enjoying Parco Valgrande

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a day on the Lago Maggiore and in Stresa

this blog has been promoted to:
http://www.livingladolcevita.it/2013/07/a-day-on-lago-maggiore-and-in-stresa.html

Pasta al Ragù (bolognese)

Ik kreeg al vaker de vraag om het recept van mijn ragù te delen. voor de non-Italianen volgt hier het recept van de ragù (ook bekend als Bolognese saus)

Opmerking vooraf: ragù is een vleessaus en GEEN tomatensaus, het vlees moer overheersen en niet drijven in een pan tomatensaus

Ingrediënten voor 4p als hoofdmaaltijd:

• 4ons gedroogde pasta of 3ons verse pasta/pasta met ei (zoals de door mij gebruikte Barilla Pappardelle all'uovo
• 1 pond gehakt (ik geef voorkeur aan rundergehakt, maar halfom kan ook) 
• 1 klein blikje geconcentreerde tomatenpuree
• 1 blik tomatensaus van ca. 400gr. (ik gebruik een stevigere saus/pulp ipv die dunne Grand'Italia saus) 
• 1 worteltje, ½ stengel bleekselderij, 1 sjalotje alles fijngesneden (brunoise). evt 1 teen knoflook 
• 1 glas witte wijn 
• ½l kippenbouillon

Bereidingswijze:

1. Doe een flinke scheut olijfolie in een grote pan of ketel en fruit hierin de soffritto (wortel, sjalotje en bleekselderij), evt de knoflook. 
2. Voeg dan het gehakt toe en bak dit rul (lastig met NL watergehakt maar doe je best) 
3. Als het gehakt echt rul is (het mag best een beetje aanbakken) voeg dan de witte wijn toe en laat deze inkoken/verdampen
4. Zodra de wijn verdampt is voeg dan de tomatenpuree toe en roer deze goed onder het gehakt
5. Voeg beetje bij beetje wat vd bouillon toe en laat telkens inkoken (je hoeft niet alle bouillon te gebruiken)  
6. En ten slotte de tomatenpulp toevoegen
7. Laat de saus nu rustig onder een deksel pruttelen. Minimaal een uur maar liever een paar uur
8. Kook de pasta in wat bouillon, voeg een beetje kookvocht toe aan de saus en meng dan de pasta door de ragù.

Serveren met wat vers geraspte parmezaanse kaas en BUON APPETITO!

tip: gebruik ipv gehakt ook eens wildzwijn, ree of ezel!

homemade Lasagna with Zucchini

Here's the recipe for the Lasagna I made earlier this evening.

As usual my lasagna was based on homemade ragù and bechamel, this time in combination with zucchini.


I never care so much about quantities and portions, if there's something left I usually find use for it in tomorrow's lunch so forgive me for being a bit vague.

click Read more below to go to the recipe!

RAGÙ 

• 1kg of minced beef
• small dices/slices of bacon (pancetta affumicata)
• 1 shallot, 1 small carrot, ½ a stalk of celery all chopped brunoise
• 2 big cloves of garlic sliced in half and squashed a bit
• 2 glasses of red wine
• 1/4 tube of concentrated tomato paste or 2 small tin cans
• 5-10dl of stock (chicken or beef) (depends on whether you want to add the tomato pulp)
• optional: 1-2 jars of tomato pulp (cubes) <<< THIS IS NOT REQUIRED IN RAGÙ

1. melt the bacon slowly in a deep warm pan but don't fry it
2. add some olive oil and let the garlic, shallot, carrot and celery sweat
3. now heat up the fire and when it's hot add the minced beef, spice it up with S&P
4. once the meat is fried and dry add 1 glass of wine
5. once the wine is evaporated add the concentrated tomato paste (be careful not to use too much, better start with a bit less and something more next time) and mix it under the meat
6. now it is time to add the stock, careful not to make a soup, it should remain a sauce, so if it's too liquid make it evaporate. 
7. OPTIONAL: add the tomato pulp (I do for the lasagna, I don't for pappardelle al ragù)
8. put a cover on the pan and have it simmer on the lowest fire on your stove for at least an hour (2 hours is better). if it gets too concentrated add some more stock, or even a sip op milk (careful with the stock it might get too salty) - SO KEEP ON TASTING!
9. the ragù is finished and can be used in today's lasagna or over spaghetti, tagliatelle, penne (almost any kind of pasta)

