Bigoi in salsa

Yes, I am back and back to cooking after few weeks of no cooking at all… almost unbelievable! I can’t live without cooking…

I imagine you are wondering what bigoi in salsa are.

But, please, be careful with this dish… not everyone likes it.

Before we move on, some explanation about the two words of the title is required.

Bigoi o bigoli are a kind of handmade thick spaghetti made in the Northeast of Italy. They are shaped using a torchio, a hand crank pasta press, or pasta extruder, and depending on the type of die you use you can make different shapes of pasta (if you find the die for making gargati, please let me know). On the historical side, Thomas Jefferson, among other things, brought drawings of torchio for pasta after touring northern Italy in 1787. I will leave aside the recipe to prepare the bigoi dough for another time. As for now, you can use any king of thick spaghetti, bucatini, or even some nicely thick fettuccine, as long as you are using egg pasta.

Salsa, no, no, no! It has nothing to do with the tomato based Mexican salsa, nor with the dance.

Salsa is a typical Venetian sauce (this is what salsa means in Venice) than can is in different recipes. It is a very simple, very poor and very local preparation. Most importantly it has such a distinctive flavor that either you like it or you hate it. I simply love it!

The ingredients for the original recipe are one onion (white onion, please), one garlic clove, extra virgin olive oil, anchovies (either fresh or the salted ones). Simple, aren’t they?!

And the preparation is even simpler. Slice very thin the onion and the garlic and let them stew in some olive oil and a splash of water. You don’t have to brown the onion, it has to remain white. At this point let’s take the anchovies: if they are fresh, just peel and debone them. If they are salted, wash away the salt, and if they are salted and in olive oil, try to get rid of the oil as much as possible. You add the anchovies to the onion. Stew the sauce for five minutes or less on a very mild flame and, before the five minutes are over, add half a glass of white wine. Once the wine has evaporated, it’s ready to go. Cook you pasta al dente and pour the sauce on your pasta. Mix it and… buon appetito.

The most important thing is to realize that it tastes just like Venice.

Hope you like it! If you don’t, I understand, don’t worry.

Broth, stock, and what else?!

I know, I promised and here I am!
So... for the risotto, and for so many other things, usually the liquid we add for the actual cooking is some sort of stock or broth.

I don't want to get into the discussion of what's the difference. To me, it seems that the difference is the presence or absence of bones but looking at different definitions will give you different results.
My personal standpoint on the matter? I stay away from store-bought stock or broth. Period!
 And I also stay away from the bouillon.

It doesn't take that long to prepare a broth regardless if it is meat, fish, or vegetable. Believe me! And taste-wise... no possible comparison.
As said before, any risotto will taste better any kind of broth is used. But if you don't have any, plain water will do just fine. It won't taste the same, but at least you won't be eating something you have no idea how it was made.

So, just good old plain water can be your last resort for your risotto. But if you have let's say half an hour before doing your risotto you can always prepare a vegetable broth: peel an onion, a carrot, a potato, smash a garlic clove (don't even peel it), and bring them to boil in a large pot with salted water and let boil for 20 minutes. And you are ready to go.

Preparing a meat broth requires some more planning and cooking time.
But it implies as well asking yourself what your are going to do with the boiled meat. Keep in mind one thing about boiling meat.
Putting any meat in cold water, and bring it to boil, will give an excellent broth (and a still eatable boiled meat because the meat released all juices into the water).
Putting any meat into boiling water will give you an excellent tender and juicy boiled meat (and a still decent broth) because all the juices were kept inside the meat.
The bad thing about broth is that there is no way you can compromise somewhere in between.
Boiling time depends on the size of the meat pieces used: but never cook for more than 45 minutes.
Adding some vegetables to a meat broth (added in cold water) will enhance the broth's flavors: carrot, onion (some say that one or two cloves in the onion will taste wonderful), stalk of celery... it depends on your taste... I don't believe in exact recipes...

As for fish broth things get a little more complicated. You need to find a fatty fish to have more flavor. Remember one thing: you will never get a good fish broth if you are going to used fileted fish and I stop here because I know some of you will start shaking your head. Cooking times depends on the size of the fish but they are usually closed to vegetable than to meat cooking times.

Promise me one thing: try to do chicken broth on your own. And I promise you will never ever again buy canned chicken soup.
Are you asking "how"?
Next time you go to the farmers' market, or to your preferred supermarket, buy a couple of chicken (organic will be better) thighs. At home, remove the skin, and bring to boil a large pot with let's say 4 quarts of salted water with a peeled onion and a carrot in it. You decide if you put the thighs in cold or in boiling water. Let boil for 25 minutes and remove the thighs. Add some small pasta, or rice, to the broth and cook according to the cooking instructions.
In the meantime, remove the bones and the cartilage, chop up the meat. Once the pasta, or rice, are cooked, add the meat and some mint leaves.
And believe me: friend(s) and/or significant other(s) will be forever grateful!

