The key ingredient is black Kale or Cavolo Nero. In their absence also the Curly kale is good. This is a long cooking process. The more Ribollita cooks the more delicious it becomes. So it is even better the next day 🙂

Ingredients | 5-6 servings

• 600g/21oz chopped Kale
• 700g/24oz Cooked Cannellini/Navy beans (or white beans)
• 200g/7oz Savoy Cabbage
• 1 cup Tomato passata
• 2 Onions
• 2 Carrots
• 3 Celery sticks
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 300g/10.5oz Stale Tuscan bread (or any bread of your choice)
• Sage & Rosemary & Garlic for aromatic oil
• Extra virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Preparation

– Cut the bread into small bits and put it aside.

– Prepare the Italian soffritto: sauté the chopped onion, celery & carrots.

– Add garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and stir fry for 10 minutes.

– Add the chopped cabbage and kale, stir fry for another 10 minutes.

– Pour a cup of tomato passata and mix all ingredients together.

– Pour 1.5 liters of boiling water and put the lid on. Cook for ⏳ 1.5 hour.

Meanwhile, make the aromatic oil:

– In a small pot, put the aromatic herbs of your choice, mine was: sage & rosemary, thyme and garlics.

– Pour in extra virgin olive oil (1/2 a cup).

– On very low heat simmer for 5-10 minutes. The garlic shouldn’t burn it becomes slightly brown. Put it aside. While resting the oil absorbs more aroma.

Adding the beans

– Mix 1 cup of water with half of the cooked white beans, blend to have a dense cream. Add it to the Ribollita.

(Optional) some chefs blend the whole Ribollita. Without overdoing, leaving some chunks of veggies but overall having a slightly creamy texture.

– Turn off the heat.

– Add other half of white beans and the chunks of bread. Mix all ingredients together.

– Wait so the rebollita cools down (20 minutes).

– Turn on the heat.

– If the Ribollita is too dry add 1 cup of boiling water. Simmer for ⏳ 10 minutes. (this is the last time). We are re-boiling the soup.

– Turn off the heat and pour half of the aromatic oil (save the other half for serving) and let it sit for 30 mins.

– While Ribollita is resting, it will absorb the aroma of oil and its flavors mature becoming incredibly delicious. Ribollita is served warm not hot.

Serve with toasted bread, in Tuscany they rub garlic to it, and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top. ☺️

Notes

• During the long hours of cooking the kale’s flavor will prevail and creates an incredible umami in the soup
• Ribollita is more delicious the day after.
• Make sure you’ve got a big pot to have space for all ingredients, i miscalculated and had to change my pot to a bigger one while I was cooking this Ribollita 🙂 .

Buon appetito ☺️

The post Ribollita – soup of Tuscany with kale appeared first on Foodcraftz.

In this recipe, I opted for cooking them in the oven (coated in oil) but this will be a lighter version but not less delicious 😉 .

Ingredients | 3-4 servings

• 3-4 big Eggplants
• 3 cups Tomato puree (passata)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 mozzarella
• 60g/2oz Basil
• 100g/3.5oz Ground Parmesan Cheese
• Extra virgin Olive Oil to taste

Preparation

– Cut the eggplants into disks, sprinkle salt, place them in a sieve and wait for 1-2 hours so they lose their water and become soft.

– Cut the mozzarella in 1cm/0.3inch (if they are fresh) let them rest at room temperature. This way they will lose water.

– Make the marinara sauce: sauté garlic in olive oil, add tomato puree, salt, pepper and cook all together for 10 minutes.

– Turn off the heat and add chopped fresh basil.

– Back to eggplants: pour oil on them and make sure they are coated in oil completely. Put them in the preheated (on 180C°/360F°) and cook each side until their surface becomes golden. (both sides)

Time to Ensemble!

– Setup your working space and bring a casserole where we cook Parmigiana.

With this order, add layers until all ingredients are finished:

• 1- A layer of tomato sauce
• 2- Eggplants
• 3- Tomato sauce
• 4- Mozzarella (again)
• 5- Sprinkle of parmesan cheese

– The last layer should be a mix of marinara sauce and parmesan cheese on top.

