It's Friday and time to share the pasta dishes that I have received as contributions to edition #288 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 — a teaser that invites you to follow the link to read the relevant post. Make sure you come back to this post and read it all through, included the important announcement at the bottom.
Marija of Palachinka prepared Chicken and Brandy Farfalle "Meat gets a special aroma after cooking with booze, admit it. Add dried mushrooms, anchovies and pine nuts and you’ve got a winner."
Alicia of Foodycat shares with us her Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Orzo "The sweet pumpkin, salty-creamy cheese, salty-crunchy panceta and clean, minerally spinach worked very well together, with the salty, spicy pumpkin seeds adding another layer of texture."
tigerfish of an escape to food shares with us Kale and Tomato Soba Noodle Soup A bowl of veggie-noodle soup prepared from scratch to go with some frozen handmade dumpling for a soul and body warming meal.
Simona of briciole presents handmade trofiette "To make a trofietta, I roll the short piece of dough with the side of my thumb, at the same time pushing slightly towards the right." (See the video in the post which also has a book giveaway)
As you read this, edition #289 is already under way, hosted by fellow Californians Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours. To participate, send your entries to kirstenmlindquist AT gmail DOT com and cc: ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com by Thursday, November 8.
Important announcement: Edition #289 is the last but one and then Ruth will host the final edition. I am calling all pasta lovers around the world: let's make sure we say a fitting goodbye to Presto Pasta Nigths and a huge thank you! to Ruth who has created and organized the event for 290 weeks.
Many thanks to all who contributed to produce an interesting collection of pasta dishes for this edition of Presto Pasta Nights. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.
This week, I have once again the honor of hosting Presto Pasta Night, edition #288 to be precise.
Pasta comes in a myriad shapes. This past summer, I started a journey into pasta shapes from southern Italy made by hand using an eggless dough: strascinati, orecchiette, maccheroni al ferro, gnocchetti sardi, and fusilli al ferro. I am having so much fun that I am planning to continue teaching my hands to make new tricks.
Week after week, Presto Pasta Nights captures snapshots of the countless realizations of pasta dishes by food bloggers around the world.
Important note: Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, the creator and organizer of Presto Pasta Nights, has just announced that edition #290 will be the last one: "After over five years, and what will be 290 roundups hosted by close to 100 charming hosts and too many recipes to count, it's time to call it a day."
Let's make sure we say Goodbye and Thank you with all due flourish to this beloved event!
I will be delighted to receive your contribution to this week's edition of Presto Pasta Nights. The rules to participate are detailed on this page. Feel free to let me or Ruth know if you have any questions.
Entries for this week's edition of PPN must be posted during the days covered by it, meaning, from Friday October 26 through Thursday, November 1. In your post, include a link to Presto Pasta Nights and also to briciole. You can download the PPN logo to add to your post.
Send your entry to me at simosite AT mac DOT com and cc Ruth at ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com, specifying PPN #288 in the title of the message.
In your email please include the following information:
Your Name
Your Blog Name/URL
Your Post URL
Attach a photo (maximum width 400px)
Sometimes messages get lost in cyberspace, so if you don't receive an acknowledgment of your email or see a comment on your post, please contact me again by leaving a comment on this announcement.
The deadline for submitting your contribution is Thursday night November 1, 2012. I will post the roundup on Friday.
It's Friday and time to share the pasta dishes that I have received as contributions to edition #280 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 — a teaser that invites you to follow the link to read the relevant post.
Val of More Than Burnt Toast shares with us Linguine ai Porcini "I fell in love with this pasta dish when I first tasted it from Pietro's demonstration. The dried porcini and the artisanal pasta make for a memorable dish."
Elizabeth of The Law Student’s Cookbook prepared Roasted Eggplant "Roasting the eggplant definitely transformed the texture into something palatable. This was a very easy pasta dish with a lot of flavor."
Joanne of Eats Well With Others offers us Creamy Spinach Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes "A spinach avocado pesto that tastes creamy and buttery even though there is not a hint of either in it, offset by the deeply sweet and slightly tangy flavor of roasted cherry tomatoes…"
Simona of briciole presents fusilli al ferro (handmade fusilli) A wooden skewer helps shape the fusilli, which are later dressed with a variation of beloved burro e parmigiano.
