9/24/2012

Parma ham layered cake.


 
It's a great appetizer I discovered in a historical gourmet shop in Bologna called Tamburini.
You can learn more about all the great things they sell HERE , it's a place where I often buy something for dinner when I spent my saturday in Bologna's downtown and sometimes I also stop there for luch because it's truly worth a stop if you want to try real bolognese cooking at a fair price.
For this recipe I don't want to give you measures because I do it using the scientific method "a little of this, a little of that"; I'm sure you can follow this method too :D
 
Parma ham in thin slices
 
green salad
 
arugula
 
processed cheese slices or cheese in thin slices
 
black truffle sauce or mayo and black truffle
 
In a pan or on a dish make a layer of ham, put on top black truffle sauce or some mayo plus some truffle then green salad and arugola in small pieces.
Make another ham layer then add the cheese slices, add some more truffle sauce or truffle mayo another green salad and arugola.
End with a last layer of Parma ham.
Let it set for a couple of hour into the fridge covered with clingfilm to let the tastes combine together and serve in small squares of about 1.5X1.5 inches.
If you have a pizza slicer you can use it to make squares, if not use a very sharp knife.

9/11/2012

Skinny Bolognese sauce.


 
Usually skinny means "not as good as the original version": here I can't say this sauce is great as a well done Bolognese with all the fats, the sausage, the vegetables stirfried and so on but it's quite tasty and really skinny and ideal if you are on a diet, if you have digestive problems, if you have a toddler with a passion for pasta with Bolognese and you don't want to overload him/her with fats.
This is my toddler's choice and he's a gourmet ;)
You can cook it while you cook your pasta, no need to make it hours in advace or cook it for hours.
You can freeze it in small portion and defrost it room temperature or into the microwave.
 
Serving 2:
 
a cup of veal minced meat (or beef or skinny pork meat)
 
1/2 cup skimmed milk
 
salt and pepper to taste
 
a sprinkle of dried garlic
 
1/2 cup tomato sauce
 
Put minced meat in a pan over medium heat and crush it with a fork, add milk and crush again untill the meat is evenly hulled.
Add garlic if you like then salt and pepper and tomato.
Stir well and put a lid on the pan, turn the heat to low and cook untill your pasta is ready.
You can complete your dish with a little extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.


9/05/2012

Pork loin with shallots and balsamic vinegar glaze.


 
Good good recipe, even really quick if you use a pressure-cook pot.
I use pressure-cook pot to shortcut some long recipes like bolognese sauce, roasts, minestrone soups and to steam-cook vegetables like potadoes or fennels.
It's time-saving and a really healty way to cook, it's easy to use just need a little bit of attention ;)
 
4-6 serving:
 
7 medium shallots
 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
 
salt & pepper
 
1 garlic clove
 
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
 
1 and 1/2 pound pork loin
 
1 cup water
 
In the pressure-cook pot or in a plain pot pour oil and add the garlic clove, turn on the fire then add the meat and let it brown on every side.
Add the sliced shallots and let them golden with the meat then pour vinegar, pepper and salt.
Cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes then add water then close the pressure-cook pot, put the heat on maximum untill it whistle then turn heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes.
If you use a plain pot add water and close with a lid, turn fire to low and cook untill ready.
When the meat is done take it off the pot and if the sauce is too loose turn heat on and let it reduce untill it's tick like a glaze.
Slice the meat when it's cold then re-heat with sauce and serve with a good potato mash.