Place casserole in the preheated oven (on the bottom side) at 190°C/ 374°F for ⏳ 40-50 mins

Notes

• Before serving wait 1 hour at least so the Parmigiana cools down. When it’s hot, it seems very humid and watery. All the juice will be re-absorbed when it’s cooling down.
• 36 months Parmesan Cheese gives a tastier flavor to the dish.
• The type of eggplant/aubergine used for this dish is called Italian eggplant. They are usually large and short in height with a dark purple color. Since we don’t peel them, better be organic.

Buon appetito!

The post Eggplant Parmesan no frying appeared first on Foodcraftz.

Check out the: recipe of risotto alla milanese

Ingredients | 2 servings

• 2 veal cut of ossobucos
• Sage & Rosemary & Garlic
• 1 cup Italian soffritto veggies (carrot, celery, and onion)
• 2-3 tbsp of Wheat flour (for coating the meat)
• 1/2 cup White wine
• 1/2 cup Tomato puree/passata
• 1 knob of butter
• Extravirgin Olive Oil
• Chopped Parsley
• Salt and black pepper

Ingredients for risotto

• 150g/5.2oz Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 2 knobs of Butter
• 50g grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup white Wine
• 300g/10.5oz Broth
• half Onion (grated)
• a pinch of Saffron

Preparation

Choose a thick pot like a dutch oven to cook ossobuco.

– Sauté aromatic herbs in a bit of olive oil and butter.

– Coat the meat in flour.

– Cut vertically the skin around meat 3-4 cuts per each (it facilitates the cooking process and meat stays flat)

– Place the meat in the hot pot, fry till the surface becomes golden.

– Pour in, wine. Wait till it evaporates.

– Add the Italian soffritto (diced: carrot, celery & onion) veggies and stir fry.

– Add the tomato puree/passata

– Mix the ingredients & pour in water (2-3 cups), cook for 2 hours on low heat.

➡️ Some use vegetable broth for more taste but since we are using Italian soffritto and big pieces of meat at the end of cooking, the taste will be great without any added broth.

– Stir once in a while, to avoid it sticks to the bottom

After 2 hours the ossobuco will be ready!

start to cook the saffron risotto 20mins before the ossobuco finishes cooking.

A quick recipe for Saffron Risotto:

⒈ In a small cup pour boiling water on a pinch of ground saffron. put it aside. ⒉ Grate half of onion in a pan, ⒊ Add risotto rice and toast it, ⒋ Add wine, when evaporates, ⒌ Pour in meat broth gradually and while the rice is absorbing stir continuously, ⒍ After 14-16 mins depends on how you like the risotto “al dente” 7. Pour in saffron water, stir for 1 minute then 7. Turn off the heat 8. Add parmesan cheese & butter and do “mantecazione” (mix lively) so you’ll have a creamy risotto. (see the step by step recipe of risotto)

Ossobuco is ready to be served

Notes

• Many restaurants in Milan, serve the ossobuco beside the risotto, but I suggest to place the ossobuco on a “bed” of risotto so all the flavors from meat goes in the risotto.
• Osso means bone and buco means hole. That’s why the bone marrow should be visible in the dish.

Spread the creamy risotto layer as a base.

Place the juicy ossobuco on top.

Buon appetito ☺️

The post Ossobuco with Saffron Risotto or Milanese risotto appeared first on Foodcraftz.

The cream combines and balances perfectly the flavors that mostly released from the shrimps, and when the pasta goes in, it absorbs all that goodness from the pan. This dish cooks very quickly, the only hassle will be the preparation of each element.

Ingredients | 2 servings

• 160g/5.6oz Small Pink shrimps
• 230g/8oz chopped zucchini
• half cup cream
• 220g spaghetti pasta
• 5-6 Tigre Shrimps or any “big” shrimp of your choice
• fresh mint or basil leafs
• 2 clove of Garlic
• Extra virgin Olive Oil
• Ground Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and Black pepper
• Lime zest

Preparation

– Bring the salty pasta water to boil.

