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Category: Dr. Michele Carbone

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An Italian classic: Spaghetti aglio e olio (Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil)

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On April 20, 2021

In Dr. Michele Carbone, Pasta Dishes

Aglio E Oglio 3 1

A plate of spaghetti aglio e oglio (garlic and olive oil)

This is the simplest recipe for a great pasta, and we Romans often have this pasta as a midnight snack after coming home from dancing.  It’s also known as “pasta del cornuto,” because traditionally it was the wife who would cook the pasta for the husband who was working many hours to prepare delicious dishes. But if the wife had an affair and thus had no time to cook before the husband came home, she could rush home to cook and prepare something in five minutes.  So, when you are in a hurry, this is the pasta to prepare.

The most basic version of the recipe involves only a few ingredients: spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, and fresh chopped parsley.  A variation on the recipe includes adding anchovies and a few pear tomatoes into the mix.

Ingredients for 4 people

Ingredients for spaghetti aglio e oglio

Ingredients for spaghetti aglio e oglio

  • 300 grams of spaghetti
  • 1 cup olive oil of the best quality
  • 2 smashed cloves of garlic
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • 4 Calabrian, hot peppers, minced (or other peppers)
  • For my variation on the recipe:
    • 24-32 filets of anchovies, minced (depends how big they are, if you look at the photo on the right, those are big anchovies, so I used 12 anchovies = 24 filets.
    • 12 “pear” or cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, cut in half

Preparation

  1. In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the spaghetti. You will cook it for about 1 – 2 minutes less than the cook time for the pasta you’ve selected.
  2. In the meantime, in a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic cloves. As soon as the garlic is golden, remove it with a fork or a slotted spoon.
  3. Bring the heat to high and add the minced Calabrian peppers, 2 spoons of minced parsley, and the minced anchovies.
    1. Wait for a minute for the anchovies to melt, and then turn the heat to medium and add the pear tomatoes.
    2. Cook on medium heat until the pear tomatoes become soft, about 5 minutes.
  4. In the meantime cook the pasta until about 2 minutes before the recommended cooking time. Drain the pasta and then pour the pasta back into the same pot (which should still be hot), and then put back on the stove on a low-to-medium heat.  Add the aglio e oglio sauce and mix well with the spaghetti, allowing it to cook together 2 more minutes stirring constantly. Turn fire off.
  5. Just before serving, add 1 more TB of minced fresh parsley, mix well and and plate the pasta.
  6. Please do not add anything else – especially no cheese!!!.
  7. Buon appetito!

Italiano: Spaghetti aglio e olio

Ingredienti per 2 – 4 persone, dipende dall’appetito.

  • 300 grammi di spaghetti
  • 225 ml di olio d’oliva della migliore qualità (1 cup)
  • 2 spicchi d’aglio schiacciati
  • Un pugno di prezzemolo tritato
  • 4 peperoncini calabresi (più profumati) o altro tipo, tritato
  • Per la mia variazione sulla ricetta:
    • Circa 12-16 alici de-lisciate e tritate (il numero dipende da quanto sono grandi)
    • 12 pomodorini a “pera” gialli e rossi, tagliati di lungo a metà

Preparazione

  1. Soffriggere nell’olio 2 spicchi d’aglio schiacciati, rimuoverli appena prendono colore aggiungere peperoncini piccanti tritati, 1 pugno di prezzemolo tritato e alici.
  2. Dopo un minute (minuto) aggiungere 12 pomodorini piccolo (piccoli), quelli a pera, oppure 8 San Marzano, tagliati a metà.
  3. Abbassare il fuoco a medio, appena diventano soffici, circa 5 minuti spegnere il fuoco.
  4. Quando la pasta è pronta mischiare bene in padella 2 minuti a fuoco medio, poi per bellezza spolverare con prezzemolo triato (tritato) fresco e servire.
  5. Buon appetito!

 

Pasta e fagioli – Pasta with beans and ham bone

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On April 20, 2021

In Dr. Michele Carbone, Pasta Dishes

Pasta e fagioli is a classic winter dish – short pasta mixed with delicious cannelloni beans and topped with extra virgin olive oil.

Pasta e fagioli

Penne rigate with canellini beans

For this recipe I use a prosciutto, or ham, bone, to flavor the beans as you cook them.  This dish is so good that motivates me every winter to buy one prosciutto.  What prosciutto?  Well the best are the prosciutto from black pig from Calabria or Sicily –difficult to find in the US- and the Spanish Pata Negra, which is sold in the US.

This means that you purchased a whole prosciutto, and after you’ve eaten it, you use the bones when cooking the beans.

The ham “bone” actually consists of four bones: hip, femur, and tibia and fibula. Use only one of them at time: Freeze the others and you have enough for several different fantastic dinners.

