Archives 'Mangia Italiano
Because we are Italian and everyone should eat Italian! Mangia!
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Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 2 September |
Before I jump into Secondo or the main course, I want to take a snack break to discuss the new Italian megastore right smack in the middle of Manhattan, Eataly. As I sit here after a long day of “advanced pasta” eating the winnings of my savory shopping spree, I wonder if this is really what Nonna had in mind?
| 31 August |
There is a method to the madness that is making risotto, but that doesn’t stop the sparks of fear inside me & my classmates each time we see it listed on the board. It seems as though something with such a detailed regimen would be foolproof, but I’m pretty sure disaster can only be avoided with constant babysitting and knowhow from failures past. If you also take into consideration, however, that each individual prefers their risotto served according to their unique taste, then you’re pretty much reaching for the stars. That said, my chef’s stars are, after multiple risottos, within my grasp, so we will follow Guido’s guidelines in the following lesson.
| 25 August |
I finally saw Eat, Pray, Love (Julia Roberts, always) and, guess what, I am now really really hungry: hungry for life, hungry for pizza, and hungry for “dolce fa niente” or the sweetness of doing nothing. Luckily for you I haven’t acted on the latter, but instead targeted my hunger (for food) into writing this post on pasta asciutta or dried pasta. As for la dolce fa niente, I plan to actively apply this Italian manner of existence to my personal being. Ah, but isn’t that mindset my problem in the first place, actively attempting to do nothing…
| 22 August |
I am a diehard fan of fresh pasta, any shape or way you cut it. My Nonna taught me how to make fresh spaghetti with her at a young age and some of my best memories are of us hanging the long strands over a broomstick under the ceiling fan to dry. Eating it late night for dessert with Grandpa’s spicy sauce was pretty great too! In class we started with the traditional pasta all’uovo and then learned how to translate the basic dough into various flavors and shapes by adding spinach or squid ink and changing the types of flour to produce the correct consistency. We then learned how to properly finish a pasta in the sauce and, of course, al dente, which means “to the tooth.”
| 10 August |
Oh salad, fresh salad, how I could write an ode to thee. After a week of cooking pasta fresh, stuffed & dried pasta, gnocchi, risotto, and pizza a salad actually sounds quite exciting. I know you, out there, are anxiously awaiting the aforementioned recipes, but first things first for us Americans that often preface our meals with leafy greens. Many Europeans actually finish their meal with salad as a digestivi, to freshen their breath, and for other varied reasons. Alas, I’m still American and prefer a big fat scoop of ice cream for dessert, but maybe I’ll at least day crave il formaggio , or cheese course, to round out a nice dinner.
These salads can, for the most part, stand alone. I’m taking creative liberty to mix and match recipes from different lessons throughout my studies thus far to bring you these salad selections. At this point I’m happy to have any vegetable that is placed before me, but these are particularly delicious.
| 22 July |
To begin, I would like to dedicate this post to my vegetarian college roommate Darcey, without whom I would probably still be confusing Manchego with Parmesan. Thanks for bringing me into your world of cheese (and wine). You almost have to correlate the two, no? I hate to put wine & cheese on the same level as, say, peanut butter & jelly, but now that I know such a thing as a cheese tasting exists, I think I might. I was aware there was a whole world of cheese out there to be tasted, hence the cheese plate, but I was naive to the fact that is a defined process and vocabulary by which to taste. This is where my roommate failed me, or perhaps did not yet dare to venture.
| 18 July |
It does only make sense that the first recipes crafted in an Italian culinary program would be tomato based. As my teacher said, you haven’t tasted a tomato until you’ve tasted one grown in Italy and it is a main ingredient in the majority of dishes, second only to garlic and olive oil. But we actually began our kitchen journey with taillage or the fine art of cutlery aka knife skills. These tomato recipes just so happened to showcase new techniques such as concasse and cuts like chiffonade, julienne, and jardiniere. Remind me to thank the French for crafting such specific requirements for cutting vegetables, particularly for tournage, the turning of vegetables until they’re perfectly shaped with 7 faceted sides and two blunt ends… I am unsure that I will ever master this tecnique, but I’m sure many a potato will be wasted in the process.
| 20 May |
They always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and, well, it finally worked, making me the proud new owner of a shiny sparkly glittery diamond ring! That said, I have cooked for many a man without the reward of a platinum set symbol of lifetime commitment, but perhaps I had just not yet reached my full potential as a culinary temptress. On a recent occasion I was lucky enough to be in possession of young hungry fiancé’s favorite childhood recipe courtesy of future mother-in-law. Thank you! Even with my new heightened powers of palate persuasion it helps to have the aid of a good recipe… Such is the history of the following Garlic Shrimp & Rice, which served as a yummy surprise for my plus one after a long day at work and school. I do have to start practicing my homemaking skills now don’t I!
| 29 April |
If this little app doesn’t scream Spring has sprung then I don’t know what will! These cherry tomatoes, stuffed with a mixture of various green veggies, are easy to pop in your mouth and would surely be a big hit at your next picnic, shower, or BBQ!
I learned how to make these in my vegetarian cooking class while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I’ll never forget my shock and awe at the amount of flavor packed into such a small neat package. Those Italians really know how to work culinary magic on the simplest of foods. We worked our way through the end of summer and all of fall, veggie by veggie as they went and came into season to catch each at its very best. That’s how they eat in Italy, you know. If you get produce when it’s in season you capitalize on both taste and economics! Something we could all probably stand to pay a bit more attention to here in the states. Alas, we crave what we crave when we crave it and very often have the means to make it happen. That said, I hope you all take heed and try this recipe now before it’s too late!
| 26 April |
I read an article in my newest Bon Appétit about Puglia, Italy, coined “the new Tuscany” because their lack of resources have resulted in a very simple culinary style. Simple, however, does not equal plain or boring. Upon turning the page to find a multitude of Donatella Arpaia’s recipes, my mouth watered as it would for any lavish Italian feast. The idea of using fava beans in pasta and perfectly pairing oils with their proper counterpart does not sound at all disappointing to me! All too often fancy amalgamations are only as impressive as the words themselves – they are still but a combination that is only as good as the sum of its parts.
Here’s a quick and easy tomato sauce, again from Smitten Kitchen. I jazzed it up a bit with my tried and true ricotta topping that can be adapted to almost any Mediterranean meal simply by substituting the Parmesan for, say, feta and the basil with parsley or other herb of your choice! So with summer knocking at our doors, simplify your menu and spend a few extra minutes by the pool.
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