Homemade Pasta (no eggs)

So, this pasta is very easy to make! The only hard part is making it into a shape that you like!
I have posted 3 different one, and those are the one that I make more often but you can literally do whatever you want, think it as being a kid and playing "cooking" with play dough! Fun right?! 

 

INGREDIENTS that will feed 4 people:

1 1/2 cups of durum wheat semolina flour
3/4 cups of warm water
1 tsp fine salt

PREPARATION:

Put your four in to a large bowl with the salt, pour the water and start mixing the whole thing with the help of a fork.
When it's getting to difficult to use the fork switch to your (washed) hands and work it for 10 minutes ish! 

Now it's time to play with it into the shape that you like!

In the first picture I invented. I made a lot of squares (1.5 x 1.5 inches and about 2 millimeter thin) than I made the lines with the gnocchi maker, I made the two opposite corners join together and I repeated that procedure over and over until i was out of pasta dough.

The second picture shows a "cheating" shape! I basically made gnocchi! I did the exact same procedure than for making gnocchi. Nothing special! 

                            The last one are called orecchiette. My oldest son finds it funny because orecchiette means "little ears" so he always pretend to be a monster that is eating people's ears (I know, this kids have a lot of imagination but they eat and I won't be the one stopping them) I find this one a little bit harder to make but that's just me! 

Basically you you will have to divide your pasta dough in a lot of "snakes" 1/2 inch in diameter (kind of when we make gnocchi), you cut it in pieces of 1/2 inch each, you roll them on a flat surface with your finger inside of it and than you turn it inside out so that the side that your finger was touching will be now the "bump" and the part that was touching your surface while you were rolling it will become the "dimple".

If you need a better description please feel free to comment and i will make a video.

Now you just have to cook it in salted, boiling water for 7 to 15 minutes (it all depends on how thick you made it and how you like it! I suggest you to try one every 3 minutes after the first 7) and add the sauce that you mostly like. 

BUON APPETITO!

 

Tiramisu'

You love coffee, you love cake, you love chocolate, you love creamy dessert... Well, this is for you.

INGREDIENTS: 

6 eggs

2 cups of Mascarpone cheese (you will find it in most stores, you just have to look thoroughly for it)

1/2 cup of sugar

3 espresso

4 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder

14 oz Savoiardi cookies (cookies that look like ladyfingers, I buy mine on amazon)

PREPARATION:

 Divide the yolk of the egg from the white and set them in two different bowls. Add half of the sugar to the yolks and, with a mixer, whisk them for 3 minutes. add the mascarpone cheese a little bit at the time while you are still whisking it. Keep it going until it's nice and smooth and set aside (I usually put mine in the fridge to keep it fresh).

Now rinse the whisk and start on the whites, make them become nice and foamy than slowly add the remaining sugar and keep going for a few minutes until foamy and thick. 

Mix the yolk and the whites all together from the bottom to the top, slowly and gently until everything is blended together. 

Dip the savoiardi cookies on the espresso and put them in a square or rectangle cake pan, add about half to one inch of the cream we just made. Set the second layer of savoiardi on the opposite direction and put more cream. Keep going until you are out of savoiardi and cream. 

Sprinkle the cocoa powder on the top with the help of a sifter. Refrigerate for about 2 hours and serve cold.

BUON APPETITO

Tuna Black Olives Sauce

This pasta sauce is so good and fast, it's also a good way to "trick" kids on eating tuna fish!

This time I used only tuna and black olives but you can add green olives, capers and even a few anchovies if you like them.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 of an onion

10-15 black olives

1 tuna can (I prefer the one in water)

half can of tomato sauce

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

a little bit of pepper based on your taste

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION:

Chop the onion in little pieces and put it to get brown in a pan with the olive oil. While you let the onion go on medium heat cut the olives in 4 and add them to the onion. Let it go for a few more minutes and add the tuna. Another minute or two and add your tomato sauce, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes than remove the lid and let the extra liquid evaporate. 

All done! Your pasta sauce is ready to put on top of your pasta.

BUON APPETITO! 

Gnocchi Thursday!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1.4 pounds of potatoes (I like the golden potatoes because they end up with a better color)
1 medium egg
salt
2 cups all purpose flour +d some to cover your work space

PREPARATION:
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 40 minutes. To make sure that are cooked poked them with a fork, and it should go all the way thru. Now turn off the stove and take the potatoes out. Peel your potatoes and smash them using a smasher. I have one that my mom bought for me when I got married and I love it, you can use whatever you normally use. 














