Episode #308 - Tortellini in Brodo (in Chicken Broth)
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
Episode #304 - Sangria, Polenta and Mushroom Appetizer, Tagliata with Rucola and Grilled Vegetables
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).
Episode #108 - Pasta with Beef Ragout and Pears with Pecorino; Special Guest Katherine Narducci from The Sopranos
Today we had a very special guest for lunch.
A very sweet woman that is very close to our family and that we have the pleasure to share many meals and celebrations with...
She is a great actress of Italian heritage, and always reminded Deb and I of a modern Anna Magnani...
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.
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.