How to cook pasta "al dente"

Pasta

An important rule is that pasta should be prepared just before serving it. An exception to this rule is frittata of pasta, pasta salad, oven-baked pasta, etc. To cook pasta properly, you need a large pot and much water; too little water causes the pasta to stick together and gives it a bad taste. The water must be salted when it has begun to boil, preferably with coarse salt, and its taste should resemble sea water (most of the salt will be eliminated together with the water when you drain the pasta).

Add pasta to the pot when the water is already boiling. It’s important to know that pasta must cook under a continuous boil, stirring often, until al dente. Pasta al dente means pasta cooked for just the right time, not overcooked; it is more tasty and more digestible, and it’s generally considered healthier.

To get a pasta al dente, you should observe the cooking time indicated on the package, but for several reasons (some companies may not be very accurate in indicating the cooking time, for example), I also suggest you try the pasta one minute before the stated time and do this about every minute from then on until it is ready. Then you should drain it immediately with a colander.

Remember,.....the pasta and how you cook it is just as important as the sauce.

Risotto with Curry Powder and Shrimp

Risotto al Curry con Gamberi

This risotto is one of my favorites. It’s a great dish and “a must” for the Curry lovers. It’s elegant and tasteful, the perfect dish to present on a special dinner.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 1 hour

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

11 oz. (310 g) fresh shrimp

Extra virgin olive oil, about 7 tbsp.
Salt, about ½ tbsp.
Water, about 5 cups (1 ¼ L)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
½ onion, peeled and chopped
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
½ lb. (approximately 250g) rice (Basmati, Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone, Roma, etc.)
¼ cup (60 ml) whisky
1 tbsp. butter
Curry powder, about 2 tsp. or to taste

Method:

1. Remove the shrimp head’s, and set aside.
2. In a small pan, heat 4 tbsp. of the oil. Add the shrimp, season with a pinch of salt. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then peel the shrimp, cut them in small pieces, and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, prepare a broth: bring 4 cups (1 L) water to a boil in a large pot. Add the celery, carrot, onion, ½ tbsp. of the salt, and the shrimp heads. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Then filter the liquid and set aside.
4. Heat 3 tbsp. of oil in a large pan. Add the shallot and sauté gently. Add 1 cup (250 ml) water, cover, and cook until the shallot is soft.
5. When the water has evaporated, add the rice to the pan, and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring until well coated. Add the whisky, and keep stirring, until absorbed. Continue, adding ½ cup (120 ml) of the broth at a time, waiting for all the liquid to be absorbed, before adding the next, and stirring constantly, until the rice is creamy and tender (about 20-25 minutes - you may not have to use all the broth). Then add the shrimp, keep stirring, and let cook for another 2-3 minutes (add more broth if the risotto starts to stick to the pan).
6. Turn off the heat. Stir in the butter and curry powder. At this point, taste the risotto and add more salt if needed. Serve immediately.

My Hamburgers

I miei Hamburgers

Dear American followers, I know that your hamburgers are the best, but mine are really good too! Please try this!

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 30 minutes

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1 lb. (450 g.) ground beef

1 lb (450 g.) ground pork

2 tsp. salt

pepper to taste
1 egg

organic onion powder

organic garlic powder

½ cup (120 ml) milk

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and - with your hands - form the hamburgers.
2. Grill the hamburgers and serve on a slice of toasted bread with your favorite cheese and arugula on top.

Pasta and Beans soup

Zuppa di Pasta e Fagioli

Today, in Central Florida is a cloudy and windy day, maybe perfect for a pasta and beans soup. This soup is an inexpensive vegetarian meal without a lot of ingredients but so flavorful that even the meat-eaters will love it. It is an extremely healthy and nutritious dish thanks to the high quantity of beans.

During the cooking time, the pasta will absorb most of the bean liquid so that when it’s cooked, the soup will be almost creamy.

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Cooking time: from 1 to 2½ hours (about 30 minutes if you use canned beans)

Serves 5–6

Ingredients:

½ lb. (220 g.) dry cannellini beans

1 cup water, plus enough to soak and cook the vegetables and beans

9 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

3 tbsp. dried oregano

2–3 celery stalks, finely chopped

About 2 tsp. salt

Black pepper to taste

Hot pepper to taste (optional)

½ lb. (approximately 250 g.) tubetti pasta

2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley (optional)

Method:

1. The day before making the soup, soak the beans. After inspecting and rinsing them, transfer to a large bowl, cover with cold water (three times the amount of beans), and leave overnight. In the morning, rinse and drain.
2. Put the beans in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer until tender (about 1–2 hours, depending on the kind and the size of the beans). Throughout the cooking time, check the beans occasionally, ensuring that they remain covered with water, and add more water if necessary (make sure you don’t add too much water. At the end of the cooking time, the simmering liquid must be only enough to cover the beans).
3. Meanwhile, in a pan, combine 5 tbsp. of the extra virgin olive oil with the garlic, tomatoes, oregano, celery, 2 tsp. salt, black pepper, hot pepper, and 1 cup water. Cover and cook for 10–15 minutes.
4. When the beans are cooked, add 1 spoonfull to the mixture of garlic, tomatoes, oregano etc. and with a blender, reduce to a puree. Add the puree to the pot with the remaining beans, stir and bring back to a boil. Then, add the pasta and more water if necessary; the simmering liquid must be only enough to cover both pasta and beans, so make sure you don’t add too much water. Cook over medium low heat and stir constantly until the pasta is al dente.
5. Turn off the heat, add the remaining 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, and stir well.
6. Let the soup rest for 3–4 minutes. At this point, taste it and add more salt if needed. Serve in individual bowls and top each serving of pasta with a sprinkle of black pepper and parsley.

Notes:

• You can use other kinds of dry beans (navy beans, white kidney beans, pinto beans) in place of the cannellini beans. If you’re in a hurry, it’s possible to use 1 lb. (450 g.) canned beans, rinsed and drained; in that case, you don’t need to soak and boil them, so you can skip steps 1 and 2. Also, at step 3, reduce the quantity of salt to 1½ tsp.
• You can use other kinds of Italian small pasta in place of the tubetti, such as conchiglie, ditaloni, linguine, spaghetti (broken), or small ziti.
• Instead of the method given here for soaking the beans, you can use the quick-soak method: After washing and rinsing the beans, transfer to a large pot, cover with hot water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain with a colander, rinse, and return the beans to the pot. Add clean hot water, cover, and cook until tender.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

......today a small reminder on the extra virgin olive oil:

Please do not confuse extra virgin olive oil with olive oil. In my recipes, you will never find olive oil but always extra virgin olive oil, exactly like in my kitchen. The best extra virgin olive oil has a heavy, strong taste that is a little bit bitter and should resemble the fragrance of the olives. Extra virgin olive oil is produced from the first pressing of the olives, and it cannot contain any refined oil. It is the highest quality olive oil. It is heavier, more flavorful, and more pure than regular olive oil. The non–extra virgin olive oil is usually a blend of virgin oil and refined oil. So it is a lower quality oil; it isn’t as healthy and flavorful, and it’s cheaper.



I use a lot of extra virgin olive oil in my recipes. I often like to use it raw because its taste is stronger and delicious. Regular consumption helps the body and its functions, making the skin soft and elastic. The only time I use a different oil is when I fry (in that case, I need a large quantity of a very light oil, so I use sunflower-seed oil). Moreover, because extra virgin olive oil is the main base of most of your Italian sauces, use the best you can afford.

Gnocchi with Meat Ragù sauce

Gnocchi al Ragù di Carne

This is the first recipe I publish since I moved in Florida, USA. I had a lot to do to adjust my life and the life of my kids in this great Country, where I am happy to stay. For a while, I haven't been able to write and I didn' t have the right inspiration to create new recipes. But then I have decided that I can't abandon my followers, so I will go on to publish, not every day, but every time I have a good dish to show to the public. Today, I want to start with this succulent dish that I hope you all can enjoy.

Gnocchi

Preparation time: about 40 minutes

Cooking time: about 30 minutes

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. (700g) potatoes

About 2 cups (500ml) all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

Ragù sauce

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Cooking time: at least 2½ hours

Serves 4–5

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 lb. (450 g.) beef, cut into large cubes

2 cans Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately 28 oz (800 g.) each, blended or mashed with a fork

Salt, about 2 tsp.

Pepper to taste

To boil gnocchi:

Water, about 10 cups (2 ½ L)

2 tbsp. Salt

About ½ cup (120 ml) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese

Method:

         Prepare the gnocchi:

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until just tender. Drain well, cool and peel them. Then mash with a fork or a potato masher.
2. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, flour and salt. Then use your hands to knead until a soft dough forms. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour.
3. Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take a small piece of dough at the time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about the thickness of your thumb.
4. With a knife, cut the rolls into pieces about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) long. To shape the gnocchi, hold a fork in one hand and using your fingertip, roll each piece of gnocchi over the tines of the fork pressing gently to form a slight “C” (good for catching the sauce).
5. Set each gnocchi in a flat serving plate, dusted with flour. Dust with a bit more flour and then place the plate in the refrigerator.
   Prepare the Ragù sauce:
6. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté gently. Add the meat and brown on all sides.
7. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours or more, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and adding a little bit of water if the ragù sauce starts to stick to the pan. When cooked, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed
   At this point, boil the gnocchi:
8. Bring 10 cups (2 ½ L) water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 tbsp. salt. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, two-three at the time, to avoid that they can stick together, and boil them, gently stirring occasionally, until they rise to the surface of the water. Continue cooking gnocchi at the surface for about 1 minute, then remove with a large slotted spoon, drain well, and put into a large bowl. Add most (about ¾) of the Ragù sauce and stir well.
9. Put the gnocchi in the plates and spoon the remaining sauce on top of each serving. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve immediately.