Pasta Peperonata

Pasta Peperonata is Italian for pasta with peppers. It's an honest tasty dish featured in Jamie Oliver's "Jamie's Dinners" cookbook that I got for my birthday from my lovely wife this year. It's only my 3rd Jamie cookbook!

I want to cook more seasonal and take advantage of my fathers organic vegetable garden. This year it yielded some amazing sweet red long peppers. So, pasta peperonata it is.

INGREDIENTS:

• short pasta like penne or tortiglioni;
• 1 and 1/2 or 2 big meaty peppers per person;
• 1 medium onion;
• 1 clove garlic;
• 3 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
• 3 to 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar;
• Parmesan cheese, grated;
• optional, Mascarpone cheese or sweet cream;
• salt, pepper, oregano.

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat the oil in the pan and add the chopped garlic so as not to burn it. Cut the peppers into 1 or 2 inch bits and  fry them in the pan on low heat for 10 or 15 minutes. Cut the onion julien and add to the pan. Stir constantly and fry on low heat for another 15 to 20 minutes. Both peppers and onions should get tender and very sweet. Condiment with salt and pepper. Add some balsamic vinegar and stir some more. Taste and season again if needed.

Pasta should be starting to boil in the last 10 minutes of this preparation. Feel free to add a ladle of the starchy pasta water to the pan and create a soft sauce. Optionally you can thicken the sauce by adding a tablespoon of mascarpone cheese or 200 ml of cooking cream. Try it without first, as I did. It is more authentic Italian and less sophisticated this way. Closer to the "cucina povera" idea. Also you get to taste the sweetness of the pepper onion sauce better.

Throw the "al dente" pasta into the pan with the peppers and toss around. Let it cook for about 3 to 5 minutes in there. Taste and season. Add the grated parmesan cheese to taste. If the sauce is too thick add some more pasta water.

Serve hot, preferably in heated plates, with extra parmesan and a drizzle of good quality "extra vregine". Mama, che buono!

Semifreddo al Caffe

This is a kind of ice cream, meaning that it is a sweet frozen desert. It is easy and (I wish I could say light) quick to make. It tastes light and refreshing, anyway. It contains coffee but not a lot and you can feed it to the kids in small portions. It's an Italian desert recipe that I got from here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 gr. condensed milk (can use lower quality);
• 50 gr. (about half a cup) cold coffee (not to strong, not to weak, can use instant);
• 250 gr. whipped cream (I used base and whipped it with 3 tablespoons powder sugar);
• some instant coffee or powder cocoa to ornate.

HOW TO MAKE:

First make the coffee and let it cool to room temperature. Use yesterdays coffee or make some instant with cold water. Do not sweeten, but if you got it already sweet, don't worry about it. Next mix together the coffee with the condensed milk using a hand whisk or hand mixer at low speed. It has to be about pancake batter consistency, no thicker. It drys fast. Next whip your cream with 3 tablespoons powder sugar (mine was vanilla flavored). Many cream bases come already sweetened, so read the  package. You can put some vanilla extract into the coffee mix as well. Do not overmix the cream because it is easy to get butter. It has to be firm (stick to the spoon and not drop if you turn the bowl upside down). 

Next incorporate the whipped cream into the coffee mix with overturning motions. Stir it in gently.

After that just put it into cups or whatever container you want and stick it into the freezer for a few hours. It is ready. I turned mine upside down and decorated it with some instant coffee on top.

Tagliatelle With Fresh Green Peas

A must do recipe for the beginning of the summer is pasta with fresh green peas. And I mean fresh, because the dish simply isn't going to work with canned or even frozen ones. The recipe requires only that you pre boil the peas for 5 minutes in salted water. I was fortunate enough to receive the peas from a neighbor of my parents who was just picking them of the stem in the garden. She gave the peas to us in the pods, so my wife spent 15 minutes just taking the cute little green pearls of the stems. Pleasant 15 minutes, though!

INGREDIENTS (serves two):

• 150-200 gr. fresh green peas;
• tagliatelle pasta (can use fettuccine or other ribbon like pasta);
• 3 tbs. olive oil;
• 3-5 strips bacon or pancetta;
• 1 clove garlic;
• 150 ml. cooking cream;
• 50 gr. parmesan cheese, grated;
• salt, pepper, oregano (optional).

HOW TO MAKE:

First set up some salted water and boil the green peas for no more than 5 minutes.

Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the bacon cut up into thin bits. Brown the bacon for 5-7 minutes. Add the chopped garlic to flavor the oil. Do not brown the garlic (adjust the heat to low). Immediately add the cooking cream to form a sauce. Salt and pepper. Add some dry oregano. In a nearby pot the pasta should already be boiling according to the instructions on the pack. If the sauce is too thick, add a ladle of the pasta water. When the pasta is al dente, strain and add it to the sauce in the pan. Stir well to coat the pasta with the creamy sauce. Add some more of the pasta water to thin the sauce, until it has a silky consistency. Add the strained fresh green peas,  and the grated parmesan cheese. Stir well. Plate and enjoy hot, immediately!

EspressoStyle Recommends: La Turn, Sibiu

La Turn is a restaurant terrace situated in Sibiu, Romania, in the historical center of the city. We are talking about the European Capital of Culture of 2007. It has excellent placement towards both main piazzas of the medieval city of Sibiu. We sat on the terrace in the Little Piazza. The food is good, not the absolute best, but definitely above average. It's Italian based cuisine, which in itself is a plus, especially if cooked well, but for the restaurant market in Romania that is over saturated with Italian oriented menus, it turns into a minus. Well, that being said, it's a good joint. Let's go to the food.

We started with a chicken salad for her and some salmon crostini for me. They were bot good, especially the crostini (although it could have been jut my raging hunger at the time). Anyway, they were baked just enough to melt and brown the cheese a bit. Lovely. Bread was not great, but not bad either.

Next came a dish of penne pasta al forno (baked in the oven) with chicken meat and mushrooms, a pink sauce and mozzarella on top. That was good, not too fat and totally eatable. The reason I save up on the praises is because the ingredients used were average, at best. The lean chicken breast strips, the sliced (maybe even canned) champignon mushrooms, cheap mozzarella. The pink sauce saved the dish by being light enough and smooth. Other than that, great.

The girl who served us was quick and communicative, with good knowledge of the menu. Smiles and everything.

For desert: a fried batter thing called "papanashi" (romanian classic) with cream and fruit jam for her and just espresso for me. Sadly, both of these were below average.  The papanashi was too fat and over fried and the espresso a bit bitter. Considering though that by this time we were full bellied and more indulgent, I got past very well and made it a nice lunch out. 

Scenery in the Little Piazza of Sibiu is just satisfying enough, anyway.

I give it 3 stars out of 5 for food quality, and also 3 for atmosphere. That means it was very nice. 4 stars means I was very impressed and 5 is reserved for the very best in the business.

That also means I warmly recommend La Turn, in Sibiu, Romania.

Espresso Segafredo Homemade

Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Predella 2009

I bought a bottle of the Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Predella 2009 for using it in my Osso Buco Milanese recipe (about half a bottle of it). Of course, the other half a bottle ended up in my glass. 

It was just to be used strictly for cooking purposes, as it is priced under 10 dollars per bottle.

And indeed, it's not a great and noble wine, but I think I discovered the best value for money wine in Romanian supermarkets today.

It is soft, table wine by definition, with smells of wood, berries, leather. No nasty aftertaste. Totally drinkable. So, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Predella is my recommendation for under 10 dollar wines this winter.

Osso Buco Milanese

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-5 tablespoons olive oil (can use lard or fat rendered from ham); 
• 3 cross cut veal shanks (bone included);
• 2 medium onions;
• 2-3 cloves garlic;
• 1 can pealed tomatoes;
• 50 gr. tomato paste;
• 1-2 medium carrots;
• 1/2 celery root;
• 1 parsnip;
• 1/2 red bell pepper;
• parsley, time, sage (preferably fresh);
• 500 ml red wine (drinkable, dry);
• 1-2 bay leaves;
• salt & pepper.

FOR RISOTTO: 2 cups round grain rice, 1 onion, stock, Parmesan cheese, butter, olive oil, s & p.

HOW TO COOK:

First brown the (well seasoned with salt and pepper) veal shanks in olive oil or pork fat in a Dutch oven type pot, on both cross cut sections. Some people cover the meat in a layer of white flour first. It works just fine without.

Take out the meat and chop up the onions and garlic, then throw them in the same pot to sweat and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Stir well, and after 5 mins. put in the tomato paste and stir another 5 mins. Poor in 300 ml of wine. Drink a glass yourself.  Put the shanks back into the pot and poor stock or water in until it just about covers the meat. Add the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and let simmer for an hour.

Add the carrots, celery root, parsnip, red pepper sliced, parsley, time, sage, bay leaves. Add another 200 ml wine. Add more water if the fluids in the pot have reduced under the level of the meat. Simmer for another 2 hours. After that extract from the pot the celery root, parsnip, bay leaves and throw them away.

If the stew has turned into a nice smelling thick sauce, the meat falls of the bone and tears easily  when you try it with a fork, than it is ready.

Serve with any carbs you like (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, polenta etc.) I served it on some milanese risotto, made with the ingredients shown above. It was sensational. Enjoy!

