Category: First Courses

Insalata di Riso

‘Insalata di Riso’ (rice salad) is an informal Italian dish that is especially popular in the summer as an appetizer or as a refreshing first course, particularly for lunch. Its main component is Parboiled rice, which is the most appropriate for this preparation as its grains remain firm and separated when cooked, and stay soft when they get cold. The cooled rice is lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and flavored with a variety of add-ins, according to personal preference, but also following the tradition.

Insalata di Riso

Yield: 3-4 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Insalata di Riso

Ingredients

     Main

    • 1 cup parboiled rice
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
    • 100 g mild cheese (Fontina, Montasio, Raclette, Gouda), cubed
    • ½ cup Italian pickled cucumbers (no dill and no garlic!)
    • ½ cup Italian mixed 'sottaceti' (vinegar-preserved vegetables, e.g.: peppers, corn, capers, carrots, olives, fennel, artichokes)
    • ¼ cup sliced olives
    • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
    • the juice of 1 lemon
    • salt

     Other

    • pickled 'cipolline' (small onions), halved
    • pickled bell peppers, cut in small pieces
    • tuna in olive oil, crushed
    • ham, diced
    • cold roast beef or chicken, cut in small pieces

    Preparation

    1. Boil or steam the rice then spread it over a cloth and let it cool down, by the end the rice should be dry and fluffy.
    2. Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs and cook the peas, then let them also cool down.
    3. Move the rice into a bowl (fig. 1) and gently mix in the olive oil. Gather the pickled veggies (fig. 2).
    4. Gather peas, eggs (fig. 3) and diced cheese (fig. 4).
    5. Mix all of the add-ins together with the rice, then stir in the lemon juice.
    6. Adjust the salt and let the salad rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/08/insalata-di-riso.html

    Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

    Sugo* all’Arrabbiata is a classic pasta sauce from central/southern Italy that can be prepared very quickly, while the pasta cooks. This sauce is traditionally quite spicy, and this is at the origin of its name (all’arrabbiata, in Italian means ‘angry-style’). If desired, a milder version can be made, but a certain amount of heat is necessary to counter the acidity of the lightly cooked tomato and enhance its flavor. (*Sugo is another name for ‘salsa’, sauce.)

    Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

    Yield: 2 servings

    Total Time: 20 minutes

    Prep Time: 10 minutes

    Cook Time: 10 minutes

    Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

    Ingredients

    • 500 g peeled diced tomatoes (fresh or from a quality can)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 chili pepper (whole or seeded if a milder sauce is desired), minced
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • some fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
    • 150 g dried short pasta (e.g.: tortiglioni, rigatoni, penne)
    • salt

    Preparation

    1. Mince chili pepper and garlic (fig. 1).
    2. In a large non-stick pan, fry garlic and chili pepper in olive oil for 2 minutes (fig. 2).
    3. Add the diced tomatoes (fig. 3), cook at medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
    4. Boil the pasta in plenty of salty water for the time indicated on the box.
    5. Add the well drained pasta to the pan and toss for 1 minute at high heat (fig. 4).
    6. Take off the heat, sprinkle with parsley, serve immediately.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/07/tortiglioni-allarrabbiata.html

    Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino – The Staple Midnight Pasta

    Aglio (pronounced ‘ah-llyo’), Olio e Peperoncino (Garlic, Oil and Chili Pepper) is one of the simplest and most popular Italian pasta sauces, and one of the most delicious. Its simplicity is unmatched for showcasing perfectly cooked, high-quality spaghetti, the cut of pasta that it best goes with. Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino is really more of a pasta dressing, rather than an actual sauce. And it’s perfect for when there is no time to make a sauce, for a midnight snack, or for unexpected guests.

    Italian cuisine is based on quality – the more a dish is simple, the more it requires the best ingredients. And this is definitely the case with Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino.

    Let’s start with the pasta: a typical serving of 70-80 grams per person of dried durum semolina spaghetti from a quality Italian brand (e.g.: Voiello, De Cecco, Barilla). It’s possible to use another cut of pasta – spaghetti could be replaced with linguine, but that’s pretty much as far as an Italian would push it. Definitely, short pasta wouldn’t be appropriate, and neither would egg noodles.

    Even by sticking to spaghetti, most Italians have a preference of what thickness best suits this dish. Every brand has its own “units”, for instance in my family we’ve always preferred the thicker Barilla #7 (‘Spaghettoni’), whereas the most popular kind is the thinner #5.

