PORCINI MUSHROOM SAUCES

T'is the Season !

Its the season here in Tuscany (September-October) for Porcini....
Living in Florence it's easy to locate these wonderful and sought-after mushrooms. Their correct name is Boletus Edulis, in latin meaning Superior Edible mushroom. Porcini are said to look the way a mushroom should with a white stalks topped by broad brown caps, they can be rather large (up to 6 inches across at the cap). Their size is important in determining what they ought to be destined for, the large ones are ideal for grilled dishes or fried and the smaller ones are ideal for wonderful sauces.

I have two variations of the porcini sauce, one with and one without tomatoes.
WITHOUT:
Serving size: 4
You will need:
-800 grams porcini (caps and stems) or one good size porcini/person
-4or5 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
-2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
-one spring of nipetella
-sale and pepper QB

Preparation:
Clean the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and in a frying pan sauté in olive oil (extra virgin naturally)and garlic over low heat, be careful not to brown the garlic. Add the chopped mushrooms and stir. Add in salt,pepper and the nipetella and cover for about 10 minutes on low heat and stir until the porcini are soft.
This sauce is best served with fresh tagliatelle pasta and you will need about 300 grams for this serving size. After having cooked the pasta (3-4 minutes) in salted water, drain and add directly to the frying pan with the sauce. Stir gently and serve with a good Tuscan Red !
ENJOY

WITH TOMATOES:
Follow the above instructions, however the ripened tomatoes (four, diced) need to be blended into the garlic plus fresh parsley and oregano. Allow the mushrooms to cook slowly on low heat while your sauce gradually thickens.

FRIED SARDINES A great simple dish !

Servings 6

You'll need the following:
- 2 pounds (about 1 kg) of sardines
The filling:
-3.5 oz bread crumbs
-1/2 cup milk
-2 eggs
-2 oz of parmigiano (grated) cheese
-1 oz fresh parsley
-a pinch of oregano
-salt & pepper QB
-Extra virgin olive oil

The Bread Coating:
-2 eggs
-breadcrumbs
-flour (all purpose or 00)

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER:
(you'll need about 30 minutes to prepare and another 10 minutes cooking time)

Get out a good size bowl and mix together (for the filling) the bread, milk, eggs and grated parmigiano, parsley, oregano, oil and salt & pepper.

Wash and clean the sardines but remove the innards, heads, scales or just buy them cleaned, its easier! Then dry them by placing them on a paper towel.

Butterfly the fish and place them on a flat work surface. Spread your filling on each fish ensuring that it sticks well. Close the sardines and dust them in flour, then dip in a bowl of your beaten eggs and cover with breadcrumbs. Its important that you ensure that the breadcrumbs adhere well to the fish.

At this point, its time to fry the fish in oil. Its a good idea that the sardines are completely immersed in the oil when frying.

Serve when they are golden, but its best to place the cook sardines on a paper towel before serving to absorb the extra oil.

ENJOY!

FRUIT RISOTTO

Sorry that I havent added any new dishes in a while but to make up for it I have something "out of this world" for you:

Serves 4

You'll need the following:
-400 grams of Basmatic Brown Rice (Riso Integrale)
-1 ripe banana
-2 peaches
-2 pears
-8 large stawberries
-2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
-2 tablespoons of Balsamic Cream or if you can't find that, balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup whole cream (panna da cucinare)
- salt / pepper
- grated parm. cheese

Wash and cut the fruit into small pieces and place in a deep frying pan on low heat. Add the olive oil and let simmer but do not allow to burn! Add a bit of warm water if necessary. When the fruit is well mixed together, add a teaspoon of salt and a dash of black pepper along with the balsamic cream, cover for 5-10 minutes). Add the cream, mix well and take off heat, add 100 grated parma cheese and mix together.

Prepare your rice and serve the fruit either on top or mixed with the rice and serve warm with a dry white wine!

ENJOY

Polpettini / Meatballs Abruzzese

This recipe is from my paternal grandmother a native of Abruzzo. I don't know if she would be happy with me in publisizing her meatballs but they are sooo good that I want to share them with those appreciate authentic Italian cuisine.