Add the egg and the flour. Mix all the ingredients together until everything is all blended in.

Now is time to divide your Gnocchi dough in "snakes", as my oldest calls it. No matter how much flour you will add it will always be sticky because American potatoes absorb more water than the one in Europe (why? I have no clue). Just like the one in the picture below. You can make it thinner or thicker, that's up to you. The thinnest the "snake" the smallest the gnocchi. We like them bigger than the one you buy at the store!

Ok, you have your snakes. Take a knife and cut the "snake" in pieces of about 1/2 an inch each.
Take your gnocchi board or a fork and using a finger (most people use their thumb but I use my middle finger) roll the gnocco on top of it to give it the shape. If you don't feel like it you can always leave it like that, the taste won't change! They will tend to be sticky, just put some flour on it to help it dry up a bit.

Sprinkle some flour on a cutting board and put your gnocchi on top of it to rest.
When I'm done I usually put them in the fridge or the freezer to make them harden up faster.
Once you have waited for a few hours you can either put them in a freezer safe zip lock and keep them there up to 3 months or you can cook them.
To cook them it's very easy, just treat them like pasta! Boil salted water and dump them in it. They will sink and when they'll start floating it means that they are done and ready to be taken out of the water and set on your sauce!
BUON APPETITO and ENJOY! 

Risotto with Wine, Peas and Philadelphia.

This risotto has a very strong taste, a beautiful color and fun contrast! It's nice and creamy and it passed the "kids test", they approved! Yeey me! 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of Arborio rice

1 cup of red wine (I used Chianti)

1/2 of a medium onion

1 cup of frozen peas

6 oz Philadelphia cream cheese

1 tbsp salted butter

5 cups of warm/hot broth 

1 tsp pepper

salt 

PREPARATION:

I used a wok to make this because I am in love with that pan but you can use any pan that is big enough.

Start by making your broth, use 5 cups of water and 4 bullion squares.

Now put the butter on the pan with medium heat, chop your onion in small pieces and, when the butter is melted, add the onion to it. Make the onion lightly brown in it than add your rice and let it absorb the butter for a minute or two and stir, keep stirring. That is the most important part of cooking a risotto! 

Pour the wine and keep it going until all the alcohol evaporates all the way, your nose will know when. Go ahead and pour your broth in the wok/pan, make sure to stir, gently but often. Let it cook for about 10 minutes than add your peas and pepper. After 5 more minutes taste for salt, your rice will be a little bit under cooked but it's the best time to add salt if you need it and subjoin the Philadelphia and cook for 5 more minutes, for a total of 20 minutes. Taste again. The risotto should be cooked not too tender and not too hard, just perfect. 

Decorate with a little curl of Philadelphia or some Parmesan and serve hot. 

This is the moment where I yell "PAPPA PRONTA, TABLE TIME!!" witch mean "food is ready" followed by the boys racing to the table. 

My chicken ditalini soup

CHICKEN, DITALINI and VEGGIES SOUP!!
 Now, this is great hot, warm, cold! In the winter I love it hot but it the summer it makes an awesome refreshing and light meal!
You should see the "pound" of Parmesan cheese on top of it! That's because in my family we looooove Parmesan, but you don't have to put it (even if it taste a millions time better with).
Are you ready?! Make sure to make this only if you are planning to stay at home the whole day or use the slow cooker, and you can go to work or let it go all night, whatever works better for you!
INGREDIENTS (this will feed at least 4 people):

2 chicken breast (frozen or fresh, witch ever you have at home! If is frozen make sure to defrost it first)3 medium carrots (if you bought them you will have to peel them and wash them, if are from your garden than just wash it, more vitamins)
1 medium onion (again, white, red, yellow, it doesn't matter, it's all up to you)
1 celery "leg" (washed)
1 zucchini or squash
5-6 mushrooms (washed from all the dirt)
2 golden potatoes (peeled and washed from the extra starch)
ditalini pasta (i use half a cup per person)
salt
pepper
rosemary (either 1 stick or 2 tsp of dry)
sage (4-5 leaves or 1 tsp of  powder)
water
2 tbsp