 

Rice and risotto: basic recipe, ingredients, techniques, and... no, I am not going to tell you all the secrets!

Risotto, that marvelous thing that Italians do at best!
Secrets? Not so many, but still there are a few things to be considered.

First, we have to talk about the main ingredient, the rice.
Not any rice, of course, but which one is the best? There are different options, of course, but one thing has to be kept in mind. If the label says "risotto rice"... well, that's not enough!

There are four main categories for Italian rice, and they refer to the size ans shape of the rice itself.
Round rice: It is short in size and round shape, it cooks fast and it is used for desserts and soups. Varieties of round rice: Americano 1600, Balilla, Rubino, Ticinese, among others. Not suitable for for risotto.

Medium rice (or semi-fine grain): it is medium in length and in size, and it is used to boiled rice, and for pies. Varieties of medium rice:  Italico, Lido, Padano, Vialone. The Vialone variant, the Vialone nano, due to its versatily is also used for the preparation of the risotto.
Long grain rice B (or fine grain): it is long and large in shape, it has a high resistance to cooking. It works well for risotto is suitable for risotto and other similar preparations. Varieties of long grain rice type B: are Ribe, S. Andrea, Emerald, Vialone. Depending of the variants, Vialone can be considered either semi-fine or fine rice.

Long grain rice A (or super-fine): it has very long and large grain, it is extremely resistant to cooking, adn it is the best for risotto and similar preparations. Varieties of super-fine rice are Arborio, Baldo, Carnaroli, and Rome. Carnaroli is considered the best due to its low degree of stickiness and high capacity of resistance to cooking.

So, to make risotto, start making a soffritto. I use a pan, add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil.
Ok, let me stop here for a second: butter or extra virgin olive oil? 
Answering to that question will have to consider at least three different things: 
a) the recipe you are using: there is a famous line in Italy that divides the peninsula according to the type of fat most frequently used in cooking and recipes coming from different regions may call for either butter or extra virgin olive oil.
b) the ingredients you are using: mainly what kind of broth (meat, vegetable, fish) are you going to used to prepare your risotto. If you are planning to use plain water, then consider the other ingredients: fish or seafood would prefer olive oil, vegetables can go with either one. In a perfect world, my personal rule would be not to mix vegetable and animal fat.
Have you ever wondered why in Italy they never bring you cheese with your seafood pasta? Now you know why. Moreover, keep this in mind when we will talk about the mantecatura.

c) your own taste... since you are in charge it's your call!

Let's go back to the soffritto: anything can be used to make the taste base for your risotto. The most common base for the soffritto would be finely sliced onion or shallot (yes, they are two different things: one is round the other is elongated) or even garlic but you'd better be careful with garlic.
The finer you slice your ingredients for the soffritto, the more perfumed it will be, the coarser you will slice them, the stronger taste your risotto will have.
So, again, it's your call. I prefer the right balance between smell and taste, but that might just be me.
When the, let's say extra virgin olive oil, is warm enough (not sizzling, of course), add the base for the soffritto. At this point, the soffritto has to sweat, wither, and wilt. To do this, I usually use white wine, not too dry. Rise the flame so that the alcoholic content evaporates and you are ready to go.

Adding the rice, marks the second step of preparing risotto the tostatura. Literally that means that you have to toast the grain but wait a second... let's understand properly this step. I have read so many times that you have to brown the rice... oh well, let's try not to exaggerate. What you have to do is to coat well and uniformly the grain with the soffritto.

And third stage is on its way, the actual cooking of the rice.
Coking risotto requires constant attention and dedication. The risotto wants you to stay there looking at it, stirring from regularly, and adding liquid. What and how much liquid, though?
What liquid? Some kind of stock or broth, any kind I would say, as long as it is not store bought. as anything else in the kitchen, preparing stock or broth, just requires some planning, it is not as difficult as it sounds (I promise I will post something on that soon).
If you don't have any broth or stock, just use plain water, and you'll be fine. Just be honest to yourself and to your guests.
How much liquid? The most important thing is that the boiling should never be stopped. Add liquid till the rice is covered and stir regularly.

