Rotolo

Jamie Oliver does it again! If you have some spare time on hand and are ready for an experiment, here is the one! This is a must try. It does require little more time to make it but it looks stunning and tastes amazing.
              In his book 'Jamie's Italy', he has given rotolo recipe for butter-nut squash and spinach. However, I read the book in summer when farmers markets were overflowing with tomatoes and basil. So here is the summer version of rotolo adopted from Jamie's Italy.

 

Ingredients:

 For Pasta dough

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup semolina flour

1/4  tea spoon salt

2 tb spoon extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup lukewarm water

For Filling

2 cups cherry tomatoes,halved (marinated in 1tb spoon balsamic vinegar,salt and 1 tea spoon sugar for at least 1 hour)

1 cup pesto (has to be thick)

1/2 cup asiago cheese , cubed into bite size pieces

1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Method:

Start with pasta dough because it needs time to rest. To make the dough, mix together all ingredients except for water and mix well. Add little water at a time to make a stiff dough. You may have to adjust the amount of water required. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes,wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for half an hour. Divide pasta dough in 2 balls. Roll out each ball (using rolling pin) as thin as possible in a rectangular shape.

      Before building rotolo, make sure you have a clean dish towel and kitchen twine ready.Carefully transfer one of the pasta sheets on a clean dish towel. Make sure to take a bigger dish towel than the pasta sheet. Arrange 2 rows of cherry tomatoes on the long side of pasta sheet closest to you. arrange pieces of asiago cheese next and spread half pesto and sprinkle half of parmigiano-reggiano cheese on pesto,leaving 1 inch margin on all 4 sides (as shown in photo). Brush the sides of pasta sheets with water and start rolling pasta sheet from nearest side to you. Roll the sheet up and away from you. Wrap the pasta sheet log in kitchen towel and seal both ends of the kitchen towel with kitchen twine. You can secure it more by tying twine around the middle of the roll.Make sure to seal it properly otherwise, you will have a big mess in boiling water!

       To cook rotolo, fill a big pot with water coming up-to half of the height of the pot. Bring this to boil, season generously with salt and 1 tb spoon oil.Gently transfer rotolo (wrapped in kitchen towel) into the boiling water and make sure to keep it submerged in water while it is cooking.Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Check if pasta is cooked by squeezing rotolo between your fingers,if it feels like a marshmallow it is done! If not, continue cooking. Once cooked, remove from water and cut all the strings and roll it out of the kitchen towel. Cut in 1/2 inch thick pieces with a serrated knife. Serve hot with the mixture of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

I have got the broccolini!

Broccolini is my latest love affair! These tender strands are very simple to cook and are good as a side dish or as a main course tossed with pasta like this.
        This is easily available in summer and makes a quick and wonderful meal. The thing that I like the most about broccolini is that you don't have to clean it or cut it like broccoli. The entire strand is edible!

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccolini ( or 1/3 pound by weight)
1/2 pound angel hair pasta (I use whole grain)
1 table spoon finely chopped garlic
pinch of chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste
5-6 olives (preferably from the olive bar and not canned) sliced
2 tb spoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano / romano cheese
1 tea spoon lemon zest (optional)

Method:
Bring a big pot of water to boil. Once water starts to boil, add the washed broccolini and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Remove broccilini from hot water and transfer it to the bowl filled with ice to stop the cooking process.
           Add salt to the boiling water and add angel hair pasta. Cook according to the package directions. Angel hair pasta cooks very fast so start the sauce once the pasta is cooking. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil into the skillet. Add chopped garlic and chili flakes and fry until fragrant. Add broccolini and toss everything together. Add cooked pasta and olives and season with salt and pepper as per taste. Add lemon zest and mix everything together. Add cheese in the end and serve hot/warm.

Tomatoes,Basil and PASTA

This is one of Ina Garten's gems. I found the recipe here. I had cherry tomatoes from my trip to farmers market so decided to give this a try and am glad that I did.This is the easiest summer meal ever.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
handful basil leaves, chopped
1 tb spoon minced garlic
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tea spoon crushed red chili flakes (adjust according to your taste)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (adjust according to your taste)
salt and pepper to season
1/2 pound dried angel hair pasta

Method:
Combine tomatoes,oilve oil,chili flakes,salt,pepper,garlic and basil in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
         Cook the pasta according to package directions. Toss together cooked pasta and tomato mixture. Add extra cheese and more basil just before serving.