ITALIAN FOODIES

        

The weather has changed with a vengeance, not that we had much of a summer but the last couple of weeks have been glorious, it’s so hard to go back to this again. If you live in Ireland chances are you will be indoors for the next week so it’s a perfect opportunity to make this pasta as you need to let these tomatoes roast slowly for a couple of hours. When I go shopping I always buy loads of tomatoes and normally make a roast tomato soup or just a simple tomato sauce. I was flicking through one of my pasta books and spotted this recipe which is perfect to use up tomatoes or to produce a really impressive dish when you have very little in the fridge.  

      

what you need:

 - 500g cherry or plum tomatoes - as usual I used tomatoes from SQ

 - 2 garlic cloves finely chopped

 - chilli flakes

- dried oregano

 - olive oil

 - balsamic vinegar

 - pappardelle or fettuccine

 - parmesan cheese

 - salt and black pepper

 

what to do:

 - pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees.

 - cut your tomatoes in half and place them cut side up in a oven tray.

 - sprinkle them with your oregano, chilli, garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.

 - roast in the oven until soft and wilted for about an hour and a half.

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

 - Drain when cooked, put back in the pot and add some olive oil and mix in some parmesan.

 - serve with your roasted tomatoes on top.

I really enjoyed this pasta and it was a lovely change from my regular tomato sauce, I had some tomatoes left over so I used them in a sandwich the next day with some grilled chicken and brie which was “YUM”.

       

buon appetito!!

                                         

We’re off to Genova on Thursday and the weather isn’t looking too good at the moment, they’re having pretty bad weather up the north - it’s probably because we’re coming;), The forecast for Thursday when we arrive is really bad thunder storms and Genova airport is bad enough for landings as it is, so I’m really looking forward to that. As you may have noticed there hasn’t been much cooking going on around here with everything that’s going on but I did manage to make this simple tart on Saturday which is so quick and easy and probably takes the same time as making a toasted sandwich. My 2 new finds this week were individual puff pastry rounds, why did nobody tell me about these???, they are soooo handy and Superquin are now stocking sliced pancetta. It’s not the best I’ve ever had but at least they have it in stock, I know this might be hard to imagine but it was impossible to buy sliced pancetta in Limerick up until now. 

                              

what you need, I’m not going to give measurements as it is so simple so I’ll leave it up to you:

- puff pastry

- cherry tomatoes

- goat’s cheese

- thyme

- pancetta(optional, it’s lovely without too)

- pesto or tapenade (optional)

 - beaten egg or milk

 - sea salt and black pepper

- olive oil

                                            

what to do:

 - pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees.

 - prick the base of your pastry with a fork and layer your sliced goat’s cheese on top making sure to leave space at the edges.

 - arrange your tomatoes on top, season and sprinkle with thyme. Egg wash the edges of your pastry.

 - cook for 20 mins until the pastry is risen, crisp and golden brown.

 - heat a frying pan and cook your pancetta for a couple of mins until crisp and serve on top of your tart.

 - sprinkle some goats cheese on top, drizzle with a little olive oil and serve with a simple rocket salad.

 

                                                

buon appetito!!

p.s. see you soon and try not to miss me too much:)

Ciao
xxxxx

                                     

No, you’re not seeing things, I am doing a post on scrambled eggs. If you’ve come here today for “gourmet cuisine” not that I do gourmet much but today is as simple as you get. I LOVE scrambled eggs, they are so easy,versatile and a little bit healthy depending on what ingredients you are using. Bruno usually works on Saturday so myself and the princess often have a lazy lunch of scrambled egg on toast as we always go to the Piccola for dinner so something fast and light is all we want. I tend to stick to the same recipe all the time but after a quick google search there are so many different variations that I want to try so I’m afraid you’re going to be stuck with me and my scrambled egg recipes for a few weekends - sorry:)

First up is scrambled egg with Parmesan, simple, tasty and so quick to make. There seems to be a science to making scrambled eggs and I’m no expert so I’ll just let you know how I make mine and then I’d love to hear how you make yours and what do you add?? Maybe I’ll start a scramble egg blogging event - ok, I’m getting carried away, maybe not:)

                                      

what you need for 2:

 - 6 eggs ( free-range if you can)

 - 1 tsp milk for every egg

 - grated Parmesan cheese, I never measure but i use a good handful.

