lundi 29 novembre 2010
Fabulous-cooking: Penne with Sausage & Radicchio
Fabulous-cooking: Penne with Sausage & Radicchio: "Difficulty level : Easy Preparation and cooking time : 45minutes From North east Italy This recipe is more commonly made with rice but I ..."
dimanche 28 novembre 2010
Penne with Sausage & Radicchio
Difficulty level : Easy
Preparation and cooking time : 45minutes
From North east Italy
This recipe is more commonly made with rice but I think it's just as nice, if not nicer, with pasta.
In the north east of Italy they grow the salad known as radicchio in very special way. The salad is harvested in late autumn, the outer leaves stripped away, and packed side by side into wire crates. The crates are then placed into dark sheds for several days. The bottoms of the salads are submerged in fresh water. The result is a longer, sweeter and more delicate salad. This recipe is best made with that kind of radicchio which has the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. However, if you can't get hold of this Italian version you can use the more commonly found, slightly more bitter version of radicchio as the sausage helps to sweeten the dish.
If you don't like radicchio or can't find it you can use mushrooms instead. It's still delicious, but doesn't have that interesting and yummy mix of sweet and bitter.
For 4 people
1 serving spoon of olive oil
5 fat sausages
1 clove of garlic
800g radicchio
half a glass of wine
20cl single cream
salt and pepper
500g penne pasta
Instructions
Start by removing the skin from the sausages.
Break the sausages into small cubes, about 1cm3 is perfect.
Heat the oil and whole peeled garlic clove in a large heavy based frying pan.
Add the sausage and cook over a medium heat until the meat is lightly browned.
Reduce the heat and prepare the radicchio.
Simply slice the radicchio, as you might a carrot, across the lengths, the slices should be about 1/2cm wide.
Add the sliced radicchio to the sausage and stir.
Add the wine. (You can add a little more of less as you prefer)
Season well with salt and pepper
leave to cook for about 15 minutes on a low heat.
Meanwhile you can prepare the pasta.
Boil lots of well salted water in a large saucepan, great pasta is always cooked in a lot of water.
Once the water is really boiling well, add the pasta.
I suggest using De Cecco or if you can't find it Barilla.
As soon as the pasta is ready drain it and return it to the saucepan.
Leave on the side for a minute while you finish the sausage and radicchio.
The 15 minutes for the sausage and radicchio should now be up.
Stir half the cream into the radicchio and sausage and increase the heat for 30 seconds.
Add the sausage and radicchio to the pasta.
Heat the two over a medium heat and add the remaining cream, stirring all the time.
Once it's all well mixed together it's ready to serve.
For this recipe I recommend putting a bowl of freshly grated Parmesan on the table rather than adding it before serving. The dish already has a strong flavour so I prefer to let people add the cheese to suit their taste.
Wine
This dish is a great winter dish and is best with a robust red wine to cut through the sweet fattiness of the sausage.
I usually serve a wine from Languedoc-Roussillon. Any wine experts out there who have any specific good suggestions please don't hesitate to share your knowledge!
Preparation and cooking time : 45minutes
From North east Italy
This recipe is more commonly made with rice but I think it's just as nice, if not nicer, with pasta.
In the north east of Italy they grow the salad known as radicchio in very special way. The salad is harvested in late autumn, the outer leaves stripped away, and packed side by side into wire crates. The crates are then placed into dark sheds for several days. The bottoms of the salads are submerged in fresh water. The result is a longer, sweeter and more delicate salad. This recipe is best made with that kind of radicchio which has the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. However, if you can't get hold of this Italian version you can use the more commonly found, slightly more bitter version of radicchio as the sausage helps to sweeten the dish.
If you don't like radicchio or can't find it you can use mushrooms instead. It's still delicious, but doesn't have that interesting and yummy mix of sweet and bitter.
1 serving spoon of olive oil
5 fat sausages
1 clove of garlic
800g radicchio
half a glass of wine
20cl single cream
salt and pepper
500g penne pasta
Instructions
Start by removing the skin from the sausages.
Break the sausages into small cubes, about 1cm3 is perfect.
Heat the oil and whole peeled garlic clove in a large heavy based frying pan.
Add the sausage and cook over a medium heat until the meat is lightly browned.
Reduce the heat and prepare the radicchio.
