briciole

Annuncio: una pasta veloce per cena (numero 254)

Announcement: Presto Pasta Nights #254 The fireworks are still lighting the sky over the celebrations for the firth anniversary of Presto Pasta Nights, the popular event created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, but, since life goes on, I am here to announce edition #254 of the event, which I am hosting this week. Pasta comes in a myriad shapes and it is so versatile that you can make something as simple as pasta al burro e parmigiano and as complex as a pan of lasagne, every component of it homemade. Week after week, Presto Pasta Nights captures snapshots of... Read more →

pesto secco / dry pesto

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] rocchetti al pesto The name pesto comes from the past participle of the Italian verb pestare (to pound). In fact, pesto is made by placing the ingredients in a marble mortar (mortaio). I read that, once basil leaves are added, circular movements of the wooden pestle (pestello) against the sides of the mortar are preferred to pounding: they are applied until the sauce attains the desired consistency. The traditional recipe requires the Genovese cultivar of sweet basil (basilico). The flavor of pesto depends on the flavor of the basil used, but the... Read more →

una pasta veloce per cena numero 241: il riepilogo

Presto Pasta Nights #241: the roundup It's Friday and therefore it's time to share the pasta dishes that I have received in my inbox throughout the week. In the US, this is also a "special" Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, a celebration rich in food traditions. Those traditions don't include pasta, but I am sure leftovers from the Thanksgiving table will provide inspiration for creative pasta dishes. That, of course, is for the next few days. Today, we are looking at dishes cooked up last week. Without further ado, here is the roundup of edition #241 of Presto Pasta Nights, the... Read more →

gnocchi di ricotta / ricotta gnocchi

Over two years ago, Daring Cooks started and the first recipe chosen by founders Ivonne and Lisa was ricotta gnocchi from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. I loved the recipe and said so in the post I wrote about it, which ends with these words: I will definitely make gnocchi di ricotta again soon. Not only did I make then soon afterwards, but I have made them over and over again, much to my husband's delight. The routine goes like this: I make cheese1 using two gallons of milk, then I make ricotta with the leftover whey (siero di... Read more →

Annuncio: una pasta veloce per cena (numero 241)

Announcement: Presto Pasta Nights #241 I have the honor of hosting edition #241 of Presto Pasta Nights, the popular event created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. Pasta comes in a myriad shapes and it is so versatile that you can make something as simple as pasta al burro e parmigiano and as complex as a pan of lasagne, every component of it homemade. Week after week, Presto Pasta Nights captures snapshots of the countless realizations of pasta dishes by food bloggers around the world. I will be delighted to receive your contribution to this week's edition of Presto Pasta... Read more →

una pasta veloce per cena numero 226: il riepilogo

Presto Pasta Nights #226: the roundup It's Friday and therefore it's time to share the pasta dishes that I have received in my inbox throughout the week — links and photos, of course, though I certainly wish someone could figure out a way to receive actual tasting samples. Without further ado, here is the roundup of edition #226 of Presto Pasta Nights, the popular event created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. For each contribution, I will give you the official information (author, blog name and post title) and a short quote or brief description that summarizes it — a... Read more →

farfalle rosa al burro e parmigiano / pink bow-tie pasta with butter and parmigiano

I recently received a gift of three Italian cookbooks, one of which is Pasta fatta in casa (homemade pasta) by Paola Loaldi. The moment I opened this book, I knew I'd have fun with it, as it is full of nice ideas for pasta using a variety of flours and other ingredients. I immediately tried one recipe from the chapter Paste fantasia, but today I will talk about my second experiment, from the same chapter. Farfalle (butterflies) is a pasta shape I favored as a child, though I cannot really explain why. In English, this pasta shape is referred to with... Read more →

Annuncio: una pasta veloce per cena (numero 226)

Announcement: Presto Pasta Nights #226 I have the honor of hosting edition #226 of Presto Pasta Nights, the popular event created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. Pasta comes in a myriad shapes and it is so versatile that you can make something as simple as pasta al burro e parmigiano and as complex as a pan of lasagne, every component of it homemade. Week after week, Presto Pasta Nights captures snapshots of the countless realizations of pasta dishes by food bloggers around the world. I will be delighted to receive your contribution to this week's edition of Presto Pasta... Read more →

una pasta veloce per cena numero 219: il riepilogo

Presto Pasta Nights #219: the roundup It's Friday and therefore it is time to share the pasta dishes that I have received in my inbox throughout the week (links and photos, of course, though I certainly wish someone could figure out a way to receive actual tasting samples). Without further ado, here is the roundup of edition #219 of Presto Pasta Nights, the popular event created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. For each contribution, I will give you the official information (author, blog name and post title) and a short quote or brief description that summarizes it — a... Read more →

tagliatelle al pomodoro con le fave / tagliatelle with tomato sauce and fava beans

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] This is a story that starts with a 28 oz. can of organic ground peeled tomatoes that I had had in my cupboard for a while. After using the can a few times as a weight in the making of this cheese, I decided it was time to use its contents, so I opened it. I warmed up some olive oil (olio d'oliva) in a pan, added 3 cloves of garlic (spicchi d'aglio), peeled, let them infuse the oil a bit and then added the peeled tomatoes (pomodori pelati) from the can.... Read more →