Ingredients

  • 1 ham bone (preferably from a whole prosciutto)
  • 1 pound of ham meat, cut from the bone
  • Separate the fat from the meat, so that it can be included with olive oil when sautéing the onion
  • 700 grams of dry canellini beans
  • 1 red onion medium size, finely chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 8 leaves of sage or a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary –whichever you prefer
  • 1 hot pepper, minced (optional)
  • 400 grams (about 2/3 box) of a short pasta noodle, like penne, cavatappi , fusilli, etc)

Preparation

  1. Dry beans need to be soaked overnight, for at least 12 to 16 hours. Put them in a pot and cover them with cold water, with at least 3 inches of water above the beans.  Add a teaspoon of salt to the water.  Once they have soaked overnight, pour the beans into a colander and rinse before starting to cook them.
  2. In a large heavy pot, pour enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom (about 2 mm, or 1/8 of an inch of oil). Add the ham fat, and turn the flam to low/medium low.
  3. As soon as the fat melts, add the chopped onion, celery, sage and pepper, and cook on low heat till the onion become soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
  4. Add rinsed cannellini beans, mix well, and add the bone. If the bone is too large for the pot, immerse the part of the bone which has some meat and let the top of it stick out of the pot.
  5. Add enough water—about ½ inch or 1 centimeter above the beans – and cover (Use aluminum foil if the bone sticks out). Bring to a boil for a minute, the lower the heat to very low.  and let it cook at very low heat for about 5 hours, mixing every hour, no more than that.
  6. When the beans are ready, cook a short pasta (like penne or orrechiete) in boiling water, mix, mix with the beans and enjoy, adding only a spoon of olive oil per serving dish. Do not add cheese.

 

Italiano: Pasta e fagioli con osso di prosciutto “il piatto del re dei poveracci”

Ricetta meravigliosa e semplice.  Alcuni mangiano il prosciutto per arrivare all’osso e farsi questo piatto delizioso –non è vero ma aiuta a non essere tristi quando il prosciutto è finito.  Di ricette ne trovate tante varietà sull’internet, se fate come dico io non ve ne pentirete.  Fatene in abbondanza perché riscaldata, come una ribollita è buonissima.

Ingredienti

  • 1 osso di prosciutto che avrà ancora un po’ di grasso e a cui avrete rimosso per quanto possibile le cotiche che retano attaccata alla parte più sottile della gamba.
  • Circa 150 grammi di grasso del prosciutto, quello che si toglie per arrivare al prosciutto quando il prosciutto era intero, che avrete conservato in frigo. 700 grammi di fagioli “cannellini” secchi messi in una pentola e coperti con 4 dita di acqua per circa 16 ore e un po’ di sale.
  • 1 cipolla rossa medio-grande tagliata fine, tritata
  • 3-4 gambi di sedano a pezzetti
  • 2-3 rami di rosmarino –oppure 7-8 foglie di salvia, dipende dai gusti e da che avete in casa.
  • 1 peperoncino piccante, se vi piace.

Preparazione

  1. In una padella capiente di buona qualità: coprire il fondo con un filo di olio, aggiungere il grasso del prosciutto a fette sottili e accendere il fuoco, medio-basso per fare sciogliere il grasso. Aggiungere la cipolla e il sedano, il rosmarino e il peperoncino e fate cuocere coperto finché la cipolla e` translucida, circa 7 minuti.
  2. Aggiungere i fagioli, rimestare bene e aggiungere l’osso del prosciutto.  Se non entra in padella, mettetene dentro quanto possibile e lasciate la parte dell’osso senza carne fuori la padella.  Coprire con acqua e poi coprire il tutto con coperchio o carta argentata e fare andare a fuoco basso (minimo) per circa 4-5 ore, finché i fagioli sono cotti, rigirando ogni ora, cioè raramente.
  3. Quando i fagioli sono pronti, cuocere una pasta corta (orecchiette, stracci, mezzi rigatoni, toscani, etc), scolarli bene al dente mischiare la pasta con i fagioli e servire –se vi piace con un filo d’olio d’oliva, oppure cosi com’è. Niente formaggio.
  4. Buon appetito!

 

Rigatoni or Paccheri in Oxtail sauce

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On April 20, 2021

In Dr. Michele Carbone, Pasta Dishes

This typical Roman dish is phenomenal.  If you never ate oxtail, it’s time for you to try it! It is easy to make but takes time –although there is nothing you need to do after the first 20 minutes of work. You can leave the house for 3-4 hours or so if needed while the dish cooks slowly, so for my lifestyle, it’s a perfect dish to prepare in a weekend.

