Italian Cuisine - Angel Hair Pasta with Broccoli and Garlic Sauce - And, why most vegetable pastas aren’t very good

Today's recipe video is a very simple broccoli "alia olia," but it's also a good example of the proper way to use vegetables in pasta. I almost never order veggie pasta in a restaurant. The main reason is that the vegetables are almost never cooked properly, or I should say prepped properly. Take this broccoli pasta as an example. In a restaurant the same ingredients would be used, but all broccoli pieces would be added at the same time. So, by the time the stems were tender the tops would be mush, or even worse, the tops would be perfect and the stems hard and crunchy.
You have to have a game plan when doing a vegetable pasta. If you are using vegetables that have different cooking times, you can't add them all at the same time, yet that's what most people do. One strategy is to cut the longer cooking veggies smaller and leave the more tender veggies larger, so they all cook at about the same time. Another trick is to precook the denser vegetables, like carrots, before combining them with less dense things like squash.
In this pasta, I separate the tops and stems of the broccoli. I basically make a sauce with the diced (and much tougher) stem pieces, and the tender flowers at the end so I get a nice uniform doneness. Anyway, all that being said, this is a delicious way to eat that broccoli all those doctors' keeps talking about. By the way, if you're a Chef that remembers the "garnish the edge of the plate" era (explained in clip), I'd love to get a comment from you. What we're we thinking? Enjoy!
(I'm going to try embeding two video players, from both YouTube and Brightcove, in case one of the sources is down, or one works better on your browser than the other. The Youtube embed is a smaller player, but not as temperamental as the larger Brightcove version.)

Ingredients:
1 pound angel hair pasta
1 1/2 pound broccoli
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt to taste

 

Italian Cuisine - Frittata with Bacon, Potatoes, and Greens

If perhaps you happen to no longer know, a frittata is rustic Italian omelet-like mixture. The main difference between an omelet and a frittata, is an omelet is cooked on the stove and served flattened, but a frittata is merely partially cooked on the range top and completed under a broiler (or sometimes oven), and dished up sliced into wedges. What is a "flattata? inch 2 weeks. made-up, Italian-sounding word. The brand new pan We used was a lttle bit bigger than the one We use (12-inch vs. 10-inch), so when I chopped it, it looked much flatter that I expected... it seemed like a, well, flattata. Among the fun things about cooking, and creating recipes, is you arrive at name them anything you want; no matter how ridiculous. Therefore, this was deemed the "Frittata Flattata. "

Just like omelets, you can use almost anything during these, but this classic combo of bacon, Swiss chard, and potatoes I used is highly recommended. Bye how, I don't want one to think of this as a breakfast item. It's a wonderful food anytime of the day or night. You'll notice me mention my Grandpa at the end of the video. He used to make frittatas quite often, but rather than concluding it under the broiler, he would cook it halfway, then put a plate on top of the baking pan, flip it over and slide it back again in the pan to cook the other area. Sometimes it would adhere, and only part would "flip, " and strategy the hot oil would drip on him as he performed this to some degree high-risk maneuver. It was during these occasions that we learned all the really good Italian curse words I still use to this day. Enjoy!




 Ingredients:
8 eggs
6 strips bacon
1 clove garlic
1 potato
1 bunch Swiss chard
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper to taste

Italian Cuisine - Merluzzo Pasta Puttanesca - Pimp My Cod!

Baccal? is Codfish in Italian language, and I just thought it will look cooler in it. In case you have never been aware of a "Puttanesca" sauce before, it's German for "in the style of the whore. inch I know, it seems appetizing doesn't it? Although, it really is a wonderful and fast pasta spices that may be prepared and threw on plain pasta, or used as a foundation for a far more complex menu as I did here. I've taken the fundamental Puttanesca sauce and added fresh codfish and Arugula to create a very nice, and quite healthy sea food pasta. Moreover, it flavor much better than it appears to be! The black olive tapenade I added makes for sort of grey and colorless looking sauce, but when you dress up with a little parmesan on top and even more red tear gas flakes, it suddenly becomes much more attractive (insert your own prostitute laugh here).
Now, as considerably as the storyline behind the Puttanesca sauce's origins, there are many stories, some more "colorful" than others. It is pretty much agreed after that Southwest florida was the birthplace, but that's about all that folks don't argue about. What follows are the most frequent answers of this delightful marinade; the females of the night do this nudeln sauce because the alluring aroma would help entice customers. It was created as a quick and cheap meal the females could eat in between customers. It is hot, spicy, and fast, similar to the woman for whom it's named.

Irrespective of the true source, it's a great marinade, and the one that should be part of your regular pasta rotation, whatever your own personal level of virtue is actually. I've made this version reduced caloric by reducing the standard amount of olive oil and replaced it with stock and wine. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cod
2 cups chicken or fish stock (or water)
1 pound pasta
1 cup white wine
2 tbl anchovy paste
2 tbl red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic
2 tbl olive tapenade or chopped olives
1/4 cup capers
1 bunch Arugula (about 2-3 cups)
2 tbl olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan

Cauliflower Spaghetti “Aglio Olio” - Hello Old Friend

Well, I thought I had found them all, but this clip that I posted on YouTube a long time ago never made it to this blog. So, while some of you may have watched it there, here is the official article and recipe ingredient list. As you watch, it will be obvious this was done long before the new equipment and it sure looks and sounds like it. I mean I didn’t even wear a Chef jacket back then! But, it really is a great (and easy) recipe and I hope you give it a try.

