4.01.2017

International Recipes

JEWISH (7)

Challah bread

Cheese Blintz

Cholent

Eastern European Passover Brisket

Jerusalem Bagel

Mofletta

Shakshuka




AFRICAN (20)


Basic Moroccan Fish with Paprika

Chicken and vegetables couscous

Chermula sauce

Harira (Moroccan soup)

Himbasha (Ethiopian bread)

Kik Alicha

North African Meatballs

Ras el Hanout (North African Spice Mix)

Senegalese Peanut Stew

Egyptian Casserole

Egyptian Stuffed Peppers

Kefte (Moroccan meatballs)

Niter Kibbeh

Tagine

Tibs (Ethiopian beef stir fry)

Tunisian Fish Soup

Shakshuka

South African yellow rice

Peri Peri Chicken

West African Lime and Peanut Cake




MIDDLE EASTERN (20)

Baba Ganoush

Chicken Shawarma

Couscous with lentils and pomegranate 

Fatayer

Fattoush

Falafel

Harra Potatoes

Hummus

Labneh

Roasted Lamb

Mujadara

Mutabal

Tabouli

Tahini Cookies

Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)

Stuffed Zucchini

Persian Saffron pudding

Pita Bread

Zaatar and lemon Chicken (Lebanese)


NORTH AMERICAN (2)

Etoufee


Oysters Rockfeller


CENTRAL AMERICAN / CARIBBEAN (13)

Arroz con Bacalao

Aztecan soup

Cuban garlic sauce

Cuban pumpkin flan

Guacamole

Dulce de leche creme brulee

Haitian shrimp Creole

Tamal en cazuela

Pernil Assado

Tres Leches Cake

Tchaka (Beans and smoked pork stew)

Majerete

Vaca Frita








SOUTH AMERICAN (34)

Alfajores

Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

Poor Bitch Rice (Brazilian rice dish - Arroz de Puta Pobre)

Cooked pinto beans

Chimichurri

Beef onions and garlic

Bolivian peanut soup

Black beans Brazilian style

Basic white rice

Brazilian Empanadas

Brigadeiros

Cachapas

Carrot cake

Cajuzinho

Cilantro pesto

Crazy black lady cake

Colombian doughnuts

Chicken pie

Colombian Coconut Chicken

Corn chowder

Corn and cheese cake

Creamy Corn cake

Crazy black lady cake

Ham and cheese rolls

Tortilla Paraguaya

Milanesa alla Napolitana

Moqueca de peixe

Natillas

Picadillo

Puchero Paraguayo

Pumpkin and coconut shrimp

Queijadinha

Soyo (Paraguyan soup)

White beans and chicken stew




EUROPEAN (7)

Bigos (National Polish Dish)

Creme Brulee

Shepherd's Pie

Gazpacho

Mediterranean baked fish

Romanian Goulash


Tartiflette


OCEANIA

ASIA (26)

Afghan Chicken Curry (Lawang)

Beef Rendang

Chicken Khao Soi

Chicken Pho

Chinese Pulled Pork

Chow Mein

Dandan Noodles

Japanese rice

Katsu Curry

Kimchi fried rice

Kofta Curry

Korean Pancakes

Miso Ramen

Gyoza

Shrimp Pad Thai

Sichuan Chicken

Strawberry Mochi

Stir fry with beef and ginger 

Summer rolls

Peanut dipping sauce

Pork Chops Vietnamese Style

Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Tofu Pad Thai

Ramen Broth

Roasted Chicken with limes

Vegan Thai Curry

Vietnamese Pho



Multicultural (1)


Tikka Masala









Total: 121






1.31.2017

Buckwheat ravioli

 Pizzoccheri is a typical recipe of Valtellina, a mountainous region of Northern Italy.
Traditionally the pizzoccheri are a sort of short fettuccine made with buckwheat flour.
The sauce is made with savoy cabbage, potatoes, mountain cheese and a lot of butter.
It was amazing for us to make a sort of upgrading of the recipe, giving it a fusion touch...