Simply slice the radicchio, as you might a carrot, across the lengths, the slices should be about 1/2cm wide.
Add the sliced radicchio to the sausage and stir.
Add the wine. (You can add a little more of less as you prefer)
Season well with salt and pepper
leave to cook for about 15 minutes on a low heat.
Meanwhile you can prepare the pasta.
Boil lots of well salted water in a large saucepan, great pasta is always cooked in a lot of water.
Once the water is really boiling well, add the pasta.
I suggest using De Cecco or if you can't find it Barilla.
As soon as the pasta is ready drain it and return it to the saucepan.
Leave on the side for a minute while you finish the sausage and radicchio.
The 15 minutes for the sausage and radicchio should now be up.
Stir half the cream into the radicchio and sausage and increase the heat for 30 seconds.
Add the sausage and radicchio to the pasta.
Heat the two over a medium heat and add the remaining cream, stirring all the time.
Once it's all well mixed together it's ready to serve.
For this recipe I recommend putting a bowl of freshly grated Parmesan on the table rather than adding it before serving. The dish already has a strong flavour so I prefer to let people add the cheese to suit their taste.
Wine
This dish is a great winter dish and is best with a robust red wine to cut through the sweet fattiness of the sausage.
I usually serve a wine from Languedoc-Roussillon. Any wine experts out there who have any specific good suggestions please don't hesitate to share your knowledge!
vendredi 26 novembre 2010
Vancouver, Canada Restaurants
This summer we were fortunate enough to have been invited to a wedding just outside Vancouver. I have already been to British Columbia, but it was a long time ago.
In my experience us Europeans tend to be a bit snooty and often quite snotty about North American cuisine. I know my canadian friend will be fuming about being lumped in with the US but sadly it's often the case.
I knew there was a large asian influence in Vancouver but what I hadn't noticed, aged 18 and 11 months, was how good and varied the food was. Aged 18 and 11 months the only thing that interested me was getting into a bar. In a way that only the British are capable of being I became outraged at the fact that back home I had the right to drink a lovely beer or 10 and here in Vancouver I couldn't even get into certain restaurants!
Fortunately this was less of an issue this time around, I even did a little triumphant dance when a bouncer carded me!
We largely used the Lonely planet and my friends recommendations and I can safely say that my friend is a lot more reliable (and to the point) than the Lonely planet!
Yaletown
I'm not old but I'm no student either. Yaletown although a bit over the top, is everything you a North American city to be. Old converted brick warehouse buildings make for great loft style restaurants and bars. If you want to spot a celeb this is the place. You can find pretty much any kind of cuisine imaginable and it's pretty much all good.
If you want to do some star spotting and like a "Conran" type feel try the Glowbal Grill and Satay Bar. If not really my best suggestion is to stroll the streets around 7.30pm checking out the restaurants. Beware the Canadians eat much earlier than the French, Spanish and Italians so don't be supprised to see places full around 7.30pm.
Gastown
My feeling about Gastown is that it's more of a studenty vibe. There are lots of Irish bars (which admittedly aren't my scene) and the crowd is more relaxed and younger. For Londoners out there I would vaguely compare it to Clapham or Covent Garden. My opinion is that it's an area best explored during the day! Good grief I do sound like an old prude!
Granville Island
We went over to Granville Island to meet friends for lunch. It's well worth the trip. There are some great deli stands and a huge indoor market with pretty much everything you could possibly imagine from all over the world.
I have barely scratched the surface of what is available in this fabulous city. If any locals or visitors have any other good ideas please add a comment!
The best food is always shared.
In my experience us Europeans tend to be a bit snooty and often quite snotty about North American cuisine. I know my canadian friend will be fuming about being lumped in with the US but sadly it's often the case.
I knew there was a large asian influence in Vancouver but what I hadn't noticed, aged 18 and 11 months, was how good and varied the food was. Aged 18 and 11 months the only thing that interested me was getting into a bar. In a way that only the British are capable of being I became outraged at the fact that back home I had the right to drink a lovely beer or 10 and here in Vancouver I couldn't even get into certain restaurants!
Fortunately this was less of an issue this time around, I even did a little triumphant dance when a bouncer carded me!
