Feb 24, 2009

Life in my village: Cooking Italian on the slopes of Mt.Kenya is it realistic?

Simple Italian recipes adaptable for all places



My brother asked me, would you cook Italian back in the village? And I thought for a minute and I said yes I could. Knowing what I know about simple Italian recipes that I cook over and over and I have been able to cook in different countries, for sure, I can adapt a few simple Italian recipes and cook them in my village. My village is in the slopes of Mt.Kenya, I grew up there working the land, picking coffee, carrying loads of potatoes to the market to sell harvesting french beans for export and drinking tonnes of tea with milk like it is the tradition of the area.
Our great food was Mukimo (marshed potatoes with greens and maize and beans)

I now think of all the fun growing up there, waking up early, preparing breakfast which was tea and we would eat leftovers of Ugali (Kenyan delicacy)here I have older postings of food we made http://cook-italian-way.blogspot.com/search/label/Kenyan%20cooking

Life was good we did not have kinderbriosch for snacks or toast our snack was lot's of fruit fresh from the trees and carrots eaten fresh while seated somewhere next to the plot with carrots. I never saw a fridge because in my village there is no need everything fresh from the garden, just need to decide what you want to eat and rush to the garden and get.
My mother had and has cows still, milk in the morning and sell off the milk the rest was for the morning tea and in the evening she will milk again.
I miss this life sometime, life was beautiful.

This is my mom walking around her garden.

Feb 23, 2009

Puttanesca Recipe: Oscar winning Puttanesca secrets

Simple, easy and quick Puttanesca recipe secrets




To begin with there are no secrets to making an easy simple and quick pasta puttanesca,in Italy this pasta is commonly known as pasta alla puttanesca and mostly common to talk about spaghetti puttanesca so just give this blog a few minutes as she tries to share with you the way to make a puttanesca sauce

Our puttanesca recipe

Ingredients for pasta with puttanesca sauce:
400g Spaghetti
50g butter
Garlic
300g ripe tomatoes (peel, remove seeds and cut into pieces)
20g of capers- (wash capers)
3 anchovies- (crush a little)
100g black olives- (remove seed)
chilli (optional)

(boil water for spaghetti while preparing the sauce)
-Melt butter add garlic then chilli and the crushed anchovies.

-Add the peeled tomato pieces, capers and pitted olives

-Cook the sauce for 10 minutes, then add this sauce to the spaghetti and serve immediately
puttanesca recipe
pasta puttanesca,alla puttanesca ,spaghetti puttanesca,puttanesca sauce,puttanesca recipe

For all simple easy Italian recipes on pasta click here Easy Simple and quick Italian Pasta

Feb 19, 2009

Practical and easy quick simple to follow cook book: Need help with the project

cooking for family
I have been cooking for some time. From the slopes of Mt. Kenya to Romagna area in Italy to Romania and back to Bangkok.

I have decided on my book project with easy, simple and quick recipes that families can enjoy together.

Now I need ideas of how one goes about such a project. NB. Im on zero budget so sponsors out there call me.

Feb 18, 2009

Meatballs with Gravy, marshed potatoes and pickled cucumber

Meatballs with Gravy, marshed potatoes and pickled cucumber





This picture I took at a restaurant Soleil at the seaside in HuaHin. I still think I want to come up with a composition of my own for this recipe.

I do not have the original recipe but Im sure I can come up close with something. Let me try it sometime and if I get it right I will share with you here. But, in whichever way I try it your way and let's see how your recipe will be like.

Post here how you go about composing this tasty recipe, will share mine soon!

Simple easy and quick homemade pesto sauce

Its getting hot in Bangkok and it's not time for Lasagne anymore.

Now will eat more simple easy and quick Italian salads plus easy simple and quick Italian pasta

Last Night I had some parmesan cheese remaining and I came up with a quick easy simple pesto for pasta and actually we did not finish we have portions for 3 dinners.

Just sometime need to focus on what you have in the fridge: I used some parmesan, basil I got from my basil plant in the balcony,pinoli and garlic and olive oil. Put everything in my small blender and worked it and at the end I added olive oil.