As you read this, edition #281 is already under way, hosted by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. To participate, send your entries to ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com by Thursday, September 14.
If you are interested in hosting this lovely event on your blog, contact Ruth at: ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com. You can always check who is hosting the current edition on this page.
Many thanks to all who contributed to produce an interesting collection of pasta dishes for this edition of Presto Pasta Nights. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.
It's Friday and time to share the pasta dishes that I have received as contributions to edition #277 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 — a teaser that invites you to follow the link to read the relevant post.
Sarah of La Cuisine de Sarah prepared Truffle & Mushroom Ravioli A series on TV inspired "to dust off the old pasta machine. To honour its outing I decided to open the jar of truffle paste I had been saving."
Becky of Veghotpot shares with us Summer Courgette Pasta "The juices from the tomatoes and courgettes make the pasta ‘saucey’ enough to not be dry and the soft mushrooms add another texture."
Kathryn of Crafts and Creations with Kmom14 presents Pasta Alfredo "The sauce has a bit of a nutty flavor from the nutmeg, a bit of tangy flavor from the lemon, and combined with the other ingredients is a filling main dish "comfort" food."
Pam of Sidewalk Shoes presents Penne with Zucchini and Mint "It’s lovely. Simple. Fresh. Totally encompasses the eat what is in season now. It’s not a huge show stopper, it’s just simplicity at it’s best."
Simona of briciole presents maccheroni al ferro al sugo (handmade maccheroni with tomato sauce) — A wooden skewer helps shape the maccheroni, which are later dressed with a simple tomato sauce.
As you read this, edition #278 is already under way, hosted by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. To participate, send your entries to ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com by Thursday, August 23.
If you are interested in hosting this lovely event on your blog, contact Ruth at: ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com. You can always check who is hosting the current edition on this page.
Many thanks to all who contributed to produce an interesting collection of pasta dishes for this edition of Presto Pasta Nights. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.
I am on a roll with handmade pasta. Just in the past few weeks, I have made strascinati and orecchiette. Here, I continue my exploration of pasta shapes with maccheroni al ferro.
maccheroni making in progress
In my rendition of this pasta, I followed this video and made relatively short maccheroni. I suggest you do the same the first few times, until you become familiar with the process. Then, if you like, you can try making longer maccheroni, as shown in the video included in this post (in Italian).
my first try at making longer maccheroni
The dough is basically the same as the one for orecchiette. Instead of just your hands, for maccheroni you need the ferro, a metal spike (you can see it in this photo). However, a thin wooden skewer works as a substitute and it is what I have used.
My hands making maccheroni al ferro are shown in this short video:
The trick, so to speak, is to apply enough pressure on the piece of dough so that it flattens and spreads around the ferro as you roll it, but not so much as to make it stick to the ferro. At the end of the process, you want to be able to slide the maccherone from the ferro without misshaping it (if that happens, you can always re-roll the dough and try again).
It helps to flour the skewer often. I have two of them at hand: while I am using one, the other is inside the flour bag. When the first one becomes a bit sticky, I put it in the flour and take up the other. (In the photo above they are both on the kneading board for demo purposes.)
As I have said in the past, when you decide to try, start with a small amount of flour, so you don't get overwhelmed. Then, when you are comfortable with the process, you can double the amount, or more.
a nice plate of handmade pasta
Dress maccheroni with a simple tomato sauce, or try the combination with another sauce you like.
Ingredients for the pasta (I recommend weighing both flour and water because the quantities involved are small):
Make the pasta Make a dough with the first three ingredients and knead until nice and smooth. [This post (with video) talks about how to make semolina pasta dough] This is a bit of an exercise, since the dough is fairly stiff (you are making pasta, not bread). The dough is of a lovely pale yellow color. Let the dough rest, covered, for at least half an hour.