 of extra virgin olive oil
PREPARATION:
Very easy!!! Chop all the veggies! You may ask how! Well, do you like to eat big chunks or tiny pieces of veggies? When I make it just for my self i chop them big, like in the picture, if I prepare it for the whole family I make smaller pieces because my kids are picky, and my husband even pickier!!!
So chop those veggies however you prefer based on your family needs! put the oil in a pan and when it's warm add in this order and give it about 1 minute before adding the next one:
onion
carrots
celery
potatoes
zucchini
mushrooms
and stir until everything is getting soft, make sure nothing burns or stick to the pan because nobody likes to clean burnt pans!!!
Good, get your big pot or your slow cooker and put all of this good smelling vegetables inside of it.
Now, use the same cutting board and the same knife to cut the chicken in medium size strips of about 1/2 an inch each and add it inside your pot.
Now it's time to put all of your spices and herbs inside. For the salt, I suggest you to start with a little bit at the time... You can always add it but it's very hard to get rid of it!! My parents always told me that and, man that's so true!!!
Add the water and leave about 3 fingers from the top of the pot so even if it boils it won't come out and put the lid on!
Set the fire under your pot on medium/slow or your slow cooker on 6-8 hours!
Now, LET IT GO! LET IT GO!
(Admit it, you just sang that with the frozen melody!!! And now it will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day!)
Let it cook for at least 6 hours, keep an eye on it. If you start "loosing" to much water, add some. If the soup keep coming up, open a little bit the lid and turn the fire down a bit! After 4 hours the chicken will be fully cooked and you can start tasting the soup and add some salt if you need to.
When you have 10 minutes left add the ditalini (witch is my dad's favorite for soup). If you are using the slow cooker add the pasta about 20 minutes before. Pasta should always be "al dente" but in soup I like it softer! It blends in better that way!
Serve with some Parmesan on top of it or some Pecorino (sheep cheese) or Romano! Or just eat it as it is!!
BUON APPETITO! 

Ciabatta bread

This bread is my favorite in absolute. So easy, so fast and so good!!!

 You can eat it during dinner, for breakfast with some Nutella or some honey on top of it (or like my grandma used to do, with butter and sugar). 

Everybody will love it and they will ask you for the recipe.

Let's start!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of all purpose flour

2 cups of high gluten flour

2 tsp of active dry yest

2 tsp of sugar

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 cups of warm water (just open the water of your sink on hot, let it go for a few minutes and it will be good)

PREPARATION:

In a little bowl combine the warm water with the active dry yeast and the sugar and stir until all the ingredients are combined perfectly and set aside. 

Take a medium/big bowl and put the flours with the salt and stir it until all the ingredients are mixed together. Add the water mixture and help your self with a fork to mix it together. When it's getting to hard to work with the fork go ahead and use your (clean and dried) hands. 

Work that dough for at least 10 minutes, go for it, don't be afraid to get dirty! Have your kids help you, they will love it! When the dough result nice, sticky and even (you don't want to have any kind of hard-dry "ball" in the middle! That means that you didn't mix all the ingredients evenly! But don't feel bad, it happens to the best of us! Keep going!) put a damp (with warm water) hand towl on top of your bowl and set it in a warm place (you can put it inside your oven with the light on, inside the dryer right after is done drying your clothes and it's still nice and warm, on the window when the sun is hitting it, on top of your aquarium or snake box, etc. You know your house!!) and let it sit for at least 1 hour but not more than 2.

After this time, your dough should be at least twice the size it was before, yous should see some bubbles in it and it should smell almost like pizza dough. You can pinch a little piece off and taste it! My kids love this, just don't eat to much or it will give you a belly ache!!

Take your bread or pizza pan, cover it with parchment paper (you can either get the expensive one or the one from the dollar store, they are both fine!!) and make some flour rain on top of it! Get your hands dirty again and take that sticky dough, divided in 2 or 3 loafs and set it on your pan but make sure they are at least 5 inches apart. Now let it sit for another 30 minutes in a warm place but don't cover it. While you wait, turn on your oven at 350 F and put a oven resistant pan full of water on the bottom rack of your oven. 

Ok! Let's go back to work! Sprinkle some flour on top of your bread, that by now should be nice and puffy, put the pan in the oven for 15-25 minutes. 

DONE! YOUR CIABATTA BREAD IS READY! Let it cool down for a little bit and enjoy it!!!