Risotto with Beer and Parmesan

This Risotto is prepared with Italian beer and Parmigiano Reggiano mature of 36 months. This Parmigiano is the one I prefer more because the long maturing gives it a more delicious taste. The preparation of this risotto is a little bit different because here I used the onion and the potato that I used for the preparation of the broth even also for the preparation of the risotto. In particular I minced the onion already cooked in the broth and I let it brown in the extra virgin olive oil and then I used the potato in pieces in order to give to the risotto a more saucy consistency. If you go on reading you will see the all preparation of this delicious Italian Risotto. 

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people): 

320 g 11,3 oz of Rice 

80 g or 2 ,8 oz of Parmesan in pieces 

250 ml or half a pint of Italian Beer 

3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 

15 g or 0,5 oz of Butter 

FOR THE BROTH 

1 Onion 

1 Carrot 

1 Potato 

Raw salt 

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes 

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes 

WINE: Chainti DOC (Red Wine) 

PREPARATION 

First thing to do: prepare the broth. Clean and peel the onion, the potato and the carrot. Place them in a casserole with water and salt and let it boil for about 20 minutes.

Then you can start the preparation of risotto. Preheat the extra virgin olive oil, place in it the onion that you use for the preparation of the broth and minced it inside the pan. Let it brown for a few minutes

then add the rice and lei it toast.

After some minutes add the beer and stir. Wait until the beer is evaporated, at this point start to add the broth.

Remember the broth you add in the rice should be always very hot, this means that you have to leave it always boils. Continue to stir while adding the broth. 10 minutes before the end of the cooking cut in small pieces the potato that you used for the preparation of the broth to the rice.

5 minutes before the end of the cooking add the Parmesan and the butter in pieces and stir.

When the rice is cooked, around 15-18 minutes from the starting of the cooking,serve it hot. BUON APPETITO!

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Pici Cacio Cheese and Black Pepper

In this Italian first course recipe I put together two Italian traditions, one coming from Tuscany and the other coming from Rome. This first course Italian recipe is made with only 3 ingredients: pici, cacio cheese and black pepper. Pici is a traditional type of pasta coming from Tuscany, it looks like spaghetti a little bit more thick and rough; cacio is a traditional type of cheese typical from Rome, known also as Pecorino Romano cheese. The preparation of this recipe takes very short time and it is quite easy, you should only pay attention to obtain a good cheese cream. If you don't have Pici at home another type of pasta you can use to prepare this recipe is Bucatini of simply spaghetti.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
320 g of Pici (type of pasta)
200g of Cacio cheese (known also as Pecorino Romano cheese)
Black Pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKIN TIME: 15 minutes

WINE: Chianti Doc (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Let salted water boil for pasta. In the meantime grate cacio cheese.



When salted water boils add Pici. The cooking time of Pici is different if Pici are fresh or dry. In case of fresh Pici you will need less time, if Pici are dried you will need a little bit more of time, but usually if you follow the cooking time indicated on the packaging everything will be delicious. 1-2 minutes before the end of the cooking of Pici remove 2 cups of boiling water and keep it because you will need it to prepare the dressing of Pici.



When Pici are cooked drain them. Preheat a large pan on a low flame, add some spoons of water that you kept from Pici, add Pici and sprinkle with a part of grated cacio cheese, and stir.



In this way the water mixed with water should give a cream made with cacio cheese. Continue to add cacio cheese and stir and if you notice that the cream becomes to dry add little bit more of water, in the meantime add also black pepper.



Serve warm.



BUON APPETITO!

Risotto with Zucchini and Speck

This Italian recipe of risotto combines the sweet taste of zucchini with the spicy taste of speck. The preparation of this risotto is very easy as you already learned from the recipes of the other Italian risotto that I already published. The secret in the preparation of risotto is to have a good vegetables broth and to stir continuously while you are adding the broth to not let the rice attach to the casserole and to better check the cooking of rice.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
320g or 11,3 oz of Rice (type Arborio)
3 / 4 Onion
3 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 Zucchini
100g of Speck cut in small cubes
Half Glass of White wine
Vegetable broth (1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 potato, celery, coarse salt)

PREPARARATION TIME: 30 minutes (15 minutes with the pressure cooker)

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

WINE: Alto Adige Pinot Bianco (WhiteWine)

PREPARATION
Start preparing the vegetable broth, clean and peel the carrot, the potato, the onion, and the celery, cut them in big pieces and place them in a potful, add half a liter of water and a bit of coarse salt and let it boil for about 30-40 minutes. If you don't have a lot of time the best thing to do in order to have the same result is to use the pressure cooker, with which you will need only 10-15 minutes.