Roll the dough into a thick salami and cut it into pieces. Keep them covered while you shape the maccheroni. Roll each piece into a pencil-size snake (3/8 inch / 1 cm thick), then cut into 2 inch / 5 cm long pieces (if you are making longer maccheroni, cut the roll into 2 3/4 inch / 7 cm long pieces).
Shape each piece into a maccherone with the skewer. Place the ferro on the center of the piece of dough, press it lightly to make it stable, then start rolling. The first thing that happens is that a cylinder is formed, then the cylinder gets longer.
Lay out to dry. You may want to dust the surface lightly with flour or line it with a cotton kitchen towel.
ready to be cooked
Make the tomato sauce In a small saucepan, warm up a bit of olive oil, then add shallot and thyme. Cook gently for a few minutes, then add garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes. Adjust salt, to taste. Note that this will make more sauce than you need to dress the maccheroni, but once you have the sauce ready, I am sure you'll find ways of using it, like making more handmade pasta.
The final act Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then toss the maccheroni in it (what in Italian we call: buttare giù la pasta). The maccheroni will come to the surface as they cook. The time needed is a bit variable, depending on the type of flour used, the size of maccheroni, how dry they are, etc., but it is short, so don't wander far away from the pot. Taste and stop the cooking when the maccheroni are ready. Pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and drain the maccheroni. Place in a bowl, sprinkle a bit of the cheese on top and stir briefly, then distribute some tomato sauce and toss. Finally, sprinkle some cheese and serve immediately.
The recipe makes two small portions.
Note: if tomato season is ongoing in your area, you can make tomato sauce using crushed tomatoes, adjusting the cooking time to get a sauce of the right consistency. And if you have fresh basil, you can add a bit of it to the sauce.
Last year, I wrote a post about maccherone, where I talked about the word, expressions that use it, and a sequence from an Italian movie that has to do with maccheroni: check it out here.
This is my contribution to edition #277 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Simona of briciole (that would be me).
[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]
This week, I have once again the honor of hosting Presto Pasta Night, edition #277 to be precise.
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 Nights. The rules to participate are detailed on this page. Feel free to let me or Ruth know if you have any questions.
Entries for this week's edition of PPN must be posted during the days covered by it, meaning, from Friday August 10 through Thursday August 16. In your post, include a link to Presto Pasta Nights and also to briciole. You can download the PPN logo to add to your post.
Send your entry to me at simosite AT mac DOT com and cc Ruth at ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com, specifying PPN #277 in the title of the message.
In your email please include the following information:
Your Name
Your Blog Name/URL
Your Post URL
Attach a photo (maximum width 400px)
Sometimes messages get lost in cyberspace, so if you don't receive an acknowledgment of your email or see a comment on your post, please contact me again by leaving a comment on this announcement.
The deadline for submitting your contribution is Thursday night August 16, 2012. I will post the roundup on Friday.
A note about the title of this post: una pasta veloce per cena is not the literal translation, but my rendition of the original Presto Pasta Nights.
It's Friday and time to share the pasta dishes that I have received as contributions to edition #269 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 — a teaser that invites you to follow the link to read the relevant post.
tigerfish of An Escape to Food prepared Crispy Pasta/Noodle Pancake "Having problems with leftover noodles stir-fry hat is dried-out the next day? Make it crispy. Give it new life!"
Brii of briggishome shares with us Zesty Pasta Pickled cucumber and bell pepper, green olives, capers, anchovies and some chili for good measure contribute to make a pasta to revive our trekking guide on beautiful Lake Garda.
Tandy of Lavender and Lime prepared Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes "This is a meal I can create over the weekend… As we have a great selection of exotic tomatoes at the moment, this recipe stood out as the one I wanted to make."
Titut of Warteg Gaziantep presents Spaghetti with Shrimp Sauce "Spaghetti is my 15-month-old twins' favorite menu which is good because recently I had no idea what to cook as they start to be picky eaters."
Elizabeth of The Law Student’s Cookbook prepared Baker's Edge Lasagna [The Baker's Edge lasagna pan] "makes making lasagna a lot easier. Doing the layers was easier, serving it was easier . . . It really simplified the lasagna process."