BECHAMEL SAUCE

• 100g of butter (the real stuff, I don't know margarine) 
• 100g of flour
• 10dl milk (1 litre)
• freshly grated nutmeg

1. heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted
2. add the flour and stir until smooth. cook until it turns a light, golden sandy color (about 5 minutes)
3. meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan
4. add the hot milk to the butter mixture bit by bit, whisking continuously until very smooth
5. bring to a boil. cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
6. add salt and nutmeg, that's all

ZUCCHINI

1. slice the courgette in thin slices

LASAGNA

1. oil your dish (I prefer one of 5-6cm high)
2. add a layer of either one of the sauces (just remind which one)
3. a layer of the zucchini
4. a layer of the lasagna (I prefer the fresh lasagna from the supermarket fridge or better homemade)
5. a layer of the other sauce
6. a layer of zucchini
7. a layer of lasagne
8. GOTO Step 2. and repeat until the dish is full
9. finish it off with some grated parmesan and put it in the oven (according to the instructions for the pasta)

Buon Appetito!


Adding the zucchini to the lasagna were a test (first attempt), thinking of it I will probably try to replace the bechamel with a ricotta based sauce... keep you posted!

#TasteandMatch

Last Friday I was browsing my Facebook event calendar and saw an  invitation for an interesting event that caught my eye: Taste & Match Milano, something about 8 wines and 8 foodbloggers that "invented" a matching dish for one of the wines. Interesting concept, interesting price (€30,- each), not too far away from home (a 40min drive into Milano) and above all... interesting people! Interesting people I already "knew" virtually via Twitter and/or Facebook, foodbloggers whose blogs I read regularly that I could finally meet & greet in real life (IRL so to say). And since I prefer meeting IRL and food & wine seem to be more then a hobby (Klout even thinks I am highly influential about these items, especially in combination with Italy) I decided (together with my lovely wife Maddy) to go and discover this for ourselves.

So despite me feeling destructed after travelling all week, Maddy who just recovered from a muscular inflammation and the snow falling down over Morazzone we hit the road and drove (carefully) to Milan(o). It turned out to be a great evening! Where do you get the chance to have an 8 course dinner with 8 matching excellent wines for € 30,-? Even better: the 8 'enogastronimic' addicts (aka foodbloggers) had given it weeks of thoughts to combine the wine they had been given with a meal . They were serving the dishes and wines themselves so you could ask for explanation, recipes and reasoning!

Here in a short overview the 8 foodbloggers, the 8 wines with the 8 matching recipes!

unfortunately all recipes are only available in Italian but with a little help from Google Translate and by asking the foodblogger you might be able to get there as well

THE ANTIPASTI

The first antipasto was made by Cristina, blogging as "Zucchero e Sale" (sugar and salt), she had us start with her "Fagottini di brisè con persico e patate alle erbe" a delicate combination of "bread" stuffed with perch, potato and herbs, together with the "Rosé brut Conti di Buscaret" (a sparkling rosé) a perfect start for this evening.

Next up was Tania from blog "Speck and the City" (I really love the original name of certain blogs). She prepared "Tartare di Gamberi su Patate e Carciofi con Crema al Basilico", Tartare of Shrimps on Potato and Artichoke with a Basil sauce. Delicious, in these 3,5 years that we now live in Italy I've become a huge fan of the artichoke and this combination was just wonderful! The only non-Italian wine, Kakhetian noble white 2008 from Georgia (not USA, but ex USSR), was maybe a bit too complicated for me though. Maybe I would have needed more time (and more wine then just that 2 sips I could take since I was driving), but Tania's dish was perfectly able to compete it!

THE PRIMI

On to the primi, first the pasta prepared by Pietro and Francesca of "Singerfood". This lovely couple had the honours to use one of my favourite white wines, the Roero Arneis! In this case Roero Arneis DOCG Marquis Incisa della Rocchetta. They prepared a wonderful looking dish "Calamaretti" that tasted even better then it already looked. What a delicious combination of calamari pasta filled with shrimp, salmon and buffalo mozzarella! Complimenti!



Next up was the cute Teresa (aka Tery), of "Peperoni e Patate", her "Vellutata di Ceci con Sautè di Vongole e Crostino di Pane alle Mandorle" (velouté of chickpeas with clams and a toast of almond bread) was an unexpected surprise. The simple chickpeas were transformed in a soft creamy silky 'soup' with perfectly spiced clams and the almond bread with a swift of garlic, DE-LI-CIOUS! And she combined this around a good glass of Pinot Nero "Marchese Leopoldo 2009 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta".


