Kickin it With Caprese - Heirloom Insalata Caprese

Nothing too earth shaking this evening. Just a few Heirloom grape tomatoes and some Basil. Though I did find a new kind of Buffalo cheese. Ya learn something new every day. I had never heard of Quadrello di Bufala, and here I thought the only thing they made with buffalo milk was mozzarella. Go figure. :)

The cheese itself was quite delicious. Hailing from Lombardy, it's a washed-rind semi-soft like Taleggio; the resemblance in uncanny. Though it sports a rich & sweet milky flavor. An interesting alternative to the normal Mozzarella di Bufala I would use in Caprese.

Heirloom Insalata Salad

There really isn't a recipe cause Caprese is what you make of it.

Some Tomatoes, sliced in half in this case.

Add as much torn basil as you like, cube your Mozzarella di Bufala or Quadrello di Bufala and add it to the mix. (I used about 4 oz of Cheese and 1 pint or 1 lb of grape tomatoes.)

Drizzle the whole thing with salt, Pepper and Good Extra Virgin Olive oil, then toss.

Boo-yah!

Dinner is Served!

Mangia!!
~~

For Nuts Who Are Nuts About Nuts - Pesto di Panna Noci

Most Americans are familiar with Pesto Genovese these days. That delightful combination of Sweet Basil leaves, Garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano and Pine Nuts with REALLY good olive oil. But there are many other Pesti (pastes made in a mortar and pestle) out there. Some made with Sundried Tomatoes, or Cilantro and Lime, even Stinging Nettle and Walnut.

But one of my favorites, that I don't really make often enough, come to think of it, is Walnut Milk Pesto. Then again, maybe this qualifies as a Sugo (sauce). Either way, if you are crazy about nuts and love "white" sauced pasta, I urge you to give this a whacky whirl. You won't be disappointed.

The milk tones down the tannic walnuts while the basil brightens the finish, it's rich and creamy without being heavy. My suggestion for this is always a nice Parmigiano-Reggiano stuffed Tortellini and a good Orvieto (lightly sweet white wine) though I have discovered that even a light (not White) Zinfandel is quite nice as well.

Pesto di Panna Noci

7 oz (199g) Walnuts (toasted)
2 oz (57g) Pine nuts
2 cloves Garlic
4 Basil Leaves
2 TB Panko
8 oz Whole Milk (that is about 250 ml) though you may need a little more.
3 TB Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Lay your walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes; until fragrant.

Allow them to cool before placing them in the food processor (normally I am an advocate for hand chopping pesto with a mezzaluna to create a more complex texture, but with the addition of the milk, this will just be to wet, so a food processor it is.)

Gently pulse the walnuts until they are broken into small pieces but not ground up yet. (you are trying to achieve the size of a pine nut)

Now add the pine Nuts, Garlic cloves, Basil Leaves, and Bread Crumbs.

Pulse this until it is nice and uniform in size.

Begin pouring the milk into the feeder tube, while pulsing the food processor.

Until the pesto has the consistency of partially beaten heavy cream. (or the thickness of a runny egg yolk)

Pour into a bowl and hit it with the olive oil, stirring it in, to combine.

Boil up some Parmigiano-Reggiano stuffed tortellini.

Chiffonade some Basil.

Place the tortellini in a bowl.

Spoon the Walnut deliciousness over the pasta.

Top with the Basil Chiffonade, and serve.



