Vegan curry pasta

While curry rice is an institution it in Japan, I decided to try an other combination, of course with a slightly different recipe, and was very much surprised with the way it ended. As the title saus, it’s curry pasta. For two not too big servings I used 3 tomatoes, 4 okras and 1 carrots, a bit of olive oil, 1 tsp of curry powder and salt and pepper. It’s really simple. Boil some big pasta: penne or whatever you like. In a heated and greased pan I put the tomato cut in pieces, cook at high heat for 2min than at low heat. I add the carrot sliced, the salt pepper and curry and cook under cover until the carrots are almost done. Add the okras, remove the cover, cook until the moisture is almost gone. Serve with the pasta. The taste of curry must be subtle and should not hide the sweetnes of the tomatoes and carrots.

September 18, 2016

The perfect light lunch

I love this ring pasta from Sicily: anelli siciliani that I bought in Sicily last time we traveled there. There are so many different pasta in Italy that it is amazing the different reciepe one can imagine with pasta. And it is also so simple to cook. It’s a pity that except from Italy is not that easy to find so much variety and in Japan most Italian restaurants that serve pasta would serve spaghetti, and most of the pasta that one can find in supermarkets in Japan are spaghetti indeed, penne, fusilli and some macaroni. Tagliatelle, lasagne and trofie in more high scale supermarket where they have European imported food. So yes, when I go to Italy i pack on regional dry pasta!!!.
This ring pasta are really perfect when eaten with vegetables and simplyaccommodated with olive oil. For this plate I have opted for fresh tomatoes, fresh shiitake and parsley from the garden. I boiled the pasta al-dente, in the mean time in a pan heated with olive oil I added 2 large ripe tomatoes diced and 5 large shiitake sliced thinly. I reduced until almost dry. I drained the pasta and add them to the sauce, then add a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper and served. Topped with freshly cut parsley. Bon apetite!

September 4, 2016

Saturday energy lunch

We are back to our little weekend routine: going to the country, gardening, playing tennis, baking bread etc… Which means a lot of outdoor time and a lit of activity. Lunch always to be energetic and well balanced. Pasta, rice or cereals make a good base, and since we have local and fresh vegetables and meat or fish I also use many. Today I opted for grilled vegetables that can cook while outside gardening, together with Sicilian ring pasta and some dried tomatoes and thyme pork balls. The veggies are oven roasted in olive oil for 60min. The pork balls I made them with fresh pork meat, 2 dried tomatoes chopped and a tsp of dried thyme (if you have fresh one it’s even better). I them mix all together, made tiny one bite balls and cook them in a bit of olive oil.

August 27, 2016

Craving for fresh pasta al pesto

This weekend Sunday I was looking forward for swimming in the icean and body boarding. We first wanted to go really early in the morning between high and low tide but we over slept and when we woke up at 7:30 it was already to close to low tide, and there nothing more boring than low tide: the water is shallow and very little waves for body bording. So we had to wait fir the next high tide that was later in the afternoon. At 16:30 I was really excited to go but there was no wave… Well at least we could swim… But the 22deg announced on the surf report was not too accurate and it was rather a 17deg, with a little chilly wind blowing… Swimming ended up by trying up to the thights and resigning… Back home… Frustrated… Looking at magazines and suddenly craving for pasta al pesto. The problem is that A. doesn’t really like pesto: no parmegiano allowed and no pune nuts either… So the best option was to do a tomato based one and to rapidly prepare some fresh tagliatelle (yes, I know, most normal people will just open a box of dry tagliatelle…). Now that I know really how to use my pasta machine it’s really easy to make whatever pasta in a short time and without having to wash the kitchen floor to ceiling for the flour eveywhere. So I made the tagliatelle, went to cut fresh basil in the garden, and added really plenty of little cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and that’s it!!! I wish a very pkeasant week!!!