 - salt and pepper

 - knob of butter

 - Italian bread or country style bread

 - olive oil

what to do:

 - in a bowl mix your eggs, milk, Parmesan with a fork and season.

 - heat a grill pan and cook your bread on both sides until nicely golden and charred.

 - add your knob of butter to a non-stick frying pan, let it melt and add your egg mixture. Using a spatula keep moving the mixture around the pan swiftly, scraping it from the sides and the base.

 - remove the mixture from the heat while still “gloopy” as it continues to cook and I like mine light and fluffy and not overcooked. I do cook them a little bit more for the princess as you can see from the photos.

 -  serve your eggs on your toast and top with shavings of Parmesan cheese and some flat leaf parsley if you’re out to impress, if not just pile it on your toast and eat!!

                                              

I have a little confession to make, I LOVE ketchup with my scrambled eggs, please don’t hate me food purists:) Stokes ketchup made with sweet Italian tomatoes is my favourite at the moment.

                                               

buon appetito!!
             

                                      

One thing I always love when I’m in Italy is the sauteed greens, I would eat a plate of them on their own with just some crusty bread which I often do when I can’t fit a “secondi”(meat or fish)!! They do a really good version in Bru’s aunt’s restaurant Il Viccolo in Atina. We were actually watching some old home movies on Sunday in Bruno’s house of his Nonno and Nonna’s 50th wedding anniversary when he was about 10. It was so nice to watch as the whole family were there, about 30 of them all dressed up in their 1980’s finery and of course the whole video was taken in a restaurant in the local hotel which is where they still go even now to celebrate family birthday’s etc. This is what I love about Italy as an outsider - the family traditions whereby all generations of the family come together frequently to eat good food and spend quality time together, maybe I have a romantic image of it from the outside looking in or that it just didn’t happen in mine, either way I like it!!. 

That same hotel hasn’t been updated or modernised since and it only costs about €25 a night, my own family stayed there a couple of years back. We’ve eaten there lots of times and to this day they still don’t have a menu or much staff, the dining room is as simple as you can get, no candles or music, the atmosphere is provided by the local families and their “loud” conversations!! It’s run by a local couple, he serves and she cooks and you basically eat whatever she has made that day which for some reason always seems to be an antipasto of parma ham and mozzarella, pasta fagioli and then rabbit done in white wine which I love, bring on the holiday!! I am now counting the days until “I’m leaving on a jet plane” lalalalala (sorry couldn’t help it) - I bet you sang along though;)

As most of you know I live near Superquinn so it is where I do most of my shopping, they all know me at this stage with all the requests and questions I’m always asking. The veg guy just laughs when he sees me on Monday mornings as most of their stock isn’t on the shelves yet so there is always something he has to find for me. My latest request is purple sprouting broccoli as it’s in season and they had it last year so I asked for it last week so I’m waiting in anticipation!! I was delighted to see Kale in stock last week so teamed with spinach I decided to make this dish that I love to have as a “contorno” with fillet steak. 

what you need:

 - spinach & kale  - you can also use swiss chard and purple sprouting broccoli!!!

 - 1 chilli finely chopped

 - 1 garlic clove finely sliced

 - juice of 1 lemon

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - olive oil

what to do:

 - wash your spinach and kale thoroughly, the large leaf spinach tends to be quite dirty.

 - bring a a pot of water to the boil, add salt and cook your greens for 3-5 mins. Drain and rinse under cold water, squeeze out excess liquid and chop.

