An Italian Cooking Abroad

Struggling to preserve the Italian culinary tradition oversea

Category: Primi

PACCHERI WITH PISTACHIO PESTO AND PRAWNS

March 23, 2021 /

INGREDIENTS (4 servings): pacchetti 320g / salt / 12 prawns / onion, celery and carrot diced / half a glass of white wine / half a glass of brandy / 1 spoonful of flour / 1 teaspoon of tomato paste / pistachios 100 g / 1 handful of parsley / half a glass of extravirgin olive oil

To prepare the bisque, sauté the diced onion, celery and carrot in a pan with oil for few minutes. Add the prawns heads, let them toast, then simmer with white wine and brandy. Let the alcol evaporate, add the flour and toast for few minutes. Add the tomato paste and cover with cold water, let the bisque simmer on the stove for 20 minutes until thickened. During this time, crash the prawn heads with a wooden spoon to add flavor. For the pesto, blend the pistachios with parsley, oil and salt till you get the right texture. If necessary you can add some more oil. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. Transfer the pesto in a pan, heat it on low heat and add the bisque (filtered) and some cooking water. Add the cleaned prawns tails and cook for few minutes. Drain the paccheri and sauté them in the pesto and bisque pan.

MAC’N’CHEESE

June 8, 2020 /

INGREDIENTS

250 g maccheroni / 50 g butter / 50 g flour / 300 mL milk / 100 mL fresh cream / 200 g pecorino / 200 g gruyere / nutmeg / paprika / salt / pepper

In a small pan melt the butter over medium heat, add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. The pour in the pan the warm milk, slowly, keep stirring and let it simmer for 3 minutes so as to have a béchamel sauce. Remove from the heat then add the cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper, 3/4 of the gruyere and the grated pecorino. In the meantime, cook the maccheroni and drain them “al dente”. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce in a bowl, then pour everything in a baking dish, cover with grated gruyere and pecorino, a pinch of paprika, and cook in the oven at 180 degree for 20 minutes.

LEMONY PEA AND YOGURT PASTA

March 30, 2020 /

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

300 g frozen peas / 200 g pasta / 150 g Greek yoghurt / extravirgin olive oil / 2 cloves of garlic / 1 lemon / salt and pepper / handful of mint leaves / 40 g grated hard cheese

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. In another saucepan, thaw the frozen peas in boiling water, drain them and place half of them in a small food processor with the yoghurt, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, then blitz until you have a smooth green sauce. Drain the pasta and return to the pan over a low heat. Stir through the yogurt sauce and the remaining peas. Serve topped with mint leaves, black pepper and grated cheese.

CHARGRILLED ARTICHOKE, LEMON, GARLIC AND CHILI LINGUINE

March 29, 2020 /

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

200 g linguine / 1 pack go chargrilled artichokes / 2 cloves of garlic / 1 red chili / 1 lemon / 60 g pine nuts / big handful of rocket / olive oil / salt and pepper

Cook the linguine in a saucepan of salted boiling water. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil of the artichokes in a pan, stir in the chopped garlic and chili, and fry for 1 minute. Tip in the artichokes, roughly chopped, and the lemon zest. Stir everything and let cook for a minute, then push everything to one side of the pan. Scatter the pine nuts onto the clean side, toast them, then miix with the other ingredients, adding a glass of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and drop it into the artichokes pan. Squeeze over the lemon juice, add the rocket and a splash of oil. Season with black pepper and serve.

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA

February 23, 2020 /

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

1 small butternut squash / 300g pasta shells / salt and pepper / 1 clove garlic / 200 mL vegetable stock / 4 tablespoons double cream / 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika / pinch of nutmeg / handful of parsley / 60 g red cheddar cheese

Place two saucepans of water on to boil. Chuck the butternut squash diced in cubes into one of the pans and cook for 8 minutes. Drop the pasta shells into the other and cook for one minute less than packed instructions. Drain the butternut squash and tip into a blender with garlic clove, veg stock, cream, smoked paprika, nutmeg, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz to a smooth creamy sauce. Drain the pasta, tip back into the saucepan and stir through the butternut sauce and parsley. Spoon into your bowl and top with grated cheese and parsley springs.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNA

November 28, 2019 /

INGREDIENTS

8 lasagna slices / 450 g frozen spinaches / 250 g ricotta cheese / 100 g grated parmesan cheese / 1 glass of milk / 1 mozzarella / salt

Boil the spinaches, drain them and blend them in the mixer. Add the ricotta, grated parmesan, milk and a pinch of salt, then mix everything together. To build the lasagna, cover the bottom of an oven tin with a spoonful of the spinach pesto, the add the lasagna slices. Pour some more spinach mix and spread it well, add some diced mozzarella. Continue adding more lasagna slices, the spinach mix and mozzarella until you have done 4 layers. Finish with some pesto and parmesan cheese. Cook in the oven at 150 C for 20 minutes then change to grill for 5 more minutes.

SALMON LASAGNA

August 17, 2019 /

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

6 lasagna pasta/ 400 g fresh salmon filet / 300 g robiola or philadelphia cheese / 100 g smoked salmon / 1 shallot / butter / 100 mL milk / grated parmesan cheese / extravirgin olive oil / salt and pepper

Brown the sliced shallots in the butter, add the salmon filet, season with salt and cook until it’s well done and crumbled in small pieces. Blend the sliced smoked salmon with the cream cheese and add some milk to make it into a smooth cream. Nos build the lasagna by spreading some salmon cream on the bottom of a square oven pot. On top of it add 2 lasagna pastry, cover with some more cream, half the salmon pieces and a handful of grated parmesan. Add two more pastry, the salmon cream, the rest of the fresh salmon and more parmesan. Finish with the last two lasagna pastries, a lot of salmon cream, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, drops of oil and butter flakes and pepper. Add some more milk at the four corners of the pot then cook in the oven covered with tin foil at 180 degree for 15 minutes , and 10 more minutes uncovered.

PAD THAI

PAD THAI

March 26, 2019 /

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

125 g rice noodles / half a red pepper / 3 little onions / fresh ginger / 2 carrots / 2 zucchini / 70 g sprouts / 80 g green beans / extravirgin olive oil / salt / 2 eggs / coriander / soy sauce

In a pan with oil, brown the red pepper, the onions and the grated ginger. Dice the carrots and the zucchini in little sticks and add them to the pan. Add the sprouts and the boiled green beans as well. Season with salt and continue cooking. For the omelette, whisk the eggs with the minced coriander and a spoonful of soy sauce: pour in a different pan with a drop of oil and let it cook. Once ready, put the omelette in a plate and slice it in small stripes and add them to the vegetables in the pan. Cook the noodles in hot water (off the stove, just 4-5 minutes), drain them and saute them in the pan with the veggies, adding more soy sauce.

KNODELS

KNODELS

January 22, 2019 /

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

200 g bread / 150 mL milk / 100 g speck / 2 eggs / 40 g flour / 1 onion / grated parmesan cheese / parsley / chives / nutmeg / broth / extravirgin olive oil / butter / salt and pepper

Let the bread soak in the milk, add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything with your hands thus forming a paste and let it rest. In the meantime blend the speck and the onion in the blender, brown them in a pot with butter and oil, and add them to the knodels paste. Mix everything, add parsley, flour and nutmeg. Form the knodels (make them like meatballs), coat them with flour, then cook them in broth for 15 minutes. Serve with parmesan and chopped chives.

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