Why I like to cook Italian foods......

I am not a southern cook.  I may live in the South, but I cannot fry chicken to save my life.  I don't make a killer potato salad and  I sure can't grill without burning something to a nice charred crisp.  But you hand me a nice fire and a few pots and pans and some onions and other fine veggies and some pasta and stand back.  I will whip up a simple meal that even royalty would eat!

Since I don't have a full time job....(or even a full-time part-time job but that is a blog for another day!)....I try to cook on a very tight budget.  I cook fresh and from "scratch' as much as possible because I want more fresh foods in my body than I do preservatives and fast foods.  My husband and I share a love of food and I have always tried to continue to keep a high standard of cooking for our dining enjoyment.

Tonights dinner was a small bowl of Tomato Bisque soup, a nice crusty Crostini with a slab of melted mozzarella and Asparagus Risotto.

I started with White ARBORIO Rice.  Arborio rice is a traditional Italian rice that is used in dishes where a creamy texture is desired.  RISOTTO is the Italian cooking technique for cooking the Arborio rice.
The rice I found is from the Lundberg Family Farms because it is not GMO rice and I refuse to eat genetically modified foods! Go check out their website.  www.lundberg.com.




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Campanini Arborio Superfino Rice, 1 lb. (Google Affiliate Ad)

Here is the basic Risotto recipe for the Asparagus Risotto
3 TBLS. EVOO plus 2 TBLS. butter (NOT margarine)
1 large chopped onion (I prefer white or sweet Vidalias when in season)
1 cup of Arborio Rice
1/2 cup of white wine (optional for you teetotalers But if you are going to cook Italian...ADD THE WINE!)
3or 4 cups of hot chicken broth or water.
1/4  cup grated Parmesan cheese.

In a heavy pan, saute' the chopped onion in the olive oil/butter over medium heat until the onion is softened.

Add the Arborio rice and saute for a couple of minutes until the grains of rice are coated.

Add the wine (this is why I cook Italian!) and stir constantly over medium heat until the wine is absorbed.

add the hot chicken broth, 1 CUP AT A TIME, stirring after adding each cup. Add the chopped, cooked and mashed asparagus to the mixture and simmer until the broth is absorbed about 20 to 25 minutes.  The risotto should be creamy and not dry.

Remove from heat, stir in the cheese JUST BEFORE SERVING! and then serve immediately.

I believe you should enjoy this with a glass of fine white wine as well.  And THAT my fellow foodies is WHY I love to cook Italian.  La Vino!

Blogging about food is something I haven't really done before.  But I am cooking so much and have learned so many new things that I want to share my adventures in cooking.

 So from the Cucina Provera (or The poor cook) today marks the beginning of food blogs that I think you would like.

What to do when its the week after New Years, the household budget is tighter than ever before and you start to run out of ideas for a tasty meal, that is healthy, within the budget, and mindful of the waistline?
I started with pasta which seems to be my food love as of late.  I've been taking lessons in Italian Cuisine for the past year and it has expanded my cooking horizons.

 
The first thing I learned in Italian cooking is that most dishes start off with a finely chopped mixture of garlic, herbs, and vegetables such as onions, carrots and celery.  Sometimes a little chopped pancetta or Italian sausage is added as well.  This mixture is called BATTUTO. My Battuto consists of 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1/2 cup of chopped celery, 1/2 chopped sweet pepper, 1 diced and smashed garlic clove, 1 tsp. cracked pepper, 1 tsp, crushed red pepper seeds.

Once the Battuto is in my largest pan along with about 3 TBLspoons of EVOO (extra virgin Olive Oil), it is gently sauteed in the oil with a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness of the chopped onion.  Don't have the heat so high that the garlic starts burning.  You want the flavors to infuse with the oil.  This mixture is called SOFFRITO and it is what is going to be flavoring your dish.  The blandest ingredients become impregnated with the savory flavors and you get a remarkable dish to enjoy! (photo 1)

 While the SOFFRITO is simmering and the flavors are melding together, put chopped broccoli or cauliflower (I used both tonight!) in a large pot of boiling water.  Make sure the pot is large enough to cook the pasta in because you are going to reserve the water.  Yes it will be green from cooking the broccoli but it will give a great flavor to the pasta also.  And its being conservative with your water.  (Photo 2)

After a few minutes, when the Cauliflower and Broccoli are tender, using a slotted spoon dip it out and add to the large pan containing the SOFFRITO.  Stir and mash the veggies in so the flavors will meld with the broccoli/cauliflower. (an option for chopped mushrooms could be added here)  photo 3

 After removing the veggies from the water, let the water come back to a rolling boil.  Add the pasta.  I used curly pasta for tonight's dinner. cook the pasta  al dente according to the package directions. take two large ladles of the pasta water and add it to the SOFFRITO.  This water has starch from the pasta in it and it will serve as a rich thickener and help the veggies stick to the cooked pasta. photo 4

When the pasta has reached al dente stage, drain and add to the SOFFRITO and Broccoli mixture.  Toss together so the pasta is well coated with the vegetable mixture.  photo 5

Throw some crescent rolls in the oven while this is finishing.  serve it hot in bowls with a generous shake of parmigiana cheese and enjoy with a large glass of sweet tea.

My dish doesn't have a name.  Just pasta with broccoli and cauliflower. Enjoy!