 - heat some olive oil in a pan, add your garlic and chilli and cook over a low heat until soften. Add your greens, season and saute until heated through.

 - add your lemon juice and serve!!!

                                       
buon appetito!!

                                       

Everything is slowly getting back to normal in the Italian foodie house, the princess is getting better, Thank God, you never realise how important sleep is until you have a sick baby!!! We’re moving house in the next few weeks as well so blogging might be taking a hit for the next month or so, but I’ll post as regularly as I can!! Like everyone else I’m on a healthy binge after my “complete” over indulgence during Christmas so there will be lots of healthy recipes featuring a lot of soups especially with the cold weather we are having. My sister is getting married in March and I’m bridesmaid so it would be nice to fit into the dress, even though being part of an Italian family doesn’t help!! The MIL called in this morning with 2 Italian cakes for our breakfast so I can say goodbye to the Cheerios for a few days:) I’m actually heading over to London in February for the fitting so my sister is trying to get us a reservation in Locanda Locatelli’s which I have been dying to try so fingers crossed, It’s impossible to get in there without booking months in advance but she knows people who know people who know other people etc etc;)

This is probably the simplest soup I have ever made and it is so full of flavour it’s definitely worth trying especially when you need something fast that’s still healthy and nutritious.

                                                              

what you need:

 - 3 to 4 courgettes sliced

 - 1 onion thinly sliced

 - 1 garlic clove thinly sliced

 - 1 Lt chicken or veg stock

 - 25g butter

 - sea salt and black pepper

what to do:

 - melt the butter in a pot and add your courgettes, garlic and onion and season. Cook for 15 mins.

 - add your stock and cook for another 15 mins. Check your seasoning and add more if required.

 - liquidize with a hand blender or a food processor and serve.

                           

buon appetito!!

                                                       

                                     
Hi, my name is Lorraine and I really don’t like polenta!! Ok my confession is out, I think it is probably the only Italian food I don’t like - shock horror:) The first time I had it was in Rome, we were staying with a friend and his family and his dad wanted to cook us his speciality which was polenta. At the time I had never heard of it but assuming that I would love it as I do all Italian food I was really excited but I couldn’t stand it. It was quite difficult actually because there is probably nothing more insulting to an Italian than not liking their food so I put on my bravest face and munched my way through. I rarely saw polenta mentioned in Ireland until recently and it seems to be in all the food magazines and seems to be making guest appearances on a lot of restaurant menus. I recently had chocolate polenta with quail as a starter but wasn’t too fond of it to be honest so I decided with all this new found fame it’s getting in Ireland I would actually make it myself at home to give it one last try. I have to admit not going into this wholeheartedly and used the instant polenta that we have in La Cucina but I just wasn’t prepared to give it my all and then not eat it so instant polenta it was - please don’t hate me;)

I’ve seen a lot of people enquiring as to what polenta is on a lot of forums recently so here’s a little background on it courtesy of the Silver Spoon and Carluccio:

In Roman times polenta was a porridge made from the flour of various grains and pulses such as broad beans, spelt etc. Today polenta is actually made up of yellow or white maize flour, there are 2 types of polenta: fine grained, pale straw coloured Veneto polenta or large grained, bright golden-yellow Lombard or Piedmontese polenta. The former is always served all’onda( with a consistency like mashed potato and the latter is served firm like this recipe. Vicenza in Veneto is actually the best place to eat polenta e baccala which is air dried cod cooked in milk with polenta and another speciality in Veneto is polenta e osei, polenta with sparrows - don’t think I’ll be making that any time soon;) 

Polenta is best made in a copper pan by cooking the maize flour with water until it achieves a fairly solid consistency. It takes about 40 minutes to cook and requires consistent stirring to prevent it sticking. Due to the effort and time required an easy cook variety called polenta svelta has been created for the likes of me;), it is made by pre-cooking ordinary polenta which is then dried and milled again. The results are not as tasty and this is why lots of butter and grated Parmesan are required when using this type of polenta.
 
what you need:

 - 5 tbsp olive oil

 - 1 small onion, finely chopped

 - 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

 - selection of mushrooms, field and wild if you can get your hands on some. I find it quite difficult to find different variety of mushrooms in Limerick, if anyone knows where let me know. Superquinn have just begun stocking a gourmet mushroom selection in their superior range which are really good so I used 2 packs of these.

