An Italian Feast Paired With Beers

A few weekend past, some friends and I did what I enjoy most, cooking a nice meal, and joking around.  I chose to do a taste of  Italy at harvest time, to be paired with a variety of beers (Belgian, French Canadian, Italian).

Menu

Antipasti – insalata di pomodori con bocconcini y prosciutto – Birra Duvel
Primi – Bucantini all’Amatriciana – Birra Moretti
Secondi – Salsicca all’Uva e Spinaci alla Genovese – Birra Blanche de Chambly
Dolci – Ricotta con Mielle, Pesche e Canella – Birra Pecheresse

Spaghetti in Tomato and Apple Sauce

I've been watch catching a number of episodes of Lidia's Italy on TLN, and she was exploring the food of  Trentino and Alto-Adige, and a very interesting and unique dish is Spaghetti con salsa di Pomodorie e Mele.  I started with Lidia's recipe but modified it for my taste so here my take on a Trentino fall classic.

1 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes

3/4 cup diced celery

3/4 cup dice carrot 

1 cup diced onion

1 lb, Granny Smith apples (or similar), cored, peeled, and shredded

6 Tbls  EVO

3 Cloves garlic minced or pressed 

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese + 1/4cup at the table 

1/4 cup chopped parsley 

Salt and pepper to taste  

1 lb Spaghetti 

Social Stockmarkets

{EAV_BLOG_VER:c499749fcc6e9650}


One of the new distractions I have lately has been playing with Social Networking Markets
The main two I've started playing with are

• EmpireAvenue
• Hollywood Stock Exchange

Empire Avenue is Social Networking Market that lets you trade in people, your friends or followers on various social networking websites.  Your value is based partially upon supply and demand of your shares, and by your value.  Valuations are a fun calculation of your social media presences (i.e. twitter, facebook, flickr), you share holders are paid a dividend based upon your value.  You use an e-cash called eaves, and you can purchase more eaves, or other special items that help increase your networth. (BTW that ugly string on the top of this post verifies to EAV that this is my blog for future value calculations)

Hollywood Stock Exchange lets you trade in upcoming movies, actors, television programs, derivatives, and funds.  It is much more like a stock market because they do let you short holdings as well as place stop losses. You can earn extra cash by doing movie trivia, you can compete against friends and test your love of movies in one fell swoop.


More Later....
G

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

I regularly catch Lidia's Italy on TLN, Lidia  was talked about the Lazio Region of Italy, and she proceeded to make Bucantini All'Amatriciana based upon a dish from Amatrice. Originally Lidia used Guanciale, which is hard for me to find so I used pancetta, so here is my rendition of her dish:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, Quartered and thinly sliced
6 Cloves Garlic, sliced
1 28oz Can Plum Tomatoes passed through a food mill, (preferably San Marzano)
1/4lb Pancetta, 1/4" slices chopped.
1/2 tsp Peperoncino ( more or less to taste)
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped
1lb of Bucantini or Perciatelli
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

I used a technique I saw on the program, put the sliced onions in a hot pan, with some water (I added a 1/4 cup of water + 1/2 cup white wine), to steam the onions and cook them without colouring them.  Once the water has evaporated, move the onions to one side of your skillet and add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the garlic and peperoncino.  Once the garlic has some colour, mix it with the onions and clear a space for the pancetta.  Once the pancetta is rendered add the milled tomatoes with the liquid from the can, reduce the pan to a simmer.  As a side I add a couple teaspoons of the parsley stems finely minced for extra flavour while the sauce simmers.  Taste for seasoning, adjust pepper and possibly peperoncino to taste.

Pear, Avocado, and Cucumber With Goat Cheese Salad

I've been experimenting with some fresh produce and making fast delicious salads to reduce my tendency to be a carnivore.  This one tastes yummy but doesn't photograph well, I did try, and I don't share images I'm not happy with.

1/2 English Cucumber Diced
1 Avocado Diced
1 Pear Diced
2 oz Goat Cheese Crumbled
4 Basil Leaves Chiffonade
1 Garlic Clove minced

2 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice from 1/2 Lime
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Take your favourite mixing bowl toss everything in and mix it up.  The colour can be a bit questionable, but it is very tasty. I normally use Bartlett pears, but Bosc or Red should be tasty as well.

Buen Provecho.

More Later...
G.