Meanwhile:

– Sauté the chopped zucchini with 1 clove of garlic until the zucchini become slightly soft.

– Add the small shrimps, salt, pepper and stir.

– (back to pasta) Add the pasta to the boiling salty water (stir occasionally, to avoid the pasta from sticking).

– Pour cream in the pan and keep stirring till it becomes slightly dense.

– Sautè just for 2 minutes in a different pan the tiger shrimps with garlic, salt & black pepper. We’ll serve them on top of pasta for each dish.

– Save 1 cup of pasta water.

– Remove pasta 2-3mins prior to its cooking time from the heat, and toss it in the cooking pan.

– Add chopped fresh mints (or basil) and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce for another 2 mins. Turn off the heat.

– Sprinkle parmesan cheese and mix lively it helps to create a creamy texture with the liquid (pasta water) in the pan

Serve the pasta with grilled tiger shrimps, lime zest on top.

Notes

• Instead of mint also the parsley is suitable with fish.
• This dish is comfort food in many Italian houses, with frozen shrimps and zucchini in the fridge you are ready to go.

Buon appetito! ☺️

The post Pasta with Shrimps and Zucchini appeared first on Foodcraftz.

The sauce of carbonara is very quick to make, you’ll only need black pepper, eggs and cheese. The pasta water helps you to decide the thickness of the sauce. No cream is added (Italians get mad if they see that!) but the sauce should have a creamy texture! Thats why the skills of chef is very important. It’s an extremely simple recipe which makes it very difficult to execute. (one wrong step can ruin the dish)

Ingredients | 2 servings

• 240g/8.4oz Spaghetti pasta
• 15g/0.5oz finely grated Pecorino cheese
• 15g/0.5oz finely grated Parmesan
• 80g/2.8oz Pancetta or Guanciale (your choice)
• 3 Eggs: 2 whole and 1 Yolk
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

– Cut the pancetta (or guanciale) in small strips.

– First, sauté the pancetta on low heat, after 10 minutes the grease will melt slowly and comes out.

– Add freshly ground black pepper and continue to stir for some seconds.

Meanwhile, boil the salty water for pasta and add the pasta (remove 3 minutes prior to its cooking time )

– Add the pasta to the salty boiling water we will remove it 3 minutes prior its cooking.

Back to pan:

– When the pancetta becomes crunchy and the pan is greasy with the melted lard. Remove 1/3 of it for the decoration.

– Meanwhile, in a bowl add: 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk, grated pecorino cheese and parmesan, ground pepper, and mix lively. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to have a dense cream.

– Remove pasta earlier while its still very “al dente” toss it directly into the pan.

– On high heat, stir and mix the pasta with the oil and flavors of pancetta. The pasta should sizzle at this point. Add a bit of pasta water that help us to mix easier.

– Turn off the heat. remove the pan from the stove. It is very important to lower the temperature.

– Pour the sauce into the pan and mix quickly. You’ll notice a creamy condiment covers the spaghetti and that is when the carbonara is ready! If it’s too thick add a bit of pasta water.

– The eggs should cook half-way so they maintain their creamy consistency. The temperature should be under 140F°-62C° otherwise they coagulate.

– Serve the carbonara with some crunchy pancetta on top.

Notes

• In case the carbonara is so runny, I saw some chefs stir the pasta on bain-marie! So the eggs will stay creamy while the pasta absorbs the liquid and makes it perfectly creamy.
• Many restaurants use “orange” color yolk eggs, for a more colorful carbonara.
• The most important thing is the eggs should be VERY FRESH. Otherwise they will have a unpleasant taste.

Serve it with some freshly grated black pepper on top and parmesan cheese!

Buon appetito! ☺️

The post Pasta Alla Carbonara – Carbonara spaghetti appeared first on Foodcraftz.

