briciole

tagliatelle con bietola e pecorino

tagliatelle with chard and pecorino

tagliatelle with chard and pecorino

Last Saturday, my laptop would not wake up after a period of sleep. (I just learned that the hard disk is broken and needs replacement.) Hence, the last several days have been challenging due to lack of access to files and applications I need for work, the blog and photography. The stressful computer situation did not prevent me from cooking and, in this case, experimenting a bit with available ingredients.

fava bean leaves

As I mentioned in my recent post on ribollita-inspired soup, at the farmers' market, I got some fresh fava bean leaves (foglie delle fave), called also fava greens. What I did not use in the soup, I turned into a kind of pesto, as follows:

• 3 oz. fresh fava bean leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic, previously roasted in the oven (skin on)
• a generous pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Put the first three ingredients in the food processor and turn it on, then pour the oil slowly through the feeding tube and process just a few seconds after you finish the oil.

I used a dollop of the sauce to top each bowl of ribollita-inspired soup, and stored the rest for further experiments. The first experiment was to use it as pasta dressing the way I use pesto. The result was acceptable, but not quite satisfying. Freshly harvested rainbow chard from my little vegetable patch almost screamed to be used and I paid attention.

My recipe for making fresh tagliatelle is in this post. The final element of the dish is fiore sardo (pecorino from Sardinia), the kind of cheese I use (together with Parmigiano-Reggiano) to make traditional basil pesto. It's one of my favorite Italian cheeses (and one of the few cheeses I still buy, since I cannot make it at home due to lack of access to sheep milk). It is also the cheese traditionally paired with fava beans, represented in my pasta dish by their leaves.

freshly grated pecorino cheese

This is another recipe where quantities are not fixed: I made a small batch of tagliatelle (using one egg, as in this recipe), harvested a small bunch of chard leaves and adjusted the amount of cheese to our palate. If you cook more chard than needed for the pasta, you can use it later as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• a clove of garlic, minced
• a small bunch of chard leaves cut into ribbons, thick ribs removed and set aside for another dish (like this or this)
• sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, to taste
• a tablespoon (or a bit more, to taste) of pesto made with fresh fava bean leaves (see above)
• a small batch of tagliatelle made using one egg
• freshly grated fiore sardo

Bring water for the pasta to a boil. In the meantime, warm up olive oil in a skillet and add garlic. Let fry lightly for a minute, then add the chard. Sauté over gentle heat until cooked (in my case, it took 6 minutes or so, since the chrd leaves were young and tender). The water hanging onto the leaves should be sufficient, but keep a close eye during the cooking to prevent them from sticking to the skillet. When ready, season with salt and pepper to taste, add the fava bean leaf pesto, stir well and turn off the heat. Keep warm while the pasta cooks.

Add salt to the boiling water, drop tagliatelle into it and stir. Bring back to a boil and cook pasta al dente (it will take just a few minutes). While you keep an eye on the pasta pot, grate the cheese. Pour some cold water into the pot, stir, then drain the tagliatelle. Empty the strainer into a bowl, then dress the pasta with the cooked chard and some of the cheese. Toss well, sprinkle more cheese on the surface and serve immediately.

This is my contribution to edition #261 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Simona of briciole (that would be me).

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

tagliatelle con bietola e pecorino

or launch the tagliatelle con bietola e pecorino audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

chard, pasta, cheese

frittata di pasta

pasta frittata

with pink tagliatelle

My first vacation away from my parents, at age 16, was quite adventurous, food-wise. I spent 10 days or so in the Calabrian city of Rossano, and during that time, I tasted for the first time a whole array of foods that I liked a lot, like caciocavallo silano and swordfish. One day, my host prepared a frittata with leftover spaghetti. It sounds pretty basic, but I had never had anything like that before. My mother always weighed pasta before cooking it, so we never had leftover spaghetti or rigatoni. If we had leftover tagliatelle al ragù, she would warm them up in an oiled frying pan: the result is quite good, just not a frittata.

Unlike my mother, I often turn leftover pasta into a frittata. This is not so much a recipe as a recycling approach. The frittata is a bit different every time, depending on the base pasta and possible additions, usually cheese. I adjust the number of eggs and pan size to the amount of pasta at hand and choose among the cheeses I have availbale the one that I think pairs better with the pasta.

The spaghetti frittata I tasted many years ago was made with pasta that had been set aside for the purpose right after draining (scondita, i.e., not yet dressed). In my examples here, the leftover pasta had some dressing (condita):

• pasta made with roasted red beets turns a lovely pink color: while farfalle are pretty, they take time to make, so more often I cut the dough into tagliatelle and dress them with burro e parmigiano
• pasta made with borage, on the other hand, turns into a speckled green; if I have some of my homemade ricotta, I use that to dress these tagliatelle, otherwise, good old burro e parmigiano is always a winner
• pasta al pesto (recently featured) appears regularly in my kitchen and leftovers make a tasty frittata

with borage tagliatelle

The cheese on the pink tagliatelle frittata was my homemade robiola. The cheese on the borage tagliatelle was my homemade French Neufchâtel. and over the pesto pasta frittata I sprinkled a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

with fusilli al pesto

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for frittata di pasta

Ingredients:

• leftover pasta
• olive oil
• eggs of good quality (I used pastured eggs); if you have leftover whites, this is a good place to use one or two
• 1 tablespoon of water for each two eggs
• sea salt, to taste
• cheese of choice, thinly sliced or crumbled or grated, depending on consistency

Spray a skillet with olive oil and warm up. Empty leftover pasta container into the pan. Warm up the pasta and lightly sauté it for a couple of minutes, stirring every now and then.

While the pasta is warming up, break the eggs in a bowl and whisk them lightly with a fork until just blended. Add the water, then a few pinches of salt and whisk briefly. If you are using grated cheese, you can add it to the eggs, if you wish; I like to distribute it on the surface, so I hold on to it until later. Turn on the broiler. (If your oven allows it, choose the "low" setting.)

Pour the eggs slowly into the skillet. With the fork, gently arrange the pasta so it is evenly distributed. Cook over low heat until the eggs are set. After the edge is set, run a spatula under it and shake the frittata gently to ensure the bottom does not stick to the pan.

Evenly distribute chosen cheese on the surface. Place the skillet in the oven, leaving the door ajar, for a couple of minutes. The frittata will puff up a bit. Take the skillet out of the oven (don't forget that the handle is hot) and let rest of a couple of minutes, then slide the frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Final note. Rossano is famous for the Codex Purpureus, an amazing VI century illuminated manuscript of the New Testament written on purple-dyed parchment.

This is my contribution to edition #254 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Simona of briciole (that would be me).

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

frittata di pasta

or launch the frittata di pasta audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

frittata, pasta, egg

pesto secco

dry pesto

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

rocchetti al pesto

The name pesto comes from the past participle of the Italian verb pestare (to pound). In fact, pesto is made by placing the ingredients in a marble mortar (mortaio). I read that, once basil leaves are added, circular movements of the wooden pestle (pestello) against the sides of the mortar are preferred to pounding: they are applied until the sauce attains the desired consistency.

The traditional recipe requires the Genovese cultivar of sweet basil (basilico). The flavor of pesto depends on the flavor of the basil used, but the quality and quantity of the other ingredients play an important role in highlighting the taste of the herb, while at the same time providing different nuances. The first published recipe (in 1863) included formaggio d'Olanda (Dutch cheese) among the ingredients, together with parmigiano. Pecorino from Sardinia later took the place of Dutch cheese.

