Leek and red wine risotto

Leek and red wine risotto (Cabernet, Bonarda, Barbera or any  dry red wine that's good enough to drink)

Ingredients for 4:

400 g (about 2 ½ cups) of “vialone nano” rice  (round shaped medium length grain rice)

1 leek

2 glasses of red wine

1,5 liters vegetable broth http://irissrecipesvicenza.blogspot.it/2015/12/vegetable-broth.html

3 tablespoons olive oil

30 g butter

50 g Parmesan cheese

Put a pot of vegetable broth on the heat.  Cut away the green end of the leek because very tough and trim the other end. Rinse under running water and slice finely. Put the oil in a pan, add the leek and let simmer for a few minutes until soft. Raise the heat and soon afterwards pour in the rice and toast it for two minutes, always stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and stir. After a minute lower the heat and stir till the wine evaporates. Add two ladles of warm broth and continue to cook the risotto on medium heat. Add more broth only when the other has evaporated and so on until the risotto is done. There is no need to stir constantly, but it is essential to do this every time you add broth. Risotto will take about 18 minutes or more to cook, according to one’s taste. When almost done (after about 16/17 minutes), turn off the heat, blend in the butter and the grated cheese and adjust salt, stirring until all the butter has melted. If the risotto is too dry add some broth. Cover the pan and let the risotto stand for about a minute or two before serving. 

Vegetable broth

1 large potato

1 white onion

1 stalk celery

2 carrots

1 zucchini

1 tbsp tomato puree

A few sprigs of parsley

2 liters of water

Coarse salt

  

Peel the vegetables and cut them into pieces. Place them in a pot with the water, add the tomato puree and some salt and bring to a boil. Add the parsley (including stems) and cook for about an hour over medium heat, covered with a lid. If necessary, season with salt or vegetable granules  and strain the broth through a sieve.

Boiled rice with peppers and prawns

Serves 4:

350 g rice

300 g  cleaned prawns

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4/6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
pepper

Wash and clean the peppers and cut into dices or strips. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and gently fry the garlic for a few minutes. Remove the garlic, add the peppers, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 10/15 minutes until the peppers soften. In the meantime, wash the prawns under running water, remove their head and carapace. With a toothpick or sharp knife make a small incision on the upper part of the body to remove the intestines, or black thread, which contains sand and makes the crustacean bitter. Once cleaned, dry the prawns with kitchen paper. When the peppers have softened, add the prawns and the chopped parsley, stir to blend well and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. Boil the rice, drain it and toss it in the pan with the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

Fresh tomato and basil sauce

1 shallot, or ½ small white onion

6 tablespoons olive oil

8/10 ripe tomatoes San Marzano , or other plum tomatoes

6/8 fresh basil leaves

¼ teaspoon chili powder or a small piece of fresh chili pepper (optional)

Salt, pepper

Wash the tomatoes,  cut a cross on the bottom, plunge them into boiling  water for 15-20 seconds, drain, peel them, remove the seeds and cut into pieces. Finely chop the shallot and brown gently in a large pan with the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, the basil leaves,  the chili powder and stir to combine. Let cook on low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally (about 40 minutes).

Cook your pasta “al dente”, drain and toss a few minutes in the pan with the sauce. Sprinkle with some grated parmesan cheese and serve.

Spaghetti with tuna sauce

320 g spaghetti

1 shallot or ½ small white onion

1 tablespoon pickled capers

70 g canned tuna packed in olive oil

4 tablespoons tomato purée

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil, add salt and plunge the spaghetti. Stir and let cook for the necessary time. In the meantime, finely chop shallot and capers and fry them gently with the oil in a large pan. After a few minutes add the shredded and oil drained tuna, add the tomato purée, a pinch of salt and stir to blend well. Pour ½ a cup of hot water and let cook until the sauce thickens. Adjust salt.   Drain the pasta “al dente”, pour it into the pan,  stir to coat well and serve. 

Spaghetti with breadcrumbs

320 g spaghetti

2 cloves garlic

5 tablespoons breadcrumbs

50 g parmesan cheese

100 ml olive oil

salt

Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil, add salt and plunge the spaghetti. Stir and let cook for the necessary time. Meanwhile, finely slice the garlic and fry it in a saucepan with the olive oil. When the oil starts to sizzle, turn off the heat and let the infusion stand. Heat a swirl of oil in a large pan, then pour the breadcrumbs and toast them for some minutes, turning with a wooden spoon to prevent them from burning. Strain the oil, discarding the garlic and pour it into the pan with the breadcrumbs, stir and set aside. Drain the pasta “al dente”, pour it into the pan and toss over high heat for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with the grated cheese and, if you like, with some chopped parsley.

Granita al caffé

6 demitasse of espresso coffee (about 250 ml)

250 ml water

70 g sugar

Put the sugar and the water in a saucepan over moderate flame. Stir and bring to a boil and let cook for about a minute. Remove from the heat and add the coffee. Let cool and then transfer the mixture in a steel or glass container, with the aid of a fine mesh strainer.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. After about an hour, remove the granita from the freezer and, with the help of a  whip or fork, finely break the ice crystals that have formed. Put the mixture back in the freezer and repeat this process every 30 minutes, until the granita is ready (about 4 times).  You can serve granita topped  with some whipped cream.