Some “gourmet” restaurants serve this with cooked & juicy bonemarrow in the middle and some with the reduction of the meat broth like a sauce on top, if you go to the famous restaurant of chef Marchesi in Milan, you can taste his signature dish: risotto with golden leaf (another variation of this risotto)

Ingredients | 3 servings

• 300g/10.5oz Carnaroli rice
• 4 knobs of butter
• pinch of ground saffron
• 60g/2.1oz grated Grano Padano cheese or parmesan
• 1L meat Broth
• half of onion
• 1/2 glass of white wine

Preparation

Saffron water: pour boiling water on ground saffron (0.5g circa) in a small glass. Let it rest for 10-15 mins.

– Sauté the grated onion with butter in a hot pan for 1 min.

– Sprinkle a bit of salt (not much because meat broth & cheese are salty)

– Add rice and toast: stir them in the hot pan, till the rice becomes slightly translucent, the pan should be dry and hot.

– Give it a thermic shock by pouring the white wine.

– Continue to stir till the wine evaporates & the starch starts to be released.

– The meat broth should be warm, add 2-3 ladles of broth and continue to stir till the broth is absorbed.

– If you like the risotto to be “al dente” continue to add broth for the next 14-15 mins.

➡️ If you’re not a fan of al dente: continue to add the broth and taste the rice till they are softer.

– In case the broth finishes earlier, add boiling water to complete cooking the risotto.

– 1 minute before Turn off the heat, pour the saffron water and stir.

➡️ Don’t worry if you see the risotto’s consistency is runny, it should be because Rice absorbs quickly and to have a creamy result we have to give it humidity.

– Add 3 knobs of butter & cheese together.

– Mix lively, some chefs even waving the rice in the pan to “mix” them (they believe this way, “more air” goes inside the risotto!).

Now you should have a silky & creamy risotto.

When serving, you’ll notice the rice becomes slightly denser on the plate.

You can serve this as it is or with a cheese cracker* in the middle. One of the classic dishes of Milan is the saffron risotto with Ossobuco. so if you have prepared the meat it can goes on top.

Buon appetito! ☺️

*cheese crackers: in a non-stick pan, sprinkle in form of circles the grated cheese, when it melts wait till it starts to change its color to yellow/brownish remove them with a spatula and while it’s soft (and warm), bend it on a cool surface like a small glass. When it’s cold the cracker is ready!

The post Risotto alla Milanese – Risotto with Saffron appeared first on Foodcraftz.

Ingredients | 2 servings

• 200g/7oz Risotto Rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
• 200g / 7oz fresh (or frozen) Asparagus
• 1/2 glass of White Wine
• 40g/1.4oz Ground Parmesan Cheese
• Vegetable or Meat Broth
• Half Onion
• 2 knobs of Butter
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

Wash the asparagus and cut their woody bottoms for the broth.

– Making broth: Stir fry chopped onions, celery and carrot. Add the asparagus stems mix add 4 cups of water and simmer for 20 mins. The broth is ready for risotto.

– Save up to 4-5 asparagus tips and cut the rest into small pieces.

– Stir fry the tips in olive oil with a bit of salt. They will be used for the dish decoration.

Cooking Risotto:

– Sauté half of the grated onion with a knob of butter, salt, and pepper.

– Add the asparagus and stir.

– Add rice.

– Sauté for ⏳ 4-5 minutes on medium heat. So the rice toasted and the heat of the pan goes up.

– Pour wine to give the ingredients a thermic shock. This helps the rice to release more starch.

– Stir until the wine evaporates.

– Pour 2-3 ladle of broth (which is simmering beside the pan).

– Continue to stir so the broth is absorbed.

– Add another ladle of broth.

– Repeat this, for ⏳ 14-15 minutes to cook the rice. At this point, you’ll probably have a good al dente risotto.

➡️ if you’re not a fan of al dente: continue to cook until the rice become softer.

– In the end, the risotto should be slightly runny (add a bit of broth/boiling water if it’s too dense).

– Turn off the heat and add 2 knobs of butter & cheese all at once.

– Mix them lively, some chefs even waving the rice in the pan to “mix” them (they believe this way, “more air” goes inside the risotto!).

Now you have a silky & creamy risotto ready to be served.

