Taste (book) Recipes:

Pasta con Aglio e Olio:

  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g spaghetti
  • <->
  • Saute the garlic in the olive oil until lightly browned
  • Boil spaghetti until al dente
  • Drain pasta and toss with oil and garlic mix.
  • Add salt, pepper and paprika to taste.

Eggs with tomate:

  • 50ml olive oil
  • 1 medium/large onion, thinly sliced
  • 200g whole plum tomates can
  • 4 large eggs
  • <->
  • Warm the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
  • Add onions, cook until soft.
  • Add tomatoes, crush them with the spoon. Cook for 20 minutes aprox.
  • Break the eggs into the pan and cover it. Decrease heat at medium-low.
  • Cook until the whites are opaque and the yolks are firm. 5 minutes aprox.
  • Add salt/peper.

Book: Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pellegrino Artusi

Spaghetti with lentils

  • 1/2 carrot finely chopped
  • 1/2 onion finely chopped
  • 1/2 stalk of celery chopped
  • 1/2 garlic clove sliced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 165g dried brown lentils, rinsed
  • 250g spaghetti
  • 350g marinara sauce
  • <–>
  • In a large saucepan, saute’ the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat until soft.
  • In another medium saucepan, fill it with the lentils, add water until cover them over 1 finger. Simmer and cook until tender. 20 mintes aprox. Remove from heat and set aside
  • Break the spaghetti into pieces using a dish towel. Then cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente.
  • Drain the lentils and add them to the vegetables.
  • Add the marinata sauce. Bring to simmer, cover and cook until the lentils have blended with the sauce. 10 min aprox.
  • Add drained pasta with 1/2 cup of pasta water.
  • Season with salt/pepper
  • Simmer all for 3-5 minutes to combine flavours.

Frittata

  • 5-6 large eggs
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch chopped parsley
  • pinch grated parmigiano-reggiano
  • salt/pepper
  • <–>
  • Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a fork.
  • In a frying pan, heat the olive oil up.
  • Season the eggs and add parsly
  • Once hot, add the eggs to the pan.
  • Scramble the eggs with a spatula, tipping and moving the pan continuously to make sure the eggs dont stick.
  • Add cheese and flip the frittata. Cook for 1 minute until golden.

Carbonara

  • Guanciale: cured pork cheek
  • eggs
  • pecorino cheese
  • dried pasta
  • <–>
  • Saute fatty, peppery strips of guanciale in a deep saucepan
  • Cook pasta al dente.
  • Add pasta to the guanciale.
  • Turn off heat, add mixed eggs. Toss
  • Add cheese and some pasta water.
  • Toss all together.

Pizzoccheri a la Valtellina

  • 1 medium Savoy cabbage
  • 2 handfuls of grated Parmigiano
  • 1 Big slab of valtellina cheese or fontina
  • 3 large yellow potatoes
  • 200g butter (1 block)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 500g pizzoccheri pasta
  • Olive oil + Salt
  • <–>
  • Remove tough outer layers from the cabbage. Chop in long pieces
  • Slice the fontina cheese. And grate another 200g
  • Preheat oven at 160C
  • Peel and dice the potatoes. Boil until cooked but still firm – 15m aprox
  • Half way of boiling the potatoes, add the cabbage.
  • Once potatoes and cabbage are cooked. Drain and set aside.
  • In a deep frying pan, at low heat, melt the butter and add the crushed garlic. Cook until the garlic is soft.
  • Boil the pasta until al dente. Reserve two cups of the water after cooking the pasta.
  • Use a bit of the garlic butter to grease a baking dish.
  • Layering: first pasta, then cabbage, then potatoes, then both cheeses, drizzle a bit of the garlic butter after each layer. Add a bit of the pasta water too (you dont have to use the two cups…). Top the final layer with a drizzle of olive oil and more grated cheese.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 15m aprox. Remove foil and return to oven until the top is crisp.