In July 2010, I read a post on pesto secco by Mitì Vigliero, a.k.a. Placida Signora. That original post is no longer available, but more recently, Mitì wrote again about the recipe in this post. What I read, prompted me to adapt my old recipe to the novel concept of a pesto made without oil. In her post, Mitì explains that in the days before refrigeration, pesto was prepared this way during the height of basil season to preserve it for longer storage (for example, in the villages on the Ligurian Apennines it was then stored under snow).

The recipe I use was inspired by that on the Pesto Championship website. To make it, I use California walnuts (noci) instead of imported pine nuts (pinoli) and the food processor instead of mortar and pestle. The full recipe yields enough pesto for two one-pound batches of pasta. When I make "regular" pesto, I divide it into half and use one immediately to season a pound of pasta (often linguine), and freeze the remaining half for later use. If I make pesto secco, I divide it into two and prepare it for storage (see below). Depending on the amount of basil I have, I may make half the quantity (for immediate use or for storage). Having pesto in the freezer allows me to make pasta al pesto any time I want, especially when I want to bring a taste of summer to the table.

Below, I will give you my recipe in both the "regular" and "dry" variation, so you can make either version, depending on your needs. 

Ingredients for pesto secco:

• 2.5 oz. [70 g] basil leaves, washed in cold water and patted dry
• 1 big or 2 small fresh garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted (I blanch them briefly and dry them in the oven at 300 F)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 oz. [55 g] freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 oz. [30 g] freshly-grated pecorino¹

Additional ingredient for regular pesto:

• 1/4 cup + 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil [see below for olive oil to add right before using pesto secco]

Mince the garlic clove(s) and nuts in the food processor.  Add the salt and the basil leaves, then start the food processor again. When the basil starts dripping a bright green liquid, add the cheeses.

The following instructions apply only if you are making regular pesto: With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil through the feeding tube. Process only until blended, to avoid overheating the mixture by attrition. Divide the pesto into two and use half immediately to dress a pound of pasta. Place the other in a small plastic container, cover surface with a piece of wax paper, put lid and freeze (don't forget to label the container with both content and date of preparation).

The following instructions apply only if you are making dry pesto: Process briefly to incorporate the cheeses. Divide the pesto into two and shape each half into a kind of fat sausage, wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate or freeze (don't forget to label the foil with both content and date of preparation). According to Mitì, the dry pesto lasts in the fridge 10 days or more. I have never tried this option, preferring to freeze it for use during the winter.

When you are ready to use the pesto:

If you are using a frozen container of regular pesto, take it out of the freezer, and let thaw at room temperature. As the water for the pasta is coming to a boil, empty the container into the bowl (insalatiera) where you will dress the pasta.

If you are using frozen dry pesto , take one package out of the freezer and let thaw at room temperature. As the water for the pasta is coming to a boil, open the package and empty the content into the bowl where you will dress the pasta. Dilute the dry pesto with 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil.

Drop one pound of dry pasta of choice into salted water at a rolling boil and cook until al dente. Add a tablespoon or so of the cooking water to the pesto to make a creamy sauce. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl, then stir well. Serve immediately.

For my first use of the pesto secco I had made a few months ago, I chose a shape of pasta I like a lot called rocchetti (small spools).

rocchetti

My husband was very happy to have a bowl of pasta al pesto for lunch, its bright green color a promise that spring is just around the corner, then summer will arrive and with it, more basil to turn into pesto.

¹ Sometimes I used another sharp cheese instead of pecorino.

The language corner: Besides as the name of the sauce, pesto is used in the expression buio pesto (pitch dark).

This is my contribution to Presto Pasta Nights Presto Pasta Nights Turns Five, a special anniversary edition of the popular pasta event. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by the creator herself.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

pesto secco

or launch the pesto secco audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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pasta, pesto

Per i lettori italiani

rocchetti al pesto

La ricetta traditionale del pesto richiede il basilico genovese. Il sapore del pesto dipende dal sapore del basilico usato, ma la qualità e quantità degli altri ingredienti gioca un ruolo importante nel sottolineare il sapore dell'erba aromatica e allo stesso tempo fornire sfumature diverse. La prima ricetta del pesto pubblicata (nel 1863) aveva tra gli ingredienti il formaggio d'Olanda, insieme al parmigiano. Il pecorino sardo più sostituì il formaggio d'Olanda.

Nel Luglio del 2010, lessi un post sul pesto secco di Mitì Vigliero, la Placida Signora. Quel post non è più online, ma di recente Mitì ha parlato ancora della ricetta in questo post. La lettura mi ha indotto ad adattare la mia vecchia ricetta per il pesto al nuovo concetto del pesto preparato senza olio. Nel suo post, Mitì spiega che prima dell'avvento della refrigerazione, il pesto veniva preparato in questo modo durante l'apice della stagione del basilico per conservarlo a lungo (per esempio, nei paesi dell'Appennino ligure, poi veniva conservato sotto la neve).

La ricetta che uso è ispirata da quella sul sito del Pesto Championship. Per preparare il pesto, utilizzo noci della California (produzione locale) invece dei pinoli di importazione e il robot invece di mortaio e pestello. La ricetta intera dà abbastanza pesto per due volte volte (cuocendo ogni volta una libbra di pasta). Quando faccio il pesto "normale" lo divido in due e uso una metà subito per condire una libbra di pasta (450 g, di solito linguine), e surgelo l'altra metà per uso futuro. Avere il pesto nel freezer mi permette di preparare la pasta al pesto in qualsiasi momento, specialmente quando voglio portare in tavola una ventata di sapore estivo.

Qui sotto trovate la mia ricetta per il pesto in version sia "normale" che "secco," così potete preparare la versione che più si addice al vostro bisogno.

Ingredienti per il pesto secco:

• 70 g foglie di basilico, lavate in acqua fredda e asciugate su un canovaccio che assorbe l'acqua
• uno spicchio d'aglio grosso o due piccoli
  
• 35 g noci leggermente tostate (io le tuffo nell'acqua bollente per un minuto, le scolo e le metto su un canovaccio per assorbire un po' dell'acqua e poi le tosto in forno a 150 C fino a quando sono ben asciutte)
• un cucchiaino [5 ml] di sale marino fino
• 55 g di Parmigiano-Reggiano appena grattugiato
  
• 30 g di pecorino grattugiato fresco (possibilmente fiore sardo)¹

Inoltre, per il pesto normale:

• 60 ml + mezzo cucchiaio [7,5 ml] olio extra-vergine di oliva [vedere sotto per quanto riguarda l'aggiunta di olio d'oliva al pesto secco prima del suo utilizzo]

Tritare aglio e noci nel robot. Aggiungere sale e basilico e fare ripartire il robot. Quando il basilico comincia a produrre del succo verde, aggiungere i formaggi.

Quanto segue vale solo se fate il pesto "normale": Col robot in azione, aggiungere lentamente l'olio attraverso l'apposita apertura. Far andare il robot solo fino a quando l'olio e incorporato ed evitare che il pesto si surriscaldi per attrito. Dividere il pesto in due e usatene metà subito per condire una libbra (poco più di 450 g) di pasta. Mettere l'altra metà in un piccolo contenitore, coprire la superficie con della carta oleata, tappare il contenitore e congelare (non dimenticate di etichettare il contenitore specificando la data di preparazione).

