Tagliatelle with shrimps and sun-dried tomatoes

Dear readers,

This time I thought of a delicious recipe and very easy to prepare, the Tagliatelle with shrimps and sun-dried tomatoes!

Are we ready to go?
Here’s what we need.

Ingredients (for 2 people):

200 gr of Tagliatelle (7 oz)
50 gr of fresh shrimps (1.8 oz)
Half an onion
Half a stalk of celery
Half a carrot
A knob of butter
6 sun-dried tomatoes (or “semi-secchi” “semi-sundried”, as I prefer)
Salt q.s.

Preparation

Boil the water in a pot, so as to be able then to “sauté” the Tagliatelle in the “hot” sauce. I recommend you to use long pasta such as Tagliatelle or Fettuccine, because these kinds “capture” the sauce very well!

A tip: if you want to sauté the pasta in the sauce, you should cook one minute less than indicated in the package. In this way the pasta will have a perfect consistency and will be not too soft and overcooked.

Now, wash the shrimp, dice the onion, carrot and celery and then put the vegetables to fry for 5 minutes in a pan with a knob of butter.

After the vegetables “reach” a golden color, sauté the shrimps in the pan at medium heat.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and sauté it for a few minutes.
Then, add salt: if the pasta is ready, drain it and sauté in the pan (with the sauce) at medium heat for a minute and serve.
Vice versa, turn off the heat and wait for the pasta to be ready, then sauté the pasta in pan at medium heat for a minute.

We’re done!

And the wine?

In Pairing with Tagliatelle with shrimps and sun-dried tomatoes, I chose a Blanc de Blancs Champagne, the Brut Réserve Sélection produced by Michel Turgy.

This Blanc de Blancs (Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes) has a foam that lasts two minutes: really impressive!
It has a very dense, persistent and very defined Perlage and it well matches with the shrimp, the main character of our recipe.

At the nose, fresh perfumes of citrus peel, lemon, lime, green apple and a hint of honey.
On the palate, this Champagne is soft, creamy and you can feel the classical slightly almond note in the end.

If you can not find it, I recommend you other Blanc de Blancs Champagne or Metodo Classico (Franciacorta or Trento DOC) which have a good sap, freshness and effervescence.

Tagliatelle with Porcini mushrooms and Guanciale (jowl bacon)

Dear readers,

we’re back to our weekly recipe and, this time, I propose a fast recipe, suitable for this winter season, the Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and Guanciale, which is similar to jowl bacon.

You will need only a few ingredients and very little time!

Ingredients (for 2 people):

80 gr of porcini mushrooms (2.8 oz)
75 gr of diced Guanciale jowl bacon (or bacon) (2.8 oz)
200 gr of Tagliatelle (7 oz)
A clove of garlic
A knob of butter
The right amount of parsley and salt

Preparation

Peel a clove of garlic, prepare mushrooms and dice the Guanciale (or bacon).

If you use dried porcini mushrooms, wash them, so that they can be added later in the cooking; if you have them frozen, you can put them directly in the pan.
Meanwhile, put to boil the water in the pot, so as to be able to sauté the pasta in the still hot sauce. I recommend you to use long pasta such as Tagliatelle or Fettuccine, because these kinds “capture” the sauce very well!

A tip: if you want to sauté the pasta in the sauce, you should cook one minute less than indicated in the package. In this way the pasta will have a perfect consistency and will be not too soft and overcooked.

Heat the butter in a pan and saute the peeled clove of garlic at medium heat.
Add the mushrooms, let them cook alone for a few minutes and then add the Guanciale cutted into cubes.
At this point, after 6/7 minutes, add the parsley and the salt: if the pasta is ready, drain it and sauté in the pan (with the sauce) at medium heat for a minute and serve.
Vice versa, turn off the heat and wait for the pasta to be ready, then sauté the pasta in pan at medium heat for a minute.

We’re done!

And the wine?

For the Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and Guanciale, I chose a Champagne with a significant body and character, a Pinot Noir in pureness, the Brut Blanc de Noirs by Henriet Bazin.

Very intense in taste and of remarkable body, this Pinot Noir by Bazin has a good creaminess in the mouth, a good sap and roundness. These features make it very suitable in pairing with a recipe “greasy” and tasty enough, like ours.

At the nose, aromas of small red berries, fresh raspberries, yeast.
On the palate, it feels much the intensity of Pinot Noir, its power and its persistence.

If you can not find it, I recommend other Blanc de Noirs Champagne (Pinot Noir in pureness) or Metodo Classico (Franciacorta or Trento DOC) that has a good high percentage of Pinot Noir. If you love Rosé, I recommend the Cruasé of Oltrepò Pavese.

Have a nice preparation and a good weekend!