Stash of Simple Kitchen Seasons presents Spaghetti con acciughe e pangrattato (spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs) — "Thinly sliced onions cooked in gently warmed olive oil over medium-low heat are slowly transformed into a sweetly luscious condiment…"
Cinzia of Cindystar shows us her Homemade Cavatelli and dresses them with pesto Cavatelli "first originated in Molise. They represent the most characteristic regional dish of the region and especially of Campobasso, the main town."
Joanne of Eats Well With Others presents Avocado Mac and Cheese — "It's really delicious and a way healthier-than-normal take on everyone's favorite comfort food. So much so, you don't even have to run even a mildly absurd distance to eat it. Win. Definite win."
ready to be served
Simona of briciole (your host for this week) presents strascinati with mint Handmade pasta from Basilicata dressed with a variation on the popular theme of aglio, olio e peperoncino (hot chili pepper) with fresh mint.
As you read this, edition #270 is already under way, hosted by Heather of Girlichef. To participate, send your entries to girlichef AT yahoo DOT com and cc ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com by Thursday, June 28.
Many thanks to all who contributed to produce an interesting collection of pasta dishes for this edition of Presto Pasta Nights. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.
“La città dei Sassi” (the city of the stones): this definition in crossword puzzles taught me what is the defining feature of Matera, a city in southern Italy. What are the Sassi?
The Sassi district is the ancient heart of the city of Matera. The Sassi… constitute a city unto itself, completely carved out of the face of the calcareous rock – what is known as tufa stone. The Sassi district is a system made of dwellings carved out of the steep slopes of a deep valley with surprising and unusual features… Elegant and multi-faceted buildings are interspersed with underground mazes and cave labyrinths, forming one single stunning landscape. Over the course of the centuries, the city has changed its shape over and over again in an ongoing dialogue between rock and architecture, canyon and bell-tower, flowing into a cityscape of incomparable beauty and distinction.
In our tour of the 20 Italian regions created and organized by Trattoria MuVarA we have arrived in Basilicata, the instalment I am hosting, represented by Matera, the capital of one of the region’s two provinces (the other being Potenza). Language note: the adjective related to Basilicata is lucano, which derives from Lucania, another name of the region.
Writing about a city and a region I have never visited is a challenge, because I need to rely on other people’s accounts rather than my personal experience. Here is a list of some of the pages I have looked at. They include some beautiful photos particularly of the Sassi, which I recommend you peruse.
Basilicata page on wikipedia: history, economy and more
a tourist-services website for Matera with many slide presentations (expand the main topics on the right panel under Matera), in particular of its famous Sassi, which provide an amazing historical view of the city
in 1993, the Sassi and rupestrian churches (chiese rupestri) of Matera were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list: this is the page on the UNESCO site
If you are planning a visit to Italy, you may want to consider a visit to Matera. Once there, you will find not only food for your imagination, but also for your body.
Simona’s strascinati
Among the traditional dishes from Basilicata listed in my usual source, the Accademia Italiana della Cucina site, I chose to make a kind of pasta, the strascinati. The recipe references a tool, called cavarola, a special wooden board over which the pasta pieces are dragged (trascinati) to shape them.
The recipe referenced above calls for durum wheat flour to make the pasta and that’s what I did for my first try. The next time I used my usual pasta blend by King Arthur Flour and I liked the result better. (Update: I now often make strascinati using semolina flour.) The recipe calls for a large amount of flour: I ignored it and instead, started with a small amount to get comfortable with the process.
orange mint from my little garden
The pasta sauce is a variation on the popular theme of aglio, olio e peperoncino (hot chili pepper, called cerasella in the region we are visiting). In this case, fresh mint is added. The original recipe uses a combination of olive oil and lard. I contributed my personal touch by using browned butter (together with the olive oil), of which, since my interview with pastry chef Marisa Churchill, I keep a small supply in my refrigerator.
