Wednesday, March 11, 2009

From Lidia's table to yours

Among all our celebrity chefs' recipes the favorites are the ones from Lidia's Family Table. Lidia Bastianich is the author of best-seller cookbooks: La Cucina di Lidia, Lidia's Italy and the best-selling Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen–also the names of her nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the very successful New York City restaurant Felidia (and several others), and she gives lectures on Italian cuisine throughout the country. She lives on Long Island.

Today we share her famous pasta sauce, excerpted from "Lidia's Family Table: More Than 200 Fabulous Recipes to Enjoy Every Day-With Wonderful Ideas for Variations and Improvisations" available at Amazon.

THE RECIPE
Raw Summer Tomato Sauce for Pasta
Makes 3 to 4 cups, enough to sauce 1 pound of dry pasta

This is the pasta “sauce” I make in August, when just-picked tomatoes in all shapes and colors are piled on our kitchen windowsills—and it is too hot to hang around the stove. It’s a fast no-cooking preparation, but it requires ripe and juicy tomatoes, preferably homegrown or heirloom tomatoes from the farmers’ market. Be sure to have them at room temperature. The sauce actually develops in the hour or two when it marinates: salt draws the juices from the tomatoes, and they become infused with the flavors of basil and garlic. Then all you do is toss piping-hot pasta with the tomatoes and enjoy one of the rare treats of the whole year.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe summer tomatoes, preferably heirloom varieties in a mix of colors and shapes
3 or 4 plump garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large basil leaves (about 3 tablespoons shredded)
1/4 teaspoon dried peperoncino (hot red pepper flakes), or more or less to taste
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup or more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or cubed fresh mozzarella (optional)

Directions:
Rinse the tomatoes, drain, and wipe dry. Cut out the core and any other hard parts. Working over a big mixing bowl to catch all the juices, cut the tomatoes—cherry tomatoes in half; regular tomatoes into 1-inch chunks—and drop them in the bowl.

Smash the garlic cloves with a chef’s knife and chop into a fine paste. This is easier if you add some of the salt as you chop; mash the garlic bits and salt with the flat side of the knife too. Scatter the garlic paste and the rest of the salt (1/2 teaspoon in all) over the tomatoes and stir gently.

Pile up the basil leaves and slice into thin strips (called a chiffonade). Strew these over the tomatoes, then the peperoncinoflakes. Pour in the oil, stir, and fold, to coat the tomatoes and distribute the seasonings.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Toss the marinated sauce with freshly cooked and drained pasta. Serve as is, or toss in 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. For additional complexity, you could add 1 cup or more cubed fresh mozzarella.
Copyright © Lidia Matticchio Bastianich


MAY WE SUGGEST?

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Mamma Ro 5x3.1-in. Cameo Series Garlic Keeper, Cotto: link
Mamma Ro dinnerware is a beautiful Italian hand-crafted ceramic tableware line that is available in eight rich colors, each with slight variations in appearance that are a mark in unique craftsmanship by individual artisans. Mamma Ro's unique red sometimes experiences an extraordinary occurrence after the initial washing. Raised white lines or specks may appear on part or all of the piece. These can be simply wiped away with a damp cloth or repeat washed 2 to 3 times as necessary. These lines will disappear after a few washings never to return. This happens as a result of a slightly different firing condition at the factory and does not always occur. The white substance is a mineral component of the glaze and it is not considered harmful.

The solid colors include Apple Green, Cream, Black and Red. Colors that include a Cameo center design are Blue, Purple, Marigold, Orange and Cotto. All dinnerware is microwave and dishwasher-safe.

The vibrant colors are meant to mix and match as you may choose. The squares are meant to mix with the more traditional round pieces, or to be used alone or as serving pieces.



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HUNGRY FOR MORE?

We've addedd Lidia Bastianich to our Great Chefs page (link). Browse all the new recipes by Lidia, such as
- Scampi Appetizer
- Frittata with Asparagus and Scallions
- Pea Cake with Basil Ice Cream and Pistachio Brittle
- Skillet Chicken breast aglio e oglio
- Clams with Tomato and Basil
- Limoncello Tirami Su
- Chocolate Zabaglione Cake with Amarene Cherries
... and more!

Remember that you can always check the What's new? page link to stay tuned with our new recipes!

