Pasta and Potatoes / Pasta e Patate - A Classic Recipe to Chase the Chill Away

Pasta and Potato

Pasta and Potatoes

It's still chilly these days even though February this year was milder than usual and bowls of hearty vegetables and pasta still go a long way to taking the edge of that chill off. This particular recipe I started making this summer after one of our volunteers, Mascia, prepared us one of her favorite dishes, her grandmother's recipe for pasta e patata, or pasta and potatoes. It's always a treat when someone cooks for us, and especially so when its from one of our volunteers. We've had a variety of International cuisines over the years, Japanese, French, Dutch, Italian vegan / macrobiotic and even my familiar American. 

Most everyone can always use another pasta dish to add to their repertoire.This one seems to be a classic dish in many parts of Italy with as many variations as their are cooks I would imagine. In it's simplest form it is very much like what many of us think of as minestrone soup without the beans. Some people like to add a bit of saltiness and flavor punch by adding in some form of porky cut of meat with various levels of fattiness and smokiness or not. Some like a bit of red pepper zippiness or a touch of oregano. Most are a thick "stick to your ribs" kind of consistency. The Neapolitan version is  finished off in an oven proof dish smothered in smoked, or not, provolone cheese slices and heated till the cheese melts and served right away. 

This version is a simpler straight forward version that Mascia insisted that the butter used to sauté the vegetables was her nonna's secret ingredient.  Here in the north they are fond of using butter and it does make a tasty addition to this simple dish and is highly recommended. What ever your preference might be I think you will find this classic pasta dish a great comfort and "go to" recipe for any day of the week. 
Thanks Mascia for sharing your nonna's recipe. 

Yield : 4 servings

Ingredients:

2-3 T olive oil, extra virgin

30g / 2 T butter

50 g smoked pancetta, prosciutto, or guanciale (optional)*

80 g / 1/2 c  white onion 

80 g / 1/2 c carrots, diced

80 g / 1/2 c  celery, diced

100 g / 2/3 c cherry tomatoes or pachino, blanched, peeled and diced
or some ready made tomato sauce or a combination of the two

3 ½ – 4 cups water or stock

1 vegetable bullion cube, use if you don't have chicken or vegetable stock

500 g / 2 3/4 c potatoes (peeled and cubed)

160 g / 1 1/3 c small shaped pasta ( small tubes, wheels, gnocchetti, mixed pasta, half penne)

2 -3 Parmigiana or Grana Padana crusts (optional)*

Parsley chopped to garnish  or some oregano as some recipes call for 

Grated Parmigiana to sprinkle

Salt and pepper  or hot red pepper to taste

*Variation: In Naples and other southern parts of Italy they will put the finished dish in oven proof bowls and cover the top with some slices of smoked provolone cheese. Heating it to melt the cheese before serving.

Directions:

In a medium pot, at least 2 qt/L, heat your pan, then add the butter and olive oil.

Once the butter has melted and the oil is heated, add the diced onion, carrot and celery.

Sauté the vegetables on a medium heat for a few minutes.

Cook until the vegetables are soft, but hasn't picked up any color, about 3-5 minutes.

Then add the meat if using, and tomatoes, cook a few more minutes.

Add 3 cups of water to the sautéed vegetables along with bullion cube, if using

and the potatoes and pasta.

Taste and adjust seasonings keeping in mind that the crusts will add salt to the dish.

Add the Parmigiana crusts if you have them.

Cook until the potatoes and pasta are cooked, adding the other ½ -1 cup of additional water to reach a creamy texture, but not too soupy.

Serve hot and garnish with Parmigiana if desired. 

Buon appetito!!

Serre Marchetto Mountain Trail Mix for National Trail Mix Day 2016

My Serre Marchetto Trail mix and local maps of our area

Who knew that August 31, was National Trail Mix Day? I didn't, that's for sure, until the folks over at Nuts.com let me in on this American designation. So, when they told me about a contest they are cosponsoring where the winner of the contest's recipe will be featured on their Nuts.com blog, I thought it would be fun to participate. What's not to love about making a great snack worthy of tucking into your rucksack, backpack, or hand bag  for when you are hitting the walking, running, cycling or traveling trail. I thought, hey, why not? Why not indeed, as hiking, or as the Brits much prefer to call it, just plain ole walking, is one of my favorite pastimes and our very own Serre Marchetto neighborhood in Val Chisone, Italy is just full of trails in every direction from our house. Our Bella Baita B&B -Italian Alps Retreat is a great choice for exploring the trails and beauty our neighborhood has on offer. 

