Aroma Cucina

5 Nut Pesto

Sometimes an idea is so good, you wonder why didn’t someone think of it sooner? The other night, our friends John and Libby handed us a jar of pesto that they had made that day. John did it old skool style: in a mortar, by hand.   Now, I’ve always been a food processor girl, but the taste and texture difference was significantly better than blender style. Damn. Now that I know this, you can’t go back…
What made this pesto so intriguing was that they used 5 different kinds of nuts. Now, I haven’t seen them today to ask, but I’m guessing the nuts were: pistachio, pine, hazlenut, almond and walnut. There was a bit of chili in the pesto as well, which gave it a brighter flavor, and this in turn, enhanced the sweetness of the pistachios.
I poached some shrimp in olive oil, added it to the pesto, and we had ourselves one outstanding dinner last night.
Grazie mille John and Libby!!

Carbonara con Piselli

Spaghetti carbonara in the US is often a gloppy, gluey, creamy mess.  True Carbonara is absolute simplicity: cheese, bacon or pancetta or guanciale, egg, whisper of garlic.

I’ve been putting pancetta in everything, so today I said, “Basta!” and went with a vegetarian variation. And, I have a confession to make: I used some frozen peas.  My husband threatened to out me, but there, I done it myself. I never said I was a saint!

In the time it takes you to boil the water, and cook the pasta, this dish is ready.

The classic version:
Brown your pancetta or bacon, if you are using garlic, crush a whole clove, toss it in while the pancetta is browning in some olive oil, but don’t let the garlic get brown, when it starts to brown, remove it and discard.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and place in the pancetta pan and toss with ¾’s of the cheese.  Let’s say for two people, use ½ cup of grated parmigiana, or a combination of parmigiana and pecorino.  Bring it to the table, crack a raw egg over it, toss thoroughly and serve immediately with the rest of the cheese. That’s it. Simple and satisfying.

Here’s the version I made today:
Finely chop an onion, sweat the onion in a warm pan with olive oil. Don’t let the onions get any color. Add those frozen peas.
Drain the pasta, toss with the cheese as above, crack in an egg, and you are good to go. 

Now the egg part might give you pause. Personally, I love raw eggs as an emulsifier, and we got our eggs from our friend Alvaro.  We happened to be in the piazza and he gave us some fresh eggs last night.  We treated him to a negroni. Fair trade, don’t you think?

Pasta Con Piselli Primavera

Piselli are peas, and sweet peas are in season, right now. Take advantage of the moment, they don’t last for long. No, frozen peas are not the same.  Go to the market, and buy fresh peas; nothing else tastes the same!  We went today with our Montonese-Portland friends, and came home to share the spoils of our market adventure.  Long lunches on a Wednesday afternoon are a decadent pleasure.

Pasta con Piselli Primavera
1-2 pounds of fresh peas in the pod, to yield 1 ½-2 cups shelled peas
4-5 thin slices of a medium onion
2 thin slices of pancetta
3-4T butter
1 T olive oil

In a pan large enough to hold the pasta, gently heat the pancetta and onions together, with a little olive oil. You can sub some good quality bacon for the pancetta, but then cut back to one slice as you only want a hint of porky flavor. Or, you can leave it out altogether.  You don’t want the onions to brown, but just to soften.
At the same time, melt the butter, and poach the peas directly in the butter. Resist the temptation to grab a large spoon and eat all the peas by yourself.

Choose a wide ribbon egg pasta, or bow ties for that classic Tuscan look. (You know those very debonair Tuscan gentleman, handsome older men that walk around with their over coats permanently slung on their shoulders….but I digress….)
Cook the pasta, drain, and along with a ladle full of pasta water, add the pasta to the onion/pancetta pan, now toss in the peas, mix well and serve.

Need some pasta inspiration? Stop by Ruth’s Once Upon a Feast blog, and see what’s cooking for Pasta Presto Night.

Ravioli with Toasted Ricotta

Ravioli with a Toasted Ricotta Sauce

Over at the Once Upon a Feast blog, Ruth hosts a Presto Pasta Nights event. Bloggers check in with some of their favorite recipes, so it’s a fun blog to go to when you are looking for something new to do with pasta.