When I think sometime all the cooking I do now for example I grew up in the slopes of Mt. Kenya and there we have these trees producing pinoli who would imagine they make one the greatest easy simple pasta sauce in the the world its also like rosemary we used rosemary in my village to fence gardens wonders of the world.
And here is the link of my past pesto recipes but all in all you can use minimal ingredients that you have to come up with simple easy and quick Italian pasta for all to enjoy

Pinoli search

Feb 17, 2009

Chequethis

http://www.chequethis.com/index.htm

My website has just been redesigned, if you find my recipes I share with you useful and you want to say thanks then just help me by visiting and sending to friends you might be of help to me.

I need your help!

Feb 12, 2009

Valentines day menu ideas


Went over to BBC to have a look at what is cooking for Valentine's Day what are the menus, romantic ideas and please dinner for two plus what should never miss on valentines day 'chocolate'
You will find really good ideas for you all here on http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/news_and_events/events_valentinesday.shtml

Whatever you do enjoy your Valentines day from simple easy Italian recipes.

Feb 10, 2009

Valentines day special: Easy valentines pasta recipe

Easy Pasta with clams,capers and olives


This easy to make simple Italian pasta will be a delight on Valentines day:
300g clams
200g peeled tomato
2 spoonfuls Oil
garlic, capers and black olives




In a Pan put olive oil to cook add garlic then add the clams and tomato regulate the salt and pepper and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
When the cooking is almost done add the capers, olives and parsley. Mix well and leave it to cook for 3 minutes . Now this is ready.
Prepare pasta and serve with this sauce.


Valentines easy simple pasta



Valentines easy simple pasta

Valentines easy simple pasta

Valentines easy simple pasta

Valentines easy simple pasta

Feb 4, 2009

Simple and easy tomatoes in the Oven: Simple easy cheap recipe

Filled tomatoes in the oven


This is a simple Italian cheap and recession proof menu
Take 8 ripe tomatoes if possible same size and round ones. Cut horizontally halfway, remove the seeds and liquid, add little salt and pepper inside.
For the filling:

Usually I do with what I have eg: breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and olive oil. Mix the mixture together and fill in the tomatoes and arrange them in an oiled oven plate and cook them for 20-25 minutes.

Valentines special recipe:
Try this filling: Parsley, basil, 1 clove garlic, 2 anchovy fillet and mixed with parmesan and breadcrumbs and together with a little olive oil.

Have a special Valentine

Feb 3, 2009

Valentine Specials: Earring gift specials

valentine earing gift

all this and more at http://gifthacker.blogspot.com/

or just buy it now: My shop

Simple gifts suggestions from simple Italian recipes


A jump rope, skipping rope, or skip rope
This fun skipping rope might be just a great gift for your daughter or son. With Valentine around the corner you might send me to buy and ship it to you.
Only 12 dollars plus shipping cost to you and your young ones will love this gift.
You might want to view other gift items from my other blogs at http://gifthacker.blogspot.com/

Let me know if you need help in shopping around markets in Bangkok and I will do that whole heartedly.
Enjoy your recipes!

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Recession Simple Italian cake recipe

We were invited for dinner last weekend and like anyone else who has just been hit by recession job shed was not in great cooking mood.

So, what did I do?
Simple Italian recipe basics can come in handy when least expected and this is one of them. I had a simple tea cake and I made some pastry cream and prepared as you can see on the picture. Topped with fruit and finally gelatine. Everyone enjoyed this homemade mixture.


Feb 1, 2009

Simple Italian recipe: Pasta and fagioli as pasta with beans

There are many ways of utilising the simple ingredients that you have in the house to come up with a meal that looks like just been delivered from Italy.

This is easy and simple really: Beans (canned beans), heat oil in a cooking pot add some whole peeled garlic so you can remove it someone does not eat garlic. As for my case we all love garlic so I crush it and cook together. Add a spoonful of tomato puree and add together a can of beans whatever white borlotti or the other I usually get what I find in the country I am in. Now, lately I have used also the baked beans but removing the liquid as it is kind of sweet but if you are using normal beans put in the whole content of the can. Cook for few minutes and using a vegetable machine pass it to cream like, or use a kind of crusher like gadget will try to find it and put a picture here. After which you add your pasta and cook stirring so that does not attach at the bottom.

I usually add a few leaves of Rosemary, Rosemary will do well in your balcony even in the house, why not use it as a decorative as well as herb.

Enjoy your pasta after 7 or 8 minutes cooking. Serve with bread if you like

simple pasta with beans
simple pasta with beans