Ingredients for 4 persons:


  • 150 g buckwheat flour
  • 100 g all purpose flour 
  • 20 g water 
  • 200 g boiled potatoes 
  • 20 g grated Parmigiano cheese + some more to season pasta 
  • 100 g semi-hard cow cheese like Asiago Mezzano
  • 250 g cabbage or savoy 
  • a handful of sage leaves 
  •  wo cloves of garlic
  • ground nutmeg and black pepper, e.v.o.oil, sea salt to taste 
 Boil the potatoes for about 30 minutes and set aside to cool down.

Make the dough: combine the two flours, a pinch of salt. Add a bit of water at a time: it may be that you will need more or less than 120 grams of water. It depend on the type of the flour. Add water a bit at a time until you get a tender but not sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and set aside for 15 minutes.
 Mash the cold potatoes and pour them into a large bowl. Add 20 g of grated Parmigiano cheese and the semi-hard cow cheese, grated. Season with a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of ground black pepper and two pinches of sea salt. Combine well.
Roll the dough onto a floured surface. You can use the pasta maker, if you have one. The pasta sheets must be thin, but not too much like as you were rolling the tagliatelle or fettuccine: pizzoccheri is a rustic kind of pasta. 

You can make ravioli in the shape you like: squares, triangles, rounds... Cut the rolled dough into your favourite shape, place a teaspoon of filling in the middle. 

 Set the ravioli onto a floured board and bring to a boil a large pot of water. 
 
Meanwhile, wash and cut the cabbage into stripes of about 2 cm wide. When the water boils add salt (remember: 7 grams per litre) and pour the vegetable into it. Cook for about 8 minutes, then add the ravioli and cook for 5 minutes more.  

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sage leaves and the garlic. Cook gently: the condiment must not burn. Drain the ravioli and the cabbage. Place into a serving plate and dress with aromatic hot butter and a generous handful of grated cheese. Enjoy!


Ravioli verdi ai formaggi e salsiccia

Sausage Filling
1/2 pound Italian Sausage (In Italy is just called Salsiccia sfusa)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (or if you prefer just ground regular pepper)
1 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
1 egg yolk
Pinch of nutmeg
1. Cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink. Place in food processor, pulsing several times, but do NOT puree it.
2. Mix the sausage with the rest of the ingredients. Keep in the refrigerated until ready to use.

Homemade Spinach Pasta
  • 2 1/2 cups Flour
  • 3 Eggs
  • 5 ounces Fresh or Frozen Spinach (blanched and drained and pureed)
  • pinch Salt
  • pinch freshly Grated Nutmeg
  • Bench Flour (for dusting)

Place the flour, eggs, spinach, salt, and nutmeg in the bowl of the processor and pulse 15 times for 6 seconds at a time. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap it in plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for 50 minutes. (The wrapped dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 day.) 
Note: If using frozen spinach, skip the blanching and simply thaw and press out excess water using a clean kitchen towel.


Cheese and mushroom sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup of our favorite mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1.5 cups milk
  • ⅔ cup shredded parmesan cheese

  1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add mushrooms, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper to oil and saute until mushrooms have reduced in size, about 4 minutes. If the mushrooms soak up all the olive oil, add another tablespoon.
  3. Add flour to saucepan and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Cook for one minute.
  4. Add ½ cup of the milk and stir to break up any lumps of the mushroom and flour mixture. The milk will thicken fairly quickly; that’s okay. Add the remainder of the milk and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook until milk has thickened, about 5 minutes.
  5. Remove sauce from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. If you can, shred your own cheese – pre-shredded cheese has additives in it that make it more difficult for the cheese to melt smoothly. 
  6. Garnish with walnuts if you would like and shredded parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

1.29.2017

Ricotta and parsley ravioli



ricotta ravioliServes 6:
To make the pasta:
4 large eggs400g 00 flour
pinch salt
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
For the filling:
350g fresh ricotta
1 large egg
75 – 100g parmigiano, grated
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
grated rind of one lemon
1/2 bunch fresh parsely, leaves picked and finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce:
100g unsalted butter
24 fresh sage leaves
grated parmigiano to serve