Ingredients:
1 cup (130 g) KAF pasta blend (or semolina flour, or durum wheat flour)
Chiffonade of a few leaves of fresh mint (I used orange mint)
Serves 2
On your working surface, create a well with the flour to which you have added the salt. Pour 1/3 cup (80 ml) of water into the well. With a fork, draw flour from the sides of the well into the center, mixing well with the water. Trade the fork for your fingertips. Draw flour until a firm dough forms. Add more water as needed (I add a teaspoon), and knead until you have a smooth, firm dough. [This post (with video) talks about how to make semolina pasta dough] Let the dough rest, well wrapped to avoid drying, for half an hour or so.
Roll the dough into a thick roll, then cut it into 5-6 pieces and shape each one into a roll about 3/8 inch (1 cm) in diameter (see Note below regarding the shaping). Cut each roll into approximately 1 1/4-inch (3 cm) long pieces, then use the three middle fingers to drag each small piece of pasta dough towards you. This movement thins the pasta and gives it a shell-like shape that will also carry the imprint of your fingers.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some coarse salt, stir and then add the pasta. Bring water back to boiling. Since the pasta takes only a short time to cook, prepare the sauce. Put oil and browned butter in a small frying pan and warm up over gentle heat. Add the garlic and cook until it turns light golden. Turn off the heat and add the pepper flakes. At this point, the pasta should be ready.
Cooking time is in the order of a few minutes. The pasta is ready when it comes to the surface. Taste it to make sure (if needed, keep the pasta where it is until cooked). When the pasta is ready, turn off the heat, pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and then drain the pasta. Add pastato the pan with the sauce and sprinkle mint on it. Toss to coat, adjust salt if needed, then serve immediately.
Note: the original recipe calls for making strips of pasta, but I found it easier to make thin rolls. The original recipe also call for the use of three fingers (index, middle and ring finger) to shape the pasta. I sometimes used only two fingers. I then saw this video where strascinati are made with two fingers, so I thought it was acceptable. However, a comment states that the pasta in the video is cavatelli, rather than strascinati and that prompted me to search for a definition of the two types of pasta that would highlight the differences. I am sorry to report that at the end of the search I am no wiser. I suspect this is one of those cases where the name of a pasta depends on the location. As far as I can tell, the main concept behind strascinati, cavatelli and also orecchiette is a dragging motion that thins and shapes the pasta. As a sample of the many pages I browsed, here is a photo of hands making strascinati and here is a photo of cavatelli. Not only do they look very similar, the description for making them is basically the same. While the name strascinati emphasizes the dragging motion, the name cavatelli emphasizes the hollow space created by the motion (cavo means hollow).
leave a comment on this post with the link to your contribution
you can contribute a recipe from your archive, but please, add the logo and links as above
no blog? no problem: email the recipe and a photo to trattoriamuvara AT gmail DOT com and comment on this post to alert us of your contribution
The roundup of the recipes contributed will be posted on the Abbecedario culinario d’Italia (Italian Culinary ABC) site, on the page dedicated to the letter M.
This is my submission for the tenth installment of the Abbecedario culinario d’Italia (Italian Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit all the 20 regions of Italy using the alphabet as guide. M come Matera (Basilicata) is hosted by Simona of briciole (that is, by me).
This pretty pasta dish is also my contribution to edition #269 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Simona of briciole (indeed, me again).
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:
[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]
M come Matera (Basilicata): strascinati con la menta
piatto pronto per essere servito
“La città dei Sassi” è la definizione nelle parole crociate che mi ha insegnato, tanti anni fa, quale fosse la caratteristica saliente di Matera. Ma cosa sono i Sassi?
I Sassi… costituiscono una intera città scavata nella roccia calcarenitica, chiamata localmente “tufo”, un sistema abitativo articolato, abbarbicato lungo i pendii di un profondo vallone dalle caratteristiche naturali singolari e sorprendenti: la Gravina. Strutture edificate, eleganti ed articolate si alternano a labirinti sotterranei e a meandri cavernosi, creando un unicum paesaggistico di grande effetto.
Il sovrapporsi di diverse fasi di trasformazioni urbane sull’aspra morfologia murgica originaria, il raffinato dialogo tra rocce ed architettura, canyon e campanili, ha creato nel corso dei secoli uno scenario urbano di incomparabile bellezza e qualità.
