Pasta,
Soups and Pizza
(pasta or pizza oftentimes my main course)
Note: when cooking my pasta dishes make certain
pan of water, with approx. 1 tablespoon of rock salt, is boiling
and ready to cook the pasta.
Pasta al Pomodoro & Zucchini:
Place sliced, zucchini (the smaller the better) in a teflon pan
with no oil and cook until golden on both sides. Set aside. In
a skillet pan, sauté chopped garlic (usually one clove
per person) in a small amount of olive oil and add chopped tomatoes,
whole basil leaves, salt and pepper. Cook approximately 10-15
mins., remove basil, add cooked pasta (just a bit too al dente
having saved a few cups of the water on the side), the zucchini,
chopped, fresh basil and olive oil. Stir just a few minutes over
fairly high heat, adding a little bit of the pasta water to finish
cooking and still maintain moistness. Serve with shredded parmesan.
Options: black olives a/o red chilli pepper.
Penne ai Broccoli & Gamberi (shrimp):
Cut up and cook broccoli (stems first) in a pan large enough so
that it will also hold the pasta later on. Add salt and a pinch
of baking soda (to preserve the broccoli color). When cooked remove
with a perforated ladle and place in a skillet pan where you have
already sautéd chopped garlic in olive oil. Be sure to
save the water for the pasta. Separately, give the fresh shrimp
a quick steam in a tiny bit of water, remove them and add this
juice to the broccoli. Peel shrimp, cut into fours and put aside.
Cook pasta in broccoli water and when nearly done, drain but set
aside some of the water. Combine pasta, broccoli and shrimp, add
olive oil and stir, ladling in the water you’ve set aside
so as to amalgamate the flavors. Serve with shredded parmesan.
Option: red chili peppers. Fresh calamari could substitute shrimp,
but eliminate cheese.
Zuppa di Pomodoro:
To sautéd garlic, add lots of cut up tomatoes, a piece
of celery and onion, generous amounts of whole basil leaves and
water (better too little than too much as flavors can be diluted).
Cook on moderate heat for approx. 20 mins., remove only the basil
leaves and mix with a blender till smooth. At this point, an option
would be to add rice, or small pasta, or bulghur (no more than
a tablespoon for 4 people as this expands - Sardinia also produces
a similar one called segale). Whatever your choice, add very little
as this is a soup. Serve dressed with a circular dribble of olive
oil and a basil leaf in the middle. No cheese.
Caramelized Onion Pizza:
I rarely make my own dough. In Italy, as well as elsewhere, a
good bakery generally sells good dough. Let it rise at room temperature
for 2 to 3 hours before baking.
It’s essential you use very sweet onions; slice enough rings
as they will reduce greatly in the cooking and the pizza must
have a generous covering. The quickest method is to cook the onions
in the microwave until soft, then add to a heavy teflon pan with
a little olive oil. Cook on the lowest heat for approx. 40 mins.
or until onions are amber colored and caramelized. Add olive oil,
salt and pepper. Spread dough out on a pizza pan or cookie sheet
as thin as possible and distribute the onions evenly. Choices
or combinations of cheese toppings are: asiago, robiola, mozzarella,
mild goat cheese, and fontina. Shredded parmesan can work combined
with the milder cheeses. Option: rosemary.
Spaghetti al Tonno (tuna):
Lightly sauté garlic and onion in olive oil, add chopped
tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes. Select a good
Italian brand of canned tuna in olive oil, and discard the oil.
Separately, mix the tuna with finely chopped parsley and mix well
with a fork, breaking up the large chunks of tuna.
Add this to the sauce, mix well and combine with al dente spaghetti,
linguine or trenette, add extra virgin olive oil and serve. No
cheese please!