The following recipe is for the meatballs/polpettini and in general are added to a ragu sauce. The sauce (a modified, short-cut verions of the classical Italian ragu) will follow:

Serving size: 6

- 1 kg (2 pounds approx) ground beef
- 2 large Tuscan (or spicey Italian) sausages
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 3 eggs
- 200 grams breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
- 100 grams grated parma cheese
- dash of origano
- pepper

PREPARATION:
In a good size bowl add the ground beef, the sausages (take off the skin), the eggs, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, origano. Your parsely and garlic first need to but cut fine (I use a half-moon) and add to the beef with the olive oil and perhaps a bit of balsamic vinegar (optional).

Mix up well with your hands and let sit for a few minutes. Make golfball size balls and make sure that they are compact.

In a large sauce pan add extra virgin olive oil, heat and place your meatballs and carefully turn so that they are uniformly browned. Note that you don't want to cook them completely during this phase but merely brown them so that they remain intact.

These meatballs then should be removed from the saucepan and placed carefully on kitchen papertowels to absorb the extra oil. They will then be added to your ragu sauce and let cook with the sauce for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.

ENJOY!

GET SAUCED WITH EGGPLANTS !

If you love eggplant and you arent offended by meat then you will love this, I made it on Sunday and was a hit!!!

This is a great sauce which is better the next day or as a left-over thus the serving for the below recipe is on the big end with a whapping TEN.

You will need about 2 1/2 hours to prepare and cook this.

YOU WILL NEED:
- 2 lb (800 kg approx) rigatoni
- 1 lb (600 gr) beef tenderloin
- 3.5 oz mushrooms (mixed)
- chicken giblets
- 3.5 oz butter
- 5 oz grated Parmgiano cheese
- 2 lb (800 gr) tomato pulp
- 1.5 oz ham (smoked)
- 1.5 cups dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 large eggplants
- salt & pepper QB

PREPARATION:
You will need a large sauce-pan, put in it your ham (chopped up rather small), your onion (sliced thin) and 2 tablespoons of oil. Let brown and add your meat over this and brown on high heat for a few minutes, then add your wine and when evaporated add the tomato and enough water as well to cover the meat and season with salt and pepper... maintain heat high until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover, cook for about 1.5 hours. At this point, remove your tenderloin when its cook and cut it into small squares. The sauce (less the meat) need be sieved and put into another saucepan and add your meat squares to it, add the giblets and the thinly sliced mushrooms. Prepare the boiling water with a tablespoon of salt and a bit of olive oil, add the rigatoni. In good size frying pan add enough olive oil to cover the surface, cut your eggplants into thin slices (naturally after having been cleaned), add a bit of salt and a cut clove of garlic, cook til browned. When the rigatoni are al dente, drain and place in your serving plates and place a bit of butter and a sprinkly of parma cheese. Now dress the plated pasta with approx. half of the meat sauce and finally place a layer of your eggplants on top of the sauce, sprinkle another layer of parma cheese and serve !

A sure winner .... SALUTI

POTATO GNOCCHI

Buongiorno Amici !

Today I have prepared something ma molto molto facile ! Potato Gnocchi... your friends will think that you went all out for them, but really its almost as easy as boiling water:

Servings 6
Prep and cooking time needed: about 40 minutes to prepare and another 5 to cook. But remember you can always freeze your gnocchi and pull them out, put in boiling water and in 5 minutes you have a great meal.

YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 1/5 lb (approx. 800gr) all-purpose flour or in Italy "00" Farina.
- 3 1/5 lb (approx. 2 kg) potatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 oz (3 large tablespoons butter)
- Parmmigiano Cheese (grated to taste but again, go heavy !)

PREPARATION:
First you need to boil the potatoes until well cooked but not mushy. Let them cool off, peal them and mash them.
Take your flour and put on a untreated wooded or marble surface (or any large cutting board will do). May a well or I like to call it a crater with the flour. In the center of the flour, add the eggs, softened butter and mix well together. At this point you will need to make strips with the mixture the size of MY fingers.
Cut the strips then about an inch (or a couple of cm) in length and carefully squash your little creations with your index finger making a sliding movement to make a curl shape figure.
This is fairly time consuming so make sure you are in the mood to create !
Your new born gnocchi need to cooked in boiling(salted) water. When they float to the top, they are ready. Make sure you drain ALL THE WATER OUT, dress with a very generous amount of your cheese and butter !

