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 #302 - Spaghetti all' Amatriciana
Even if it is not a traditional Tuscan dish, this is a very popular sauce...at the end, Romans are close neighbors of us, and when it comes to food and wine we’re all big brothers...when it comes to soccer though, well, that’s another story. The most popular version of this dish is prepared with Bucatini, a commond kind of pasta in Italy...but nowhere to be found in our neighborhood! So we cooked spaghetti.
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
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 #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.
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
Episode #101 - Red Sauce & Prosciutto Rolls Appetizer
Welcome to our Pilot Episode.
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!