Episode #206 - Pesce Spada all'Isolana (Swordfish Steaks in Tomatoes and Seafood Sauce)
I remember eating it in Livorno and Isola d'Elba when I was growing up, the smell and the color of it (yes, the taste too) make me think about the old Medici Harbor...the noise of the fishing boats, the continuos mumbling (and hard core cursing) in dialect of the workers at the dock. My father used to keep a small boat there when I was growing up, and he used to drag me with him for "week-end-scheduled-mantainance-and-cleaning"...I used to ask myself: "Why is Mom staying home?".
I eventually figured that out.
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.
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.
Episode #201 - Pappa al Pomodoro (Tuscan Bread Soup) with Rosanna and Matteo
Today, to fulfill the requests of many of you that read the article on People Magazine, we are cooking for you the famous Pappa al Pomodoro!
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.
Episode #104 - Spaghetti with Pesto and some appetizers to celebrate the arrival of Fall...
we are overwhelmed by the response we are getting on our little website!
Many emails are coming in, please do not take it personal if we are not able to respond right away...
we did not expect this project to blow up so fast, and we already have to improve our server capabilities and probably the website itself will undergo some upgrades.
For the time being! Deb and I would like to THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
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