Nel nostro tour delle 20 regioni italiane creato e organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA siamo arrivati in Basilicata, la tappa che ospito io, rappresentata da Matera, uno dei due capoluoghi di provincia della regione (l’altro è Potenza). Parlare di una città e di una regione che non ho mai visitato non è facile, dal momento che devo basarmi su narrative altrui. Questa è la lista di alcune delle pagine che ho guardato. Includono delle belle foto soprattutto dei Sassi che vi raccomando di ammirare.
la pagina di Matera su wikipedia: storia e cultura
la pagina della Basilicata su wikipedia: storia, economia, arte e altro
un sito di servizi turistici per Matera che comprende molte foto (espandere il menu sul pannello a destra sotto Matera)
nel 1993, i Sassi e le chiese rupestri di Matera sono stati aggiunti alla lista World Heritage dell’UNESCO: questa è the pagina sul sito UNESCO (in inglese)
Dopo aver letto e ammirato tanto su Matera, ammetto di voler visitare una città dall’aura davvero magica. Matera e la Basilicata offrono anche cibo per il corpo, non solo per l’immaginazione.
gli strascinati di Simona
Tra i piatti tradizionali lucani elencati sul sito dell’Accademia Italiana della Cucina ho scelto di fare della pasta: gli strascinati. La ricetta fa riferimento alla cavarola, una specie di tagliere di legno sul quale i pezzi di pasta vengono trascinati con le dita per dar loro la forma. Da notare che non ho trovato un sito italiano con una foto della cavarola: qualcuno di voi ce l’ha?
La ricetta originale usa la farina di grano duro ed io la prima volta ho usato tale ingrediente, mentre la volta successiva ho usato la miscela di farine per pasta di King Arthur Flour che uso per fare la pasta all’uovo e il risultato mi è piaciuto di più. La ricetta usa una quantità di farina notevole, indicazione che ho ignorato a favore di una quantità inferiore che mi permettesse di acquisire dimestichezza con la procedura per formare la pasta.
menta arancia dal mio orticello
Il condimento per la pasta è una variazione sul tema aglio, olio e peperoncino (chiamato cerasella nella regione ospitante). In questo caso, si aggiungono foglioline di menta fresca. La ricetta originale usa un misto di olio d’oliva e lardo. Io invece ho usato olio d’oliva e burro nocciola (del quale, da quando ho intervistato la maestra pasticciera Marisa Churchill, tengo sempre un vasetto nel frigorifero).
Ingredienti:
130 g misto di farine per pasta o farina di grano duro
un pizzico di sale
acqua tiepida
1/2 cucchiaio (7,5 ml) olio d’oliva
1/2 cucchiaio (7 g) burro nocciola (o burro normale)
Formate un rotolo con la pasta e poi tagliatelo in 5-6 pezzi. Con ogni pezzo fate un rotolino spesso un cm e tagliatelo a pezzi lunghi circa 3-3,5 cm, poi usate le tre dita di mezzo per trascinare ogni pezzetto verso di voi. Questo movimento spiana la pasta e le dà una forma cava che porta l’impronta delle vostre dita.
Cuocere la pasta. Dal momento che la pasta cuoce rapidamente, preparare il condimento non appena la si butta giù. Scaldare olio e burro in una padellina e poi farci imbiondire l’aglio. Togliere dal fuoco e aggiungere il peperoncino (più o meno, secondo i gusti). A questo punto la pasta dovrebbe essere pronta da scolare. La cottura dura pochi minuti: la pasta è pronta quando viene in superficie (assaggiare per accertarsi e, se necessario, prolungare la cottura). Scolare la pasta, versarla nella padella e spargere la menta. Mescolare bene, salare leggermente se necessario e servire subito.
