Miscellaneous

Restaurant Design

September 28, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Restaurant Design

First, for any restaurant the food must be good. After that it’s service and décor. This article in PLAIN covers some new establishments made with cutting edge restaurant design. If the food in these places is nearly as good as the décor they should be spectacular.

THESE 5 GORGEOUS RESTAURANT INTERIORS AWAIT YOU AS SOON AS LOCKDOWN LIFTS

By Kala Barba-Court

“While most restaurants are still quite a ways from being pre-COVID operational, we’ve decided to gawk at the beautiful interiors of some newly-opened or recently refurbished restaurants around the world in 2020 . . . “

For the complete article click here.

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Pasta, Vegetarian

Swiss Chard Pasta

September 27, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Swiss Chard Pasta

Swiss chard pasta – it’s just a few simple ingredients and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil
2 thinly sliced garlic cloves
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 lb. Swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 lb. short pasta
¼ cup Parmigiana cheese

Start a pot of salted boiling water. You’ll use this for both the Swiss chard and then for the pasta. While the water is heating, lightly sauté the garlic in oil in a pan with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat.

When the water in the pot comes to a boil, add the Swiss chard, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the Swiss chard and without draining it, place it right in a blender. Add the sautéed garlic and oil. Blend until it’s a fine thick puree. Check for seasoning.

Add the pasta to the still boiling water and cook until almost done. Drain it, saving one cup of the pasta water, and return the pasta to the pot. Stir in the Swiss chard sauce and coat the pasta while it finishes cooking. Add more of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese.

Serve with additional Parmigiana.

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Miscellaneous

Dodger’s Blue Gelato

September 23, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Dodger’s Blue Gelato

I came across this article in Italo Americano about stadium food (and Dodgers’ Blue Gelato) now that CORVID 19 is preventing fans from going to the stadium.

THE OFFICIAL DODGER’S GELATO WILL BE 100% ITALIAN

By Silvia Giudici

“A lot of people in Los Angeles, especially baseball fans, will miss eating at the stadium during a Dodgers’ match: food has always been part of the experience. Fries, hot dogs, nachos, carne asada, you name it, you could find it all at the stadium. . . “

Read the complete article here.

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp

Desserts

Peach Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake

September 18, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Peach Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake

The peach season is almost over in New York. I thought I’d make Peach Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake while I still could. It’s an almost fool proof recipe but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Use ripe but firm peaches.
Don’t overcook the butter-sugar mixture.
Use less sugar in the batter if you want it to taste more like corn bread than cake.

Ingredients:

8 tbsp. room temperature unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup sugar, divided
3 ripe peaches, sliced into wedges ¼ inch thick
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350^o.

Place 4 tbsp. butter in a 10-inch cast iron pan on medium heat. Add ¼ cup of the sugar and stir until it melts and begins to color – about 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and place the peach slices around its edge and cover the bottom in one layer.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cream the remaining 4 tbsp. butter and ¼ cup of sugar in another bowl. Beat each egg and add one at a time and mix into the creamed butter. Now mix in the vanilla and cream.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Spread the batter over the peach slices in the pan and smooth it out with a spatula.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top starts to color. Let the skillet cool for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Cover the pan with a large plate and flip it over. Tap on the bottom of the pan and let it rest for a few minutes while everything settles then remove the pan. It’s a perfect desert but I like it for breakfast.

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Pasta, Vegetarian

Zucchini Pasta Glassata

September 11, 2020 robiulo 2 Comments

Zucchini Pasta Glassata

Not too many ingredients but there’s a lot more work to this recipe than you might expect for a dish of pasta. I hope you think it’s worth it. Zucchini Pasta Glassata means glazed zucchini pasta. In the glassata cooking technique the pasta is partially cooked, as usual, in salted water but it’s finished in the liquid from a vegetable, in this case zucchini. It can also be made with beets or carrots but you’ll need a juicer for them.

Ingredients:

4 or 5 zucchini depending on size
16 oz. pasta – your choice
¼ cup olive oil
2 thinly sliced cloves of garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. Parmigiana

Place a dishtowel in a large bowl and grate the zucchini on the mid-sized holes of a box grater. Squeeze the liquid out of the towel into the bowl. You need one cup of liquid. Set aside the shredded zucchini and its liquid. You can freeze and save any extra.

Cook the pasta as usual in salted water, but only for half the time recommended on the package. Reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.

In the now empty pasta pot, bring the cup of zucchini liquid to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil and lightly sauté the garlic, salt and pepper. Don’t brown it. Add 2 cups of the shredded zucchini and cook on medium for 8-10 minutes and add it to the pasta.

If it seems too dry, add some or all of the reserved pasta water. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmigiana. Serve with additional grated cheese.