Quanto segue vale solo se fate il pesto "secco": Far andare il robot solo fino a quando i formaggi sono incorporati. Dividere il pesto in due e dare a ogni metà la forma di un salsicciotto, avvolgere bene in alluminio e mettere in frigorifero o congelatore (non dimenticate di etichettare il pacchetto specificando contenuto e data di preparazione). Mitì scrive che il pesto secco dura 10 giorni o più nel frigorifero. Non ho mai provato, perché preferisco congelare il pesto e usarlo durante l'inverno.

Quando volete utilizzare il pesto:

Se utilizzate un contenitore di pesto "normale" congelato, tirarlo fuori dal congelatore e farlo scongelare a temperatura ambiente. Quando l'acqua per la pasta sta per bollire, svuotare il contenitore nell'insalatiera dove condirete la pasta.

Se utilizzate un salsicciotto di pesto secco, tirarlo fuori dal congelatore e farlo scongelare a temperatura ambiente. Quando l'acqua per la pasta sta per bollire, mettere il salsicciotto nell'insalatiera dove condirete la pasta. Diluire il pesto secco con 2 cucchiai e mezzo cucchiaino (32,5 ml) di olio extra-vergine d'oliva.

Cuocere al dente una libbra (poco più di 450 g) di pasta. Aggiungere al pesto un cucchiaio dell'acqua di cottura della pasta per farne una salsa cremosa. Scolare la pasta e versarla nell'insalatiera, poi mescolare bene. Servire immediatamente.

Per il mio primo utilizzo del pesto secco che avevo fatto alcuni mesi fa, ho scelto un tipo di pasta che mi piace molto: i rocchetti.

rocchetti

Mio marito è sempre contento di mangiare della pasta al pesto per pranzo.

¹ Alle volte uso un altro formaggio piccante invece del pecorino.

Questo è il mio contributo all'Abbecedario culinario d'Italia, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare tutte le regioni italiane utilizzando come guida l'alfabeto. G come Genova è ospitata da Cristina di Tutto a occhio.

Questa pagina contiene la lista dei contributi all'evento e uno slide show delle foto.

 

tagliatelle alla borragine (e un breve pensiero)

a brief thought

I am writing these lines shortly before 6 am in California, 9 am in New York: 10 years after almost to the minute, a phone call from a family friend alerted me. I was up early, preparing for the day ahead. I turned on the computer, and saw the first images, an experience not very different from that of millions of other people, but quite different from that of others, like Susan. Anniversaries are important: they bring people together to remember and to give honor. But really, how can we forget? Not now nor ever.

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borage tagliatelle

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

In a recent post, I mentioned the Italian cookbooks Pasta fatta in casa (homemade pasta) by Paola Loaldi. The first inspiration I got from the book was to prepare pasta with borragine (borage). The type of pasta is called bardele, a name I had not heard before. I since discovered that bardele with borage is a known recipe, as you can read on this page from the book "Encyclopedia of pasta" by Oretta Zanini De Vita (in English). I have made pasta all'uovo with spinach (spinaci) before and used it to make lasagne. The variation with borage caught my attention because I have borage in my little garden. I bought a seedling a couple of years ago, and plants of borage have been sprouting here and there ever since. It is a pretty plant with small blue flowers.

My mother used to forage for borage leaves: they belong to that category of foods my mother (and aunt Lucia as well) would harvest from fields and woods. If you are not familiar with borage, the wikipedia page has some information, including culinary and therapeutic uses.

My mother prepared borage leaves only in one way: stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies, rolled, battered and deep-fried. I have been using them together with other greens from my garden in various dishes. The idea of adding them to pasta dough sounded really appealing and therefore I went to work.

The recipe calls for 300 g (10.5 oz.) of borage, three eggs and 300 g (10.5 oz.) flour. (The ratio of borage to flour is higher here than in another recipe I have seen.) I cut down the quantities to one third and used some durum flour: the latter is not traditional. I also usually don't harvest 100 g (3.5 oz.) of borage leaves at the same time, so I make up for the shortfall with either baby chard or baby Red Russian kale. Finally, for the realization of the pasta I did not follow the book.

Ingredients (for two portions):

• 100 g (3.5 oz.) borage leaves (possibly with some baby chard or baby Red Russian kale, if not enough borage is available)
• 30 g (1 oz.) durum flour, or all-purpose flour
• 70 g (2.5 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus as needed to form the dough and then roll it
• 1 egg

Wash borage and cook it in a pan, covered, with only the water clinging to it until tender (5 minutes or so). Uncover the pan and let the leaves cool, then squeeze them gently to remove excess water. This part is very difficult for me, because I feel like I am discarding the best part of the leaves, so I never squeeze the leaves dry and as a result I need to add a bit more flour to get a dough of the right consistency.

Put the cooked borage and the egg in the food processor fitted with the steel blade and process briefly to get a green cream. I learned to do this from Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," as recounted in my post on lasagne.

On your working surface, create a well with the flour and pour the egg and borage blend into it. With a fork, draw flour from the sides of the well into the center, mixing well with the egg blend. Trade the fork for your fingertips. Draw flour until a soft dough forms. Add more flour if needed. Continue to knead the dough, 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rest for an hour.

Roll pasta by hand or with a machine. Let rest for a little while and then cut it by hand or with a machine. I have made this past 3-4 times and always cut it by hand, because it feels too soft for the cutting element of my pasta machine. If rolling and cutting by hand, fold a 3-inch-wide strip of pasta up away from you. Continue to fold the strip until the entire pasta sheet is folded into a flattened roll. With a sharp knife, cut across the flattened roll. Tagliatelle are 1/4" wide. Unroll folded pasta. As you can see from the photo above, my pasta is not of an even green, but speckled and I really like it that way.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some coarse salt, stir and then add the pasta. Bring water back to boiling. Cooking time depends on flour used and thickness of pasta, but it is in the order of a few minutes, so don't wander away, but pay undivided attention.

To dress the tagliatelle I used the beloved burro e parmigiano combination (described in this post), also suggested in the book (with the butter melted, an option I used in this pasta). Since the pasta takes only a short time to cook, prepare  burro e parmigiano as the water comes to a boil. For each portion, cut 1 tablespoon of butter into small pieces and place in a bowl. Grate 1 oz. of Parmigiano-Reggiano and set aside.

When the pasta is ready, remove the pot from the heat, pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and then drain the pasta, leaving a bit of water clinging to it. Divide the pasta into the two bowls with butter and start stirring immediately, so that the heat from the pasta melts the butter. At the same time, sprinkle the grated parmigiano on it (also divided equally into two), and keep stirring until butter and cheese are evenly distributed. Immediate eating is required, as the dish is at its best when hot.

This is my contribution to edition #300 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Simona of briciole (that is, me).

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

tagliatelle alla borragine

or launch the tagliatelle alla borragine audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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pasta, borage

Per i lettori italiani

un breve pensiero

Scrivo queste righe poco prima delle 6 del mattino in California, e delle 9 del mattino a New York, quasi esattamente 10 anni dopo: una telefonata da parte di un amico di famiglia mi fece sapere che era successo qualcosa di grave. Accesi il computer e vidi le prime immagini, un'esperienza non molto diversa da quella di milioni di altre persone, ma molto diversa da quella di altre persone, come Susan. Gli anniversari sono importanti: accomunano le persone nell'atto doveroso del ricordo e del rispetto. Non potremo dimenticare. Né ora, né mai.