 - 1 tbsp of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and basil.

 - 120ml dry white wine  

 - poletna: make according to packet instructions if using instant polenta, I used 250g for 2. Add about 25g butter and lots of parmesan cheese to taste. If you are looking for polenta flour Susan in Olio e Farina has it in stock!!

what to do:

 - when your polenta is ready pour it into a round shallow tin and spread it evenly into a layer of about 1 cm. Leave to cool until set.

 - heat your olive oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 mins until soft and just starting to brown. Stir in the mushroom and parsley and cook for another 5 mins until golden brown. Season, add your wine and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and stir in your chopped basil.

 - cut the polenta into wedges and heat a griddle pan. Brush your wedges with olive oil and place on your pan grilling both sides for 2-3 mins.

 - put a polenta wedge on a serving plate and serve your mushrooms on top and sprinkle with some basil leaves.

                       
THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION - DID I LIKE IT?????? NO!!!! I have to say as a dish it looks amazing and so appetising BUT I took a couple of forkfuls and that was it, I ended up making a sandwich with my leftover lamb and the mushrooms. The mushroom mix was absolutely delicious and would be great as a side to meat so I’ll definitely make them again but the polenta I’m afraid I will leave to the Italians;)

Buon Appetito!!!

                    

To be honest I’m not a big lasagne lover, I do love the MIL’s mini meatball and egg lasagne which she does at Christmas, a similar recipe is actually in this month’s Taste Italia magazine!!! Lasagne is one of our most popular dishes in La Cucina even though most people seem to order chips with it to give it that Irish twist;) We do a huge amount for catering with meat being the most popular choice. Actually mention lasagne in Ireland and everybody thinks of meat, one of the nicest lasagne I’ve had has been a simple pesto lasagne. I spotted this recipe in the Silver Spoon a while back and I liked all of the ingredients so I decided to give it a go this week. It turned out to be a little difficult to do as the princess decided that being down on the floor is just not as much fun as being up in Mammy’s arms while she is trying to put a lasagne together so the two of us actually made it one handed!! She’s in full walking mode by the way which is such a relief, my back is back to it’s normal position!!:)

By the way, if anyone has an Italian dish that they love but can’t quite get the recipe right or if their is a dish you have had in Italy and have never seen it outside of Italy and would love to make it let me know and I will do my best to find the recipe in question, make it and post about it. Robert has asked me about an Aubergine style chutney that he regularly has in Italy but has never seen the recipe for here so I’m on a mission to find it at the moment. There is an aubergine caviar in the Silver Spoon but I don’t think this is it so my search continues!! As always let me know in the comments or by email!!

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 2 large aubergines sliced.

 - margarine for greasing

 - 300g lasagne sheets - available in La Cucina

 - 50g pine nuts, chopped

 - 150g ricotta cheese

 - 120ml/40z tomato puree - available in La Cucina

 - 12 fresh basil leaves

 - olive oil for drizzling

 - 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese

 - salt

WHAT TO DO:

 - place the aubergine slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 1-2 hours.

 - rinse, pat dry and cook under a preheated grill until tender.

 - preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

 - grease an ovenproof dish with butter.

 - cook the lasagne in a large pot of salted boiling water with a dash of olive oil for 6-7 minutes until al dente, drain and place on a damp tea towel.

 - arrange a layer of lasagne on the base of the prepared dish, place half the aubergine slices on top and sprinkle with half the pine nuts, half the ricotta, half the tomato puree and six basil leaves.