Alternatively you can serve these with pesto sauce (another recipe) or a tomato-ragu sauce or even a simple tomatoe sauce with some basil.

ENJOY!

RISOTTO III - Pumpkin Risotto

A very delicate dish and even got my 10 year old to eat it!
Total prep and cook time is about an hour (30 prep + 30 cooking)
Servings - 4
YOU WILL NEED:

- 1 kg (approx. 2 lb) yellow pumpkins
- 1 white onion
- 4 tablespoons of butter (3 During prep and another when cooked)
- 3 cups of milk (better whole but semi-fat is ok) NOT SKIMMED FOR GODS SAKE!
- 500 gr (approx. 3/4 lb)Carnaroli Rice
- Grated Parmigiano Cheese (at least 200 gr) or to taste but I like to go heavy on it
- 1 teaspoon sugar(brown)
- salt to taste

PREPARATION:

First you need to peel your pumpkin (I cut it up in chunks first which makes it easier to peel and clean). Let them dry some and then place in a large saucepan with the butter on the sliced (thin) onion to brown. Salt while browning and then add the sugar and cover (you may need to had 1/4 cup of water) until softened. Add the milk and the milk and when it starts to boil add the rice, cover and cook until the rice is soft. If your rice appears uncooked by the time the milk has evaporated then add a bit more water.

Serve with butter (a tablespoon) and with the grated Parmesan Cheese.
Serve Hot
ENJOY !

COMING SOON - Some Basics

Coming very soon I will be adding some of the very basics:
1. Béchamel Sauce
2. Beef Broth
3. Brown Stock

Yes I agree, doesn't sound all that exciting but they are part of the ABC's in Italian Cuisine.

RISOTTO II - Alla Giuseppe Verdi !!!

Risotto alla Giuseppe Verdi...mmmm interesting so what is it?
This is a risotto which is very tasteful and basically if you are on a diet, I wouldnt suggest it!

You will need about 40 minutes to prepare and cook this wonderful side or even main dish.

YOU WILL NEED:
Servings 6
- 400 gr / 1 lb of Carnaroli Rice
- 150 gr / 5 oz (circa) of butter
- 100 gr mixed mushrooms (dry are fine as well)
- 100 gr asparagus tips
- 100 gr smoked ham / prosciuto
- 150 gr canned tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of cooking cream
- 1 cup of meat broth
- 1/2 red onion sliced very thin
- Parmigiano Cheese grated

PREPARATION:
In a medium size saucepan add a couple tablespoons of butter, when melted add the sliced/chopped onion, your mushrooms (if whole then slice them thin), the asparagus tips, your ham/prosciutto) and the peeled tomatoes (diced). Allow this to simmer for about 10 minutes (covered). You will then need to add about a cup of stock, then add your rice. Allow to cook approximately 15 minutes on low heat, at this point the rice should be about half finished, now stir in slowly your cream. When the rice is cooked, add another tablespoon of butter and mix in the sprinkle with your grated cheese.

Serve immediately with a nice dry Italian wine!
SALUTI

RISOTTO I - Parmigiana Style with Sausage

Finally I've arrived to the Risotto...! Gonna do a series of Risotto starting off with my absolute favorite: Parmigiana Style with Italian Sausage.