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tagliatelle alla borragine

In un post recente ho parlato del libro Pasta fatta in casa. La prima ispirazione derivata dal libro è stata quella di preparare la pasta alla borragine. Il nome del tipo di pasta è bardele e non la conoscevo. Ho fatto la pasta all'uovo con gli spinaci in precedenza e l'ho usata per preparare le lasagne verdi. La variazione con la borragine ha colto la mia attenzione perché ce l'ho nel mio piccolo giardino. Ho comprato una piantina un paio di anni fa e da allora piante di borragine spuntano dove vogliono, il che mi sta bene.

Mia madre raccoglieva le foglie di borragine da piante che crescevano spontaneamente nei campi e le preparava ripiene con mozzarella e alici, poi impastellate e fritte. L'idea di aggiungere la borragine alla pasta all'uovo mi è sembrata interessante, per cui mi sono messa all'opera. Se non conoscete la borragine, la pagina di wikipedia ad essa dedicata comprende informazioni interessanti.

La ricetta comprende 300 g di borragine, tre uova e 300 g di farina. (Il rapporto tra borragine e farina è più alto di quello in un'altra ricetta che ho visto.) Ho fatto un terzo delle dosi e ho usato della farina di semola di grano duro (il che non è tradizionale). Di solito non riesco a raccogliere 100 g di foglie di borragine e per raggiungere la quantità richiesta aggiungo qualche foglia di bietola novella. Nella preparazione della pasta non ho seguito le indicazioni del libro.

Ingredienti (per due porzioni):

• 100 g  di borragine (se mai con qualche foglia di bietola novella se non si ha abbastanza borragine)
• 30 g di farina di semola di grano duro o farina
• 70 g di farina, più quella necessaria per formare la pasta e stenderla
• un uovo codice 0

Lavare la borragine e cuocerla in una padella coperta solo con l'acqua che rimane sulle foglie fino a quando non sia tenera (circa 5 minuti). Togliere il coperchio e lasciare intiepidire la borragine, poi strizzarla per rimuovere il liquido in eccesso. Questa parte per me è difficile da eseguire perché mi sembra di buttar via la parte piu nutriente delle foglie. Quindi nel mio caso ho sempre bisogno di aggiungere un po' più di farina per ottenere una pasta della consistenza giusta.

Mettere la borragine e l'uovo nel mixer e farlo andare fino ad ottenere una crema verde piuttosto omogenea. Ho imparato questo procedimento dal libro di Deborah Madison "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" e l'ho descritto nel mio post sulle lasagne. Sulla spianatoia preparare l'impasto con la farina e la crema di uovo e borragine. Aggiungere farina a seconda della necessità. Continuare a lavorare per 8-10 minuti e poi far riposare per un'oretta.

Stendere la pasta a mano o con la macchina. Farla riposare per un po' e poi tagliarla a mano o con la macchina. Io la taglio sempre a mano perché è troppo morbida per la macchina. Le tagliatelle le taglio larghe 6 mm. Come potete vedere dalla foto, la mia pasta non è verde omogenea, ma mi piace così.

Portere a bollore l'acqua, salare e immergere la pasta. Cuocere per qualche minuto: il tempo esatto dipende da diverse variabili, ma è breve, quindi non allontanatevi troppo dalla pentola.

Per condire le tagliatelle alla borragine ho usato burro e parmigiano. (Il libro suggerisce di far fondere il burro, un'opzione che ho usato per condire questa pasta.) Per ogni porzione di pasta, tagliare a pezzetti 15 g di burro e metterlo in un piatto fondo. Grattugiare 30 g di Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Quando la pasta è pronta, togliere la pentola dal fuoco, versarci un bicchiere di acqua fredda, girare e scolare quasi completamente. Dividere la pasta tra i due piatti e cominciare subito a girare, in modo che il calore fonda il burro. Allo stesso tempo, distribuire il parmigiano e continuare a girare fino a quando la pasta è condita bene. Servire immediatamente.

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 300 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Simona di briciole (che poi sarei io).

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

mezzelune con ricotta e bietola

Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks' July hostess.  Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!  

You can find the information and the recipes Steph provided on this page. Serendipitously, I have recently written two posts on fresh egg pasta: tagliatelle with ricotta (both homemade) and tagliatelle with tomato sauce and fava beans. The posts include my recipe for the pasta all'uovo itself and for three dishes. In them, I explained also how I always make the pasta dough by hand and sometimes use the rolling pin (matterello), sometimes the pasta machine to roll out the pasta: the ingredient in the latter case is called olio di gomito (elbow grease).

For the challenge, I decided to make stuffed pasta. First, I selected the filling ingredients: my homemade ricotta and baby rainbow chard (bietola novella) from my little vegetable garden. Then, I decided that I would cut the past with my 3-inch fluted round biscuit cutter and then fold each round into a mezzaluna (half moon).

If you have never made stuffed pasta before, my recommendation is to start small. Make one egg of pasta all'uovo and prepare the filling below. You will have some leftover filling. When I was a kid, my task was to fill and shape cappelletti. My mother prepared the filling and the pasta and cut the pasta for me and I took it from there. Sometimes I felt like the pasta and the filling would never end, no matter how many cappelletti I shaped. So now I am careful about making the task small so it looks manageable. Anyway, enough with advice.

The recipe I use to make pasta all'uovo is here. I have recently run out of the type of flour mentioned in the post, so I am now using a blend of all-purpose flour and durum flour that I brought from Italy.

Ingredients for the filling:

• 50 g cooked baby chard (I weighed it after I cooked it) [you can use tender chard leaves instead]
  
• 150 g [homemade] ricotta
• a dash of nutmeg (noce moscata)
  
• a pinch of dried lemon zest
• a bit of salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated homemade Montasio or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Additional ingredients to finish the dish:

• salted butter
• freshly grated homemade Montasio or Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste
  

Wash the baby chard and put it in a pan with some water still clinging to the leaves. Cover and cook until tender, checking often to make sure the pan is not dry. If you do this carefully, there is no need to squeeze the leaves dry (something I can't bring myself to do in any circumstance).

Chop chard finely. With a fork, mash the ricotta into a cream. Add the chard and mix well. Add the seasoning and incorporate. The filling is now ready to be used.

Cut the pasta, place a small amount of filling on each round, fold it in half, and carefully seal the edge. I am afraid I must renege on my recent "enough with advice" statement. Start with using less filling than you think is needed: it is easy to put too much filling on a round and then get into trouble when you try to seal the mezzaluna. On the other hand, you want to end up with a nice, soft pillow.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add some coarse salt and stir. Drop the mezzelune into the water, making sure they don't crowd, and bring back to boiling. Cook the mezzelune several minutes, until done. The amount of time needed depends on a few factors, so the best way to handle this is to watch attentively and taste a corner.

While the pasta is cooking, in a ramekin, melt a tablespoon of salted butter for each 10-11 mezzelune. This quantity is my idea of a portion and you should get two portions from one egg of pasta all'uovo. Add a few leaves of fresh basil finely chopped (or chiffonade) and stir. Grate the cheese of choice. Drain the mezzelune and place them on plates. Pour some of the butter & basil, sprinkle cheese on top and serve immediately.

