Vegetable soup with pasta

Here we are. It is a cold day outside. You caught a cold, you are sick home, you want some comfortable food, a warm meal... why don't you make yourself a vegetable soup? Generally, open the fridge and try to add as many vegetables as you can in your soup. Carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, garlic, hot peppers, cauliflowers, potatoes, zucchini, celery... these are the classics. I even made one with only onions, or only potatoes. Then if you like, you can add some short pasta into it and finish the dish with parmesan, which will melt into the soup. It will be yummy and healthy.

Preparation time: 20-30 min

1) Wash and cut the vegetables.

2) Put some water to boil in a pot (about 4 cups per person).

3) Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt per person

4) Add the vegetables and let it cook for 20 min

5) Drain the vegetables and collect the broth

6) Add the pasta to teh broth and let it cook for 5 min (mind to don`t overcook the pasta)

7) Add parmesan cheese.

Variations: I cannot recall to have eaten the identical same dish twice. You can change the vegetables list or just the pasta shape. You can use all sort of short pasta, it will taste a little bit different every time. Yes. And, finally, don`t forget that you can eat your boiled vegetables!

Buon appetito!

"I feel quite a different man before and after a meal" Montaigne

Rice with asparagi (Asparagus risotto)

This is another risotto. So... you need Arborio rice, lot of Parmesan cheese and some white wine. Asparagi are really good for you and in season right now.

Preparation time: 15-20min

1) Cut fresh asparagi about 1 inch long. Add them to a food processor with some oilve oil and some water. Make a "green asparagi sauce" out of it.

2) Add olive oil, sliced onions, and the "asparagi sauce" to a pot.

3) Add 1-2 cups of white wine and the rice (3 tablespoons per person).

4) Add 3 cups of warm water and let it cook until the rice is done.

5) Add the half lemon juice and fresh parsley, a bunch of Parmesan cheese, black pepper.

Stir and serve it.

One of the secret of a good risotto is that you stir the rice very often while cooking, so it releases the starch and it taste better.

Buon appetito!

Pasta in Peppe's red sauce

A couple of days ago we had some of the pasta with the special Peppe's red sauce... I took a nice shot of it...

Check a couple of posts earlier for the recipe!

Pasta with garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

Garbanzo beans or chickpeas are very good for you. They are the main ingredient of hummus. You can make a sauce kinda like the hummus and add it to the pasta. Usually we use some short kind of pasta. You don't have it? No problem, what we do is to cut the spaghetti in 3 or 4 pieces... in this way we shorten them! :)

Preparation time: 15 min

1) Put 3 cups of water to boil in a pot

2) Add garlic, olive oil, red hot pepper, cut carrots and celery

3) Add the garbanzo beans to the pot (you can use a can of organic beans, otherwise make sure to rinse them very well before using)

4) Cut the long pasta (spaghetti or linguine or fettuccine)

5) Add the pasta in the pot and let cook for 5-10 min

When it is ready, the water will be almost completely evaporated.

You can then add some fresh parsley and black pepper...

Buon appetito!!

Pasta with salmon in pink cream

All of us need to eat more fish. So if you have fresh smoked salmon or some left-over salmon from the day before why not add some pasta to it?

Preparation time: 15 min

1) Boil water for the pasta. Penne or mostaccioli required.

2) Add to a pan some olive oil, cut garlic, red hot pepper, half of a red bell pepper (optional) few fresh tomatoes. Let it cook for few minutes.

3) Add the salmon to it.

4) Add a teaspoon of butter and 1/4 of cup of half&half.

Yes you can add some vodka if you have it...

Before serving add fresh parsley, black pepper.

PS you can add a side of steamed broccoli or cauliflowers to it...

Buon appetito!

Rice with red sauce

Exactly it is rice with red sauce. Unthinkable for asian people... but a reality for many Italians.

Try to believe it!

Preparation time: 20 min (super-easy)

1)Boil water in a pot for the rice (Arborio rice). Add salt to the water.

2)Prepare a red tomato sauce: cut onions, olive oils in a pot for 5 min and then add a can of red tomato sauce. Add basil and a tiny bit of butter (optional).

3) Drain the rice using a pasta drainer.

4) Add red sauce on the top of the white rice.

Add basil, parmesan and black pepper as much as you like.

PS you can stir the sauce in the rice...

Buon appetito.