    Another fundamental choice that Italians make is whether or not to break the spaghetti in half before boiling them. Traditionally, pasta should never be cut – not before cooking it and especially never after it has been dished out. However, boiling 10 inch long noodles requires a particularly tall pot and breaking them in half may be practical.

    As for the oil, extra virgin olive oil is a must for this dish. Other than being a vessel on which to carry the flavor of the pasta and the spiciness of the chilies, extra virgin olive oil brings its distinct aroma, which perfectly complements them.

    The third and last ingredient, chili pepper, tops up the flavor profile with the simplest cooking trick: adding some heat! Any kind of chilies can be used, from a fresh cayenne pepper to dried flakes. It’s only important to get the desired amount of spiciness, which is usually medium-hot.

    Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

    Yield: 2 servings

    Total Time: 15 minutes

    Prep Time: 3 minutes

    Cook Time: 12 minutes

    Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

    Ingredients

    • 150 g high quality dried spaghetti
    • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (or 1 fresh cayenne pepper*)
    • (optional) 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

    Preparation

    1. Start boiling the pasta in "abundant salty water" (fig.1).
    2. In a small pan, warm up the olive oil at medium heat for a minute.
    3. Add the crushed garlic and let it fry until it turns golden-brown (fig. 2).
      *If using a fresh cayenne pepper, it should be seeded and roasted along with the garlic and then also removed.
    4. Turn off the heat, discard the garlic and add the chili flakes (fig. 3).
    5. As soon as the pasta is cooked "al dente", drain it in a colander and toss it back in the empty pot.
    6. Pour in the garlic chili oil, quickly stir and dish the pasta into serving bowls.
    7. If desired, add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and serve immediately.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/04/spaghetti-aglio-olio-e-peperoncino.html

    Pasta with Gorgonzola

    This quick and versatile recipe is another great representative of the cuisine of northern Italy. With any kind of strong, creamy cheese and a handful of always-ready ingredients, this delicious sauce can be whipped together from scratch in minutes. In Italy, there is absolutely no Alfredo sauce! The most famous dish that makes use of a creamy cheese sauce is ‘Gnocchi al Gorgonzola‘, but any kind of pasta can be used – and boxed dried pasta is actually recommended for this dish.

    Pasta with Gorgonzola

    Yield: 2 servings

    Total Time: 25 minutes

    Prep Time: 5 minutes

    Cook Time: 20 minutes

    Pasta with Gorgonzola

    Ingredients

    • 10 g butter (1 tablespoon)
    • 10 g water (1 tablespoon)
    • 10 g flour (1 tablespoon)
    • 100 g milk (½ cup)
    • some ground nutmeg
    • some ground black pepper
    • salt
    • 40 g Gorgonzola, Cambozola, or other blue cheese
    • One handful of crushed walnuts, pecans or pine nuts
    • 20 g grated Parmigiano
    • 140 g dried pasta. In the picture above you can see whole-wheat 'penne', but any dried pasta or fresh gnocchi can be used. Ricotta and spinach, or cheese ravioli also work very well with this sauce.

    Preparation

    1. Put butter and water in a saucepan at medium heat.
    2. When butter has melted, add the flour.
    3. Stir until it sizzles.
    4. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Add the nutmeg.
    5. Add the walnuts, the Gorgonzola, the Parmigiano, and adjust with salt and pepper.
    6. Cook the pasta "al dente", then drain it and put it back in the pan adding the cheese sauce. Mix well and serve in pre-heated bowls.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/02/pasta-with-gorgonzola.html

    Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

    Pizzoccheri is a Northern Italian dish almost unknown in North America. It originates in Valtellina (known as Valtelline or Val Telline in English), a valley at the very top of Lombardy.

    Check out the latest episode of Thoughts on the Table, the podcast on food and food culture. Also available on iTunes and Google Play Music.

    Despite the name, Pizzoccheri has nothing to do with pizza. It is a first course centered around a special pasta made of buckwheat flour, a type of grain also called Saracen corn (‘grano Saraceno’ in Italian). The recognizable hearty flavor and coarse texture of buckwheat pasta are almost absent from Italian cuisine, but they marry perfectly with potatoes, cabbage, butter, and Valtellina Casera cheese (also indigenous of Valtellina) to make a unique dish.

