Simple, Delectable Tuscan Pasta

When I was in Greve in Chianti with the Mediterranean Opera Studio I stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast in Monte Chiari. The proprietor, Ada is a lovely and warm woman who often made us delicious treats, like an orange cake, or a pear tart, or would share some of her produce from the garden. One day, she and her husband Paolo supplied me with a wonderful recipe for pasta-it yields a delicious, perfect sauce that clings to pasta without being overly gloppy.

For this recipe I used pici, which is a local pasta. It sort of looks like chubby spaghetti:

I'm not certain if you can find it in the US, but I've made it with cavatappi here in the states. I also think bucatini would work well with this dish. One of my favorite ingredients for this dish is water–specifically about 1/2 a cup of the salted water in which the pasta has been boiling. The starch from the pasta helps lend a velvety, creamy texture to the sauce, and adds just a bit of saltiness. 

Ada instructed me to remove the skins (but not the seeds) of the tomatoes, so I start the recipe by pouring boiling water over the tomatoes-this makes it very easy to peel the tomatoes!

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 pound of pasta such as pici or cavatappi

1 small to medium onion

1 clove of garlic (optional)

8 or 9 smallish tomatoes such as Roma tomatoes

2 medium sized zucchini

4 basil leaves

Method:

1. Boil a small pot of water, and pour over the tomatoes. Peel the skins off the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes and reserve in a bowl.

2. Dice the onion, garlic (if using,) and zucchini (but keep them separate.)

2. Saute the onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until they start to become translucent, about five minutes.

3. While your onions are cooking, put a pot of water on to boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water.

4. Add the tomatoes to the saute pan and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add the pasta to the water, and set your timer (I always shoot for 1 to 2 minutes under the recommended cooking time, as I like my pasta very al dente.)

6. Add the chopped zucchini to the saute pan, and cook another 5 minutes. Tear the basil leaves into the sauce. and toss.

7. Remove 1/2 a cup of water from the pasta water and add to the saute pan and stir. This will help the sauce become a bit more "saucy."

8. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Buon apetito!

Homemade Caesar Salad!

I love a good Caesar salad! Unfortunately, I find that good Caesar salads can be difficult to find–the vast majority of them at restaurants are bland, limp, lifeless and fall quite flat. There are a few exceptions to this rule–I find that Bistro Romano in Philadelphia makes an excellent one, and (naturally) there are a few good ones in New York. But sometimes, I just want a reliably delicious salad, so I turn to this recipe.

It's worth noting that I love salad, but hate making it. Most of the time I find it tedious and boring to make. This is not one of those salads–it's actually quite fun to make, and you can enlist your friends to help you dry and chop the romaine. I also enjoy the process of making the croutons for the salad, which, again is easy. If you don't want the bread or are gluten intolerant, I find that substituting tomatoes for croutons works beautifully (sometimes I do this anyway, or have tomatoes AND croutons...)

While a staple on Italian menus, Caesar salad was actually born in Tijuana, Mexico! Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur with a flair for the dramatic, whisked these ingredients (he was out of a lot of things) table side and it caught on. Now Caesar salad is featured on menus coast to coast.

A few notes on my preparation of this classic: I really like a Caesar salad with a kick, and I like to use a full teaspoon of hot Dijon mustard. If you're not in the market for so much heat, then cut it back to a 1/2 teaspoon. Traditionally, a wooden bowl is used to mix the ingredients. I do not have a wooden bowl, so I use a stainless steel one. It still comes out perfectly.

Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of anchovy paste (or 2 anchovy fillets– use the paste)
1 teaspoon of smooth Dijon mustard (the fierier the better)
1 egg yoke (or 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise if you find the thought of an egg yoke abhorrent)
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of Parmesan cheese (I like Parmigiano–Reggiano or Grana Padano)
1 teaspoon of black pepper

Method:
1. In your bowl, muddle (or crush with a fork) the garlic and salt together–crush the garlic into tiny pieces. The salt will help break down the garlic a bit.

2. Add the anchovy paste and Dijon mustard, and incorporate into the garlic mixture.

3. Add the egg yoke and mix thoroughly.

4. Switch implements–grab a whisk! Whisk in the 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, then drizzle in the olive oil while whisking.

5. Add 1/2 cup of of cheese to the bowl and whisk in it.

6. Add the black pepper.

7. Toss with croutons (recipe below) or chopped tomatoes and enjoy!

Croutons

Perhaps unsurprisingly, croutons are very easy to make–there's really no need to by those lumps of reincarnated stale bread in a bag. A sourdough boule is delicious, but I've use lots of varieties. I've even used a baguette once when I didn't have anything else, and the croutons were delicious.

Ingredients:
Bread
1 1/2 tablespoons of Olive oil (maybe a bit of butter)
Garlic powder
salt
pepper

Method:

1. Cut the bread into cubes–you can remove the crust or not–I never do (I think it has more personality)

2. Heat the oil and (if using) butter in a pan

3. Add the bread to the pan, toss garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. When the croutons are golden brown, serve!

Alternate Method:

Preheat the oven to 350, put the croutons on a half sheet pan, toss with seasoning and bake for 15 minutes or so, or until brown.

Ready to eat!