R I S O

Rice is definitely my comfort food. If I am sad, I prepare a delicious bowl of rice and I feel better. It is funny in Italian rice is spelled as smile: riso… !

This grain similar to wheat is the most popular food all over the world! There are tons of variety according to whick kind of dish you wanna prepare and so different ways of cooking it: a creamy risotto, a folky paella, a magic pilav, a sweet pudding rice or a fresh sushi.

Here some suggestions:

Arborio, Carnaroli rice: the best choice for risotto

Basmati rice: side dish, perfect with chicken and fish

Black rice: side dish or risotto, intense smell of fresh baked bread, long cooking time

Brown rice: side dish, ideal for steaming, long cooking time

Indian rice: very long grain, perfumed, ideal for steaming

Japonica rice: very sticky, ideal for sushi

Red rice: side dish with a strong smell of wood, long cooking time

Thai Jasmine rice: side dish, very perfumed and ideal for steaming

Wild rice: side dish, intense perfumed, long cooking time

"Rice is the best, the most nutritive and unquestionably the most widespread staple in the world"   Escoffier

Branzino all'acqua pazza

Acqua pazza, literally crazy water, is a light broth, especially prepared in South Italy to oven bake fish.

This broth is perfect for white fish (sea bass, sea bream, snapper, monkfish, tub fish). It is very light but deeply tasteful.

1 sea bass

unpeeled clove of garlic

10 cherry tomatoes
white wine

parsley sprig
thyme sprig

salt

evo oil

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Set the fish in a oven pan with the cherry tomatoes, the unpeeled clove of garlic (I prefer unpeeled because I do not like the strong garlic taste for my broth), some parsley and thyme sprigs, salt, evo oil and 1/2 glass white wine and cook for 20/25 min.

Fillet and serve with the warm broth.

Hug!

The beginning of a new year always means retrospection, introspection and hope.

I started my 2014 off by this drawning...a little man with long arms to hug better and strongly!

For the first time I have no resolutions for my 2014! This time, this year must be more than words...with always a lot of good food and recipes!

Stay tuned!

Risotto al pomodoro

You know my big passion for red and tomatoes so this is a very fresh and easy recipe to enjoy a risotto also during summer!

 

 

300gr Roma or Arborio rice (for 3)

3 tbs tomato puree

1 canned peeled cherry tomatoes

10 fresh tomatoes

Fresh basil

Parmesan

Oil

Salt

 

In a casserole pour the canned tomatoes and the fresh tomatoes chopped over low-medium heat! After 10 min add the tomato puree and let it cook covered for 25/30 min.

Pour a big glass of water each 100 gr of rice plus one for the casserole, when it starts boiling, add the rice and cook for 15/18 min (add some water, if needed) without turning always over low-medium heat!

 

Turn off the heat and mix with the grated parmesan and some fresh basil.

 

 

 

  Serve with a drizzle of evo oil!

Buon Natale

Be the child you were to be the best adult you can!

Enjoy this white Christmas and see you in January.

Love

Puré di patate

Nothing is more comfort food than mashed potatoes! Children, adults, nice and bad people...everyone enjoys this simple dish!

I love enriching my puré with some herbs or spices. I suggest this paprika and lemon version for stew or for grilled turkey and chicken.

Elbow grease and a lot of love to start!

6 big potatoes (4 servings) 

30 gr butter

180 ml semi-skimmed milk

salt

lemon zest

Wash and boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until very tender (water must cover the potatoes). Drain and set aside to let cool slightly and peel afterwards.

Pass them through a food mill twice. Set a pot over medium-low heat with the mashed potatoes and dry out.

Add the butter and stir until It is fully incorporated. Add some nutmeg and paprika. Whisk in warmed milk, a little at a time till the desidered constitency (You may need less milk than the amount indicated if you want the purée thicker or if the potatoes were very rich in water). Continue to whisk to incorprate air and make your mashed potatoes super fluffy. 

Serve with some lemon zest.

I

Ragù alla bolognese

The first time I went to London, I was 13 and the family hosting me served spaghetti alla bolognese. I was so happy to realize that food would not have been a problem all along my trip.

This was true before seeing canned spaghetti, too white and gluey, soakend in oil with some blocks of tomato minced meat. They were really disgusting so I haven't eaten bolognese sauce for long time.

The recipe has its orgins in Bologna and It is a good alternative to the Sunday gravy. I want to dedicate this post to a dear friend of mine, living in Bologna, Gianluca. He loves good food and he helps us to sing good music at musixmatch .

Normally the bolognese is tossed with fresh tagliatelle (fresh egg pasta dough) or as lasagna stuffing that better grab the sauce and NEVER with spaghetti that are too thin and regular. I do not like fresh egg pasta, I find it too heavy to serve with a sauce that is already rich so I always choose dried pasta rigata (rigatoni or also penne).

This sauce can be made 2 days ahead and once cooked It could be frozen. Moreover there are some cooks that enrich their recipes with thinly sliced pancetta or minced sausage but  I think that here less is more.

400 gr beef minced meat (serving 6)
1 lt tomato passata
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 glass red wine
2 tbs oil
salt
pepper
fresh parmesan
nutmeg

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté until soft then add beef, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until browned. Pour in the wine and reduce.

Add tomato paste and tomato passata afterwards. Salt and cook for a hour (stir from time to time and add some water, if needed), until the sauce is reduced and thick. Turn the heat off and add some nutmeg and pepper.

                                     Toss the pasta, serving with some parmesan.