“I’m not a chef, I’m Italian”- David Rocco


Showing posts with label private chef NYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label private chef NYC. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Un'estate che cambia la vita a Guardia ...


 
Non sono nemmeno sicuro da dove cominciare. Questa estate è stato un turbine di emozioni per me, soprattutto nelle ultime settimane. Penso sapendo che i miei due mesi in paradiso stavano volgendo al termine è stata appena aggiunta ad esso ... .ma, torno in meno di due mesi, quindi lascio sapendo che tornerò molto, molto presto.

Come posso esprimere esattamente quello che sento? E 'molto difficile, perché sto attraversando così tanto. Mi sentivo così triste che me ne stavo andando, ma anche sentirsi felice sapendo che lasciare mi faceva così triste. Mi ha fatto capire che ho fatto la scelta giusta decidendo di trasferire in modo permanente a Guardia. So che è un cambiamento enorme da New York City, ma è il prossimo capitolo che ho bisogno nella mia vita, è esattamente quello che sto assetati.

 
C'è solo una cosa su Guardia che mi fa sentire un dolore nel mio cuore, nel modo migliore possibile. Il popolo, la comunità, la bellezza; tutto su di esso. Ho avuto questi momenti meravigliosi di questa estate e al centro di questi momenti erano le persone accoglienti e generose di Guardia. Se sia stato il droghiere sapendo esattamente quello che stavo arrivando in quel giorno (pomodori, zucchine, cipolle e aglio), il proprietario di Maria e Rosy sapendo che volevo Nutella nel mio cornetto (una mattina mia madre ha ordinato senza e quando ho siamo andati a chiedergli di aggiungere la Nutella, mi guardava come per dire "Lo sapevo che volevi Nutella !!), essendo suonò e salutò le mie passeggiate quotidiane, vicini mi gifting con il vino fatto in casa o verdure fresche dal loro giardino , ci sono state tante esperienze, che dovranno essere per un altro post del tutto. Ma ciò che tutte queste esperienze avevano in comune erano le persone di Guardia.


Torna alle mie emozioni folli. La notte prima di partire, sono stato molto felice di essere a cantare alcune arie in un concerto in città. Felice come questo mi ha fatto, sapevo che sarebbe stato difficile. Ho abbastanza emotivo dover dire addio, aggiungere ad essa dover cantare e vedere così tante facce familiari e sorridente, in una notte era più di quanto potessi nudo, o almeno così pensavo. In realtà, è stata la conclusione perfetta per una perfetta di due mesi. Quando mi è stato consegnato un bel mazzo di fiori, alla fine della notte e letto la carta, ho appena ricevuto più emotivo (grazie ancora a tutti a La Vittoria !!). Come se ciò non bastasse, dopo il concerto di un gruppo di amici mi invitò a condividere non uno, ma due bottiglie di mia bevanda frizzante preferito (prosecco) e tostato al mio rientro rapido. Come si può iniziare a capire, questo è tutto fatto per un addio molto emozionante, ma bello di Guardia per me.
 


Mi manchera la mia routine a Guardia; gite al parco per fare un po 'di yoga, la mia passeggiata preferita al ponte, vedere le stesse persone ogni giorni durante il mio viaggio in citta, incontrare gli amici per una cena tardi, giri in macchina per esplorare villaggi vicini, in direzione degli ortogrutticoli uomo fresco per vedere cio che sembra buono per il giorno. Sono le piccolo cose che fanno Guardia cosi grande.

Sento davvero che ci sia qualcosa di magico Guardia. Non posso dirvi cosa penso che sia, perché ogni persona ha le proprie ragioni specifiche per pensare che è speciale e che è ciò che rende così unico. Fino a novembre il mio dolce Guardia, ci vediamo molto presto ....
 
 
 

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Salted Caramel Doughnuts with Roasted Pecans


Ciao tutti!! I know, I know. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted and I’ve missed you all. Life has been nuts. Between working and building up my brand, Magic &Pasta Events and trying to juggle a social life, I have been getting ready for the biggest decision of my life. You may remember that back in February I announced that I brought a house in Italy, in the beautiful town of Guardia Sanframondi. I am going to be leaving for Guardia at the end of the month and will be there until the middle of September, getting my house ready, starting renovations and I’ll be in the process of working on a HUGE project (more details in the next few months.) I am also planning on completely redoing La Cucina Della Prima Donna and making it more accessible and easier to search for recipes and including some travel tips, photos, etc. In the meantime, I would like to share with you my newest recipe…

Classic Yeast Doughnuts with Salted Caramel and Roasted Pecans
 

 
Yeast Doughnuts
2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 packet of instant yeast
4 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup whole milk, warmed to 105 F- 115 F
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. pure maple extract
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
Vegetable oil, for frying (I prefer peanut oil)
 
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the warm milk, vanilla, maple and egg yolks. Mix till smooth. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and the butter and mix until incorporated. You can prepare this recipe with all bread flour, I just always prefer to bake with a  little whole wheat flour because I find it adds a light nuttiness to ever recipe and it makes your treats a little healthier. Continue to mix on medium speed until the dough is soft and smooth (it will be slightly sticky).
 