Mangia!!
~~

Pyroclastic Flavor - Campanelle alla Vesuviana

Campania is a land of geological turmoil, or at least it's past has been.... Hmmmm, kind of like the Pacific Northwest, maybe that is why I can relate to the food so well. You see, Pliny the Younger give us the first account of a pyroclastic flow from the Bay of Naples as he watched this geological event which was similar to what happened with Mt. St. Helens back in 1980. This particular region of Italy is home to Naples (bringers of Pizza Margherita) as well as the illustrious Mozzarella di Bufala. Not to mention the ever so delicious San Marzano Tomato. Now I promise I am not going to "gush" about them like I usually do... You know, about how they make Pizza Margherita a work of art, or cause my Slow-Cooked Tomato Sauce sing in your mouth... Blah blah blah blah.... :)

What I will do is talk about the countryside in which they are grown... For is is because of the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE, the geological even of which Pliney wrote of, which destroyed Pompeii as well as Herculaneum and half of Naples, that we have these effervescent tomatoes, today. That particular eruption dumped anywhere from 8 to 66 feet of ash for 80 miles in all directions. Most importantly, at least for tomatoes, was that this included what is now the province of Salerno in south coastal Campania. The high volcanic content of the soil is largly responsible for producing such astounding tomatoes.

A testament to the old adage - When life gives you a pyroclastic flow, make tomato sauce. Um, yeah, or something like that, anyway.

As seen across the Bay of Naples, April 26 1872 eruption.

Sadly, in my quest for one of my favorite pasta dishes (Yeah I know, I have a lot of those, don't I?) I was sorely lacking two of the key ingredients; San Marzanos and Mozzarella di Bufala. This was primarily due to poor planning on my part. OK, and laziness, since I did not want to drive all the way to New Seasons out in Damascus for tomatoes or down to Trader Joe's on 39th and Woodstock for Mozzarella (The TJ's on 82nd keeps telling me it's out of season even though the 39th street store keeps getting it in; stupid heads)

So I raided the cupboard and found Fire Roasted Tomatoes, which worked surprisingly well, I must say.

I also had cow milk mozzarella in Perlini form (that's really small or pearl sized)

So armed with these two ingredients I embarked upon a pasta dish from the foot of Mt. Vesuvio. Oh, and No ash, pumice or basalt was used, came near, or was injured in the making of this dish. ;)

Campanelle alla Vesuviana

1/2 cup (118 ml) Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 - 3 Cloves Garlic; minced fine
1 - 1 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flake (I like a little fire going on)
29 oz (822 g) (2-14.5 oz cans) Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes (but preferably San Marzanos)
Kosher Salt
1 TB Dried Basil (or 3 TB Fresh, chopped)
1 TB Dried Parsley (or 3 TB Fresh, chopped)
1 tsp Dried Mint (or 1 TB Fresh, chopped)
8 oz (226g) Fresh Mozzarella; perlini (preferably Mozzarella di Bufala, diced)
1 oz (28 g) Pecorino Romano, grated
1 lb Campanelle or Fusilli or even Radiatori

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat and add finely minced garlic and red pepper flake, cooking until the garlic just begins to brown.

Add Tomatoes and a pinch or two of kosher salt and reduce heat to a simmer.

Add Basil, Parsley and Mint; simmer for about 15 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions....
Drain the Mozzarella and set aside.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid, just in case.

Place pasta in a warm bowl, then add the tomato mixture ....

and toss it well.....

Add the Mozzarella perlini and the Pecorino Romano.

Toss again...

Serve with extra Romano...

Though I like mine plain.... Delectable!

I love the way the mozzarella begins to melt and get all kinds of gooey, releasing it's liquid to bring a milky flavor to the dish that cools the heat of the red pepper flake and takes the edge off the acidity of the tomato. It's awesome!

Mangia!!
~~

Pizza Party In Portland

It has been awhile since I posted about Pizza... So I figured it was high time that I revisit the subject again. Especially since I was making pizza with my niece.

Ok, I did make pizza several months ago at my other brother's place, but I had forgotten my camera. Thus there were no pictures of the happy little sauce smeared, pizza smeared faces...

