scrappassion

OCTOPUS-POTATO SALAD

This is so yummy!

INGREDIENTS FOR 6

1 kg octopus

500g potatoes

1 onion chopped

1/4 cup white wine

bay leaf

olive oil

parsley

salt and pepper

 

1. Clean and wash the octopus and place it in a pot with the wine, onion and a bay leaf and cover with salted water.

2. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 40-50 minutes.

3. Meanwhile peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes and boil them in salted water for 30 minutes.

4. Cut the octopus into cubes and combine it in a bowl with the potatoes. Season with salt, pepper,  parsley and a generous hand of olive oil.

                                                                            BUON APPETITO!

 

ARTICHOKES ROMAN STYLE

I love carciofi alla romana : cleaned, trimmed, seasoned liberally with mint and parsley, and cooked.

A fresh Roman artichoke is a wonderful thing. The first ones to hit the stands - the cimaroli - are big and fat. They are the ones that grow from the main stalk of the artichoke plant, in early spring, pointing straight up. Not only are they incredibly fragrant and large, they are also amazingly tender, and have practically no choke (fine, fuzzy hair like filaments) or tough inner leaves. They are also quite expensive. Fortunately we find artichokes almost all year round in Rome so I don't have to wait for their best season to enjoy them.

 

1. Fill a big bowl with cold water and squeeze half a lemon in.  Keep the other half handy. Artichokes oxidize quickly, so you have to rub all cut surfaces with a lemon to prevent this. And if you don't use gloves, you can rub your hands with lemon afterwards.

2. Take a bunch of parsley and a bunch of mint and 4-5 cloves of garlic. Chop finely and add 1/2 tsp of salt and about a 1/4 tsp of freshly ground pepper. (not exact measures)

3. Break off the tough, outer leaves of the artichoke, until you get down to the tender inner leaves. They are usually yellow on the bottom third, and pale violet at the top. When you break off the leaves, do your best to leave on as much of the root of the leaf as possible.

4. Once you have taken off the tough outer leaves, use a small knife and gently trim away the bright green parts from the stem. Turn the artichoke on its side, and cut off the top third (the pointy end of the artichoke). Make sure your knife is really sharp. Immediately rub the cut part with lemon, and immerse it in acidulated water. You can also half the artichoke and remove the choke like I have done in the photo.

5. Lift an artichoke out of the water and  hold it with one hand, and carefully loosen the leaves, being careful not to break any off. Take a bit of the herb mixture and force it in between the leaves, and into the center of the artichoke. Keep doing this, until the artichoke is well seasoned. You want to use about 2 teaspoons of mixture per artichoke. Repeat for all the artichokes. 

6. Choose a pot where the artichokes will fit very snugly, and place them, one against the other, with the tops (where the pointy end was) down. (on the photo I had cut the artichokes in halves and cooked them side by side) If the stalks of the artichokes are big and thick, you can use those (trimmed of the tough outer part) to keep the artichokes from tipping over. In any case don't throw the stalks away but use them. They are yummy too. Otherwise, you can use pieces of potato. Pour in enough water to come up about an inch, but be careful not to pour the water directly onto the artichokes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle abundantly with olive oil. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a low simmer. Cook until done about 30-40 minutes. Keep checking, to make sure water hasn’t boiled away.

7. Let cool. Best served at room temperature.

 

                                                                                            Buon appetito!

 

 

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Pasta e fagioli aka pasta and beans. One of our faves at the moment. And you don't have to add pasta, it's just as good as bean soup. My Hubs begs to differ but still. I've used both  borlotti beans (cranberry beans) and  cannellini beans (white kidney beans) and I like the latter the best.

 

 

INGREDIENTS FOR 8

500g  dried beans soaked overnight

400g fatty pancetta finely chopped

200-300g fresh pig skins 

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

1  garlic clove

can of peeled/diced tomatos

1 potato

peperoncino (chili pepper)

salt, pepper

EV olive oil

parmesan

fresh maltagliati pasta

 

 

1. Flame the pork skins to remove bristles, rub them clean with a cloth, and cut them into strips. Or if you use the skin from pancetta, just cut that into strips. No need to clean.

3. Mince the onion, celery and carrot and combine them. Heat a bit of oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped pancetta until it begins to brown. Add the minced onion mixture, a crushed garlic clove and the spices and continue to sauté, stirring, for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes, the drained beans, the peeled potato, the skins and water to cover abundantly, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer until the beans are tender. Total cooking time about 1,5 - 2 hrs. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

5. After an hour, add 1-2 cups of water and salt.

6. When done, take an abundant cup of the soup with the potato (is it's still in one piece or in chunks) and use a blender to cream it. Add it back to the soup.

7. Cook the pasta directly in the soup checking the water and salt. 

8. Add a little bit of olive oil and grated parmesan to the plate

I always cook this amount even though we might be only 3 or 4 to eat. You can refrigerate or freeze the rest.

