red chimichurri / chimichurri rosso

September 23, 2023March 5, 2026 | Simona

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Love & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love by Kim Fay¹. The novel, set on the West Coast in the early 1960’s, tells the story of the friendship between two women that develops through the exchange of letters started by Joan, who writes a fan letter to Imogen and encloses a packet of saffron (zafferano) and a recipe. From there, we follow the development of their friendship with the sharing of personal life details and food observations and experiences. It is a reminder of times when communication was slower and, in some respect, better savored.

During the course of the novel, Joan starts exploring the food scene of Los Angeles and Imogen’s husband learns to cook, aided, in part, by a friendship that develops between him and Angelo Pellegrini, whose The Unprejudiced Palate (“a book on bread and wine in relation to life”) was a Cook the Books Club’s selection some years ago².

There are a number of foods mentioned in Love & Saffron and some recipes, none of which I wished to replicate. Instead, Joan’s love story with Mateo and her appreciation, through him, of Mexican food, reminded me of a dish I had wanted to make for a while: chimichurri. I thought it would be great on Francis’s (Imogen’s husband) omelettes. Except that, once I re-read the article that sparked my interest³, I realized the sauce is from Argentina, not Mexico: too late, my mind was set and chimichurri it was.

Once I started reading more about chimichurri — including an article about it by Barbara Hansen, the food writer who was the inspiration for the novel’s character Joan⁴ — I realized the red version of it (Chimichurri rojo) sounded even more interesting and would be a seasonal choice, given the abundance of both bell peppers (peperoni) and chili peppers at the farmers’ market. For this recipe for the first time I purchased peppers in the medium range of the Scoville scale. In the photo, you see the chili peppers on the bottom right corner: a jalapeño (left) and a Macedonian pepper⁵ (right), which I think is exceptionally pretty.

ingredients for red chimichurri — most of the ingredients for my rendition of red chimichurri
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

As usual, after reading several recipes⁶, I did a bit of experimenting in my kitchen with available ingredients and below is my version of the sauce. I made both a chopped version and a partially blended one. I honestly don’t have a definite preference: blending makes a sauce that can be more evenly distributed and tones down the color, but I like to taste the small bits of roasted pepper.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Red chimichurri

Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper on the small side (to be roasted before use)
1 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, minced
1/2 Macedonian hot pepper, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 ounce / 15 grams fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
1/4 cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Note: recipes instruct to use jarred roasted peppers, but this is pepper season so I use a freshly roasted pepper and freshly harvested chili peppers.

Heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C.

Place the bell pepper on a baking sheet, on one side. (For efficiency’s sake, I either roast several bell peppers or, if I need only one, I roast it together with other vegetables.)

After 20 minutes, give the bell pepper a half turn. Continue roasting for another 15-20 minutes. The bell pepper is ready when it is slightly collapsed and the skin is charred in patches and soft. If it doesn’t look ready, let it roast for a few more minutes. When it is ready, take it out of the oven and let it steam for 15-20 minutes in a paper bag, a closed container or on your cutting board, under an upside-down bowl.

In the meantime, mince the garlic. Trim the chili peppers, making sure to remove all the seeds, and mince them. Set these ingredients aside.

With your hands, remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper and peel it. The steaming process makes the skin easy to slip. Chop the roasted bell pepper and place it in a small bowl. Add the minced garlic and chili peppers, the lemon juice and vinegar, stir well and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

For the chopped version: In the meantime, finely chop the parsley (I use a mezzaluna for this step). Add the chopped parsley, the two spices and the sea salt to the mixture and stir well, then slowly pour the olive oil while stirring.

For the blended version: Whiz the parsley briefly in the small bowl of a food processor. Add the mixture, the two spices and the sea salt to to the food processor and pulse several times. Slowly pour the olive oil and pulse some more until the desired consistency is reached. I recommend to leave some texture.

For both versions: Letting the sauce sit for at least an hour will allow the flavors to better blend. I like to prepare it several hours or the night before, keep it in the refrigerato and take it out ahead of time so it is at room temperature by the time I use it. Taste the chimichurri right before using it and add a bit more salt, if needed.

Serves 4.

egg sunny side up with red chimichurri — You don’t need meat to enjoy chimichurri
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Chimichurri is traditionally used on meat (carne), which is not what I eat, so I’ve been using it on other dishes, including egg, roasted corn, roasted vegetables and green salad.