 - drizzle with olive oil and repeat the layers.

 - sprinkle the top with lots of parmesan cheese and bake for 40 minutes.

                                 

Buon Appetito!!

Random Cooking Term - “BATTUTO”
onion, carrot, celery and garlic chopped with a heavy knife form the basis of many Italian dishes. It is sometimes sauteed with pancetta, pancetta fat or pork-back fat as a base for minestrones and meat dishes.

                                 

I can’t believe Christmas is around the corner, I say this every year and tell myself that next year I will be more organised but of course this will never happen, I will still be doing my shopping on Christmas Eve as usual. I can’t even use the princess as an excuse as I’ve always been the same:) I actually miss the restaurant this time of year as December is a great month in the restaurant calendar, mainly for the turnover;) but also the atmosphere and buzz of the party dining season. Everyone is glammed up to the nines, the vino is flowing freely and everybody eating out is there for enjoyment and celebration which makes the restaurant a happy place to work in at this time of year! The Christmas season doesn’t really affect La Cucina as it’s a take-away so we don’t actually get much busier, if anything the weekend’s get quieter. We close from the 22 Dec until Jan 3 just to give ourselves a break and give us the option of going to Italy if we want to. We’re not going this year as everybody is staying put so there will probably be up to 25 of us at the MIL’s again this year - BRING ON THE FEAST:)

I’ve been dying with the flu for the last few days so I’ve been trying to incorporate more veg into my diet at lunch instead of the regular ham and cheese ciabatta so I made this yesterday after having a big bowl of minestrone. I know asparagus isn’t in season but I’m forced to buy it from my local supermarket and it never was in season as it was coming from Peru during the summer and still is! This bruschetta is great for a light lunch or a simple starter and is quick and easy to make.

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 1 bunch asparagus spears

 - 2 slices bruschetta bread or ciabatta

 - 1 garlic clove

 - extra virgin olive oil

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - balsamic vinegar

 - shavings of Parmesan cheese

WHAT TO DO:

 - snap off the hard woody bases of asparagus about halfway down the spear.

 - season spears and brush with some olive oil

 - heat a griddle pan and cook your asparagus until it has the charred marks on it. Put a heavy pot or pan on top and press down to cook faster.

 - using the same grill pan or a second one cook your bread on both sides until lightly browned and charred.

 - rub your garlic on one side of your bread and drizzle some olive oil.

 - arrange your asparagus on the prepared bruschetta, sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar and garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese.

                     

  Buon Appetito!!

p.s. there is another great new Limerick food blog on the blogging scene, Sarah has always been a great Italian Foodies commenter and is a big foodie,  if her recipes so far are a taste of what’s to come, we are in for a real treat!! Check her out here!!

p.p.s - I’m trying to organise my sister’s hen party in Dublin in Feb and have no idea where to eat, I was thinking Eden or Venu, would love some suggestions if anybody has any ideas??? HELP MEEEEE!!!!

                           
Anybody who has been to Italy would be familiar with the big “antipasto” buffet selection in most restaurants, I’m like a kid in a sweet shop trying to decide what to have and of course I always fill my plate with too much (spot the Irish person) that I can never fit my pasta and meat course! I love marinated aubergines and courgettes, they are so simple but so tasty and versatile, my favourite way to eat them is on their own with some crunchy bread but they are great on a bruschetta, pizza or in a sandwich. We use them for one of our most popular sandwiches “Grigliata” which is a ciabatta filled with pesto, aubergine, roast peppers, rocket and mozzarella cheese.

I’m going to give you the recipe for “melanzane arrosto” but the courgettes would be done more or less the same way!!

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 3 aubergines sliced

 - 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced

 - 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley finely chopped

 - 1 chilli finely chopped (optional)

 - white wine vinegar

 - olive oil

 - sea salt and black pepper

WHAT TO DO:

 - place the aubergine slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for about 30 mins.

