Prawns stringed Italian style

Spaghetti and Italy go a long way. More info on this coming your way. For now, enjoy my Sunday trial on the 2nd country on the globe. - Italy . Dad's favourite country and enigmatic in every sense of the word.What is your world tour if not a stopover at this place?

When I did a search on the popular dishes of Italy ,pizza,spaghetti,pasta came up... Pizza is such a used and abused dish that I didn't want to be another spoiling cook of the broth. So lets give a try to the tangled mess,spaghetti.

I borrowed a recipe from the interesting Jamie Oliver and his sojourns of this nation state.From his numerous recipes, all sprinkled generously with anecdotes on his travels , I picked this as something which would be quick and still a novelty.

For 3 people , 250 gm cooked Spaghetti and 200 gm prawns should suffice.
I really think olive oil tastes better for this. not just coz I'm on a weight losing spree :) .It does.

Heat 3 spoonfuls in a large open pan.Avoid aluminum. Add in 2 chopped garlic cloves and 2 crumbled dry red chillies. When garlic looks slightly gorgeous brown,add the prawns and cook for 5 mins on low heat. Don't get tempted coz it doesn't taste good until you add 2 big spoonfuls of tomato puree. Now Jamie recommends puree of sun dried tomatoes,which I didn't get here and was too lazy to make. Yes you can make that puree. Recipe on that later.
Simmer for 10 minutes. When the prawns start to stick slightly then add small glassful white wine. After 5 minutes,add the spaghetti and mix slowly so as not to make it mushy enuf for the next V day :)
Add juice of half lemon ,salt,ground black pepper,zest and chopped rocket/basil leaves.
These rocket leaves made me rocket from Psar mall to Nams and ofcourse I didn't find it! So I got Basil instead.
Mix well.Add olive oil if it gets sticky. Serve with sausages.

The trick is,I may be trying dishes of faraway places ,but I get equally far away looks when I try it on my friends,nearest and first being my roommates. Either it is of appreciation of yumm-how-could-Treez-manage-this? or duh-whats-this!. I got the second look today. When I checked again,it tasted a little bland. I added more salt,pepper and lemon juice. Take it from me ,it is really tough to satisfy the Indian palate. I almost was tempted to add turmeric and chat masala to remove the blasted blandness!! But I am determined to remain true to the essence of this blog (seems like next I'll get an anthem for my blog !! :-) )
It finally tasted just allright. I guess you really need to get the rocket leaves. Apparently, true to it's name, it really has a strong and tangy taste.

So voila! Here is Spaghetti con gamberetti e rucola. gustoso!

I know what you did last October ....or maybe I know what I did last October ;) read here!

Coming soon to a plate near u - Italiano !!

Italian cuisine is one of the most popular in the world. There are so many Italian recipes that you will find several variations of the same dish. For example lasagna made in the north of Italy is very different from the one made in the south. Famous Italian recipes are for pasta, pizza, seafood, poultry, meat and vegetable dishes. Desserts are also very famous. You will find more seafood dishes coming from the coastal areas of Italy such as Naples, Venice, Genova, etc. Piedmont is famous for his meats (often eaten raw) and truffles. Tuscany is also famous for meat and game as well as cacciucco (seafood stew) from Livorno.

source - italiamia

Coming soon my Dad's fav country's popular cuisine!!  

Cream cheese pasta from Prince Edward Island

What is a innocent soul to do if out of 8 ingredients 3 aren't there? Epsecially if one of the missing is salmon! Oh darn,I shouldn't have revealed that! :)
Well I reached my first milestone. Cooked the popular dish from my dream destination. Originally Smoked Salmon with Pasta and Simple Lemon Dill Cream Cheese Sauce, mine would be renamed simple cream cheese pasta. It was simple to make ! No don't lose hope in me yet. Amateurs should have a better vote of confidence. It turned out well and the opinion was seconded by my roomies. 
Shopping for the stuff took me dangling between 2 Psars and almost Tsar malls. Salmon sadly wasnt available anywhere in B'lore. One enthusiatistic salesman at the mall suggested adding mullets instead of salmon. Wonder what Chef Michael would say to that! 
Statutory warning : Dill pickle cannot be substituted for dill leaves! And always ,always check those mall shelves for the less expensive mustard pastes. The higher end versions are kept right in front of you to burn a whole in your not-so-deep pocket.
And there's nothing more joyous than catching hold of the exact ingredients. Dijon mustard, Penne pasta and cream cheese. Yipeeee!  

So Tuesday being Republic day holiday, I cooked up my milestone dish with a lot of enthu, dash of apprehension and lack of salmon. 
Boiling the pasta took more time than expected. Then I impatiently added the cheese,mustard paste, spring onion,unwanted dill pickle chopped, lemon juice and peppered the whole experiment. While my puzzled roomie cooked the dal-next-door I was thinking of 'what ifs'. What if the whole thing was a sham, what if i ended up having plain jane dal, what if everything turned sour....but when the delicious aroma of the cheese spread the kitchen, I knew this was it! :) 

Mapping the Aroma

Amongst the many hobbies I  tried,cooking has been the most loved and interesting. I am a certified foodie but if you ask the elite club members, not all foodies are good cooks but mostly all good cooks are great foodies. Slicing juicy red tomatoes, washing spring green chillies in bright mid mornings, exotic smell of fresh coriander and onions glistening in oil...everything which happens when ingredients are mixed is happiness discovered!

Something else that I am here to discover. Countries. I am starting a journey of exploring all 203 countries ( number according to my other friend, Wiki) and combined with my passion for cooking, it is a discovery of their national cuisines. The world has intermingled and trade has opened barriers,boundaries, brains and taste buds have also been sauteed to experiment different delicacies. Britain swears by curry rather than it's traditional fish and chips ,which are now like supporting actors in the less known movies released every year.American fast food is being camouflaged in Asian countries by the local spices. MkAloo,MkPaneer wrap and french fries in chicken tikka..etc. It's good for one's hunger but there is not anything solely which a  country says is it's original cuisine anymore. I hope my journey will help me and you to find out the pure,original and patented delicacies that is very local.!! 'Bone' voyage!! :)

1st milestone -  Prince Edward Island,Canada.
Emotional reasons. Prince Edward Island  (PEI )in Canada is a place I want to visit ever since I read Anne series by L.M. Montgomery. A childhood book with me which I always turn back to. PEI, I believe would be more beautiful than I imagined, and reading from the net and Wiki ,its ordained by farmlands and greenery and known to be  a beautiful ,clean place.
As a tribute to that place, I will start with the famous Island chef  Micheal Smith's  Smoked Salmon with Pasta and Simple Lemon Dill.PEI is also known for it's potatoes.I shall cook a dish with this universal vegetable too,once I hook the salmon.
Pre the cooking  - Salmon will create a hole in my purse,but never a better time to try :)
Board results - will put up the pic,my version of the recipe and how changed it was from Chef's. Click here coz the dish is here!