VIDEO lezione numero tredici

For the complete video click here.

For the whole lecture and recipes check the posts on May 21st, 22nd and 23rd.

VIDEO lezione numero otto

For the complete video click here.

For the whole lecture, recipes and exercises check the posts on April 7th and 8th.

VIDEO lezione numero sette

For the complete video click here.

For the whole lecture, recipes and exercises check the posts on March 24 and 26.

Orecchiette alla caprese

For the complete video of this class click here.

LA CAPRESE:

La caprese è un antipasto with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and good olive oil. This is a variation for a quick and easy summery pasta sauce.

Ingredienti:

- pomodorini (cherry tomatoes), you can also use other kinds of tomatoes
- mozzarella fresca (fresh mozzarella, if you like it you can use mozzarella di bufala)
- foglie di basilico fresco (leaves of fresh basil)
- olio extravergine di oliva
- sale, pepe, peperoncino
- optional: capperi (capers). If you use capers in salt, rinse them well before use
- optional: percorino romano grattuggiato (grated)

If you do not like to cook a occhio, by eye, then for 4 people consider about 1 lb of pomodorini and 1 large mozzarella (7-8 oz).

Procedimento:

- lava e taglia (wash and cut) i pomodorini in quarters
- taglia la mozzarella a cubetti
- in una ciotola grande (in  a large bowl) mescola (mix) i pomodorini, la mozzarella, few (washed) leaves of basil (whole, or broken in pieces, using your hands), olive oil, salt, pepper and red crushed pepper.
- If you like them, add a bunch of capperi and percorino romano.
- Your pasta sauce is ready, you do not need to cook anything! When the pasta is cooked and drained, mix all together in the bowl or in the pot.

Buon appetito =)


ORECCHIETTE FRESCHE:

Le orecchiette sono un tipo di pasta originario della regione Puglia. 

Orecchietta lit. means little cute ear (orecchio or orecchia= ear).

Ingredienti (per 4 persone):

- 400 g di farina di grano duro (lit.flour of hard wheat -> durum flour, or sifted semolina flour - about 3 cups)
- un pizzico di sale
- acqua tiepida (warm water, as much as needed)

Procedimento:

- Impasta (knead) forcefully for at least 10 minutes. You want the dough to be hard, smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes. If you do not have the patience (la pazienza) to wait it's ok ;)
- Roll pieces of dough into ropes as thin as a pens, and with a knife cut pieces of  about 1/4". With your hands, or with the help of a knife, give these pieces the characteristic orecchietta shape.
Watch our videos or check out this link for visual help
http://www.gennarino.org/orecchiette.htm
- If you are not starving , let the orecchiette dry for a few hours. 

Else skip this step.

- Cook your  orecchiette in boiling salty water for about 10 minutes or until al dente. 

Tagliatelle ai funghi

For the complete video of this class click here.

FUNGHI TRIFOLATI (= cooked with garlic and parsley):

Ingredienti:

- dried porcini or your  favorite fresh funghi (mushrooms)
   If you are making pasta for 4 people, use about 1 lb of fresh
   mushrooms or 0.2 lb of dry mushrooms
- aglio (garlic), as much or as little as you want
- prezzemolo fresco (fresh Italian parsley)
- panna da cucina (the closest ingredient I found in the US is heavy cream), as much or as little as you want  (you can use none)
- olio extravergine d'oliva, sale, pepe (pepper)

Procedimento:

- If you use dry mushrooms, soak them in warm water for about 1 hr.
  If you use fresh mushrooms wash them and cut them in medium/small pieces.
- Make a soffritto (sweat) with garlic (whole cloves, easy to remove, or chopped) in olive oil
- aggiungi (add) i funghi e mescola (and mix). If you use dry mushrooms, you can add part of
 the water in which you soaked them
- When the mushrooms are cooked (it takes 5-10 minutes), lower the heat to minimum, add heavy cream, salt, pepper and the parsley leaves (washed and finely chopped)
- Remove from the heat: i funghi sono pronti! Serve them mixed with your tagliatelle or
 as a side dish (contorno)! If you want, top with your favorite grated cheese.

PASTA FRESCA: LE TAGLIATELLE 

Ingredienti per 4 persone:


- 400 g =0.9 lb, a little more than 3 cups di farina (of flour - all purpose)
- 4 uova grandi (large eggs)
- un pizzico di sale (a pinch of salt)
- if needed to hold the dough together, due cucchiai di acqua tiepida (two spoons of warm water)

 Procedimento:

- Place the flour on the counter or in una ciotola (a bowl), make a well in the center, put the eggs in the well and mix with your fingers or con l'aiuto (with the help) di una forchetta (of a fork).  

- Impasta (knead) thoroughly: the dough is very hard to knead but you want it to become smooth. 

If you prefer you can use un robot da cucina (a food processor).

- Let the dough rest for about 1 hr (wrapped in plastic film). If you are

 impatient, you can skip this step. 