 
 
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a draft free place to rise for 1 hour. You can also refrigerate for up to 12 hours and have perfect dough just in time for breakfast. Lightly flour 2 baking sheets. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut with a floured doughnut cutter or biscuit cutter. Use the extra dough for doughnut holes, don't throw those babies out! Place the doughnuts and doughnut holes at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheets and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise a second time until they are puffy and almost double in size, this should take 15-30 minutes. The doughnuts and ready when the dough springs back slowly after being touched with a fingertip (if it springs back too quickly, it needs more time, if it collapses, it has over proofed and you can reroll the dough and cut it once).
 
While the doughnuts rise, fill a large heavy bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil. Heat over medium high heat. As always with frying, please be very careful. Using a spatula, carefully lower a few doughnuts into the oil; do not overcrowd the pot. If you have too many doughnuts in the pot, not only will it take longer to fry, but the dough will absorb more of the oil and we don't want greasy doughnuts. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning a few times, until the doughnuts are a light golden brown and cooked though. Remove with a  slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel. Let them cool slightly before glazing. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. Next step....the Salted Caramel. Cue Homer Simpson drool.
 
Salted Caramel
 
¾ cup cream

½ a vanilla bean, split length wise

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

4 tbsp. butter, chilled and cut into cubes

¼ tsp. kosher salt
 
Pour your cream in bowl, scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean. Add the whole bean and set aside.
 
Stir the sugar, corn syrup and 2 tbsp. cold water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high, boil, occasional swirling the pan, DO NOT STIR. Continue to cook for 5-6 minutes or until a deep amber color forms. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the vanilla cream. When I say gradual, I mean gradual, otherwise the sugar will seize up and you will have to re-melt it, so add the cream slowly. The mix will bubble, that is to be expected. Whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick, anywhere from 2-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and salt. Stir until melted and smooth. Strain into a shallow bowl for dipping!!
 
 
 
Roasted Pecans
 
1 cup of crushed pecans
 
Toast your pecans on a pan in the oven. I prefer the low and slow approach when roasting nuts to decrease the odds of burning. I like my nuts slightly toasted, so toast on 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Every oven is different so please pay attention and don’t burn the nuts!! Place the nuts in a shallow bowl for dipping.
 
 
Assembling the doughnuts
 
Dip the doughnut in the caramel. Its okay, I like to double dip too!! Let the caramel set for at least 20 seconds and then dip in the nuts. Set on a wire rack. Dig in!! I enjoyed these last Saturday morning with a big glass of iced coffee on my terrace. Enjoy!!

Thursday, February 19, 2015

A new dinner with Magic & Pasta in NYC, a new haircut and a new house in Italy....

Ciao a tutti!! Tutto bene?! It’s been too long! Last I posted I was exploring Florence and having the time of my life. What has happened since then? To put it more accurately, what HASN’T happened since then? I’ve gotten a haircut. I know that might not seem like a big deal to you but I have always grown my hair for years at a time, even cutting it for Locks of Love Twice. One day in Florence I looked at my hair, almost down to my shoulders and thought “it’s time for a change.” Thinking on it just one day, I marched into a saloon, translated best I could and ended up with a fabulous short, shaggy chin length bob. I figured with all of the big changes I was making in my life this just part of it. What do you think??



Next up was going back to Guardia Sanframondi. Remember I had mentioned I spent some time in a beautiful village in Campania before getting to Florence? Well, I loved it there so much, I actually cut my time in Florence short and returned to continue my journey. What did I do while I was there? Well, I made a ton of wonderful friends, ate some of the best food I’ve ever had and bought a house. Anyhow…..wait, what? A HOUSE, YOU SAY? That’s right. I BOUGHT MY VERY FIRST HOUSE IN ITALY!!!! As you can clearly see, Italy is very important to me. I am very proud of my Italian roots and have always wanted to be closer to what I feel is really my home. In fact, Guardia is just two hours from where my great-grandfather was born in Naples. I will be posting pictures and I will dedicate a whole post to the beauty of Guardia. I have never been anywhere like Guardia. It really is magical and I can’t wait to share this journey with you. Here is my new view...
 

