2 kinds; pork w/ lamb and cheese, and pork w/ beef – spicy too!
… the eye-talian in me!
and natas!
… the portugues in me!
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… went gangbusters shopping today! from grocery store to table, and proud of it!
… best mofo lasagna this side of Napoli!!
… pics! just pics y’all!!
This is another one of my famous throw everything in the pot and hope for the best type of creations!! I bought sausages (hot Italian), and used whatever else I had in the house. I’ve been on a chickpeas roll of late, incorporating them in many meals I’ve been making … talk about awesome and healthy!! I grilled the sausages, then combined them w/ sautéed sweet onions, red peppers and kale. After a few minutes of sizzling ‘n flippin’ on high heat, I deglazed w/ white wine, added a bit of chicken broth, tossing in the chick peas, and bringing everthing to a simmer before placing in the oven to finish! Served w/ the obligatory/proverbial Italian crusty peasant loaf to sop up all the goodness, the best cheese you have in the icebox, a glass (or bottle, lol) of red vino, the lights dimmed creating the perfect ambience, Sting, or maybe Annie Lennox, playing softly in the background setting the mood… and yep, dansyermothereffinguncle …
mungia mungia! farmer style mungia mungia …
yum, yum, and YUMMO …
my stingy/meager portion (another blog post/lesson – another time) …
leftovers w/ fried & caramelized onions! leftovers are ALWAYS better …
… and, I’ve made many variations, today’s was extra killer! It hit me? I haven’t been food bloggin’ for quite some time. And, knowing it’s cyclical (people come, people go), it made me realize many newcomers to danistrulytheman don’t have a clue about me, especially when it comes to my cooking skills. I really have neglected this part of me, my blog … and I also realize, no one can be bothered to peruse a blog that extends 4 years+ back, just want you newcomers to know, I do have exceptional (Italian) cooking skills. So much, that lately, things I see on other blogs that would make me cringe, now elicits a friendly “like” … lol! I could go on ad nauseam about it … in fact, I MAY have previously. I kept it basic for today … I think that’s been my problem of late; too lazy … can’t be bothered to teach y’all! typically, I use minced veal, today my market had gorgeous beef (cheaper too) … was an easy decision. normally, I put my tomatoes (San Marzano) through a food mill, but at a dinner party once, a non-foodie commented that she used an immersion blender … her thinking was that any tomato skins/seeds contained nutrients, and she didn’t want to waste any of it. I’ll never forgot her words, and it made me rethink my method, and to this day, I use her approach. BUT, today pressed for time, went sans blender, dumping the cans into the browned meat, breaking up the tomatoes with my wooden spoon … pulling out any obvious tomato skins. here’s a pic of my bolognese (chunky) simmering …
and here’s my pasta boiling away. notice the high boil? plus, I don’t use ANYTHING but pasta from Italy (sorry, another topic, for another day). when the water comes to a boil, I dump in about 5 tablespoons of salt; the pasta water should taste like the ocean ( again, another day – oh, and kosher/sea salt too).
and, finally plated … my bolognese linguine piccolo w/Romano Lupa and OMG’s focaccia. and, please believe me; this pic doesn’t even begin to give the meal justice – it WAS more awesome than you can imagine!
Had these sexyshanks a while back with the family … believe me, there’s enough meat here to feed the troops, and then some … finally got around to bloggin’ pics ’bout it. Real easy & simple too … key is to have a butcher who’ll go out of his way for you, willing to work with you … getting the exact piece you ask for, and cutting to your specs. Season liberally with salt and pepper, brown in olive oil … then, add the shanks to 1.5 – 2 litres of the best homemade tomato sauce/passata you have, and bake in a dutch oven at 350° for a couple of hours till falling off the bone tender, the marrow oozing/melting into the sauce. At this point, I pulled out the ossobuco and cut/broke apart into 1-2 inch portions. I also extracted any remaining marrow from the bones, adding it to the sauce, discarding any sinewy/grisly bits as well. Served up family style with my best al dente Italian linguine (sorry, no pics … was crazily rushing around …and stressing, lol)!! 🙄
yeah, thick ass is right …
browning away #1 …
… and #2 …
una Infinitas
Abominatio Nascitur Autumno
hic est tuum temptamen quod temptat tua potentia
viginti tres gradus ad summam potestatem
I am the KING … love eating on the cheap, waste not want not … I’ll drag out a meal for a week, no joke. Started this party with meatballs (BEST batch btw – sorry, no pics) and my home made marinara. Three days in, digging through my creative cupboards (metaphorically & literally) I found these … Magyar noodles doing their best drywall plug imitation, and half a bag of Gomiti. Well, you know the drill … sea salt al dente, then added to ma ma meatballs … NOW I have more food than when I started, lol. Served with frozen garlic toast found in the freezer *score*, and freshly grated Grana Padano from my fridge. Note: must snap pics sans grated cheese – can’t see the forest for the trees. 💡
… and properly fancied it up, tired of always mangiacaking it down … oh what the hell – Meatballs with pasta, lol!! This creation came courtesy leftovers (once again), a coupla days back I made a batch of my famous meatballs and homemade sauce. And later looking to vary and extend it further, came up with this … it’s a baked pasta dish (my favourite way of cooking it btw), and that sliced tomato (I’ve NEVER done that before, but I had a very ripe one – and remember; waste not, want not) inspiration was something I’ve seen … I think it was from Lidia (Bastianich), maybe it was Giada (De Laurentis) though?! Cooked the pasta in my stock pot full of boiling water and with a ladle full of sea salt – should taste like the ocean, until very al dente, then drained (but with a bit of the pasta water reserved) and finally combined with the meatballs and sauce … oh, I did layer Auricchio before finishing with the tomato (and that’s Grana Padano grated on top when I pulled it out of the oven) … some pics, enjoy – mangia mangia!! 😀
my balls are simmering …
outta the oven …
drizzled with Acropolis, lotsa Grana Padano too …
the money shot – YUMM …
scooped out with a spoon shot – love this …
onto my plate …
and served with toasted garlic bread …
Cooler temps precipitated this … plus I had all the ingredients (pretty much), AND love using fresh herbs from my garden while I’m still able to – so the deal was sealed.
Italian spaghetti (loops around – VERY long):
Homemade sauce gently simmering away:
Pan sautéed shrimp in white wine, butter sauce – fresh oregano too:
Handfuls of whole basil leaves thrown in at the very end (along with the shrimp):
Combined with the pasta (this is KEY), NOT simply spooned on top:
Vino – red, any good Italian wine … Bread – crusty, peasant loaf … and YES Cheese (give a rat’s ass ’bout any seafood pasta rules we’ve all heard to the contrary. I’m eating a tomato based pasta, I’m grating cheese, and generously too, lol) – Grana Padano, Parm-Regg, or Romano Lupa. Good Italian eating … it don’t get no better folks!! 😉
danistrulytheman 