If you want to serve it as soup, add croutons or pieces of grilled bread.

FOR THE VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN ALTERNATIVE: leave out the pork skins and pancetta (and Parmesan)

BUON APPETITO!

 

 

 

Greek fava

I had a craving for Greek fava so I made it today. Fava is made with pureed yellow split peas. Not chick peas, not fava beans, not lentils (even though I have seen Greek fava called yellow lentils) nor white beans. I have not yet found yellow split peas in Italy. I brought some from the States and then last October when I went to Crete I bought 2 kilos and then my Greek friends surprised us in November with other 3 kilos so we have enough fava for the whole year!

The best and most famous Greek fava comes from Santorini. This dish is served as an appetizer, a meze or a side dish, but it can also be a vegan main course. A part from being tasty, fava is really healthy, full of antioxidants and non-animal protein.

Every Greek mama has her own fava recipe just like every Italian mamma has her own tomato sauce recipe. Mine is a mixture of Cretan and Greek and having added some suggestions from the Internet.

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS FOR 6-8 (or even more!)

1/2 kg (1 lb)  fava

2  onions + some to serve

1 peeled potato

salt and pepper

1 dl (1/4-1/2 cup) EV olive oil

lemon

parsley

optional: kalamata or Gaeta olives, capers

 

1. Rinse the fava in cold water

2. Bring the fava to a boil in 1.2 l  (7-8 cups) of water, skim the froth and add 2 quartered onions (it's easier to skim without the pieces of onion) and a peeled potato cut into two or four pieces

3. Let the fava simmer at very low heat for about an hour and a half. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. You might need to add some water! 1-2 cups.

4. When the split peas are soft and the water has been reduced to leave a thick "porridge", remove the pot from the heat and pass the fava through a food mill or use a stick blender or a food processor. I use a stick blender and blend the fava directly in the pot. You can puree it to a smooth cream or leave it more coarse.

5. Add the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Put back on the heat and stir for 2 minutes but BE CAREFUL. The fava is piping hot!

6. Let the fava cool (it becomes considerably more solid) and serve it in a shallow dish. Add some chopped (spring) onion and parsley, some olive oil and lemon juice and alternatively olives or capers. Some use vinegar instead of lemon but I haven't tried that yet.

 

 

SPAGHETTI ALLA CHITARRA WITH LEMON PESTO

 

Tried a new recipe the other day. We love pasta and have it almost every day and I constantly need new pasta recipes. Lately I've tried different pesto recipes and this one was perfect for our evening pasta last Wednesday.

 

Ingredients for 4

400-500g pasta alla chitarra (tonnarelli)

1 lemon -  preferably organic

30 g between fresh basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley, mint

30 g peeled almonds

30 g grated parmesan

olive oil

pinch of coarse salt

 

While you are cooking the pasta, prepare the lemon-herb pesto. Grate the zest of 1/4 of a lemon (avoid the white part, it will make your pesto bitter) and squeeze the juice of a half a lemon and all the ingredients in a bowl and use a mixer or a hand blender until the pesto is quite smooth. Check for taste. I grated too much of the zest (half a lemon)  therefore my pesto was too lemon-y at the end. I kind of liked it but will definitely use less zest the next time. Of course it depends on the size of your lemon. So start with less and add if needed.

Drain the pasta 1-2 minutes before it's al dente and pour it into a pan. Mix the pesto with the pasta, add some pasta water and let simmer for 1 minute. 

Tip: keep always a glass of your pasta water to add into the pan if necessary while you mix your pasta with the sauce

Tip: no need to use all the above mentioned herbs or you could use others

 

TUNA & POTATO SALAD

 

When it's hot outside and you don't feel like cooking , here's a recipe for a delicious and filling salad.

 

Ingredients for 4 

5-6 boiled cold potatoes ( I  cook on purpose a couple of extra potatoes and use them the next day for this salad)

250-300 g tuna (drained from its oil)

1 onion

2-3 hard boiled eggs

a dozen olives (I love Gaeta olives)

capers (optional)

parsley

vinegar

salt and pepper

olive oil (I always use extra virgin olive oil)

 

Slice onions and put them in a bowl with a little bit of wine vinegar to "sweeten" them. Peel and slice the potatoes, put a layer of them in the serving bowl, add onions, parsley, tuna, salt and pepper (and capers), drizzle some oil and keep on layering the same way. Place the sliced eggs and olives on top and put the dish in the fridge to marinate for an hour. Do not toss the salad. 

Perfect for a hearty lunch or a light dinner.

Buon appetito!

 

PESTO

 

This time of the year I have an appointment with my basil "plantation". It's time to make some pesto!