Make the filling whilst the pasta dough is resting and before rolling it out. To make the filling, simply mix together all the ingredients using a fork until the mixture is homogeneous. Adjust for salt and add pepper if you like. As there is a lot of pasta in this recipe, you should roll out a quarter of the pasta at a time, keeping the remainder wrapped in cling wrap. Make one batch of ravioli as per the instructions and then repeat.
To make the ravioli, place a teaspoon of filling on one half of a rectangle of pasta (our rectangles were about 5cm by 10 cm). Dip a finger in water, wetting the pasta around the filling. Now close the rectangle of pasta like a book so that the filling is enclosed, pressing well around the edges so the raviolo is sealed and there is no air trapped in the filling. Dust the pasta lightly with flour and place on the bench under a tea towel so the pasta does not dry out. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling.
To cook, heat a large pot of salted water until boiling and cook the ravioli for 5 to 7 minutes, until cooked. Whilst they are cooking, make the burnt butter by heating up the butter in a medium sized frypan, until the butter melts and add the sage leaves. Cook for a few minutes until it starts to turn brown. Drain the ravioli and spoon on the burnt butter sauce, decorating with a few crispy sage leaves. Some grated parmigiano is lovely on top of this as well.

Pear Ravioli with Parma Ham and Prosecco Sauce

Serves 4 as an entree (makes 18 ravioli, at 8cm diameter)

for the pasta:


200g 00 durum wheat flour
2 large eggs

for the filling:
2 ripe pears (230g peeled and cored)
10g unsalted butter
125g creamy blue cheese or taleggio (sweet Gorgonzola)
salt and pepper to taste
semolina flour for dusting
100g unsalted butter (for the sauce)
extra freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:
One tablespoon butter
100g Parma ham
1 cup cream
1 cup Prosecco
1/3 cup crushed walnuts
Salt & Black pepper
To make the pasta, put the flour in a mound on your work surface and make a well in the centre. Break open the two eggs into it and either using your finger tips or a fork, gradually incorporate the flour until it is all mixed in to the eggs. Knead until smooth (around 5 minutes). Form a ball with the dough, wrap in cling film and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes (a couple of hours is fine).
In the meantime, make the filling. Peel and core the pears, chopping them into small dice. Place them with 10g butter in a small pan and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Mix the Gorgonzola in a bowl until smooth and add the cooled pears, fold through until homogeneous and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Divide the dough in two, keeping one piece wrapped in cling film while you work on the other one. Make the pasta by running it through your pasta machine until it is the desired thickness (I ran it through to the fourth thinnest setting “6” on a Marcato pasta machine).
I used an 8 cm diameter ravioli cutter to make my ravioli. Place heaped teaspoons of filling on your pasta sheet. Wet your finger with water and run it around the filling before folding the pasta onto itself so that the little mounds of filling are completely covered by pasta. Push down around the filling so that the pasta is well sealed, taking care not to trap air into the raviolo. Use your ravioli cutter to make circle around the filling where you have sealed the pasta. Lightly dust the ravioli  with semolina flour. Repeat, keeping the prepared ravioli covered by a clean teatowel as you make others so they do not dry out.
Place a large pot of well-salted water on the stove and bring to the boil. Drop in the ravioli when the water boils and cook until al dente (mine took 6-7 minutes).
Whilst the ravioli are cooking, put butter in the pan and then add the Parma ham cut in pieces, let cook until brown and combine the prosecco. When the prosecco evaporates add the walnuts, cream, Salt & pepper and mix the ravioli with the sauce.

Tortellini di Valeggio

 Each region of Italy has its own pasta shapes and pasta recipes. Valeggio sul Mincio, a town near Lago di Garda and the city of Verona, is famous for its Tortellini di Valeggio, tortellini made of pasta as thin as a veil with a filling of beef, chicken, and pork. To make them extra delicate, the pasta dough is made with part of the eggs replaced by water. 
 The tortellini are cooked in a meat stock. You could also serve them in the stock, or with butter and sage like I did. You can then use the leftover stock to make risotto. This does mean that you can’t use as much salt in the stock as you would for cooking the tortellini in water, so in this case it is a good idea to add salt to the pasta dough. For additional flavor, I made the filling with fat from the stock (that floats on top) instead of olive oil.