You'll be loved.

You can see many variations of the theme of handmade pasta, when you browse the creations of my fellow Daring Cooks. A special thank to Steph for an interesting and fun challenge.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

mezzelune con ricotta e bietola

or launch the mezzelune con ricotta e bietola audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

stuffed pasta

tagliatelle al pomodoro con le fave

tagliatelle with tomato sauce and fava beans

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

This is a story that starts with a 28 oz. can of organic ground peeled tomatoes that I had had in my cupboard for a while. After using the can a few times as a weight in the making of this cheese, I decided it was time to use its contents, so I opened it.

I warmed up some olive oil (olio d'oliva) in a pan, added 3 cloves of garlic (spicchi d'aglio), peeled, let them infuse the oil a bit and then added the peeled tomatoes (pomodori pelati) from the can. When they got to bubbling nicely, I turned down the heat and let cook for 10 minutes. I then removed the garlic cloves and used my immersion blender to get a smooth sauce.

I immediately used one cup to make uovo col pomodoro using two eggs. The following day, I made one egg of tagliatelle (recipe here) and dressed them with some of the sauce warmed up and flavored with slivered fresh basil (basilico) from the plant I have in my working room, which has not yet decided whether it likes its location or not, so I am not sure I will be able to harvest from it throughout the summer (growing basil outside is not possible for me, given our cool summer temperatures).

The grated cheese I used for the tagliatelle is my manchego (recipe in Ricki Carroll's Home Cheese Making), which I make with some goat milk and the rest cow milk. I aged this cheese two months before cutting it. This is a favorite pasta dish of mine, with a simple tomato sauce and cheese. The story could end here. However...

I had more sauce to inspire me. At the farmers' market, I bought a pound of fresh fave (fava beans). After shelling the beans, I blanched them for one minute, drained them and plunged them into a bowl of cold water. I drained them again and then proceeded to remove the skin from the beans to bring their bright green core to light.

As I was removing the skin from the fave, I thought that they would be a great addition to the sauce I had recently used for the tagliatelle al pomodoro. The day after, I added the fava beans to the tomato sauce, heated it up, added a few leaves of basil, slivered, and mixed well. I used half to dress an egg of tagliatelle, again using manchego to top the pasta. The cheese usually paired with fava beans is pecorino, a cheese I cannot make at home because I cannot find sheep milk where I live. My mixed-milk manchego went quite well with the fava beans.

Where are the quantities, you will ask? The can of ground peeled tomatoes makes a good quantity of sauce. You may get tomato sauce in other ways, especially as tomato season gets under way. The proportion I suggest is: one cup of tomato sauce and the fave from one pound of pods. You can use it all or only a portion, like I did, or double it, depending on the amount of pasta. And you can certainly use dry pasta instead of homemade tagliatelle.

The photo shows the various ingredients I have talked so far¹. Under the basil, there is garlic from the new crop.

This is my contribution to edition #219 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Simona of briciole (that would be me).

This post contains the roundup of the event.

I am also sending this post to Tin Can Recipes, a monthly event that will run until the end of this year. The organizers are Ale, Fra, Sere and Paola of Il Giardino degli Aromi and Brii of Briggis recept och ideer and Briiblog in English. The rules for participating are detailed on this page.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

tagliatelle al pomodoro con le fave

or launch the tagliatelle al pomodoro con le fave audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

¹ The can of tomatoes in the photo is for information only: it is not an advertisement. I do not have a business relationship with the product's company.

[jump to Comments]

Per i lettori italiani

Questa storia inizia da una scatola da circa 800 g (28 oz.) di pomodori pelati schiacciati bio che avevo da qualche tempo nella mia dispensa. Dopo averla usata un po' di volte come peso nel procedimento seguito per fare questo questo formaggio, ho deciso che era ora di usare il contenuto e l'ho aperta.

Ho scaldato un po' d'olio d'oliva in una pentola, ho aggiunto tre spicchi d'aglio pelati e li ho fatti andare un po', poi ho aggiunto i pomodori pelati. Li ho portati a bollore e poi ho abbassato la fiamma e li ho fatti cuocere per 10 minuti, poi ho tolto l'aglio e ho usato il mixer ad immersione per ottenere un sugo omogeneo.

Ho usato subito 250 ml per fare dell'uovo col pomodoro con due uova. Il giorno dopo ho fatto un uovo di tagliatelle (questo post contiene la ricetta che seguo) e le ho condite con un po' del sugo scaldato e aromatizzato con del basilico fresco dalla piantina che sto tentando di far sopravvivere nel mio studio (il basilico qui da me non posso piantarlo fuori, date le temperature fresche estive).

Il formaggio grattugiato che ho usato per le tagliatelle è il mio manchego (ricetta dal libro Home Cheese Making di Ricki Carroll), che io faccio con del latte di capra e il resto latte di mucca, invecchiato due mesi. Questo modo di preparare la pasta è uno dei miei preferiti: un sugo di pomodoro semplice e formaggio. La storia potrebbe finire qui, ma...

Avevo ancora altro sugo ad ispirarmi. Al mercato ho comprato 450 g (una libbra) si fave fresche. Dopo averle sgusciare le ho buttate nell'acqua bollente per un minuto, poi le ho scolate e messe in una ciotola di acqua fredda. Dopo averle scolate di nuovo le ho pelate.

Mentre ero intenta a pulire le fave, mi è venuto in mente di aggiungerle al sugo che avevo usato per le tagliatelle al pomodoro. Il giorno dopo ho aggiunto le fave al sugo, l'ho scaldato, ho aggiunto alcune foglie di basilico spezzettate e ho mescolato bene. Ne ho usato metà per condire un uovo di tagliatelle, usando di nuovo il mio manchego come formaggio. Con le fave ci sta bene il pecorino, che io non posso fare perché dove abito non trovo il latte di pecora. Comunque, trovo che il mio manchego di latte misto vada bene con le fave.

E le quantità, direte voi? Con la scatola di pomodori pelati ho fatto una discreta quantità di sugo. Voi potete ottenere la salsa di pomodoro in altri modi, specialmente ora che la stagione dei pomodori sta per iniziare. Le proporzioni che suggerisco sono 250 ml di salsa e le fave ottenure da mezzo chilo di baccelli. Potete usare tutta la dose o una parte, o raddoppiarla, a seconda di quanta pasta avete da condire e potete usare pasta secca invece di quella fresca all'uovo.

La foto mostra alcuni degli ingredienti¹. Sotto il basilico, potete vedere dell'aglio del nuovo raccolto.

Con questo post contribuisco all'edizione numero 219 di Presto Pasta Nights, evento creato da Ruth di Once Upon a Feast e ospitato questa settimana da Simona di briciole (che poi sarei io).

Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell'evento.

Contribuisco anche all'evento Tin Can Recipes dedicato alla celebrazione dei 200 anni del cibo in scatola. L'organizzazione dell'evento è di Ale, Fra, Sere e Paola del blog Il Giardino degli Aromi e di Brii che scrive Briggis recept och ideer e Briiblog in English. Le regole per partecipare le trovate su questa pagina.

Questo post contiene la raccolta dell'evento.

