Two Mistakes, one Big and One small.
- I read 4 Cups of water instead of 4 Quarters. And it did seem strange. So I read it again, and it still called for 4 Cups. I went with my guts and I used 8 Cups in the beginning, and at the end I added an extra 2 before cooking the Tortellini. This morning, when I got the magazine back in my hands to write this post…oh well, it says, clearly, 4 Quarters. Ops.
- Also I did realize that I did not use the Egg in the filling…but its consistency was good, so I did not think about double-checking.

On the other side, the amount of Flour indicated in the magazine was really a bit too much…or maybe they just had bigger eggs then me?
About the Tortellini
- When you start rolling them and closing them: The First Ten Do Not Count. Do not get overwhelmed; they will keep on looking better, as you warm up your fingers to it.
- You should cook, in the order: Broth, Filling and then the Pasta…by the time you have done rolling the dough, you will be probably in need of some wine to cure your back that is starting to cramp. Sit the Dough to rest for a half hour, then DO THE SAME; fill your glass and crush for a bit.

TORTELLINI IN BRODO (with Chicken Broth)
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 4 1/2, 5 hours

Ingredients

BROTH
1 Lb Beef Brisket
1 Whole Chicken cut into 6 pieces
1 Large White Onion
3 Carrots (2 of them for bonus recipe)
3 Celery Stalks
1 Tablespoon of Salt

The most common bruschetta is usually (and here another token!), the one with an uncooked tomato sauce. Toast the bread, rub well a clove of garlic on one side of each slice, and dress with finely chopped tomatoes that you marinated for a couple of hours in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper.

BRUSCHETTA WITH SAUSAGE, BREE CHEESE AND FRESH HERBS
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 5
Cooking Time: 15 min. for the sausage sauce + 5 min. in the broiler

Ingredients
6 slices of bread
2 pork sausages (mild or hot according to taste)
¼ Lb of Brie Cheese (or other semi-soft cheese)
¼ Red Onion
1 Handful of Rosemary
1 Handful of Sage
½ Glass of White Wine
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

How to:
-getting ready-
Chop the Onion fine and rinse the Herbs thoroughly. Chop the Sage fine.
Slice the bread.
Pop the wine open and start sipping!

Just a few quick notes:
- Every pressure cooker is different. Different brands usually have slightly different gauges, valves and locking systems; please refer to the “user’s manual”, before you get baptized...literally!
- If you would rather use a regular deep pot just consider that the cooking time will be longer, more than double...
- Be careful not to overcook! Pressure cookers are great because they save a lot of time, but it is also very easy to transform your chopped healthy goods into a sludge...still a healthy sludge I guess...
- About Potatoes. They add a nice “starchy” feel to the soup, and also really help achieving volume but, when frozen and defrosted, their texture becomes grainy (carbs always have a way to mess around with you). So, if you intend to freeze your soup (like we always do), do not use them...if you do, you can still blend the soup after it is defrosted with a mixer... still good.
The ingredients below take into consideration the fact you will be cooking double servings for 4 people, and freeze half of your soup.
Let’s get cookin’!

MINESTRONE - ORGANIC VEGETABLE SOUP
Serves: 4 + 4
Prep Time: 15
Cooking Time: Soffritto 25 min., Pressure Cooker ca 15 min. Regular pot ca 40 min.

Ingredients:
½ Red Onion
5 Cloves of Garlic
1 Handful of Parsley
2 Carrots
5 Celery stocks

Ingredients:
2 Lb Pelati Tomatoes in the can
1 Lb Fresh Mozzarella
½ Lb Parmesan, freshly grated
2 big Eggplants
8 oz Fresh Basil
1 Red Onion
5 Cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil, salt and Pepper
½ Lb of Flour and Canola Oil for Frying

Goes well with…
More eggplant parmesan…and a salad if you got any room left!!!

Tips…
Double the ingredients and Make extra to freeze!!!

How To:
A few hours in advance (about 2 or 3), rinse the Eggplants well and slice them thin.

Fun Drink: Sangria
Appetizer: Mushrooms “Trifolati” with Nipitella over Grilled Polenta
Main Course: Tagliata with Rucola Salad
Side: Grilled Mixed Vegetables
Wine: Conte Bregonzo, Amarone della Valpolicella (not a great bottle to tell you the truth, but it did the trick)

To be on a good schedule…since it is good not to let cool off your delicious new Tuscan achievement…make the Polenta the night before, the Sangria the morning after or early afternoon, then chop the vegetables, slice the polenta, cook the Mushrooms and just heat them when needed, taste the Sangria. Sorry about the jumping around…but multitasking is necessary.
When it is actually time to eat, grill the polenta and heat up the Mushrooms, serve them while you grill the vegetables and the steak.
There are a few things that, even in their simplicity, are very important to get this menu done with ease; let’s start with the seasoning of the meat…and what kind of meat.

