Sweet and Sour Onions in Venetian style


   Sweet and Sour Onions in Venetian style

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Mama Isa



Today we made  a really good side dish: Sweet & Sour Onions in Venetian style
This delicious recipe is very famous in Venice and the name is "Segoe in dolsegarbo". 
Dolsegarbo (in Italian AGRODOLCE) is a traditional sweet and sour sauce. Its name comes from "GARBO" (sour) and "DOLSE" (sweet). Agrodolce is made by reducing sour and sweet elements, traditionally red wine vinegar and sugar, with additional flavorings added, such as pine nuts and raisins.


INGREDIENTS (serves 6 people)
750 g small cipollini onions (in Italy we use Cipolle Borettane, a sort of flat pearl onions)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
water (about 3/4 cup)
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
50 g pine nuts
100 g raisins
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS 
Peel and trim the small cipollini onions  with a sharp paring knife. Then wash the onions.
Put the extra virgin olive oil in large frying pan over medium-low heat.
Add the onions and cook gently for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile use a frying pan, and toast the pine nuts over low heat for a few minutes. Set aside.
Add water, red wine vinegar, sugar, raisins, pine nuts, and salt. Stir well.
Simmer the mixture over the lowest heat possible for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
You may need to add more water from time to time if the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan.
It is finished when everything has caramelized well, and the flavors have blended together!!
Cool and serve at room temperature.

Buon Appetito

Fresh Fettuccine with Garlic, Chilli, Tomato and Basil Sauce

  Fettuccine with Garlic, Chilli, Tomato and Basil

with the Chef Mama Isa



This recipe is one of the essence of simple Italian cooking.

The Mama Isa's kitchen is full of a wonderful array of fresh produce. She picked out garlic, "datterini" tomatoes, chilli and basil. This recipe is so healthy: garlic with the antibacterial and antiviral properties, tomatoes are treasures of riches (with many vitamins (Vitamin A, C, K) and many antioxidant nutrients, basil wiht its unique health-protecting effect in two basic areas: volatile oils and basil's flavonoids. But please remember since the oils in basil are volatile, it'ss best to add the herb near the end of the cooking process, so it will retain its maximum flavor and essence.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

300 g Egg Pasta dough rolled into one thin sheet
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
500 g of  fresh"datterini" tomatoes
1 or 2 red chilies (depending on how spicy you like it!!!)
Fresh Basil leaves
Extra Virgin Olive oil

Cut the pasta into 5 mm-wide ribbons (fettuccine). Most chefs have a pasta roller attachment which will do this but it makes little difference if you just use a sharp knife to cut your tagliolini ribbons, like Mama Isa does.



Hand Cut Pasta

Hang the strips of pasta on a wooden board and let it dry for 10-20 minutes.

Heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Mama Isa repeats it’s important to use good, Italian extra-virgin olive oil (she says "any extra virgin olive oil" that costs less than € 10 for a bottle “isn’t extra virgin olive oil”!!).

Add the garlic and cook until it is translucent. Then add red chilies, the tomatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes. Salt to taste.

Then add the fresh basil leaves.

Submerge the fettuccine in salted, boiling water for 1-2 minutes then add to the frying pan.


Tagliolini with the Chef Mama Isa
 Tagliolini with the Chef Mama Isa




Toss everything together and sprinkle with more extra virgin olive oil. If you like add fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and a few shavings of Ricotta Salata cheese on the top!





Search in the Recipe Archive