Speaking of something new, what can you do with fresh ricotta? First, here is a short primer on ricotta:
Fresh ricotta cheese, which is made from whey, is soft, creamy, pure white, slightly sweet and mildly savory in taste. The most commonly found ricotta comes from cow’s milk, but my preference, if you can find it, is sheep milk ricotta. It has more flavor, and a smoother consistency.
The ricotta should be as fresh as possible, try to find something other than the mass-produced Polly-O stuff, it has a totally different consistency and is virtually tasteless. When we are in Italy, we go down the hill to our sheep farmer friend, Francesco Monni, and get the ricotta steaming hot. Because it’s so fresh, and loose, I actually have to wait a day, letting it drain, before I can use it for a ravioli or cannoli filling. It’s a neutral flavored cheese, so you can use it for both sweet and savory dishes.
When I was at the Ital.Cook School, a few years ago, a chef there taught us how to ‘toast’ ricotta.  It’s very simple, you put in a pan, turn on medium high heat, and keep stirring it until most of the water has vaporized and the cheese has turned into bits of caramelized crumble. It takes on a nutty flavor that is really quite unique.  The chef, who taught us, used it as a condiment on top of white polenta.

Here is a quick and simple ‘sauce’ to be used over ravioli.  Choose simple cheese ravioli to compliment the subtle flavors of the sauce.

½ cup each of
Thinly sliced onion
Small pieces of pancetta (or use thick slice, good quality bacon)
Tomato strips (peel the tomato, seed it, and cut the flesh into thin strips)
Toasted ricotta (about ½ pound will yield ½ cup. It depends on how much moisture there is in the ricotta)

While the salted water for the ravioli is coming to a boil, cook the pancetta over medium heat, when the pancetta starts to sizzle, add the onions. You don’t want the onions to brown, only to wilt, soften and melt. (Think of a swooning Victorian maiden.)
Cook the ravioli.
After you have drained the ravioli, add the tomato strips and toasted ricotta to the pancetta/onion pan, mix thoroughly and then add the ravioli. Gently toss and serve.
Serve with a fresh, clean white wine like a Pinot Grigio.

Anchovy Angel Hair Pasta

                                                                           

Anchovies and Angel Hair

This is a quick and satisfying pasta; one of those that you can make in the time it takes to boil water. Seriously.
Choose a very fine, dry pasta, like capellini or angel hair. This is one of those ‘vanishing’ sauces, the sauce gets absorbed into the strands of pasta, so finer pasta will equal more flavor.

Put a large pot of salty water on to boil.

While it’s heating up, start chopping:
2 Tablespoons of fresh parsley
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 dried chili peppers

*Adjust more or less garlic or chilies to your taste

When the boiling water is just about to bubble, add ¼ cup good quality olive oil to a pan and bring to medium high heat.  Add 6-8 anchovy filets; stir them around in the oil until they break apart.

By now the water is boiling, add the pasta.
Add the chopped parsley, garlic and chilies to the anchovy oil; reduce the heat, because you don’t want the garlic to get all brown and bitter.

Let the pasta cook for a minute, then take a ladle and scoop one ladle full of pasta water into the anchovy pan.  Capellini will usually be done in about 2 minutes, if you are using a thicker pasta, allow more time in the boiling water.
Drain the pasta and add to the anchovy pan. Toss the pasta and anchovy mix thoroughly and finish cooking the pasta (approx 1 minute). The noodles will absorb the extra water as they cook.

Plate the pasta and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of orange zest.  Serve with a chilled white wine, or better yet, with a good rose`.

Over on the "Every Kitchen Tells a Story" blog, Ruth is hosting a Presto Pasta event; so take a look at Ruth’s blog for other delicious recipes.

Porcini Pasta

Porcini Pasta

This recipe works well with a fresh pasta, a dried egg noodle or a simple cheese ravioli.

1/2 cup dried porcini (buy the cheaper broken bits, you want the porcini in smaller pieces)
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3T heavy cream
1 T finely chopped parsley
2T butter and 2T olive oil

About an hour before you plan on serving this dish, soak the porcini in cold water.
When you are ready to prepare the dish, drain the porcini but reserve about 3-4T of the liquid.
Melt the butter over low heat and combine with the olive oil.
Add the onions and gently soften.  At this point, your water should be boiling for the pasta.
Add the porcini, with  the water and the garlic and gently simmer while the pasta cooks.
Remove from heat and add the cream.
Drain the pasta and add to the porcini sauce pan.
Plate the pasta and finish with a bit of the parsley.

