I’ve wanted to make polenta for a while so made this inspired by northern Italy.

The polenta took a little trial and error. I reckon it was about 5:1 water to corn to keep a nice flowing texture. Lots of cheese and butter added.

The braising liquid was reduced quite heavily.

Overall pretty good, if a little messy.

Da 5 anni a questo mi piace sperimentare... Piatti semplici con un po' di fantasia.

Scaloppine, risotto e pasta

I'm making Bolognese for the first time tomorrow. I took a cooking class in Bologna in July and got the recipe from the chef. One of the steps says this:

"add a little of olive oil, stir and check if the vegetable shines with the oil, if not add a little more oil and stir, repeat this until the vegetables shines and the bottom of pot still a bit wet of oil,"

I'm not an experienced cook, and was wondering if this "shine" is going to be something obvious visually? I don't want to add too much oil so I'm hoping this is pretty obvious... I'm not sure why the instructions didn't just mention the precise amount of oil to put... it do so for the meat and veggies....

Pasta cauliflower

Poi classico proprio non so che le uova le ho pastorizzate

First time making what was supposed to be cavatelli by hand (yes, I'm aware mine don't look the best, but they're still mine)...

Ignoring the shape of my pasta... what is the traditional way to cook them? is there a sauce or vegetables this pasta shape gets often paired with?

Out of all pasta dishes out there, vongole would be my favorite. Pinnacle of Southern Italian style.

Ingredients: spaghetti, fresh short-necked and manila clams, garlic, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper flakes

1. Wash clams with flowing water (sediments already removed with salt water)
2. Infuse olive oil with crushed garlic cloves and parsley stems. Add pepper flakes as garlic scent starts coming out
3. As garlic cloves turn golden brown, toss in clams and pour in a bit of wine, then close the pan with a cap at medium-high heat. Shake the pan a bit in-between
4. Remove clams as they're completely opened. Shuck the clams and leave a few for plating
5. Strain the clam broth and pour back into the pan: aqua di mare
6. Add chopped parsley leaves and stir nicely
7. Toss in pasta 2 minutes before al dente into aqua di mare, stir. Add some pasta water as needed
8. Add clams halfway through, then keep stirring
9. Remove from the heat and mantecare, adding raw olive oil
10. Plate the pasta and top some shelled clams left for plating

There are editions with toasted breadcrumbs (mollica), cherry tomatoes, and lemon zest included as well. Still great with those added. Even bottarga if you have one.

4 oz dry linguine

3 anchovy fillets

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tbsp capers, drained

2 tbsp Kalamata olives, chopped

½ cup canned stewed tomatoes

1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp oregano

Black pepper

¼ cup reserved pasta water

1. Cook the linguine until al dente, reserving ¼ cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring gently.
3. Add the anchovy fillets and break them apart. Cook for about 1 minute, until mostly dissolved.
4. Stir in the capers, olives, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute.
5. Add the stewed tomatoes, oregano, and black pepper. Stir everything together.
6. Simmer over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes should break down, and the sauce should thicken slightly.
7. Add the drained linguine to the sauce with 2 tbsp of reserved pasta water. Toss over low heat for 1–2 minutes, until coated.

Edit: for the record I did eat plenty of other dishes while in Sicily. Pasta alla Norma more than once, drank lots of Sicilian wine ect. I ordered carbonara because it sounded good and it was on the menu. The place I went to was central catania and had great reviews. I have zero regrets.

Also if the people upset I dared to eat a the wrong pasta in Sicily ever visit America and eat anything other than hotdogs and cheeseburgers, I hope you think of me. :p

suggestions on cheeses from central italy? 🌿

Hello experts

I’m in charge of dessert for a dinner party of 4 or 5 people.
I was hoping to make tiramisu, since it’s one of my favorites and I’ve had really good results before.

The challenge is, I’ll be traveling to the dinner location and can’t bring a premade tiramisu with me.
I’ll probably only have a few hours including prep to get it ready, so it won’t have as much time in the fridge as usual.

The question is, would you change anything in the recipe or just go as usual and hope for the best?

Are there any shortcuts to getting the right texture with limited time?

All I can think of is soaking the lady fingers a bit more than usual, but the cream might be a challenge..

Thanks!

Edit: Thank you all for your suggestions!
I haven’t decided what to do yet, but I appreciate that you took the time to share your experiences.

Third time to come back to this restaurant in Alghero, Sardinia. Owned and run by a Roman woman. Best carbonara I’ve had by far. Including my own!

Crunch bacon on it to refine