¹ La scatola di pomodori nella foto è solo a titolo informativo: non è una pubblicità. Non ho alcun rapporto commerciale con l'azienda produttrice.

spaghetti col tonno

spaghetti with tuna sauce

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

Spaghetti col tonno is a dish my mother prepared frequently for lunch on Friday and always for dinner on Christmas Eve, la vigilia di Natale. In the context of the Catholic tradition, fare vigilia means to abstain from eating meat the day before a particularly holy day, like Christmas.

The inspiration to prepare my rendition of spaghetti col tonno came a number of years ago, when I encountered a special kind of canned tuna: Albacore by Katy’s Smokehouse.

Katy’s albacore is hand packed with a little sea salt and nothing else. While roasting in the can, the sashimi-grade tuna releases some juice and oil. Concerned consumers can learn from this page of Seafood Watch why US Pacific troll- or pole-caught albacore is rated "best choice." Chances are, my favorite brand of tuna is not available in your area. If that is the case, information printed on the can label should allow you to select a product that fits Seafood Watch's recommendations and that is conserved in its own oil.

As mentioned previously, I am not yet following in my mother's footsteps in terms of bottling puréed tomatoes (pomodori). Until that happens, in cases like the current one, I open a can of organic tomato sauce, choosing a brand that has a minimum of added ingredients and that uses tomatoes grown in California.

Spaghetti col tonno is quick and easy to make. Almost all the ingredients can be stored long-term in your pantry, so with a little bit of planning you will always be able to bring this pasta to the table for the joy of your family and guests.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for spaghetti col tonno

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (olio d'oliva)
  
• 2 cloves of garlic (3 if they are small)
  
• 1/2 tablespoon anchovy paste (optional, but nice)
• one 15 oz. can organic tomato sauce
• one 7.5 oz can Pacific troll- or line-caught albacore, hand packed and preserved in its juice
  
• 1 lb spaghetti
• coarse salt (sale grosso)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (prezzemolo)
  

While a big pot with water is happily getting to boiling point, warm up the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add garlic and let the oil absorb the garlic’s flavor for a couple of minutes (making sure the cloves don't brown). Add anchovy paste, if using, and stir it into the oil. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan, bring slowly to a low boil and cook on low heat, covered, for five minutes.

In the meantime open the can of albacore and empty it into a small bowl. Flake the fish with a fork and mix to stir the juices back in, then add it to the simmering tomato sauce. Stir well, then cover the pan and let the sauce cook over low heat for another 10 minutes. When the sauce is ready, add the parsley, turn off the heat, mix well and cover again.

“Don’t cook the parsley!” says my mother’s voice, indelibly recorded in my brain and able to play itself at the appropriate moment.

When the water has reached a rolling boil, add a handlful of coarse salt, stir, then toss in the spaghetti and cook for the amount of time printed on the package (taste a strand one minute before the time set). Drain the spaghetti and pour it in a serving bowl, then toss it with the sauce, remove the garlic cloves (obeying my mother’s peremptory “Don’t leave the garlic in!”) and serve immediately.

Once you have finished eating your portion of spaghetti col tonno, you can fare la scarpetta.

This is my contribution to edition #213 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes. This post contains the roundup of the event.

I am also sending this post to Tin Can Recipes, a monthly event that will run until the end of this year. The organizers are Ale, Fra, Sere and Paola of Il Giardino degli Aromi and Brii of Briggis recept och ideer and Briiblog in English. The rules for participating are detailed on this page. This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

spaghetti col tonno

or launch the spaghetti col tonno audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

¹ The can of tuna in the photo is for information only: it is not an advertisement. I do not have a business relationship with the product's company.

[jump to Comments]

Per i lettori italiani

Mia madre preparava spesso gli spaghetti col tonno per pranzo al venerdì e sempre la sera della vigilia di Natale per cena. L'ispirazione a preparare gli spaghetti col tonno in California mi è venuta un po' di anni fa, quando ho incontrato del tonno in scatola speciale: Albacore di Katy’s Smokehouse.

Il tonno di Katy’s è inscatolato con l'aggiunta solo di un po' di sale marino. Mentre cuoce nel contenitore, il tonno rilascia del "succo" e dell'olio, che diventano il liquido in cui si conserva. Quindi questo tonno non è sott'olio nel senso che olio non viene aggiunto per la conservazione. Non so se in Italia si trovi questo tipo di prodotto. Se consultate la scheda di Seafood Watch dedicata al tonno in scatola potete vedere che l'albacore del Pacifico pescato con lenza da traina o canna da pesca è considerato un'ottima scelta da parte del consumatore attento. Facendo un po' di ricerca, ho trovato questo rapporto recente di Greenpeace intitolato Tonno in trappola che presenta una classifica di marche in base a criteri che hanno a che fare con il tipo di pesca e l'impatto sugli stock di tonno. La scheda di Seafood Watch spiega anche che i tonni pescati con amo e lenza sono giovani e perciò la loro carne contiene un quantitativo minimo di mercurio.

Come spiegato in precedenza, ancora non emulo mia madre nella preparazione del pomodoro in bottiglia, perciò apro una scatola di salsa di pomodoro bio e scelgo una marca che ha il minimo di ingredienti aggiunti e che usa pomodori coltivati in California. Qui la passata di pomodoro in bottiglia che trovo è solo d'importazione, quindi la evito, dal momento che il nostro stato è il maggior produttore di pomodori degli USA. In Italia, la situazione è diversa (anche se ho letto che molti dei pomodori venduti in Italia sono coltivati in Cina).

Gli spaghetti col tonno sono facili e veloci da preparare. Quasi tutti gli ingredienti si possono tenere nella dispensa, quindi con un po' di accortezza nel mantenimento delle scorte potete essere sempre in grado di prepararli, per la gioia dei commensali.

Ingredienti:

• mezzo cucchiaio (7.5 ml) di olio d'oliva
• 2 spicchi d'aglio (3 se sono piccoli)
• mezzo cucchiaio (7.5 ml) di pasta d'acciughe (facoltativa, ma ci sta bene)
• 425 g di passata di pomodoro bio
• 210 g di tonno in scatola pecato in modo sostenibile e conservato nel suo olio
• mezzo chilo di spaghetti (una libbra di fatto corrisponde a 450 g)
• sale grosso
• 60 ml prezzemolo fresco tritato

Mentre portate a bollore l'acqua per la pasta, scaldare l'olio a fuoco dolce. Aggiungere l'aglio e insaporire l'olio per un paio di minuti. Aggiungere la pasta d'acciughe (se utilizzata) e mescolare all'olio. Versare la passata, portare a bollore, coprire e cuocere a fuoco dolce per 5 minuti.

Nel frattempo, aprire la scatoletta di tonno e versarlo in una ciotola. Spezzettare il tonno con una forchetta e mescolare per fare riassorbire il suo olio, poi aggiungere alla passata. Importante: questo procedimento presuppone l'utilizzo di tonno conservato nel suo olio. Se utilizzate un tonno con olio aggiunto, scolatelo, poi spezzettatelo e infine aggiungetelo alla passata. Mescolare, coprire e cuocere a fuoco dolce per 10 minuti. Quando il sugo di tonno è pronto, aggiungere il prezzemolo, girare, spegnere il fuoco e coprire di nuovo.

Quando l'acqua bolle, salare e versare gli spaghetti. Quando sono al dente, scolare e versare in un'insalatiera per la pasta. Versare il sugo di tonno sugli spaghetti, togliere gli spicchi d'aglio e servire immediatamente. Una volta che avete spazzolato la vostra porzione di spaghetti col tonno potete fare la scarpetta.

