Episode #303 - Tuna Fish and Cannellini Beans Salad, by The Pool!
Today we decided not to cook and whipped out a quick tuna salad that made a perfect date lunch by the pool.
This is probably the quickest recipe we have done so far, thanks to the canned beans and fish.
Yes, we buy canned food too! Not the heat up and serve kind of can (soups etc...), we always have in our pantry some tuna, some beans, tons of pelati tomatoes, chickpeas...sometimes, and sardines. Gabriele is the only one that eats sardines.
Also Gabriele does not like seeing too many cans around: it reminds him of his mom going nuts when Chernobyl happened. She transformed their house in a 99 cents store of everything canned, with a tree years shelf life. Eventually the radioactive-rain-scare passed, a lot of milk got thrown away...but we believe that some of those cans might remain in the most remote corners or our Tuscan basements.
Time to eat now,
eat and drink!
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
Episode #203 - Pasta e Fagioli
Debi and I are finally back in Los Angeles, between the stove and the camera...very happy feeling.
Today we are unveiling you the secret of another very ancient and traditional dish: Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta in a thick Bean Soup).
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.