Ricette della casalinga

Casalinga is the Italian for housewife.If you see Cucina Casalinga on the menu of a trattoria or osteria,you can almost be sure that they serve good plain food, and that the landlady is in the kitchen.I've wrote down some recipes that I got from Italian housewifes that I have meet when I was in Italy.

Polenta :

Polenta is a sort of semolina porridge, wich is still eaten often in the north of Italy instead of potatoes.

What you need (4 servings) :

• 1 (1 3/4pt) water, salt.
• 225 g (8 oz) polenta flour, fresh ground black pepper.

How to do it :

• Bring the water and salt to a rolling boil.
• Shower the polenta flour slowly but steadily in the water, stirring all the time.
• Stir untill the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Lower the heat and simmer gently until the polenta is thick but not hard - about 25 - 30 minutes..
• Add salt and peppar to taste.
• Tip the cooked polenta on to a wooden serving platter and shape into a cake with a dampened spatla..
• Mark into sections for serving.
• Serve immediately topping each portion witha slice of soft butter and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

NOTE :

For grilled polenta -- Cook the polenta untill it is really thick - about 40 minutes.Greas an oven dish with oil.Poor in the cooked polenta and let get hard and cold.Tip the cold polenta on to a cutting-board, and cut into 2 cm (1 inch) slices.Grill the polenta on each side.

Bagno Caöda :

A dip sauce from Piemonte for people with a strong stomach!!

1. What you need (4 servings) :

• 6 garlic cloves, 6 sardell fillets,75g (3 oz) butter.

How to do it :

• Pound the crushed garlic and the fillets in a mortar untill you get a smooth paste.
• Add the oil, a little at the time.
• Poor the mixture in a small pot, and warm for ca 10 minutes above a low heat.
• Hold warm above a tealight.
• Serve with all sort of raw vegetables and grissini.

Salsa Verde :

This green sauce is always eaten together with Boliti Misto.

1. What you need (about 1.5 dl / 1/4 pint) :

• 50g (2 oz) parsley, 2 garlic cloves, 6 anchovies,
• 2 tablespoons capers, 300 ml (1/3 pint) olive oil, juice of one lemon, salt, freshly ground blak pepper.

How to do it :

• Chop the parsley, anschovies, capers finely.
• Peel and crush the garlic.
• Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, anchovies, capers,garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Leave the sauce covered at room temperature, for 4 hours before serving to allow the flavour to mature.

Salsa di Pomodore :

A basic sauce for most of the pasta sauces.

1. What you need :

• 1 kg (2 1/4 lb) tomatoes, 1 small onion, 1 large carrot, 2 sticks cellery, 1 garlic clove.
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, ½ teaspoon castersugar, salt,freshly ground black pepper.

How to do it :

• Chop the tomatoes roughly.Scrape and shop the carrot.
• Put the tomatoes, onion, carrot, cellery, garlic, parsley, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste into a saucepan.
• Simmer gently until the tomatoes have softned and almost turnt to a purée.
• Sieve the sauce.

Pesto alla Genovese :

A green herb sause mostly used for pasta and in some soups.

1. What you need :

• 1 large bunch basil leaves, 3 garlic cloves, 25 g (2 oz) pine kernels.
• Salt, fresh ground black pepper, 150 ml (1/4 pint) olive oil, little boiling water.

How to do it :

• Put the basil leaves in the liquidizer together with the peeled garlic, pine kernels, salt and pepper to taste, and the olive oil.
• Blend until smooth.
• Thin to the desired consistence with a little boiling water.

Salsa 'Peara' :

A peppersauce from Veneto, mostly served with Bolito misto.

1. What you need :

• 50 g (2 oz) butter, 50 g (2 oz) bone marrow, 150 ml (1/4 pint) fine bread crumbs.
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, 1 litre Brodo di Pollo, salt, freshly ground black pepper.

How to it :

• Melt the butter and the bone marrow in a sauce pan.
• Stir in the bread crumbs and let them swell.
• Mix them with the butter until all the butter is absorbed.
• Bring the Brodo di Pollo to the boil.
• Poor the chicken stock over the crumbs.
• Season with salt to taste and generousely with pepper.
• Simmer until ca 3 dl (½ pint) liquid remains.The sauce should be vicious and have a strong pepper taste.

Pasta all'Uovo' :

Fresh egg pasta.

1. What you need :

• 350 g (12 oz) plain flour, plus extra four flouring.
• Large pinch of salt.
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten,1½ tablespoon olive oil.

How to it :

• Place the flour and salt in a bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the eggs.
• Gradually work the flour into the eggs, using a fork, then continue with your hands until they are well mixed.
• Add a table spoon or more of flour if necessary, so that the mass holds together well.
• Knead for 10 - 15 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour if it isto sticky.
• Rub the the dough with ½ tablespoon of oil and wrap in a polythene bag to prevent of a dry skin forming.
• Let it rest for an hour at rooms temprature.
• Divide the dough into 2 balls for easier handling.
• Roll each out as thinly as possible on alightly floured boeard with a lightly floured rolling pin.
• To make noodles, carefully transfer the two sheets of dough to a teacloth and leave dry for 20 minutes.
• Fold the sheets over and over, and using a sharp knive, cut into ribbons about 0.5 cm(1/4 in) wide to make tagliatelle and narrower for fettuccine.
• To cook the noodles, drop them into a large pan of salted boiling water and add the remaining oil. They will take only a few seconds to cook al dente.

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