Taste No.5: Umami comes to stores in UK

The product has been developed by Laura Santtini, a chef and food writer, and boasts it can act as a "flavour bomb" for any savoury dish, from roasts and bakes to pastas, soups and stews.
see news on umami the taste no.5 here

How to make Tuna Sauce

When all there is in the house is Tuna, tomato and some pasta: What do you do?

What I do when I only have a few things in house like Tuna is:
Garlic crushed, olive oil then I add 3 or 4 fillets of anchovies which I try to always have in the fridge as I buy and use them sparingly whether on pizza or pasta sauce.

Then I add tomatoe (if fresh cut into small pieces but mainly I have tomato puree or the paste. Then I add together with the tuna fish plus some salt, pepper or chilli.
Cook it slowly..when the sauce is reduced thick remove from heat and in the meantime you have boiled or boiling your pasta and serve with the tuna sauce

My friend is working Mommy in Italy and so she does not have much time to during the week so she makes all these kind of sauces and she stores in the freezer and every evening she has everything ready.

What containers to use for storage?
Never mind, make it a habit of keeping those jam/marmalade bottles and they really are useful to me in storing food like this.

Avoid using plastics for storing food not for anything but watch out what's in those plastic bottles read my post herePlastic Poison?: Bisphenol A or bpa an enemy in fridge store on our tables


Thanks to all lovers of food that have always followed this blog keep reading next weeks as so much is coming up in Christmas Menu's for A Recession hit Christmas plus Im organising a wine tasting event with a friend so looking forward to sharing all that later.

Remember to read Plastic Poison?: Bisphenol A or bpa an enemy in fridge store on our tables

Simple easy quick sauce with capers

This very economical easy and simple capers sauce needs the following ingredients:

1/2 l besciamel
50 g capers
1 spoonful of vinegar
Black pepper

Prepare the besciamel but instead of using milk use broth from meat or vegetables (can also use water), remove from heat - pour into a sauce boat and mix with capers (whole or chopped) then add the vinegar and pepper and mix all together.

Use this with boiled meat leftovers or roasted meat.

Anchovy sauce: Season Spaghetti

This sauce can be prepared from whole tinned anchovies.
How to prepare:
Wash them well in plenty of water. Remove the head, tail and backbone and also the skin and they are ready for use.
cut them into pieces.
Cook:
Put a generous amount of oil in a saucepan and some garlic, pepper when well heated but not browned add the anchovies.
After turning them for few minutes add a tablespoon of butter and concentrated tomato juice. Add some boiling water or stock to the saucepan cook on low heat until the sauce thickens.
Use this sauce to season spaghetti.

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

Pesto: Homemade fresh tastes good

Pesto saga continues, in the recent Pesto making competition that took place in Italy. Who won a native from the town where pesto originated? No, An American won this year!
Here is a picture of the event.

You want to take part next year? Keep checking the link below.

http://www.pestochampionship.it/index.htm

Pesto: Homemade fresh tastes good

The last stage of the Pesto story of course is the table. Pesto will go well with most of the Pasta. Especially the fusilli, spaghetti, fettucine, and goes well with gnocchi. Gnocchi are the ones made from mashed potato and a little of flour.

Another way of using your Pesto is with meat dishes, will go well as a dressing.

So, now you have seen that making home made Pesto is as easy as ABC, try today don't wait until tomorrow.

Enjoy the freshness of the Italian simple healthy cuisine recipes or Italian recipes for all seasons to enjoy with family and friends.

Pesto: Homemade fresh tastes good

The next step is to mix (add) a good quantity of olive oil. Again here depends on personal tastes, some like it very oily like the one you buy from shops and others like me I use everything sparingly without exaggerations. Use with moderation with sauces, oils and sugar and salts.

I hope you like the Pesto!

tonight I'm going to have pasta with pesto! You are welcome if you read this before I clean the plates.

Simple easy quick Italian recipes: Pesto Homemade fresh tastes good

Hey!, did you know that homemade Pesto is easy, simple to make? Well, take my word you need only few minutes to make yours.

Here are the steps to making it.

I wash my Italian basil, (found for sure everywhere) if I can find it in Bangkok you can find it in London or New York, since I do not have a mortar and pestle to do it manually I work it with the food processor. Mix basil and pine nuts and parmesan cheese and pecorino cheese (Pecorino is the Italian name given to any fresh, medium aged or matured cheeses made from sheep's milk)
then I work that together.
Check later for the next step

White sauce: Spaghetti, ravioli fettucine

white sauce

Ingredients include: 1 spoon butter, 1 cup milk, 1 spoon flour,pinch of salt, pinch of pepper.

like bechamel you heat the butter in heavy pan, then add the flour and then milk and mixing energetically and continuously so it does not form lumps. Mix till it boils and then leave it to boil 3-4 minutes under very low heat. Add pepper and salt to taste.

The making of tomato sauce

In Italy the tomato is the king of the kitchen. So many recipes go with it. Many times you might have bought Italian tomato sauce for spaghetti or Macaroni etc.

Let's see how you can make a simple tomato sauce in your kitchen.

You need: 8 tomatoes, 1 small onion, 1 clove garlic, small piece of celery, a few bay leaves(in Italian alloro) and parsley.

Chop up everything and put on the fire together with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Should be stirred from time to time.
When the mixture becomes thick strain it through a sieve and your sauce is ready for use. Can be preserved or used fresh.

hint: If you do not have fresh tomatoes use tomato paste I have used it many times.

This sauce can be used for dressing all kinds of pasta and meat.


Some people will even add mushrooms to it which is great too!