Pasta Twists with Prawns and Zucchini

So between meetings, interviews, work and running errands for everyone except myself, I arrived home tonight so hungry I could eat a horse and go back for another one. So I needed something quick, easy and without fuss tonight for dinner so I went with what I had in the freezer. Zucchini, zucchini flowers, basil and parsley from this summers harvest and prawns (already shelled). And There is nothing on earth that I could do with all those ingredients........... I then realised I needed to go and do the bleeding shopping too. ARGH! And what to make for dinner....pasta, prawns and zucchini.....

So here we go. For 4 people.

360g of Fusilli pasta, or Pasta Twists (remember 90g a person is more than enough)
400g small, shelled prawns 
2 zucchini sliced
salt and pepper to taste
half a glass of white wine
a handful of fresh parsley
1 clove of garlic
cream (optional) 

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic in a pan. 
2. Add the prawns and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, letting all the flavours infuse. Add the white wine, and let the liquid evaporate.
3. Add the zucchini.and allow to cook.
4. Put the pasta into salted boiling water (remember 1 litre of water for 100g of pasta)
5. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and throw in on top of the prawns and zucchini. 
6. Add the salt and pepper and the cream if you decide to use it (just enough to bind the pasta and prawns together) and sautee for 2 minutes

Serve and enjoy! I usually add some chilli flakes as well and remember that no parmesan cheese is needed as cheese and fish are never eaten together in Italy.Eat with a nice cool white wine and enjoy!

Bruschetta

So I'm just in from work and starving!! I need something quick! So Bruschetta it is! Quick, easy and filling! This makes 4 bruschetta

500g cherry tomatoes
200g extra virgin olive oil
Fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
a pinch of salt
Fresh black pepper
Italian bread

1. Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, deseeding as you go along
2. Put the tomatoes into a bowl and cover with oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and basil
3. Stir with a wooden spoon, cover and place into the the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
4. Slice the Italian bread and toast it on both sides
5. Take the garlic clove and gently rub it over the warm toasted bread
6. Use a slotted spoon to add the tomatoes to the bread and then add one tablespoon of the oil on top of the bread and tomatoes. 

You may also like to add a slice of mozzarella to the bread before the tomatoes, as I do! 

Pizza for dinner anyone?

 So brother in law called and is coming for dinner. With the wife and kids in tow. So it's pizza time! Easy, everyone likes pizza. Don't they? Hope you like this one, as always from mammy in laws cookbook 

Ingredients for 4 30cm pizzas  

600 ml Water  

1kg Plain flour  

50g Brewer's yeast   

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil  

20g Salt  

1 teaspoon Sugar
Preheat oven to 200°C

1. To begin to prepare the pizza dough put the flour on a pastry board (or in a large bowl) and make a hole in the center. In a separate bowl, pour a glass of warm water, sugar, and then crumble in the two cubes of fresh yeast (or dried yeast) and stir to melt thoroughly. 
2. Pour the liquid into the center of the flour, then, dissolve 20 grams of salt in another glass of warm water and add to the flour, add the oil, then start kneading. 
3. Keep more flour close to hand in case you need it and some warm water, and add a little at a time while kneading the dough until it reaches the desired consistency, which should be soft and elastic (depending on the flour used, you may need a bit more or less water). 
4.  Continue to knead until dough is smooth and soft but substantial, form a ball and place it in a large bowl (remember that the dough will double in volume), well dusted with flour on the bottom. 
5. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and store in a warm place, away from drafts, and allow to rise Wait until the dough has doubled in size (it will take 1 hour - 1 hour and 1 / 2) and then divide the dough into 4 smaller balls.
6. Start to work the base by pulling it out gently into circles. Try to not tear the base and work on a well floured surface. 
7. When you have the bases made add the tomato passata as the base and then add what ever toppings float your boat. I add a little bacon and chilli flakes. 
8. Drizzle a little oil on the pizza and place in the oven for 15 minutes. 
9. Add the finely sliced mozzarella slices only in the last 5 minutes of cooking so that it doesn't dry too much. Add the basil with the mozzarella.

.Enjoy!

Zeppoli di San Giuseppe or doughnuts without a hole

So yesterday was St. Joseph’s day and Father’s day here in Italy. Seeing as I had a belated St Patrick’s day dinner, today is effectively St Joseph’s day in the madhouse that is my home. This is always mother in laws recipe (passed down through the generations etc etc) and I love these little calorie filled desserts!!This makes enough zeppoli per about 8 people.

Amarena Jam or Cherry Jam (optional) and sugar to coat
Vegetable oil to fry

For the Zeppoli:
6 eggs
300g plain flour
50g butter
1/2 litre of water
a pinch of salt

for the cream:
50cl of milk
2 eggs
100g sugar
80g plain flour
1 lemon

prepare dough:
1 – Pour the water into a saucepan with butter and salt, turn heat to medium when water is just about to boil, pour the sifted flour and stir vigorously for 10 minutes with a whisk until the mixture thickens.
2 – Turn off the heat and add 6 eggs, one at a time, always stirring vigorously  (better with an electric mixer) until the mixture is well blended. Let stand for 20-25 minutes.

