Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce

Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce

Ingredients for the Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce:

4 Tbsp olive oil
8 cloves minced or sliced garlic
1 chopped onion
1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp oregano
1 cup of white wine
2 cups of crushed tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
3 pounds of mussels
3 Tbsp fresh Parsley chopped

Recipe for Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce:
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic, chopped onion, red pepper flakes, cayenne, oregano, paprika, and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 30 seconds.  Add the white wine and tomato sauce, increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.  

Add the mussels and cover the pan with the lid.  Cook over high heat for 5 minutes, the steam will cook the mussels.  Remove the lid and stir once gently.  Continue to cook until the mussels are completely open and fully cooked, 4 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the mussels gently from the pot to a large bowl.  Return the pot to the heat and increase the heat to high.  Boil for a minute or 2, until the sauce is thicker.  Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.


Recommendations for serving:

This recipe is very healthy and surprisingly light.  It can be served as an appetizer or main dish.  Serve with a thick crust bread or garlic toasts.  Best served with beer or white wine!

Paccheri

What's Paccheri?

Although the origin of Paccheri is disputed between the Southern regions of Calabria and Campania their provenance cannot be traced with certainty to either. They belong to the short ribbed stright cut pasta family. They have a 28 mm diameter, they are 46 mm long and their thickness can vary from 1,18 and 1,26 mm.People from Naples also call this pasta « paccare », a dialect word which means « schiaffo » (slap). Probably their thick and heavy consistency is associated in the popular tradition to a nice good slap.Paccheri are recommended in the making of dried pasta dishes with thick chunky meat ragùs, such as the Neapolitan ragù, which can easily penetrate and cling into the pasta making it even more dainty. Alternatively they are also excellent in casseroles baked with cheeses and tomato sauce.

'Cecco pasta factory'

Paccheri alla Napoli

Paccheri alla Napoli - (Spicey Sausage pasta with Ricotta Cheese)

What's Paccheri!????


Ingredients for Paccheri alla Napoli for two portions:

24 Paccheri (the pasta shape) for two portions
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of Napoli sausage, sliced (or Spanish chorizo or any other spicy sausage can be used)
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp of ricotta
1 Tbsp of capers
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper


 Recipe for Paccheri alla Napoli:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic to the hot oil and sauté about a minute.  Add the sliced sausage and continue to stir occasionally for a few minutes.  The onions will be translucent and turning light brown.  Turn the heat on hight and add the tomatoes; cook the tomatoes for about one minute and add the balsamic vinegar.  Add the capers and the fresh tarragon (or basil, or oregano, or parsley).  Spoon in three dollops of ricotta cheese and mix by folding the pasta in the pan.  Plate with a swirl of balsamic or reduced balsamic cream.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti al cartoccio with sea food

Spaghetti  al Cartoccio with Seafood

Ingredients for the Spaghetti al Cartoccio with sea food for 2 portions:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 roma tomatoes, in cubes
1/2 cup of chopped bell peppers (red and yellow)
1 tsp of capers
2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
10 olives
10 mussels
10 clams
10 shrimps
Chopped parsley, mint or oregano
1 lemon
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil




Recipe for Spaghetti  al cartoccio with sea food:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onion, garlic, and bell peppers and sauté.  Turn the heat on hight and add the tomatoes; cook the tomatoes for about one minute and add the balsamic vinegar.

 Add the *very al dente pasta and mix it in the pan.  (The pasta packaging says to cook about 11 minutes, but you must consider we are cooking it in the oven too for 2 minutes, therefor it must be undercooked at this point).  Add the mint (or oregano) and squeeze a half lemon on top.  Mix again checking the salt and pepper are good.

Take a bowl and place a large cut piece of parchment paper (oven paper) over it.  Swirl one portion of pasta in the middle of the paper with the vegetables included (as pictured).  Add a spoon of capers and olives.
Next add your choice of seafood being carful not to overstuff the paper... It is essential to ensure a tight closure for the clams and mussels to cook and open their shells, so avoid putting too much in. You can also add swordfish, scallops, and calamari.

Now to tie up your paper.  Pinch all four corners, drawling them together and synching in remainder of the paper with your other hand.  With oven safe string, tie a tight knot and ensure it is secure.  It is now ready for the oven!  (You could also refrigerate multiple bags at this point for hours and plan on cooking them about 3 minutes longer to ensure they will be hot and cooked completely)... This would be great for a dinner party!

After 20/25 minutes in the oven at 375F or 180C, take the bag out and it is done.  Serve and enjoy!

 

Salmon filling for ravioli

Salmon filling for ravioli

1 pound of Salmon
1/2 cup of Marcarpone (can also use ricotta or cream cheese)
1 tsp of chili pepper
1 tbsp of capers
Fresh thyme or dill
Salt & Pepper to taste

Grill the salmon until cooked. Take the bones and the skin out of the salmon.  Add all the ingredients into the food processor until gets into a paste.  You can use this paste to make the raviolis.
 For a sauce, I recommend using the Dill and Lemon sauce. And make the Black dough.

Spicy Pasta dough

Spicy pasta dough

4 oz (1/2 cup) of Semolina flour

1 egg

1 tsp of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp of hot paprika

Using a fork begging mixing in the egg with the flour and the spices.  Once egg has been mixed in enough, begin using your hands to work the dough.  Continues until reaches a smooth consistency, adding a light dust of flour if necessary.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap to protect from drying.  For best results, let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes.