Ingredients

  • 600 grams rigatoni or paccheri rigati (you can use any pasta, but these are the types I recommend)
  • 3 lbs (1.5 kg, or about 6-8 pieces) of oxtail, each about 2 inches thick
  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 2 Calabrese or Thai peppers minced
  • ½ cup parsley, minced
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 150 g pancetta or guanciale (both work) and about 100 ml olive oil
  • 1 box peeled tomatoes chopped, Pomì (about 750 grams)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
  • Salt
  • A good pot; best iron pot, I use a Staub

Preparation

  1. Sauté the garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat together with pancetta. As soon as the garlic cloves become golden, remove it with a fork or a slotted spoon.
  2. Add the chopped onion, parsley and hot pepper.
  3. Turn the heat to medium/low and sauté the onion until it starts to become translucent.
  4. Bring the heat to medium-high/high, add the pieces of oxtail and brown each side for about 3 minutes.
  5. Add 1 cup of white wine, mix well, and wait 2 minutes so most of it evaporates.
  6. Add chopped tomatoes, salt lightly, reduce the heat to low or very low depending on your stove. Cover and cook for 5 hours mixing every hour or so.
  7. Remove the cover and dry up the liquid, till it becomes thicker, “creamy.”
  8. In the meantime, cook the pasta, remove very al dente, about 2minutes before you would normally remove from heat. Drain it and pour into the pot with the sauce from which you removed the pieces of oxtail.
  9. Turn the heat to high, and mix the pasta and the sauce continuously 3 minutes.Sug0 Con Coda Alla Vaccarina 1
  10. Remove from the heat, add the freshly grated Pecorino cheese and mix well.
  11. Put a piece of oxtail in the center of the dish, add pasts on top and enjoy!

 

Italiano: Oxtail Rigatoni strascicati nella coda alla vaccinara

Tipico piatto di Roma.  Meraviglioso, se non lo avete mai provato, fatelo!

Ingredienti (per 4-6 persone)

  • 600 g di Rigatoni o paccheri
  • 1.5 kg cioè 6-8 pezzi di coda a pezzi alti circa 3 – 4 cm
  • 2 spicchi d’aglio
  • 1 cipolla media, tritata
  • Prezzemolo
  • Un bicchiere di vino bianco
  • 150 g di pancetta
  • 1 pacco di Pomì schiacciati o altri pelati (circa 750 g)
  • 120 ml olio d’oliva
  • Sale
  • Circa 200 grammi Pecorino grattato
  • Una buona casseruola meglio se di ferro/ghisa con coperchio (tipo Staub)

Preparazione

  1. Soffriggere aglio in circa 100 ml di olio d’oliva l’olio, appena prende colore toglierlo e aggiungere la pancetta a dadini di circa 2 x 1 cm, la cipolla tritata, prezzemolo tritato e peperoncino. Abbassare il fuoco
  2. Appena la cipolla comincia a essere translucida aggiungere i pezzi di coda e fare rosolare a fuoco forte circa 3 minuti per lato.
  3. Aggiungere 1 bicchiere di vino bianco, fuoco forte, girare circa 2 minuti.
  4. Aggiungere 1 scatolo di Pomì, salare –poco- coprire e abbassare il fuoco a minimo, circa 5 ore, finché la carne si stacca dall’osso premendo col cucchiaio. Poi alzare un po’ il coperchio per ridurre il liquido all’essenziale per girarci dentro la pasta, cioè deve essere un sugo non un brodo
  5. Lessate la pasta toglietela molto al dente e ripassatela nel sugo da cui avrete rimosso la coda per circa 3 minuti a fuoco forte.
  6. Aggiungere Pecorino o Parmigiano, come preferite (io preferisco Pecorino).
  7. Mettere un pezzo di coda nel centro del piatto versarci sopra la pasta e buon appetito.

 

Spaghetti with Orange, Mint, and Cointreau (the best pasta of Italy in 2000)

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On April 20, 2021

In Dr. Michele Carbone, Fish, Pasta Dishes

Linguine With Orange And Anchovy 1This pasta reminds me of summertime, with its lovely scent of orange and mint.  It’s a recipe that can only be made in small portions, so don’t try to increase the measures in this recipe. It’s my friend Makana’s favorite pasta, and I made it for his birthday just a few weeks ago.