It's rather easy to prepare and total prep and cook time need is about 30 minutes.
Servings - 6

YOU WILL NEED:
- 150-200 gr butter
- 1 good sized onion cut very thin (white)
- 400 gr Carnaroli Rice
- 1/4 cup of dry white wine
- 3 sausages (I prefer Tuscan or spicy)
- 150 gr grated Parmigiano cheese grated.
- 5 cups of meat broth
- salt and pepper (QB)

PREPARATION:
First thing you need to do is to simmer your broth in a good size saucepan on low heat and cover.
Now in a heavy pan melt 3 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the rice and the meat (no skin) of the sausage, avoid junks of meat and stir all together for about 3-4 minutes.
Add the white wine and stir until the wine has evaporated and then add 1 cup of the hot broth and let simmer until the broth has been absorbed. Remember to stir frequently !
Now add in the rest of your broth (slowly) while stirring until the rice is creamy but not cooked completely, you want the rice "al dente" which will take about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add in the rest of the butter and the grated cheese.
Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
Serve HOT !
SALUTI

Get Sauced V - alla Carbonara

Its a rainy Friday here in Florence and just opened the fridge.... not much left unfortunately, WRONGOOO! I found some bacon, a dozen eggs, a bit of pecorino cheese and naturally there is always some emergency pasta in the house.

This is a super easy dish and is perfetto for a rainy night dinner.

You will need about 20 minutes to prepare and cook this.
Servings - 4 (great leftover meal too)

YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 lb spaghetti (Barilla is my choice)
- 4 egg yolks
- 6 to 8 oz bacon (dont use the bacon bits in a jar please!)
- 4 oz of Pecorino cheese (grated)
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion (white)
- salt and pepper (QB oh if you dont know what QB means, Quanto Basta or just the necessary amount)

PREPARATION:
First thing is to put on some jazzy music.
Cut your bacon into strips and place in a large sauce pan along with the smashed and cut up garlic as well as the onion (sliced very thin).
Fry the above until the bacon is crisp. Some people remove the garlic, I like to keep it in but its your choice.

At this point you will want to boil the water for the pasta so fill the kettle, add salt and a teaspoon of olive oil to the water.

While the water is starting to boil up, beat the egg yolks with just a dash of salt and add your grated Pecorino.

When the pasta is "al dente" (pasta should be cooked al dente and NOT soft), drain the water and add it to your sauce pan with the bacon, heat on low now and add the eggs and just a tad of warm water (from the kettle of water you used to cook the pasta). Stir and serve with a sprinkle of pecorino & black pepper !

Serve with a dry white wine (from Veneto is suggested)

ENJOY!

ANTIPASTI III - Carciofi all'arancia

Carciofi all'arancia would probably translate to something like "a mouthful of fantastic flavors" or perhaps Artichokes as a centerpiece.... read and you will get it:

This is one of my inventions, easy to prepare and truly orgasmic!!!

Servings - 4
YOU WILL NEED:
4 - medium size artichokes
2 - garlic gloves
50 gr - chopped walnuts
100 gr - parma. cheese or percorino (grated)
Parsley (a good handful)
2 - large oranges
Balsamic cream (by Ponti)
Butter (tablespoon)
2 - tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION:
You will first need to clean and cut your artichokes and this is how you do it: I call it around the world. First cut the stem off the artichoke, the peal off the leaves around the lower rim then hold it in your hand and place your thumb about 30% from the bottom and with your other hand peal off the leaves by going around the artichoke one time. Now move your thumb up to 50% from the bottom and peal off the leaves once around and finally move your thumb up to 75% from the bottom and peal off the hard leaves going around once.
What you have remaining should be a cleaned and tender(exterior) of the artichoke. Now cut the artichoke in half. You will see a fuzzy like substance towards the lower center, with a teaspoon take out this fuzz. Now cut the halves into quarters. You need to do this for all 4 artichokes.

In a sauce pan, put your olive oil and your smashed and cut up garlic, let golden. Add the parsley (cut up naturally with your half-moon) and the artichokes. Cover and let simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add about a generous tablespoon of your balsamic cream, a dash of salt and a bit of water then cover. Lower heat and let cook for approximately 20 minutes but be careful to add water so that they dont burn.

Take your big oranges, peal them and cut into to 1/2 inch slices (remove a small circle in the middle). Set them aside and with your chopped walnuts put them in a small sauce-pan with your butter and let them cook so that they become roasted.

At this point your artichokes will be done. Remove from the sauce pan and place on a bowl. In the same sauce pan on high heat add just a bit of olive oil and another tablespoon of your balsamic cream, when pan is hot add the orange slices and prepare as if you were preparing a piece of serloin... that is just a few minutes on each side. Dont overcook the oranges otherwise they become mushy and you DONT WANT THIS.

