ITALIAN FOODIES

My Internet connection is still down and the most frustrating part of the whole thing is that nobody knows what is wrong with it. I wouldn’t mind if there was light at the end of the tunnel but I have to wait 5 days for BT who in turn have to wait for Eircom to check the line and if that’s not the problem I then have to wait another 7 days for a new modem and if that’s not the problem then there is a chance of someone coming to the house to check it out – AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I have to say the people at the other end of the phone a.k.a Customer Care Representatives don’t really care, it’s all lies! I’ve probably been on to them twice a day and if you ever want to feel stupid and in my case very blond ring BT for help. After the interrogation about lengths of wires, modems, routers, DSL lines etc and not knowing the answers and trying to laugh it off to a stony silence on the other end I felt like saying to one particular Customer Care Rep - let me ask you a question buddy “DO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE PESTO FROM SCRATCH?????I didn’t think so:)

You don’t realise how much the Internet has become a part of your daily life until you are without it and especially when you are at home with an 8 month old in this weather,  it is your only contact with the outside world -  OK a little exaggeration but I do miss it. I have abandoned her for the moment and left her with her grandmother for half an hour just so I could get my fix, I haven’t even been able to check my emails - O MY GOD!!. I’m doing this post in Bruno’s mother’s house sitting on the floor with my big yellow DSL line( I know all the lingo now) attached to their computer which is a mile away from a chair or a bed - feel sorry for me people because I’m feeling sorry for myself!!

Just a quick recipe today, god knows when I’ll be back again, after my veal post I decided I better offer a peace offering in the form of a vegetarian pasta recipe. I wasn’t going to post this as my photographs turned out really bad as you can see below and I think the photo is definitely the most important part of the post especially if I’m trying to entice people to cook the recipes. I need to invest in a good camera I think, mmmm my birthday is coming up soon  - BRUNO??? I use a basic Sony digital camera at the moment and if I take the pictures during the day when there is lots of natural light it is fine but I took the picture below at night and that was the result – BAD!

I ended up having to take a picture the next day of the ingredients above just so I wouldn’t embarrass myself too much with my bad photography. This pasta dish was really tasty and is a nice variation of the regular tomato sauce.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR 2:

• 1 tin of Italian tomatoes
• 2 tbsp ricotta cheese
• olive oil
• 6-10 fresh basil leaves
• orecchiette
• salt
• sugar
• pecorino cheese - I used this instead of parmesan as it has a much stronger flavour and complimented the dish really well but you can still use parmesan if you prefer!!

 WHAT TO DO:

 - heat some olive oil in a deep pan and add your tomatoes and salt and simmer for 20 mins.

 - bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt and your pasta and cook until al dente.

 - mash up your tomatoes with a fork and add a little sugar if the sauce is a little bitter. We used about a teaspoon.

 - add your ricotta and basil and a little more salt and let simmer for about 5 mins.

 - drain your pasta and mix altogether and grate some fresh pecorino cheese on top!

BUON APPETITO!

 - Until the next rendezvous whenever and where ever it shall be!!!

CIAO TUTTI!!

It’s that time of year again when the mass exodus to Italy begins, the family’s holidays have to be planned with military precision as there are 3 businesses involved with a lot of family members and everyone wants to go to Italy for as long as they can.

Bruno’s dad is the first to go of course as he is head of the family and he goes for the longest, normally 8-10 weeks, he drives over as he has never flown and never will. Bruno’s sister and her family are going for 3 weeks, while she is there his other sister is going to Sicily for a couple of weeks. When they come back his mother is going and then his brother is going for a month so we can’t go until September! Prior to the princess we used to go for the month of August so that we would be there for the festival which is always the best time to go and there is always an argument about who goes then!!

Maybe we should just do what the Italians do and everybody take their holidays together in August and close all the businesses - we wish!!

Anyway while we are stuck here until September we’ll just have to keep cooking good Italian recipes to console ourselves. Bruno’s mother always cooks this recipe and I always think it looks so impressive as the pasta is served in a tin foil bag. It’s great for a dinner party as it is a little different and you can have it ready before your guests arrive and keep it warm in the oven.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• mushrooms sliced - we used about 8-10 medium sized.
• 4 Italian sausage chopped - don’t forget to take the skin off - available in LC.
• porcini - I don’t know the weight but it was roughly a handful - available in Superquinn or Olio e Farina.
• tin Italian tomatoes or good quality cherry or plum tomatoes - available in LC.
• 1 clove garlic - peeled
• parmesan cheese
• white wine
• spaghetti
• olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper
• tin foil

WHAT TO DO:

 - put your porcini in a bowl with boiling water and leave to soak for about 15 mins.

 - preheat your oven to 150 degrees

 - fill the base of your pan with olive oil and cook your garlic until brown and remove

 - add your and sausage and cook until  golden brown, halfway through add your mushrooms.

 - add a splash of white wine and leave to evaporate, add your porcini and some of the juice and leave to cook for a couple of mins.

 -  add your tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer for about 20 mins. Check the seasoning at the end and add more if required.

 - while your sauce is simmering bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt and your spaghetti and cook until aldente.

 - drain your pasta, put back in the pot and mix in some of the sauce.

 - lay out 2 large sheets of tin foil and spoon out your pasta on each, spoon some sauce on top and grate some fresh parmesan cheese.

 - close up like a bag and put in the oven on a plate for about 5 mins.

Buon Appetito!!

 - another submission for Ruth’s Presto Pasta Night!

We make this tomato sauce every Monday night as Bru plays soccer and we just want something quick and easy. There are no stir-in sauces used in this house!! I’m going to self-promote here and tell you to buy the De Cecco tinned tomatoes we have in La Cucina as they are the sweetest and nicest I’ve tasted here. For this sauce all you need is:

•   
• 2 tins De Cecco tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• Italian extra virgin olive oil ( we sell this too)
• Few basil leaves - we have small pot of basil on the windowsill in the kitchen, you get them everywhere.
• Salt
• Pack of penne - we use either Barilla or De Cecco, these are the best brands for dry pasta
• 1 tsp sugar

 - Bring a pot of water to the boil for your pasta.

 - While you are waiting pour a few big glugs of olive oil into your frying pan ensuring that the whole base is covered.

 - Put in your garlic clove and cook on a low heat until brown and then remove. You can add chilli here also if you want.

 - Leave oil to cool down and then add your tomatoes and sugar. Do not put in when the oil is hot as the pan will go on fire. I’m speaking from experience here!!

 - Leave tomatoes to simmer for 15-20 mins and then add salt to taste, and your basil leaves.

 - When your water is boiled add a GOOD bit of salt and your pasta and cook till AL DENTE. This is the way Italians cook dry pasta, it should be chewy and have a bite to it and not be really soft. We just keep tasting one until it’s cooked perfectly.

 - Drain your pasta, put back in the pot and add 3/4 of sauce.

 - Serve with remaining sauce on top, some freshly grated parmesan and a couple of basil leaves.

BUON APPETITO!!!