When the broth is almost ready you can start with the preparation of risotto, preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a casserole, mince the onion and cut the zucchini in small cubes, add the onion to the hot oil and let it brown.



Add the small cubes of speck, let them cook for a few minutes,



add the zucchini and let them cook for few minutes.



At this point add the rice and let it roast.



Add half glass of white wine, let it evaporate and start adding the broth,



little by little stirring continuously.



Let the rice cook for about 15-18 minutes, pay attention not to over cook it. Serve risotto warm.



BUON APPETITO!

Spatzle with Spinach Speck and Cream

Sometimes ago I show you the Italian recipes for the preparation of traditional Italian spatzle, a delicious first course diffuses in the northern part of Italy in particular in Val D’Aosta and Trentino Alto Adige. Here I’m going to show you another delicious Italian recipes for Spatzle and in particular green spaetzle made with spinach. This spaetzle are similar to gnocchi with small dimension and irregular shape, easy to prepare and the recipe presented below is simple made with flour, milk and the addition of spinach. Also in this case you will need to use the grater for spaetzle and the seasoning that I used is also made with speck and cream.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
380 g or 4 cups of Flour
2 Glasses or 1 cup of milk
200g or 7 oz of Spinach
200 ml or 1 cup of Cream
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
50 g of Speck cut in small cubes
Raw salt

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

WINE: Alto Adige Pinot Bianco (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Clean, wash the spinach and let them boil for 5-8 minutes.



When they are cooked drain them, let them cool down and squeeze them in order to remove the excess of water. Blend the spinach. Let salted water boil for spaetzle. Place the flour and the milk in a bowl and mix all together in order to obtain a soften dough without lumps, like this shown in the picture below.





When the mixture is well creamy, add the spinach and mix all together.





Then prepare the seasoning: preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add the cubes of speck and let them brown;





add the cream and let the sauce cook for about 5 – 10 minutes in order to reduce it.




Remember not to reduce the cream too much, in case this happens you can add a little bit of milk. When the water boils place the grater on the surface of the pan, pour slowly in its container the dough of spatzle and move the container back and forth in order to cut the dough in small irregular gnocchi with drops shape.





The spatzle are ready when they rise to the surface and this takes about 3 – 4 minutes.



Drain them and pour on them the sauce of speck and cream



Serve hot!



BUON APPETITO

Pasta Paccheri with Eggplants

This Italian first course is prepared with a tomatoes sauce that is traditional of Sicily indeed it is prepared with black olive and eggplant, and a type of pasta called Paccheri that is typical from Campania. Other than eggplant and black olive for the tomatoes sauce you need to add also mozzarella cheese, a lot of parmesan and basil to obtain a more delicious italian first course. This Italian recipe could be also prepared for Christmas lunch and you can easy found it on the table of Italian family from the South of Italy.

INGREDIENTS (for 6 people):
400 g or 3 cups of Pasta type paccheri
1 Eggplant
50 ml or 1/4 cup of extravirgin olive oil
50 g or 2 oz of black olive
700 ml or 3 cups of tomatoes sauce
400 g or 14 oz of Mozzarella cheese
5-6 leaves of basil
150 g 1 cup +2/3 cup of Parmesan

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Vesuvio rosato DOC ( Red Wime)

PREPARATION
Let the salted water boil for pasta, type paccheri. Clean the eggplant and cut it in small cubes. Preheat the extravirgin olive oil and when it's hot fry the cubes of eggplant.



When the eggplant got a golden color remove them from the extravirgin olive oil and put them on a blotting paper to remove the excess of oil. In the meantime prepare the tomatoes sauce, preheat 2-3 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil, cut the black olive in slices and add them to the oil. Let them saute a little bit




and then add the tomatoes sauce.



Stir and let them cook for about 15 minutes, stir the tomatoes sauce time by time. If the water for pasta, type paccheri, boils, cook the paccheri for the time indicated on the packaging.



Cut mozzarella cheese in cubes.



When all the ingredients are ready you can start to put them together. First mix the paccheri pasta with a little bit of tomatoes sauce



then take a large baking pan, place a little bit of tomatoes sauce on them bottom. Add a layer of paccheri pasta,



the fried eggplant, the tomatoes sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan and some leaves of basil.



Then start again with paccheri pasta, tomatoes sauce, eggplant, mozzarella cheese, parmesan and basil.



Bake at 180 C or 356 F for 20 minutes.



Serve warm. BUON APPETITO!