On dessert plates, take your bottle of Ponti Balsamic Cream and make a couple of circles (BE CREATIVE), place the orange slices on your balsamic design. Take 3-4 quarters of your artichokes and stand them in the middle of the oranges. Sprinkle your chopped walnuts on the top and then your grated cheese on top the walnuts.

Serve warm and ENJOY!

MAIN DISH - Chicken with walnuts !

Ok ladies and gents... something really easy but will leave you with your mouths wide open (con la bocca aperta) !

An easy main dish that will take about an hour to prepare and cook.
Servings - 6 (unless you invite me, then 4)

- 2.5 lbs (approx. 1 kg) of cut and cleaned chicken
- 7 oz. spring onion
- 3.5 oz cream (or panna da cucina)
- 1.5 oz Brandy
- 2 oz chopped walnuts
- 3/4 oz butter
- salt & pepper

PREPARATION
First you will need a good size sauce pan, put your chopped sping onions in it with about a tablespoon of melted butter and a bit of salt, cover and let simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
Now take your chicken pieces and roll in flour and add to the above and let cook with lid off for approx. 20 minutes and pour a bit of Brandy on the chicken and let evaporate. Salt and pepper then add your chopped walnuts, put lid back on and let simmer for approx. 30 minutes. Add your cream and let cook for another 5 minutes or so. SIMPLE!

Serve with a nice dry white, ENJOY!

ANTIPASTI II - EGGPLANT MEAT (LESS) BALLS

A Great Antipasto or a mean in itself - Eggplant Meat-less Balls

Well they aren't actually balls but rather elongated in shape and just had them for lunch today! Results..... pretty good.

A great appetizer and really easy to prepare.
You will need about an hour and 10 minutes to prepare and cook
Servings 4-6

YOU WILL NEED:
- 2 medium size eggplants
- 3 eggs
- breadcrumbs - 250-300 grams
- a good size bunch of parsley
- 2 garlic cloves
- grated pecorino cheese 150 grams
- frying oil
- salt and pepper

PREPARATION:
Clean and wash the eggplants, cut them in quarters and boil for about 30 mintues. Drain then let cool.
In a medium size bowl, put the breadcrumbs, chopped parsley and garlic, grated cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.
When the eggplants are cooled (to touch), squeeze the remaining liquid and combine together with the breadcrumbs, mix well together.
Form elongated pieces about .5 inch high (1.5cm) x 2 inches long (6cm) and place in frying oil. It will take about 10 minutes to fry these babies, they should be golden in color.

ENJOY !

PASTA & PASTA I - Spaghetti al Cartoccio (baked in foil)

A simple dish that looks very very not so simple... a real WOW on your table!

This is a fun dish, made it tonight, simple and veramente buono:

Servings 4

YOU NEED:
- 1 lb and maybe a bit more (800 gr) of spaghetti
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves (dont you the stuff from a jar, please!)
- a bunch of parsley
- 8 good size prawns, peeled of course
- 1 lb of peeled clams (400 gr)
- 1 lb (400 gr) squid
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- a tin (7-8 oz or better 4 red tomatoes diced

PREPARATION:
You need about 20-30 minutes and about 15 minutes to cook
Take out a medium siZE casserole, add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic.
When the garlic starts to golden, add all the cleaned fish. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, when the fish begins to dry, add the white wine and let cook for another few minutes.
Add the diced or tinned tomatoes and the chopped parsley.
At this point, you'll need to boil the water for the pasta, add salt and a dab of olive oil to the water. When it boils, add the pasta.
When the pasta is very al dente (about half cooked), drain and dress with your sauce.
With your serving dishes, place a strip of aluminum foil in each, add the pasta and wrap and put in your oven at 400 F or 225 C for approximately 5 minutes.

ENJOY !

My Saturday Ravioli

First thing this morning, well not the first thing.... made ravioli with ricotta and spinach filling! Turned out pretty good so we had them for lunch with Salvia and Butter sauce. Not the lightest thing in the world but hey, its Saturday. They were just a bit weak with the nutmeg, next time need to add just a dash more.