¹The book’s page on the publisher’s website
²From briciole’s archive: Broccoli al Parmigiano-Reggiano (à la Angelo Pellegrini)
³ “Chimichurri in a hurry” (North Coast Journal)
⁴ Article on chimichurri on Hansen’s site TableConversation
⁵ Macedonian hot pepper
⁶ A recipe for Red chimichurri and another one

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

Cook the Books logo This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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chimichurri rosso

Arrivati alla lettera O del nostro viaggio nel mondo degli ingredienti ho scelto di preparare una salsa con olio d’oliva. Era da un po’ di tempo che avevo in mente di fare il chimichurri, salsa verde tradizionale dell’Argentina. Nel leggere varie ricette, ho scoperto che ne esiste una versione rossa (chimichurri rojo) che utilizza peperone dolce arrostito e peperoni piccanti.

Essendo stagione di peperoni, in questo periodo ho una ricca scelta al mercato del produttore e per questa ricetta per la prima volta ho comprato dei peperoncini piccanti: un jalapeño verde (in basso a sinistra) e un peperone piccante della Macedonia¹ (Vezena piperka, a destra), che penso sia proprio carino.

Come al solito, dopo aver letto alcune ricette² e sperimentato con gli ingredienti a disposizione, vi presento la mia versione della salsa. L’ho preparata con gli ingredienti sia tritati a mano sia parzialmente frullati (vedi foto in alto). Non ho una preferenza: nella prima versione sentite i pezzetti di peperone arrosto e il colore è brillante. La seconda versione si distribuisce in modo più uniforme ed ha un colore più smorzato.

Ingredienti:

1 peperone rosso non molto grosso (da arrostire prima di essere utilizzato)
1 spicchio d’aglio
1/2 peperoncino jalapeño verde
1/2 peperone piccante della Macedonia
1 cucchiaio di succo di limone
1/2 cucchiaio di aceto di vino rosso
15 grammi di prezzemolo fresco
1/4 cucchiaino di cumino in polvere
1/2 cucchiaino di paprika dolce
60 ml di olio extra-virgin di oliva
1/8 cucchiaino di sale fino, q.b.

Nota: le ricette che ho letto indicano di usare del peperone arrosto in barattolo, ma questa è la stagione dei peperoni quindi io uso un peperone colto e arrostito e peperoncini freschi dal mercato del produttore.

Scaldate il forno a 200 C.

Adagiate il peperone su una placca da forno. (Per amor di efficienza, io cuocio diversi peperoni allo stesso tempo oppure ne cuocio uno insieme ad altre versure). Arrostite il peperone per 20 minuti, poi giratelo di 180 gradi.

Arrostitelo per altri 15-20 minuti. Il peperone è cotto quando la pelle è scura e in alcune zone distaccata dalla polpa. Se necessario, arrostirlo per qualche altro minuto. Chiudete il peperone in un contenitore dotato di coperchio o in una busta di carta e fatelo riposare per 15-20 minuti,

Nel frattempo, tritate l’aglio. Mondate i peperoncini, assicurandovi di rimuovere i loro semi, e tritateli. Mettete da parte questi ingredienti.

Rimuovete il gambo e i semi dal peperone e pelatelo. Taglietelo a pezzettini e mettetelo in una ciotola. Aggiungete l’aglio e i peperoncini tritati, il succo di limone e l’aceto, mescolate e fate riposare il composto per 10 minuti.

Per la versione tritata: Nel frattempo, tritate il prezzemolo (io uso la mezzaluna per questo). Aggiungete il prezzemolo tritato, le due spezie e il sale al composto preparato in precedenza e mescolate bene, poi versate a filo l’olio mentre mescolate.

Per la versione frullata: Tritate brevemente il prezzemolo nella ciotola piccola del robot. Aggiungete il composto preparato in precedenza, le due spezie e il sale alla ciotola e pulsate diverse volte. Versate lentamente l’olio d’oliva e pulsate di nuovo fino a quando il composto assume la consistenza preferita. Suggerisco di non arrivare ad un composto totalmente omogeneo.