For the filling
100 grams (3.5 oz) boneless and skinless chicken thigh, cubed
100 grams (3.5 oz) pork shoulder, cubed
100 grams (3.5 oz) stewing beef, such as chuck, cubed
50 grams (1.75 oz) prosciutto, cut into strips
50 grams (1.75 oz) freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
25 grams (1 oz) stale bread, cubed
1 clove
80 ml (1/3 cup) Bardolino (red wine)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
1/2 Tbsp rosemary needles
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 onion, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil (or substitute with the fat from making the stock)

For the pasta dough
2 eggs
300 grams (2 cups) Italian 00 flour
about 50 ml (1/4 cup) water

For cooking and serving
2 litres (2 quarts) meat stock (made from chicken, beef, and pork)
50 grams (4 Tbsp) butter
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Heat the olive oil (or fat from stock) in a casserole. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent.
Add the pork, chicken, and beef, and sauté over medium high heat until the meat has lost its raw color on all sides. Add the rosemary.
Deglaze with the Bardolino.
Scrape with a wooden spatula to include the browned bits into the sauce.Add the clove, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper.Cover and reduce the heat to low.Allow to simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Add a bit of meat stock if it becomes too dry.At the end of the cooking time (it is not very important that the meat is tender, as it will be ground anyway), remove the clove.Transfer the contents of the casserole to the food processor, including all the juices. Allow to cool somewhat (so the egg yolk won’t be cooked when you add it).Add the prosciutto, bread, and egg yolk as well as the cheese.Process with the ‘pulse’ until the mixture is homogeneous, but not pureed. It is nice to have some texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remember that the filling of tortellini and ravioli should always be slightly over-seasoned to avoid that your tortellini will end up tasting bland.Transfer the filling to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour to firm up.Make pasta dough and roll it out as thinly as you can. Cut the pasta dough into 5 cm (2 inch) squares, and put a small ball of filling (about 1/2 teaspoon) on each square.Fold each square into a triangle, and seal the edges without trapping any air inside.Fold the tortellini around your finger, then fold it backwards. (That last step is not really needed.)
Arrange the tortellini on a surface sprinkled with semolina flour in a single layer.
To cook, bring the stock to a boil. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan and add the sage. When the stock boils, add the tortellini and cook them for a couple of minutes (depending on how much you dried them).
Transfer them to the butter and sage with a slotted spoon.Toss the tortellini in the butter and sage to coat them on all sides.
Serve on preheated plates, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmigiano.

Wine pairing

This is great with a Bardolino, the local red wine that is also used to make the filling. Bardolino is a light red wine that is best when slightly chilled (15ºC/59ºF

1.27.2017

Filled pastas

Ravioli filled with Asiago, served with baked cherry tomatoes sauce
Parsley and cheese ravioli


Ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach served with vodka sauce

Tortellini di Valeggio

Ravioli with pear and gorgonzola


Green sausage ravioli

Buckwheat ravioli



Beets ravioli



Pumpkin Capelacci with tomatoes and sausage sauce

Pumpkin Fagotini

Pumpkin ravioli with butter sage and pine nuts 



Ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach

For the dough

  • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or “00” flour, or a combination
    You can also close the ravioli using a fork.
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

    Dump the flour in a pile on a work surface. Make a deep, wide well in the center and pour in the eggs, olive oil, and salt. Begin mixing the eggs with a fork, staying in the center and being careful that the eggs don’t breach the wall. Little by little, mix in flour from the sides until the dough starts to move as a unit and is too stiff to mix with a fork. Continue mixing by hand, incorporating more flour to stiffen the dough. When it doesn’t easily absorb more flour (one signal is floury, dried bits of dough flaking off the mass), set the dough aside; scrape up all the remaining flour and pass it through a sieve to sift out any dried-up bits. Discard the bits and keep the cup or two of sifted flour on the work surface to use during kneading if necessary.

    Wash and dry your hands. Knead the dough on the lightly floured surface until it’s a smooth, homogenous ball of dough, firm but resilient, neither too dry nor too soft, about 5 minutes; it should no longer stick to the surface. Poke it and it should spring right back; press your finger into the center and it should feel just a bit tacky. If it’s very sticky, knead in more flour.
    When the dough is sufficiently kneaded, a finger dent will bounce back.