Can't figure out how to add photos along with the post yet, give me time.

ANTIPASTI I - CHEESE BALLS

CHEESE BALLS

This is really easy to prepare and is perfect for munchies, antipasti or even for a main course.

You will need about 40 minutes to prepare and cook these appetizers and about 5 minutes to eat them!

Servings - 4

WHAT YOU NEED:
- 3/4 lb or approx. 1/2 kg of white bread (pugliese is the best... that is salted bread)
- 1.5 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped (I'm a garlic monster so I normally go heavy on it)
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz grated Pecorino cheese (in kg.. well go heavy on it for more flavor, 200-300 gr

PREPARATION:
In a good size bowl mix the inside of a loaf of bread (no crust) along with the Pecorino and the eggs. Mix well together then add the chopped garlic and parsley, form balls (golf ball size) / polpettine. Frie them in hot olive oil and your done!

You can also eat these with a ragu sauce, in which case you will need to frie the polpettine first, then add to your ragu / tomatoe sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

ENJOY !

Get Sauced - IV Ragu alla Bolognese

The Bolognese Sauce is considered one of the basics in Italian cuisine. Its fairly easy to prepare but don't think you can do it during a tv commercial. Get relaxed, no kids at home to start.

Servings - 6
You will need about 2 hours to prepare and cook this sauce.
- 1 3/4 oz ham (prosciuto)
- 1 big red onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of extra vergin olive oil
- 1/2 lb or 200 gr ground beef
- 1/2 oz or a small package of dried mixed mushrooms
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 can tomato pulp
- 1/2 tablespoon flour
- a pince of parsley
- a pinch of nutmeg

THE PREPARATION (You'll need about 20 minutes plus about 1 1/2hr for cooking)
In a good size sauce pan put the chopped ham (prosciuto) along with the olive oil and saute until it becomes slightly browned then add the onions, carrot, celery and your garlic in addition to the ground been and your mushrooms. Cook this on moderate heat for about 10 minutes, then add the red wine and the finely chopped parsley in addition to the salt, pepper and the pinch of nutmeg.
When the wine has evaporated, add the flour but make sure you stir this off the heat. When the flour is mixed in well, return to heat, cover and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so (make sure your heat is reduced). At this point you will need to add the tomatoes and douse from time to time with water.
You will know the sauce is done when it all is well amalgamated and slightly thickened.

Serve with pasta and a good Chianti Vino!

ENJOY...

Get Sauced part III (sauce for the Monticchio Ravioli)

Ok so now you have the ravioli made so you need a sauce but not any sauce. This is for the Monticchio Ravioli (see recipe directly below this one).

You will need the following:
- 1/2 lb or approx. 250 gr of lean veal (cut into very small pieces)
- 2 lb or about 900 gr tinned tomatoes
- parsley
- a package of chili pepper
- 2 red onions
- 1 carrot
- celery
- grated Pecorino cheese
- salt and pepper

Start of with a good size sauce pan. Add a couple T spoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped parsley, celery and onions on medium heat for about 5 minutes but stir frequently. Add the cut up veal and carrot (cut into thin slices) and add the chili pepper (uncovered). When the meat is slightly browned add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cover for approx. 20 minutes. When finished add to your pasta or in this case your ravioli and grate the pecorino cheese on top and ENJOY!

RAVIOLI Part I

Well its Sunday and what a better day than to .... no not sleep but make Ravioli! I've decided to try the Monticchio Style Ravioli which basically is the traditional spinach and ricotta but with a bit of Cognac liqueur. Will try and put a couple fotos here if I can figure how to do it.

The sauce will be posted seperately in the Get Sauced Part III post.