Prepare the cream:
1 – In a bowl work the sugar in with the 2 egg yolks until mixture is white and fluffy. Add the sifted  flour, milk and two pieces of lemon peel.
2 – place the saucepan over a medium heat and thicken the cream without boiling, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the lemon zest and cool.

 frying the zeppoli:
1 – fill a high sided frying pan with the oil, the donuts must be completely immersed in oil. Put the pan on a medium heat.
2 – Form the zeppoli, I make them as doughnuts without holes so I make them into a round form.
3 – Place the zeppoli one at a time into the hot oil and cook until they swell. Raise the heat slightly to brown them, remove and place on a paper towel.
4 – when the zeppoli have cooled, I use a syringe to fill them with the cream and then sprinkle with sugar, if you used the cherry jam or sour cherries in syrup put a little on top of the zeppoli (about a teaspoon per zeppoli)  and serve.

Sunday Ragù

So it’s Sunday once more and a Sunday favourite in my house is my Sunday Ragù. It’s like “Bolognese” sauce only different, if that makes any sense. This is a meat and tomato sauce using meat pieces instead of mince and 2 or 3 different types of meat. This sauce needs to “bubble” that’s the secret as it were. I normally bring it to the boil, cover the saucepan, turn the gas down to the minimum and allow it to bubble for up to 3 hours, the more it cooks, the better it is my mother in law always says! Here you go! Buona Domenica!
700g of veal, cut into chunks (if you don’t like veal a nice rump steak will do the trick)
200g of pork ribs
4 pork chops
4 Italian sausage  (I use one per person. If you can’t get Italian sausage a good quality beef sausage is fine)
2 onions
1.5 litres of Tomato passata (if you can’t find passata some good quality tinned tomatoes passed through the processer)
200g Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 of a litre of red wine
basil
salt and pepper

1. Heat a deep saucepan (one with a lid) on the hob
2. Add the oil and add the onion (chop it finely with a mezzaluna) and the meat to the saucepan
3. Let them cook for a few minutes just to colour the meat
4. Add the wine and allow it to “evaporate”. This takes about 5 minutes.
5. Add the passata and season with salt.
6. Bring to the boil and cover
7. Turn the heat down to the minimum and allow to “bubble” for 2 and a half to 3 hours. This is called “pippiare”
8. Stir the sauce often when it is bubbling on the hob, remember that sauce is stirred only with a wooden spoon and NEVER with a metal one!
9. Add the basil at the last minute to the sauce!
10. When it’s cooked I allow it to cool for about an hour before cooking the pasta, Penne rigate would be the best, or even better pennettone (big penne pasta)
11. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the saucepan again, add a little knob of butter and some sauce, put on a low heat and mix often so that the pasta absorbs the sauce.
12. Serve the pasta and turn on the heat back on under the sauce.
13. The meat is served as a main dish (secondo piatto) with some sauce and bread to “zuppare” (dip) into the sauce.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Carbonara. The REAL one.

So this is my mother in law’s recipe for spaghetti carbonara. No chicken. No cream. No mushrooms. Just simple homecooking and a real Italian recipe. I often make this for my friends when I return home a few times a year and they love it. Italian cuisine is so easy, no faffing about! It’s also very good for you, it’s not for nothing that the Mediterranean Diet is one of the best and the healthiest in the world, you just need fresh, good quality ingredients and the best quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I think it’s worth paying that little bit more for the “first press” which is a nice green colour.
This recipe is for 4 people
360g spaghetti
200g guanciale (pancetta) or bacon
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 whole eggs and 1 yolk
80g grated Parmigiano or Pecorino
extra vergin olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Bring about 4 litres of water to the boil (the general rule is 1 litre of water every 100g of pasta). When the water is boiling add a nice handful of course salt.
2. Add the spaghetti to the boiling salted water helping it “fold” down with a slotted spoon or a “spaghetti fork”
3. Stir the pasta often so it doesn’t stick together!!!!
4. While the pasta is cooking, in a frying pan fry of the pancetta and garlic for a few minutes.
5. Taste the pasta a few minutes before it reaches the cooking time indicated on the packet, I like my pasta “al dente” but different strokes for different folks! Don’t throw the spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks! Drain the pasta and throw it in the pan together with the pancetta on a low heat, add a little glug of olive oil if you like.
6. While the spaghetti is in the pan, prepare a large serving bowl and lightly whisk two full eggs and one yolk with a pinch of salt and the grated cheese.
7. Throw the pasta and pancetta into the bowl on top of the egg mixture and give it a good mix before serving. Don’t thrown the egg into the pan as it will become scrambled!
8. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

I sometimes add some fresh chopped parsley and a little chopped chilli to the spaghetti just to change it up! Remember in Italy pasta is considered a starter and the 90g of spaghetti a person here is a big enough portion!!

Wheaten Bread

So this is the first post on the new blog and we’ll start of with wheaten bread, or brown soda, depending where you’re from in Ireland. This is my favourite bread, warm from the oven with butter and strawberry jam (recipe to follow sometime soon) or as a quick lunch to eat at my desk with some cheese, preferably cheedar, and ham. It doesn’t matter when or where you eat it as long as you have a nice big mug of warm Irish tea to wash it down! Enjoy!
350g wholemeal flour
100g strong white flour
300ml buttermilk
1 heaped teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (not baking powder)
1 teaspoon salt to taste
50g porridge oats

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Sift flours, salt, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and oats together in a bowl.
3. Add buttermilk and mix into a dough.
4. Form into a ball.
5. Place onto a greased baking tray (or into a loaf tin)
6. Cut half way through the loaf with a sharp knife then again the other way to form a cross.
7. Cook for 30 mins
8. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom

If you don’t have buttermilk, it’s impossible to find here in Southern Italy, add the juice of half a lemon to normal milk or use milk which is one or two days out of date!