Per entrambe le versioni: Fate riposare la salsa per almeno un’ora, possibilmente diverse ore. (Io la preparo la sera prima). Refrigerate la salsa e tiratela fuori in anticipo in modo che sia a temperatura ambiente quando la servite. Assaggiate il chimichurri subito prima di servirlo e, se necessario, correggere il sale.

Porzioni: 4

Tradizionalmente il chimichurri accompagna la carne, che io di fatto non mangio, quindi lo sto utilizzando per condire altri piatti, come uova al tegamino, mais dolce arrosto, verdure arrosto e insalata.

¹ Peperone piccante della Macedonia (in inglese)
² Una ricetta per il chimichurri rosso e un’altra (entrambe in inglese)

Un mondo d'ingredienti logo Contribuisco il mio chimichurri rosso con oliva dell’olio d’oliva dall’Argentina alla lettera O di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di Trattoria Muvara

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

chocolate love: mole poblano

March 27, 2018 | Simona

a vegan version of mole poblano that goes with vegetables
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

In September 2014, I attended LongHouse, where I met Carlos Gaytan, chef of the restaurant Mexique in Chicago¹. He brought his mole sauce to the event and I fell in love with something I had not tasted before.

Since then, I have kept alive a desire to make a version of mole poblano and finally the current selection of the Cook the Books club, The Discovery of Chocolate by James Runcie² gave me the necessary nudge. In this historical novel, young Diego travels to the New World with the conquistador Cortés. In Mexico, Diego discovers chocolate, at the time consumed as a beverage. He also falls in love with Ignacia. Drinking a special concoction she prepares for him makes him immortal, which allows the novel to span centuries and continents, following Diego's adventures and the fortunes of cacao beans and chocolate. In the author's words, the novel is about "Life and death, love and chocolate."

Having decided to make mole poblano, the question became: which recipe? I imagine families have their own recipes and what I found online and in cookbooks are just some examples of a rich and old tradition for a sauce that in the long list of ingredients and in the amount of time it takes to prepare, spells love expressed through food. In making it in my own kitchen I wished to pay homage to such tradition, not to appropriate it.

An nice article on the Seattle Times³ describes the spectrum of options open to whomever wishes to prepare mole poblano and focuses on one relatively easy and one hard recipe. I chose a middle ground closer to the hard way (a recipe adapted from one by Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu in the Los Angeles Times), which meant a somewhat lengthy preparation using 25 ingredients.

I enjoyed the process and loved the result so much that I made it twice more to test slight variations. Below is the version that I liked best. Note that my choice of ingredients makes the recipe vegan and gluten-free.

detail of the chile selection at the Monterey Market in Berkeley

When I went to purchase chiles, I selected a couple of varieties that were not in the source recipe, because I wanted to taste them, including the California chile listed among the ingredients.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for mole poblano (vegan)

Ingredients:

All chiles are whole, medium to medium-large in size

1 dried mulato chile
1 dried pasilla chile
2 dried ancho chile
1 dried California chile
4 tablespoons / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
2 cups / 475 ml scalding water
1 plum tomato
1 small cipollini onion, peeled
1 clove garlic peeled
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 ounce / 30 g ripe plantain, peeled and sliced
1/2 tablespoon shelled raw peanuts
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons / 20 g raisins
1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon, ground cloves, dried oregano, ground coriander, ground anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
A bit of freshly ground pepper (2 turns of the pepper mill)
Leaves from 1 sprig thyme
1 small sprig of Italian parsley
3/4 ounce / 21 g Mexican chocolate (Taza 80% cacao) + 1/4 ounce / 7 g unsweetened chocolate 100% cacao, all finely chopped

The night before making mole or early the same day
Remove stems and seeds from the chiles.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan-fry the chiles until they become glossy, a couple of minutes.

Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with the scalding water. Make sure they are submerged. Cover the bowl and let stand overnight or several hours.

When ready to prepare the mole
Drain the chiles and reserve the soaking liquid. Place the drained chiles in a blender. Add enough of the soaking liquid to blend them until smooth. Set aside.

Quarter the tomato lengthwise. Slice the onion crosswise thickly. Roast the tomatoes, the sliced onion and the clove of garlic in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until spotted with brown. Set aside.

Toast the sesame and pumpkin seeds until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Fry the plantain slices until golden and softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Fry the peanuts, the almonds and the raisins for about one minute. Drain on a paper towel.