THE SECONDI

Cristiano of "il Cucinotto" prepared the first main course we tasted:  "Flan di Cardi e Porro con Cannolo Nero di Crema al Sifone di Capra con Miele di Castagne su un Letto di Caviale di Melanzane" a mouthful of ingredients resulting in a fingerlickingly good dish combining very well with the Pinot Nero "Rollone 2009" of Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta, another pinot nero of the same house as Tery used for her Primo, but this one seemed to be a bit more mature. The dish itself ones more proved to me that even eggplant can be tasteful (I rarely eat it), here's the best English translation I could come up with: Flan of thistels and leek with a black horn filled with goat cheese and chestnut honey on a bed of eggplant caviar"...

On to Roberto (the one having invited us to this dinner) from "di Cotte e di Crude" who prepared "A Gualtiero, Club Sandwich di Pan Brioche con Polpetta d'Oca, Scalagno Confit, Radicchio e Crema di Zafferano". Seems the guys for the main courses had their internal contest on who could invent the longest name *kidding*. Problem for me is translate it: "to Walter, club sandwich of sweet bread with a goose meatball, caramelized shallot, radicchio and safran sauce", Apart from the fact the bread could have been a bit thinner it was again a delicious combination. Pitty was that by the time we reached this dish others had finished the Barbaresco San Stunet 2007 and they jus opened a fresh, from the car, cold bottle. Therefore I couldn't judge this wine properly... (pitty)

DESSERTS

Next and last stop, the desserts, the first one "Torta soffice allo sciroppo di limone e rosmarino", soft cake with lemon and rosemary syrup  prepared by Alice of "Food Couture". The rosemary gave that surprising kick to the perfectly soft cake (need to make that to impress my guests one day). She combined with a typical Moscato d'Asti 2010, Felice from Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta.

And last but certainly not least where there the "Brownies al cioccolato bianco e nocciola con salsa alla vaniglia" by Gaia of  "Shake and Bake". Brownies of white chocolate and hazelnuts with vanilla sauce (although her linked recipe is without the vanilla sauce). She created her delicious brownie to combine with the Niades 2011, Brachetto d'Acqui of our big (and tall) friend Gianluca Morino of Cascina Garitina. It was the first time I drank this Brachetto and I hate to admit: it was good, not so sweet as other brachetti, which is good!



Thank you Fernando for a great evening, it's a great concept! If you get the chance then go and visit Taste & Match, next occasion is in Venice on 25 February!

below a video of the evening (pay attention around 0:50 where Maddy and I have our big moment as the Twitter Brigade)

Taste&Match (Milano 28/1/2012) by FernandoWine from FernandoWine on Vimeo.

Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

Via Twitter, Facebook and Google+ I received some requests for the recipe of Pizzoccheri. I have taken the recipe of the box of the pizzoccheri I usually buy in our local supermarket.

Ingredients (for 6p):
500g pizzoccheri
300g potatoes (in 2x2cm cubes)
150-250g butter (I think 150g is more then enough)
300g Savoy cabbage, chard leaves (the white stamps) or spinach (I prefer Savoy cabbage) sliced
500g half fat cheese from Valtellina (Casera, Bito) - these can be hard to find outside Italy, maybe Fontina, Toma or (worst case) Brie can be used as an alternative (sliced)
150g grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
some leaves of sage

Preparation (15-20mins):
Cook the potatoes and vegetables in boiling water, add the pizzoccheri after a couple of minutes and boil it for another 12-15mins until the pasta is nicely cooked "al dente".
When the pasta (and potatoes and veggies) are cooked drain the water and mix the slices of cheese and grated Parmesan under the pasta and veggies.
Meanwhile melt the butter on low fire with the garlic and sage (don't fry the garlic) and serve it over the pasta.

Buon Appetito!

Tonight: my worst culinary experience in Italy

My friends/followers know we like to go out for dinner/lumch and enjoy a good meal with a good glass of wine. And it doesn't need to be fancy, we appreciate honest food prepared with joy and love whether it costs 10euros or 100euros.

After this afternoon's pastalunch I fancied a good piece of fish so we went to Rosetto's boulevard where we expected to find some restaurant. Well we found some lido's and this particular place (no names, one could check my Foursquare postings if you really want to know) seemed pretty popular and had an inviting look.