Quick. Easy. Delicious. Satisfying. Luxurious.

Culurgionis di Patate

Culurgionis di Patate
Potato and Cheese Filled Ravioli (Sardinia)
Pasta
200 g flour, Tipo 0
100 g water

Filling
70 g total of pecorino and parmigiana
2 medium roasted potatoes
butter
sage

Pasta: make as usual. Mound flour into a volcano dome, add water, knead until smooth, let rest for at least 1/2 hour before rolling out the pasta

Filling
Wrap potatoes in foil and roast until tender. When cool enough to handle, coarsely grate or pass thru a ricer. Incorporate cheese.  Melt butter in a saucepan and add fresh sage leave, cook until the leaves are crispy. Crumble leaves and add butter/sage mixture to the filling.

Sauce

Go light. Go easy. A simple roasted tomato sauce is all you need to feature this delicate ravioli. If you can find the very small cherry tomatoes, use them, if not, cut the tomotoes in half and lay flat in a shallow roasting pan, sprinkle with some salt and pepper and olive oil. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes in a moderate oven (300F) until you see the tomatoes start to collapse. Arrange the ravioli on a plate and then add the tomatoes and the cooking liquid.  A little bread on the side couldn't hurt.

Roasted, Stuffed Tomato Pasta

Roasted Stuffed Tomato Pasta
1 lb of cherry tomatoes or other type small tomato
1?2 cup parmigiana cheese
1?2 cup fresh, unseasoned bread crumbs
4-5 leaves of basil
2 small cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of capers (optional)
1 chili pepper (optional)
olive oil
1 onion
Spaghetti for 2-4 people (use a finer gauge spaghetti)

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and with a small spoon, scoop out the insides. Discard the seeds and inside gunk.

In a blender, puree the parmigiana cheese, basil, garlic and capers and chili pepper with a little bit of olive oil.

With that small spoon, loosely fill the cherry tomatoes with the cheese mixture.

Place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven at 300F degrees for 20 minutes. You want the tomatoes to be bubbly and a little bit brown on top.

Put on a big pot of salted water to boil.

Finely chop the onion.  Uhhh...peel it first. But, you knew that, right?
In another pan, like a frying pan, but big enough to hold all of the pasta, sweat the onion in some olive oil.  That means, keep the heat low, keep stirring and don't let the onions brown.  You can also add a chopped chili pepper or two to the mix.

When the water comes to a boil, cook your pasta.  When the pasta is about a minute away from being done, add a ladle full of the cooking water to onion. Drain the pasta and place in the frying pan. Continue cooking the pasta until it is done and the water has been absorbed.  Add a remaining cheese mixture to the pasta and mix thoroughly.  (This is a little tricky, too much water and you have soup, not enough and your pasta won't be cooked all the way. It is a technique worth mastering as your pasta will absorb much more of the flavors this way.)

When you are ready to serve the pasta, place in a bowl, then place the stuffed cherry tomatoes on top with any of the cooking juices.  Serve immediately.

Vegetable Lasagne

Fresh Summer Vegetable Lasagne
Its that time of year when you can't keep up with the vegetable garden output, or if you are in the city, the markets are packed with great vegetables. This lasagne recipe is for individual portions and you can substitute whatever you have in abundance.
Warning: it scores a little high on the labor intensive-o-meter, but its still worth it.  Sharon, this recipe is for you!

4 squares of fresh pasta for each portion
Enough of the following vegetables to make one layer
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Eggplant

1?4 cup ricotta per serving
1?4 cup mozzarella per serving
2 Tablespoons of Pesto sauce (basil, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, parmigiana cheese) per serving
1 egg
1?2 cup flour with a pinch or two of salt
1 Tablespoon per serving of tomato sauce

Slice the eggplant and zucchini into thin slices. Dip in an egg mixture and then into a flour and salt mixture. Lightly fry and set aside on absorbent paper.
Blanch the fresh pasta in boiling water for 1 minute and then rinse in cold water and hold on the side
Mix the ricotta with 1 tablespoon per serving of tomato sauce and set aside.
Slice the tomatoes (I used a plum tomato inside and cherry tomatoes on top, I could make Heinz ketchup right now I have so many varieties of tomatoes laying around the kitchen) and set aside
Slice the mozzarella
Hang in there, you are up to the fun part.

