Tag: Fat

Apulian bread meatballs, the recipe of my grandmother from Bari – Gordon Ramsay’s version

The Apulian bread meatballs Since ancient times they have been prepared with leftovers, so as not to throw anything away, first of all the leftover bread and then there were many mouths to feed so meat was not used. In fact, bread balls in Puglia are made in different ways: Breaded and fried bread balls or bread meatballs with sauce. Bread balls are also used as a filling for stuffed mussels or stuffed artichokes.

Children love them and if you want you can also avoid frying them and cook them directly in the sauce or cook the breaded meatballs in the oven or air fryer.

They are vegetarian meatballs, without meat and therefore also excellent for those who want a vegetarian second course. You can customize the meatballs with other cheeses, cured meats or vegetables such as aubergines or courgettes.

INGREDIENTS PUGLIAN BREAD MEATBALLS (about 30 meatballs)

300 g of stale breadcrumbs
4 eggs
70 g of pecorino
70 g of caciocavallo
100 g of breadcrumbs
200 ml of milk
salt
Pepper
2 cloves of garlic
Parsley
Basil
700 nl of oil for frying
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
400 ml of tomato puree

Super creamy pasta and chickpeas, the secret of tradition revealed after 180 years: What is added to the cooking water, a wonder – Gordon Ramsay’s version

Pasta and chickpeas is a delicious dish very ancient origins, typical of the gastronomic tradition of various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Puglia and Sicily.
The main feature of this recipe is its high nutrient content, essential for the farmers, who had to support a whole day’s work in the fields, therefore having enough energy to continue their hard day. THE chickpeasIn fact, like all other legumes, they have a high quantity of proteins, and their integration with the carbohydrates contained in the pasta make this delicacy a truly unique dish.

Anyway, a perfect pasta and chickpeasaccording to the ancient Tuscan tradition, must preferably be prepared with egg tagliolini, to be added directly to the pan in which the chickpeas are prepared. Another important detail concerns the preparation of the legumes: a part of these, in fact, it will be passed through a food mill and added to a light sauté, prepared with a clove of garlic, a sprig of rosemary and a spoonful of tomato sauce. As soon as the chickpea puree Once it is slightly golden, it must be added to the rest of the whole chickpeas and only at this point, after the cooking water has reached the boil, can you also add the egg pasta.

All variations of pasta and chickpeas, from Neapolitan to Roman

As often happens with all traditional recipes, too pasta and chickpeas It has many variations, both in terms of pasta shapes, short or long, and in terms of the ingredients used. In Campania, for example, this dish requires a particular cooking process before serving it. After leaving the pasta and chickpeas to “rest” for a few minutes, prepare a light sauté with a couple of cloves of garlic, cut into very fine slices, some extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of spicy chilli powder (or whole, if you prefer). Afterwards, the pasta with chickpeas is served with a sprinkling of parsley and a pinch of chopped chilli pepper.

In the Salento cuisine, however, after seasoning the pasta with chickpeas, leave a little aside. This will then be fried, mixed with the rest of the soup and seasoned with a drizzle of oil. But be careful: this variant does not include short pasta, but fettuccine! There Pasta And Chickpeas Alla Romana, unlike the other versions, presents a further change. Tradition dictates, in fact, that the dish be enriched with salted anchovies, to be fried separately with a clove of garlic and tomato sauce. As soon as the anchovies have dissolved, a part of the cooking water from the pasta with chickpeas is added, seasoned and then added to the rest of the soup.

A very ancient recipe, handed down from the peasant gastronomic culture of Tuscany (still widespread today in some border areas with Lazio), involves the addition of chestnuts. These are first chopped and, later, added to a sauté with red garlic, rosemary and a handful of finely chopped raw ham fat.

Traditional pasta and chickpeas

Pasta ingredients and chickpeas

250g of mixed pasta
350 g of chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
salt, chilli pepper, chopped parsley, pepper to taste
olive oil to taste

Pasta and chickpea procedure

Fry in a pan, in oil, one clove of garlic and chilli pepper; add the cooked chickpeas, sauté them and, pour in a little of the chickpea cooking water, cook for 5 minutes. Take a portion of the chickpeas from the pan, blend them and pour the resulting cream over the other chickpeas. “Drop” the mixed pasta and cook by pouring small quantities of hot water several times. When cooking is complete, bring the “dish” to the table after sprinkling it with a “sprinkle of pepper” and lots of parsley.
Enjoy your meal!

Franceschiello’s lasagne, the true 19th century recipe from the King of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the creamiest and richest there is – Gordon Ramsay’s version

Franceschiello’s lasagna they are so named in honor of a Bourbon king who loved them very much. We are talking about what will then be the last king of Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Francis II, who was called King Lasagna with a name affectionately coined by his father Ferdinand of Bourbon. Francis II Bourbon he was a thin little man, with a shy and submissive character, raised according to the strictest dictates of the Catholic religion. But in such a restricted childhood, the good Franceschiello was allowed one vice: lasagna. So let’s see the very rich Neapolitan recipe.

Franceschiello’s lasagna

Lasagna ingredients

lasagne sheet 300 g
fior di latte 400 g
eggs 3
Roman ricotta 400 g
pecorino 100 g
pork ribs 150 g
sausage 1
beef muscle 250 g
bacon 50 g
onion 1
carrot 1
celery 1 rib
red wine 1\2 glass
tomato puree 1.5 l
salt
extra virgin olive oil
meatballs (minced meat 250 g, eggs 1, bread 1 slice, parmesan 20 g, salt, seed oil)

Preparation of lasagna

The first thing to do to prepare Franceschiello’s lasagna it’s the ragù. Prepare a mixture with onion, celery and carrot. In a large pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and sauté the mixture together with the diced bacon. Add the pieces of meat and brown them on all sides. Shade with wine. When the alcohol has evaporated, add the tomato puree. As soon as the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for at least 4 hours. In the meantime you can move on to meatballs. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix them until you obtain a single dough.

Formed the balls with your hands and fry them in plenty of sunflower seed oil. Once the ragù is ready, keep the larger pieces aside. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with a little ragù sauce. Blanching the pasta sheets in plenty of salted water with a little oil, then dry them on a clean cloth. This step is important for optimal cooking.

Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, then peel them and cut them into slices. Let’s assemble the whole thing: sprinkle a little ragù on the bottom of the baking dish. Continue with the sheets, cover with ricotta, fior di latte, eggs, meatballs and pecorino. Cover with ragù and ricotta and puff pastry and continue until the ingredients are finished. Cook at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. Your Franceschiello’s lasagna they are ready.

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes