Parmigiano-Reggiano

Breakfast Of Champions # 11 ” Millefanti In Brodo Di Carne “

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Usually I have peppermint tea and bananas for breakfast,
but today that did not tickle my fancy at all. So I took refuge
in another one of my favorite breakfast (and late night snack )
standby’s : An Italian variation of egg drop soup.
I fortified some great beef stock I had in the fridge by simmering
it for fifteen minutes with a good amount of garlic and ginger and seasoning
it with freshly grated nutmeg, kosher salt, cayenne and maggi seasoning.
The eggs I whisked with parmesan cheese, flat leave parsley, chives and nutmeg.
I fished out the sliced ginger and slivered garlic after simmering them for
15 minutes, then whisked in the eggs, immediately removing it from the heat
and drinking it as hot as possible.
Voilà ! Instant satisfaction 🙂
Remember, sometimes the simple things………

Have a great day ! Life is Good !
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” Spaghetti Aglio e Olio “

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Tonight,
a simple, great, straightforward pasta dish is all I need.
I give you : Spaghetti aglio e olio 🙂
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Ingredients :

1 pound dried Spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons roasted garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste

Method :

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant.
Drain pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Add to pan.
Season with salt.Mix well, adding some of the cooking liquid
if the pasta seems too dry.
To serve, sprinkle with chopped italian parsley.

Please note :
I have changed the basic, very traditional recipe by replacing
slivered garlic with roasted garlic and adding scallions
(for crunch) and Parmigiano Reggiano (for taste).

Buon Appetito ! Life is Good !
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” Penne Rigate alla Contadino ”

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Last nights dinner, rigate alla contadino,
a rich concoction you might find at a poor farmers table.
Even at a simple farmers dinner table you can find pasta,
sausage, cheese, cream and vegetables.
With a little imagination and love for food, you can turn these
simple ingredients into a dish fit for a king 🙂
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Ingredients :

Penne Rigate, cooked al dente, strained, reserve some of the cooking liquid
Morcilla, thinly sliced
Chorizo, thinly sliced
Peppers, julienned
Onion, julienned
Garlic, paste
Tomato, wedges
Scallions, sliced
Parmesan, grated
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste
Cream,
Olive oil,

Method :

Saute onions and garlic until translucent, add chorizo and peppers and saute one more minute.
Add pasta,cream, cheese, morcilla and seasoning, simmer and mix well for another minute.
If texture becomes too thick, add some cooking liquid until you have the desired texture.
To serve, sprinkle with scallions and more parmesan.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Healthy Mac & Cheese and Guacamole “

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“Healthy” mac & cheese ? Why not, it’s got veggies 🙂
Well, there you have it. It all depends on how you look at things.
But honestly, what’s wrong with a good meal of pasta, cheese, cream
and vegetables ? Nothing ! Just don’t do what I did :
Eating too much of it at one time. ( The pic’s of the individual portion
should indicate a proper portion for the health- and weight- conscious).
Everybody else : Just dig in and enjoy.

Life is too short to feel miserable about thing’s that make you feel good!
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Ingredient‘s :
Pasta:

Ziti, cooked al dente
Carrots, blanched
Broccoli, blanched
Celery, finely diced
Garlic, paste
Whip cream,
Whole egg, whisked
Salame, diced
Sharp cheddar, shredded
Parmesan, shredded
Brie, finely diced
Salt, to taste
cayenne, to taste
Chili flakes, to taste
Maggi, to taste
Butter

Guacamole :

Avocado, diced
Lime, juiced
Fresh chilis, finely sliced
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Garlic, paste
Salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste

Method :
Pasta :

Butter a ovenproof casserole generously with butter.
Mix all ingredients except the chili flakes and half the parmesan.
Fill casserole to the rim, sprinkle with parmesan and chili flakes.
Bake until set and crust is golden. Serve with Guacamole.

Guacamole :

Mix all ingredients until guacamole has the texture you desire.
The more you stir, the more the avocado breaks down and the
guacamole becomes smoother, less chunky.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Breakfast Of Champions # 6 ” Farmers Omelette

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Today I finally found time again to do a proper breakfast,
after a week of peppermint tea and bananas.
During the week I get up at 3.30am and after a usual sleep time
of 3 to 4 hours, my desire to cook a full meal is usually subdued a bit 😦
Not today ! So here we go:
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” Farmers Omelette ”
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Ingredients:

Eggs, whole, whisked, seasoned with salt and cayenne
Grape tomatoes, whole
Asparagus, blanched
Carrots, blanched
Onion, julienned
Garlic, paste
Potatoes, blanched
Chorizo, thinly sliced
Chives, sliced (fresh or freeze dried)
Butter (substitute olive oil if desired)
Parmesan, grated
Salt, to taste
Cayenne Pepper , to taste

Method :

Sautee potatoes in butter (oil) until starting to change color,
add onion and saute until starting to brown.
Add garlic, saute until translucent, add all other vegetables
and seasoning and saute until heated through.
add eggs, cover tightly, lower heat and cook slowly until eggs are set.
to plate, invert onto serving dish, sprinkle generously with chives.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Paillard of Beef & Peperonata “

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Paillard of Beef & Peperonata, MY WAY !!!

Please note that in my house instead of seasoning the beef with Mustard,
I like to add more by drizzling a good amount over the top while plating.
Also, traditionally, we try to have a perfectly round Paillard for a better presentation 🙂
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Paillard :

Beef, very thinly pounded
Cornstarch, to dust beef
Salt Pepper to taste
Oil, to sauté
Sautee beef in VERY hot oil on both sides for one minute, remove to absorbent paper.

Peperonata :

Saute onions and garlic until translucent, add peppers, sauté until heated through.
Remove from heat,, carefully mix in cherry tomatoes, seasoning and half of your herbs.
(Oregano, basil, cilantro, scallion or whatever tickles
your fancy and will provide the taste you crave that day).
When serving, sprinkle with rest of herbs and, if you desire, parmesan cheese .

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Below a Paillard I prepared for one of my books about 8 years ago.

Paillard of Veal, served with marsala sauce, sauteed enoki mushrooms
and fried spinach with curry cream. Image: H.D.Susser.

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” Mafaldine Primavera “

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the true “parmesan” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Whenever I come across fresh mini veggies I tend to buy them and use them in a simple pasta dish such as this one.
No need for heavy sauce or other distraction from the freshness of the vegetables and the goodness of the pasta.
Pasta, vegetables, butter and / or olive oil, garlic, cheese and herbs all come together to be enjoyed in this simple yet most delicious dish.
Replace vegetables with any fresh vegetables you find at the market or whichever ones you might prefer.

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Mafaldine Primavera:

Ingredients:

Mafaldine, cooked al dente, strained, some of the cooking water reserved
Rainbow carrots, simmered until done but still crispy
Pearl onions, simmered until done but still crispy
Cherry tomatoes,
Butter, can be substituted with 50 or 100% olive oil
Parmigiano reggiano, grated
Fresh herbs, parsley / cilantro / basil / oregano, all or your preference only
Garlic, paste
Salt, pepper, to taste

Method:

Cook Mafaldine in boiling water until al dente, strain, reserve some of the water.
Saute garlic, carrots and pearl onions and garlic in butter or olive oil until garlic becomes fragrant but without changing color.
Add pasta, tomatoes, more butter or olive oil, most of your cheese, half of the herbs, some of the pasta water and salt and pepper.
Toss carefully so not to break up the vegetables or Mafaldine.
If consistency is to watery, add more cheese and toss again. If consistency is to heavy, add more of the pasta water.
Plate and sprinkle with more herbs and cheese.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese “

Today I did not feel for meat or seafood for lunch,
so a vegetarian bolognese over pasta seemed just fine.
Pasta and sauce ! What could be wrong ? Nothing 🙂
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Cook the spaghetti until al dente, strain.
Sautee carrots, celery, onion, garlic and oregano in butter,
add crushed tomato, salt, cayenne pepper, maggi seasoning
and simmer until veggies ar done.
Add pasta, generous amounts of butter and grated parmesan cheese.
mix until a light sauce coats your pasta. The texture should be such
that when you plate your pasta there should be no water separating
from the sauce.
(Alternatively, top pasta with sauce as in picture)
If consistency is too liquid, add parmesan cheese.
If too consistency is too thick, add pasta cooking water.

Below find a link to a cooking video of mine where I cooked “Fusilli Bolognese”

Fusilli Cooking Video
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 2

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” Rigatone Carbonara “, with tomatoes and Basil
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Bella and I sharing breakfast.
(Don’t worry, I have my own bowl, on the table. 🙂
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My version of “Carbonara” :
Wisk 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg with 1/2 cup milk,
2 tbsp parmesan, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Saute 3 cup’s rigatone in butter (use olive oil if you prefer), until
pasta becomes lightly crispy on a few spots.
Add egg mixture, tomatoes and chiffonade of basil and cook
until egg’s start to set. Share with a loved one .

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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” Rotelle, Artichokes, Snails & Grape Tomatoes “

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A few months ago I had one of these “whatever is in the cupboard” moment’s.
Low and behold, some of my favorites : Pasta, snails, artichokes.
The wonderful result of this :
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Personally I think it looks great, and best of all, it tastes even better.
That and the different textures made it an outstanding dish 🙂
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Boil the rotelle, strain, reserve some of the cooking water.
Make a mixture of cornstarch, flour, salt, garlic powder and lemon-salt.
Dredge the snails in the mix and fry at 375 degrees until crisp on the outside,
but moist and plum on the inside. Reserve on absorbent paper.
Fry the artichokes and reserve the same way.
Saute finely chopped garlic and onion in olive oil until opaque.
Add rotelle, a good amount of soft (not melted) butter, finely grated
parmesan cheese, tomatoes and some of the cooking water to the pot
and stir until a sauce forms that coats the pasta lightly.
Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, place pasta on bottom of plate or bowl, top with snails and
artichokes and sprinkle with parmesan and chopped parsley.