Brandacujun (Ligurian Stockfish Traditional Recipe)

Dear readers,

Here we are at the end of this week and I thought of a tasty and traditional recipe, still unknown to many Italians, the Bradacujun.

The Brandacujun is a traditional recipe of the Ligurian cuisine, made with potatoes and stockfish (or cod): the name comes from one phase of the preparation, in fact, the name is compound by “brandato”, which means “shaken vigorously” until the mixture is well mixed.

Ingredients

300g of Stockfish (or salted codfish, already soaked in water) (10.5 oz)
300g of potatoes (10.5 oz)
A clove of garlic
Juice of half a lemon
Half glass of warm milk
The right amount of parsley, salt and pepper
Olives (the “Taggiasche” if you find them)

Preparation

Wash the potatoes, peel and cut them into very small pieces.

Cut the stockfish into strips and place them in a pot with the potatoes over medium-high heat: since the mixture will begin to boil, let it cook for 1 hour, until the potatoes and the stockfish will be soft.
After a few minutes, the mixture should form a foam; remove it with a ladle and cover the pot so as to facilitate the cooking.
At this point, after it is boiled for one hour (from the time that the water in the pot began to boil), drain it and let the mixture cool.

Next, remove the thorns of the stockfish and, in the meantime, put a clove of garlic to fry in the pan for 5 minutes.
Although the compound, by tradition, should be “crushed” by hand with a mortar, to speed up the preparation of Brandacujun, I recommend using an electric mixer to mix the potatoes with the stockfish.

Later, once removed the garlic from the pan, put the mixture in the pan and fry it for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, pepper, half a glass of warm milk and keep it in the pan for another 3-5 minutes, until the mixture will be solid.

Finally, add extra virgin oil, parsley and olives.

Conservation

You can store the Brandacujun for a maximum of two days in plastic or glass sealed jar in the refrigerator.

And the wine?

For Brandacujun I chose a classic, Alma Brut Cuvée by Bellavista, a fabulous bubble of Franciacorta.
With an excellent flavor and effervescence, this Metodo Classico (Champenoise method) matches perfectly with the creaminess and the softness of the Brandacujun.
At the nose, fresh and intense perfumes of ripe citrus, slightly sweet ripe pear and delicate notes of vanilla and chlorophyll.
On the palate it is fresh and tasty and you feel a good match between the perfumes at the nose and the aromas in the mouth.

If you cannot find it, I recommend other Italian Metodo Classico or a Champagne, even better if they’re made only from Chardonnay grapes.

And now, enjoy!

Baccalà Mantecato (Salted Creamed Codfish)

Dear readers,

Today I thought about another simple traditional recipe, with a delicate flavor, the Baccalà Mantecato.

You will need a few ingredients, and to speed up the preparation, you can use the salted codfish already soaked in water.

Ingredients:

400g of salted codfish already soaked in water
50ml of liquid fresh cream
50ml of fresh whipped cream
150ml of milk
Extra virgin olive oil
Seed oil
A tablespoon of chopped parsley
A clove of garlic
The right amount of Salt and pepper
Toasted Bread for the serving

Preparation

Place the salted codfish (already soaked) in the milk, in a heated pot over low heat.

Mix it slowly and let it boil for 10 minutes, until it is soft.
Drain the salted codfish and kept the warm milk for the final step.

Place the salted codfish in a blender, making sure to add gradually a bit of vegetable oil, then a bit of olive oil and the warm milk previously used.
Add a tablespoon of chopped parsley, salt, pepper and let cool the mixture.
At this point, making sure that you have previously cooled enough the mixture, whip the cream and add it to the mixture and stir gently.

We’re done!
You can taste the Baccalà Mantecato on toasted bread as in figure!

Conservation

You can store the Baccalà Mantecato for a maximum of two days in plastic or glass sealed jar in the refrigerator.

And the wine?

For the Baccalà Mantecato I chose a Cruasé Oltrepò Pavese 2009 vintage, produced by Bruno Verdi.

The Cruasé is a Metodo Classico sparkling rosé, obtained by vinification of Pinot Noir at least 85%.
From the beautiful grain and fine and persistent bubbles, this Cruasé Bruno Verdi has an excellent flavor, good freshness, good length and structure.
On the nose, aromas of lemon, lime and citrus fruits in general.
The palate is soft and has a good mousse that favors pairing with our recipe!

Bon Appetite!

Bignè with smoked salmon mousse

Happy new year and welcome back dear readers,

Today I thought of a super fast recipe that you can really prepare in 5 minutes and it will be ideal for your interesting starters, the Bignè with smoked salmon mousse.
If you do not have available the Bignè, you can spread the salmon mousse on a classic sandwiches or toasted bread, much easier to find.

And now we start!

