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Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2005 13:28:54 GMT -5
This isn't rocket science so measurments are casual. Cook a package of thick spaghetti aka bucatini aka perciatelli in plenty of salty water (like water from the sea) For the ragu, saute a half pound of sausage cut up into small pieces, chopped onions, thinly sliced celery and shaved carrots in olive oil until the onions become translucent and the sausage is browned, add a teaspoon of dried sweet basil, a tablespoon of capers, some green and black olives, some crushed, some whole and a handful of pignoli (pine nuts). Continue to cook on medium heat and add some tomatoes (sauce, paste, crushed, diced, leftover spaghetti sauce doesn't matter, its just to add color and acidity) Good idea here is to get rid of small veggie leftovers at this point Into the pot with them! Remove pasta from the heat and drain just short of done and add to the ragu. Mix well and cook for a minute or two longer. Good with freshly grated peccorino romano (and a bottle of cheap pinot grigio)
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Post by Dan on Dec 13, 2005 20:09:33 GMT -5
. . . that sure sounds good Tom! I almost stopped cooking some old fashioned bean soup I was making this afternoon when I read your post earlier - but, had to finish the soup - still simmering while I sit here starving to death! I printed out your recipe and will try it soon. Thanks
Dan
…it’s great being a kid again – without the glue! ;D
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Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2005 22:08:56 GMT -5
The beauty of it is, you can substitute burger for the sausage (or use both LOL) and leave any one of the ingredients out and no harm done. Lots of options and it works with different pasta too.
tonight I boned a chicken breast and spread basil pesto between the skin and flesh and lightly oiled the outside of the skin. Took 4 slices of Pancetta, (You can use bacon or even salt pork sliced thinly) and lined the baking pan, stuck a sweet potato in one end of the pan, and the chicken breast in the other, baked covered for 30 minutes at 400F and then uncovered for 20 minutes. Greens on the side. sprinlkle of freshly grated nutmeg on the sweet potato
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Soulmoon
Flightsimmer
Cub fan (The plane, not the baseball team)
Posts: 30
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Post by Soulmoon on Dec 14, 2005 8:59:35 GMT -5
Dang, that first recipie sounds good - And I've never cooked with either capers or pine nuts, so I have no idea what it would really taste like! It still sounds good. I might try it without them tonight or tommorow.
What type of sausage do you suggest? I find most storebought "italian" sausage to be too strongly flavored to enjoy, but I'm open to suggestions! I love pasta dishes.
So does the chicken, though I'll pass on the sweet potato... Unless candied, I've never really liked them.
Dan: Do you use bacon or ham in your soup? I haven't had good been soup in so long, but I can never use up a whole pot, and I don't know how to make just a little bit.
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Post by Admin on Dec 14, 2005 11:15:52 GMT -5
One of my local markets has (besides the typical meat department) a butcher shop and one of the guys there makes fresh sausage. I get the mild rather than the hot and the flavor seems right to me. Actually the other night I chunked up a couple of sausage patties from the same place. Advantage? No casings.
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Post by Dan on Dec 15, 2005 19:11:53 GMT -5
Dan: Do you use bacon or ham in your soup? I haven't had good been soup in so long, but I can never use up a whole pot, and I don't know how to make just a little bit. Soulmoon, this time I used a ham package of pits & pieces I got at the local supermarket. I've used both over the years. I think next time I'm going to use bacon. I had to laugh at your comment about using up a "whole" pot - I typically can't eat it all either and always make to much. This time I used a "smaller" pot and maybe I'll be able to finish it. In the past it normally sits there until it turns "green" - then I have to throw the rest out!! Next week, I think I'm going to cook up some of Tom's receipe with sausage - it keeps sounding great - I've always liked receipe's that you can just through in what ever you want. Dan …it’s great being a kid again – without the glue! ;D
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Post by Admin on Dec 15, 2005 19:22:46 GMT -5
I've always liked receipe's that you can just through in what ever you want. My Mentor in the kitchen says there are only 3 rules to good cuisine: Freshness, Simplicity and Balance.
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Post by Dan on Dec 15, 2005 19:38:54 GMT -5
Amen to that . . . your mentor is absolutely right Tom - I like the simplicity part - especially in today's world!!
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Post by CaptainCernick on Dec 18, 2005 9:16:48 GMT -5
The only thing I'm good at is lasagna. Not a new recipe, but slightly different and much better than the ones you'd usually find. The secret to making a good lasagna (or spaghetti, for that matter) is to not only use tomatoes and (minced)meat, but add many other vegetables as well. All too often have I eaten a lasagna with only those ingredients in the red sauce. It can be so much better. Start with the minced meat and the onions, then add some bacon. As for the vegetables: mushrooms (never too little of those, BTW, yummie!), peppers (green, red, orange, yellow or all of them!), courgette, carrots, aubergine, any leftovers,... Remember, lasagna and spaghetti were originally meant as just a bunch of leftovers mixed together with some pastas. Spices should be added, of course: pepper, red (grinded) pepper, a leave or two of basilic, more pepper, a tiny bit of rosemary, thyme... just go through the available herbs and throw in anything that smells good . And at the last, NEVER EVER mix the sauce, whatever the kids say, the little bits and pieces are what makes the sauce delicious! For the white sauce: don't make it too thick, the pastas will soak up a lot of liquid. And don't forget to use milk, not water, to add cheese and spice the white sauce as well: black pepper, white pepper and nutmeg (no need for salt). The layering is pretty straightforward: start with red sauce, then a layer of pastas, white sauce, pastas again, red sauce, pastas and white sauce. Top off with Gruyere cheese and into the oven for half an hour at 180°C. Hmmmm....*wipes drool off keyboard*
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Soulmoon
Flightsimmer
Cub fan (The plane, not the baseball team)
Posts: 30
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Post by Soulmoon on Dec 18, 2005 12:45:38 GMT -5
Mushrooms are key to any pasta.