We largely used the Lonely planet and my friends recommendations and I can safely say that my friend is a lot more reliable (and to the point) than the Lonely planet!
Yaletown
I'm not old but I'm no student either. Yaletown although a bit over the top, is everything you a North American city to be. Old converted brick warehouse buildings make for great loft style restaurants and bars. If you want to spot a celeb this is the place. You can find pretty much any kind of cuisine imaginable and it's pretty much all good.
If you want to do some star spotting and like a "Conran" type feel try the Glowbal Grill and Satay Bar. If not really my best suggestion is to stroll the streets around 7.30pm checking out the restaurants. Beware the Canadians eat much earlier than the French, Spanish and Italians so don't be supprised to see places full around 7.30pm.
My feeling about Gastown is that it's more of a studenty vibe. There are lots of Irish bars (which admittedly aren't my scene) and the crowd is more relaxed and younger. For Londoners out there I would vaguely compare it to Clapham or Covent Garden. My opinion is that it's an area best explored during the day! Good grief I do sound like an old prude!
Granville Island
We went over to Granville Island to meet friends for lunch. It's well worth the trip. There are some great deli stands and a huge indoor market with pretty much everything you could possibly imagine from all over the world.
I have barely scratched the surface of what is available in this fabulous city. If any locals or visitors have any other good ideas please add a comment!
The best food is always shared.
Tip of the day
Onion soup / Soupe à l'ognion
When preparing onion soup add a slice of camenbert for a truely delicious dish!
Our faboulous onion soup recipe will follow next week.
Pour donner plus de gout et d'onctuosité à votre soupe à l'ognion ajouter un peu de camenbert!
Recette complete à venir d'ici peu.
When preparing onion soup add a slice of camenbert for a truely delicious dish!
Our faboulous onion soup recipe will follow next week.
Pour donner plus de gout et d'onctuosité à votre soupe à l'ognion ajouter un peu de camenbert!
Recette complete à venir d'ici peu.
jeudi 25 novembre 2010
Cup Cake of New York!
Vous voulez manger les Cup Cake les plus "fashion" de NYC ?
Rendez vous chez Magnolia Bakery, dans le Quartier de Soho, à l'angle de Perry Street.
Une petite pâtisserie pleine de charme que tous les fans de Carry Bradshaw reconnaîtront.
Sucrerie, couleurs et calories sont au rendez-vous !
Rendez vous chez Magnolia Bakery, dans le Quartier de Soho, à l'angle de Perry Street.
Une petite pâtisserie pleine de charme que tous les fans de Carry Bradshaw reconnaîtront.
Sucrerie, couleurs et calories sont au rendez-vous !
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| Marie in New York enjoying a cup cake |
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| CUP CAKES ! |
Eating and drinking with the locals in Venice
Pizza/resto excellent rapport qualité prix
Some great value for money pizzerias and trattorias loved by the locals
"nono risorto"
Santa Croce 2338, Sotoportego de Siora Bettina30135 Venezia, Italia
041 5241169
"le due colonne"
- Campo Sant'Agostin, 30125 Venise, Italie
- 39 041 5240685
--------------------
Drinks !
Pour l'apertif : Campo s.Margherita Il y a beaucoup de bars et un bon atmosphere!
For a drink before or after dinner head to the Campo s.Margherita there are lots of bars to choose from and the atmosphere is always lively.
- Mais surtout il faut aller voir nos amis!
Bar Al Mercà
c'est a coté de la camera Penale de Venezia n'oublier pas de commander une "Spritz" (100m de rialto)
- And of course there is always my favourite bar for a quick "Spritz" ( the local aperitif) before or after dinner, run by friends of ours :
Bar Al Mercà
Its in the square "camera Penale" about 100m from the Rialto bridge
Tip of the Day
A truely authentic Italian way of preparing pasta dishes :
- Remove the pasta from the heat 1 minute before it has finished cooking
- Drain the pasta
- Add your chosen sauce to the pasta and place over a medium heat stiring constantly for about half a minute.
The pasta will finish cooking and really absorb the sauce.
- Just before removing the pasta from the heat you can add freshly grated parmesan and give a final stir
before dishing up!
- Remove the pasta from the heat 1 minute before it has finished cooking
- Drain the pasta
- Add your chosen sauce to the pasta and place over a medium heat stiring constantly for about half a minute.
