Tonight's orecchiette con spinaci e funghi e parmigiano reggiano

Been working on my cookbook
It's coming along...adding a lot of personal stories and anecdotes...
This is tonight's orecchiette con spinaci e funghi e parmigiano reggiano,
Orecchiette pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms and a white sauce with Parmesan cheese....
Buon Giovedi a tutti!
Hope you all had an awesome day!
Love,
Joe

Would you like to see this recipe in my cookbook? Please let me know in the comments or by email and also let me know any other dishes you would like to have featured in the book...

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Ah, It's Friday...that means seafood where I come from! :)

Hi everybody,
Tonight's dish is Capellini all’Aglio con Acciughe!
 Ah, it's Friday...call me a traditionalist...or maybe just a good Italian Catholic boy :) lol...but that means a seafood dish for me:)...
So...I made some Capellini all’Aglio con Acciughe! (Angel Hair pasta w/ Garlic, Olive Oil & Capers,  melted anchovies, some black pepper, a few red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of Asiago cheese if you like). Or, Pasta con Alice(Aleechay) as we say in my house:)
You can also sprinkle some bread crumbs over the top if you'd like to finish the dish...
I have to say...I love this dish...and, it is a personal favorite of mine. I usually have this as one of the 7 fishes dishes on Christmas Eve...or on Fridays...but it is good any day of the week , any time of year. The anchovies and capers provide such an intense, salty flavor..Delizioso!

Some background...
Technically...Acciughe (singular 'acciuga') are anchovies...small fish preserved with salt and canned in olive oil...Another word for anchovies in Italian is Alice(Alici) (pronounced Ahleetchee) which refer to the fresh fish...but in my house growing up we just called this dish "pasta con alice"...or as my Grandfather would say "Basta con Aleetch) There are many dialects in Italy...depending on where you come from...there are many ways to say the same things..form town region to region, city to city or town to town...
Anchovies are integral to Mediterranean cuisines...In Italy, they are used extensively in many dishes such as Puttanesca sauce, Bagna Cauda, Pizza....and in so many sauces and recipes...for flavor and to add saltiness...you also find them in Worchestershire Sauce and Caesar Salad dressing....and it is available as a paste for cooking...

I will definitely have this recipe in my upcoming Cookbook! S
o stay tuned for a more detailed and thorough explanation of this classic, very simple Italian dish!
Wishing you all a great weekend! Buon fine settimana a tutti!
Love,
Joe

                                                              Click photo to enlarge...

Click photo to enlarge

Thank you for reading...
Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share, etc...etc...and remember to follow or subscribe to my blog to keep in touch and to stay updated on happenings....thank you!:)

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http://joegande.bandcamp.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-godsend-sessions/id416008000

http://www.joegande.com

Zuppa di Pasta e Broccoli...Italian Soul Food!!

Hmmm... let's see...what do I have in the house at the moment....a box of Ziti...a bag of broccoli, some olive oil, a little grated cheese and a a few hot red pepper flakes, water...presto! Italian Soul Food!!:)

Zuppa di pasta e broccoli

This is one of my very favorites...a fairly quick, simple, affordable, and healthy, home cooked meal that is delicious...yet it can also be served in the finest of restaurants...This is my Nonna's recipe...

 This is a a meatless dish...and just one wonderful example of what some these days may call "Italian peasant food"...dishes that were very basic and born out of necessity, hard times and love..."Food for survival" so to speak....and now these same dishes seem to nowadays be very trendy!

I will definitely have the full recipe in my upcoming cook book...

 Mangia bene a tutti mi amici!! Have an awesome weekend everybody!

And to all of you here in the US, have a very Happy Labor Day weekend!!! Love,

Joe

 

 

Thank you for reading...I hope you enjoy... as I have mentioned...I am currently working on a cookbook to be released for sale asap! It will probably be a downloadable E-Book to start...please subscribe to stay updated and/or email me at thegodsendsessions(at)yahoo(dot)com  to get on my personal mailing list.

Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share...and remember to follow or subscribe to my blog  on  Posterous or on Blogspot  to keep in touch and to stay updated on happenings....thank you!:)

 My Music...

Pick up a copy of my CD..."The Godsend Sessions"...

http://joegande.bandcamp.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-godsend-sessions/id416008000

http://www.joegande.com

 

Joe Gande's Penne alla Vodka

 Tonight's Penne alla Vodka...

I'm currently working on a cook book of my recipes, creations and classic dishes to be released very soon...thought I'd share this with you all as I made it tonight for dinner....

Now for a nice espresso with anisette or sambuca!

Buon Giovedi a tutti!:)

 

Penne alla Vodka 

Ingredients:   

1 35 ounce can of Italian whole peeled plum tomatoes w/ liquid...San Marzano if           available.... 

 1 pound of Penne or Penne Rigatii

 1/4 cup or so of extra virgin olive oil 

 Garlic-5 to 10 cloves peeled 

Crushed hot red pepper flakes-to taste...add as much or little as you like..I like a lot! (Must be the Calabrese in me:) )

1/4 of a cup of vodka... tonight I used Sky Vodka...I usually use Absolue...doesn't matter really...whatever you have on hand or prefer

1/2 cup of heavy cream...or if not available at the time..improvise substituting using milk... 

2 tablespoons or so of butter...a little more to finish sauce at end... 

Chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley...a few tablespoons or so...if you don't have it on hand, just used the dried flakes... 

Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano...about 1/2 cup or so...more for finishing at the table (If you don't have...improvise and use whatever grated cheese you may have on hand or prefer...parmesan, asiago, romano...etc, etc...) 

Salt 

Bring about 6 quarts of salted water to boil....in a big 8 quart pot... 
Pour the tomatoes into a food processor...pulse...(or if unavailable use a large bowl and stir, crush, mix etc).... 

Stir in the Penne into the water...stir...and bring back to a boil...stir frequently to avoid sticking...cook semi covered for about 8-10 minutes or so (check the box for time..all brands are a little different)... try one to see how it is...You can make them al dente(too the tooth) which is a little hard...but I'm not big on uncooked macaroni....I dig my pasta just right

Heat olive oil in a large skillet....throw in the garlic...cook a few minutes shaking the skillet until it's just turning a bit brown...(Do not Burn!) Throw in the tomatoes...well...don't throw!lol ease them in...they'll splatter a bit...bring it to a boil...season with salt and crushed red pepper...cooking for about 2 minutes or so.... 
Pour in vodka...lower heat to simmer until the pasta is ready.... 

Just before the pasta is done...get the garlic cloves out of the sauce (save for later snack)... 
Pour in the cream or milk...add the butter and a little more olive oil....swirl the skillet or swirl with a spoon to incorporate into the sauce... 
If your skillet is large enough...drain the pasta(or simply fish it out of the water with a skimmer) and add it right into the sauce in the skillet ...if the skillet is not large enough...drain the pasta and put it back in it's pot and add the sauce to it... 
Bring the sauce and pasta together to a low boil...stirring to coat all the penne.... 
Check the taste for seasoning...add salt and red pepper flakes if needed... 
Sprinkle in the parsley...simmer for a few minutes... 
Remove from heat...sprinkle in the cheese....and toss to mix... 
Serve and enjoy... 
Have additional cheese and red pepper on hand at the table if you'd like...to finish...to each person's taste... 

Thank you for reading...I hope you enjoy this recipe...as I mentioned above...I am currently working on a cookbook to be released for sale asap! It will probably be a downloadable E-Book to start...

Mangia bene a tutti!:)

Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share...and remember to follow or subscribe to my blog here or on my Blogspot  blog to keep in touch and to stay updated on happenings....thank you!:)

My Music...

Pick up a copy of my CD..."The Godsend Sessions"...

http://joegande.bandcamp.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-godsend-sessions/id416008000

http://www.joegande.com

 

Friday night's creation...shrimp fra diavolo!!:)

Made a little pasta alla carbonara...now back to work!:)