Nota linguistica: la parola spaghetti in inglese è singolare, cosa che può causare confusione nel parlante italiano.

Con questo post contribuisco all'evento Tin Can Recipes dedicato alla celebrazione dei 200 anni del cibo in scatola. L'organizzazione dell'evento è di Ale, Fra, Sere e Paola del blog Il Giardino degli Aromi e di Brii che scrive Briggis recept och ideer e Briiblog in English. Le regole per partecipare le trovate su questa pagina. Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell'evento.

Contribuisco anche all'edizione numero 213 di Presto Pasta Nights, evento creato da Ruth di Once Upon a Feast e ospitato questa settimana da Jacqueline di Tinned Tomatoes. Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell'evento.

¹ La scatola di tonno nella foto è solo a titolo informativo: non è una pubblicità. Non ho alcun rapporto commerciale con l'azienda produttrice.

tagliatelle con la ricotta (entrambe fatte in casa)

tagliatelle with ricotta — both homemade

This time of the year, my aunt Lucia would get fresh ricotta from local shepherds, who used the milk from their ewes to make pecorino and then the leftover whey (siero di latte) to make ricotta. It came in the familiar shape of a truncated cone (see an example on this page), snow white and irresistible. The ricotta never had a chance of getting more than a couple of days old. First, we would use it in a beloved pasta dish: spaghetti con la ricotta. Then we would eat it as dessert, with just a bit of sugar on top or a thin layer of homemade cherry jam (marmellata di ciliegie). It was never used for cooking. Bellweather Farms in California makes sheep ricotta. I have not yet tried it, so I don't know how it compares.

Ricotta is made with the whey left over from making certain cow or goat milk cheeses as well. The various types of ricotta are easily obtainable in Italy, so pasta con la ricotta is a dish that can be made quickly. The ricotta sold in bulk in the stores is usually of good quality. Ricotta is popular in Italy, and the rapid turnover ensures that the product you buy is fresh.

As I have said before (most recently in this post), I make ricotta at home using the whey left over from making various types of cheese (most often made with cow milk, sometimes with a mix of cow and goat milk; unfortunately, I cannot find sheep milk where I live). Having whey to make ricotta was actually an important reason behind my decision to learn to make cheese (formaggio) at home. Recently, I have paired ricotta with homemade tagliatelle instead of spaghetti.

If you want to try your hand at making pasta all'uovo, my suggestion is: start small, i.e., make only one egg's worth of it. That way you can get a feel for the process without being worried about the quantity. For one extra-large egg, I weigh 80 g of flour. I then add a bit more flour, if needed, to get a dough of the right consistency. It is better to have to add flour than to find yourself with a hard dough (my mother's wisdom). The tagliatelle in the photo were made using King Arthur's pasta blend (which includes semolina, durum and all-purpose flours) and they were rolled and cut using my pasta machine. If I have time, I like to roll and cut by hand: for that, you need spianatoia e matterello.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for tagliatelle con la ricotta

The following ingredients yield two small portions. Double them or more, depending on how many people there are around the table and the rest of the menu.

• 1 extra-large egg
  
• 80 g (a teaspoon less than 3 oz.) flour [see paragraph above] plus more as needed to obtain the dough
  by my measuring, 80 g of King Arthur's pasta blend correspond to 1/2 cup, but this is not what the packaging states and in any case, I recommend you weigh the flour
  
• 3.5 oz (100 g) [homemade] ricotta 

On your working surface, create a well with the flour and crack the egg directly into it. Scramble the egg with a fork. Draw flour from the sides of the well into the center, mixing well with the egg. Trade the fork for your fingertips. Draw flour until a soft dough forms. Add more flour if needed. Continue to knead the dough, 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rest for an hour.

Roll pasta by hand or with a machine. Let rest for a little while and then cut it by hand or with a machine. If rolling and cutting by hand, fold a 3-inch strip of pasta up away from you. Continue to fold the strip until the entire pasta sheet is folded into a flattened roll. With a sharp knife, cut across the flattened roll. Tagliatelle are 1/4" wide. Unroll folded pasta. Regardless of the method, let the pasta dry until ready to cook it.

You can certainly buy ricotta to make this dish. To make sure that what you are buying is ricotta, ask your cheesemonger what the main ingredient is: it should be whey (in this example, you can see that the two ingredients are whey and salt; the label then lists the two acidifiers that are used for coagulation). Milk (or cream) is sometimes added to the whey, but only in small quantity.¹

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some coarse salt, stir and then add the pasta. Bring water back to boiling. Cooking time depends on flour used and thickness of pasta, but it is in the order of a few minutes, so don't wander away, but pay undivided attention.

Since the pasta takes only a short time to cook, prepare the ricotta as the water comes to a boil. Put the ricotta in a bowl and mash it with a fork to make a cream. If it is on the dry side, add to it a teaspoon or so of the pasta cooking water.

When the pasta is ready, turn off the heat, pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and then drain the pasta, leaving a bit of water clinging to it. Toss pasta and ricotta and serve immediately. Depending on the ricotta and on personal preference, a bit of salt may be added during the tossing.

That's it: two ingredients and you get a fabulous pasta dish that takes minutes to prepare. As mentioned above, you can use dry pasta like spaghetti instead of homemade tagliatelle. I wish I could have you taste the ricotta I ate as a kid: you'd understand why I loved this simple dish so much. Actually, the whole family did.

The flowers in the photo come from one of my borage plants. I put them there to create a bit of color contrast.

¹ Addendum. I agree with the comment by Caffettiera about the addition of cream.

This is my contribution to edition #209 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Vanessa of Sweet Artichoke.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

tagliatelle con la ricotta (entrambe fatte in casa)

or launch the tagliatelle con la ricotta (entrambe fatte in casa) audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

"macaroni and cheese" al forno

baked macaroni and cheese (a dish I thought I would never make — but I did, using my homemade cheese in it)

[If you like what I made, you can vote for me by clicking on the Project Food Blog widget on the right, or by clicking on the ♥ [heart] on the banner at the top of this view of my post.]

The first time I listened to my husband wax poetic about Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, I knew he had a long way to go — food-wise. He has indeed gone a long way, and I have also progressed substantially in my cooking skills, which were basically non-existent when we first met, 18 years ago. Still, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese has a special place in my husband's heart, as it speaks to him about his college days and his acquired sense of independence, which included the ability to feed himself.

Once I moved to California, I learned that macaroni and cheese is comfort food for body and soul, a dish close to the heart of many people, a theme on which countless variations have been developed. So, while I could dismiss the packaged version with a smile and a kiss on my husband's cheek, I could not subject the real thing to the same treatment: I respected the tradition and acknowledged that I would never attempt to replicate such a treasured dish.

So, when I found myself challenged, as part of the Project Food Blog by foodbuzz, to prepare a classic not from my culinary tradition and that would push me outside my comfort zone, macaroni and cheese was the immediate choice. After all, this was a dish I had many times told myself I would never attempt. Mai dire mai, as the saying goes (never say never).

