Spaghetti ai Pomodorini

This simple dish is a demonstration of Italian cuisine: using few, but good quality, ingredients to prepare a delicious dish. And all it takes is around 15 minutes or as long as it takes to get the water boiling and to cook the spaghetti. That's fastfood Italian style!

ingredients (portions per person)

• 80-100 gr spaghetti
• 8-10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 anchovy
• ½ shalot (scallion)
• some fresh basil leaves
• Parmesan cheese

directions:

1. Boil the spaghetti al dente in salted water;
2. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half or quarters;
3. Glaze the shalot in some olive oil in a pan on low-medium heat together with the anchovy;
4. Add the tomato parts and have it simmer while the spaghetti is cooking;
5. Add half of the sliced basil to the sauce;
6. When the spaghetti is almost ready put it in the pan together with the tomato (sauce); 
7. Add a bit of the boiling water from the pasta
8. Add the rest of the basil and maybe a sip of olive oil;

Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Buon Appetito!

Pasta al Salmone & Zucchine

ingredients (4 people)

• 350-400 gr pasta (preferably something like Penne) 
• 300 gr smoked salmon (sliced into cubes or strips)
• 2 zucchini (cut into julienne)
• 1 chopped onion or shalot
• 100 gr (salmon flavoured) Philadelphia or some other kind of light fresh cheese

directions:
time: 10 minutes or how long it takes to cook the pasta

• boil the pasta, al dente of course (take at least one minute of the recommended cooking time)
• with the pasta boiling you gently cook glaze the onion in some olive oil.
• add the sliced zucchini and some salt and freshly grated black pepper and let it simmer for a couple of minutes
• now add the sliced or diced salmon 
• when the pasta is almost cooked add the fresh cheese to the salmon and zucchini and maybe add some water from the pasta to create a smooth sauce
• when the pasta is almost done add it to the sauce, and maybe add some of the pasta water too. 

BUON APPETITO!

Recipe: Paccheri con Ricotta e Rucola

It's a fast, easy to prepare, tasteful and healthy dish. It's on my diet since a couple of weeks. A diet I got prescribed by an Italian dietologist, so loosing weight eating pasta is possible. Forget about the low-carb diets! ;-)

ingredients per person
80-100 gr pasta pp
50 gr ricotta cheese
10 gr yoghurt
20 gr rucola
pepper, salt, nutmeg (nootmuskaat)

directions (15mins)
1. prepare the pasta al dente according to indications of the pasta
2. meanwhile heat the ricotta and yoghurt in a pan, add the sliced rucola and add some freshly grated nutmeg
3. when the pasta is almost ready toss the pasta with a bit of the water into the sauce. stir, taste and finish off with S&P.

Buon Appetito!

Spaghetti Carbonara (zonder room, zoals het hoort)

Bak spekjes (liefst wangspek/guanciale of anders buikspek/pancetta) langzaam uit in een pan.

Zet een glas goede rode wijn klaar.

Kluts in een ruime kom per 2 personen 2-3 eidooiers.

Voeg hieraan fijn geraspte parmezaanse kaas en/of
pecorino toe en goed er doorheen mengen. Hoeveel kaas? Dat ligt aan jezelf (op gevoel zeg ik zo'n ca 50gr pp maar misschien heb ik het helemaal mis).

Zorg dat je ei en kaas tot een stevig mengsel mengt en doe er ook nog flink wat vers gemalen zwarte peper bij (ik doe dat altijd met de vijzel).

En dit zijn alle ingrediënten, dus GEEN ROOM o.i.d., gewoon: SPEK, EI, KAAS en ZWARTE PEPER (en natuurlijk de pasta)

Kook de pasta (liefst bucatini of anders spaghetti) nog minder dan al dente gaar (haal 1-2min vd kooktijd af) in goed gezouten water (of voeg er wat bouillonpoeder aan toe). Haal een minuutje voordat de pasta klaar is een pollepel kookvocht uit de ketel en laat deze in een kommetje of zo even afkoelen.

Haal je de pasta uit het water en doe ze bij de spekjes in de pan.

Voeg het AFGEKOELDE kookwater toe aan het kaas-ei-mengsel (niet KOKEND water want dan kijg je een omelet). Giet nu dit mengsel van kaas en ei over je pasta en hussel alles lekker door elkaar in de pan op laag vuur.

