LETTUCE SOUP(Zuppa di Lattuga)

LETTUCE SOUP (Zuppa di Lattuga)

1 small lettuce Meat stock 2 potatoes The leaves of a head of celery 2 tablespoons of peas, fresh or canned 1 heaping tablespoon of flour

Put the potatoes, cold boiled, into the stock when it boils, add the celery leaves, the lettuce chopped up, the peas, and the flour mixed well with a little cold stock or water. Boil for one hour and a half, and serve with little squares of fried bread.

LENTIL SOUP

LENTIL SOUP (Brodo di Lenticchie)

3 tablespoons of dried lentils 1/2 tablespoon of butter 2 tablespoons of cream Meat stock

Cover the lentils with water and boil until they are quite soft. Pass them through a colander or a sieve. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the lentils and cream, mixing well, then add a ladleful of the stock, and boil for a few minutes; then add the rest of the desired amount of stock, a ladleful at a time.

(Risotto con piselli)

(Risotto con piselli)

Wash and dry 1½ lb. rice; chop fine one medium sized onion and put it on the fire with a small quantity of butter.

When the onion is well browned, add the rice little by little, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add some boiling water one cup at a time. Drain the peas previously prepared (fresh or canned peas may be used) and add them toward the end of the cooking. When the whole is almost cooked, add some salt and take it away from the water almost dry. Add some butter, stir and serve hot.

(maltagliati)

• pasta (maltagliati) per 4 persone
• 100 g di mascarpone lodigiano
• 1 rosso d’uovo
• sale
• noce moscata
• grana lodigiano

Preparazione

Fate cuocere la pasta secondo i soliti criteri, cioè in molta acqua, per il tempo di cottura richiesto. Preparate a parte un composto di mascarpone e rosso d'uovo, aggiungendo un poco di sale e una generosa grattugiata di noce moscata. Sbattete per bene il tutto sino a ottenere un impasto omogeneo e compatto. Se l'impasto non avesse le doti richieste, aggiungete qualche cucchiaio di acqua di cottura.
Cotta la pasta versatela, ben calda, sull'impasto di mascarpone e uova e unite un'abbondante spolverata di grana. La pasta deve essere servita in piatti caldissimi.

RISOTTO WITH LOBSTER

RISOTTO WITH LOBSTER

For this risotto either lobster or crab meat can be used: the former is, however, considered more tasty. The lobster or crab meat ought to be about half the weight of the rice employed. A little more than a pound of rice and half this weight]
 of crab meat ought to be enough for six persons.

Chop fine a sprig of parsley, a stalk of celery, one carrot, half an onion a clove of garlic and brown the whole in good olive oil. When browned, add the crab meat and season with salt and pepper. During the cooking process stir and turn over the crabs, and when they have become red, pour over as much hot water as is necessary to cook the rice

.

After the water boils for a while, remove the lobster (or crab, or craw-fish) leaving the saucepan on the fire. Put half of the crabs aside, and grind the rest. Rub the ground meat through the sieve and put it back on the fire. In another saucepan melt some butter and put into it little by little the rice that has been washed and dried. Stir and add the broth from the first saucepan. When the rice is almost cooked add the craw-fish that you have put aside, or rather its meat extracted from the shells, take from the fire and pour over it the fish mixture, adding some grated cheese.

milan rice

RICE WITH SAFFRON

(Riso alla Milanese con Zafferano

Wash and dry the rice and put it in boiling broth (beef or chicken broth). When the rice is half cooked add half its weight of marrow of beef bone, cut into small pieces. A few minutes

 are sufficient for the cooking of the marrow. Add grated cheese and remove the kettle from the fire.

Dissolve some saffron in one or two tablespoonfuls of broth; sift it through a sieve and mix with rice, which is to be served very hot, and makes an excellent soup.

MACARONI NAPOLITAINE

MACARONI NAPOLITAINE

(Maccheroni alla Napoletana)

Grind ¼ lb. salt pork or bacon and fry it out in a saucepan.
 While it is frying put one small onion through the grinder.
 As soon as the pork begins to brown add the onion,
 the parsley chopped,
 a clove (or small section) of garlic shredded fine, 
and a few dried mushrooms which have been softened by soaking in warm water.
 When the vegetables are very brown (great care must be taken not to burn the onion, which scorches very easily) add ½ lb. round steak ground coarsely or cut up in little cubes. 
When the meat is a good brown color, add some fresh or canned tomatoes or half a tablespoonful of tomato paste
 and simmer slowly until all has cooked down to a thick creamy sauce.
 It will probably take ¾ hour.
 The sauce may be bound together with a little flour if it shows a tendency to separate.