Due to a number of concurrent commitments, I knew I would only have time to make the dish twice. But before I embarked in my adventure, two things had to happen. First, my husband insisted that I take a close look at a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, not just the outside, but its contents. He did not ask me to actually prepare the dish, just to have a look at the components. To oblige him, I went to the grocery store and looked for the treasured item. I was greeted by row upon row of different brands and flavors, a testimony to the enduring success of the formula. I focused on the Kraft products' section and had difficulty choosing a box. My requirement was that it had to be as close as possible to the one my husband bought in his college years. In the end, I settled on the White Cheddar version¹. If you follow the link, you can see the many options a buyer has nowadays, from Organic Cheddar to Extreme Cheese Explosion (the latter a rather threatening offering, if you ask me).

The second thing was some background reading, which turned out to be difficult, as it usually happens in the case of beloved dishes with a rather long tradition. In the interest of time, and having by now accepted the fact that this would probably be only the first episode of a long-running adventure à la recherche (in search) of a recipe that truly satisfies me, I focused on four sources:

• the recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese in the book 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes by Debra Amrein-Boyes
• a recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese by Alton Brown
• this article from the New York Times
• a recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese from About.com: Southern Food

The two parameters I established before choosing a recipe were:

1. I would use my homemade cheese (formaggio fatto in casa)
2. I would strive for a balance between pasta and cheese

Even after reading the New York Times article, I went for a white sauce and cooked pasta, as in all three recipes listed above. However, in my second attempt, I forwent the bread crumb layer in favor of additional cheese.

Without further ado, here is the list of ingredients and the way I combined them to make my version of this American classic.

For the white sauce:

• two tablespoon flour (I use 1 tablespoon all-purpose and one tablespoon white rice flour)
• two cups of 2% milk
• 4 oz. of Wensleydale cheese of my own production, shredded

Follow the link to read about the long history of this traditional English cheese. The main reason for my choice being that I thought it would melt well, which turned out to be the case, so the resulting cheese sauce was nice and smooth, perfect in terms of texture.

To make the white sauce, I kind of used Debra Amrein-Boyes' list of ingredients and kind of followed the instructions in the Alton Brown's recipe. The first time, I used 1 teaspoon powdered mustard, half a bay leaf and 1/8 teaspoon of paprika, seasonings suggested by Alton Brown. The second time, I used only paprika, as in the About.com recipe.

For the pasta:

• 10 oz. pasta, elbows the first time, medium-size shells the second time, cooked al dente and drained

After mixing pasta and cheese sauce, I poured into a buttered 2-qt Pyrex rectangular baking dish.

For the topping:

• the first time, I melted 2 tablespoons of butter and stirred in it half a cup of fresh bread crumbs (literally: briciole, but in Italian we say pangrattato, literally: grated bread) from my homemade maize bread (recipe by Dan Lepard, from "The Handmade Loaf"), then distributed the butter-coated bread crumbs over the pasta
• the second time, I cut into small pieces about 2 oz. of my homemade Fourme d'Ambert, a lovely blue-veined cheese, then added to it two tablespoons of fresh cheese curds (Sunday morning is my cheese-making time) and distributed over the pasta

I placed the baking dish into the oven heated to 350 F and baked the first time for 20 minutes, the second time for 25 minutes.

The verdict. My husband was first incredulous, then touched by my unannouced foray into the macaroni and cheese field. He deemed both attempts better than anything he ever made for himself as a college student. He liked the flavor of both versions, but had a slight preference for the bread crumb crusted one. I was satisfied with the balance between pasta and cheese sauce, as I was looking for a quantity of sauce that would not drown the pasta. After all, I am Italian, and I like to taste my pasta.

The first sauce was a bit more flavorful, due to the additional seasonings. Contrary to my husband, I preferred the version without bread crumbs (a difference of opinions easily addressed in future versions of the dish). My Wensleydale cheese does not have a pronouced flavor, so the overall quality of the dish was delicacy. I must admit that I liked it, though before saying the last word, I need to replicate the recipe using different types of cheeses.

You see, I stepped out of my comfort zone and now I am ready to push further.

This is my answer to the Challenge #2: The Classics, part of the Project Food Blog by foodbuzz. Voting started on Monday, September 27, 2010 and will continue until Thursday, September 30.

You can vote for me by clicking on the Project Food Blog widget, or by clicking on the heart ♥ on the banner at the top of this view of my post.

I am virtually sending to all of you a nice piece of my "macaroni and cheese" al forno made with formaggio fatto in casa and plenty of love. In the words of Debra Amrein-Boyes:

When made from scratch with your own handmade cheese, this is comfort food with flair.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

"macaroni and cheese" al forno

or launch the "macaroni and cheese" al forno audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

¹ The photo is for demonstration only: it is not an advertisement. I do not have a business relationship with Kraft or the grocery store mentioned in the post.

lasagne

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

I grew up eating my mother's lasagne and had so far avoided trying to follow in her footsteps, because it is a tall order. She makes her own pasta all'uovo (egg pasta), with consistently excellent results. She makes the béchamel sauce, she prepares il ragu (tomato and meat sauce) using the bottled puréed tomatoes that she makes at home every year. While I had made pasta before, making do with a spianatoia (kneading board) smaller than the one my mother has, I had limited myself to fettuccine and never ventured near lasagne. You can make fettuccine, cook them and then add as simple a sauce as some freshly made ricotta. But with lasagne, the pasta is only one chapter of the story.

Thanks to this month Daring Bakers' challenge, I pushed the envelope, so to speak, but not before conferring with my mother and getting some instructions from her. But let's go in order and review each component of the dish and then the final assembly. You will find the recipes here. I decided to make half the dose of pasta.

My mother has never made pasta all'uovo verde (spinach egg pasta), so for this part I was on my own. I was intrigued by the option with raw spinach, but worried about the resulting texture. I decided to consult Deborah Madison and she was very helpful. In Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, her spinach variation for egg pasta involves the puréeing of fresh spinach and eggs. This worked out perfectly: I easily combined the resulting paste with the flour to obtain pasta of a beautiful green color.

For the béchamel sauce, I followed the proposed recipe, halved it, and went vegan, using whole-wheat flour, olive oil instead of butter and vegetable broth instead of milk. I have actually been making béchamel sauce this way for years, again following Deborah Madison's recipe.¹

For the sauce, I went vegetarian and made a simple tomato sauce. I cooked in warm oil a quarter cup of minced onion, a small carrot, sliced, and a small rib of celery, chopped. When the vegetables were soft, I added a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes and simmered for 10 minutes or so. I then used an immersion blender to purée the sauce. 

For the cheese, I grated the last piece of my Montasio.

I cooked the lasagne verdi and drained them, as I remember seeing my mother do. I then assembled the dish following the given instructions and my mother's recommendation to go light with the besciamella. I used up all the béchamel and all the tomato sauce before the pasta, so next time I will make more of both. Following my mother's instructions, I did not finish with a layer of béchamel sauce. The top layer of my lasagne was tomato sauce sprinkled with cheese. The baking time and modality was done according to the recipe here.

The result was very favorably received at the table. I was so glad! I feel that I have passed a big test. Of course, I will make lasagne again.

A special thank you goes to our hosts for their efforts and support: it was a nice challenge. I hope you will take the time to go around and look at the gorgeous creations of my talented fellow Daring Bakers. By the way, have you noticed the new logo? Daring Bakers has also a new site.

¹ As Angela correctly notices in her comment, the change of ingredients makes the sauce a vegetarian velouté.

Hear me pronounce the words on the lasagne audio file [mp3] or go to the lasagne audio page for more listening options.