Cooking Curiosity...

Although not technically a 'food blog', this little site of mine is usually about 75-80% food. Well, what can I say? I live in Italy. The food here is nothing short of DELICIOUS. However, most of my food related posts are of things I have EATEN; not necessarily MADE. Apart from the odd pasta dish or yogurt cake, I do not promote myself as a cook. I have decided that I would like this to change. I'm not sure if it's the cold winter months of staying indoors, or viewing other people's culinary skills that have sparked my curiosity, but what I do know, is that I am determined to get just a little better at cooking stuff.

I have had a go at two simple recipes recently (yes, I'm starting off simple), namely Nutella brownies and funghi al forno. They both turned out very well indeed, thus prompting me to research my next dish. A friend recently gave me the recipe for a pumpkin risotto, so methinks that will be the next step. However it turns out, it will be posted on here. So no pressure or anything....

Nutella Brownies: 240ml of Nutella (yes, it's rather a lot...), 60g flour, 2g slat, 2 eggs, 100g brown sugar, 5ml vanilla essence, 56g melted butter. Mix eggs, Nutella, sugar and vanilla. Then alternate adding the flour/salt and the butter. Spread into a tin and bake for about 25/30 mins (depending on your oven) at around 160/170 °C. The brownies were quite cakey, but very tasty indeed. I added some coconut to mine too. (Recipe taken from the AllTheCooks.com food app)

Funghi al Forni: This is so simple but absolutely delish. Remove the stalks and wipe the mushrooms clean, before laying out on a baking tray and covering with chopped garlic, salt, parsley, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and a scattering of breadcrumbs. Pop in the oven for about 15 minutes or so at 160°C. Event though I got good feedback for these, next time I think I'll add a little more Parmesan and breadcrumbs. (Recipe taken from a lovely colleague of mine)

Acquasala

Aaaaaaaand I'm back with another food post!

I recently discovered that the panini I had bought to eat on a particular day had been forgotten about. Left to go stale. No longer fresh and soft.

So, instead of seeking out some ducks (which would have been difficult because I swear, in the 2 years and 9 months that I've lived here, I haven't seen a single one...) I decided that the only logical thing to do was rinse the bread in water, mix it with some fresh tomatoes, add salt, oregano and then finally, lashings of olive oil.

That, my friends, is what you call an acquasala.

TIP: rinse the bread. Don't soak it. Otherwise it will just be soggy bread, and no one wants that...

Pasta with Broccoli and Pancetta

What's your favourite vegetable? I love pretty much all of them. I've even stopped turning my nose up at Brussels sprouts. That's not to say I like them... they just don't repulse me like they used to. My personal favourites have to be parsnips, peas and broccoli.

One of our local pizza places does an amazing broccoli pizza. Honestly, it's to die for. Not long ago, when I walked in and spotted it, I literally squeaked with joy. It isn't one of the regular pizza toppings on offer, so I was really rather excited. The guy in front of me took all but one piece of it, and I may or may not have muttered a few choice words under my breath, as I saw that my beloved broccoli pizza was under threat. Luckily, that next piece found its way to my stomach, so I was one happy girl.

The boyfriend then mentioned that he could 'throw together' a nice broccoli pasta for me, it would be 'no trouble at all'. He kept his promise, and a few days later, he wowed me with this tasty creation:

 

Now, some of you may not find this pasta dish very aesthetically pleasing. I, on the other hand, think it looks delish. And it's oh so simple to make.

Cook some broccoli in boiling water until it's about three quarters done. Meanwhile, fry some olive oil, pancetta and garlic in a pan. Add your broccoli to the pan too, and cook it until it resembles a kind of puree, like you can see in the photos above. Mix in a sprinkling of Parmesan, don't forget to add some salt, and then serve!

It really is very tasty indeed. Give it a go!

Sausages and Spuds: Italian Style

Every part of Italy has its own sausage.

The other evening, we picked up some yummy Pugliese sausage, and decided to do something exciting with it. So, this is what we did, and I suggest you try it too:

1. Take a baking tray, and add some chopped onion and a garlic clove split into 4 (don't forget to remove later. Not that I've ever forgotten..ahem)

2. Chop some potatoes (we used 4 or 5 medium sized ones for two people) into wedge-sized pieces. You can see there's no uniformity with mine. Add the potato to the baking tray, and drizzle with olive oil.

3. Then chop up the sausage into pieces. Add to the tray, along with a little chopped tomato, salt, pepper, rosemary and another drizzle of olive oil. Mix it all up.

 4. Put in the oven at about 200, but after about 5 minutes, remove from the oven, add half a cup of water and half a cup of white wine. Add half a crumbled stock cube.

5. If the ingredients are looking a bit dry, add another cup of wine/water and mix. You may need to do this a couple of times. Keep a watchful eye on that sausage!!