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Summer Fun Recipes with Aerolatte FrothersAerolatte Frother Models

SUMMER FUN RECIPIES

 
Cappuccino is only one of the great coffee drinks that can be made with the aerolatte® frother. Explore a little and try these amazing Italian treats created by Marco Finocchiaro, Italian gourmet for aerolatte®.
All recipies and content Copyright 2008 Green Lane/aerolatte.
Banana and cinnamon milkshake© - hot or cold
The banana and cinnamon combination can be refreshing in summer or very warming in winter when made with hot milk. Make it with ¼ volume of banana purée to ¾ volume of milk (remembering to only fill the glass 1/3 full). Froth it with the aerolatte® frother into a smooth high foam and dust with cinnamon. It's delicious.
Caffè frappée© - in seconds
Remember that great holiday in Greece with the groovy little coffee frappées they served? With instant coffee, you can make a cold coffee frappée in seconds. Put one teaspoon of instant coffee in half a glass of cooled still water; add a drop of sugar if required and froth it up with the aerolatte® frother! Add a little bit of Irish cream liqueur with the instant coffee to make this a summer drink to remember.
Chocolate milk©
Regular drinking chocolate enters a new dimension with the aerolatte® frother. Use natural chocolate or cocoa - avoid using instant chocolate powders with emulsifiers, which do not froth well. Don't worry that normal drinking chocolate advises only to use hot milk - the aerolatte® frother will dispense the chocolate granules through the milk.

Fill your glass one third with fridge cold milk and add one or two small spoons of chocolate powder. Whisk together with the aerolatte® frother and you'll have the richest tasting chocolate drink. Try adding some orange liqueur to give it a whole new aspect. Can also be used with hot milk


Coffee milkshake© - in seconds
Of course, you can make a coffee milkshake very quickly with one regular small spoon of instant coffee into a high-sided glass. Fill the glass to a third of its height with fridge cold milk. Whisk it with the aerolatte® frother for a delicious smooth frothy coffee milkshake.
Fruit milkshakes© in less than a minute
The basic recipe for a fruit milkshake is to use two parts of chilled milk (the colder the better) to one part of cold fresh juice. Fill a tall glass or aerolatte® Shakes tumbler to a third of its volume. The aerolatte®will froth and expand the mixture up to the rim of the glass in less than a minute.
 
Sometimes, I add a small spoon of sugar to bring out the fruity taste - it's a matter of personal preference and has no impact on the "frothability" of the milk. These fruit juices make great shakes: lemon, orange, grape, honey melon, pineapple, banana, strawberry, wild berry, apple and pear. You can use almost any kind of fresh fruit - if it is puréed or liquidised before you add it to the cold milk. Using the aerolatte® frother is the simplest way to make a really delicious and healthy milkshake. Try using skimmed (0% fat) milk and puréed fruit for a great, fat-free, healthy treat.

Experiment and discover new tastes by using your favourite juices in different combinations, for a vitamin packed, health drink.


Honey milk©
Don't forget one of my personal favourites, a drink that always reminds me of sweet Summer days in Italy - honey milk. This healthy drink is given a new twist when prepared with the aerolatte® frother.
 
Put a small spoon of liquid honey in a high-sided glass, which is a third full of fridge chilled milk. Whisk with the aerolatte® to the rim. Take two amaretto cookies and finely crush them. Sprinkle these on top of the frothed milk.

You can also try this with hot milk as a wonderful winter warmer.


Mixed fruit milkshakes©

With a little extra effort you can combine different fruit juices. But remember to fill the tumbler to only a third of its height to allow for the drink to expand. Here are a few of the combinations I particularly like:

¼ of pear juice, ¼ peach juice and ½ ice cold milk
¼ of pear juice, ¼ cherry juice and ½ ice cold milk
¼ of strawberry juice, ¼ grape juice and ½ ice cold milk
¼ of orange juice, ¼ pineapple juice and ½ ice cold milk
¼ of pear juice, ¼ kiwi juice and ½ ice cold milk
¼ of peach juice, ¼ orange juice and ½ ice cold milk
1/5 honeydew melon, 1/5 pineapple juice, 1/5 papaya juice and 2/5 cold milk
1/6 papaya juice, 1/6 orange juice, 1/6 puréed banana and ½ cold milk


All recipies and content Copyright 2008 Green Lane/aerolatte