Zuppa di Sabato Sera: Ceci, Funghi e Carotte

I was at a complete and total loss as to what to make for dinner tonight. Its pouring rain and I've been in my pjs all day, so as you can imagine, I certainly did not feel like going grocery shopping. The choices were seemingly slim, some stale bread with olive oil and parmigiano, which may not have been so bad if I stuck it in the oven and smeared it with garlic, but I decided to get creative instead. I opened the cabinet doors and stared for about 20 minutes and all I saw were beans. Ceci (garbanzo), borlotti (pinto), and rossi (red) and corn flour. Then I remembered that I had some mushrooms, frozen spinach, carrots and peas......

...so here's what happened.

I used:
1 medium onion chopped
4 on the large side, garlic cloves minced
2 large carrots peeled and sliced
About 10-12 large mushrooms sliced (I really think any kind would be fine)
2 cans chickpeas (of course you can soak your own, but I'm too lazy and always buy canned beans)
1 cube frozen spinach
About one cup frozen peas
Vegetable broth
Olive oil

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until browned. Add the sliced carrots and mushrooms and sauté all together for a few minutes, add a bit of the veggie broth and let simmer. Rinse the garbanzo beans and throw a can and a half in the blender or food processor with some of the broth. Then add the remaining chickpeas to the soup you've got going on the stove, then pour the blended chickpeas in and mix it all together. Add any remaining broth and let simmer. Now throw the frozen spinach and frozen peas in and let it cook until the carrots are the way you like em. And that's it! A hearty healthy vegetable soup for a rainy Saturday night! And It's vegan too!

I also made a side of cornbread and used this recipe here Nice and easy, and came out soft and sweet. I threw a slice right on top of the soup before serving and we ate it all together.

I had a little spill over, I guess I should have used the bigger baking pan. Oops! Still tasted good though!

Please let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear! Or if have suggestions or variations? Let me know in the comments below!

P.S Hubby had two servings and practically licked the bowl after AND the cornbread was polished off too!

Notte!

Pasta e Broccoli

Do Italians really eat pasta everyday? Mostly yes. At least that's true in my house and that of my in-laws. Not only do they eat pasta everyday but its usually at 1pm.

What that means of course is that it's necessary to change things up and mix in a variety of sauces and flavors. After all we can't really eat pasta and tomato sauce everyday.

One of my all time favorite pasta dishes is pasta e broccoli. My mamma always made it when I was growing up so not only is it super delicious but also a little reminder of home. Since produce is always seasonal around here, this is a dish that I usually only get to eat about for about 3 months out of the year but it's a perfect winter meal. Nice and hot and super filling.

I do things a little differently then Mamma Jo and Mamma Finetta (my Italian MIL). There are many different ways of making this dish, for example my mom usually boils the broccoli for about 5 minutes and leaves it a little al dente, whereas my MIL boils it until its super soft and then throws it in the blender and makes broccoli sauce of sorts. Me? I prefer it somewhere in the middle. The tips get soft and tend to melt when I mix them in with the hot pasta but the stems still have a slight crunch to them.

So here is my version. When I cook I never measure. I think this is pretty standard in most home cooked Italian meals. I know my mother never measures anything. So my version will consist of 'a little of this and a few of these'

Ingredients: (This makes 2 LARGE portions) 
1 large bunch of broccoli (I like to use fresh, but frozen would work just as well) 
3-4 garlic cloves (more or less if you prefer) 
about 250g of short Pasta such as pene, farfalle, or fussili
Parmigiano Reggiano, as much or as little as you like 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt to taste

So the first thing I do is break the broccoli into smaller pieces and rinse. Then boil a large pot of water add a pinch of salt and throw the broccoli in. Depending on how you like your broccoli cooked, leave to boil anywhere from 5-12 minutes.

Boil your pasta in the same pot after you remove your broccoli to absorb more flavor!

Next break off 3-4 garlic cloves and smash the skin off with a large chopping knife, then chop garlic  into chucks. Heat some olive oil in a separate pan and brown the garlic, but be careful not to burn it. When your broccoli is to the desired tenderness, transfer it with a slotted spoon into the pan with the garlic and saute. You may want to add a little of the water to the saute pan to keep it from drying out, I usually do. Next, while still occasionally stirring your broccoli, throw the pasta in the same water that you used to boil the broccoli. This is going to add some extra broccoli flavor to your pasta so its very important not to throw this water away. Grate some of that Parmigiano and mix it in with the broccoli, this also usually where I add a bit of salt to my broccoli too. And finally, just before the pasta is fully cooked, if your broccoli looks like its drying out, grab a ladle and add a bit of the water and mix it in. Drain your pasta and combine it with the broccoli. Top it off with the rest of the Parmigiano.

Make sure yours say 'Parmigiano Reggiano' on the rind. This is how you can be sure its authentic. I like mine on the fresher side, meaning that its going to be a bit soft. The hardness will depend on its age. You could also use other types of cheese. For example Mamma Jo uses an aged Pecorino Romano that has a nice tang to it and goes well with the broccoli. 

I like lots of cheese on mine so I usually grate up a good amount!

