Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: beef, bolognesa, bolognese, course, italian, lasagna, lasagne, main, meat, pasta, pork, ragu, sauce | No Comments »
Bolognese sauce: cut pork and beef into cubes and the pancetta into thin strands. Chop the carrots, celery and onion. In a pan, brown the meat in olive oil. Do it in batches so as not to overload the pan. Drain the excess fat and set aside. In the same pan, add the chopped vegetables until soft. Add the thyme, rosemary and wine. Let wine reduce to a quarter, then return the meat, tomatoes and enough water to cover the meat. Cook over a very low heat or inside the oven at 150C, lid on, for around 2h30min. The sauce is ready when it’s thick and the meat is falling apart. Béchamel sauce: mix the soft butter and flour to form a paste and chill. Heat the milk in a saucepan and add the butter+flour. Stir until melted, boil until thickened and season. Cook the lasagna sheets according to the manufacturer’s instructions and assemble:in a greased ovenproof dish, line at least 3 layers of noodles, bolognese sauce, béchamel and sprinkle each with parmesan. Bake until golden in a 200C/375F oven.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: cheese, course, goat, italian, lasagna, lasagne, main, nut, nuts, pasta, pignoli, pine, ricotta, spinach | No Comments »
If using dry lasagne sheets, cook them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir-fry the chopped onion in a heavy based frying pan until soft. Add the garlic and, quickly, the spinach. Toss and let it steam. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Crumble the ricotta with a fork and grate the goat cheese. Toast the pine nuts, tossing them in a dry pan. In a greased ovenproof dish, line layers of noodles, spinach, crumbled ricotta and grated goat cheese, seasoning with a bit more salt and pepper. Drizzle each with extra virgin olive oil. Finish with a layer of pasta and cover it with the cheeses. Bake it in a 200C oven until golden on top.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: butter, course, gnocchi, italian, main, parmesan, pasta, potato, potatoes, spinach | No Comments »
Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 20s and transfer to a bowl with iced water. Drain, squeezing out as much liquid as possible, and chop. Boil the potatoes with the skin on until soft when pierced with a knife (about 25min). Drain and peel them while still hot (hold them with a tea towel). Mash and pass them through a sieve. Add a pinch of salt, the spinach, eggs and flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (add a bit more flour if it seems too sticky, but not too much). Cut and shape the dough into long 2cm diameter cylinders. Cut it into 2cm pieces. Lightly roll each gnocchi with the back of a fork, to create little patterns. Boil them in salted water until they rise to the surface. Drain and, while still hot, mix them in a bowl with the butter, grated parmesan cheese and season with pepper. Toss until the butter and parmesan form a thickened sauce that coats the gnocchi.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: arrabiat, course, hot, italian, main, pasta, penne, peppers, sauce, tomato | No Comments »
Wash the tomatoes, chop and put them in a saucepan along with the chopped onions, chopped garlic, basil leaves and hot peppers. Bring it all to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens. You can blend it if you want. Boil the pasta in 5 litres of salted water until al dente. Drain it and add it to the sauce, tossing well to coat.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: cheese, course, emmenthal, fontina, fromaggi, italian, main, mozzarella, parmesan, pasta, penne, quattro | No Comments »
In a saucepan, mix the milk, cream and crushed garlic. Bring it to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15min. Remove the garlic. Meanwhile, start cooking the pasta in boiling salted water. Grate (or chop) all the cheeses separately. When the pasta is still a bit hard in the middle, even before al dente, drain it and add to the milk and cream. Add the butter and parmesan. Now, add the emmenthal, fontina and top it with the mozzarella. Pour the pasta into an ovenproof dish and bake it in a 180C/350F oven until the top is golden. You can also do this dish with tomatoes instead of milk and cream.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: courgette, course, italian, main, parmesan, pasta, ricotta, zucchini | No Comments »
Dice the courgette and stir-fry it in a casserole with the olive oil and chopped onion. When it softens, add the milk, bring to the boil, turn down the heat and let it cook until the sauce thickens. Season. Place a large pan with abundant salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, crumble the ricotta in a bowl and add a bit of the pasta water, turning it into a thick smooth cream. Add the grated parmesan, lemon juice and check the salt. Drain the pasta and toss it with the courgette sauce. Serve it with a dollop of the ricotta cream.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: course, italian, main, meatball, meatballs, pasta, sauce, spaghetti, tomato | No Comments »
Cut the bread into pieces and soak it with a little milk for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk. In a bowl, mix the beef, mortadella, eggs, parmesan, parsley, soaked bread, pignoli (optional), finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste. With your hands, make 5cm (diameter) meatballs. Then, gently squeeze them into a light cylinder shape. Optionally, you can coat them with some breadcrumbs or flour. Fry them in medium-hot oil so they cook all the way through (about 10 minutes). Drain them on kitchen paper. In a saucepan, stir fry the chopped onions and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15min. When it thickens, add the meatballs. Season. Cook the pasta in abundant salted water until al dente, drain, toss with a little butter or oil and serve with ladles of the sauce.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: bacon, beef, bolognesa, bolognese, course, italian, main, pancetta, pasta, pork, ragu, sofrito, spaghetti | No Comments »
Cut the pork and beef into cubes and the pancetta into thin strands. Chop the carrots, celery and onion. In a pan, brown the meat in olive oil. Do it in batches so as not to overload the pan. Drain the excess fat and set aside. In the same pan, add the chopped vegetables until soft. Add the thyme, rosemary and wine. Let the wine reduce to a quarter, then return the meat, tomatoes and enough water to cover the meat. Cook over a very low heat or inside the oven at 150C, lid on, for around 2h30min. The sauce is ready when it’s thick and the meat is falling apart. Place a large pan with abundant salted water to boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Ladle 4 tablespoon of the sauce into a large frying pan and heat. Add the butter, chopped parsley, grated parmesan, lemon juice and mix. Drain the pasta (but not too much) and toss it into the sauce to coat it. Serve.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: black, course, cuttlefish, garlic, ink, italian, maccheroncini, main, nero, pasta, pecorino, seafood, sepia, squid, squids | No Comments »
Clean the cuttlefish: separate the head from its body. Remove the guts, but keep the little ink bag. Cut the tentacles just below the eyes and discard the latter. Remove the skin from the head and the spine. Cut it into rings and the tentacles in pieces. In a saucepan, stir fry the chopped onions and crushed garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the cuttlefish and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and lower the heat, letting it cook until the meat is tender (about 30-40min). Stir from time to time. After 20min, press the ink bag through a sieve and mix 1/2 cup water with the ink (add the content of the ink envelope, if using). Add this to the pan and adjust the seasoning. Cook the pasta in abundant salted water until al dente, drain and toss it into the sauce to coat. Serve with the pecorino and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: the chefs | Filed under: recipes | Tags: cherry, clams, course, italian, main, pasta, seafood, shellfish, spaghetti, tomato, vongole | No Comments »
Pour the clams into a large bowl and leave under slowly running cold water for 20min. In a pan, heat the olive oil and stir fry the chopped garlic. Before it starts to brown, add the halved cherry tomatoes and let them soften and release moisture. Add half the parsley, season well with salt and pepper, and pour in the wine. Allow it to reduce by half, pour in the clams, lower the heat and cover with a lid. Cook for about 4 min, shaking the pan from time to time. Discard any that don’t open. Place a large pan with salted water to boil and cook the spaghettini until al dente. Drain and return the pasta to the same pan. Pour in some of the clam/tomato cooking liquid and toss to coat. Serve the spaghettini onto the plates and ladle the clams and sauce over. Finish with more fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