The rice usually cooks in 15 to 18 minutes depending on the variety of grain being used.
One or two minutes before it is done, it's time to do the last touch.
First, turn off the stove (if you are using a gas stove) or take it out the burner (if you are using an electric stove) and let the risotto to rest.
If you want to proceed with the mantecatura this is the time. Add half a spoon of butter and a couple of spoons of grated hard (Italian) cheese, stir and let stand for the remaining of the time.
Risotto is served hot, right from the stove, with a large spoon.
Some recipes call for the risotto all'onda (meaning like a wave = onda) which means that it has not absorbed all the liquid. What makes the risotto creamy is the combination of the starch released by the grain during the cooking, and the fat content of the liquid. Most of the times the mantecatura covers the imperfections of the cooking process adding extra creaminess.
One day you will get there and you will see what I mean. Just keep trying.

To this basic recipe, any other ingredient can be added but it will be added at different stages of the cooking process, added to the soffritto or during the actual cooking of the rice, depending on the cooking times of the ingredients you have chosen.

Risi e bisi... a peas risotto, or almost!

Peas are finally here!

Peas are one of the first fruits of the garden after winter!
If you were born in the Northeastern part of Italy, you know what I am talking about. If you weren't ... don't worry, you can always try this recipe.

Let's talk about ingredients.
Peas... as fresh as possible and yes, with the pods, please! I would say a pound of peas in the pod is good for 3.

Shell the peas, clean the pods taking out the top and the bottom of the pods, and remove any lateral filament. Put the pods in cold water, add salt, and bring to boil. Once it starts to boil, let simmer for 25 minutes. Let it cool down and then with an immersion blender, puree the pods. Filter the puree, and don't worry it comes out watery. Remove any filaments you may find.
Now, let's go cooking the risotto.
Traditionally, vialone nano should be used but any other rice for risotto (carnaroli, arborio, roma to name those that can be found in the US: if you find baldo buy it and call me!) is fine, as long as it is for risotto. How much rice? I normally use 1/4 cup per person.

Chop finely half of an onion and a garlic clove.
In a pan put some extra virgin olive oil and when it's hot add the onion. Let the onion sweat and add some white wine. Simmer until onion is translucent. Add the peas, and stir gently.
Add the rice, and keep stirring so that the rice gets well coated (the so-called tostatura which, nonetheless does not mean you have to toast the rice!).


At this point, add the garlic, some chopped parsley, and some of the pods' puree and broth.
Preparing risotto requires constant attention on medium to high. Keep adding broth whenever it is necessary to keep the rice just under the liquid, and keep stirring.
Once it is almost done, you can add some butter and grated parmesan (the so called mantecatura).
The mantecatura adds that extra creaminess to the risotto, but believe me, if you do the tostatura right, and you cook the rice on medium high and you keep adding the pods' broth (or even water if your pods' broth runs out) and you keep stirring, your risotto will come out naturally creamy and just right!

A hint for this recipe. In Venice they usually prepare it all'onda. "What's that?" I hear you say.
 First of all, any risotto can be done all'onda, depending on your taste, of course. All'onda - which means wavy - implies that the rice has not absorbed all the liquid. It does not mean watery either: the liquid should be rich and full of the starch the rice released during the cooking process.
To reach the right point, you have to add the last ladle of broth one minute before the rice is cooked.
The mantecatura boosts the creaminess, but sometimes it "hides" or "covers" the wateriness of the risotto.
A small historical note on the dish. It was served to the Doge of the Serenissima Republic of Venice on April 25th, Saint Mark's day, to celebrate Spring. 

Pasta 'n kale!

probably the most acclaimed of my pasta dishes...

And yes, it it as simple as it sounds.
Kale is a wonderful vegetable to work with.
The most important thing is not to overdo it. I like the green color of kale and it  has to remain like that once cooked. If if turns grey, you ruined the kale, its flavor, and its nutrients.
I prefer to take off the stalks, of at least the bigger part of it.
Done that, rinse it under water and grabbing it with both hands start shredding it into smaller and smaller pieces. Don't cut the kale with a knife, it makes the kale taste bitter.
Peel two garlic cloves, smash them with the back of a knife, chop the gralic finely, and we are ready to go.
Olive oil (extra-virgin, of course) in a frying pan and once hot just put the kale.
Once the kale is in, the olive oil starts sizzling: add the garlic, some sea salt and half a cup of water. Cover and let it go on medium.
In the meantime, just put a big pot of water on the stove and add salt (sea salt).
Once the water is boiling add the pasta - your favorite shape of pasta - and cook it according to the instructions.
Check on the kale, and add some water if needed.
Drain the pasta, add it to the kale in the frying pan, and add some extra virgin olive oil.
Serve it with grated hard cheese.
Simplicity and perfection! And ... buon appetito!