The girls insisted on having pizza (it was a ristorante pizzeria) and Maddy and I choose some simple antipasti (affettato and bruschette) and a "sogliola (sole) mugnaia" for her and "spiedini di pesce griliati" for me. After OVER ONE HOUR waiting we finally got a plate of sliced ham and salami and 5 bruschette with that same ham and tomato slices. It would have taken me less then 5 minutes to prepare, so why did we had to wait over an hour for this?! The ham and salami were badly cut (too thick), the bruschette were not prepared (with oil and garlic) but just roasted and had a (too) thick slice of ham and tomato on them, impossible to eat with you hands as you should. But okay, maybe this is normal in Abruzzo, everything a bit more "rustico". 

In the meantime the girls received their pizzas, which were maybe okay to Dutch/German standards but any Italian pizzeria should be ashamed of itself serving these pizze.

And still I was hoping the fish would save the evening. That hope vaporised once the main courses arrived (30secs after we finished the ham) the sole was not even close to the one I had 3 evenings before.It was tough (maybe kept warm for over an hour) and I wondered if it was a reanimated frozen one. My fish skewers were prepared without any fantasy, just pieces of squid (tough, lousy quality) and shrimps (even mealy), no other fish, nor vegetables.

This was by far our worst culinary experience in Italy ever!

Spaghetti Tonno & Capperi

I just posted 2 pics on twitter of me preparing Spaghetti Tonno & Capperi (spaghetti with tuna and capers) that I decided to quickly share this recipe with you!

First a warning concerning the most important ingredient: the tuna! Do not buy the cheaper canned ones but spend a few euro more and buy the much better tasting fillets in a glass container conserved in olive oil (not on water or sunflower oil), and of course buy dolphin friendly tuna.

ingredients (for 2-4 people):

• a can of tomato-cubes (400g)
• a glass of tuna
• capers (15-30)
• an onion
• a garlic clove
• spaghetti (80g p.p.)

Now slice the onion, divide the garlic clove into two and put some olive oil (I use the one that conserved the tuna) in a pan. Gently fry the onions, add the garlic (careful it doesn't burn) and then the capers. Next you add the tuna. You could now take away the garlic but I love it and leave it in. Now add the tomato-cubes and leave it simmering for a while. Add salt & pepper (careful with the salt in combination with the capers)

The water for the pasta should be boiling by now, add the spaghetti and cook it al dente.

When the pasta is ready serve it with the sauce on top.

BUON APPETITO!!!

PS: and please let me know how you liked it or how you prepare it (with black olives maybe?)

#Barbera2

#Barbera2, a set on Flickr.

#Barbera2 or a Twitter Wine Tasting Event

Tomorrow (or probably today when you read this) I will be guest at the #Barbera2 wine tasting event, together with my wife and some friends. Why? How?

Once you fully understand Twitter and you are really interacting anything can happen on/via Twitter. So it came that (on a photo) I recognised a bottle of wine in the arms of an Italian Barbera-producer visiting a Dutch tweep (Twitter-friend) and wine-importer. I tweeted all details of the wine (had a pic of the label on my iPhone) so both men were impressed, as a result the wine producer and I started following each other on Twitter and Facebook.

When some time later the wine producer was in the neighbourhood he drove by for a cup of coffee and invited us for some wine tasting event in May, #Barbera2. Also the Dutch wine-importer would be there... Tonight Samuel, his partner Loes, my wife Maddy and I enjoyed a dinner together and tomorrow we'll drive to Nizza Monferato to taste 5 Italian and 5 American Barberas with over 100 other wine enthousiasts, wine producers, wine bloggers, wine
journalists, etc. and afterwards we'll enjoy a pick-nick in Cascina Garitina's vineyard (if it stops raining). And all thanks to Twitter... and my memory for wine bottles... and the fact I always photograph the label of a good wine with my iPhone ;-)

I'll bring my iPhone and iPad along, so via Twitter and Facebook you can follow what's happening! I even believe there will be a Live Stream covering the event on the Internet, I'll tweet the link as soon as I have it.
here's the link to the Live Stream

For more information on #Barbera2 I would like to refer to the Barbera2 Blog

Festa degli Asparagi - RT21 & Club41 n.3 Bassano del Grappa

Festa degli Asparagi - RT21 & Club41 n.3 Bassano del Grappa, a set on Flickr.

pictures of the "Festa degli Asparagi" yesterday (Sunday, April 17th 2011) organized by RoundTable 21 and Club41 N.3 from Bassano del Grappa