Tag: italian
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Pasta: Elicoidali
The pasta shape called Elicoidali is similar to penne but a bit thicker and slightly curved. Their ridges exhibit a distinct helix pattern hence the pasta’s name.
Their tubular shape and ridges make them perfect for both light and heavy sauces incorporating meat and vegetables.
Here I have folded them through sauce made with sour cream, pasta water, lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Italian Vegetable Stock: Brodo Vegetale
This full flavoured vegetable stock is another amazing Italian recipe from giallo zafferano.
It couldn’t get any simpler. The holy trinity of vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) and a tomato is all you need.
Note:
- Takes about 20 minutes to prepare and an hour to simmer.
- You will get about 1 – 1.5 litres of stock that keeps for a few days in the fridge and also freezes well.
- Making stock is a great way to use your older veggies up, I even got the tomato from the grocer’s seconds bin.
- You are also reducing food packaging waste and if you source local ingredients you are cutting down on food transport miles.
Steps
Equipment
Ingredients
Preparing the vegetables
- Peel the onion then slice in half.
- Splash a bit of olive oil in a stock pot and cook the inside face of onion halves until slightly charred.
- Remove the onion carefully and wipe the stock pot free of oil with a cloth or paper towel.
- Return the onion to the pot.
- Roughly chop the 2 celery sticks and the carrot.
- Halve the tomato.
- Chuck the lot into the pot along with 2L of water, salt to taste and a sprinkle of whole peppercorns.
Simmering
Bring to to a rolling boil and then simmer on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Straining
Use a small meshed sieve or strainer to remove the vegetables. These can go into your compost bin.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more Italian cooking secrets and ways to use your stock :
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Pasta: Cavatelli
Cavatelli are beautiful little curled pasta shapes that look like little hot dog buns. The shape is perfect for holding a light sauce.
Here I have folded cavatelli through a garlic infused olive oil and cheese sauce, replete with small pieces of steamed broccoli:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Dave’s Mint And Balsamic Dipping Sauce
Dave makes this sauce every time he barbeques lamb. It is in my opinion the perfect pairing of minty and tangy flavours that give the lamb a clean taste.
It is simply 3 parts balsamic vinegar to 1 part mint sauce.
I use Italian made balsamic vinegar and the mint sauce I grew up eating:
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Serving
Give each serving a healthy amount:
You can even heat it in a sauce pan to reduce it to a sticky sauce perfect for decorating the plate:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more sauces, condiments and dips along with other cooking staples:
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Pasta: Mezzi Tubetti Lisci (short smooth tubes)
These smooth short pasta tubes are perfect for soups, salads and pasta bakes. I often use them in place of risoni (called orzo in the USA).
It is primarily sold dried (pasta secca) and is available everywhere.
Here I used it in my minestrone soup:
It also makes for a great vegetarian one pot pasta dish:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Cheese: Rosso Di Pienza
Tuscany rosso (red) di Pienza is a firm sheep milk cheese that hails from central Italy.
Famous for its red rind, the cheese has a short ageing process where the rind was traditionally rubbed with tomato paste.
Milk
Sheep
Origin
Italy
Aged
Yes, 30 days
Aroma
Pungent and slightly sweet.
Taste
Sharp yet slight sheep milk bite and some sweetness.
Texture
Firm with very slight flakiness. Red rind that in artisanal cheeses is edible.
Look
White smooth interior, with no openness.
Serving
Perfect by itself or on a tasting plate or cheese board. Pairs well with cold meats
Wine
Bold red wines.
Here are some more posts about cheese:
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Cheese: Percorino Al Tartufo
Pecorino al Tartufo (truffles) is a semi-firm, smooth sheep milk cheese that hails from central Italy.
Like its cows milk cousin Sottocenere al Tartufo (truffle) it is a visual sensation. The pale white colouring contrasts perfectly with the specks of black truffle. It is a must try experience despite the price!
Milk
Sheep
Origin
Italy
Aged
Yes, 30 days
Aroma
Pungent and savoury.
Taste
Salty with that sheep milk bite and lots of savoury goodness.
Texture
This cheese has a smooth but firm bite.
Look
White smooth interior, flecked with truffle shavings, with no openness.
Serving
By itself or with other cheeses. Also perfect for grating on pasta especially those with a white sauce.
Wine
No wine required except your favourite.
Here are some more posts about cheese:
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Spaghetti Al Limone
Spaghetti, lemons, olive oil, some herbs and parmigiano-reggiano cheese is all you need to make this simple southern Italian dish. We are going to be making a lemon and olive oil emulsion, adding cheese and then folding al-dente pasta through it.
Simply
Whisk the zest and juice of a lemon in a bowl with several good slugs of garlic infused olive oil. Keep whisking until the sauce has emulsified. Whisk in at least 1/2 cup of grated parmigiano-reggiano (or any hard aged cheese really).
Tip: Balance the lemon flavour by whisking in cracked black pepper to taste.
Cook your pasta al-dente (reserve a bit of pasta water) and then fold it through the sauce until you have an even coating.
If your sauce is too clingy/thick and you can’t get an even coating, mix in a tiny bit of the reserve pasta water.
Serving
I topped the spaghetti with some squid ink fettuccine (fettuccine al Nero di seppia) and basil leaves:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more pasta recipes and Italian cuisine ideas:
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Cheese: Italian Piave
The most famous of all Italian cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano, has a little brother called Piave. Named naturally enough after the river and region of northern Italy where it is made.
It is every bit as versatile and tasty but because it is aged for less time the flavours are milder and easier on the bank account.
Milk
Cow
Origin
Italy
Aged
Yes, 6 to 18 months
Aroma
Nutty and savoury.
Taste
Nutty with a distinct savoury bite.
Texture
Hard and a little crumbly.
Look
Flaky pale yellow interior. Hard rind stamped with the name of the cheese in large indented letters.
Serving
It is a handy addition to any cheese board and I think it goes great with fruit and berries.
You can munch it by the handful and it excels as a cooking cheese. Add it to your next risotto 🙂
Wine
Your favourite red or white will go well. I like to pair it with a New Zealand or South Australian Sauvignon Blanc.
Related
Here are some more posts about cheese:
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Cheese: Sottocenere al Tartufo (truffle)
Sottocenere al Tartufo is a semi-firm, smooth vaccino (cow milk cheese) that hails from northern Italy.
As you can see it is studded with black truffle shavings and is coated in an inedible ash rind infused with herbs so as to flavour the cheese pate.
This cheese is full of flavour with a creamy umami finish. As you can guess it is not the cheapest of imported cheeses but it is well worth the price. As soon as I put it out it gets munched by my family. I feel lucky if I even get to eat some!
Milk
Cow
Origin
Italy
Aged
Yes, slightly.
Aroma
Spicy and savoury.
Taste
Mildly spicy with savoury goodness.
Texture
This cheese has a smooth but firm bite.
Look
Yellow smooth interior, flecked with truffle shavings, with no openness.
Serving
By itself or with other cheeses. Lots and lots of it!
Wine
No wine required except your favourite.
Here are some more posts about cheese:
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