People do not get pressured: “Tagliata” in Italian only means cut/sliced. It does not have to be a very fine and expensive piece of fillet (even if it sounds fabulous), it can be just an honorable thick steak, or even a smaller piece of meat…
Salt and Pepper is all you need, just sprinkle well your steak right before you put it on the grill…Do not fall into temptation, do not marinate, do not use ketchup (it saddens me when I see it happen).

Today we are drinking a very special wine: Passito di Pantelleria.
As old as 800 BC, this sweet fruity wine is a very romantic touch for a sunny summer morning “Aperitivo”, or in the evening, after having spent the whole day at the beach.
Enjoy this bottle of Ben Rye’, from Sicily’s Donna Fugata Winery. Imported by Folio, it can be purchased online at Noble Merchants.

Tune Fish and Cannellini Beans Salad
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: none

Also, we are happy to introduce you to a magnificent wine, oh life is beautiful when you come across this kind of surprises. Our bottle of Ornellaia made our night a memorable one...sorry, too many adjectives?
Welcome back to the Tuscan Gun, please join us for a Midnight Spaghetti Date!

Spaghetti all’ Amatriciana
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 30-40 for the sauce,...for the pasta check the box!

Ingredients (serves 4): 1Lb of bucatini if you are lucky enough to find them, otherwise spaghetti is perfect.
1/2 Lb of streaky Bacon (or regular bacon)
2 spoonfuls of Olive Oil

We assume you know how to make your risotto by now, and our message to all of you eaters and feeders out there is: "Invent yourself in your risotto!".
Basic rules are always the same, soffritto, cooking technique, broth, etc...Which vegetables do you like? Go on, feel free to taste what's cooking in your habitual spots, and try to figure it out.
It is easier than you think, and it will give you a chance to spend some time in the kitchen, making Art!

Peppers and Seafood Risotto
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10
Cooking Time: 35-45

Ingredients
1 ½ Cup of Risotto Rice
½ Red Pepper
½ Orange Pepper
12 Oz of Shrimps (fresh or frozen, cleaned)
8 Oz of mixed calamari and scallops

Two quick things need to be said about this recipe,
- The Dressing: we mentioned in the video that we were going to prepare two different kind of dressings, one being the lemon/mint one... and the other one? Well, we forgot about it. It was our intention to tell you how in Italy it always is about the Olive Oil, Vinegar (not always balsamic), Salt and Pepper....and make clear that fancy salad dressing are not really part of the Tuscan Repertoire.
- The Farro (Emmer Wheat): it is very hard to find in your local store, and when you come across it you are tempted to invest that kind of money on a steak...Your best bet is the internet, if you would like to try it! Even without the Farro, this salad is a filling healthy dish, you just need to be more generous with the other ingredients. And please, do not mind Deborah, she always calls it Buck Wheat...it is not!

Watercress, Shrimps and Farro Salad
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 5 min for the shrimps, 1 hr for the Farro wheat

Ingredients
1 Lb. Fresh Shrimps, shelled, deveined and thoroughly washed
4 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ Cup packed fresh mint leaves
15 Oz Cannellini Beans (1 small can)
½ Cup Farro (Emmer Wheat)
1 Lemon, Squeezed / 1 Lime
1 Bunch of Watercress
Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper

Just a few quick notes about today's menu:
- always try to find pork sausage that are not seasoned (same applies in case you decide to go turkey)
- you can use your sauce to make Bruschetta instead of Pasta. Toast some bread, spread some Italian soft cheese (Mozzarella, Stracchino, Burrata), then sprinkle the sausage sauce. Bake at 400 for about 10 min...you can broil it at the end for a final crisp.
- when preparing the Peppers, always leave yourself open to new uses for them. Yes you can do the skewers, but there are many different ways you can serve them, as a Bruschetta, as a side dish...you can even chop the roasted peppers and use them to prepare a cold pasta salad. Just Get Creative!!!

Roasted Peppers and Cheese Skewers.
Serves 4
Prep Time 10
Cooking Time 30

Ingredients
4 peppers, medium-big size, different colors
5 cloves of garlic
10 oz of cheese cut into small cubes: Mozzarella, Machego...anything you'd like to try
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper
Tooth picks

Just one note: We have been trying almost every coffee in the past seven years (at least for the time Gabriele has been living in Los Angeles), and it truly has been hard to find "The One"....at least for us...here in the US.
Strangely enough, all the Italian blends represented in local stores are very toasted and very bitter, qualities you won't sometimes find in Italy...for the same brands. Maybe just a matter of marketing? Do Americans really like a "different" flavor?