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Miscellaneous, Seafood, Vegetarian

Whiting Stew Korean Style

September 9, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Whiting Stew Korean Style

There’s an H Mart not too far from where we live. That’s a national chain of Korean supermarkets. They have great produce and lots of Korean imports and specialties. We were browsing there when I came across a refrigerated package of ingredients for whiting stew.

According to the package, the ingredients included onion, scallion, mushroom, radish, red long hot, shrimp, watercress, sauce. There were also scallions, tofu, mussels, calamari, and some other veggies and greens that I didn’t recognize.

They gave me some simple instructions on how to prepare it. “Put it in a pot with three cups of water and simmer,” and that’s all I had to do to make Whiting Stew Korean Style.

The sauce they included was very spicy. A bit was all that was needed to give the individual servings a nice spark. It was delicious and we’ll make it again.

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Lunch/Snacks, Vegetarian

Lentils and Greens Bruschetta

September 5, 2020 robiulo 2 Comments

Lentils and Greens Bruschetta

Here’s an easy one, lentils and greens bruschetta. No cooking necessary. The acid from the tomatoes tenderizes the Swiss chard leaves. And the lentils are canned.

Ingredients:

2 large beefsteak tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. capers
2 tbsp. finely chopped shallots (or onion)
2 tbsp. vinegar
3 cups Swiss chard – stems removed and leaves cut into narrow strips
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 can (14 oz.) rinsed lentils
Italian toast

Cut the beefsteak tomatoes in half cross wise. Grate them on the large holes of a box grater over a large bowl. Discard the skin.

Now add ingredients 2 to 8 into the bowl. Thoroughly mix and then add the cherry tomatoes. Let it sit for a half hour and add the lentils. Gently mix and serve on the toast being careful not to add too much of the liquid or the toast will get soggy. Drizzle with some olive oil and serve.

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Desserts, Miscellaneous

Desserts Made with Olive Oil

September 2, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

I came across this article on desserts made with olive oil in Gambero Rosso.

Traditional Desserts Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

THE RESULT OF ANCIENT TRADITIONS AND OF A HUMBLE BUT TASTY CUISINE, DESSERTS MADE WITH EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE ITALIAN TABLE.

“There are those who use it. to replace butter, for reasons of intolerance or food choice, or to reinvent classic recipes making them lighter, not to mention the many vegan versions of all the traditional desserts. In order to find fine quality extra-virgin olive oil cookies, there’s no need to search among specialized websites and magazines: just look to the past, at the recipes of a time when olive oil was the absolute protagonist. . . “

For the complete article, click here.

For my recipe for ciambelline al vino mentioned in the article, click here.

Ciambelline al Vino

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Pasta, Vegetarian

Pasta e Ceci Stew

August 28, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Pasta e Ceci Stew

Pasta e Ceci stew is a Roman recipe. It’s sort of a vegetable stew with pasta. You can use any kind of greens you like – Swiss chard, escarole, even kale. I’m using a mix of arugula and spinach.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
Salt, black and red pepper to taste
2 tsps. finely chopped rosemary
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 – 15 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup ditalini
4 cups chopped greens

Lightly sauté the onion in oil in a large pot. Season with salt and pepper. When the onion starts to soften add the garlic and rosemary. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chick peas. Crush about a half cup of the chickpeas with a spoon to thicken the stew.

Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, stirring often. Ditalini has a way of sticking to the bottom of the pot . After the pasta absorbs the water you may want to add some more if you’d like it soupier. Add the greens and stir. They’ll cook in a minute. Serve with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Miscellaneous

Mediterranean Street Foods

August 26, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Mediterranean Street Foods

There was an interesting article in Supermarket Italy about some very tasty snacks.

10 Must-Eat Mediterranean Street Foods

“Sampling the local street food is one of the best ways to experience a country’s culture. The nature of traveling means you’re always on the move, so the quick, portable bites you can get from the street stalls make a big impression. Mediterranean street food encapsulates the culinary cultures of several different countries, from Italy to Morocco. Here are 10 Must-Eat Mediterranean street foods to try the next time you travel. . . “

You can read the complete article here.

Click here for updated GALLERY
Portfolio and Yelp

Restaurant Design

First, for any restaurant the food must be good. After that it’s service and décor. This article in PLAIN covers some new establishments made with cutting edge restaurant design. If the food in these places is nearly as good as the décor they should be spectacular.