This sauce is used to dress all kinds of macaroni and spaghetti, also for boiled rice (see Risotto). 
The macaroni or spaghetti should be left unbroken when cooked. If they are too long to fit in the kettle immerse one end in the boiling salted water and in a very few minutes the ends of the spaghetti under the water will become softened so that the rest can be pushed down into the kettle.
 Be careful not to overcook it, and it will not be pasty, but firm and tender. Drain it carefully and put in a hot soup tureen. Sprinkle a handful of grated cheese over it and pour on the sauce. Lift with two forks until thoroughly mixed.

Minestrone alla Milanese

VEGETABLE CHOWDER

Add caption

(Minestrone alla Milanese)

Cut off the rind of ½ lb. salt pork and put it into two quarts of water to boil. Cut off a small slice of the pork and beat it to a paste with two or three sprigs of parsley, a little celery and one kernel of garlic. Add this paste to the pork and water. Slice two carrots, cut the rib out of the leaves of ¼ medium sized cabbage. Add the carrots, cabbage leaves, other vegetables, seasoning and butter to the soup, and let it boil slowly for 2½ hours. The last ½ hour add one small handful of rice for each person.

When the pork is very soft, remove and slice in little ribbons and put it back.

The minestrone is equally good eaten cold.

(Maccheroni al gratin)

MACARONI "AU GRATIN"

(Maccheroni al gratin)

Boil the macaroni in salted water until tender and drain them. Butter slightly a fireproof casse
role and lay on the bottom some grated cheese and grated bread. Alternate the layers of cheese with macaroni and on the top layer of macaroni put more cheese and bread grated. Over the whole pour some melted butter, cover the casserole, (or pyrex plate) and put it in the oven with a low fire. Keep for ten minutes or more, until the top appears browned.

SPAGHETTI OR MACARONI WITH BUTTER AND CHEESE

SPAGHETTI OR MACARONI WITH BUTTER AND CHEESE

(Pasta al burro e formaggio)

This is the simplest form in which the spaghetti may be served, and it is generally reserved for the thickest paste. The spaghetti are to be boiled until tender in salted water, taking care to remove them when tender, and not cooked until they lose form. They should not be put into the water until this is at a boiling point.

Take as much macaroni as will half fill the dish in which it is to be served. Break into pieces two and a half to three inches long if you so desire. The Italians leave them unbroken, but their skill in turning them around the fork and eating them is not the privilege of everybody

. Put the macaroni into salted boiling water, and boil twelve to fifteen minutes, or until the macaroni is perfectly soft. Stir frequently to prevent the macaroni from adhering to the bottom. Turn it into a colander to drain; then put it into a pudding-dish with a generous quantity of butter and grated cheese. If more cheese is liked, it can be brought to the table so that the guests can help themselves to it

.

The macaroni called "Mezzani" which is a name designating size, not quality, is the preferable kind for macaroni dishes made with butter and cheese.

PAVESE SOUP

PAVESE SOUP

(Zuppa alla Pavese)

Cut as many thin slices of bread as are needed in order that each person may have at least two of them. These slices are then to be toasted and browned with butter. Poach two eggs for each
 person, one on each slice of bread and place the slices on a large and deep dish (not in a soup tureen). Pour hot broth in the plate, taking care not to break the eggs, season with Parmesan or Swiss cheese, and serve.The traditional Italian soup ‘Zuppa alla Pavese’ was supposedly invented on this day in 1525 in Lombardy, during the battle of Pavia. The battle was a defining point in the conflict over ownership of Italy which had begun some thirty years before, with the major protaganists being France, Spain, and Switzerland. François I’s army was virtually annihilated by the superior firepower of the army of The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of Spain, and François himself – after having distinguished himself in combat – was taken prisoner. It must have been a great present for the Emperor, whose birthday was also this day.

The story is that during a brief respite from the battle, with the Spaniards at his heels and defeat in view, Francis stopped at a cottage and asked for a meal. The good housewife, faced with a king for a dinner guest, improved on the simple broth heating on her stove by pouring it over buttered fried bread onto which she had carefully broken an egg and sprinkled some cheese.

In the corporate battlefield of today you may not have your horse shot out from under you by an enemy with an arquebus, leaving you to fight hand to hand, as did François, but head to head combat can still be pretty gruelling. Restoration by soup is still often required, and the quickly prepared Zuppa alla Pavese is just the job. I give you an adaptation of the recipe from Ada Boni’s classic book “Italian Regional Cuisine”.