Lay a pasta sheet on a non-stick oven pan
Layer the eggplant-zucchini-summer squash
Next lay another sheet of pasta
Now comes the ricotta-tomato sauce layer
Sheet of  pasta (you've got it down by now, right?)
Fresh tomatoes, give them a little salt sprinkle and a taste of olive oil and the mozzarella on top. Have extra basil laying around, shred some basil on the layer as well
Top pasta sheet gets a few more slices of  tomatoes on top

Bake at 350 for 1?2 hour, or until the top tomatoes look nice and 'roasty'.

Remove from the oven and spoon the pesto sauce over the top before serving.

Piece of bread, nice salad, glass of wine and all is right with the world.

Pear Ricotta Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce

Pear Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce
Pasta
Approximately 200 g  ricotta & pear ravioli, this recipes serves 2 hungry people

Sauce
1 ripe pear, chopped into small cubes, approx 1/3 cup
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped and cubed pancetta or lardon or bacon (not strips, but a chunk of bacon will work)
1?4 pint, or 200cl fresh cream
3?4 cup gorgonzola picante (look for a stronger, firmer gorgonzola, instead of the very soft gorgonzola dolce), chopped into medium size hunks.
1 T butter

If you are feeling inspired, and have some great fresh pears around, make the ravioli yourself. If you don't have the time or inclination or skills, use a good quality ricotta ravioli, and double the amount of pear used in the sauce.
Fresh ravioli filling: 200g of sheep ricotta and one very ripe pear. Using a stick blender or food processor, blend the ingredients well. You should have a 'fluffy', soft filling that is suitable for piping onto the ravioli. You don't want it too runny, if your pears are super juicy, increase the amount of ricotta that you use.  Store the ravioli in the freeze until you are ready to use them.

Prepare all the sauce ingredients.
Chop the pear into small cubes and place into acidulated water (water that has a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice in it).  Finely chop the onion and set aside. Same with the pancetta.

Put the salted pasta water on to boil. 
While the pasta water is coming to a boil, make a green salad. It's good to have something chewy and crunch after this pasta.

When the water is just about ready, using a saucepan that is big enough to hold the ravioli, melt the butter and add the onion. You want to soften the onions, not brown them, so pay attention here!   Using a whisk, slowly add the cream and allow it to heat up.
Drain the pear cubes and pat dry.
In another pan, oh, quit worrying about doing the dishes, it's worth it, I promise.  As I was saying, in another pan, saut? the pancetta/lardon/bacon.  My pancetta is very lean so I need to add a few drops of olive oil to keep the pan from scorching. Use your judgement here.  At this point, it's no longer possible to answer the phone,  you need to stay focused.  When the cream/onion mixture is warm and almost at the boil point, add the gorgonzola and start to gently whisk it around. You want the gorgonzola to melt, but be careful not to let it boil too much. 
Add your ravioli to the boiling water.  If its fresh ravioli, your cooking time is only about 2 minutes, or until the water returns to a boil and everyone is happily floating and dancing in the boiling water. 
By now the pancetta is crispy, the gorgonzola is mostly melted, the ravioli are almost done, its time to add the pears to the pancetta and stir them to brown evenly.
Drain the ravioli and place them in the gorgonzola sauce to thoroughly coat. After about 30 seconds, remove and plate the ravioli.  Using a fork or slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and pear bits and scatter on top of the ravioli. Serve immediately.
It looks like too much sauce, but we licked our plates clean. If you think it's too 'saucy' cut back a bit on the cream. But, don't say I didn't warn you.

Serve it with an assertive white wine, nothing too shy, the wine should be crisp with a only the touch of sweetness. It would also be good with a light bodied red wine. I served it with a 2004 Corvo "Rosa", a rose from Sicily.