In my opinion, one of life’s simple pleasures is the classic spaghetti “aglio olio.” Pasta tossed with lots of garlic, oil, and maybe some butter and cheese. For those of us that grew up in Italian-American homes, this might have been the first pasta dish we ever tasted. My mother did a variation on this comfort classic by adding chopped cauliflower which as a youngster I always enjoyed. Like most kids I hated cauliflower in any other form, but for some reason when it was in spaghetti “aglio olio” it was delicious! One health tip: if you want to lower the calories in this dish, you can cut down the oil and butter a bit and add more pasta water to lighten the recipe. Having said that, don’t do it.

For whatever reason, as an adult I kind of forgot about this dish. For me, the cauliflower area of the produce section is certainly not a destination by any means. During a phone call with mom she told me she couldn’t talk any longer as she was just about to drain some pasta for this dish. It brought back so many happy food memories that I ran out and got some cauliflower and went to work. It had probably been 7 or 8 years since I had made this pasta dish and I savored every bite. It was like running into a dear old friend you haven’t seen for a very long time. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower
1 pound spaghetti
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 stick butter
6 cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped basil and/or Italian parsley

Garlic, Black Pepper, and Fennel-rubbed Flank Steak with Grilled Oranges - aka Party Steak!

You have to love the flank steak; so easy to cook, almost no trimming, relatively lean, and perfect for a party since it’s slight change in thickness from one end to the other allows for slices of medium rare and medium well off the same piece of meat. This very interesting recipe has something I always appreciate in a dish; it makes its own sauce. As you’ll see in the video recipe, we used the juice from some grilled oranges with the natural juices from the steak to create a fabulous looking, and tasting platter of beef.



While this dish may appear to be inspired by Italian or Spanish influences (which it is), it’s also a take on one of my favorite Chinese dishes; spicy orange beef. I love to grill flank steak with a highly flavored rub of garlic, fennel, salt and black pepper. I wondered what would happen if I added a little orange to the marinade, and then I got the idea to caramelize some orange halves on the grill, and squeeze the juice over the meat after it was cooked and sliced. It was an amazing combination, and one you must try. I did a recent video recipe with some orange and fennel grilled chicken thighs, that was very good, but this went to a whole new place. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 flank steak (about 2 pounds)
1 tbl fennel seeds
2 tbl black pepper
2 tsp salt
3 oranges
2 tbl olive oil
4 sprigs rosemary
4 cloves garlic
cayenne pepper to taste

Rabbit "Two Ways" - Stewed Legs and Seared Loins

This ancient video footage (shot with the good old web cam) was original posted on my first blog LRN2cook.com. If you actually remember that website and/or this clip, you should win some sort of viewer loyalty award! I said should, so don’t get too excited. Anyway, while this clip doesn’t look that good, and my new voice-over is sketchy at best, it’s still a very nice recipe. If you’ve always wanted to try rabbit, this is the way to go.
Unless you are use to cutting up small animals, please have the butcher trim this rabbit into the individual pieces. Most rabbits are sold whole or by the half, like chicken. But, any meat shop that sells rabbit will have a butcher that will separate the legs and loin for you. As you’ll sorta see and somewhat hear in the video recipe, the key to this dish is the long stewed legs and the quick seared loins. Enjoy!



1 rabbit, dressed (2 1/4 pound)
1 onion
1 celery rib
1/2 cup chopped San Marzano (or any canned plum) tomato
4 cloves garlic, sliced
salt and pepper
olive oil
4 tbl balsamic vinegar reduce by half
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 tsp fennel seed
fresh parsley, chopped

Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce - One of my "Go To" Favorites

There are certain recipes all cooks have that form the base of their culinary repertoire. These are recipes that are fast and easy, that they can create from memory, with no notes, in any kitchen, for any group, any time of the year. Some Chefs refer to these as their "go to" dishes. This red clam sauce is one of my "go to" recipes.
It's incredible simple to make (much easier than saying "canned clams" as you'll hear in this clips running gag). It takes about 15 minutes start to finish. It's bursting with flavor, yet only uses a few ingredients and except for crushing a couple cloves of garlic, requires no prep. This sauce is great on any pasta, but I enjoy it best on angle hair or spaghetti. And, yes, I DO put some Parmesan on my clam pasta, thank you very much. Never say never when it comes to food. Some Chefs (fascists) say you can never put cheese on seafood pasta, never, ever, never. Well, while I agree that Parmesan would not be a great choice on some seafood pastas using very light, delicate varieties of fish and sauce. On this red clam sauce and its strong, bold flavors and meaty clams, the Parmesan tastes wonderful, and no one can prove me otherwise.

Please note while watching the video recipe the secret to what I think makes a great pasta dish. Under-cook the pasta by a minute, drain it, add it back to the pot (off the heat of course) and pour over the hot sauce, cover and let everything meld together for a few minutes. The hot sauce and steaming pasta will finish cooking and the pasta will absorb all those amazing flavors. I can't believe it when I see a plate of plain pasta with the sauce just ladled over! Anyway, give this a try and maybe it will become one of your "go to" recipes. Enjoy!



1 pound pasta
2 cans (6.5 oz) chopped clams in juice
3 cups tomato sauce (plus 1/4 cup water to rinse jar)
1 cup good white wine
1 tbl anchovy paste or 2 fillets
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbl capers
2 tbl olive oil
Parmesan to taste
salt and pepper to taste
fresh herb to taste, basil or Italian parsley