I was determined not to make the same mistake twice.... So I loaded up all my goodies and a very large portion of Pizza Dough, along with my camera, and toddled myself on over to my niece's house where we had a pizza night.... :)

It was pretty much the basic pizza fair, nothing outrageous like Eggs Benedict Pizza, Squash Blossom and Leek, Fig and Rossini or Lox & Caviar. Just good old Meat & Vegetable pizza. Which is the best kind when you are consuming Cinder Cone from Dechutes brewery. ;)

According to my brother, the empty bottle makes a pretty good rolling pin too....

Pizza Dough
Sliced Bell Peppers - Green, Red & Yellow
Cured Meats - Salame, Pepperoni & Canadian Bacon
Sliced Roma Tomatoes
Basil Leaves
Mushrooms, sliced
Black Olives, Sliced
Shredded Cheese Mix - Provolone, Mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, Parmegiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano
Shredded Parmegiano-Reggiano
Pizza Sauce (Tomato paste, a little water, Oregano, Thyme, Minced Garlic & Rosemary with a drizzle of olive oil)
1 Very excited Niece
1 Very Hungry Nephew

So here, in order of baking, are the pizza creations. Both before and after.....

Lillyann....

& Maryann.... Ladies first, after all ;)

The missing piece is in my 19 month old nephew's mouth.... LOL
He couldn't seem to get enough of it either.

Chris...

Me... Cause the pizzaiolo eats last... LOL

Awesome Times! And one VERY happy niece....

Mangia!!
~~

The Soup That Eats Like a Salad - Squash Soup with Celery & Bok Choy

I was a little leery about this soup. After all, the only pumpkin/squash soups I have had in the past were pureed with a ton of cream added. Quite tasty, but also a little heavy on the calories. This recipe comes from the Feng Shui Food cookbook I recently found when perusing the volumes at the GoodWill (I find some pretty darned nifty cookbooks in there).

I have modified it slightly, for personal taste. The original recipe called for 2 tomatoes, diced to 1 cm, to be added at the end along with the Basil, Bok Choy and the Celery leaves. Since I cannot eat uncooked tomatoes I added them after I had fished out my bowl and taken my photos.

I shared this soup with my parents, and my mother stated that she felt the tomatoes overpowered everything else in the pot. So I have left them out of this blogged version completely. Feel free to add them in if you like. Oh, and I also chose spring onions (scallions) instead of a white onion or a shallot.... This was a personal preference because I was going to a "crisper" onion flavor.

Squash Soup with Celery and Bok Choy

1 TB Olive oil
1 bunch Scallions, Sliced - White and light green parts
3 Cloves garlic, Minced
2 stalks celery, diced (save the leaves)
1 small Fennel Bulb, diced
1 Liter Cold Water (this is about 4 1/2 cups)
300 g (10.5 oz) Butternut Squash, Diced in 2 cm cubes
1 TB Double Concentrated Tomato Paste (or Sun-Dried Tomato Paste)
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
1-2 Baby Bok Choy, Chopped
Small bunch of Basil, chiffonade
1 tsp Black Truffle oil

Chop the Celery and save the leaves, your gonna need then for finished the soup.

Heat the oil over medium flame in a stock pot then add Spring onion, Garlic, Celery and Fennel, sweating for about 3 - 4 minutes to release their vegetable goodness into the pot (DO NOT saute, this seals the flavors in)

Add the water and the diced Butternut Squash.

Bring to a boil, then add tomato paste and reduce heat and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, until the Squash is tender.

Chop the Bok Choy.

Pick the leaves from the celery, removing the actual top stems.

Chiffonade the Basil, reserving a couple of bud tops for garnishing.

After 15-20 minutes, season with Kosher Salt and White pepper, then remove from the heat and stir in the Bok Choy, Basil and the Celery Leaves.

Drizzle with 1 tsp Black Truffle oil and enjoy a steaming bowl garnished with basil tops and a couple extra celery leaves.

This was an absolutely delicious soup! Light on calories with a delightfully "fresh" flavor. I cannot wait to make it again! Neither can my mother.... ;)

Mangia!!
~~