This recipe stands well on its own, but is also the base for a delicious holiday treat: Cornbread Pudding with Rough Country Greens.
The first time I ate codette was in 1994, at Ristorante Plistia, in the National Park of Abruzzo, during a trip to Italy with my husband and my parents. The word codette translates to “little tails,” but when the restaurant’s proprietor, Cicitto Decina, brought a platter of these emerald green beauties to our table, we thought the plate was piled with steamed green beans! What a delicious surprise when we tasted the tender-chewy strands of spinach pasta freshly made by Cicitto’s wife, Laura del Principe, and demurely dressed with a sauce comprised of local sausages and peas. From that moment, Plistia became my favorite restaurant. It still is.
Instructions
Serve this on toasted pita wedges or over raw vegetable leaves, such as endive.
Making the stuffing a day ahead gives it a chance to come into its prime. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Barley is a great substitute for risotto, especially when you don't have a lot of time to spend stirring the pot.
You will adore this easy-to-make, light and fragrant pilaf - as long as you follow the instructions very carefully (it's a recipe of precision).
The addition of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese makes an intriguing savory cornbread that is the perfect accompaniment to rich French or Italian-style stews and slow-roasted meats. I often whip up a batch for a simple supper and eat it with a couple of fried eggs and a plate of garlicky greens: my Italian-Southern fusion comfort food.
Fonio (Digitaria exilis) has been grown in West Africa for centuries. For a long time, it was of marginal importance as a cereal due to its small seeds, but is now the object of renewed interest as consumers begin to recognize its flavor and nutritional qualities.
Mary Cunningham lives in Choctaw County in Alabama, and she is a superb seamstress, a creative cook, and the mother of two grown daughters. She is also a loving woman and an active member of the C. J. Holiness Church, where during revivals and church functions she always arrives with a basket full of good food and memories.