All roads lead to Serre Marchetto, well at least some do

My husband has been making wooden trail signs, marking and cleaning paths in collaboration with our local chapter of C.A.I. (Club Alpino Italiano, passionate mountain enthusiasts), for a number of years now to reclaim our neighborhood paths for all to enjoy and find their way round our neck of the woods.

Some of Fabrizio's , my husband, handiwork

In collaboration with our "Regione Piemonte", Fabrizio Roncaglia and our friend Silvano Damiano, have worked tirelessly to clean, reclaim and map out our trails, putting all the trails on a GPS system. We are one of the first communities to utilize this equipment that literally puts our trails on the GPS system. They have made a small map of the area with descriptions of 6 classic walks in the area for all to use. We're really proud of this undertaking and happy to help make this happen in what ever way we can.

The Pinasca trail map resulting from all that hard work

This is an ongoing project with many paths being dusted off and made walkable for the public to discover and will continue to maintain the trails for years to come. 

Fabrizio, Silvano and Valentina, Silvano's daughter working on the trail signs and others coming along for the guided walk

 We live in the Italian Alps, off the beaten path, in the lower part of the Piedmont Alps where we are spoiled for choice, where every type of mountain exploring is possible. A high energy snack that is easily portable is a necessity to keep you going when the energy levels dip. Sounds like a handy, energy filled, natural snack is an essential part of what to take along when you are out on the trail, don't you think?

Hitting the trail in nearby Val Pellice

So why take the time to make a trail mix when there are so many options available and they are all just the same, right? Well no, not exactly. I have to admit, that often I find commercial blends to be just a tad boring or they don't have the right combinations or proportions of the ingredients I like, so making ones own is a smart and often economical choice.

So you say a trail mix is a trail mix, which is just another trail mix? Well, I might agree with you except I just happen to think that roasting your seeds and nuts make the flavors stand out rather than the somewhat bland and familiar raw taste of the seeds and nuts. Maybe that's just me. I like to  add a little saltiness by way of using soy sauce to the seeds after I have lightly pan roasted them to give that little "je ne sais quoi"? ( translates as "I don't know what" ), or what I think of as an added depth and flavor profile to this mixture, which for me, makes this combination a real knock out. Naturally, like most trail mixes, the amounts are variable depending on your particular preferences. If you prefer your mix without the saltiness or can't be bothered toasting the seeds and nuts, then by all means, don't, but I think you'll be happy that you did if you go to a little extra effort. Happy munching and tramping around in the woods, or enjoying this mix in all the ways this powerhouse of flavor and energy can stand in for your average neutral trail mix.

Serre Marchetto Trail Mix

Serre Marchetto Trail Mix Recipe

Yields about 5 1/4 cups

Ingredients:

1 c / 5 oz /150g          Sunflower seeds
1/4 c / 1 oz / 30g       Sesame seeds
1/4c / 1 oz / 35g        Pepitas or pumpkin seeds
1 Tb / 1/2 oz / 12g     Soy sauce
1/2c / 5 oz/ 150g       Almonds
1/2c / 2 oz / 75g        Hazelnuts
1c / 5 oz / 150g          Golden raisins
1c / 5 oz / 150g          Dried Cranberries
1/2c / 1 oz / 40g        Dried Apple cubes
1/4c / 1 oz / 25g        Goji berries
3 Tb / 3/4 oz /25g    Cacao nibs 

Method:

• Measure out all of your ingredients so they are ready to toast and mix. 
• I like to begin by warming up my heavy  cast iron skillet.
• I toast my almonds and hazelnuts in the pan, stirring or shaking the pan to evenly toast to desired color. I tend to like them only slightly  toasted. Remove from the heat and set aside in a mixing bowl to cool until you add the other ingredients.  Place your pan back on the heat. **You can do this in the oven as well, but I don't like to turn the oven on for such a simple task that doesn't require a lot of time to achieve the right color and flavor. Your choice, just don't walk away and forget your nuts as they toast up fast either way. 
• Now add the sunflower and pumpkin seeds to the pan and lightly toast them, stirring or shaking the pan regularly. As the seeds begin to get a little color I sprinkle the sesame seeds in and stir them to toast. Note that the sesame seeds will pop and dance about, so you might want to have a lid handy to keep them in the pan. 
• Once you have the seeds to a light color, turn off the heat and add your soy sauce to the seeds and stir to coat all. The heat makes the seeds stick to the pan a bit, but also adds a bit of flavor as well. Let cool a bit before adding to the other nuts. 
• Add all of your other ingredients while the seeds are still warm as they will soften the dried fruits and slightly clump up for your snacking pleasure. 
• Let cool completely before storing in an air tight container. 
• Take along whenever a high energy snack is needed. 
• Happy Trails!!!!

Serre Marchetto Trail mix and local maps of our neighborhood

Baccala, or Salt Cod, Like Nonna Maria Use to Make

Baccala alla Nonna Maria da Venezia

Italians are crazy about Merluzzo Baccala or Salt Cod as it is known in English. You will find it all over in the markets here in the winter especially. Most cod comes from Norway, where the cod is found and fished in the icy waters of the northern seas. They say that it was originally just air dried, but as salt became more readily available and cheap, it became the preferred way to keep the bounty of fish. this method of preservation meant that the fish was easily transported and kept well for at least a couple of years. Baccala  then came to southern Europe where it became very popular and still is, especially for the Catholic countries that use to observe not eating meat on Friday and during Lent. Even though times have changed and the Catholic edict to eat fish on Friday is no longer in existence, salt cod is loved and served regularly in many various preparations. 

The recipe I am sharing today is something I recreated from a dish that Fabrizio's maternal grandmother, Maria, use to make him when he was young and some suggestions I saw on an  Italian TV cooking show.  Nonna Maria  was born and grew up in the Veneto, which is the province that Venice is located in and famous for its love of fish dishes. Nonna Maria once worked as a cook and house keeper for a wealthy family before she married Fabrizio's maternal grandfather, who was born in an old stone house over by where our garden is today. She was known to be a very good cook and is where Fabrizio's mother learned to cook before Fabrizio's parents pursued their dream to open "La Baita" restaurant here back in the 60's.

As they were getting the business built and established, Fabrizio stayed with both sets of grandparents to keep him out from under their busy feet, so he has lots of fond memories of Nonna's cooking. When I served him my version awhile back, he complimented me saying it was just like what Nonna Maria made. I like that kind of compliment. it makes me feel proud to recreate a flavor from his childhood and one I now love as well.

Merluzzo Baccala - Salt Cod

Just like most Italian recipes, this one is a little loose on exact amounts,  quite easy to make and oh so delicious. I tend to make it to fit my cast iron skillet, that my grandmother and mother did a lot of cooking in too. So this is a nostalgic dish that touches a lot of buttons. So relax and don't worry too much about the amounts, just put it together and either bake it in the oven or cook it on top of the stove like I did. In the end I thought it was a lot easier and true to the fact that Italians are not quick to turn on the oven and make most everything on top of the stove, I thought it worked just fine. Feel free to choose your favorite way, oven or stove. 

Finished dish

Baccala alla Nonna Maria delle Veneto

Serves 2 hungry people

Ingredients:

500g /1 # salted cod, soaked in cold water for at least 24 hours days, changing the water at least 3 times over the soaking time. 

1 medium to large onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, diced enough for flavor but not enough to overpower

2 medium to largish potatoes, your favorite variety, a somewhat floury potato is good, peeled or not as you like but scrubbed and sliced in to thin rounds. I like them about 1/8 inch or 1/4cm thick so that they don't take too long to cook.

250 - 325ml / 1- 1 1/2 c. milk, as needed. You can use all milk, or half and half, single cream and a heavy splash of heavy cream with the milk for richness if you like

1-2 T Olive oil
1 Bay leaf

Paprika

Method:

Heat a heavy  9 inch or 24 cm sauté pan slowly.   

Prepare your cod by pulling any long pieces of bone that might still be in the fish and peel the skin off. 

Slice fish into thin slices by holding the knife at an angle and cut at an angle to the table. This should make thin slices. Don't worry if the fish crumbles some. 

Thinly slice the washed potatoes with or without peels. 

Once you have all of your ingredients assembled and prepared, begin to sauté the diced onion and garlic. 