Basil Pasta dough

- 4 eggs

- 1 cup basil leaves

- 4 cups 00 flour

1. Using a blender , blend the eggs with the basil;

2. Mound 4 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board;

3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the egg and basil mixture;

4. Using a fork, beat together the eggs, and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well;

5. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape (the dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated);

6. Start kneading the dough, more you knead, better it gets. Add more flour is the dough sticks on your hands;

7. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits;

Black pasta dough

Black pasta dough

4 oz (1/2 cup) of Semolina flour

1 egg

1 sachet of squid ink 

Using a fork begging mixing in the egg and the squid ink with the flour.  Once egg has been mixed in enough, begin using your hands to work the dough.  Continues until reaches a smooth consistency, adding a light dust of flour if necessary.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap to protect from drying.  For best results, let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes.

Semifreddo all'Amaretto


*100g/1 cup amaretti biscuits

*1/2 cup crushed pistachio nuts (optional)

*5 tbsp amaretto liqueur

*1 pinch of salt

*230ml / 1 cup whipped cream

*3/4 cup condensed milk
*Dark chocolate to melt

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1. Whisk the heavy cream until is hard but fluffy;

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2. Fold with the whipped cream the crushed Amaretti biscuits, pistachio nuts, Amaretto liqueur and the salt;

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3. Gently fold in the condensed milk, very slowly;

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4. Turn into a mould or individual serving dish for about 4 hours.
The alcohol and salt will prevent the dessert from freezing completely.

5. Remove from the freezer, and serve on a pool of melted dark chocolate.

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Ricotta and walnuts pesto

Ricotta and walnuts pesto

2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups walnut halves, or pieces, toasted
1½ cups ricotta, preferably fresh
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons Provolone, freshly grated, or more for passing
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Put the walnuts and garlic in the food processor, and pulse until the nuts are chopped into very tiny bits (but don't grind them to a powder). Scrape the ground nut-garlic mixture into the large bowl, and stir in the ricotta, olive oil, grated cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper, until thoroughly blended. When the pesto is ready and the water is boiling, drop all the pasta into the pot at once, and stir to loosen and separate the strands. Cover the pot, and over high heat return the water to a boil rapidly. Set the cover ajar, and cook the pasta until the pasta are perfectly al dente. Working quickly, lift out the pasta with a spider and tongs, and drop into the bowl with the dressing. Drop the soft butter in dollops on the hot pasta, and toss until all the strands are nicely coated with the pesto- if the dressing is too thick, loosen it with a bit of hot water from the pasta pot as you toss. Serve immediately in warm bowls, with more grated cheese at the table

Eggplant Pesto

Eggplant Pesto

1 eggplant
1/4 cup of almonds

4 sun-dried tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic
2 cups of parsley, light packed
1/4 cup of spicy olive oil or 4 little dried peperoncino
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the eggplant like it is in the picture (all the way through but without making it more than in one piece), add the garlic without peeling, almonds, parsley inside, add also olive oil inside the eggplant.  Bake until completely soft and somewhat collapsed, about 30 -45 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  This can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Put the almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted garlic (peeled) into food processor and pulse to chop.  Peel the eggplant and add it, and the parsley  to the processor and process to a coarse puree.  Add salt to taste and pulse to blend.

Add a tablespoon to a serving of warm pasta (if the pesto is too thick to easily coat the pasta, add a little hot water to it), or use as a spread for bread or a dip for crackers or vegetables.   Store in a covered container.  For best color, either press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the exposed surface or with olive oil.

Panna cotta

Panna cotta

For the panna cotta

• 2 gelatine leaves
• 250ml/9fl oz milk
• 250ml/9fl oz double cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped out (or a table spoon of vanilla extract)
• 25g/1oz sugar

For the sauce

• 175g/6oz sugar
• 175ml/6fl oz water
• splash cherry liqueur
• 350g/12oz raspberries
  
  *(Or you can use my strawberry jam recipe and add 1/4 cup marsala wine)
  
  
  *If you are in Italy, or have an Italian shop at your city, you can buy the Amarena Sauce already done.

To serve

• 4 sprigs fresh mint
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  Preparation method

  1. For the panna cotta, soak the gelatine leaves in a little cold water until soft.
  2. Place the milk, cream, vanilla pod and seeds and sugar into a pan and bring to a simmer. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.
  3. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves, then add to the pan and take off the heat. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved.
  4. Divide the mixture among four ramekins and leave to cool. Place into the fridge for at least an hour, until set.
  5. For the sauce, place the sugar, water and cherry liqueur into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
  6. Take the pan off the heat and add half the raspberries. Using a hand blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
  7. Pass the sauce through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the remaining fruit.
  8. To serve, turn each panna cotta out onto a serving plate. Spoon over the sauce and garnish with a sprig of mint. 

Focaccia al Vino (Old recipe from the Italian Alps)

Focaccia al Vino (Old recipe from the Italian Alps)

350g of flour
60ml of red wine
120ml of warm water
8 cloves
15g fresh yeast
100g of grated pecorino
60ml of olive oil
1/2 table spoon of salt

Step one:
Dissolve the yeast with the water.

Step two:
In a big bowl, add the flour. Add all the liquid ingredients in the bowl and knead the focaccia dough very well.  Leave the dough to raise for about two hours.

Step three:
Incorporate the pecorino cheese into the dough.  Open the dough with your hands until is the focaccia formed. Add the cloves on the top of the focaccia. Add some olive oil on the top. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Step four:
Bake the focaccia for 25 minutes on 375F.