Serving Six
To make the ravioli (the pasta for the ravioli) you will need the following:
- 1 lb or 1 kilo of all-purpose flour or the 00 type in Italy
- 3 eggs for the lb version or about 7 eggs for the kilo (to simplify measurements)
- Salt (a pinch)
- a T spoon or olive oil
To make the filling you need the following:
- 3/4 lb of ricotta cheese or about 500 gr
- Spinach
- 2 eggs
- parsley
- black pepper
- salt
- a sprinkle of nutmeg
- Cognac to taste

To prepare the dough: pour the flour on either a large cutting board or a marble surface, make a vulcano shape and with your fist, gently make an indentation in the center. Mix the eggs seperately in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and when mixed pour in the center of your vulcano. Add a bit of extra vergin olive oil and start to kneed the dough buy pushing the flour towards the center until you have a good size ball. With the palms of your hands start to kneed (probably for about 10 minutes or so) until the texture is smooth. Let the dough set for about 20 minutes (cover it with a damp cloth). You will thenn need to roll-out the dough either with a pin or a pasta machine so as to make long strips of pasta. With a spoon, place the filling in little balls in the center of your stip of pasta making sure that you leave about 3 inches between each ball. When you have your stip (s) of pasta filled with the balls of filling, prepare some egg yolk and with a brush (i use a thin paint brush) paint with your egg yolk along one side of the strip so when you close the strip over the balls it will adhere and keep the newly formed ravioled sealed with put to boil. Cut the ravioli out of the closed strip of pasta with a pasta cutter or an expresso coffee cup and there you have it.

Stay tuned for the sauce!

Get Sauced - Part II (Porcini Mushroom Sauce)

The juices are flowing. Another really flavorful sauce which is great with meat and pasta is the porcini mushroom sauce. There are lots of variations of this but the one I have cited below is wonderful and pretty easy to prepare:

- 1 lb of porcini mushrooms (if you can't find them then 3 oz of the dried version)
- 1 good size onion (i prefer red)
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 garlic cloves
- parsley (amt omitted, but i prefer a good amount)
- 4 large and ripened tomatoes
- oregano (QB - just a sprinkle)
- 1/2 extra vergin olive oil
- salt and pepper

Ok now roll up your sleeves and prepare the herbs chopped and mixed together however don't add yet the parsley and brown these in a sauce pan in the olive oil. You may want to dilute some with a bit of warm (always warm water with preparing your sauces) water. Then add in the porcinis (cleaned naturally and sliced) and if you are using the dried ones, they must be soaked first and I like to soak them in warm water and balsamic vinegar. Add in the ripened tomatoes, the oregano and salt/pepper. Lower the heat and stir frequently allowing the mushrooms to cook very slowly as your sauce thickens. Now add in your parsley (finely chopped)!

As usual, give me your feedback!
Saluti

Walnut Sauce

Ok I'll be the first!
A very simple and useful sauce that can be used with ravioli, tagliatelle and even store purchased Barilla pasta!!!! Can also be used with chicken and turkey but I also use it on some antipasti such as orange slices with artichokes (yeah more artichokes, cant get enough of them babies!)

Ok the Sauce: You need about 15-20 walnuts, about 4-6 good size garlic gloves (dont buy that crapy store mixed stuff), bread crumbs and salt and pepper and if you like fresh lemon juice (just to give it an added punch). The flavor should not cover up the flavor of your main dish and thus is ideal for bland foods and pasta.

If you have confectionary (packaged) nuts ... no jokes please then it makes the job easier. Crush the walnuts with a pestle and mortar or a food processor, add about half a cup of bread crumbs and liquidate them!!! you can add a bit of lemon juice here but you dont want to create a liquid affect. add a bit of salt and pepper (white) and you can add butter or cream when serving. An alternative is after blending (before adding lemon juice) toast the nuts in a pan with butter then add the cream when serving. Tell me how it went!

So go get sauced!!!!!

I'm trying to put together some great sauces for me and you all to share, but red and white. Tell me what are your favorite sauces, what do you use them for and most importantly, how do u make 'm??
Sauces are generally pretty easy to make but what makes them special are the little things such as porcini mushrooms, hotpeppers, the quality of anything that goes in naturally reflects what comes out so as a rule add on fresh ingredients and nothing frozen or processed.... I love to combine flavors such as sweet and bitter when combining dishes and even on the same plate. So tell me guys and gals what are your favorites!

A good site for recipies

Just came across a pretty good site and its free for "pretty good" recipies.. its complete with pics and fairly well details: www.grouprecipies.com check it out.