"Cappelletti"

 "Cappelletti" or "little hats" on account of the shape of the "Cappelletti".

First a thin sheet of paste is made according to the following directions:

The best and most tender paste is made simply of eggs, flour and salt, water may be substituted for part of the eggs, for economy, or when a less rich paste is needed. Allow about a cup of flour to an egg. Put the flour on a bread board, make a hollow in the middle and break in the egg. Use any extra whites that are on hand. Knead it thoroughly, adding more flour if necessary, until you have a paste you can roll out. Roll it as thin as an eighth of an inch. A long rolling pin is necessary, but any stick, well scrubbed and sand papered, will serve in lieu of the long Italian rolling pin.

Cut from this sheet of paste rounds measuring about three inches in diameter. In the middle of each circle place a spoonful of filling that must be made beforehand, composed of cooked meat (chicken, pork or veal) ground very fine and seasoned with grated cheese, grated lemon peel,
 nutmeg, allspice, salt. The ground meat is to be mixed with an equal amount of curds or cottage cheese.

When the filling is placed in the circle of paste, fold the latter over and moisten the edge of the paste with the finger dipped in water to make it stay securely closed.

These cappelletti should be cooked in chicken or beef broth until the paste is tender, and served with this broth as a soup.

SPAGHETTI GOES FIGHTING MAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 quarts water
• salt to taste
• 1 lb spaghetti, linguine, vermicelli, or other long thin pasta
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 - 8 garlic cloves, minced or whole - more to taste
• 1 small dried hot red chili, broken into 2 or 3 pieces, or 1/4 t hot red pepper flakes or more to taste
• 3 TBS minced flat-leaf parsley
• 2 anchovy fillets (crushed), or a squeeze from a tube of anchovy paste (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. SAUTÉ garlic gently on low heat until golden brown - careful not to burn it. About 4-5 minutes.
2. ADD the red pepper and parsley and sauté for a few more minutes.
3. ADD a squeeze of anchovy paste (or 2 whole anchovies mashed with a fork) and stir, maintain on low heat until pasta is ready.
4. WHEN the pasta is almost done, drain it in a colander and turn it immediately into the pan, mixing the pasta and sauce together well. Serve on warm plates.
5. Garnish with freshly-chopped parsley if desired

pasta with crab meat

If you can't find fresh crab meat, all is not lost. Some crab meat is pasteurized, then packed in tins or containers and refrigerated; because it's not any less expensive than true fresh meat, it's a second choice, but not a terrible one. Containers of fresh crab meat are sometimes frozen in 8- or 16-ounce containers; it's not bad, but it doesn't have the flavor of fresh or even pasteurized crab.

Ingredients

• Salt to taste
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons slivered or minced garlic
• 2 dried red chilies, or to taste
• 1 pound pasta
• 1/2 pound crab meat, or more
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Method

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it. Put oil, garlic, chilies and a pinch of salt in a saucepan large enough to hold cooked pasta and turn heat to medium-low. Cook, shaking pan, until garlic just begins to color; turn off heat. photo the great alan pedrosa
• 2. When water boils, cook pasta. When it is just about done, turn heat under oil back to low and add crab; stir once or twice. Drain pasta (reserve a bit of cooking water), and toss it in crab sauce to coat. If mixture seems a bit dry, add reserved cooking water or more olive oil. Stir in parsley, adjust seasoning, and serve

FLOYD'S BASIL

One of the firsat cookery books I bought was Floyd on France, this is the only book you'll ever need about French cuisine. Floyd was the Dogs Bollocks as regards cooking up stuff and a hero in the kitchen. He had a mouth  and got the shit kicked out of him when he came the old soldier to some working class who wanted to try his eatery. Such was his sense of being  and no one likes to be shamed so hence the beating up.
This is a winner and taken from his book.If you can find Super Basil in Waitrose still then buy it for this recipe, its fucking brilliant.(by the way you should always support waitrose as regards their brilliant staff and freindliness, avoid the cheapos like Tesco and Morrisons most of the cunts can't speak english so fiuck them as regards you ask for soap and get taken to soup by one of their fucking einsteins jusy poff the banana boat, i ask you if if its not too much that they employ real interested staff that know english, if you shop at waitrose it'll cost you bout 3 quid more aweek but you get better produce and great staff). This is the French version of the Italian pesto dish.
1kg Spaghetti