The pasta will finish cooking and really absorb the sauce.
- Just before removing the pasta from the heat you can add freshly grated parmesan and give a final stir
before dishing up!
mercredi 24 novembre 2010
Restaurant recommendations in Sicily, Italy
A friend of mine just got back from Sicily and this is what he told me :
I went to Sicily recently and had a couple of good meals in Syracuse. One at a restaurant called the Apollonion Osteria da Carlo (http://www.apollonion.it/index.asp ), packed with locals and no menu. They proceeded to bring out a series of dishes (abou...t 6 or seven small courses I think), and then if you could still keep going, you could order a fish dish, which for us was a selection of deep fried, fresh, mixed seafood, delicious, but for me I would have rather had it grilled. The dessert was the local delicacy, 'ricotta in horns'. The whole meal was less than 100 euros including two bottles of wine and tip, amazing. We also went to a place called Taverna Sveva, off the beaten track a little but pretty good. Not quite as good value and less of an experience, but still worth a look.
In Taormina we went to a restaurant called Licchio's, nice atmos, reasonable service, solid food and moderately priced, but not as good as the apollonian.
Jim
I went to Sicily recently and had a couple of good meals in Syracuse. One at a restaurant called the Apollonion Osteria da Carlo (http://www.apollonion.it/index.asp ), packed with locals and no menu. They proceeded to bring out a series of dishes (abou...t 6 or seven small courses I think), and then if you could still keep going, you could order a fish dish, which for us was a selection of deep fried, fresh, mixed seafood, delicious, but for me I would have rather had it grilled. The dessert was the local delicacy, 'ricotta in horns'. The whole meal was less than 100 euros including two bottles of wine and tip, amazing. We also went to a place called Taverna Sveva, off the beaten track a little but pretty good. Not quite as good value and less of an experience, but still worth a look.
In Taormina we went to a restaurant called Licchio's, nice atmos, reasonable service, solid food and moderately priced, but not as good as the apollonian.
Jim
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| Osteria Apollonion da Carlo |
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| Osteria Apollonion da Carlo |
Restaurants of the world !
Beautiful Grand Bornand (France)
In a little known ski resort so charming it would make a swiss chocolate box green I ate at a restaurant called Chalet des Troncs. It was simply oozing in alpine charm and everything comes dripping in reblochon (a local cheese) after a days skiing it's simply divine. http://www.chaletdestroncs.com/
Tip of the day
For great seasonal recipes check out:
http://www.deliaonline.com/
It's a great site with easy to follow recipes and lots of tips and fail safe cooking!
http://www.deliaonline.com/
It's a great site with easy to follow recipes and lots of tips and fail safe cooking!
Food and me
My love for food got me into some sticky situations during my twenties, maxed out credit cards because I absolutely couldn't miss out on Tom Aikens new restaurant in London and I absolutely had to eat at the Square two weeks running because the lamb was to die for even if I was earning less than the plongeur I simply had to try all this fabulous food so readily available (at a price!) in London today.
Now a few years older and a whole lot wiser I have struck the jackpot, no London prices for me, I have actually moved to France much to my bank manager's relief. 2 hour lunch breaks (and I work in the private sector) and a different restaurant every day for the same price as a big mac back home.
Some people might think that you'd tire of the relentless cream and butter, but I thought of that too, by marrying an Italian. My only concern now is my waist line...
I suppose the point of this blog is to share some of the great food I've tried, any recipes and tips I've learned along the way and absolutely any hidden gems I've found on my travels. Great food is so much better when shared.
I'm not sure it'll be very interesting and I'll probably end up sharing tips with myself but here we go...
Now a few years older and a whole lot wiser I have struck the jackpot, no London prices for me, I have actually moved to France much to my bank manager's relief. 2 hour lunch breaks (and I work in the private sector) and a different restaurant every day for the same price as a big mac back home.
Some people might think that you'd tire of the relentless cream and butter, but I thought of that too, by marrying an Italian. My only concern now is my waist line...
I suppose the point of this blog is to share some of the great food I've tried, any recipes and tips I've learned along the way and absolutely any hidden gems I've found on my travels. Great food is so much better when shared.
I'm not sure it'll be very interesting and I'll probably end up sharing tips with myself but here we go...
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