Nota: la ricetta originale indica di fare dei listelli di pasta, ma per me è più facile fare rotolini. La ricetta indica anche l’uso delle tre dita di mezzo per formare la pasta. Io alle volte ho usato solo indice e medio. Poi ho visto questo video nel quale gli strascinati sono fatti con due dita e quindi ho pensato che andasse bene. Però poi ho letto un commento che sostiene che il video mostra i cavatelli piuttosto che gli strascinati. Questo mi ha fatto fare una ricerca sulle differenze tra i due tipi di pasta. Purtroppo alla fine non ho nulla di definitivo da scrivere: credo che questo sia un caso di variazioni locali che riguardano sia il nome che il tipo di pasta al quale ciascun nome di riferisce. In generale, cavatelli, strascinati e orecchiette appartengono ad una categoria di pasta che ha in comune il movimento di trascinamento che stende e dà forma alla pasta. Come esempi delle tante pagine che ho consultato, qui c’è una foto di mani che formano strascinati e qui c’è una foto di cavatelli. Non solo le due paste sono molto simili, la spiegazione di come farli è praticamente identica.
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La raccolta dei contributi sarà pubblicata sul sito dell’Abbecedario culinario d’Italia sulla pagina dedicata alla lettera M.
Questo è il mio contributo all’Abbecedario culinario d’Italia, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare tutte le regioni italiane utilizzando come guida l’alfabeto. M come Matera (Basilicata) è ospitata da Simona di briciole (che poi sarei io).
This week, I have once again the honor of hosting Presto Pasta Night, edition #269 to be precise.
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 Nights. The rules to participate are detailed on this page. Feel free to let me or Ruth know if you have any questions.
Entries for this week's edition of PPN must be posted during the days covered by it, meaning, from Friday June 15 through Thursday June 21. In your post, include a link to Presto Pasta Nights and also to briciole. You can download the PPN logo to add to your post.
Send your entry to me at simosite AT mac DOT com and cc Ruth at ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com, specifying PPN #269 in the title of the message.
In your email please include the following information:
Your Name
Your Blog Name/URL
Your Post URL
Attach a photo (maximum width 400px)
Sometimes messages get lost in cyberspace, so if you don't receive an acknowledgment of your email or see a comment on your post, please contact me again by leaving a comment on this announcement.
The deadline for submitting your contribution is Thursday night June 21, 2012. I will post the roundup on Friday.
1 A note about the title of this post: una pasta veloce per cena is not the literal translation, but my rendition of the original Presto Pasta Nights.
It's Friday and time to share the pasta dishes that I have received as contributions to edition #261 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 — a teaser that invites you to follow the link to read the relevant post.
Graziana of Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with herbs) prepared Mini tortellini pies "A miniaturized version of a classic tortellini recipe, called in crosta (with crust), because of the puff pastry."
Heather of girlichef prepared Sopa de Fideo (Mexican Noodle Soup) "One of those things that we make when things in the pantry and fridge are getting down to bare bones." Baking the noodles first provided a much more complex flavor.
Cara and Stefano of Due Spaghetti prepared Cacio e pepe "To commemorate Rome’s compleanno (birthday) [April 21st], we compiled some of the web’s best photos of the Eternal City, and prepared one of the most classic Roman pastas."
Alisha of Cook. Craft. Enjoy. presents Riccioli Carbonara "I {heart} the shape of this pasta. It's much like any "screwy" kind of pasta but when you pick it up with your fork it unravels leaving you with nice long strands."
Deb of Kahakai Kitchen prepared Pappardelle & Mushrooms "Having a passion for both pappardelle and mushrooms, my heart quickly went to the dried porcini and fresh cremini mushroom sauce tossed with thick ribbons of pasta."
Tajarin with samphire, fried garlic, mint and parsley Samphire (salicornia, also known as sea bean, glasswort, and a few other names) "has a crunchy texture and a briny taste."
Tajarin with lobster, lobster roe, asparagus and green garlic: a sumptuous combination
tagliatelle with chard and pecorino
Simona of briciole (your host for this week) presents tagliatelle with chard and pecorino Freshly harvested rainbow chard, a dollop of pesto made with fresh fava bean leaves, and pecorino together dress a bowl of handmade tagliatelle.
As you read this, edition #262 is already under way, hosted by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. To participate, send your entries to ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com by Thursday, May 3.
Many thanks to all who contributed to produce an interesting collection of pasta dishes for this edition of Presto Pasta Nights. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.