    As detailed by its official website, Valtellina Casera is a medium-ripening, semi-cooked PDO cheese (see the ‘Formaggio Cheese’ post for more information on cheese classification) exclusively produced in Valtellina and made with partly skimmed cow milk. For the preparation of Pizzoccheri, Valtellina Casera is used when just over its minimum aging of 70 days while its flavor is delicate and milky and before it turns more intense.

    In Italy, dried buckwheat pasta specifically cut for use in Pizzoccheri can be bought in stores. However, it can also be easily made from scratch without particular equipment.

    Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

    Yield: 2-3 servings

    Total Time: 45 minutes

    Prep Time: 30 minutes

    Cook Time: 15 minutes

    Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

    Ingredients

       For 200 g of fresh Pizzoccheri noodles

      • 100 g buckwheat flour
      • 50 g white all-purpose flour
      • 1/8 tsp salt

       For the finished dish

      • 200 g fresh Pizzoccheri noodles (the same amount of dried Pizzoccheri can also be used).
      • 250 g potatoes (2 small, diced).
      • 150 g Savoy cabbage (sliced). For a more delicate flavor, it can be replaced or mixed with spinach.
      • 100 g Valtellina Casera cheese (thinly sliced). It can be replaced with other, easier to find, mild semi-cooked cheeses (such as young Fontina, Montasio, Raclette or Gouda).
      • 20 g Parmigiano cheese (grated).
      • 50 g unsalted butter.
      • 3 cloves of garlic (crushed).
      • 2 or 3 leaves of fresh sage (optional).
      • Salt and black pepper.

      Preparation

         For the Pizzoccheri noodles

        1. Mix the buckwheat flour with the white flour and the salt.
        2. Work in about 1/3 cup of water, just enough for a firm dough to form. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
        3. Roll the dough into a sheet 2-3 millimeters thick.
        4. Cut the sheet into small rectangles of about 0.5 by 5 cm.
        5. Using a spatula, separate the rectangles from the cutting board.
        6. Place the pieces on a floured plate (sprinkling with more flour before overlapping them).

         For the finished dish

        1. Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil (using ½ tablespoon of salt per liter of water).
        2. Add the potatoes and the cabbage to the boiling water.
        3. Let the vegetables cook for 12-13 minutes (5 minutes if using dried pasta).
        4. Toss the (uncooked) pasta into the boiling water and keep cooking for another 2-3 minutes (10 minutes if using dried pasta).
        5. Meanwhile, melt the butter with the garlic and the sage in it; roast them until the garlic is golden, then discard both.
        6. Drain the pasta and vegetables mix removing it from the top by using a skimmer not to disturb the cloudy water.
        7. At this point start assembling the dish directly into individual bowls. Start layering the ingredients alternating some of the pasta and vegetables with a sprinkle of Parmigiano, a few cheese slices and some melted butter. Repeat 2 or 3 times using up all of the ingredients, ending with a layer of pasta and vegetables and a sprinkle of Parmigiano.
        8. Add some black pepper and serve without stirring.

        Notes

        A vegetable mincer can be used to make parallel cuts.

        https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/01/pizzoccheri-della-valtellina.html

        More featured recipes

        Potato Gnocchi

        Potato gnocchi are a common alternative to pasta in first courses. They are made by mixing riced potatoes with flour and egg. There are, however, several other types of gnocchi, such as ‘gnocchi alla romana’ (typical of central Italy) which are made with semolina flour (and without potatoes). In the area near the Austrian border, flour ‘gnocchetti’ (the equivalent of the German spätzle) are used as an accompaniment instead of rice or potatoes.

        Potato gnocchi can be served with any pasta sauce. However, some sauces pair more successfully with their flavor and texture: tomato sauce, butter and sage, Gorgonzola sauce.

        This recipe yields 5-6 servings. It’s quite simple to make but may easily take 2 ½ hours.

        Potato Gnocchi

        Yield: 5-6 servings

        Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

        Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

        Cook Time: 15 minutes

        Potato Gnocchi

        Ingredients

        • 2 ¼ pounds (1 Kg) whole unpeeled Russet (Bakers) potatoes.
        • about 2 ½ cups (350 g) white all-purpose flour.
        • 1 egg.
        • ½ teaspoon salt.