- Flatten the dough using a pasta machine or a rolling pin.
If you use a pasta machine, lightly dust it and the dough with flour each time you run the pasta through it. Start from the widest setting and switch to the narrower until you reach the desired thickness.
If you use the rolling pin, be sure to dust it and the counter with flour; flatten down to a thickness on about half a mm. Essentially as thin as you can. 
- Cut the pasta in your favorite shape. Tagliatelle are about 5-7 mm (0.2/0.3") wide, pappardelle are wider (1.5-2 cm) 

Look here for some ideas  
http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Pasta-fresca-all-uovo.html

 Commenti e variazioni:

- You can save the scrap pieces of irregular shape: they even have a name maltagliati (badly cut).
- Cook your pasta in boiling salty water for 3-5 minutes
- If you made too much, freeze it before you cook it. In that case do not let it thaw before cooking it.
- You can make pasta with less or senza uova  (without eggs): in this case use only warm water.

Patate e finocchi al latte

For the videos of this class click here.


Ingredienti (for one baking pan):

-4-5 large patate (e.g. Idaho or Russet are perfect) and/or 2 finocchi (fennel bulbs)
- latte (milk)
- grated parmigiano
- olio d'oliva (olive oil)
- sale, pepe nero, noce moscata (salt, black pepper, nutmeg)

Procedimento:

1- Preheat the oven at 200 C/400 F
2- Peel the potatoes and cut them in disks about 1/2 cm thick (1/5 inch)
3- Wash the fennel bulbs, remove the stalks/leafy part and slice them (there isn't an
ideal thickness, but if you make them thinner they cook faster)
4- Lightly coat the bottom of a porcelain or pyrex baking pan with olive oil
5- Make a few layers of potatoes/fennel and cheese, seasoning with a little salt, nutmeg and black pepper.
6- Add enough milk to cover
7- Top with grated parmigiano
8- Bake until the milk becomes creamy, the patate/finocchi are soft and the top is golden brown (based on the thickness, it usually takes 20-30 minutes)

Variazioni:

- you can add sliced onions and some garlic if you like them
- non-vegetarians can add a couple of thin layers of ham
- if you want to reduce the time in the forno (oven), you can boil the potates/fennel before placing them in the baking pan..but you will have one extra pentola (pot) to wash =P, so I do not consider it a time saver after all
- you can add different spices, such as curry (not much used in Italy, but tasty)
- you can use also the stems of the finocchi if you slice them very thin.
- Finocchi are delicious raw, as a healthy snack, or in a salad.

Melanzane alla parmigiana

For the videos of this class click here.

This is a light version; in the classic recipe the eggplants are deep fried (alone or dipped in egg and covered with bread crumbs).

Ingredienti per 4-6 persone

-2 large melanzane (eggplants)
-1 spicchio d'aglio (garlic clove)
-1 L di passata di pomodoro (plain strain tomatoes, we used 1.5 box of Pomì)
-parmigiano grattuggiato (grated, about 100 g, but decide by eye and taste)
-mozzarella grattuggiato (grated) or a fette (in slices), about 1 cup
-basilico fresco (fresh basil, a few leaves)
- sale
- zucchero (sugar)
- spices of your choice (e.g. red crushed pepper, nutmeg)

Procedimento

- wash the eggplants and cut them max 1 centimeter thick.
- let the the eggplant slices sit in a colander covered with abundant coarse salt. You can make many layers of eggplant and salt: this procedure remove the bitterness from the melanzane.
- after 30 minutes drain, rinse very well and pat try with paper towel
- grill the eggplant slices at 400 F for about 10 minutes (or more, based on the thickness). Alternatively, grill them in a non stick pan without oil on the stove or on the bbq.
- in the meantime prepare a tomato sauce with a soffritto of garlic (read the post on February 11th for directions)
- cover the bottom of a baking dish with the tomato sauce
- place a layer of eggplant over the sauce
- sprinkle with grated mozzarella, grated parmisan and basil leaves (as a whole or minced, as you wish)
- repeat to make 3-4 layers ending with sauce
- top with the remaining mozzarella and parmigiano
- bake at 400 F for about 30 minutes.

Le melanzane alle parmigiana are delicious eaten immediately and the day after are even meglio (better). Prova (try!)

Bruschette - antipasto

For the videos of this class click here.

 Pronunciation

Remember: che in Italian reads keh in English. Pronounce brus-keh-te.

La bruschetta/le bruschette

Ingredienti

- 1 baguette or better some pugliese or toscano bread (one large crusty loaf)
- 2 pomodori (tomatoes) or a large handful of pomodorini (cherry tomatoes)
- 1 spicchio d'aglio (garlic clove)
- Basilico fresco (fresh basil, a few leaves)
- Sale
- Olio extravergine d'oliva (extravirgin olive oil)

Preparazione

- chop the tomatoes and mix in a bowl with salt, olive oil and basil (you can use the whole leaves or mince them, as you prefer).
- cut the bread in disks and toast in the oven for about 5 min (400 F). During the summer you can grill the bread on the bbq.
- Option 1: rub the garlic on the toasted bread
- Option 2: add the garlic (as a whole or minced) to the tomato mix. Leave in the fridge for at least a few hours.
- You can either put the chopped tomatoes on the bread yourself, or for a big group you can serve the bowl on one side, the bread on another, and let everyone help themselves.

Buon appetito!