my brother’s birthday 🎁

Here’s another St. Joseph tradition-- pasta with breadcrumbs..
Way back (before I was married and before the Instagram era) I'd have these...

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Here’s another St. Joseph tradition-- pasta with breadcrumbs.. Way back (before I was married and before the Instagram era) I'd have these St Joseph’s Day parties in Brooklyn. I love to venerate the Saints & share food with people I love.. Nowadays, this is one of my niece & nephews favorite meals (getting all the kids to go back for seconds & thirds-- a miracle in and of itself!) Some families do this with sardines - I love pasta con sarde but we do this for St. Joseph This goes well with bucatini, mafalde or long fusilli. Breadcrumbs - season your own - I eyeball it, about two cups. Garlic -a lot Peperoncino Anchovies (or anchovy paste) optional Pecorino Olive oil. In a cast iron pan, toast the breadcrumbs till golden brown. Set aside. Remove from pan. Put a generous amount of olive oil in pan, add garlic, anchovy if using, and peperoncino. Brown but don't burn garlic and anchovies are melted. Cook pasta till just before al dente in heavily salted water. Drain when done, reserving a little pasta water. In cast iron you want to combine pasta, garlic, breadcrumbs- using pasta water and olive oil to taste & to keep it moist. Put on table and feed people you love. This is one of my Florentine husband’s all time favorite things-- that he had for the first time with his very old school Italian -American wife. I highly recommend listening go old school hip hop when making this because that's how this aging Gen Xer loves to venerate San Guiseppe

Its sfingi season !!!

Growing up here, we don’t celebrate Fathers Day in March- but we always celebrated St Joseph. Even if just with a ...

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Its sfingi season !!! Growing up here, we don’t celebrate Fathers Day in March- but we always celebrated St Joseph. Even if just with a store bought sfingi. Some background- March 19- the Feast of St. Joseph - Jesus’ father. In Italy - it’s Fathers Day- and it’s celebrated all over Sicily & Southern Italy. Commonly with sfingi - a word that comes to Italian from Arabic. Side note- I was at a wedding in Rabat, Morocco some years back and was given sfingi for dessert — exactly the same pastry I’ve had my whole life & that is eaten all over Sicily. You can do these with pastry cream-cherries too - but this way - with sweetened ricotta- is how I grew up doing them. Sfingi About 2/3 c water, + juice of two oranges (or orange extract) and zest 2/3 stick butter unsalted 175 g 00 flour (If all purpose, sift) Heaping spoon confectionery sugar. 4 eggs In a pot, warm water/orange juice. Add butter. When butter melts add flour & sugar. Stir vigorously till you have a dough. It isn’t pretty but don’t worry. Remove from heat and put in a bowl. Let cool 15-20 mins. Once cool, beat in eggs one by one. You’ll see your dough become glossy & silky. Line a cookie sheet with parchment & grease. I snip the end off a large ziplock- put my batter in, and use that as a pastry bag. Pipe large ish circles - this gets me about 8. Bake 400 about 30 mins. Last 5 mins on top shelf. Let cool. Cream Ricotta (I just use full fat supermarket ricotta, nothing fancy- and I want this a little drier) 3/4 c confectionery sugar Dark chocolate chips Candied orange peel (I buy it from Sicily, you can find on Amazon) Ground pistachio Bear ricotta with sugar. Add chocolate chips, finely chopped orange peel, orange flower water, vanilla powder, and pistachio. Let sit. Cut tops off of sfingi. There will be a large whole inside. Fill with ricotta cream. Top with candied orange peel, pistachio & confectionery sugar. Give them to your dads & uncles and grandfathers with a lot of love.
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