Her Majesty LA PASTA!

Don’t you dare to tell an Italian like me that Pasta is a side dish!

For us it simply is “the Queen of the Meal”!

In fact, in Italy pasta is always served by itself and called “primo piatto” (first course), even when it comes after appetizers or is followed by nothing but a salad or fruits, as it often happens for many informal meals!

Would you like to know how I prepare a few of my pasta dishes?
Remember, though: for my family-cooking philosophy the keywords always are simplicity and fresh ingredients!
If you think you might like that, join me in my kitchen for group class and samples

Tuesday, July 21st @ 6:00 pm

You can contact me at damo267@yahoo.it

Pesto, Made In Texas

People from Liguria (the region in the northwest side of Italy which is Pesto's homeland) are EXTREMELY defensive when it comes to this wonderful sauce.

Yes, basil is the base of it, together with a little garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano (or Pecorino, for some), excellent Olive Oil from that same region.
Still, according to them, not any basil can be used: it has to come from a particular area, a district in the city of Genova named Pra'. The sauce has to be hand made, and by that I mean that no mechanical help is allowed, only mortar and pestle.
And right when you are thinking "Ok, I can put the effort in it. Let me make it in big quantity so that I can save it and enjoy some of this precious sauce later on too..", well that's when you get another dirty look and they roll their eyes at you. You were actually thinking of FREEZING it? Ahahahahah! Foolish thought! Pesto must be prepared and enjoyed right away! Period. No exceptions.

So I already know what you, Marina, are thinking right now about my Texan Pesto.
We tease Marina calling her the "Pesto Taleban" because of her strict intolerance for any exception to the religious pesto rules. ;-)
Yes, Marina, I confess: I made some Texan Pesto and I loved it!

The moment I poured it on the steaming hot pasta, to me it was the best pesto in the world. I was surrounded by that wonderful aroma and I was in heaven!

I did my usual compromises, of course, but not too many. I still picked the fresh basil leaves from my backyard at the very last moment, when they smell at their best. I did use the blender, but did not mince the pine nuts too fine, because I like the rustic feel that they give when left a little coarse.

I cooked my pasta with potato cubes. I did not have any green beans handy, as the tradition would call for, but I did not miss them too much.

Few things in life smell like a fresh homemade Pesto. I can tell you that much.

Nicholas had two generous servings and kept telling me, with his mouth full (such rude son of mine that he is): "This is good, mamma, this is goooooood..."

Be Back Soon!

My family from Italy will be in town for a couple of weeks and I really want to focus on them for a while!
I therefore will not have any classes while they are here, nor will I probably update the blog during this time, but please feel free to contact me for any information about CUCINAMORE at damo267@yahoo.it
See you all on here soon!

A Kid in the Kitchen (and this time it wasn’t my own)

When his mom one day asked me if I was willing to have a special class with her 7-year-old son and that this was going to be her birthday gift to him, I must confess that I was not so confident it was going to be a good idea.
On one side, I was thrilled: I always loved working with children and I have had Nicholas in my way when I cook since he learnt how to climb on a chair to reach the counter, so I guess that gives me some experience on the matter.
On the other hand though, I was telling myself “What if the poor child would rather have a new Transformer for his birthday instead and he is going to be bored and disappointed?". Then I decided to trust his mom when she told me that he really loves being in the kitchen and his dream (for now) is to be a chef one day, so I accepted the challenge and simply did my best to make it as enjoyable as possible for us both.



It turned out to be one of the best experiences I have had. I loved it! I hope he had fun too.

This is what I did with Daniel: I picked a very simple menu that we cooked together for his family and he brought the food home to proudly feed his parents and siblings.

DANIEL’S SPECIAL DINNER
Menu’

Appetizer:
Cheese and Spinach Dip in Fillo Shells




Entrée:
Baked Daniel’s Polpette (Italian meatballs)
with
Pasta Primavera with Ham, Peas and Cream





Dessert:
Rainbow Chocolate Pralines




We discussed about flavors, ingredients, safety and all the golden rules in the kitchen, like how to not leave a mess for mommy to clean up after you are done (and yes, his mom paid me a little extra for this one ;-) ).



We talked about how to be open to try new foods and how sometimes things that you do not like by themselves turn out to taste better when combined with something else. In short, we worked a lot and cooked a lot! And at the end I can proudly say it was a success, at least based on the hug I received when class was over! From what I heard his family enjoyed the dinner a lot and made him feel like he was a real chef for a day. Mission accomplished!

Lamb For Dinner

Following my friend Shylah's advice I finally went to a local farmer's market yesterday morning.

Needless to say I could have bought half of what I saw and even more needless to say I could not afford doing that. So I settled for a jar of strawberry preserve that was probably the best I have ever tasted in my life and a piece or lamb that cost me an arm and a leg.

Lamb is pretty expensive over here and not that common either, from what I see. That was the reason why, when I saw this vendor selling frozen goat and lamb meat I told myself I had to have some. So I bought this lamb rack that turned out to not even be the cut of meat I expected it to be or at least it hadn't been prepared so to have the bones sticking out like a crown as I am used to see. But I did not dare touching it, so I cooked it the way it was.

Let me tell you that lamb is not exactly in my area of expertise, I probably only cooked it a couple times back when I was in Italy and so I was a little nervous. I did not want to waste that money making something that might not come out right.

I went to work that afternoon with that piece of lamb in mind. As soon as I came home I started working on it. I followed a recipe by Michele, a chef friend of mind that I probably mentioned before as he is the person who taught me a lot of what I know about food and cooking.


I was pretty pleased with the result. If nothing else, Nicholas, my 3-year-old son, ate without fussing. That equals to "pretty darn good dinner" on my scale!

You Asked For It: Dani's Pizza Is Back!

(pizza with eggplants, cherry tomatoes, smoked muenster cheese)


For all those who missed the previous ones, here is another chance to learn how to make delicious pizza at home.

Let me show you how I make my dough and how I get my thin crust.
Let me share with you a few ideas for different toppings, always made with fresh ingredients and herbs.

Thursday, June 11th, 6:00 pm
HOME-MADE PIZZA LIKE YOU NEVER HAD IT BEFORE!

Confirm your participation before june 9th!

SIMPLY Italian!

Who said that making a whole, tasty Italian dinner from scratch for your friends and family is a difficult task?

I definitely believe the opposite!

Come to my house on

Thursday May 21st at 6pm

Learn how to put one on the table (appetizer, pasta plate, entrée and side dish)
with very little effort and great enjoyment!



RSVP required by May 19th.