if you have tuna, olives and onions - you have a gourmet meal!

I really wasn't going to blog today - but this pasta and tuna dish that I made for Antonio and myself is so quick, so easy, so delicious that I just could not resist documenting it! It is literally a 10 minute dish!

Ingredients for 2 servings

-      150 gr. (about 5 oz) of white tuna  (I sent my son down to the Pizzicheria to buy it, they sell it in pieces from a huge can, the quality is supreme!)

-      1 or 2 fresh onions (I only had 1, so I added a bit of red onion)

-      Fresh chives, if you have them in the house

-      Cured spicy black olives (you can use green, or even plain black olives)

-      6 oz of spaghettini (thin spaghetti)

Put the water on to boil.
Chop the onions and chives.
Pit the olives.
Put 2 T of extra virgin olive oil in a large fry pan and start to sauté the onions and olives over medium heat.

In the meantime, flake the tuna and add it to the pan. You can put in a splash of dry white wine at this point. I did! Your water will be boiling so put the pasta in to cook. Don't overcook it!

When the pasta is cooked the way you like, remove it from the water directly to the fry pan with a pasta  fork. This way some of the cooking water goes with it so your pasta will not be too dry. If you don't have a pasta fork, you can drain it in a colander and keep some of the cooking water to add to the pan.
Now "salta" the spaghetti to coat with the tuna sauce. That's all there is to it! So remember, if you have tuna, olives and onions in your pantry.. you have a gourmet dish in the making!

and... as Julia Child would have said, had she spoken Italian...


                                                              BUON APPETITO!

REWIND - "Oh so simple pasta and broccoli"

Today, I fixed pasta and broccoli again and this time I took pics!! oh yes!

Ingredients: fresh broccoli, garlic, pasta (orecchieti or "little ears" in my case), speck (smoked prosciutto), olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.

 - put your water on to boil in a 4 qt pot, minimum

- clean your broccoli and cut the flowerettes into bite size pieces leaving a bit of stem (I guess about 1 to 2 cups of flowerettes is good for one person) 

don't throw out the stems, save the edible part for cream of broccoli soup 

- measure out your pasta (short or long pasta works good for this recipe)
we weigh it here - about 80-100 grams per serving (this is not a side dish it is a main dish)

- when the water boils, salt the water (never salt the water before boiling) and throw in the broccoli; let it boil for about 5 min, at this point add your pasta to the pot

- while your pasta and broccoli are cooking, fix the seasoning for the pasta

- in a large aluminium or non-stick fry pan, heat up a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil per serving (more or less oil, to your taste) and sautee a couple of cloves of garlic in the oil; you can add a little bit of hot pepper if you like your foods spicy

- you can also add some bacon or speck, however or if you want to do it Pugliese style add a couple of anchovies broken up into pieces after you turn the heat off


- when your pasta is cooked the way you like it, drain the pasta and broccoli using a colander with small holes so you don't lose any bits of broccoli, save a bit of the water in case you need it in the next step.
- add the pasta and broccoli to the fry pan with the oil, garlic and other ingredients that you have chosen to add and turn the heat to high as you toss the pasta and broccoli; the broccoli with break up and blend with the oil to coat the pasta; if it looks too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.


and... as Julia would have said had she spoken Italian...


Buon Appetito!!

what's cooking in Lucca....

For years I have been toying with the idea of teaching people how to cook "Italian" - not in the most common sense of this term (i.e. learning how to make pasta, a variety of sauces, and bla bla) but in what I consider the real sense of cooking Italian (i.e. cooking like someone who lives, cooks and eats in Italy every day)

I have had some experience in teaching people how to cook and some great unsolicited publicity in the Philadelphia Daily News and on philly.com as well!

During my Cagli experience I was also mentioned in an article by Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs on NPR.com

Now I think I have reached a moment in my life where I am ready to start this adventure through blogging! I hope you will enjoy reading and making my recipes!