Wednesday, December 9, 2015

TACCONELLE E FAGIOLI, a traditional pasta dish

I can't believe that I have never published on my blog my favorite
pasta dish coming from the culinary tradition of my region.
I love this easy home made pasta blended with tasty beans
and tomato sauce.
I suggest that you prepare it during the dark and cold days
of late autumn and winter to warm up your spirit.
Of course it goes very well with a nice glass of red wine
(a good quality Chianti would to it).

TACCONELLE E FAGIOLI

Ingredients for the beans sauce:

400g of Borlotti or Kidney beans
(you are allowed to use canned organic beans, but I prefer to cook them myself)
400g tomato puree
( any Italian canned tomato sauce is fine, but I prefer the De Cecco one)
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion
100g thinly sliced bacon chopped(opcional)
salt and chilli powder or chilli oil

In a hot frying pan cook the bacon for few minutes, then add olive oil and chopped onion.
Cook onion till translucent then add tomato puree.
Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, then add beans with their cooking water.
Let it cook for other 15 minutes, then adjust salt and sprinkle with a pinch of chilli powder.

Ingredients for the pasta:

200g flour
100g semolina or durum flour
1 egg white
half glass of water or less

Make a fountain with flours on a wooden board, add in the centre
the egg white and a bit of water and start mixing with the flours.
And enough water to get a soft but firm dough.

When done form a ball and let it rest under a ceramic bowl for 5 minutes.
Flatten the dough with your hands first and then make it very thin
with a rolling pin.
With a knife cut 2 cm stripes and then cut them again in small squares.


Bring water to boil in a big pot, add coarse salt and cook the pasta
for 5 minutes.
Drain it and add to the beans. Mix well and let it rest for few minutes.

Add a handfull of grated parmesan and serve.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

FRESH MUSHROOMS RISOTTO

I went to the market yesterday and the smell of fresh mushrooms
reminded me of a nice earthy risotto.
Mushrooms are rich in selenium, potassium and antioxidants...
all good stuff!
The cold and grey weather is inviting to be in the kitchen, take
my time and enjoying cooking.
The slow cooking of the risotto is relaxing and warming.
So here I go!

MUSHROOMS RISOTTO
Ingredients:
1 lt vegetable broth
400 g arborio or carnaroli rice
1 handfull shitaki mushrooms
1 handfull champignon mushrooms
3 chanterelle mushrooms
3 oysters mushrooms
3 dried porcini mushrooms
1 small onion
2 TBS butter
1 tsp cream
parsley

Soak dry porcini mushrooms in one cup of warm water.
In a cast iron pot sautee onion in 1 TBS butter till translucent.
Add all the cleaned and sliced mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper and remove them from pot.
Add 1 TBS butter in the pot and sautee rice for few minutes.
Add sauteed mushrooms and soaked porcini with their water.
Mix with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.
Add two ladles of vegetable broth and stir.
When the water dries out add other 2 ladles of broth and stir.
Repeat operation for around 20 minutes.
Taste rice and add salt and pepper.
Switch off, add 1 tsp of cream and stir.
Let the risotto rest for 5/8 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.