My secret for pasta dishes is that I've taken to using bleepake mushrooms... Not, per say, authentic for itallian cooking, but they work great - They have a unique, full flavor that doesn't vanish when mixed into strong tasting foods, and they stay meaty even when cooked.
*edit*
Hmmm. Stupid censor. s-h-i-t-a-k-e mushroom. Grumble.
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Post by Admin on Dec 18, 2005 17:18:46 GMT -5
Mushrooms are key to any pasta. My secret for pasta dishes is that I've taken to using bleepake mushrooms... Not, per say, authentic for itallian cooking, but they work great - They have a unique, full flavor that doesn't vanish when mixed into strong tasting foods, and they stay meaty even when cooked. The real key to my mind is always to remember, it's about the pasta, not the sauce The one thing to add to the big three rules, freshness, simplicity and balance is the concept of "local" It's not the kind of mushrooms or the spice of the sausage ot the texture of the cheese that are important, its the availability. It won't taste the same as the dish Mario Batali would have made but it will be good. A Chinese chef I am acquainted with explained it best one night in his restaurant when a guest asked for Moo Goo Gai Pan and Pork Fried Rice, neither of which were on the menu. The waiter called Mike from the kitchen and he told the customer, "If you want Chinese Food, go to [insert restaurant name here.] If you want Chinese cooking, you can stay here." Mike made fantastic Hunan style dishes using among other fresh local ingredients, North Atlantic Sea Scallops and fresh locally grown broccoli, neither of which have ever been served in Hunan. And he was NOT a fan of fried rice
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Post by Admin on Dec 18, 2005 17:27:25 GMT -5
For the white sauce: don't make it too thick, the pastas will soak up a lot of liquid. And don't forget to use milk, not water, to add cheese and spice the white sauce as well: black pepper, white pepper and nutmeg (no need for salt). Your Lasagna sounds delicious. A restaurant in Bar Harbor serves one that is all vegetables and it is delicious. My white sauces are a bit different as I can't have milk or cheeses made from the whey. I use olive oil and pinot grigio with lots of grana padano to make the base for my white sauce. I've never used aubergine (eggplant) in lasagna. I usually use it as a substitute for meat. Peel it and slice the long way, salt it liberally and let it drain in a colander for a while. Then I coat it with breadcrumbs and fry in olive oil like a veal cutlet.
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Post by Del Hopkins on Dec 24, 2005 12:56:30 GMT -5
Tom, you're killing me with these recipes! I was raised by my grandmother, a full-blood Italian, and was also raised on her Italian food. Along with the lasagna, spaghetti, etc., she also made a dish called "pasta fazul" (spelled correctly?). I remember the bowls of this dish, but not what was in it. Have you ever heard of it? Del.
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joe
Flightsimmer
Posts: 84
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Post by joe on Dec 24, 2005 17:26:15 GMT -5
I think you're talking about pasta fagioli.
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Post by Admin on Dec 25, 2005 0:27:48 GMT -5
Tom, you're killing me with these recipes! I was raised by my grandmother, a full-blood Italian, and was also raised on her Italian food. Along with the lasagna, spaghetti, etc., she also made a dish called "pasta fazul" (spelled correctly?). I remember the bowls of this dish, but not what was in it. Have you ever heard of it? Del. Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced Pasta Fazul or Fahjool) Its a hearty leftover soup. Here's Giada's recipe from Everyday Italian. A little more complicated than I would make and I would likely use 1/2 pound ground beef or ground pork instead of the pancetta. (pancetta can be hard to find. You can substitute salt pork and have a similar flavor or bacon and have a similar texture but a smokier flavor. I'd use beef broth instead of chicken broth, and a 12 oz can of V-8 in place of the leafy spices. Also, if using the red pepper flakes, I always add just a tiny pinch just before serving, I NEVER cook that heat into the dish. I like to use ditalini for the pasta. The spirit of the dish is to use up leftovers in a hearty soup, so you could find chunks of carrots, maybe some peas or green beans and the like in mine. Many recipes I have seen are meatless except for the fat at the beginning and the stock. If you wanted to eliminate the animal fat, you could just increase the olive oil accordingly. Just look for balance and it will be good. You could also substitue vegetable broth and make the dish meatless. If you make it often you will develop a recipe that suits your taste. Pasta e Fagioli Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Yield: 6 servings 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 large sprig fresh rosemary 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup chopped onion 3 ounces pancetta, chopped 2 teaspoons minced garlic 5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 3/4 cup elbow macaroni Freshly ground black pepper Pinch red pepper flakes, optional 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet. Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth*. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.
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