After tasting many different kinds, several beans and ground mixes (we even dared to try a Sturbucks ...ops), we are finally very happy to say it! We have found a favorite brand!

Tattararaaaaaaa.....!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bustelo Coffee!

Please come in for a quick Espresso,
Our Treat.

See You Again Soon,
Debi and Gabriele

p.s. here is a very interesting, quick, demonstrative micro-site about the Moka Coffee Machine...obviously, in Italian. In case you want to dig deeper.

Just in case you would like to try this recipe, but you do no have leftovers to recycle, simply cook 1 cup of white rice, let it cool off, then follow each step as if....Just keep in mind that you might want a bit more generous when it comes to adding salt and pepper. If you are working the left overs your risotto is already well seasoned, but if you are working with white rice well, its taste is...how to describe it....flat...

Risotto Croquettes
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 20
Cooking Time: 10-15

Goes well with...
As an appetizer, with a salad, or as a warm bite for a wine tasting evening....
Tips... if you intend to serve it to your kids, slice the croquette in halves before you do so...they will cool off quicker.

2 Cups of leftover risotto, cold from the fridge.
3 Eggs
1/3 Cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ Cup of ham
½ Cup of Mozzarella Cheese
1 handful of fresh Parsley
1 Cup all purpose flour
Breadcrumbs
Canola or vegetable oil

Separate 1 egg yolk.
Chop the ham and the mozzarella in very small pieces.
Wash the Parsley and chop it fine.

Indeed the final 5 cooking minutes are crucial for any risotto; if you have too much broth in it, the risk is to serve rice soup for dinner, if the rice still requires some cooking, make sure you add very little broth at the end. Achieving the balance between the cooking rice and the broth that needs to go in it, is the only real challenge.

We have gotten a bunch of feedbacks about our Risotto with Sausage and Asparagus, and everybody agrees that risotto, after all, was a very easy dish to cook...enjoy!!!

Artichoke and Butternut Squash Risotto
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 40-50 minutes

Ingredients.
3 Tablespoons of butter (olive oil works as well)
1 ½ Cups of Butternut Squash, chopped
2 Artichokes
6 Cups of Vegetable Stock
2 Cups of Risotto Rice
1 Handful of freshly chopped Parsley
Salt and Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, to serve.

Break off the Artichoke stems and discard the outer coarse leaves of the chokes, then cut into thin wedges.

Bring your Vegetable Stock to a boil.

Ingredients.
2 Potatoes
2 Onions
2 Leeks
2 Carrots
2 Turnips
1 Celery stalk
2 Tomatoes
6 Cups of water
Salt & Pepper

However, the memories I have of those week ends are now worth a treasure in my heart: my first fishing experiences, the hours of cleaning under the scorching heat listening to The Beatles, my first Cecina (thin garbanzo bean flour bread)...my first beers!!!

Livorno is also very famous for another, even more traditional recipe, their Caciucco... an intense and memorable fish soup that deserves its own episode on this show...will do!

For now,
enjoy our weekly recipe,
Buon Appetito!

Pesce Spada all'Isolana (Swordfish Steaks in Tomatoes and Seafood Sauce)
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15-20
Cook Time: 40

Ingredients
9 Oz of Mussles
9 Oz of Clams
5 Oz of Shrimps (medium size), peeled.
4 Swordfish Steaks
5 Cloves of Garlic
1 Lb Cherry Tomatoes
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Handful of fresh Parsley
1 Handful of fresh Basil
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper.

Tip - If you like the “fresh” feel of the sauce, stick with the cherry tomatoes…but if you’d like to make it juicier, try using a 12Oz can of Peeled Tomatoes.

Getting Ready With The Ingredients
Wash thoroughly all the seafood, scrub and remove the beards from the mussels.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and chop them in halves, wash the pepper, remove the seeds and the white from the inside, and then cut it into medium-large slices.

There are several legends to explain the name "Strozzapreti" (The Priest Chockers)...
One is that gluttonous priests were so enthralled by the savory pasta that they ate
too quickly and choked themselves, sometimes to death.

As always, there are several variations and preparations...some even involving different
ingredients, but still intended to choke Priests, I assume.

The recipe we are posting calls for Ricotta Cheese, and needs to be cooked in the oven.
The main variation on this dish replaces the Ricotta with boiled Potatoes (1Lb)...
when the balls are ready, instead of cooking them into the oven, they need to be cooked in salted boiling water,
as if they were regular pasta. Cooking time is extremely short, as soon as the gnocchi will come to the surface
they are ready to be collected, drained and served.
Also a different dressing can be used...red sauce and basil instead of the butter and sage we are using today.