Gas Station Espresso

Linguine With Broccoli & Two Cheeses

INGREDIENTS:

• linguine pasta for 2 (half a pack);
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
• 2 cloves garlic, minced;
• half a broccoli, into flowrettes;
• 2 spoonfuls of kalamata olives;
• 100 gr. Grana Padano Italian cheese;
• 100 gr. Gorgonzola cheese;
• salt, pepper, oregano to taste.
 

HOW TO COOK:

Heat olive oil in a pan and throw in the garlic. Turn heat to lowest and add the chopped broccoli to the pan. Stir and sote for 3 - 5 minutes, then add a ladle of water from the pasta pot. Add the olives and seasoning and reduce (boil to evaporation) the liquid for the next 5 minutes. Add the linguine pasta that you have boiled according to the indications on the package, strained. Mix everything together in the pan. If it is too dry feel free to add some more of the water in witch the pasta have boiled. Add half the Grana Padano grated cheese and turn off the heat Add theGorgonzola cheese cut into chunks. It will stick to everything (knife, hands) but that is part of it's charm. Give it a final stir. Watch as the cheese melts coating the pasta. Transfer servings to the plates and sprinkle the rest of the grated Grana Padano on top. Serve hot.  

Linguine Grano Duro With Tomato Sauce & Broccoli

It's a spur of the moment dish, free cooking Italian recipe.

Heat olive oil in a pan and put in garlic and anchovies. Be careful not to brown the garlic! It will turn sour and ruin the dish. Go as far as to shut off the stove underneath the pan if it gets to hot. Also don't worry about the anchovies; they will simply melt into the oil and disappear. As soon as the garlic and anchovies start bubbling and release all that amazing flavor, poor in the tomato sauce (that you've made earlier and have ready made). If you don't have the sauce ready made, use a can of crushed tomatoes (good quality) or peeled ones that you will crush in the pan. Turn the heat up and start stirring. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, (basil, for the traditional version), hot pepper finely chopped or dry flakes.

Stir about 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes don't smell any more as a raw vegetable and the flavor infused olive oil has blended well into the (now reduced) sauce. If it gets too thick, just add some water from the pasta pot that you've set to boil with salt (a good handful). Pasta should boil in a lot of extra water for as long as the package says. Personally, I don't like the "al dente" (to the tooth) feel, although it's the Italian way. I like mine nice and soft.

Chop up some broccoli and ad it to the pan in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Now add the chopped parsley, too.

When the pasta is done, drain it and add the lot to the pan. The sauce in the pan should be a little runny, as the pasta will absorb some extra moisture and "fatten up" with some flavor. Turn on the heat and let rest for no more than 5 minutes after all the pasta is coated well with red sauce.

Serve hot.

"Grano duro" means whole wheat in Italian. I added to the serving in the plate a lot of grated salty white cheese. The standard tradition is Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil;
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed;
  
• 2-3 anchovy fillets;
• linguine for two (half a pack);
• 2-3 cups tomato pasta sauce;
• half a broccoli;
  
• salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, chilly pepper to taste.

Caprese Salad With Home Grown Basil

Made with the basil leaves from my balcony, that I planted from seeds.
"Caprese" means "from (the island of) Capri" in Italian. It consists of ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leafs, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper. Some people do variations (adding pesto sauce, for example). Like most italian recipes, it has few ingreds and therefor you must use the most fresh and quality ingreds you can find. If you like the tomato zest olive oil cheese combo, take a look at this.

Tagliatelle with Tomato, Olives & Fresh Spinach

I just made a quick pasta dish because I had bought all this fresh spinach from the market in a spring time frenzy. I was too lazy to cook something else more elaborate and I resorted to the simple and delightful italian cuisine. The whole recipe is a variation of the pasta with tomato sauce, so you start by making the basic tomato sauce.

In a pan, poor some extra virgin olive oil, then chop up 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and gently stir them over the smallest fire you've got. The garlic must absolutely not brown or burn, because it turns sour and you wouldn't get the good flavor in the sauce.

Ok, after a minute, poor in a can of "pelati", peeled plum tomatos that you've raughly chopped up. bring to a simmer steering constantly (preferably with a wooden spoon, better for the flavor, pan surface protection and style) and season with salt&pepper to taste, basil (fresh or dried). You can also use whatever italian herbs you facy, like rosemary, oregano, parsley. I used oregano, no parsley.

Towards the end of 15 minutes throw in the roughly chopped spinach and some kalamata greek olives (it's the best kind for flavoring food). Simmer another few minutes until spinach is soft and it's done. If it seems to you like too dry, feel free to add some water.

Simply poor the tomato spinach sauce over the hot tagliatelle and enjoy!