        Preparation

        1. Boil the whole unpeeled russet potatoes, previously washed and scrubbed (fig. 1). This will take 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. Alternatively, the potatoes can be baked in the microwave for about 6-8 minutes after having punched holes in them with a fork. Russet potatoes (also called Bakers) are particularly suitable because high in starch and low in moisture.
        2. Cut each boiled potato in half and mash it in a ricer; the skin will remain in the ricer to be disposed.
        3. Allow the mashed potatoes to cool, then add the flour (fig. 2).
        4. Work together flour and potatoes until you obtain an evenly crumbly mix.
        5. Add the whole egg and the salt (fig. 3).
        6. Mix and kneed for 2 minutes. The dough should feel light and fluffy, sufficiently elastic and not too sticky (fig. 4). If later on, during the process, the dough starts to feel sticky again, add enough flour to prevent it.
        7. Cut the dough in fist-size pieces, then roll out each piece until you have a long roll about ½ inch in diameter. Cut the rolls into 1 inch pieces (fig. 5).
        8. Roll each gnocco over on a fork to produce the well known indentations (see the picture below) - the corrugated texture will help the sauce bind.
        9. Let the gnocchi rest on a well floured plate or tray, ensuring they stay separated (fig. 6).

          Note: Gnocchi can be frozen at this stage, and then kept in the freezer in air-tight containers for up to 4 weeks.
        10. Cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water until they float. Frozen gnocchi can also be boiled directly without thawing, just ensure you do so in small batches to avoid interrupting the boil.
        11. Warm up the sauce in a skillet. Drain and add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce allowing them to become fully coated.
        12. Serve in pre-heated plates with Parmigiano cheese if the sauce calls for it.
        https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2010/11/potato-gnocchi.html

        Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms

        Risotto is a staple northern Italian dish obtained by toasting the rice in the pan and then slowly adding liquid and mixing until absorbed, for as long as the rice takes to cook. Even though the recipe requires constant stirring, the procedure is very easy and guaranteed to produce perfect results as long as the rice is kept at a constant boiling temperature for the correct amount of time.

        This recipe serves two hungry people, or three not so much. It takes about 25 minutes from start to finish.

        Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms

        Yield: 2 servings

        Total Time: 25 minutes

        Prep Time: 5 minutes

        Cook Time: 20 minutes

        Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms

        Ingredients

        • 1 cup of Carnaroli Rice (Arborio as a second choice)
        • 3 ½ cups of vegetable or beef stock
        • One handful of dried or fresh Porcini mushrooms
        • 1 tablespoon of chopped onion
        • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
        • 1 glass of white wine (best if at room temperature)
        • ¼ cup of Parmigiano cheese (grated)
        • Some ground black pepper
        • (Recommended) 1 pouch of Italian saffron
        • (Optional) 1 green onion or a bunch of chives

        Preparation

        1. Bring the stock to a gentle boil (ensure the stock is flavorful, but not too salty).
        2. If using dried mushrooms, wash them well under tap water and then soak them for 5-10 minutes in lukewarm water to rehydrate them. Let any grit sediment settle to the bottom, pick up the mushrooms leaving the dirty water in the bowl.
        3. In a second pan, sauté the onion in 2/3 of the butter until soft and translucent.
        4. Add the rice and stir at medium heat for a couple of minutes (this will "toast" the rice, adding flavor).
        5. Add the wine and set the timer: 18 minutes if using Carnaroli, 15 minutes if using Arborio.
        6. Add the re-hydrated or fresh mushrooms.
        7. Keep stirring. When the rice dries out a bit, add some stock and go back to stirring. (Note: it might be necessary to lower the temperature, but make sure the rice keeps boiling, and so does the stock.)
        8. 3-4 minutes from being ready, add the saffron (dissolved in a tablespoon of stock).
        9. When the time is up, turn off the heat, move the pan off the burner and add the remaining butter. Keep stirring for 1 additional minute. At this point the Risotto should be creamy and soft, and without any liquid running around.
        10. Serve in bowls covered with the grated Parmigiano, some ground black pepper and (optionally) garnished with fresh thin-sliced green onion or chives.
        11. Eat immediately, as this dish absolutely can't be reheated.

        Notes

        Other than mushrooms, many other ingredients can be added as flavors (some of the most common are: leek, artichokes, asparagus, radicchio, Taleggio, Gorgonzola, seafood, sausage).

        Even though the flavors are important, Risottos (or Risotti in Italian) are as much about the rice as they are about the add-ons. The particular type of rice and the gradual hydration while stirring constantly is what extracts the starch and gives creaminess and texture to the dish. Using the wrong type of rice or a different cooking technique can completely ruin the result.

        https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2010/10/risotto-with-porcini-mushrooms.html