6. It should take about 40 minutes in the oven, but this may vary slightly. When the potato is cooked through and the sausage is browned, you're ready to go! You can also grill for an extra 5 mins to make it nice and crispy on top.

 This is a perfect dish for Autumn- hot and filling. Buon appetito!

And finally.....

This weekend I'm taking a trip to Assisi for a Christening. I've never been before so will write a full report when I return on Tuesday. Have a smashing weekend!!

FOOD FRIDAY: polpette della nonna

Yes, this does mean some kind of yummy Italian recipe every Friday!


That's not to say that I won't be talking about food the rest of the week. Being as golosa as I am, that would be quite impossible!

This one is my favourite recipes so far (or at least, it's up there with the lasagne): Italian meatballs. Italians do meat very well. Yes, they are masters of pizza and pasta and gelato...but never underestimate their ability with meat.

These meatballs can be cooked in a tomato sauce (try this one, with or without the pancetta!) or you can choose the less healthy option (ahem, like I did..) and fry them in a pan. To make these meatballs, you will need to following (remember, I don't always work in quantities...too restricting..and often I just go with what feels right...or what the Italian boyfriend advises me to do..OK OK close brackets now):

 garlic clove

parsley

salt

grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

breadcrumbs

egg

minced meat (we used a mixture of pork and beef) about 300g for two hungry people 

 First, chop up the parsley and the garlic into teeny tiny pieces (if you're a clumsy oaf like me, watch your fingers..)

In a bowl, mix these in with the meat (get stuck in with your hands!)

Add the Parmesan (lots...don't be shy)

Add an egg, and then add the breadcrumbs (until the mixture is no longer really liquidy due to the egg)

Using your fingers, roll the meat up into balls

Then place into a pan of oil. You don't need a huge amount, about this much:

Then, while constantly turning the meatballs, ensure they are well browned and cooked through. It took me about 10-15 minutes, but this will depend on how big the meatballs are.

And finally, after soaking up the oil a little (not sure how much difference it makes but I always do it!)...

 ...enjoy!!

 

P.S- If you decide to cook these in a tomato sauce, it is of course healthier than using oil, but will take longer. Ensure the meatballs are cooked through.

I got the idea of having a food Friday from Shari over at The Daily Dish- check out her blog here.

easy on the sauce!!

I've been told by the Italians who have had the pleasure to sample the 'delights' (yes, the inverted commas are needed here) of the UK's take on Italian food, that we 'over-sauce' our pasta dishes. We have pasta SWIMMING in sauce. Positively drowning in it. And I must admit, I tend to agree with their opinion. Sometimes less IS more. There's nothing worse than having to actually search for the pasta on your plate. And so, in my own 'cooking' (inverted commas definitely required here), I have attempted to reduce my need to over-sauce things. After much observation and sampling of various pasta dishes (much more sampling than observation if I'm honest), I am now able to put together something simple and pasta-like. All. By. Myself. I thought I would share my recipe with you. And I consulted with an ACTUAL Italian whilst putting this together. It's wonderfully simple. So, here goes! You will need: 

 The pasta that works best with this is orecchiette, which is a pasta specific to my region. It translates as 'little ears', and is absolutely delicious, especially when fresh (hence why I have scribbled 'fresh' on my little blackboard). 

'Little ears' (image from www.bonappetit.com)

Take a medium sized pan and add a lovely glob (yes, this is an official measurement, I'll have you know) of oil. Pop in the garlic (leave it whole or cut in two- don't chop it up) and then add the pancetta. I use the smoked kind as it has more taste to it. Chop your baby tomatoes into quarters and throw them in the pan too (literally, throw them. You aren't cooking anything unless you make SOME mess). I like to add some oregano too, and a bit of basil, but don't worry if you don't have these. It tastes lovely even without. Let this heat up nicely. I like to start squishing the tomatoes with a fork too, to make more of a 'sauce'. You don't have to do this, but I would  recommend it as it's quite enjoyable. But watch they don't squirt tomato juice all over your clothes (yes, it HAS happened to me). Tomatoes and oil are exquisite in this region but my WORD they are a hazard when cooking/eating them. (TIP: bicarbonate of soda removes oil stains. Chuck a load over the stain and the powder draws out the oil. I have used it more times than I can count.) 

While your tomatoes and pancetta are cooking nicely (don't forget to add your salt- you need to taste  frequently and add as necessary), boil up some (salted) water and when it's bubbling furiously, add your pasta. It takes a very very short amount of time to cook the pasta if it's fresh. Make sure you taste test that too! I like the pasta to still have a bit of bite (although it does take practice. I've unfortunately served up mushy pasta more than once.) Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the pan. Mix together (don't forget to remove your garlic clove- might not be a pleasant surprise mid-chew!) and put into bowls. Forks only- knives are not invited to this pasta party. There's only one more thing: don't forget to say buon appetito before you eat!