Cheesy Gorgonzola and Broccoli Gnocchi - Real Italian Kitchen

There is nothing I love more then Italian comfort food. I mean look at that!

It's savory, it's cheesy, it might even have a vegetable in it so you don't feel too bad…!

Potato Gnocchi can be a bit heavy, so keep the portions small, accompany with a salad, and everything will be juuuuust fine.

Ingredients for two hungry people:

-A box of Gnocchi De Cecco, all of it serves up to 3 people, we were hungry…  (Or you can make your own potato Gnocchi. I make mine only once a year because I eat them all in one sitting)

-A small broccoli crown
-1 shallot
-1 tbsp Gorgonzola (use more if your Gorgonzola is not very strong)
-2 tbsp Cream cheese (I like the Laughing Cow, but you can use anything that melts well like Fontina or American Cheese)
-2 or 3 chunks of Brie (not mandatory, but I had some in the fridge I wanted to get rid of)
-1/4 cup heavy cream (or for a lighter result, just some water)
-Grated Pecorino Romano
-Butter
-Salt
-Nutmeg
-Pepper

Step by step:
1. Mince the shallot and sautee them in a non stick pan with some butter

2. When the shallot results clear, add the finely chopped broccoli, half a glass of water, and let the veggies cook.
3. Add the cream cheese, the brie, the gorgonzola, a little heavy cream, cover with a lid and let everything melt… mmmh…
4. Season with nut meg, salt, some pepper.

5. Gnocchi takes only a few minutes to cook, so wait for the sauce to be ready before throwing your gnocchi in abundant hot salted water.

6. Drain the gnocchi and sautee them in the sauce until all the liquid has been absorbed and it results a nice "tight" cheesy sauce.

7. Serve with some grated pecorino romano on top.

Enjoy!

Valentina
RealItalianKitchen

Ravioli in Cheese and Sage Sauce - Giovanni Rana Product Review - Real Italian Kitchen

Ravioli in Cheese and Sage Sauce

Giovanni Rana Ravioli in Cheese and Sage Sauce - Real Italian Kitchen

When I was in Italy I could go to a place called "Pasta Fresca" (pronounced /pasta freska/) which means fresh pasta, and buy hand made ravioli, tortellini, tagliatelle, gnocchi…. I haven't found a place like this in Philadelphia, so if you follow my blog, you know I started making my own ravioli. Making Ravioli from scratch is a fucking process, it's an all day event that breaks your back and tires your hands, you'll be picking up flour and pasta bits off the floor for days, and I reserve that kind of effort for special events and small gatherings (cause let's face it, I love cooking, but that turns a joy into a job). 

So I decided to give this fellow a try. Giovanni Rana is a chef and an entrepreneur, his company has done nothing but grow for the past 50 years. He's still in charge of it, along with his son, so we could say it's a family company. As I was researching his name I found out he has a Pastificio and Restaurant in Chelsea, NYC, so if you are in the area I would definitely recommend you try it… and then let me know how it is! haahahha! 

I bought his Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli, and this is one of the most popular ways of serving them. It makes a fabulous lunch, perfect for a cold day, because is filled with cheese, butter and fat! 

Ingredients: 

-For two people that are only going to eat that plate of pasta use the whole bag.


FOR THE SAUCE:
-Butter
-Heavy Cream
-Sage
-A few spoonful of your favorite cream cheese, I used a wedge of "Laughing Cow"
-Nut meg
-Salt and pepper
-Grated Parmigiano cheese, use pecorino for a stronger flavor

STEP BY STEP

1. Bring some water to a boil in a large pot, add salt and cook the Ravioli until the pasta on the rim is soft. I personally don't like "al dente" for ravioli and cook them a couple of minutes over the instructed time on the box.

As you can see from the picture, they float! So it's important to stir them to cook them all evenly.

2. Mean while prepare the sauce: in a non stick pan  add the cream cheese, the butter, the heavy cream and the sage and cook them on medium heat until dissolved in a nice creamy cloud! 

3. Adjust with salt and nutmeg. Remember to use less salt if you're going to use the pecorino cheese, cause that's plenty salty all on his own! 

4. Drain the Ravioli and throw them in the pan with the sauce. Let the residual water boil off for 2 minutes, the sauce will stick to the ravioli beautifully. Done! 

5. Serve with freshly ground black pepper on top and a handful of parmigiano. For a more delicate taste leave those two out. 

What I thought of Giovanni Rana Ricotta and Spinaci Ravioli

I thought the pasta was very delicate, not too thick, it cooked very well, although some of them opened up in the pot of water, I blame the fact that my pot was too small. 

The taste of the ravioli filling blended perfectly with the sauce I made. Me and my husband ate a full bag in one sitting, but you could probably feed at least 3 people on just that.  I'm definitely going to try more of his products in the future and I recommend this as a fast lunch solution, the whole thing takes less then 10 minutes from when you start boiling the water to the finished dish. 

For a special occasion I would still prefer making my own ravioli, nothing beats home made, but for an every day meal this was perfect. 

Enjoy! 

Valentina

RealItalianKitchen

Italian Fast Food - Spaghetti Garlic, Oil and Hot Peppers

Or as they say in Rome: Aio, Oio e Peperoncino!
It might sound strange but you have to try it to believe how good it actually is.

It's the most plain and simple pasta you could possibly make and it's perfect for those days when there's nothing in the fridge...!

Instructions:

-Brown the garlic in a pan with some hot peppers and extra virgin olive oil. Be careful not to burn it.

-In the meantime boil some salted water and cook your favorite brand of Spaghetti, mine is DeCecco, because it doesn't overcook easily.

-When the pasta is ready toss it in the pan with the flavored oil and fry it for a minute or two.

-Serve with parmigiano, or by itself.

Delicious.

Enjoy!
Valentina
Real Italian Kitchen 

Pasta Carbonara

This rustic dish from the roman tradition has got to be one of the heaviest dishes the italian cuisine has to offer after Cassata Napoletana. But it's so good. Just looking at the picture is making me hungry...


Ingredients for 2 people:
-160 gr of your favorite pasta (may I suggest spaghetti, linguine or fresh tagliatelle?)
-1 egg (room temperature, not fridge cold)
-40 gr of pancetta, guanciale or if you really can't find neither even bacon works.
-Grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano. A lot of both.

Preparation (about 10 minutes):
In a large pot bring abundant water to a boil, add one large spoon of salt. Add the pasta when it starts boiling again. If you're cooking tagliatelle (pasta fresca) add a little olive oil so the pasta doesn't stick on itself.

Meanwhile, in a flat non sticky pan, brown the pancetta/guanciale/bacon previously cut in cubes.

If you refrigerate your eggs, to bring it to room temperature put it in a cup with some warm water.
Once warm put it in a bowl, beat it with the grated cheese.

When the pasta is cooked drain the water out, throw in the bowl with the egg and cheese and stir. The heat of the pasta will thicken the egg. Add the pancetta with all its fat. Don't add salt, all the ingredients are plenty salty. Top with extra cheese and pepper.
Mmmm.... che buono!

One tip: serve immediately. There is nothing I hate more then overcooked pasta.

Enjoy!
Valentina
Real Italian Kitchen    P.S: here's the video recipe with the step by step :-)