Episode #306 - Minestrone (Organic Vegetable Soup)
My mom used it quite often, but the pot she had always seemed to me very scary and unapproachable; you had to close it with a knob placed on top of the lid, and the valve was to it what a security pin is to a hand grenade. It used to scream whistles, twirl around and shake very fast...no pattern, absolutely random. All of us always expected to see those few ounces of metal pop out of the lid and fly to the moon, right trough the roof of the house.
I was allowed to use any kind of knife, but not that technological embarrassment that our cooker was. So, I never dared, until a few years ago, when Deb taught me how to cook her favorite pee soup, using a definitely better pot.
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
Episode #305 - Melanzane Alla Parmigiana
here’s a new recipe that deserves and demands your full attention...
This one “has to be scheduled”; so, crack out your device, punch in your grocery list, and come back to this page next weekend...when you got some time...and cook!!!
Note: You also have to cook a pot of Red Sauce, here we wrote the recipe again, but in case you feel compelled...you can check out our Pilot Episode, now you have the video for the Sauce as well!
Enjoy!
We ate: Eggplant Parmesan
We drank: Montesodi Riserva 2004 from Ferscobaldi’s Castello di Nipozzano.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 2.5 - 3 Hr
Cooking Time: 25-30 Min
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.
Episode #301 - Watercress, Shrimp and Farro Salad
Yes, our cooking is seasonal, and we always enjoy a good amount of vegetables with our meal, but in general, if you happen to be traveling around Italy, you will come across only one kind of salad...what we called Insalata Mista (mixed salad). It is mainly some greens, a bit of carrot, a slice of onion and a couple of slices of tomato. This is probably why we waited so long before getting inspired to create something a little bit more...a dish that stands by itself; not a side dish, but a light lunch.
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
Vegetable Stock
before you get to the next episode, please challenge yourself with an Organic Vegetable Stock. May I suggest...double the ingredients, and cook a lot of it in a big, deep pot. Then freeze half of it, and use it when a new recipe will call for it.
Vegetable Stock
Serves: 8 Cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Ingredients.
2 Potatoes
2 Onions
2 Leeks
2 Carrots
2 Turnips
1 Celery stalk
2 Tomatoes
6 Cups of water
Salt & Pepper
Episode #205 - Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta (Strozzapreti / The Priest Chockers)
This succulent and kids friendly dish comes again from my grandmother's kitchen; it is not a traditional Tuscan recipe, like many we already shared...
Lola is from Venice, and this "Strozzapreti" version has been served on our table since I can remember.
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
Episode #202 - Veal Rolls (Involtini) and Caponata; Special Guest, Aunt Laura
let us introduce you to Aunt Laura.
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
Episode #105 - Beef Stew served over Polenta, with a side of String Beans cooked on a bed of Cherry Tomatoes
This is the first episode in which Deb and I will cook a full meal, all at the same time.
Please remember: Getting ready is half of the Job!
If you do a smart grocery, if you know the ingredients you are going to use (which are pretty basic and already have been covered several times on these pages), you should not have problems at all. Make sure you have enough time to buzz around the kitchen to stir the stew, do not overcook the string beans, and wait until last minute to prepare the polenta.
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.