THESE 5 GORGEOUS RESTAURANT INTERIORS AWAIT YOU AS SOON AS LOCKDOWN LIFTS

By Kala Barba-Court

“While most restaurants are still quite a ways from being pre-COVID operational, we’ve decided to gawk at the beautiful interiors of some newly-opened or recently refurbished restaurants around the world in 2020 . . . “

Swiss Chard Pasta

Swiss chard pasta – it’s just a few simple ingredients and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

Start a pot of salted boiling water. You’ll use this for both the Swiss chard and then for the pasta. While the water is heating, lightly sauté the garlic in oil in a pan with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat.

When the water in the pot comes to a boil, add the Swiss chard, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the Swiss chard and without draining it, place it right in a blender. Add the sautéed garlic and oil. Blend until it’s a fine thick puree. Check for seasoning.

Serve with additional Parmigiana.

Dodger’s Blue Gelato

I came across this article in Italo Americano about stadium food (and Dodgers’ Blue Gelato) now that CORVID 19 is preventing fans from going to the stadium.

THE OFFICIAL DODGER’S GELATO WILL BE 100% ITALIAN

By Silvia Giudici

“A lot of people in Los Angeles, especially baseball fans, will miss eating at the stadium during a Dodgers’ match: food has always been part of the experience. Fries, hot dogs, nachos, carne asada, you name it, you could find it all at the stadium. . . “

Peach Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake

The peach season is almost over in New York. I thought I’d make Peach Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake while I still could. It’s an almost fool proof recipe but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Use ripe but firm peaches.

Don’t overcook the butter-sugar mixture.

Use less sugar in the batter if you want it to taste more like corn bread than cake.

Ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 350o.

Place 4 tbsp. butter in a 10-inch cast iron pan on medium heat. Add ¼ cup of the sugar and stir until it melts and begins to color – about 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and place the peach slices around its edge and cover the bottom in one layer.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cream the remaining 4 tbsp. butter and ¼ cup of sugar in another bowl. Beat each egg and add one at a time and mix into the creamed butter. Now mix in the vanilla and cream.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Spread the batter over the peach slices in the pan and smooth it out with a spatula.

Zucchini Pasta Glassata

Ingredients:

Place a dishtowel in a large bowl and grate the zucchini on the mid-sized holes of a box grater. Squeeze the liquid out of the towel into the bowl. You need one cup of liquid. Set aside the shredded zucchini and its liquid. You can freeze and save any extra.

Cook the pasta as usual in salted water, but only for half the time recommended on the package. Reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.

In the now empty pasta pot, bring the cup of zucchini liquid to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil and lightly sauté the garlic, salt and pepper. Don’t brown it. Add 2 cups of the shredded zucchini and cook on medium for 8-10 minutes and add it to the pasta.

If it seems too dry, add some or all of the reserved pasta water. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmigiana. Serve with additional grated cheese.

Whiting Stew Korean Style

There’s an H Mart not too far from where we live. That’s a national chain of Korean supermarkets. They have great produce and lots of Korean imports and specialties. We were browsing there when I came across a refrigerated package of ingredients for whiting stew.

According to the package, the ingredients included onion, scallion, mushroom, radish, red long hot, shrimp, watercress, sauce. There were also scallions, tofu, mussels, calamari, and some other veggies and greens that I didn’t recognize.

They gave me some simple instructions on how to prepare it. “Put it in a pot with three cups of water and simmer,” and that’s all I had to do to make Whiting Stew Korean Style.

The sauce they included was very spicy. A bit was all that was needed to give the individual servings a nice spark. It was delicious and we’ll make it again.

Lentils and Greens Bruschetta

Here’s an easy one, lentils and greens bruschetta. No cooking necessary. The acid from the tomatoes tenderizes the Swiss chard leaves. And the lentils are canned.

Ingredients:

Cut the beefsteak tomatoes in half cross wise. Grate them on the large holes of a box grater over a large bowl. Discard the skin.

Now add ingredients 2 to 8 into the bowl. Thoroughly mix and then add the cherry tomatoes. Let it sit for a half hour and add the lentils. Gently mix and serve on the toast being careful not to add too much of the liquid or the toast will get soggy. Drizzle with some olive oil and serve.

I came across this article on desserts made with olive oil in Gambero Rosso.

Traditional Desserts Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

THE RESULT OF ANCIENT TRADITIONS AND OF A HUMBLE BUT TASTY CUISINE, DESSERTS MADE WITH EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE ITALIAN TABLE.

For my recipe for ciambelline al vino mentioned in the article, click here.

Pasta e Ceci Stew

Pasta e Ceci stew is a Roman recipe. It’s sort of a vegetable stew with pasta. You can use any kind of greens you like – Swiss chard, escarole, even kale. I’m using a mix of arugula and spinach.

Ingredients:

Mediterranean Street Foods

10 Must-Eat Mediterranean Street Foods

Reveries and Recipes

Preheat the oven to 350^o.