 - in a bowl mix all your ingredients together and season.

 - rinse the aubergine slices and pat dry with kitchen paper.

 - heat a grill pan and cook aubergine slices on both sides giving a nice charred look.

 - remove from the heat and leave to cool.

 - arrange the aubergine slices in layers on a serving dish and spoon some of your mix over each layer.

 - leave to marinate for a few hours before serving.

                       

BUON APPETITO!!

LA CUCINA NEWS!!

We have these aubergines and courgettes for sale in La Cucina and also in the deli counter this week

 - spinach & ricotta cannelloni
 - pasta al forno
 - parmigiana
 - meat lasagna

All of the above serve 2 and take about 20-30 mins in the oven at 190 degrees.

This weeks:

pasta special - fettucine served with italian sausage and porcini.
risotto special - prawn risotto
pizza special - buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato on the vine, basil and oregano.

              

Spinach was fairly unpopular in Ireland until recently, I know I never ate it as a child as it didn’t feature much in the Irish kitchen - the closest I got to it was watching Popeye;). It’s only in the last couple of years that I have begun to like it especially since being introduced to the ricotta and spinach combination - these 2 ingredients work so well together! We used to make tarts in La Cucina filled with spinach and ricotta mixed together with lots of Parmesan cheese and they were quite popular and of course the most popular way of eating it has to be in Ravioli. We’ve started selling the mixture in Calzone now and they are selling really well, I do love the broccoli and Italian sausage option too though - mmmm “torn between 2 lovers”…..! We eat it a lot more at home now, we normally have it as a side to a piece of fillet or chicken by just wilting it in the pan with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a pinch of nutmeg - delicious!!

We all know how nutritious it is as it contains large amounts of vitamin A and C and is full of iron, it does require careful cleaning which takes a little time but it is worth the effort as it is so good for you!!! In Italy it is grown in the North and the centre where the climate is mild but not too hot. Spinach is available all year round now due to modern cultivation techniques whereas before it was only produced in the autumn and winter.When buying spinach the leaves should be firm, fleshy and green with no signs of yellowing, to check for freshness, look at the stalks, they should be firm with no sign of floppiness. Another favourite way of cooking with spinach is in soup and we often have a spinach and potato soup on the menu in La Cucina, this recipe is from the Silver spoon and fresh or frozen spinach can be used

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 1 litre of veg or meat stock

 - 40g butter

 - 2 onions finely chopped

 - 40g plain flour

 - 500g frozen chopped spinach, thawed. If you are using fresh just blanch it in hot water, drain and squeeze out excess liquid.

 - 3 tbsp lemon juice

 - 2 tbsp double cream

 - salt and pepper

WHAT TO DO:

 - bring the stock to the boil

 - melt the butter in a pot, add the onions and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 mins until softened.

 - stir in the flour and cook, constantly stirring for 2 minutes, then gradually stir in the hot stock.

 - add the spinach and simmer for 20 minutes.

 - stir in the lemon juice and take off the heat. Liquidize with a hand blender or use a food processor.

 - return to the heat, season with salt and pepper, stir in the cream and simmer briefly.

 - serve with some Parmesan and black pepper on top and a little swirl of cream or olive oil!!

Buon Appetito!!

On the subject of soup - WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE???? Mine would have to be minestrone hands down, it’s just so nourishing and warm on a cold wintry day:)

p.s. There is a new Irish blog on the horizon, the lovely Rachel has taken the plunge and started her own blog “Fairycake Heaven“, most of you would know her from here as Ciao Bella, she always leaves lovely comments on my blog and I’m looking forward to reading her fabulous recipes. Welcome to the blog world Rachel:) 

Today’s Random Cooking Term - “Acidulate”
 - to add vinegar or lemon juice to water for immersing some vegetables, such as globe artichokes to prevent them from turning black before cooking!!