    Wrap the dough loosely in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

    for the stuffing:
    • 8 oz (225 gr) ricotta cheese 
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 cup (25 gr) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg grated
    • salt
    • 10 oz (280 gr) of cooked spinach
      Chop the spinach and add to a large bowl, with the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg and a bit of salt. Mix well.

      Cut ravioli sheets with a ravioli cutter. Using a brush, brush with egg yolk around each ravioli. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the center, close to expelling the air, sealing the edges properly.





Ravioli filled with Asiago served with cherry tomatoes sauce

For the dough

  • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or “00” flour, or a combination
    You can also close the ravioli using a fork.
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

    Dump the flour in a pile on a work surface. Make a deep, wide well in the center and pour in the eggs, olive oil, and salt. Begin mixing the eggs with a fork, staying in the center and being careful that the eggs don’t breach the wall. Little by little, mix in flour from the sides until the dough starts to move as a unit and is too stiff to mix with a fork. Continue mixing by hand, incorporating more flour to stiffen the dough. When it doesn’t easily absorb more flour (one signal is floury, dried bits of dough flaking off the mass), set the dough aside; scrape up all the remaining flour and pass it through a sieve to sift out any dried-up bits. Discard the bits and keep the cup or two of sifted flour on the work surface to use during kneading if necessary.

    Wash and dry your hands. Knead the dough on the lightly floured surface until it’s a smooth, homogenous ball of dough, firm but resilient, neither too dry nor too soft, about 5 minutes; it should no longer stick to the surface. Poke it and it should spring right back; press your finger into the center and it should feel just a bit tacky. If it’s very sticky, knead in more flour.
    When the dough is sufficiently kneaded, a finger dent will bounce back.
    Wrap the dough loosely in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

    For the Filling

    1 cup ricotta


    1 cup asiago mezzano (grated)
    1 pinch nutmeg
    1 pinch black pepper
    Salt to taste

    Mix with a fork the ricotta and the grated Asiago. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
    In a ramekin, mix egg yolk with a little water. Cut ravioli sheets with a ravioli cutter. Using a brush, brush with egg yolk around each ravioli. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the center, close to expelling the air, sealing the edges properly. 

  • Cherry tomato sauce Recipe

    500g / 1lb cherry tomatoes, cut in half
    1 cup chopped raw almonds
    4 garlic cloves chopped
    A bunch of basil leafs
    Oregano
    Salt & Pepper
    A good pouring of olive oil
    1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

    In a baking tray, add all the ingredients together except the basil. Bake everything for about 25 minutes in the convection oven on for 180C or 360F.
    When the raviolis are cooked, mix the sauce and add the fresh basil. Serve with your favorite cheese on the top. My favourite for this recipe is smoked ricotta.


1.26.2017

Bigoli with walnuts and gorgonzola

100g/2oz walnuts 
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
150ml/5fl oz double cream 
50g/2oz Gorgonzola (preferably dolce, the softer milder variety) 
300g/10oz Bigoli

 Crack the walnuts, remove the nuts from their shells and pound with a pestle and mortar until they are in small pieces. Sprinkle over the Parmesan and add the garlic. Season with plenty of black pepper and a small amount of salt. Pour in the cream and stir well to combine.
While the pasta is cooking, gently warm the sauce in a small saucepan. Add the Gorgonzola and stir continuously while the cheese melts. Now drain the pasta and dress with a generous knob of butter, spoon over the sauce and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Bigoli alla Montanara

Bigoli alla Montanara


500g / 1lb Italian sausages (in Italy, Salsiccia sfusa that means 'Regular Sausage')
1 chopped onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup  Kale/Swiss chard chopped on big pieces
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup red wine
1 cup tomato pure
1 tbsp oregano
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
500 grams Bigoli
Smoked ricotta

Start with a good pouring of olive oil on the pan, fry the onions and garlic. Add the sausages, when the sausages are
brown add the wine and let reduce in half. Add the tomato sauce and oregano and let cook for 10 minutes. Add Salt and Pepper.
Turn off the fire and add the Swiss chard or Kale.
Sauté the pasta with the sauce and add walnuts and smoked ricotta to serve.