Be ready to get your hands dirty,
let's get cookin'!

Gnocchi di Ricotta e Spinaci
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20
Cooking Time: 15-20

Ingredients
2 ½ Lb of Spinach
1 ½ Lb of Ricotta Cheese
6 Tbsp Parmesan, freshly Grated
2 Egg Yolks, lightly beaten
All purpose Flour, for dusting
¼ Cup of Butter, melted
Salt and Pepper

Like it happens for every pagan holiday, food goes well along with laughs and a festive spirit, and when it comes to feast, once again (since Carnival comes right after Christmas), you can indulge yourself with food...you know that spring is around the corner...the time for fresh vegetables and fruit is coming! So, yes, brig it on...more cakes!

In Florence Carnival is celebrated with the following desserts: Frittelle di Riso (Fried rice balls covered in sugar ), Cenci (fried dough covered in sugar) and the Schiacciata alla Fiorentina.
This cake is light and easy to prepare; around town you can find it sliced in half and filled with whipped cream or even ....Nutella!

Schiacciata alla Fiorentina
Serves: 12
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 30-35

Ingredients
2 1/2 Cups (250 grams) of Flour (all purpose, unbleached)
1 Cup (100 grams)of Sugar
4 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
7 tablespoons of warm Whole Milk
3 Eggs
The Juice and the Zest of an Orange
1 1/2 tablespoons of Baking Powder
Confectioner's Sugar

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Butter well an 8 ½ by 12 inches baking pan.

Separate the yolk and the egg whites.

Again, as we never will get tired telling you, this is another family recipe, everybody in Tuscany cooks it in their house, and there are a lot of variations.
The one I learned to cook comes straight out of my grandmother's kitchen: "Please don't tell your father I suggested you use pork!", she said...
Don't worry Nonna, dad does not look at my recipes on the web, our secret is well kept.....for the moment at least.

Come in,
let's get cookin'!!!

Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes (plus the time to soak the beans)
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Lb Dark Kidney Beans
1 Lb Pork Ribs
¾ Lb of pasta (better if large, like rigatoni)
8 Cups of water
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 handfuls of Rosemary
8 Oz. Pelati
Salt, Pepper, Extra Virgin Olive oil

Preparation:
Rinse well the beans and Soak them overnight.
Bring your 8 cups of water to a boil, add the beans, stir well, and cook for about 40 minutes.

Broil the pork ribs in the oven. Season them with some salt and pepper, cut them apart and lay them on a large tray and put them in the oven…you should settle for nothing less than a nice golden brown crispy skin.

Laura is Gabriele's aunt, and she's the one usually in charge of cooking for the big family events...she has it in her.
She is an excellent cook, a great entertainer and a superb host.

Enough said, today's menu is:
Veal Rolls with Ham and Emmenthal cheese and a traditional Caponata (Vegetable Stew)

Veal and Prosciutto Rolls.

Serves - 4
Prep Time - 30 min
Cook Time - 45 min / 1 hour

Ingredients:
- 1 Lb Veal Cutlets pounded thin (count two per serving)
- 1/2 Lb Ham
- 1/4 Lb Emmenthal Cheese, cut in 8 small cubes (about 3/4 inch)
- 1/2 glass of lemon juice or dry white wine at room temperature
- 1/2 glass of milk
- Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil

A brief note about what you will see, as there are two small differences in the way Rosanna and I prepare the Pappa.
She sautes the whole cloves of garlic to flavor the oil, and then she takes them out.
I chop the garlic and I leave it in...I love garlic!
She adds the bread to the tomatoes and then she adds the broth,
I add the broth to the tomatoes and when it boils I add the bread.
Either way, as long as you have the right proportion of ingredients you will be fine.

Tip: you can save some bread and some broth, in case you need to add one of them to achieve the preferred consistency.

Let's get cooking!

Pappa al Pomodoro (Tomatoes and Stale Bread Soup)
Serves 6 (plus leftovers)
Finding the right kind of bread to make Pappa is harder then actually preparing the dish. Bread should be unflavored, unsalted, not too doughy, with a crust that is actually a crust. Because you need to use stale bread, you have to give yourself some time to dry it. The best way, once you've found the
right loaf, is to slice it, and lay the slices on a tray for a couple of days. In front of a sunny window would be just perfect.

Ladies and Gents,
from the HBO hit show The Sopranos we happily and proudly introduce,

Katherine Narducci!!!