 

 

You should actually use a marble mortar and a wooden pestle but since I don't own a marble mortel I admit that I use a hand blender.  I do have a wooden pestle so I'm half way there ;)

 

Ingredients:

50g basil

2 cloves of garlic

60 g grated parmesan

30 g grated pecorino

a pinch of coarse salt

1 tablespoon pine nuts

100 g extra virgin olive oil

Crush garlic, salt and basil leaves and "hack" until a green juice starts running - this with the mortar. With the blender I add the ingredients in the same order but don't wait for the juice to run. Add the pine nuts and the cheese and at the end pour the oil slowly. Taste and adjust salt.

I like mine creamy and not too garlicky.

 

You can put the pesto in a glass jar and keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Wait until the pesto has settled and then add some oil if needed. The pesto has to be covered with oil.

Another method is to put the pesto in small plastic cups or in the ice cube tray and  freeze it. EDITED it is best not to put the cheese if freezing the pesto but to add it when you use the pesto

Buon appetito!

SWEET SENSATION

I participate with this layout to Skissedilla sketch challenge #185 and also to BITW challenge where the word to incorporate is "sweet".

I turned the sketch 90°.

The photo is of the best French croissant with berries and raspberry coulis I've ever tasted. It was yummy. Had that at the French restaurant in Chicago I was talking about in my last post.

"Pagerize This Challenge" + other goodies

Among other fun challenges, at Scrap Our Stash there is a Pagerize This Challenge which is a sort of scraplifting challenge. 

I won Joni's Pagerize This Challenge with this layout.

It's a layout in grid form about my American sisters and Mom who came to visit us in 2004. I used Glimmer mists, Glimmer Glaze (on the birdie) and Glimmer Glam (on the leaves die-cut) and Wendy Vecchi's background stamps. I also made my first Rosette with Tim's alteration die. Loved that! The journaling is written on a Prima Marketing packaging.

And now it's my turn to provide a page for the other readers to "pagerize". Here is the one I've chosen.

I submitted my page for Joni's challenge last weekend while I was watching the news on Japan's earthquake and tsunami. Many of you may not know that my daughter Valentina was living and studying in Tokyo when the earthquake hit. By Monday we were convinced that it was best that she returned home. She arrived on Wednesday after having spent long and exhausting hours first at Narita airport and then on the plane. To make a long story short, we are just enormously grateful that she's back home. The previous post was about a layout I made after she got home.

Now that we can breathe again, and life is returning normal here in our household, I've done some layouts for various challenges.

 

This is for The Color Room's color palette #50. There's also a blog hop going on there. So many beautiful projects for everyone to enjoy and take inspiration from.

Loved playing with gesso and paints and stamps and inks and mists (used everything I had to get the right colors!). And of course I used my sewing machine.

 

This next layout is for Cocoa Daisy's March sketch/lift challenge.

Also here I played with mists and Distress inks + my sewing machine. And with some paint.

 

On the Italian blog Scrappando Carta e Ricordi the challenge for March is to do a layout with a big title, using a border punch and hand written journaling. The theme is Food and/or Beverages. This is my page.

I really don't get Fried chicken and Waffles for breakfast but maybe it's just me:)

 

 

Last tags

I'm finally done with Tim's Tags! It was a fun adventure, I learned so much... also about my frustration when I didn't have the right supplies but I learned also to make do with what I had. And I'm sooo happy I finished them all! I've been known to leave projects at halfway... *blush*

Here's Tim's #3 and this is mine. Had a fair amount of difficulties but loved the alcohol ink technique. I do own glossy cardstock, I know, I bought it last spring, but for the life of me I couldn't find it so I had to use glossy photopaper. It didn't get sticky like Tim warned, but I had some bleeding when I tried to enhance Santa Claus's beard with white dabber and the red alcohol ink changed it to pink °_° 

This is Tim's Tag #4 and here's mine. This one I like a lot. I didn't have all the things needed like the memory glass! When I bought the memory frames and the memory capsules I kinda forgot that I was supposed to buy also the memory glass, duh. But I cut a piece of thick cardboard and put it in the frame.

This is Tim's #8 and this is mine. Here too I had to improvise but the tag turned out ok at the end. My lamp post is so tiny that the key would have been too big so I hung a little ceramic angel ornament from a clock instead.

 

Here is a picture of all my 12 Tags of 2009.

 

Wow, now that all these tags are done, I can finally concentrate on other things like work... and some layouts...

Here are still a couple more pics of our Christmas.

This is the hazelnut cake with frosting, our chocolate frosting didn't turn out so we made a white sugar frosting instead. The cake was yummy!!

Picture of me (one of the few ones because I'm always behind the camera) taken by Andrea. I just love it with the soft lights of the candles and with the tree on the background.

    

On Boxing Day evening Franco, Andrea and I went to see A Christmas Carol. It was really funny!

So now that Christmas is over we can start waiting for New Year :)