Pasta with Shrimp and Paprika

March 6, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Red Rock Shrimp Credit: D.D.Deheyn and M.C.Allen

Pasta with Shrimp and Paprika

Here’s my take on Nick Stellino‘s pasta with shrimp and paprika.

Put up a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the salt and red and black pepper. add the garlic and parsley and cook for a few minutes – don’t burn the garlic.

Increase the heat to medium high and add the shrimp and paprika. Stir together and cook until the shrimp starts to color.

Add the wine and stir and simmer simmering over medium heat, until the wine reduces.

Add the butter and stir until it melts. Drain the almost cooked pasta. add it to the sauce and pour in the stock. Turn off the heat add the optional parsley, stir to combine and serve.

Soup

Red Wine Beef Soup

March 2, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms – Pieter Aertsen

Red Wine Beef Soup

This soup is dark, hardy and meaty. Cotes du Rhone is always recommended for meat soups and stews. It doesn’t have to be expensive but should be good enough to drink.

Preheat oven to 350°. Season meat with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown and transfer to a plate. Pour off all the drippings from pot and return 3 tablespoons to the pot and use 3 for the roux.

In separate pot add 3-4 tbsps. drippings and 3 tbsps. flour to make the roux. If it’s too dry add some more drippings or wine.

Add trinity and oregano to Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until lightly browned. Then add the tomato paste and blend. Add the roux and stir until well combined. Stir in wine and blend, then return the meat with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil.

Add all herbs and garlic to pot. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.

Cook until ribs are tender, about 1 hour 45 min. Transfer ribs to a platter and remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones.

Strain sauce from pot or remove herbs, garlic, etc. with a spider and discard.

Add 8 cups of water to the pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, cook until al dente and serve.

This is good served with a little prepared horse radish or parmigiana cheese or both.

Trinity & Roux Instructions

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Miscellaneous

Eat Sumo Style

February 27, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Chanko Nabe (sumo soup) by Naomi Sloman

Chanko Nabe

Eat Sumo Style

Sumo wrestlers want a weight advantage. They average over 400 pounds and work to keep that bulk. They do it by eating Chanko Nabe almost every day. It’s a sort of stew or hot-pot with lots of protein, a delicious broth and varying ingredients. In itself it’s not particularly fattening but in the quantities that it’s eaten, plus lots of beer and a nap after each meal, it does the job.

From Gurunavi

Eat Sumo Style — OSAKA, JAPAN – The Sumo Stable holds open day events for sumo fans to watch their training sessions, take part in sumo exercise classes and eat ‘chanko-nabe’ or ‘sumo stew’; a favourite dish in the diet of sumo wrestlers. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)

From Atlas Obscura

Chanko Nabe Recipe from Epicurious

Soup

Navajo Corn Soup

February 24, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Navajo Corn Soup (with a twist) This recipe calls for salt pork. I replaced it with pancetta.

Cut the pork into bite sized pieces, season and brown it with the pancetta. Do this in batches so the meat browns and doesn’t steam. If there are any bones, brown then too. When done, remove the meat and sauté the onion, add peppers, garlic & oregano and cook until softened.

Return meat to pot. Add stock and simmer covered for 1 hour. Remove any bones, taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in corn a few minutes before serving.

If you’re using dried whole corn start with 1 and 1/2 cups. Wash it thoroughly, soak overnight, drain when ready to use. Boil dried corn until tender – about 3 and 1/2 hours in 6 cups water.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Sides, Vegetarian

Jalapenos

February 23, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Jalapenos

Sun Dried and Brochette

Sun Dried Jalapenos

Hang the jalapenos someplace where there is good air flow. They don’t have to be in the sun to be sun dried.

Depending on the weather, after a couple of weeks when they become hard and red, they’re done. Cut off the stem end and place them in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Drain them, pat them dry and lightly press them to squeeze out as much water as you can. Let them continue to dry for 60 minutes and then place them in a jar. Fill the jar with olive oil, close tightly and shake. This will release some air bubbles. Add more oil and refrigerate. They’ll be ready to eat in a week.

Jalapeno Brochettes

Start by roasting the jalapenos on an open flame. First, they’ll blister and then blacken – keep turning until they’re done.

Scrape off the blackened skin with the back of a knife and cut off the stem end. Some specs of black might remain and that’s OK. Don’t be tempted to rinse them. You’ll wash off the flavor.

Slice them open and scrape out the veins and seeds.

Put them on a slice of bread, a few drops of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt – done.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Pasta

Tomato and Anchovy Butter Sauce

February 20, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Tomato and Anchovy Butter Sauce

My mother would have let the family starve before she’d combine butter instead of olive oil with tomatoes for pasta sauce. Tomato and Anchovy Butter Sauce? I try to keep an open mind. Here’s my cover of Bon Appetit’s recipe and it’s not bad at all.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Lightly cook the anchovies and garlic in the melted butter until the anchovies dissolve. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften.

When the pasta is almost done add it to the sauce to finish cooking. Add the chopped herbs and mix just before serving.

Miscellaneous

New York Times – Squab: A Primer

February 16, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

New York Times – Squab: A Primer

The New York Times Food section just did an interesting illustrated article called – Squab: a Primer.

According to Wikipedia – squab is a young domestic pigeon, typically under four weeks old. . . It formerly applied to all dove and pigeon species. . . More recently, squab meat comes almost entirely from domesticated pigeons.