Serveer nu de porties en strooi er evt nog wat kaas en zwarte peper over!

BUON APPETITO!!!

Risotto Pera & Gorgonzola

The combination of Gorgonzola with pear is legendary. Slices of pear are served with a piece of Gorgonzola after dinner but also on a pizza or in this case in a perfect marriage in my risotto. It is one of my favourite dishes in the Premiata Gnoccheria & Risotteria in Varese and I created this recipe after some experimenting in my kitchen. It is very easy, takes no time and so ideal for a quick meal for two or to impress a group of guests.



Ingredients (6 people):

• 500gr risotto rice (I prefer Carnaroli)
• ±100-150gr Gorgonzola piccante (the drier spicier one) + some slices for decoration
• ±100-150gr Gorgonzola dolce (the creamy one, to give a nice texture to the risotto)
• 2 pears (not too soft)
• 15-20 walnuts (decoration)
• 1,5l vegetable stock
• 1 onion/sjalot
• 50gr butter and olive oil
• 2 glasses of dry white wine

Preparation:

1. Skin the pears and slice one of them into small cubes (brunoise) of 4/5mm
2. Slice the other pear in nice thin parts, you will use them for decorating the plates
3. Clean the walnuts and shortly fry them in a dry pan (to get that extra nutty flavour out), careful not to burn them.
4. Prepare nice plates with the slices of pear as sunbeams around the plate, put some of the walnuts on the plate
5. Crush the rest of the walnuts into smaller pieces (no powder)
6. Now start preparing the risotto:
1. warm the chopped onion/sjalot in the butter and some olive oil until it glazes
2. add the rice and have it fry (on low/medium fire) for about 1-2 minutes
3. add 1 glass of wine to the risotto (and take a nip from the 2nd glass yourself)
4. when the wine has evaporated add some of the stock
5. it will take 15-20 minutes to cook the rice, keep adding small portions of stock, let the rice absorb it and do not try to stir too much (you will ruin the delicate outside of the grains)
6. stay close to the fire, nip from the 2nd glass and watch
7. after 15 minutes you should start tasting the risotto and judge the structure and taste. careful not to add too much (salty) stock, better start adding water if the taste gets too salty. 
8. shortly before the risotto is ready you add the cubes (brunoise) pear to the risotto and the Gorgonzola piccante. carefully stir it until the Gorgonzola has meted into the risotto
9. when the risotto is almost done lower the fire, add the Gorgonzola dolce, have it melt slowly into the risotto. Taste and maybe add some more spicy Gorgonzola if you like or the dolce if you are looking for more creaminess but not too strong blue cheese taste
7. Now server the risotto on the plates and decorate it with a thin slice of Gorgonzola (picante or dolce, whatever you like) and sprinkle the crushed walnuts over it.

Feel free to add more cheese or pear, do whatever you like. The quantities are based on my experience and my taste, but you might prefer a stronger taste or a milder one...

BUON APPETITO!

Pasta al Forno alla Daggy

-preparare a tomato ragù (2 hrs)
-boil 2 eggs for 10mins
-cook penne for 5mins
-mix penne and ragù and put in a dish
-smear some mascarpone on top (should be bechamelsauce but hey it's MY dish)
-slice the boiled eggs and spread over the pasta
-finish with a nice layer of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

put 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C

BUON APPETITO!

Morazzone 21-9-2013

Morazzone 21-9-2013, a set on Flickr.

My back is finally not aching any more but my leg is still hurting a lot. But my osteopath recommended walking so this morning in stead of talking the car to get my cortisone injection and go and buy bread I went by foot and took my camera with me.

nice weather, mourning dew and the start of autumn resulted in some nice pictures of Morazzone and the field behind our house

enjoying Parco Valgrande

Cicogna-Verbania-Laveno 14.7.2013, a set on Flickr.

Today we went to Cicogna in the Parco Valgrande just above Verbania on the westside of Lago Maggiore. We enjoyed the beautiful environments (mountains, rivers and woods), a good mountain meal and afterwards we relaxed along and in the fresh water of the creek San Bernardino which flows into the Lago Maggiore a few kilometers ahead.

Back to Lombardy with the ferry from Verbania to Laveno where we enjoyed a stylish aperitivo before heading home.