My Italian Love Affair - Asparagus and Spinach Spaghetti, Eggplant Involtini with Ricotta and Scallions, Roasted Aparagus with Capers and Eggs & Vanilla Panna Cotta

I just cannot help it! I'm talking about me ranting on and on about the Seattle weather. When it became all nice and sunny and spring-like, i just once , only once, expressed my happiness and then i kept mum. But here again, the same old rain and lousy weather is back. I’m sorry I just cannot help complaining about it. The whole weekend was spoilt. First of all it made both AJ and I very lazy, but we did manage to get out of the house on Saturday to go to Bellevue Square and had dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen and watched Duplicity. Overall the evening was good. But there was yet another day ahead of us which was all cloudy and gloomy. I just didnt want to step out of the house at all. So, i started spring cleaning the house. We had lots of stuff that we had accumulated, which we did not use anymore and are now in the trash, thankfully! And I cleaned the kitchen – cabinets, oven and everything, vacuumed, did laundry and lots more other stuff. Well, that is some way that a rainy day helped!! Ok, enough of the weather and the lousy weekend and let me get to our recent love affair with Italian cuisine.

Yeah, you read it right. A couple of weeks ago, it was Asian food, now it has paved way to Italian. You already saw the tiramisu episode. I think that is how it all started. We have been having pasta over pasta over the last two weeks. And, yeah we even went to California Pizza Kitchen and had pasta and pizza!!!! So in this post, you will find a lot of Italian dishes that i made over the last two weeks. For some of the meals, we had a glass of wine to go with it, so for those we did, I will add the wine pairing as well.

Asparagus and Spinach Spaghetti with Garlic, Basil and Parmesan Cheese

This was something I saw on the menu of California Pizza Kitchen, before we even went there ( I saw it online) and i soo badly wanted to have that. I am not sure whether it tasted the same, but when their menu described the dish as “A light pasta with sautéed asparagus, spinach, fresh tomatoes, basil garlic and Parmesan cheese.”, i thought, well, that gives me an idea of what all are there in it. So, let me just make it my favourite way. My favourite way of making spaghetti is Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. The cheese and egg coat the pasta in such a luscious manner that it feels like silk!! yumm!!

Whole Wheat Spaghetti , half a standard box Chopped Spinach, 2 cups 4 cloves garlic, minced 8-10 stalks of Asparagus, cut into 1 inch length 1 egg, beaten well 1/2 cup, grated Parmesan + more for garnish a few basil leaves, chopped finely a handful of sweet cherry tomatoes, halved Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbsp salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta as per package instructions, drain and keep aside. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the asparagus, spinach and garlic. Add the spaghetti to it and toss well. Meanwhile, mix the egg and the grated parmesan in a bowl and keep aside. remove the sauté pan from the heat and then add in the egg-parm mix to it. DO NOT add this mix while the pasta is on the stove as this will only scramble the eggs. This way, the eggs cook enough in the heat of the pasta and forms a nice smooth sauce with the parmesan. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and serve with the basil leaves and more grated parmesan as garnish.

Wine Pairing : Spaghetti Alla Carbonara is to pair well with any red – merlot, cabernet sauvignon or something similar. We had a Alexander Valley 2006 Merlot to go with it. A very mild and full bodies wine with mild fruity flavors did not overpower the taste of the pasta. So, i guess it was a good choice.

Disclaimer: we are still amateurs at wine pairings and this is just a feel of what we liked. Pls pair it at your own risk!

Eggplant Involtini with Ricotta and Scallions (Involtini di Melanzane)

This is a recipe i found in Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano that I have borrowed from the library, I have already made 4 dishes from this and have bookmarked more. I think i am just gonna go ahead and buy the book. So, this recipe here is something that is very very simple to make, yet it looks like as if you have slaved in the kitchen for hours. Even the book says so!

Here is what i used;

1 long Japanese eggplant, sliced lengthwise (about 5 slices) 4 tbsp ricotta cheese 1 egg 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder salt and pepper to taste a few sprigs of parsley, chopped finely, for garnish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for deep frying

For Basic Tomato Sauce: 1/2 onion, chopped finely 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme 1 stem fresh rosemary, chopped finely 1/2 medium carrot, shredded 1 can, whole tomatoes 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the basic tomato sauce : Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat, until soft. Add the thyme, rosemary and carrot and cook until the carrot is soft. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt and let it simmer till it thickens. This sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week.

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil until smoking hot. Fry the eggplant slices in it, turning once, till they become brown and a little soft. Drain on paper towels and keep aside. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, egg, scallions and nutmeg together. Lay the eggplant slices on a plate and spoon the ricotta mixture on each slice and roll them up. Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a baking dish. Place the eggplant rolls on this baking dish with the seam side down in a single row. Pour the tomato sauce around it and bake for 15 minutes or so, till the cheese starts melting. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Wine Pairing : We had the eggplant involtini with a simple spaghetti with Swiss chard and cheese. AJ also had a chicken dish with it, which was fairly spicy. We enjoyed a bottle of Martin Codax – Albarino (2006), a Spanish white wine with a very crisp citrusy , peach flavour and which was to go well with spicy food or food with a Mediterranean flavour, with this dinner. We loved the combo of this refreshingly smooth lemonade-like (that's what i felt like) wine with the eggplant involtini and the chicken cacciatora.

Roasted Asparagus with Capers and Eggs

This dish was made as a result of the hunt for a simple side dish to go with a pasta that i prepared for dinner one night and I also had some asparagus left which needed to be used up pretty quickly! Again from Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano!

10-12 asparagus spears 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp sea salt 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tbsp small capers 1 egg, hard cooked 1 scallion, thinly sliced freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450F. Cut the woody end of the asparagus. Place it on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt. Bake for about 6 minutes or so. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining oil, red wine vinegar, scallion, capers, salt and pepper and keep aside. Separate the yolk and the white of the egg and chop into small pieces. Assemble the asparagus on a serving platter and pour the mixture over it. Top with the chopped egg yolk and white and sprinkle more salt and pepper, if required.

Vanilla Panna Cotta

When i read the post Perfect Panna Cotta on David Lebovitz’s blog, I knew I had to make it. The recipe can be found here. I did not make any changes to it, as it was the first time i was making it, but i did halve the quantity. After having a taste of it, I would prefer it to be a little more sweet. AJ loved it, as it is!! Here is the original recipe adapted from Secrets From My Tuscan Kitchen by Judy Witts:

“ 4 cups (1l) heavy cream (or half-and-half)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
6 tablespoons (90ml) cold water

Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan or microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. (If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean then rewarm the mixture before continuing.) Lightly oil eight custard cups with a neutral-tasting oil. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take at least two hours but I let them stand at least four hours. If you're pressed for time, pour the Panna Cotta mixture into wine goblets so you can serve them in the glasses, without unmolding. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each Panna Cotta and unmold each onto a serving plate, and garnish as desired.”

Phew, that must have been the longest post ever!!! Well, i plan to write one about the sadya we are going to have tomorrow for Vishu. So, get ready for that!! :) and I have to rush now, for my chiro appointment. Take care!!!