Add the bay leaf.

Once the onion has begun to turn translucent, lay slices of fish in a single layer on top of the onions and garlic. 

Next cover the fish and onions completely with the potato slices.

Pour the milk or milk and cream combination over the whole top of the potatoes. 

Sprinkle the top of the potatoes with black pepper and paprika. 

Cover the top and cook over low heat till all is bully and the potatoes are done. 

Remove the top if it seems too soupy and you want to reduce the liquid some or if the m ix seems too dry before the potatoes are cooked, then a dad bit more milk. 

You can also cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake it in a moderate oven till all os bubbly. Remove the foil and let the top brown up if you like. 

Serve while hot. 

Ingredients, Layering the pan, Milk added and Paprika dusted, Cooked

Winter Squash Alfredo for an Autumn's Day

Creamy Winter Squash or Pumpkin Alfredo 

This time of the year when the weather has turned and turned a tad early it seems, most of us start to think of comfort foods that are heartier than the summer fare of veggie salads and light summer fare. I must say I hate to see those warm summer days and the parade of garden veggies pass on into a fading memory that won't return until three more seasons have passed, but comfort food is here to stay for awhile. 

Autumn around our place, Bella Baita

We have been putting the garden to bed, but still have a fair amount of things to eat and put up to keep us and our volunteer helpers busy.  The weather is changeable and so we change up our work from outside to in and back again as the season dictates. We so appreciate their help and its always interesting to meet new people. 

Fabrizio and David with an autumn haul form the garden. 

And so with the harvesting of quite a few winter squash I have been busy making all the usual dishes in my repertoire of squash recipes. Every season I try to add a new or few new ones on. This season I came across a video for one pot creamy squash alfredo that I liked, but naturally just had to tweak to my taste.  I seem to keep inheriting more squash from other peoples bounty of winter squash as well, (Thank you cousin Giorgio!), so this recipe helps keep the bounty of squash in check. 

Give this recipe a whirl, and maybe put your own touches in it as you see fit and enjoy a delisciously creamy pasta without any cream. 

The elements and finished pasta dish

Winter Squash Alfredo

Serves 4 ish

Ingredients:

2 T butter
2 T olive oil, I've made it with all oil and slightly less fat in general also

1 cup diced onion, I like red onions

1 T fresh rosemary, chopped, or you can use just the rosemary

1 T fresh sage, chopped

3 cups butternut squash, (1 1/2 lb / 800g) or any other winter squash that you have

1 cup vegetable stock

Cook 15 minutes

Smash the squash with a smasher till smoothish but still with some texture

1 cups milk, or stock if you prefer, 

1 cup Parmigiano  cheese

a bit of nutmeg, grated fresh into the mixture

4oo g fettucine, (generous 5 oz) I used our home made tagliatelle, a mix of spinach and plain egg

Method:

In a large deep skillet or saucepan, heat the oil and butter and add the onion. Saute´ the onions till they soften. Add the herbs and squash and continue to saute´ for a few minutes before adding the vegetable stock and cooking for about 15 minutes till the squash is soft and cooked through.
Meanwhile start to boil salted water for your pasta.
Cook the pasta till still firm, a bit more than al dente
Smash the mixture with a potato smasher.
Add the milk or veggie stock to make a loose sauce and continue to cook the sauce till it reduces to your desired creaminess. You can use more or less to get the sauce as you like it.
Stir in the parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
When the  pasta is cooked, drain and mix into the sauce.
Adjust season and serve. 

Weed Your Garden and Make Ravioli Gnudi with Nettles Recipe

Nettle Ravioli Gnudi with a Side of Smashed Cooked Cauliflower

Spring is here at last in full form and we all breath a sigh of collective relief. Ones attention turns toward activities that will take us outdoors after our winters nap and we fell the sun on our face and the fresh air fills our lungs. We can finally get our hands into the dirt and begin to plant that garden we've been thinking about all winter. We begin to eat a lighter fare after all of those hearty dishes of comfort that we rely upon to get us through times of cold and longing for the delicacies of summer. Naturally we dip back into those comfort foods at will, especially in the changeling seasons of spring and autumn before the season steadies on with, full on, hot or cold. However let us forage forward with a dish that is somewhere in between. 

