Minestorone Soup with Tiny Pasta

Learnt it at Kotokoto Pasta. My teacher always teaches something new!

This soup is based on white kidney beans paste, so the taste is quite thick and rich. But very healthy. :)

Actually my teacher's husband who is Italian lost his weight for having this soup several times a week.

He proved that even Italian food has a possibility for slimming diet. Wow.

The short pasta we made tastes like "Suiton" in Japanese food. Yes, same texture as Suiton.

You can add snapped spaghetti instead.

Crab Tomato sauce Pasta

YUMMY INDEED!!!

Squid Shaped Pasta

The shape looks like squid and the sauce was squid ink. This is for squid lovers.

Squid and Octpus paste on the slice of bread.

Learnt it from Kotokoto Pasta. My teacher is always teaching something new and I am able to learn fresh and new skill.

Surprisingly, Taro ate this black colour sauce pasta! Plus he was willing to eat the squid! they are not too solid any more for him.

Taro's rate:★★★★★

Porchini Risotto & Triangle Taro-san

Learnet it at Kotokotopasta. Since I hardly had made risotto before, this was the great time to learn how to make it in detail. Next year, I will try to make risotto more often. :)

Lately, Taro is really into creating a "triangle" using his all body. At first he started to make it by using his finger, or folding some brochure in half.
He suddenly shouts out " It's time to create a triangle!" and then creates triangles.

Not only creating triangles but also he is good at finding triangles in anywhere.

He calls himself "I am a triangle hunter".:P

Scilatelli di Campagna

This is the new solution to consume a huge "Pak Choy（白菜）" ! Learnt at kotokotopasta. For Pak choy, we usually eat as "hot pot". I was looking for another recipe.

Was surprised that it is very matching with tomato lagu sauce.

This pasta is called "Scilatelli"which shape is similar to macaroni and torofie. Make this shape using spaghetti! Interesting.

One day at the Ginkgo street

Cauliflower Lasagna

Made Lasagana from scratch. I have learnt some kinds of lasagna, but this one is the best taste ever! plus very healthy!

I used to disdain for cauliflower, but I have to say sorry for them. Cauliflower, you are really tasty, soft and creamy. You are the great vegetable!

Braise cauliflower until enough soft, season S&P and crush them using a spatula. Add white sauce. Layer lasagna, cauliflower cream and Parmigiano Leggiano.

Even if you cannot make lasgna from scratch, it is worth trying to make this sauce for your pasta.

Taro had never tasted cualiflower before, but he ate this lasagna! :)

Another dish was Saute chicken thigh with Maitake mushroom. As for the chicken thigh, Cut bite-sized pieces, Season S&P, and dredge them in flour. And then, saute as you usually do.

For mushrooms, they would have a role as a sauce so that saute them in advance. If you have this herb mix, add 1teaspoon. Then the taste would become more sharp and spicy.

Tomato Gnocchi

Learnt tomato gnocchi at KotokotoPasta.

When you make gnocchi at home, you just add tomato paste some time.

Look! Very pink colour gnocchi are there!

For the sauce, anchovi and fresh cream only. Easy and Quick.

Another dish was baked tomatoes. Cut the stem, hollow tomato meat and juice using a spoon. Soak Grated bread into the juice. They will be stuffing for tomato. Add some cheese if you like and bake them into a oven for10 minutes and 180℃.

Ravioli ali Funghi Porcini

Long time no blog! Somehow I didn't feel like blogging and just had a sleep a lot beside Taro these days. Perhaps I might be busy for work.

I totally forgot shooting the inside of this ravioli. As for the stuffing, besides porcini, added ricotta cheese, onion, and parmigiano leggiano cheese.

This is quite tough for me to make a proper and cute shape. Need enough calculation that where I should put stuffing on the dough.

Absolutely yummy and Taro devoured it.

Mouse tails Pasta

Last Sunday, joined Italian cooking class with Taro. This time, we made mouse tails shaped pasta from scratch. We can enjoy the different taste- Thick and thin part-at the same time. During boiling, they look really mouse's tail.

No need to use a pasta machine. It took fortune time(probably more than 1 hour) to finish making them all, but after finish it, I felt accomplishment. :D

The sauce is a basil paste without pine nuts. I thought when we make basil paste, it is necessary to add pine nuts. But actually, the taste would be fine without them.

Taro's rate:★★★★

Recently he can eat anything. But still he is not good at eating fresh tomatoes. Probably because he used to eat them too much when he was a baby.

Caramel shaped ravioli

A several week ago, learnt it from kotokotopasta.

In the filling, we used Mortadella(Bologna sausage), Mozzarella cheese and Parmigiano cheese there. Serve with butter and fresh cream as a sauce.

The caramel shape is very cute, but be careful! This is SUPER ULTRA HIGH CALORIES pasta ever! I recommend you may make it for very special day probably after fasting or something as a reward for yourself. ;-P

Taro's rate: ★★★★

Although he loves high calories stuff, he's still slim. I really envy him!

Rice Salad and Trofie Al Pesto

Today's Italian cooking class.