I then returned to NYC and have been cooking regularly, doing private events with Magic & Pasta. Here are some of the dishes I have made for some dinners. In the order that they are shown are my "Caprese Salad" with parmigiana mousse, pesto gelatin and candied baby tomatoes, Polenta Fritti with Mushroom Onion Tapenade and Garlic Rosemary Chicken with Grilled Scallions over Parsnip Puree….
 




 
I actually am hosting one of my stylized ticketed dinners coming up on March 7th in NYC that I would love to invite you all too….”Aperitivo Italiano.” The menu will include small bites of Aperitivo Style dishes with my own twist, such as Rosemary Fried Chicken with Semolina Pancakes and Spicy Chestnut Honey and Herbed Parmigiana Polenta Bites with Speck. What to see the full menu for this delicious dinner? Then click here, you will also see ticket information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to comment here or e-mail me at magicandpasta@hotmail.com Here are a few photos from one of my last dinners to give you an idea of the setting...





Until then my friends, I will be spending the day doing some prep in the kitchen and trying to stay warm!!! Ci vediamo!!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Baked Pasta alla Norma....Sausage, ricotta and penne, OH MY!


 
Day 1 of “The Box Project.” In case you missed my last post, for the next month or so I am on a mission. That is…A Box Project Mission. What’s the Box Project? Well, it’s a box of delicious treats I brought back from Italy and am always saving “for something special.” I finally decided, what am I waiting for? On top of it, I have a bad habit of food shopping too often and I hate to say it, but sometimes things unfortunately go to waste. The idea with the Box Project is to use ingredients that I already have on hand and add necessary proteins, dairy or vegetables. So…day 1.

Pasta al Forno.
 
 

Pasta al Forno is basically an Italian baked pasta dish made with a pasta, cheese and preferably meat/vegetables. Well, I had a lovely can of tomatoes that I actually got last year that the real estate agent left in our kitchen “goody bag”, (when I was in Florence, Italy, the real estate agent had a bag full of groceries, ahem, and some wine in the kitchen for our arrival). Along with the tomatoes, I also had a jar of Pesto Rosso with basil that I purchased at Conand. Conand is a supermarket chain in Italy and I swear, every time I go in there, I come out with 6 bags…and that’s on a  good day.  Also on hand was a jar of San Marzano tomato paste, penne and ricotta (yes, when I can’t make my own ricotta or get to my usual cheese guy, I have to settle for supermarket ricotta). The extras I purchased for this dish were some parmigiana, eggplant and hot sausage links. So without further adeu…
 

Baked Pasta alla Norma
 
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pack of hot sausage links
1 large eggplant (properly prepared, see below)
2 tbsp. garlic, finely chopped
1 can of tomato paste
6 tbsp. tomato pesto
2 tbsp. fresh basil, torn (NEVER CUT BASIL!!)
1 tbsp. oregano
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 box of penne
2 cups of ricotta
½ cup of parmigiana, grated

Set a medium size pan over medium/high heat. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil. Uncase your sausage links (I do this simply by wetting the link and cutting the case with a knife to remove it). Tear out all of the sausage into little pieces and add in the pan. Cook for 30-45 minutes (this depends on how well you like your sausage of course). Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl to cool.
Prepare your eggplant. First off, clean it. Then cut it into slices and layer them in a colander, sprinkle on some salt. Let the eggplant release some liquid. Then rinse the eggplant, squeeze it with your hands and pat it dry. I know this seems like a lot of work, but trust me, it’s worth it. I picked up this technique when I was studying cooking in Italy. Not only does it make the eggplant less bitter, but by releasing the liquid, it is easier to fry. After you have rinsed and dried the eggplant, chop it coarsely. Add to the pan that you had the sausage in. I basically used the fat that the sausage released to fry the eggplant in. Not the healthiest I know, but delicious nonetheless.
 
 
Fry the eggplant until a little golden and crispy. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. By this point, you should have water boiling. Add your garlic to the pan and let it fry until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and remove all of the excess oil and fat from the pan. Put the pan back over medium heat.  Add the tomato paste and let it “toast” slightly. Add 6 tbsp. of red pesto (basically, tomato pesto), a splash of pasta water, the basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook it very briefly. Six minutes top. Strain the pasta and add it to the tomato sauce, along with the sausage and eggplant. Let it cook over low heat while the tomato sauce reduces slightly. In the meantime prepare your ricotta.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium size bowl, whip 2 cups of ricotta with the parmigiana. Add the fried garlic. You will want to get out a casserole dish to prepare the pasta in. Add one layer of the pasta and then add dollops of the ricotta mix. Continue doing so until filled. Put the pasta in the oven and bake for 30 minutes to one hour. Remove, let it cool and then DIG IN!!!