Applause...

Beef Ragout Sauce
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5
Cooking Time: about 30 min.

Sunday morning has always been a tradition in my family when I was growing up, and a rule as well!
My mom always worked her ass off all week around, during the day teaching in junior-high, and then me, my brother, the house...her husband.
My father was a young surgeon...I remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night...I remember vacations with my father, but not the days of the week....

I was about 6...remember waking up, walking to the kitchen with my younger brother...he was about 2.
My mom would leave in the fridge a blender full with my brother's breakfast. Do not ask me what was in it...some fruit, I remember a big cookie...It kind of sounds gross, sorry...
I had to process the food, heat it up a bit...no microwave those days...stove top baby...and serve the first breakfast.
Me, personally...loved a gigantic cup of milk with Nesquik and Rice Crispies.

The rule was...BE QUIET!!!
No playing allowed, no running...only breakfast and some TV. And wait for my parents to wake up. Mainly mom, as my father was already probably at the hospital or racing his Ducati on the Mugello track, just a few miles from our house.

One day I just decided to bake a cake by myself....

So, let's wear your good pajama and hit the kitchen,
what do you feel like having tonight?

Since there is no specific ingredient amounts, we decided also to leave the poetry up to you...there is no need for a downloadable sheet...
Just get inspired!!!

Buon Appetito and,
Buona Notte.

Debi and Gabriele

Also, it is a brilliant idea to take advantage of the time it will take you to cook: CLEAN UP!!!
If you are like me...well, you probably will start sipping the wine as soon as the bottle is open...
you can use the excuse that you like to "feel the taste changing"...
By the end of dinner, after the wine and a couple of generous servings...you still have the plates on your table...but if you do not have the pots and pans to wash...trust me you'll be happy!

Least but not last:
A shout out to Epicurious.com!
One of their crew visited us last week, and in a few days this very same recipe will be featured on their web pages, in a different and shorter edit.

Enjoy your cooking session, come back soon and,

Buon Appetito
Debi and Gabriele

BEEF STEW

Serves 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 2 hours

Ingredients
2Lb Beef for stew, cut in 1 inch cubes
3 ripe tomatoes
3 carrots
3 celery stems
3/4 red onion
2 handfuls of Thyme
Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper
Two glasses of wine

Getting Ready
Peal and chop the onion medium fine.
Rinse well the celery and chop it in 1/2 inch pieces.
Peal the carrots, cut them length wise if they are big enough, and then chop in 1/2 inch pieces.
Rinse the Thyme well.

Alright then,
time to get going with our fourth episode!
Today you will learn to make the best and freshest pesto ever. Just one thing before we start: even if this dish does not require cooking, preparation time is longer then other (sometimes more complicated) dishes.That's because you need to wash the basil, pluck the leaves, grate the cheese etc...BUT, the result is stunning, and at the end, it's a very easy recipe.
Also make sure you keep an eye on the salt factor (Pecorino cheese is very salty) and how much oil you end up using...Even if Olive oil is one ofthe most important ingredients in Tuscan cooking, that does not mean you have to drawn your pasta in it!!!

Get you apron, your dish rag and put some cool music on, choose your bottle of wine...
May I suggest a Bruzzico, from Fattoria Malenchini in Bagno a Ripoli, Florence.
Let's go!

Serves 4
Preparation time 20 min
Cooking Time as the pasta requires

Ingredients:

- 4 cups of Fresh Basil Leaves (about 4 oz)
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We drank: Yellow Tail - Pinot Grigio Reserve 2003 and Chianti Ruffino - Il Ducale Reserve 2003.

Ingredients:
1 cup of risotto (Arborio) rice
3 Pork or Turkey Sausages; 2 Mild & 1 Hot
1 Lb asparagus
1 cup of dry white wine
1 cup of broth or asparagus water
1/4 onion
1 handful of parsley

This dish is a powerful one: it's a filler, it's hot, it loves wine and toasted garlic bread...and it makes a great left over.

In all this, we completely forgot to give more info about the wine...We drank a Villa Antinori from 2002, and we will post more informations about it asap.

Ingredients:
8 Sausages (pork or turkey).
1 Lb of cherry tomatoes.

Today's Menu:
- Prosciutto & Arugula Rolls Appetizer
- Red Sauce Spaghetti

Red Sauce:
Prep Time: 5
Cooking Time: 15

Ingredients:
1/2 red onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 can of pelati (16 ounces)
2 handful of fresh basil
1 hot red pepper
Salt, Pepper
Fresh grated parmesan

Goes well with...
Every time you'll see that a dish requires some red sauce...well, this is the recipe!