Rice salad.

Next time, I will try to make it using brown rice instead. Must be yum.

We made basil paste using a mortar. It's tough work indeed! But the taste was awesome.

My teacher doesn't like to use a food processor since the texture of paste is not good.

If I had enough time and energy, I would make it with a mortar.

Taro's rate:★★★★★

Absolutely yummy.

Troccoli Pasta with Shrimp Sauce

Joined Cooking class for pasta from scratch. It has been ages that I took the lesson last. This time, we made "Troccoli" which is very common in Pugliia.

For the sauce, made broth from shrimp head, tomato and onion first. The broth is really special and brilliant. Aside from the pasta sauce, we can use it for risotto as well.

After the lesson, I made it for my family and my uncle from Sydney.

I was able to cook it as same as my teacher did. :)

Besides the pasta, made tomato and mozzarela salad.

As usual, lemon juice, olive oil and S&P are for the dressing. That's all.

Simple is the best. :D

Grilled Tuna and zuccini

These meals go with cold white wine. We finished one wine bottle for 3 person. (Actually most of wine were consumed by my uncle.)

Unfortunately, Taro has been suffering from diarrhea and bronchitis. He didn't eat anything without fresh milk.

I think it must be bad for his tummy though.....

Hope he will recover soon.....

Corn flour Pasta~Pizzarelle~

This pasta is for those who is getting over their sickness. It blended 40g corn flours with 200g 00 Italian flours so that it helps their digestion. Very thin and soften pasta.

Fruits tomatoes, rocket and shrimp sauce. Very fresh. As for the tomatoes, I really recommend you living in Tokyo to buy "Amela". This is amazing tomatoes. Very sweet like a fruit!

Plus you must use genuine olive oil otherwise it will never taste good.

When you return the pasta in the pan, you also add chopped rocket. Do not cook a long time.

Another dish was braised peas and squid with tomato sauce. Since last week we had been having braised peas, I got fed up with peas... :( But this is very delicious.

Taro's rate:★★★★★

A miracle happened. He had pasta!!!!!!!! Spontaneously he ate them! Of course he tried to get rid of the rockets and shrimp though.

Perhaps, he liked the yellow colour....

I must make it from scratch some time. :D

Happy Thursday :D

Italian Cooking Class~Strozzapreti all'arrabbiata~

Today, Made "Strozzapreti" from scratch. Literally meaning is " to strangle the priest" in Italian. It's quite aggressive expression! In a sense, it's very impolite naming.

There're two beliefs about the naming. One is that the shape of pasta can choke a person. The other is that they're so delicious that people eat them too much and are about to choke on them.

This pasta is origin from Emilia-Romagna. There're many communists in this area and the people have quite broad-minded to accept different culture and people. That's why this provocative naming is used in the area. Very interesting story, isn't it?

All'arrabbiata sauce is very beautiful. I like Italian red pepper.

Another meal was braised peas with panchetta. Braised them for around 40 minutes. Very soften. It also goes with short pasta!

Taro-san has been a fever since the day before yesterday. Every night the fever rises and in the morning it passes away.

As his doctor said, "Not only the flu but also something wrong with his stomach. It's natural that he has no appetite. You don't need to force him to eat. Breads, cheese, cracker and bananas, they're gently fine.

When we have a stuffy nose, we cannot taste propely. You may try to have a tea/coffee with pinching your nose! It's going to be disgusting!"

See. He unconsciously chooses foods he needs when he gets sick. There's a reason for him not to eat.

Hope he will get over soon.....

Italian Cooking Class~Paccheri Verdi Alla Fiesolana~

Attended Italian pasta class. Made fresh spinach Paccheri from scratch. Paccheri is some sort of big maccaroni.

It goes with any sauce. This time we made fiesolana sauce which is famous in Firenze. It is very easy to make this sauce. Just add prosciutto and parmesan cheese into the white sauce.

The main dish was "Saltinbocca alla romana". Enjoyed the harmony of prosciutto, sliced beef (short loin) and fresh sage!

Just ordinal tomato and rocket salad. But the fruit tomato is special called "Amera". Very sweet like a fruit!

At lessons, I carry him on my back and he always falls asleep during kneading the dough. I can concentrate on making pasta. He's a good boy. :)

Tonnarelli al nero di seppia

Attended the cooking pasta class. We made "Tonnarelli" from scratch. It's first time for me to

use squid ink into the pasta.Tomato and cram sauce is awesome indeed!!

Today, I met an unusual tool for cutting pasta called "chitarra".

It is shaped like a harp! Very cute.

If I have enough space in my kitchen, I would get it right away though!

Next time, I will try and make it and cut them with a knife.

Taro's rate: no mark

He has been grouchy since this morning and in the evening he got a fever around 39℃.

This is the first time experience for us so that I am looking after him hastily.Should I have him get warmer or cooler? Not sure. I just had him take medicine the doctor gave him one hour ago.

It might have been a miracle that he had never got a fever before! Don't you think so?

Hope he will get better soon....