A popular dish from the Tuscan region of Italy is called ravioli gnudi or naked ravioli. 

Adam and Eve "gnudi" - Mural Painting in the village of Usseaux

That's right folks, this is the ever popular spinach and ricotta filling rolled into balls and left without its pasta cloak on, then rolled in a bit of flour coating and lightly boiled. Once they have sunk to the bottom of the pan and then floated to the top, they are gently simmered for a short time. They are lifted out and drained of water and tossed into to your favorite sauce, and voila`, springtime is served up.

Stinging Nettles in the wild

Naturally, I took a turn and headed for the garden and after pulling a copious amount of stinging nettles from between my currant and raspberry canes, I became inspired to swap out the nettles for the spinach and use rice instead of wheat flour to make them suitable for celiacs or gluten intolerant folks. The way these are boiled by gently dropping them into the water, where they promptly sink, and then waiting for them to come bobbing back up to the surface and simmer just ever so slightly, is reminiscent to me of our beloved northern gnocchi. It's the same cooking method and determination for doneness. For this subtly flavored wild green, that loses its ferocious sting once it is cooked, I used a simple butter, walnut and chicken stock combination to showcase and elevate the nettle flavor as well as add the Piemontese favored walnut for added texture. It all worked very well I think.  
Italians are very fond of stinging nettles or "ortiche" as they are called in Italian and are liberally used in soups, tea, pasta, crepes and any  filling that would use spinach. They are purported to have a fair amount of health benefits, such as helping to reduce hypertension, and asthma,  relieve arthritis and menopause, encourage milk production in lactating women, break down kidney stones, and help with diabetes, just to name a few. Maybe it does or doesn't do these things, but they are tasty and a change from your regular spinach consumption. 
Please note.
While I do recommend that you give these a try when you find some nettles that haven't gotten too old or gone to seed, if possible. The younger plants flavor is mild like spinach, but do be forewarned, they sting like the dickens, so wear protective gloves and maybe even long sleeves when picking them and kitchen gloves when cleaning them. *When cleaning them, give them a thorough water rinse, using a good slug of vinegar if you want to make sure and get them thoroughly clean, and don't forget to wear your kitchen glove.  Drain and sauté them in a tablespoon or two of olive oil or butter till they wilt , adding a bit of water so that they cooked through. Squeeze them dry before chopping and adding them to the ricotta. If you aren't able to find any nettles or aren't so adventuresome, then by all means, replace the nettles with an equal amount of spinach.

There are a number of recipes you can find online, but I modified and put my own spin on Barbara Elisi's recipe that you will find here.  

Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Ravioli Gnudi

Ingredients:

250 g (9 oz) ricotta (drained by setting on a sieve or strainer)

250 g (9 oz) fresh nettles (*cleaned, see note above, cooked, drained, squeezed dry and chopped)

1 egg, medium

100 g / 1/2 generous cup, Parmesan cheese, grated

1 or 2 T of rice flour ( if the dough looks too soft add a tablespoon or two)

1-2 T  olive oil or butter to sauté the greens

Rice flour ( for rolling the formed balls in before simmering in water)

Directions:

Wear gloves to pick and clean the nettles
Weed your garden or find a patch of nettles and pick a goodly amount of nettles to bring home and clean. 

• Set the ricotta in a strainer to drain the water off. 
• Strip the leaves from the stalks, discarding the stalks and place in a bowl and cover with fresh water and swish around letting set to let debris fall to the bottom of the bowl. 
• Discard and repeat the process till the greens are clean, as mentioned above. Drain the greens of water.
• Sauté in a small amount of oil or butter till wilted and cooked.
• Squeeze dry (gloves not really necessary now)
• Chop the greens small.

Once all the ingredients are ready,

• Whisk the egg lightly in a medium bowl and add the ricotta and nettles and mix lightly just to combine.
• Add rice flour if you find the batter too soft to manage.
• Fill a roomy pasta sized cooking pot full of salted water to a boil.
• Using a teaspoon or your hands and drop small amounts of your mixture onto a rice floured surface or drop rounded  nettle ricotta balls into a small bowl with rice flour and roll around to shape into balls and coat with the flour. 
• Set the coated balls aside until your water is boiling and your sauce is ready to go.
• Roll the batter spoonfuls into the flour and then 
• Drop into the boiling water. 
• When the gnudi emerge on the surface of the water, boil a further 1 minute or so and
• Gently drain with a skimmer. 