Ingredients

  • 400 grams of spaghetti or linguine
  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • Approximately 200 grams (0.4 pounds) of chopped anchovies, preferably the anchovies preserved in salt
  • The pulp from 2 oranges – no seeds, peel, or pith. The best tool for this task is a grapefruit segmenter tool, because it allows you to obtain the fruit without any of the skin around it.  I personally use a special citrus knife, but found this great little tool online: the Zyliss Twist & Scoop Grapefruit tool – https://www.zyliss.com/store/products/zyliss-twist-scoop-grapefruit-tool-e910033u.htm
  • 1 handful of freshly chopped mint, minced
  • 1 handful of plain breadcrumbs (please avoid those with “Italian spices”)
  • ¼ cup Cointreau

Preparation

  1. Prep all of your ingredients so that you can work quickly.
  2. While you are cooking the spaghetti or linguine, start cooking the sauce.
  3. Pour ½ cup of extra virgin Italian olive oil into a skillet and add the smashed garlic clove. On medium heat, gently sauté the garlic until it becomes golden and remove it from the skillet.
  4. Add the chopped anchovy filets to the skillet for about 2 minutes, the anchovy will dissolve  into a fine creamy texture in the oil.
  5. Add the orange slices, mixing them well with the olive oil and anchovy.
  6. Add the breadcrumbs and Cointreau, continuing to mix with a wooden spoon. The texture of the sauce should be creamy. As soon as the sauce turns from liquid begins to thick/creamy, remove the skillet from the heat.
  7. Pour the sauce into a large bowl, then add the pasta. Add the minced mint to the bowl, and gently combine all the ingredients.
  8. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Italiano: Spaghetti in salsa d’arancio (meglio pasta d’Italia 2000)

 Per 4 persone, 400g di spaghetti o linguine

  • 120 ml. di olio d’oliva
  • 1 spicchio d’aglio schiacciato
  • Circa 200 g di alici sotto sale, sciacquate e da cui avrete rimosso la spina centrale, a pezzettini.
  • 2 arance –polpa solo, niente semi niente buccia o bianco
  • 1 pugno di menta tritata
  • 1 pugno di pane grattugiato
  • 60 ml Cointreau

Preparazione

  1. Soffriggere aglio nell’olio, toglierlo come diventa dorato.
  2. Aggiungere i filetti di alici tritate, fuoco medio alto, circa 2 minuti.
  3. Appena diventano una crema aggiungere le arance a pezzetti, mischiare e aggiungere il pan grattato e il Cointreau (per carità, non usate il Gran Marnier!).
  4. Appena il liquido si ritira e il tutto è una crema, ma ancora un po’ liquida non completamente asciutta, spegnere e rimuovere la padella dal fornello caldo.
  5. Mischiare la pasta in questo ben di Dio aggiungere la menta a pezzettini e buon appetito

 

 

Fennel and Orange Salad

By

On April 20, 2021

In Dr. Michele Carbone, Side Dishes

This is a wonderful refreshing salad, typical of the South of Italy.  It goes very well after you eat any heavy food—pork, fish, whatever—to cleanse the palate and be ready for the next dish.  It is a constant in my twelve-course Christmas dinner, and it is always rated as one of the best dishes. It’s easy to make; I’ve never found someone who does not like it.

Michele Carbone fennel and orange salad

Our friend Ameilia prepared this beautiful presentation of fennels and oranges

Ingredients

  • 4 – 6 Naval oranges or better, “blood” oranges
  • 4 – 6 fennel bulbs, with the stalks attached –be sure the fennel looks good when you buy it, that is fresh, which means it  does not have brown spots.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

How to Make this Recipe

  1. Peel the oranges, removing the pith.
  2. Slice into very thin rounds (it helps if you have a very good, sharp knife)
  3. Clean the fennel, preserving a few of the feathery fronds for decorative effect when serving
  4. Slice off the bottom of the bulb to remove the tough end, and you may want to peel off the outer layer of the bulb if the outer layer feels rubbery or wilted.
  5. As the the orange, slice the fennel bulb into very thin rounds.
  6. Now create a decorative series of layers, as our friend Amelia did with the photo shown above. She used a little bit of the lacy frond to plant a little “tree” in the center of the orange and fennel slices.
  7. Drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil. If you prepare this in advance, you can drizzle with the olive oil and then cover with plastic wrap. Don’t add the salt and pepper until immediately before you serve the salad.
  8. Buon appetito!

Italiano: Finocchio e Arance

Questa meravigliosa insalata rinfrescante, è tipica del Sud Italia. Va molto bene dopo aver mangiato qualsiasi cibo pesante – maiale, pesce, qualunque cosa – per pulire il palato ed essere pronto per il piatto successivo. È una costante nella mia cena di Natale di dodici portate ed è sempre considerato uno dei migliori piatti. È facile da realizzare; Non ho mai trovato qualcuno a cui non piaccia

  • 4 – 6 arance senza semi, meglio rosse
  • 4 – 6 finocchi
  • Olio d’oliva
  • Pepe nero e sale

Preparazione

  1. Tagliare finocchi e arance come da fotografia, aggiungere un po’, non troppo olio, sale e pepe nero.
  2. Buon appetito!

 

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