I ONLY use whole wheat pasta at home, this make the dish even more healthy! Its more filling this way too. Lots of fiber! Some people insist that they don't like it, but honestly after the fist couple of times you really can't tell the difference anymore. I've also tried several different brands and really find Barilla to be the best of the whole wheats! 

And there it is! A delicious, hot healthy home cooked lunch! (or dinner) 

Do you have a different version of this dish? I'd love to know how you make yours! Please share in the comments section below! Buon appetito!

La Dolce Vita- Mangia Mangia!!

In collaboration with my new blogging buddy over at Ciao Christy I will now be participating in her Dolce Vita series every Monday on my blog. It's really a wonderful idea that will help me to stop and think about all of the things I am thankful and grateful for. The idea is that each Monday a group of bloggers will write a post about something that enriches our lives by living in Italy or something that enriches our lives in general.  It is easy to get caught up in the daily stresses and rushes of life and that means we tend to take certain things for granted, its a great way to start the week on a positive note and remember how fortunate we truly are.  So thanks Christy for coming up with such a great idea and for inviting me to participate!

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What enriches my life here in Italy? So many things. I could tell you about my husband and how he keeps me grounded and helps me to see important things in life from a different point of view, or I could tell you about my amazing girlfriends who love and support me and who know every detail about me. But it is difficult to express in words how important these people are to me and how fulfilling my life has become because of them. Maybe it makes more sense to tell you about how happy I am in my life and how lucky I am to be doing what I love and how doing what you love makes all the hard work worth it. But I’m pretty sure you’ve heard that all before. So instead I have decided to talk about food and how my diet has enriched my life. Italian food mixed with a little physical activity is a recipe for a happy, fulfilling and healthy life. After all, you are what you eat!

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We all know how amazing Lasagna is and that pizza is one of  the greatest ideas that Dio has ever given mankind (i Napolitani specifically) but as I have learned over the 10 plus years that I have lived in Italy, those are just a couple of the amazing foods to come from this tiny country. But I don’t necessarily mean typical Italian dishes, when I say food I mean the whole idea, the whole process of creating a meal and the importance of sharing it with those that you love. Very rarely do Italians grab a bite to eat, instead they sit and truly enjoy a meal. 

Just outside my front door is a farmers market with all the fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, meats and cheeses you could ever imagine. We don’t own a microwave and my husband refuses to eat left-overs. The expiration date on the milk is only about 3 days long and our refrigerator is less than 5 feet high.  For Italians food is a religion, they choose what they are going to eat with precision and care, food is fresh, everyday. Everyone sits down together at a table, for every meal of every day. Recipes are centuries old. Everything, and I mean everything is made from scratch. No preservatives, no processed foods, no take-out.

My health is better, I am more optimistic and stronger. I eat A LOT but yet somehow I am healthier, thinner and happier. So in the words of my Nonna and every Italian Nonna out there, MANGIA MANGIA!!

 

This Little Piggy Went to Market

Saturday is my favorite day of the week. Not only because I get to sleep in but rather because Saturday morning is when I go to the market. Mercato Sant'Ambrogio is literally 1 block and a corner away from where I live and even though it's open Monday-Saturday, I usually like to head over on Saturdaay morning to stock up for the week.  Luckily I can always run over during the week too just in case I find myself missing something. And much to our delight they have recently extended the hours on Wednesday and Friday to 7pm.  Every other day it is open form 7:30am to 1:30-2pmish.

Generally I let  myself wake up whenever I want and make some coffee for my husband and I and then I head on over the market with my trusty carrello. I love this thing let me tell you! And I fit in with all the old Italian ladies too!

 

I usually start outside and walk around the section that has all the clothes and housewares first to see if there is anything that I simply cannot live without.  You can find anything you can imagine here, from clothes to jewelry and shoes to linens to pots and pans.

I am loving all the recently added bead and jewelry supply vendors! Great stuff for great prices. 

 The vendors are on a rotating schedule which means they move around the city to the various outdoor market places. That means you will usually find different products and vendors each time you go.

     This guys had some great scarves today. I bought 2. They were only 

5euro a piece! Can't beat that!

After I look around a bit I head over to the front outside portion and pick up all my fruits and veggies.  The choices are plentiful and I never know what to choose. The good thing is that most of them are seasonal so the selection changes just about every 3 months or so. No broccoli in the Spring and Summer around here!

 People ask me all the time how its possible for the Italians to stay so thin. Its pretty hard to resist all this healthy goodness around here!

After I gather up all the fresh produce my heart desires I usually head indoors for all the rest. Meat and dairy products as well as grains and flours and anything else that may look particularly appealing that day. 

 While yes, Saturday Morning is the busiest day of the week, I don't mind. I love the idea of being amongst the crowds listening to all the noises watching the worker interacting with all the locals.

 This little guy is looking through the glass at all those yummy dolce! Just waiting patiently for his turn.

 Quite possibly THE best yogurt I have ever tasted in my life! I get a little container every week. In fact they don't even have to ask me anymore!

And then I head back home and throw it all together and have the most delicious lunch imaginable.

So if you really want to do as the Florentines, head over to Mercato Sant'Ambrogio any day of the week (except Sunday of course) and dig in! I always tell tourists this when they ask me where the most authentic place for a Florentine lunch is......are you drooling yet? I think I need a little snack myself!

Ciao e Buon Appetito!