Combine with Walnut Butter Sauce sauce and serve.

Butter Walnut sauce: 

100g butter (sometimes I use less butter and add a bit of chicken or veggie stock to lighten it up )

200 g walnut, rough chopped medium
Melt your butter and add you r chopped walnuts and cook lightly till bubbly.
Add your hot cooked ravioli gnudi.

Mix to coat and serve hot with a generous grating of Parmesan on top.

Ricottan and Nettles mixed

All rolled in rice flour and waiting to be boiked

Ready to go into the sauce

Voila' Nettle Ravioli gnudi is served

Something Old, New and a Homemade Orecchiette Recipe

We are well on our way into a new year, 2015,  and yet at this time of the year I often find myself looking backwards as well as forward.  When Jennifer of  the blog "Vino Travels ~ An Italian Wine Blog & Luxury Tours to Italy", recently contacted me about collaborating on a wine pairing event that would be featuring one of  Puglia's famous wines, Negroamaro, Gaglioppo or Primitivo, a dinner made for us by friends from Bari, a few years back, sprang to mind, "Braciole"* and Orecchiette pasta. (* Braciole translates to chop and usually refers to pork chops, especially in the north of Italy, but in Puglia it refers to a meat roll cooked in a tomato sauce. The meat can be pork, beef, or even horse)This dish was made for us by some friends that we met during the lead up to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games that were held in our area. We became friendly with some of the workers that came up from south Italy with their company to build the two tunnels that helped ease some of the congestion of the traffic on our road that leads up to Sestriere and where several of the venues for the games were held. This group of tunnel makers were made up of two groups, one from Bari in Puglia, and the other from Sicily. We had helped them out with a variety of things that come up when you work far away from your home and friendly faces are always appreciated. They had an impromptu home leave break when the winter weather made working on the tunnels impossible for a few days, so off they went back home. The tunnel project took  over two years to complete prior to the commencement to the games, so they were away from home for quite a while. 

Baldassini tunnel workers on the day they broke through on the second tunnel

Once they returned from their break, they asked if they could make us a traditional Pugliese dinner. Sounded good to me. I love eating other peoples cooking especially when they are so keen to share their regional cooking with us. When they treated us to dinner, we discovered that they each had all brought back different treats from home. One brought his family's olive oil pressed from trees that were over three hundred years old, home made Pugliese wine, Sicilian desserts and hand made orecchiette by one of their wives. What a special dinner that was. It was fun to watch them prepare everything and then all sit together for a special meal. A dear friend of mine from college days along with her daughter just happened to be visiting when this dinner came together, so we had a cozy full house in our intimate dining room. That meal still lingers in my memory and the revelation of how wonderful hand made pasta is I can also manage to savor. So naturally I just had to try and recreate this dish. 

Fabrizio and chef for a night Guiseppe and the whole Baldassini gang and my southern Illinois friends for the special dinner

This traditional dish is a typical Sunday family dinner where the meat is cooked in a rich tomato sauce. Orecchiette has been made earlier and left to dry before marrying it up with the sauce that the meat was cooked in.  This recipe is what I like to call a two for one recipe; two dishes made from one source.  If you make the pasta as opposed to buying dried pasta, then it will be a little more labor intensive, worthy of a big Sunday family dinner, however, If you buy dried orecchiette, this comes together quite easily for any day of the week. Do try it and pair it up with a Primitivo if you can find it, or if all else fails, try a California Zinafindel (not a rose' but a rich fruity red) that will transform this into an unforgettable memory whenever you wish. 

A pictorial tour of my version using home canned passata and conserva (tomato sauce and paste)

My hand made orecchiette, or little ears

Meat rolls and Orecchiette Pasta with Sauce 

Braciole e l'Orecchiette con Sugo

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 thin beef or pork steaks,* 

6 squares of firm pecora cheese, or other firm cheese, optional. I used caciocavallo. 

6 garlic cloves, minced and divided for sauce and inside the meat rolls, (adjust amount to your taste, as this is Giuseppe's strong garlicky version. He actually used a lot more)

1 large carrot, diced

1 large celery stalk, diced

1 large bottle or jar of tomato sauce

1 T tomato paste 

2 tsp mix of thyme, oregano or any blend you like. 