Fry the sesame and pumpkin seeds (previously toasted) for 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a cast-iron pan. Add the puréed chile mixture and enough of the reserved soaking liquid to keep the puréed mixture from sputtering when it simmers. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.

Place the spices, seeds, almonds, peanuts and raisins in the blender and process with enough of the soaking liquid to purée. Add to the chile mixture.

Process the roasted tomato, onion and garlic clove, the plantain slices, the salt and pepper, the thyme leaves and the parsley sprig in the blender with enough soaking liquid to purée, then add to the chile mixture. (Note: I use all the soaking liquid)

Add the chopped chocolate and stir until dissolved. Stir a little longer over the heat to bring all ingredients together. Remove from the heat.

Strain the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove any bits of chile skin and return to a clean pot. This step is very important as it ensures a smooth texture.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

My rendition of mole poblano pairs well with different dishes, vegetables (the dish in the opening photo is my "empty the crisper" side dish⁴ described in the previous post), chicken and mild-flavored fish (like cod). I confess also that I ate it by the spoonful.

¹ Update: Chef Gaytán closed down Mexique some time after I wrote this post, then opened a new restaurant called Tzuco (still in Chicago)
²The novel's page on the author's website
³ Two ways to make Mole Poblano — the hard way and the (relatively) easy way on the Seattle Times
⁴ "empty the crisper" side dish post and recipe

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

This is my second contribution to the 32nd edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started some time ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

Finally, I am contributing to the March edition of Foodies Read the reading/cooking event hosted by Heather of Based on a True Story.

Visit the linkup page to see what others have read and cooked.

FTC disclosure: I have received the napkin free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

mole, chiles, sauce, Mexican cuisine

recipe: mole poblano (vegan)

March 27, 2018 | Simona

empty the crisper side dish and mole poblano

Mole poblano (a vegan version)

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 5 minutes + 1 hour (+ several hours soaking)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: blender fry sauce gluten-free low-carb sugar-free vegan vegetarian seeds chiles almonds Mexican

Ingredients

All chiles are whole, medium to medium-large in size

1 dried mulato chile
1 dried pasilla chile
2 dried ancho chile
1 dried California chile
4 tablespoons / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
2 cups / 475 ml scalding water
1 plum tomato
1 small cipollini onion, peeled
1 clove garlic peeled
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 ounce / 30 g ripe plantain, peeled and sliced
1/2 tablespoon shelled raw peanuts
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons / 20 g raisins
1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon, ground cloves, dried oregano, ground coriander, ground anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
A bit of freshly ground pepper (2 turns of the pepper mill)
Leaves from 1 sprig thyme
1 small sprig of Italian parsley
3/4 ounce / 21 g Mexican chocolate (Taza 80% cacao) + 1/4 ounce / 7 g unsweetened chocolate 100% cacao, all finely chopped

Instructions

The night before making mole or early the same day

Remove stems and seeds from the chiles.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan-fry the chiles until they become glossy, a couple of minutes.

Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with the scalding water. Make sure they are submerged. Cover the bowl and let stand overnight or several hours.

When ready to prepare the mole

Drain the chiles and reserve the soaking liquid. Place the drained chiles in a blender. Add enough of the soaking liquid to blend them until smooth. Set aside.

Toast the sesame and pumpkin seeds until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Fry the plantain slices until golden and softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Fry the peanuts, the almonds and the raisins for about one minute. Drain on a paper towel.

Fry the sesame and pumpkin seeds (previously toasted) for 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel.

Place the spices, seeds, almonds, peanuts and raisins in the blender and process with enough of the soaking liquid to purée. Add to the chile mixture.

Add the chopped chocolate and stir until dissolved. Stir a little longer over the heat to bring all ingredients together. Remove from the heat.

Strain the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove any bits of chile skin and return to a clean pot. This step is very important as it ensures a smooth texture.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Go to the full post on Chocolate love: mole poblano

recipe: baby kale pesto with cashews (pesto di cavolo riccio novello con anacardi)

March 22, 2013 | Simona

Baby kale pesto with cashews

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes (to toast cashews)

Keywords: blender sauce gluten-free cashews kale cheese

Ingredients (a small jar)

100 g / 3.5 oz. baby kale, possibly organic (even better if from your garden)
30 g / 1 oz. cashew nuts, toasted (I do this in the oven)
A small garlic clove, peeled
A generous pinch of sea salt
30 g / 1 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon fresh Meyer lemon juice or 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil of good quality

Instructions

Wash kale and spin to remove excess water. Trim the stem.