Ingredients:

100g of mascarpone cheese (or philadelphia cheese or cream cheese) (3.5 oz)
100g of smoked salmon (3.5 oz)
50g of fresh whipped cream (1.7 oz)
the right amount of pink pepper and salt
15/20 empty Bignè

Preparation

Cut the salmon into thin slices and add the mascarpone.
Started to blend the mixture with the mixer, taking care to add gradually milk to facilitate the blending.

Add salt, the pink pepper and whip the fresh cream with the electric beater.
Add two tablespoons of whipped cream, stir the mousse, fill the Bignè and we have finished!

Conservation

You can store the smoked salmon mousse for a maximum of two days in a sealed plastic or glass jar in the refrigerator.

And the wine?

For the Bignè with smoked salmon mousse I chose a Cruasé Oltrepò Pavese 2009 vintage, produced by Bruno Verdi.

The Cruasé is a “Metodo Classico” (also known as Champenoise method) rosé, obtained by the vinification of Pinot Noir grapes, at least 85% of the total amount.

With a beautiful grain and fine and persistent bubbles, this Cruasé Bruno Verdi has an excellent flavor, good freshness, good persistence and structure.

At the nose, aromas of lemon, lime and citrus fruits in general.
On the palate is quite soft and has a good mousse that favors the pairing with our recipe!

And now, Bon Appetit!

 

Spaghetti with Anchovies in olive oil and cherry tomatoes

Dear readers,

For this weekend I though about a very simple and quick recipe to prepare (5 mins), but so much tasty, the Spaghetti with Anchovies in oil and cherry tomatoes!

Ingredients (for 2 people):

100g of cherry tomatoes (3.53 oz)
2 cloves of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
6 anchovies in oil

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a pan and then put the two cloves of peeled garlic to fry.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half.
Put the six anchovies in oil in the pan and “mash” them until they are “dissolved” in the oil.

Remove the two cloves of garlic from the pan and add the chopped cherry tomatoes.

Let the cherry tomatoes cook for 5 minutes over high heat till they seem as in figure below.

Serve the sauce on spaghetti: well, we’ve done!

Conservation

It’s better not to keep or store this sauce in the refrigerator: prepare it directly with the right doses!

And the wine?

For the Spaghetti with anchovies in oil and cherry tomatoes, I chose a simple wine, the Beaujolais Nouveau 2014 by George Deboeuf.

This wine is rather rounded and it has good alcohol percentage, good intensity and delicate tannin: this means that it matches the intensity of the flavor of the anchovies, the oily sensation and the cherry tomato, a tough ingredient in pairing food and wine!

At the nose, intense perfumes of ripe banana and ripe strawberries.

If you can not find it, I recommend other Beaujolais Nouveau or rosé wines with the same characteristics mentioned above. If you opt for a white, I recommend one who has a good persistence and intensity.

And now, enjoy!

 

Pesto Hamburger filled with Asiago cheese

Dear readers,
Here we are with the recipe of the weekend!

For this weekend, I thought about a very tasty recipe, easy to prepare, the hamburger with Pesto, filled with Asiago cheese. If you want, for the Pesto, you can use my recipe which I have proposed in the previous posts, in order to prepare a totally homemade hamburger!

Let’s start!

Ingredients (for one burger):

150/200 gr of minced beef (5.3/7 oz)
20 gr of Asiago cheese (otherwise scamorza or provolone are the same) (0.7 oz)
1 teaspoon of Pesto (link to the recipe)
Half a tomato cutted in cubes
Buns

 

Preparation

Prepare the base for the burger: on a plate, spread and flatten the minced beef until you obtain a thin and compact base. Repeat the procedure for the upper base.

Slice the Asiago cheese, spread it over the base and, later, spread a thin layer of Pesto on top of the cheese.
Put the upper base above and try to “seal” the two bases, helping with your fingers.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomato cubes and cook the burger on high heat.
The hamburger should not be cooked for a long time, so as to keep the juices inside the meat, however, cook it according to your preferences.
If you have a microwave oven, heat the buns for about 30 seconds, so as to make it soft and smooth.
Finally, put the hamburger in the buns, taking care to put a thin layer of pesto and tomato cubes over the meat (as in the figure below).

And the wine?

For this Pesto hamburger filled with Asiago cheese I chose the barbera “Monella” 2013 by Braida.

A lightly sparkling wine, with great personality, body and good freshness.
On the nose, aromas of red fruit and cherries in brandy.

 

“Monella” is perfect in pairing with the Pesto Hamburger, thanks to the soft bubbles that help to “clean” and “degrease” the palate from the cheese and to the body and intensity which do not dominate and vanish in comparison with the meat.

If you can’t find it, I suggest a sparkling red wine with the same characteristics like Lambrusco di Gasparossa or Barbera. Even a Brut Rosè would be perfect, if you prefer an elegant pairing.

And now, enjoy!