1 bay leaf

slash of dry white wine, optional i used water as i didn't have any wine available

dash dried hot red pepper  

Olive oil

Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, grated to garnish the finished dish

600-800g / 1.5- 1.75 lb dried orecchiette pasta

or 

Homemade orecchiette recipe and video below*

Cooked  green vegetable to go with your meat rolls or salad 

Preparation:

Lay steaks flat and place a generous amount of minced garlic toward one end of the steak. You can make this with just a thick chunk of cheese or a combination of both. 

Pull and fold over both sides of the length of the steak towards the center.

Bring the one end over so the contents are enclosed and roll up. Secure with a toothpick.

In a sauce pan or large skillet with tall sides place your oil and begin to heat. 

Add the carrot and celery and begin to saute' until fragrant. 

Add the remainder of your garlic.

Add dried herbs and bay leaf.

Stir to distribute and place your meat rolls in the pan.

Saute' lightly on all sides to pick up color. 

Deglaze your pan with a little white wine if desired. 

Let the alcohol evaporate and add the tomato sauce and paste.

Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. 

Remove meat rolls and let the sauce simmer a while longer adding a bit of water if it cooks down too much. You want an nice thick sauce that has let all the flavors meld together. Perhaps 30-40 minutes tops. 

*Cooks Notes* Thin cut beef steaks are from the rump of the cow, most likely a round steak, here they have a large roast piece of meat and slice thin slices about 1/4 or slightly thicker slices. Ask your butcher for suggestions. If using pork, a pork cutlet with  little bit of fat is nice as well. 

*If making home made orecchiette pasta, make it first so that the pasta has time to dry before cooking. You can make the pasta a day or several before also. Just make sure to keep the pasta dry and they will need to cook slightly longer than the fresh pasta. 

Amount per person is about 2 1/2 oz / 80g per person so you can adjust according

(Note* home made pasta usually goes down quite easy)

Orecchiette Pasta :

 6 ish portions

500 g / 18 oz semolina flour  or semolina

200-250g / 6.5-8 oz  water, warm to hot 

Make a mound of flour and hollow out the middle to make a well. 

Add some water and begin mix with your your fingers like a mixer.

Add more water and mix until you get a solid, yet soft dough. 

Work the dough as you would bread to get a smooth dough that has developed the gluten. 

Once you have the dough developed and smooth, Set aside and either cover with a bowl that you weighed your flour in or a piece of plastic to allow the dough to relax, but not to dry out.

Set aside for about 15 minutes. 

Cut your dough as you need it , ultimately in about 8 -10 pieces. 

If you have a wooden surface to work on, that is the best surface for making pasta dough. 

Take one piece of dough, leaving the others covered while you roll out a long thin snake of dough.

Roll out the dough with your hands on top of the dough laid flat on the work surface. Gently roll the dough into a long piece about 1/4-1/2" thickness, depending on how large you want your "ears" to be.

Once rolled out, Take a butter knife or small pallet knife and cut the dough off into about a nickel sized portion. 

With your flat edge of the knife drag the knife from one side of the dough across to the other applying steady pressure so that the dough crawls up and curves over. Pick the piece up and unroll it if need be and fold it opposite of the way it tried to roll up, so that it forms a cup. 

Lay them side by side on a plate or wooden surface that has been sprinkled with semolina to dry till they are not sticky to the touch. Feel free to sprinkle a bit of semolina over the tops as well if you need them to dry up a bit more.  Avoid making these on very humid days as it is with most home made pasta.  continue on with all of the pieces of dough till you are all done. 

Go back and make you meat rolls and sauce while your pasta dries. 

If you watch some of the ladies of Bari making them they have a two stroke method that I have yet to master, but certainly will be striving for.  Like many things it just takes a lot of practice. 

I am going to add a  little video that I made to practice not only my orecchiette skills but also my video skills as well. Hope you like it. 

Finishing and serving:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the fresh pasta and boil gently till cooked to your preference. Normally it only takes a few minutes like 4-6 unless they are very dry or very thick. 

If using dry store pasta follow the directions on the package for the timing. 

While the water is coming to a boil, put the meat rolls back into your sauce and heat the sauce and meat rolls back up so that everything is piping hot.

Remove meat and set aside, keeping them warm somewhere till you are ready to serve them after the pasta course.