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, chop cashews and garlic. Add sea salt and baby kale and process until kale is finely chopped. Add cheese and lemon juice and process briefly. You will need to scrape the side of the bowl to make sure that the ingredients gets processed properly.

Add the oil through the feeding tube while pulsing the processor. I keep this pesto dry on purpose. Transfer pesto to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use. You can freeze some of it in an ice cube tray.

Go to the full post on pesto di cavolo riccio novello con anacardi / baby kale pesto with cashews

pesto di cavolo riccio novello con anacardi / baby kale pesto with cashews

March 21, 2013 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

baby kale, cashews and Parmigiano-Reggiano

In my little vegetable garden (orto), kale grows easily and year round, a situation that encourages me to be creative about using such overabundance. As I mentioned previously, one nice thing I can do with extra kale is to bring a bag of it to our local food bank, which puts freshly harvested greens to excellent use.

Right now, I have a raised bed with baby Red Russian kale and decided to try using the tender leaves to make a pesto. I considered cooking the leaves before dropping them into the food processor, then decided against: I wanted to taste the raw power of kale.

This pesto is not for the faint of heart. It tastes intense, grassy and it needs a bit of getting used to. However, in the right company, it makes a dish sparkle. Here I am giving the recipe for the pesto. In the next post, I share one use I made of it, of which you get this preview:

the right company for kale pesto

Print-friendly recipe of briciole's recipe for baby kale pesto with cashews

Ingredients:

100 g / 3.5 oz. baby kale, possibly organic (even better if from your garden)
30 g / 1 oz. cashew nuts, toasted (I do this in the oven)
A small garlic clove, peeled
A generous pinch of sea salt
30 g / 1 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon fresh Meyer lemon juice or 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil of good quality

Wash kale and spin to remove excess water. Trim the stem.

Add the oil slowly through the feeding tube while pulsing the processor. I keep this pesto dry on purpose. Transfer pesto to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use. You can freeze some of it in an ice cube tray.

The first use I made of my pesto was to spread a bit on a king salmon steak I cooked in a cast-iron skillet. I liked the contrast between the grassy notes of the pesto, somewhat toned down by cashews and cheese, and the intense flavor of the king salmon (salmone). My husband liked the pesto so much that he spread some on a slice of bread. It certainly wakes up your taste buds.

This is my contribution to edition #376 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Simona of Simona's Kitchen.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

pesto di cavolo riccio novello con anacardi

or launch the pesto di cavolo riccio novello con anacardi audio file [mp3].

[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.]

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kale, pesto, cashew

pesto di cavolo riccio novello con anacardi

cavolo riccio, anacardi e Parmigiano

Nel mio orticello il cavolo riccio cresce abbondante tutto l'anno, uno stato di cose che mi spinge ad usarlo in modo creativo. In questo momento, ho molte piante giovani e ho deciso di utilizzare un po' per fare un pesto alternativo. Prima ho pensato di cuocere le foglioline, ma poi ho deciso di lasciarle crude e vedere cosa sarebbe successo.

Questo pesto non è per i deboli di palato. Ha un sapore intenso, erbaceo e ci vuole un po' per abituarsi. Ma combinato con ingredienti adatti, fa brillare un piatto. Qui di seguito c'è la ricetta del pesto. Nel prossimo post condivido un piatto che ho preparato utilizzandolo. Ecco un assaggio:

la compagnia giusta per il pesto

Ingredienti:

100 g cavolo riccio novello, possibilmente bio (anche meglio se raccolto nel vostro orticello)
30 g anacardi tostati a secco (io uso il forno per questo)
Un piccolo spicchio d'aglio pelato
Un generoso pizzico di sale fino
30 g Parmigiano-Reggiano grattugiato fresco
1 cucchiaio (15 ml) succo fresco di limone Meyer o 2 cucchiaini (10 ml) succo fresco di limone
1 cucchiaio (15 ml) olio EV d'oliva buono

Lavare le foglioline di cavolo riccio e scuotere l'acqua in eccesso. Tagliare via il gambo.

