Spaminy Recipes

VALERIE'S SPUMONI

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch aluminum loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with plastic wrap on all sides, leaving a 2-inch overhang; the cooking spray will help the plastic stick directly to the sides of the pan.
• In a food processor, pulse the chocolate wafers until very fine, like sand. Add the chocolate sauce and pulse a few more times until the mixture comes together. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and firmly press into the bottom of the pan to create a crust. Freeze for 30 minutes to set.
• Meanwhile, remove the chocolate-chocolate chip gelato from the freezer to soften. After 30 minutes, remove the loaf pan from the freezer and spread the chocolate gelato over the crust; use a small offset or rubber spatula to spread the gelato into a flat, even layer. Return the loaf pan to the freezer for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, let the vanilla bean gelato soften at room temperature.
• When the vanilla gelato has softened, transfer it to a bowl and stir in the sliced Amarena cherries, the Amarena syrup and the red food coloring if using. Mix until the cherries are evenly dispersed and the food coloring is completely incorporated. Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and evenly spread the cherry gelato over the chocolate gelato. Place back in the freezer for at least 1 hour more; it takes longer for the cherry layer to set.
• Thirty minutes before the cherry layer is set, remove the pistachio gelato from the freezer to soften. When softened, spread in an even layer over the cherry gelato; the pistachio layer should come up nearly to the top of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
• When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from the top of the pan and invert the spumoni onto a cutting board. Gently lift the loaf pan away and remove the remaining plastic wrap. Slice the spumoni into 3/4-inch slices, using a chef's knife dipped in warm water; dip the knife in the warm water between each slice. Serve immediately.

SPAMINY

Steps:

• Dice the Spam into cubes.
• Dice the onions.
• Open the can of hominy and drain off any liquid.
• Get a skillet out and fry the spam cubes until they start to brown a bit and some fat is released. Stir occasionally.
• Add the diced onion and a bit of butter if so desired. The butter makes the onions fry up better. Stir occasionally.
• Once the onions obtain a nice looking texture, typically a few minutes, add in the drained hominy. Stir it all for a couple of minutes, to warm up the hominy.
• Serve and eat.

SPEDINI

Steps:

• Place 1 slice of bread on working surface. Place 2 slices of prosciutto and 2 slices of mozzarella on top of bread. Place another slice of bread on top. Trim the crusts. Cut in half forming 2 rectangles and place 2 toothpicks through each of the rectangular sandwiches to hold together. Repeat using other 2 slices of bread, mozzarella, and prosciutto. Dredge each spedini in flour then dip in egg, covering all sides. Heat about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Place spedini in pan and fry on both sides until brown. Place on serving plates and remove the toothpicks.

SPUMONI BOMBE

Steps:

• Coat inside of 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper by cutting two strips, one the width and the other the length of the pan, overlapping them inside the pan. Both should be long enough to generously hang over edges of pan. Place in freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Beat pistachio ice cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until soft but still holding its shape, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pistachios; remove pan from freezer. Transfer pistachio ice cream to pan, forming a 1-inch layer and smoothing with a small offset spatula. Return pan to freezer until the ice cream hardens, about 40 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, combine cherries, rum, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (be careful not to ignite); reduce heat; cover pan. Let cherries simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool.
• In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form; set aside. Soften vanilla ice cream as above. Fold whipped cream into vanilla ice cream. Remove mold from freezer; add a layer of vanilla mixture, smoothing top with a small offset spatula. Return to freezer.
• When vanilla layer is firm to the touch, about 45 minutes, soften chocolate ice cream as above. Add cooled cherries; mix until just combined. Remove mold from freezer; fill to top with chocolate-cherry mixture. Smooth top with an offset spatula; cover with plastic wrap. Return to freezer until completely hardened, about 4 hours or overnight. To unmold, remove from freezer; dip in very hot water for a few seconds. Sprinkle sliced almonds, if using, over chocolate ice cream to keep ice cream from sliding when turned out. Using the overhanging parchment, gently lift ice cream out of pan. Invert onto cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice into servings.

SPEDINI

Steps:

• Pound steak with a meat hammer to tenderize. Brush pounded steak with olive oil and crushed garlic. Stack and cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Slice raw bacon, fry and crumble, set aside.
• Mix the breadcrumbs, parmasan cheese, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl.
• Top each piece of steak with the breadcrumb mixture, sprinkle with some bacon and a slice of provolone cheese. Roll and close with toothpicks.
• Fry the spedini's in olive oil to brown.
• Pour 1/2 the marinara sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Place spedinis on sauce and pour the remainng sauce over the top.
• Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and cooked through.
• Great served over Angel Hair pasta.

BEEF SPIEDINI

Steps:

• Thinly slice steak widthwise into 5-in. strips. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the marinade ingredients. Add beef; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally., Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Transfer half of the mixture to a shallow bowl; set aside. For filling, add marinara sauce to the remaining crumb mixture and mix well. Spread 1 teaspoon filling over each beef strip and roll up into pinwheels. Coat with reserved crumb mixture., Cut onion into 1-in. pieces and separate into layers. Thread a piece of onion, a sage leaf and a beef pinwheel onto a soaked wooden appetizer skewer; repeat. Drizzle lightly with oil and place on a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan., Broil 3-4 in. from heat for 5-7 minutes or until beef reaches desired doneness, turning once.