Ragout alla Bolognese

  • 1 tbs chopped onions
  • 1 tbs chopped carrots
  • 1 tbs chopped celery
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 25g mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, etc) chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 50g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 225g ground beef
  • 25g tomate paste
  • 3 tbs white wine
  • 3 tbs fresh orange juice
  • 1 tbs salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • 700ml chicken stock
  • 550ml beef stock
  • 300g fettuccine pasta
  • 25g butter
  • 25g 36% fat whipping cream (optional)
  • 35g Grana Padano grated
  • <–>
  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, sweat the vegetables in olive oil with herbs and porcini.
  • Add the meat and cook until brown.
  • Add tomate paste, wine and orange juice. Let them evaporate
  • Add salt, pepper and stocks. Let simmer for 90m or so.
  • Boil the pasta until al dente.
  • Add butter and cream to the ragout.
  • Add the pasta to the ragout and sprinkle the grated cheese.

Martini

  • Ice
  • Dry vermouth
  • Gin or Vodka
  • Olives or a lemon twist for garnish
  • <–>
  • Fill the glass beaker with ice
  • Pour in half shot of vermouth
  • Stir for 15 sec
  • Let it sit for 30 sec
  • Stir it again.
  • Strain out the vermouth.
  • Pour in 3 or 4 shots of vodka or gin.
  • Stir for 30 sec
  • Let it sit for 30 sec
  • Stir for 30 sec
  • Let it sit for 30 sec
  • Stir it quickly
  • Strain it into a chilled glass
  • Garnish with 1 or 3 olives, or lemon twist.
  • Drink it

Chimichurri

  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 jalapeno: deseed and diced
  • 10 springs oregano
  • 10 springs parsley
  • 2 tbs red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 tsp pepper
  • <–>
  • In chopping board, chop oregano, parsley, cloves and jalapeno together.
  • Put all in a bowl and mix.
  • Then you can rub the chimichurri in any meat.

Spaghetti with Zucchine

  • Sunflower oil for deep frying
  • 8 or 10 small zucchine (courgettes)
  • 75g chopped fresh basil
  • Sea salt
  • Olive oil
  • 500g spaguetti
  • 200g grated Parmigiano
  • <–>
  • Deep fry the courgettes until golden brown
  • Set aside and dry with kitchen paper
  • Sprinkle basil and salt on top of them
  • Then transfer to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Boil pasta until al dente.
  • Drain and reserve one cup of pasta water for later
  • Put the pasta in large pan at low heat and add the courgettes.
  • Combine gently and a bit of pasta water to create a creamy texture.
  • Add grated cheese. Stirring and toasing.
  • Once the mix has creamy texture, it is ready.

Pasta a la Norna

  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • Olive oil
  • 2 large aubergines, diced
  • Sea salt
  • 1 litre marinara sauce
  • 500g pasta
  • 1 handful of basil, chopped
  • 1 handful of grated ricotta or pecorino
  • <->
  • In a frying pan, fry the garlic with the olive at low heat.
  • Add aubergines, at medium heat, and cook for 15m or sligthly golden.
  • Add marinara sauce and cook for 5 minutes
  • Cook the pasta and drain. Reserve one cup of pasta water
  • Add the water to the marinara. Add the basil. Stir.
  • Take 3/4 of the sauce and pour it in a serving bowl
  • Add the pasta to the rest of the sauce. Stir and add the grated cheese.
  • Ready to serve with the sauce aside.

Pasta Fagioli

  • Olive oil
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves halved
  • 1/2 bunch cavolo nero roughly chopped
  • 3x400g cans of cannellini beans
  • 750ml chichen stock
  • 500g marinada sauce
  • 500g small pasta
  • Salt, Pepper
  • Parmigiano grated
  • <–>
  • In a frying pan at medium low heat, saute the onion and garlic.
  • Boil the cavolo nero in salted water
  • Add beans, stock and marinada to the pan with onion and garlic
  • Cook at low heat
  • Once cavolo is ready, strain, and add it to the bean mix.
  • Cook at low simmer with lid for 15m.
  • Cook the pasta in salted water. Then drain and save one cup of pasta water.
  • Add the cup of water to the bean mix.
  • Add two cups of the bean mix to the pasta and a bit of olive oil.
  • Serve the pasta with beans and add fresh pepper and cheese.