In un robot, spezzettare anacardi e aglio. Aggiungere sale e cavolo riccio e far andare fino a quando queste ultime sono tritate fini. Aggiungere formaggio e succo di limone e far andare per un po'. Raschiare la parete del robot per assicurarvi che gli ingredienti vengano tutti triturati bene.

Far scendere lentamente l'olio dall'apertura sul coperchio del robot, mentre pulsate. Far andare ancora un pochino per dare una mescolata finale. Questo pesto rimane secco di proposito. Trasferire in una ciotolina e refrigereare fino al momento dell'uso. Potete surgelarlo a cubetti utilizzando un vassoio per il ghiaccio.

Appena preparato questo pesto ne ho spalmato un pochino su una bistecca di salmone reale cotto in padella. Il contrasto tra le note erbacee del pesto, un po' addolcite da anacardi e formaggio, e il sapore intenso del salmone reale mi è piaciuto molto. A mio marito il pesto è piaciuto così tanto che ne ha spalmanto un po' su del pane. Certamente mette in allerta il palato.

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 376 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Simona di Simona's Kitchen.

Questo post contiene la raccolta dell'evento.

salsa di mele arrosto / roasted applesauce

December 11, 2011 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

A little while ago, a friend of mine gave me a case of apples she had harvested from her tree. In the past, I have used apples with other fruit to make preserves and I was planning to follow the same path, but the amount of apples called for additional ideas. From a corner of my memory, the title of a recipe (ricetta) floated to the foreground and since I remembered also where I had seen it, I was able to retrieve it.

The recipe in question is Judy Rodgers' Roasted Applesauce and the two elements that got my attention were: the author and the word "roasted." I have recently featured a recipe from Judy Rodgers' The Zuni Café Cookbook and several times in the past few months I have talked about my experiments with roasted fruit (for example, strawberries and peaches).

What happened next is a bit strange to explain: I scanned the blog post introducing the dish and missed the link to the actual recipe. So, besides making some changes based on personal preference (more on these below), I used 500 F as baking temperature and kept the baking dish covered throughout. The result was excellent and disappeared rather fast, so I immediately made another batch. It wasn't until I got to batch #3 that I saw the link to the recipe, read it and realized my mistake in the baking process. So, that batch was prepared according to the recipe. However, in a blind test, a sample of batch #2 scored higher than batch #3, so batch #4 was prepared again according to my misreading. You are welcome to make your experiments.

Finally, I made one Savory Apple Charlotte according to the recipe that comes together with that for applesauce and it was a big success. For it, I used some whey bread with butter and honey (recipe from Dan Lepard's The Handmade Loaf) that would have otherwise been used to make French toast (sorry, no photo of the charlotte).

Ingredients:

3 lbs. apples (see Note below)
a generous pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of ultra-fine sugar (zucchero)

Note: When I make preserves with apples, I never peel them, and I followed the same procedure for this applesauce (which makes the preparation time even shorter). Since they are left unpeeled, organic or pesticide-free apples are strongly recommended. In terms of apple varieties, combine what you have available to get a balanced flavor. For example, the apples I received as a gift were a bit tart, so I added a few sweeter ones to each batch.

Preheat the oven to 500 F. Wash well, quarter and core the apples. If an apple is large, cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Distribute in a 3 qt. (9 x 13 inch) pyrex baking dish or similar baking vessel , sprinkle salt and sugar, and stir briefly. Cover with aluminum foil and seal around the edges. Bake until the apples are soft. (I baked them for 30 minutes.)

Transfer the apples into a bowl and purée with an immersion blender. At the beginning, pulse and move the blender to start breaking the apples, then reduce them to a fairly smooth purée. Store applesauce in sterilized jars in the fridge. Consume within a few days.

I tried adding a few drops of cider vinegar (aceto di mele) to a sample of the applesauce, as suggested in the original recipe, but did not like the result.

What this recipe gives you is as healthy an applesauce as you can get. It is naturally sweet, creamy, with an intense apple flavor. It can be used in many different ways. A jar of this applesauce has been on our table at pretty much every meal ever since batch #1 was completed, and we have tried applesauce on anything from simple bread (the one in the photo is pumpkin bread) to bean burgers, to French toast to Rodgers' gnocchi di ricotta.