There’s more to pigeons than the ones raised for food and the others you see on city streets. Some people race them as a hobby. There’s also the sport of triganieri that originated in Modena and is still practiced in New York today. And others just like the look of the fancy pigeon breeds.

Some pigeon facts –

A pigeon can fly as high as 6000 feet, at an average speed of 75 mph and cover 600 to 700 miles in day. They’ve passed the ‘mirror test,’ – the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror. They are one of only 6 species and the only non-mammal able to do that. These facts apply to the ones you eat as well as the ones in the street.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Miscellaneous

Chinese Cookbook Illustrations

February 13, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Chinese Cookbook Illustrations

This is definitely worth a look if you interested in Chinese cooking. Even if you’re not, the recipe illustrations are something special.

The Illustrated Wok, a new print collection of hand-illustrated Chinese recipes from 40 chefs around the world. The book pairs each chef with an artist who produces striking and frequently surreal interpretations of the recipe.

Meat

Beef Ribs Braised in Red Wine

February 9, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Beef Ribs Braised in Red Wine

Ingredients:

4-5 pounds bone-in beef ribs
Olive oil for browning and sautéing
1 cup Trinity (onions/carrots/celery)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bottle dry red wine
8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
½ tsp. oregano
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
4 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 350°. Season ribs with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown short ribs on all 6 sides. Transfer ribs to a plate. Pour off all the drippings from pot and return 3 tablespoons to the pot and use 3 for the roux.
In separate pot add 3-4 tbsps. drippings and 3 tbsps. flour to make the roux. Then add the tomato paste to the roux (don’t tell any New Orleans chefs that you’re doing this). If it’s too dry add some more drippings or wine.
Add trinity to Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add the roux and cook, stirring until well combined. Stir in wine, then add ribs bone side up with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes.
Add all herbs and garlic to pot. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.
Cook until ribs are tender, about 1 hour 45 min. Transfer ribs to a platter.
Strain sauce from pot or remove herbs, garlic, onions, etc. with a spider. Mix 2 tbsps. flour with a little cold water and add to sauce. Stir until it thickens and then whisk in 2 pats of butter. Pour the sauce over the ribs and serve.

This is good with rice, spätzle or pasta.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Writing Site and Yelp

Miscellaneous

Family Dinner

February 6, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Family Dinner

A family dinner – click on the links for the recipes.

Antipasto – We started with some cheese, suprasade and caponata.

Sunday Gravy – It doesn’t heave to be Sunday for Sunday gravy – pasta and meat simmered in the gravy. This time it was hot pork sausage and beef short ribs.

Gladiatore String-Beans – A very old recipe.

Giambotta – This is a vegetable stew with a twist.

Spezzatino con Piselli – The main course, veal stew with peas.

Soufritte – This was one of my mother’s specialties. Her’s was made with beef heart and lungs, and calve’s liver. I use liver but with chicken hearts and sirloin.

Espresso – How else do you end a meal?

Pasta with Shrimp and Paprika

Here’s my take on Nick Stellino‘s pasta with shrimp and paprika.

Red Wine Beef Soup

This soup is dark, hardy and meaty. Cotes du Rhone is always recommended for meat soups and stews. It doesn’t have to be expensive but should be good enough to drink.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Eat Sumo Style

Navajo Corn Soup (with a twist) This recipe calls for salt pork. I replaced it with pancetta.

Cut the pork into bite sized pieces, season and brown it with the pancetta. Do this in batches so the meat browns and doesn’t steam. If there are any bones, brown then too. When done, remove the meat and sauté the onion, add peppers, garlic & oregano and cook until softened.

Return meat to pot. Add stock and simmer covered for 1 hour. Remove any bones, taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in corn a few minutes before serving.

Jalapenos

Sun Dried and Brochette

Sun Dried Jalapenos

Jalapeno Brochettes

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Tomato and Anchovy Butter Sauce

My mother would have let the family starve before she’d combine butter instead of olive oil with tomatoes for pasta sauce. Tomato and Anchovy Butter Sauce? I try to keep an open mind. Here’s my cover of Bon Appetit’s recipe and it’s not bad at all.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Lightly cook the anchovies and garlic in the melted butter until the anchovies dissolve. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften.

When the pasta is almost done add it to the sauce to finish cooking. Add the chopped herbs and mix just before serving.

New York Times – Squab: A Primer

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Beef Ribs Braised in Red Wine

Ingredients:

4-5 pounds bone-in beef ribs

Olive oil for browning and sautéing

1 cup Trinity (onions/carrots/celery)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 bottle dry red wine

8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

½ tsp. oregano

2 sprigs rosemary

2 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, halved crosswise

4 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 350°. Season ribs with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown short ribs on all 6 sides. Transfer ribs to a plate. Pour off all the drippings from pot and return 3 tablespoons to the pot and use 3 for the roux.

In separate pot add 3-4 tbsps. drippings and 3 tbsps. flour to make the roux. Then add the tomato paste to the roux (don’t tell any New Orleans chefs that you’re doing this). If it’s too dry add some more drippings or wine.

Add all herbs and garlic to pot. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.

Cook until ribs are tender, about 1 hour 45 min. Transfer ribs to a platter.

Strain sauce from pot or remove herbs, garlic, onions, etc. with a spider. Mix 2 tbsps. flour with a little cold water and add to sauce. Stir until it thickens and then whisk in 2 pats of butter. Pour the sauce over the ribs and serve.

This is good with rice, spätzle or pasta.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Family Dinner

Reveries and Recipes