July 4, 2016

Lunch in the office

It’s been 7 years or so I haven’t had steady lectures in the very first time slot, which makes me wake up really early. I’m not really an early morning person and because it’s only once a week it doesn’t really break my rythm, just makes it a long long day at work. So I’ve decided to take the opportunity to use 1h at noon to go and play tennis. We are spoiled because the university tennis courts are specially booked for faculties and staff every day during the lunch break, and there always quite a few people playing, so it’s rather fun. But after that and my breakfast eaten 2hours earlier than usual I really to fill on energy. Perfect then to use pasta leftovers with zucchini and bacon. Simple and energetic! Enough to fuel me for 7 more hours of work!!!

June 16, 2016

Ratatouille ravioli

Yes, I made ravioli again! I was too happy last week to finally masterize the pasta machine and the ravioli mold. So far I was using them but it was never perfect, but now I know how to do and it works really well. And because we love ravioli there is no excuse not to make some! The problem was to find the appropriate filling. Last week I used asparagus, but this time I wanted to challenge myself with something new, something more summer than spring. There was not too many option at the farmers market, so I decided to go for ratatouille since there was everything I needed to make a real ratatouille the way my grand mother would.

So first prepare the ratatouille: onion, zucchini, eggplant, capiscum, tomato. All cut in small pieces, a bit of olive oil, garlic for those who like I don’t), salt, black pepper and a leaf of fragant laurel. Cook at low heat under cover for 2 to three hours, check and stir every 30min. Since we want to use this as a filling it needs to be significantly dry, so remove the cover if needed in the end. Cool when ready, ravioli filling cannot be used warm. Then prepare the dough with the classic recipe: 100g flour, 1egg, salt, olive oil. I actually used half flour half semolina. Then roll your dough until the level of thinness you like (I used 8 out of 9 on my pasta machine). Then flour well one side of the dough and ise the ravioli mold to fill them and shape them.

Now prepare a big pan with water to boil the ravioli, and add one big branch of fresh rosemary for the broth. Keep the water boiling 3min before adding the ravioli. The smell of rosemary should be quite strong before adding them. Cook until they come back to float on the surface. Serve immediately, just with olive oil and pepper. The rosemary broth slightly perfumes the ravioli to bring a perfect balance of taste with the ratatouille filling.

June 5, 2016

Asparagus and herbs ravioli

It’s been weeks I wanted to make ravioli and I totally felt in love with the IG picture of Zucchero e zenzero‘s ricotta and asparagus ravioli just before the golden week. The events during and after the golden week being what they’ve been I didn’t had a chance to make ravioli until last night, and because I found some nice local asparagus I decided to go for asparagus ravioli. Since A. doesn’t eat cheese I skipped the ricotta and used only basil and parsley in the filling. Super easy and really delicious.

For the pasta dough as usual 100 of flour or semolina, one egg, a bit of olive oil and salt. I rolled the dough up to number 8 on my Atlas 150. Thinner for ravioli is quite risky since the way I do it, my filling is not totally smooth. For the filling I blanched the asparagus (I kept the heads for later), drained them well, then add parsley and basil, and grinded all together manually. Then I just prepared the ravioli, boiled them and serve with olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple and too delicious we want to eat ravioli every day!!!!!!

May 29, 2016

Deconstructed frittata

I am really in love with this whole wheat pasta and in particular penne that can be found super easily in any good supermarket in Tokyo. This time it’s deconstructed frittata style for two with already cooked pasta, one new onion, one capsicum, three eggs all cooked in a greased pan, and a handful of raw cherry tomatoes added at the very end. Finished with olive oil, salt and pepper. An other manner to get plenty of good energy, a colorful and tasty plate and vitamins.

May 12, 2016

Spring energy

With super fresh green beans and broad beans it is really easy to prepare anything. They just need to be blanched and can be eaten with everything: risotto, pasta, quinoa… I prepared some quinoa the other day, so today it is whole wheat penne. A bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and you have the perfect dinner ready in 10min!!! Full of energy and good things to survive this week!!!

May 11, 2016