After tasting the first batch of applesauce, I got a copy of "The Zuni Café Cookbook." I believe that a cookbook with even a single excellent recipe is worth having on the bookshelf. I have so far tried three recipes from this cookbook and they all have been a success, so the book now has its place on my bookshelf.

This is my contribution to edition #313 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Marta of Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

salsa di mele arrosto

or launch the salsa di mele arrosto audio file [mp3].

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apple, sauce

salsa di mele arrosto

Qualche tempo fa, una mia amica mi ha regalato una cassetta di mele raccolte dal suo giardino. Avevo intenzione di usarle, insieme ad altra frutta (per esempio, mango), per fare delle conserve, ma da un angolo della mia memoria è salito in superficie il nome di una ricetta e siccome mi sono ricordata dove l'avevo vista, ho potuto ritrovarla.

La ricetta in questione è salsa di mele arrosto di Judy Rodgers. I due elementi che hanno attirato la mia attenzione sono: l'autore e l'aggettivo "arrosto." Recentemente ho parlato una ricetta tratta da The Zuni Café Cookbook di Judy Rodgers e diverse volte negli ultimi mesi ho parlato dei miei esperimenti con la frutta al forno (per esempio, fragole e pesche).

Quello che è successo dopo è un po' strano da spiegare: ho dato uno sguardo rapido al post che presentava la ricetta e non ho visto il link alla ricetta vera e propria. Così ho usato una temperatura di 260 C e ho mantenuto la teglia coperta per tutta la durata della cottura in forno. Il risultato eccellente è stato consumato rapidamente, quindi ne ho fatta un'altra teglia. Quando mi sono accinta a preparare la terza mandata mi sono finalmente accorta del link, ho letto la ricetta e mi sono resa conto di non averla seguita bene. Quindi la terza teglia è stata sottoposta a cottura come da ricetta. Però alla prova assaggio, la salsa di mele #2 è stata giudicata migliore della #3, quindi la mandata successiva l'ho preparata seguendo il mio "errore" iniziale. A voi raccomando di fare le vostre prove e decidere in base ai vostri gusti, anche per quanto riguarda le altre cose che ho fatto diversamente dalla ricetta originale (per esempio, non ho usato burro).

Per finire, ho preparato una charlotte di mele salata seguendo la ricetta che segue quella della salsa di mele ed è stato un successo (purtroppo non ho una foto della charlotte).

Ingredienti:

1350-1400 g mele (vedi Nota sotto)
un pizzico abbondante di sale
mezzo cucchiaino (2,5 ml) di zucchero fine

Nota: quando faccio le conserve con le mele, non le sbuccio mai. Ho seguito la stessa procedura per fare questa salsa di mele (il che rende ancora più rapida la preparazione). Dal momento che non vengono sbucciate, è bene usare mele bio o non trattate con pesticidi. Per quanto riguarda le varietà di mele, cercate una combinazione che vi dia un sapore bilanciato. Per esempio, le mele che ho ricevuto in regalo erano un po' aspre e perciò ho aggiunto delle mele più dolci.

Scaldare il forno a 260 C. Lavare bene le mele, tagliarle in quarti, e togliere il torsolo. Se una mela è molto grossa, tagliare ogni quarto a metà per lunghezza. Distribuire le mele in una teglia di pyrex da 3 litri (23 x 33 cm) o simile, spargere sale e zucchero e mescolare brevemente. Coprire con un foglio di alluminio e sigillare tutto intorno, poi cuocere in forno fino a quando le mele sono soffici. Io ho cotto le mie mele per 30 minuti.

Trasferire le mele in una ciotola e frullare col frullatore ad immersione. All'inizio pulsare e muovere il frullatore per rompere le mele, poi farlo andare per ridurle ad un purè piuttosto omogeneo. Conservare la salsa di mele in frigorifero in vasetti sterilizzati. Consumare entro qualche giorno. (Io ne ho messa anche un po' in freezer in un contenitore adeguato.)

Ho provato ad aggiungere alcune gocce di aceto di mele ad un po' della salsa di mele, come suggerisce la ricetta originale, ma il risultato non mi è piaciuto.

