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 #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 #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
Episode #210 - Sausage and Radicchio Orecchiette with Roasted Peppers and Cheese appetizer
The kitchen filled up with wonderful smell of peppers, and both Debi and I have been transported somewhere else...
She felt like she was getting ready for a block party in Brooklyn. Gabriele imagined the singing of Cicadas in the Olive Fields...
Just a few quick notes
about today's menu:
- always try to find pork sausage that are not
seasoned (same applies in case you decide to go
turkey)
- you can use your sauce to make Bruschetta instead
of Pasta. Toast some bread, spread some Italian soft
cheese (Mozzarella, Stracchino, Burrata), then
sprinkle the sausage sauce. Bake at 400 for about 10
min...you can broil it at the end for a final crisp.
- when preparing the Peppers, always leave yourself
open to new uses for them. Yes you can do the
skewers, but there are many different ways you can
serve them, as a Bruschetta, as a side dish...you can
even chop the roasted peppers and use them to prepare
a cold pasta salad. Just Get Creative!!!
Roasted Peppers and
Cheese Skewers.
Serves 4
Prep Time 10
Cooking Time 30
Ingredients
4 peppers, medium-big size, different colors
5 cloves of garlic
10 oz of cheese cut into small cubes: Mozzarella,
Machego...anything you'd like to try
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper
Tooth picks
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