Drain your pasta, add to the sauce and toss to coat the pasta. 

Serve immediately, garnishing with the grated cheese to taste.  

Serve your meat rolls with a vegetable side dish or salad of choice.

Ravioli Gnudi- A Spring Time Delight

Ravioli gnudi

The signs of spring are everywhere, in the lengthening of the day, the snow piles slowly but surely shrinking in spite of the best efforts of mother nature to keep them topped up. I have spoken before about how we only have to go two turns down our mountain road and we find a dramatic change in the advancement of spring. We're still up there in the snow zone, but we are on the teetering edge od full on winter and full on spring. It's an interesting place to live. The primula are starting to finally poke their heads up wherever the snow has begun to retreat in earnest. The market is full of spinach and dandelion greens and soon there will be all manner of various greens gathered and foraged to perk up the taste buds from our sturdy cabbage and potato winter fare. 

Springtime beginning to arrive in Val Chisone

I had elaborate plans to share a couple of pizza recipes, but have failed to get the recipes down on paper so I will share the next best thing that I have recently made. That would be the ravioli gnudi, or nude ravioli. A peculiar name for most of us, but what it is referring to is that the spinach ricotta mixture is oftentimes what you find in many a filled pasta and this time there is no pasta. There is flour used in the mix and then later rolled in the flour to help hold it all together, but there is no firm pasta covering. The emperor has no clothes! Ok not exactly, but I think you get the drift. 

Ravioli gnudi is the name given to them by the Tuscans, from whence I think they originated, or at least became most well known from. Up here in the north, we are fond of our gnocchi and so these are really just a variation on a gnocchi for us. What ever you want to call them, we just mainly call them delicious, and please don't call me late for dinner.

These really are easy enough, but my main tip would be to make sure that you have a dough ball that will stay together. My first attempt a few years ago almost made me give up on them as I was gingerly handling them as I wanted to make sure they would be tender and fluffy. Well, what I got was a pot full of spinach ricotta water. They disintegrated in the boiling process. I salvaged them best I could, but was sorely disappointed. Next time I sacrificed light and fluffy for sturdy and durable and eventually came upon a nice middle of the road, light and sturdy dough ball that didn't mind simmering and then being sloshed around in a pan with a bit of sage butter and a light coating of marinara sauce upon occasion. The spinach is plentiful right now, so it's a great time to give these a go and let me know what you think. I have a feeling they may be something you will enjoy again and again once you get the hang of them. 

Ravioli Gnudi

about 6 servings (depending if you serve more courses)

Ingredients:

350 g (12 oz) fresh spinach, cooked in minimum of water

350g (12 oz or about 1 1/2 c) ricotta

4 T parmesan cheese, grated (or more if you like)

¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg

3 eggs, medium, if large I would use 2 whole and 1 yolk

125 g (about 1 ¼ c) flour all purpose,

(divide into 5 T to add to the dough and the rest to roll the balls in

pinch or two salt after adding the Parmesan if needed

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while you prepare the dumplings/gnocchi/ravioli.

Once you have cooked the spinach and allowed it too cool.

Squeeze very dry and chopped medium fine.

Mix the spinach well with the ricotta.

Add the parmesan and nutmeg and a pinch of salt

Add eggs and mix well.

Sprinkle the 5 Tb of flour in, mixing lightly. Add a bit more flour if it doesn;t seem to be holding together.

It will be a soft sticky mix.

Pour the flour into a flat pan

Flour your hands

Drop teaspoons of dough int the flour, roll around and then lightly make the balls coating so they hold together when you simmer them. I tried for thumbnail sized but they were a bit bigger than that.

You don't want them too large so they cook easily.

Once you have all the balls prepared drop them into, a couple at a time, the rolling boil. You may need to do two batches depending on the size of your pot. They will sink like gnocchi and the boil will stop. Gently stir them and bring them back toa boil, but lower the heat as soon they they start to boil, so they simmer gently and don't boil so hard that they fall apart. It should take about 5-6 minutes, depending on the size of the balls.

Once done I put them in a large pan with a little melted butter and fresh sage and gently shook the pan, to coat. Sprinkled parmesan on top and served them with a side of marinara sauce.

I made 2/3  of the batch as I was a fraud we would eat them all in one sitting. We did!