Questa ricetta produce una salsa di mele naturalmente dolce, cremosa e dall'intenso sapore di mela che può essere usata in modi diversi. Abbiamo provato ad accompagnare molti cibi con la salsa di mele, dal pane (quello della foto è pane alla zucca), ad hamburger di fagioli agli gnocchi di ricotta.

Dopo aver assaggiato questa salsa di mele, ho comprato "The Zuni Café Cookbook." Con ricette come questa, quella per gli gnocchi di ricotta e quella per la charlotte di mele, è decisamente un libro da tenere a portata di mano. E se visitate San Francisco, potete mangiare da Zuni su Market street.

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 313 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Marta di Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

spaghetti alla carbonara

January 17, 2008 | Simona

The Virtual Group of Italian Chefs (GVCI) has declared January 17th, 2008 the International Day of Italian Cuisines:

“For one day, everyone who makes, promotes or simply loves Italian food outside of Italy is invited to carry out a small activity to celebrate authenticity and quality in Italian cuisine.”

Italian chefs all over the world are celebrating the day by making pasta alla carbonara, one of the most famous dishes of the Italian tradition. I am not a chef, but simply an Italian who loves to cook and who has a soft spot for spaghetti alla carbonara. I have never had anything other than spaghetti prepared in this way, but apparently there is a claim that rigatoni is the pasta to use. For my rendition, I will stick to spaghetti.

The origin of this dish and the reason for its name are not clearly established. It appears that its origin is recent: there is no mention of it in cookbooks before WWII. The name could refer to carbonai,Carbonari, the Sardinian town of Carbonia, or carbone (coal). Carbonai were people who cut and processed wood to make charcoal. On this page there are some photos of how this was done and even short videos. Carbonari, on the other hand, were the members of a secret society (Carboneria) that was active in the first half of the 19th century and had as goal the unification of Italy into a single country freed from foreign occupants. The name of the society comes from the fact that its members used symbols from the carbonai. Fortunately we don’t need to establish the origin of the pasta alla carbonara before enjoying it.

There are uncountable recipes for this dish. My mother makes it occasionally and it is a nice dish to share with friends. I like to keep the recipe simple and agree with Roman chef Antonello Colonna when he describes the traditional ingredients, among which he includes tradition itself:

guanciale (e non pancetta), pecorino, uovo, sale e pepe. Null’altro…
Le rielaborazioni non sono vietate. Ma chi pretende di fare la vera carbonara deve usare solo queste materie: la tradizione è un ingrediente come gli altri.

Translation: guanciale (not pancetta), pecorino, egg, salt and pepper. Nothing else…
Variations are not prohibited, but who claims to be making a true carbonara must use only those ingredients: tradition is itself an ingredient.

For the spaghetti in the photo I could not find guanciale and therefore I used pancetta. Guanciale is cured pork jowl (the word also means pillow). Pancetta, instead, comes from the pork belly (pancia). Coincidentally, the NY Times just published an article that talks about guanciale in connection with another famous Italian pasta dish, bucatini all’amatriciana. Chef Colonna is adamant about not using parmigiano for this dish and again I agree with him and use only good pecorino.

My recipe makes no special claim besides the fact that a me piace farla così (I like to make it this way).

Bring a pot of water to rolling boil and pour in it a pound of spaghetti. In the meantime, finely dice 3.5 oz of guanciale. Warm up a lightly oiled skillet big enough to hold the spaghetti and add two small garlic cloves. When the oil is warm, add the guanciale and cook it in its fat, then remove the garlic and keep warm. In the meantime, prepare also the bowl in which you will mix the spaghetti: break 3 very fresh eggs in it and lightly beat them with a pinch of salt, then add 3 oz of pecorino, freshly grated. Keep the bowl warm while you wait for the pasta to cook. Drain the pasta when it is al dente, leaving a little water clinging to it, and pour it into the skillet with the browned guanciale, mix briefly and then empty the skillet into the bowl with the eggs and cheese. Stir quickly: the egg and cheese mixture must remain creamy (I use two forks for this step). Sprinkle generously with freshly-ground black pepper. Serve immediately, possibly in warm bowls and enjoy.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

spaghetti alla carbonara

or launch the spaghetti alla carbonara audio file [mp3].

[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.]