1 heaped saucer of basil leaves
5fl olive oil
black pepper
parmesan cheese or you could use cheddar (the night bfore freeze it so it grates better)
Cook the pasta al dente in a full pot of boiling water. Strain run quickly under boiling or very hot water as in seconds,. Mix basil and olive oil and pasta in large pot. Then 15 twists of your black pepper millò, sprinkle with the cheese and drink with either a white or red. In fact I've just eaten this in a dieters version, less oil and cheese and yeak even like that its the bollocks. This meal will run you very cheap and its a brilliant one but get the pasta Al Dente. Most Italians in Lombardy kill the pasta in cooking so dont ask one of them.

fish soup from my home town gallipoli italy

For 4 people (All fish and shellfish should be washed and cleaned prior to cooking. If you don’t know how, ask your fish vendor for assistance.) Ingredients: 2 Scorfano (scorpion fish) or other fish suitable for a soup 4 scampi (or large prawns if you can’ t find scampi) 1 small octopus 4 small squid or calamari 4 slices of of angler (substitute cod) ½ kg (1.1 lbs) of mixed shellfish (muscles, clams, etc.) 150 g. (5 ½ oz) Peeled tomatoes 1 onion 1 glass of dry white wine 4 slices of Italian country bread Extra virgin olive oil Parsley, salt, pepper Preparation: Sauté the onion in a large frying pan until soft. Add the octopus, the squid (or calamari) and then the scorpion fish and the angler. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the scampi, the prawns and, lastly, the shellfish. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes (half-way through cooking), add the tomato sauce you have previously prepared in a separate pan with the peeled tomatoes (any simple tomato sauce preparation will do). Finish cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes. Add pepper and sprinkle some chopped parsley over the soup. Serve with bread slices fried in olive oil or simply toasted.

italian pea pasta

1. Cook the pasta following packet instructions. Meanwhile, cook the peas and garlic in a separate pan of boiling salted water for 3-5 mins, until tender. Drain well, keeping some of the water.
2. Put the peas, garlic and watercress in a food processor with 2 tbsp of the pasta cooking water. Whizz to a very rough purée.
3. Return the pasta to the pan. Stir in the pea mixture, mascarpone, tarragon and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper and never serve with crusty bread as the pasta is the bread, you use bread to mop up the sauvce after in italy..

pasta with peas

• 3/4 stick butter
• 1 onion
• 1 pound shell pasta
• 4 cups frozen peas
• 6 basil leaves
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

PROCEDURE

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Toss in the onion and cook until slightly wilted.
2. 
   
   Plunge the shells in the boiling water. Cook according to package instructions. With five minutes left, add the peas to the onions, and add a tablespoon of the cooking liquid.
3. 
   
   When the pasta is done, toss with the butter and onions over medium high heat.
4. Sprinkle in the chopped basil, shred some cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

   
   

veggie soup

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve

1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, cut into 1cm dice
2 sticks of celery, cut into 1cm dice
Seasonal vegetables of your choice (at the moment, 1 courgette, diced, handful of fresh peas or broad beans, half a head of fennel, diced, 3 large leaves of cavolo nero, shredded)
1.5l good quality chicken stock
1 potato, cut into 2cm dice
100g cooked and drained borlotti beans
200g risotto rice
Grated parmesan and a few basil leaves, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and add the onion and garlic. Soften over a medium heat for 5 minutes, without allowing them to colour, then add the carrots and soften. Repeat with the celery.

2. Add the rest of the seasonal vegetables in order of cooking time (courgette and fennel will take longer than peas or fresh beans for example) and allow to soften slightly – they don't need to cook through at this point. Stir in the potato.

3. Add the stock, the borlotti bean and rice. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the potato and rice are cooked. Season to taste.

4. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a grating of parmesan and some torn basil leaves. (If you make this ahead of time, you'll find the rice swells to absorb much of the liquid, so it's best to make it without the rice, then add it when you reheat it. Alternatively, you can loosen it with more stock.)

Minestrone is surely the world's most versatile soup – is there anything you wouldn't put in yours, and what do you like to top it with? Does anyone like theirs chilled, and is there a British equivalent of this soup for all seasons?

swede soup

• 1/2 Swede, peeled and diced
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 stick Celery, sliced
• 1 Carrot, sliced
• 500ml Vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp Fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Fry the onion and garlic over a gentle heat until the onion is transparent.
2. Add the swede, stock, celery and carrot, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the swede is tender.
3. Cool the soup slightly and add the thyme.
4. Place in a liquidiser and liquidise until smooth.
5. Return the soup to the pan and warm.
6. Season as necessary with the salt and pepper, and serve immediately.