Prog Chefs Unite!!!

Instructions for Spaghetti Alla Putanesca (Spaghetti with Olives and Anchovi

In a skillet cook the garlic and the red pepper flakes in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, for 20 seconds, stir in the parsley, and cook the mixture for 10 seconds. Add the tomatoes with the juice and cook the mixture over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the anchovies, the olives, and the capers and cook the sauce, stirring, for 2 minutes. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the spaghetti until it is al dente, drain it, and in a bowl toss it with the sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with the Romano. Serves 2 to 4. Start timing when ingredients begin to sizzle. I use a cleaver to mince ingredients; I mince the anchovies and olives together. I chop the capers if they are large (approx .75mm) and leave them whole if they are small. If I use bottled capers it is very important to drain (I squeeze them) the capers, else they overpower everything; if I use salt packed capers I soak them in a strainer suspended in water to remove much of the salt. 1 tablespoon of garlic (minced) seems to do the trick "OK".







Edited by markosherrera - October 21 2008 at 22:38

You know, Pat, I'd be delighted to teach cooking at your home, though I'm sure you don't need any instruction.... Of course, you and your family will always be welcome at our own home in Alexandria, should you ever wish to travel that way!

As regards beans, I do like them a lot (though my favourite pulses are lentils, which are traditional on New Year's Eve in Italy - each lentil represents a coin), but lately they seem to disagree with me even more than normal, as do a number of other foods. Unfortunately, stress has a habit of doing that to people.

The original 'puttanesca' (whore's style) sauce is generally made without anchovies, but they certainly won't do it any harm if you add them. The origins of the name are debated - some say it's called like that because of its strong taste, suited to the cooking of a loose woman; others instead maintain that it is such a quick dish that can be made between customers, so to say.

NaturalScience wrote: Atavachron wrote: Ghost Rider wrote: I have an extensive collection of cookbooks and recipes, but I never follow them slavishly, and I find this is the best method for me. Recipes for me are a sort of starting point from which I can create my own version of the dish, though there are times when I do invent altogether. As regards chilli, I like it a lot, and so does Micky, but lately I have had to avoid beans and the like, so when I finally get to the US I'll try some of the bean-less varieties. My favourite Tex-Mex dish, however, are fajitas, especially if made with chicken... Delicious! y'know Raff, traditional Southwestern chili has no beans, it's more a sauce of chili peppers, tomatoes and spices.. so a beanless kind would be quite authentic (in fact in some regions even meat is not part of what is considered chili, though Chili con Carne is the most well known) In any event, chili rules.  Love meat and beans in mine, and for me it has to be chipotle peppers.

Dean wrote: ^ yes. I've just made the mistake of putting 'puttan esca' through the Google translator - doesn't actually encourage anyone to eat it...

Dean, you are hereby guilty of something you've accused others of on certain occasions. There's tea spatters all over my screen....

 ^ occasionally I make a fried rice from leftover stir fry, I throw an egg in sometimes

tonight I had what I call a 'sloppy Greek' ...  a mix of ground lamb, ground beef, purple and yellow onions, tomato paste, chipotle, a dash of Worcestershire, sauteed together and stuffed in Pita bread with cucumber slices on the side

Jim Garten wrote: NaturalScience wrote: In any event, chili rules.  Love meat and beans in mine, and for me it has to be chipotle peppers. Ah but which chili pepper??? A friend of ours grows dozens of varieties from the mild & flavourful to the terrifying Dorset Naga; debatably the hottest pepper in the world & advised that if you want to use it to cook with, you don't chop it, just pierce the skin & put it into the dish you're cooking... then make sure you remove it before serving (unless you actually want your guests to explode). You may ask why you'd use such a pepper ion the first place, but they evidently have a fantastic flavour all their own when used appropriately. He gave me a couple & they're still in the freezer - I've not had the nerve to try to use one yet

We grew Habeneros last year, they taste great but they can injure you. I used gloves to cut them up and cook them in the oven which reduces their heat a bit. While chopping them and cooking them the air in the kitchen could sting your eyes and/or really clear your lungs out.

After cooking them I chopped them into little pieces and stored them in the freezer so later they can then be used for cooking or making salsa etc, a little tiny piece goes a long way.

Edited by Easy Money - October 24 2008 at 10:56

Raff wrote: The town where my father's family comes from (on the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, in southern Italy) is the Italian capital of chili pepper, or peperoncino as we call it. I suppose they are nowhere as hot as those devilish qualities Jim and John mentioned, but they can still pack a reasonable wallop. Personally, I do like some heat in my food, but not to the point when the heat prevents me from tasting everything else, or seriously impairs my enjoyment of a dish. That said, a well-made panful of Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (with garlic, oil and chilli pepper) can be heaven, and I intend making some olio santo (extra-virgin olive oil with garlic and chilli pepper) once I am in the US. Pity I can't take any foods with me... I was told that even tea is off!

Most major US cities have a few decent Italian delis, I would think if you are moving to the DC/Alexandria metroplex you should be able to find something. I remember when I traveled Europe long ago I could barely eat the food in northern Europe and even France, but when we got to Italy I just loved all the colors and fresh vegetables. In Germany if you asked for a salad you got something similar to sauerkraut, ha ha. That may have changed since.

In the southern part of the states there is a sort of soul food style spaghetti that is hot and sweet with a lot of herbs and finely chopped peppers and veggies. I had some in a restaurant and just had to go home and try it myself.

Edited by Easy Money - October 24 2008 at 11:17

Congrats for the good news, Eric! I don't really think you'll gain back those 44 pounds (that's over 20 kilos!) after your nice feast. On my part, I'm getting ready for my first Thanksgiving on US soil.... Don't think I'll be roasting a whole turkey just for the two of us, so I've found some nice variations that use turkey meat, though not the whole bird. And I'm planning to bake a state-of-the-art pumpkin pie too!

good for you Eric

Time to resurrect this glorious thread... Thanksgiving Day is approaching, the first one I'll spend in the USA, and this is the right time to think about cooking something special. Earlier this week I had to go down to Calabria, in Southern Italy, to take care of some family-related matters, and I had the opportunity to taste a very simple, but utterly delicious dish that would be perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner with a twist. It was grilled squash slices seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, good-quality vinegar, salt, chilli flakes and fennel seeds - served at room temperature as an appetizer, or even a side dish. The guy at the restaurant told me there was no need to marinate the squash, though I think it would make it even tastier.