Notes

• If your broth is finished earlier, use boiling water to complete the cooking.
• Never use the industrial broth, chop some veggies and toast them with a bit of olive oil on high heat, add boiling water after 15 minutes of simmering it’s ready. No additives, no preservatives perfect for your health.

Serve with grated cheese and stir-fried asparagus’s tips on top. If you like it spicy, some drops of chilly oil (peperoncino oil) gives a nice kick to it too.

Buon appetito! ☺️

The post Risotto with Asparagus appeared first on Foodcraftz.

Salsiccia (italian sausage) is a great match with rapini because of its fat

Ingredients | 2 serving

• 1 Sausage/Salsiccia for each person
• 400-300g fresh or frozen Rapini
• 1 clove of Garlic
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Extra virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

– Sauté the chopped garlic in extra-virgin olive oil.

– Add rapini and salt and mix them.

– Add a bit of water and cover the pan with lid.

– Cook for ⏳ 20 mins till the rapini becomes soft.

Salsiccia/Sausage

– Meanwhile in another pan: pour a bit of olive oil and place (halfway opened) sausage from the skin side.

– Pan fry till it forms a dark crust on its surface.

– To hold the sausage flat (because while it’s cooking, it tends to bend) I’ve put a weight on it.

– Turn it over and cook the other side.

– The sausage is ready in 10 minutes on medium heat.

Serve it on a bed of rapini.

Notes:

• In Italy, this duo is also the condiment for pasta. In smaller pieces.
• In vegetarian version replace the Salsiccia with grilled cheese. (usually Caciocavallo)

Buon appetito!

The post Italian sausage with rapini appeared first on Foodcraftz.

There are different Italian delicacies with porcini, like tagliatelle (pasta) or tagliata (grilled meat cut in strips) with porcini, and frittata with eggs but “risotto ai porcini” is a classic vegetarian dish that most of the times you’ll see in restaurant’s menus during autumn.

Ingredients | 2 servings

• 200/7oz Carnaroli or Arborio rice
• 220g Frozen Porcini Mushrooms
• 800ml Meat or vegetable Broth
• Half Onion
• 2 knobs of Butter
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 glass of White Wine
• 40g/1.4oz Ground Parmesan Cheese
• a stem of Rosemary and handful of Chopped Parsley
• Extra virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

– Chop porcini mushrooms into small piece (I had frozen mushrooms).

– Sauté the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper in olive oil.

– Add the porcini mushrooms and salt, stir fry till they lose water and become creamy and soft.

Risotto:

– Sauté the grated onion with butter and salt in a hot pan for some seconds.

– Add rice and toast it. (stir in the hot pan, till they become slightly translucent)

– Pour in the white wine, this gives a thermal shock to risotto so it releases more starch and also wine gives a nice acidic taste to the dish.

– Continue to stir so the wine evaporates and rice becomes slightly dry.

– Pour 2-3 ladles of warm broth. 

– Continue to stir until all of it is absorbed.

– Add the the cooked porcini mushrooms to risotto but save 2-3 tbsp of it for decoration later.

– Pour another 2-3 ladles of broth and mix.

➡️ The risotto will be al dente in between 14-17 mins (check the instruction on the package).

If you’re not a fan of al dente: add more broth and continue to cook till the rice becomes softer.

➡️ In case your broth finishes earlier, use boiling water.

– Turn off the heat, the risotto’s consistency should be a bit runny and not dense! (pour a bit of boiling water if it’s not) we need moisture to make the risotto creamy.

– Add 1 big COLD knob of butter and ground parmesan cheese all at once.

– Mix them lively, some chefs even waving the rice in pan (they believe this way, “more air” goes in the risotto!)

– The result should be a silky & creamy risotto.

Serve the risotto with porcini mushrooms on top (that we’ve put aside earlier) and finely chopped parsley.

Notes

• In case you don’t have fresh porcini, the dry ones are easier to find in Italian food markets
• It’s popular to add also salsiccia (Italian sausage) to the risotto – add it when you are toasting the rice in the beginning of cooking
• Some people don’t like the strong scent of porcini, half of the mushrooms could be champignon for a more delicate taste.

Buon appetito! ☺️

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