Fun in P.to Los Cabos , Fundadores

http://cookandthefly.blogspot.mx/2012/05/im-back.html

Here's some other dinners we did as CookAndTheFly...
http://cookandthefly.blogspot.mx/p/past-events-menus-chef-at-home.html

iCook does El Zalate, dos

Hello guys,
last week has been on fire! and between jobs allover town we came back to this beautiful oceanfront condo in El Zalate complex in San Jose' del Cabo. NOT that I'm promoting in any way, but if you'd like to rent it for a week let me know andI'll cut you a deal with the property manager....friend of mine  ; )

Again for a 5 courses Italian dinner, iCook style...


We started with a baked eggplant appetizer..a slice of eggplant is rolled up with homemade ricotta, splashed with light fresh tomato sauce, topped with smoky and spicy Provolone and baked. The "thing" on top is a spicy eggplant finger that apports a nice texture contrast to the dish.

texture!

 Salad was a really sexy polenta fries and lardons salad....the contrast between crispy greens and the sensually softness of a poached yolk made this warm salad, well....sexy  ; )

sexy salad

 Ricotta gnocchi, pillowy and soft, tossed with more ricotta, prosciutto, arugula and roasted grape tomatoes..could it be more Italian?

Messy pic, but I find it captivating

 As always Tomatami, our fish guy, shined with the freshest cut of local yellowtail! When a fish is so fresh you just want to keep it simpleand exalt the flavour and texture of this prime ingredient.

We dedided to pan seared with only a sprinkle of sea salt and peppr and pair ir wit roasted asparagus, "crispy" kale, splash of tomato coulis and a few garlic chips. A light drizzle of garlic olive oil completed the dish....fantastic!

 Dessert was a tried and true #croccantino semifreddo with chocolate sauce...not much to add  but :"BUONISSIMO"!!!!  if you never tried it, do yourself a favour and make it..it taks maybe 20 minutes of prep and it's very very easy.

As always, guys, if you're interested in any of the recipes just let me know and I will post/send them.

As soon as things will slow down a bit I will start posting recipes almost daily but for now...  24 hours in a day are not enough. Ciao, Emilio  ; )

iCook dinner, San Jose' del Cabo, April 20th

Assorted bruschettas:prosciutto,melon,25y.o.balsamic vinegar/roasted tomatoes&olives/roasted peppers&celery hearts salad/fava beans,aged sheep's cheese,mint&lemon

The occasion was a surprise dinner for a long time friend and customer's grandparents, the setting a beautiful condo in El Zalate complex in San Jose' del Cabo with a stunning ocean view...the crashing surf provided the soundtrack.







Next was the soup: a chilled cream of green beans...nice, even though we don't have a pic of 

igeArugula,pear and prosciutto salad, with a honey vinaigrette, mint and xxxtra old Parmigiano..lots of nice flavour and texture contrasts.

It just wouldn't be "us" without pasta!

These ravioli were ohhh so good! G.made the ricotta that was part of the filling along with speck, Parmigiano and leek...sweet, salty, smoky, with a hint of juniper and mountain herbs.
The sauce had to be light and delicate, so we opted for a simple butter and tomato sauce with a touch  of fresh herbs to brighten it up a little.

 Meat or fish?

MEAT!  Beef #tagliata, with rosemary oil, wilted chard and garlic potatoes "alla toscana".

These potatoes are just awesome...we soaked them in salted water for an hour, patted them dry and cooked them slooooowly in extra virgin olive oil with a whole head of garlic and a load of black peppercorns...molto buono!

Beef was rubbed and slightly crusted with rosemary, juniper, black pepper and sea salt...grilled to medium rare over HIGH heat.

Still think there's no good meat in Mexico?

For dessert, our friend "A" opted for a lavender creme brulee which, in our opinion, deserved more than a shot...    ; )

So, there you have it...a dinner of clean, honest food, with straight forward flavour and presentations and no non sense decorations...
Till the next one,

E&G

Spring's here!

Here's some flavoured pasta, with the colors of spring and a bit off the beaten path...
beet, carrot, arugula, mint.....

Garden is blooming, so are the options for our/your pastas!

Fun with pasta

As I sadly realized from living in the US and Canada for over 15 years, too often people associate the word lasagne with the 4 inches thick brick of store bought ricotta, "meat sauce", thick acid deep red overboiled tomato sauce and greasy cheese that Italian American restaurants made popular. This atrocity, like many others "delicacies" found on thousand menus throughout the continent, is far from being authentic and has nothing to do with Italian food and the wonderful balance of flavours and textures of an authentic Lasagna alla Bolognese and all of its variations.
Those dishes are the offspring of early immigrant cooks that started slapping things together in order to feed numerous families and hungry multitudes of workers; Lasagna, or in its plural form, lasagne, is basically a whole pasta sheet that can, and not only, be layered and stuffed. This is a link to iCook's Facebook group where you'll find some examples... 

http://www.facebook.com/cookandthefly/posts/272436986172185?ref=notif&notif_t=like&__adt=3#!/media/set/?set=oa.379240855439893&type=1

One of my personal favourite uses for the sheet is the Rotolo, either small (whole) or large (sliced).
The almost infinite combinations of pasta flavourings, stuffings and sauces make it one of the most versatile ways to use a sheet of artisanal egg pasta...it's easier and less laborious to put together than ravioli and it's not boiled, which makes for a far superior taste and texture.

Go ahead and feel free to contact either of us here at iCook for a demonstration, a pasta class in the comfort and privacy of your own kitchen or, why not, a pasta sampling evening, let's call it a "Pasta Party" !


Diviértete con la pasta


Como tristemente he podido darme cuenta viviendo entre Estados Unidos y Canadá por mas de 15 años, demasiadas veces la gente asocia la palabra  lasagne a esa cosa alta 8 centímetros echa de ricotta del super, "salsa de carne", una espesa ácida ultra cocida salsa de tomate color rojo oscuro y ese queso grasiento que los restaurantes Italo-Americanos han echo tan popular. Esta atrocidad, como del resto varias otras "delicadezas" encontradas en miles de menús a lo largo del continente, esta muy lejos de ser autentica y nada tiene que ver con la comida Italiana y el maravilloso balance de sabores y texturas que se encuentran en una autentica Lasagna alla Bolognese y todas sus variaciones.
Esos platillos son la herencia de cocineros inmigrados que empezaron a mezclar cosas para así poder alimentar familias numerosas y multitudes de trabajadores hambrientos; Lasagna, o su plural lasagne, no es mas que una hoja de pasta que puede, y no solamente, ser apilada y rellenada. Aquí les va un link  a la pagina Facebook de iCook en donde podrán trovar algunos ejemplos...


http://www.facebook.com/cookandthefly/posts/272436986172185?ref=notif&notif_t=like&__adt=3#!/media/set/?set=oa.379240855439893&type=


Uno de mis usos favoritos para la hoja de lasagna es el Rotolo, ya sea chiquito (toda la hoja) o grande (varias hojas luego rebanadas).
Las combinaciones casi infinitas entre sabores de pasta, tipos de rellenos y diferentes salsas, hacen del Rotolo  una de las mas versátiles formas de utilizar una hoja de pasta fresca con huevos echa en casa...es menos laboriosa de preparar que un raviolo y  no se hierve, lo que lleva el Rotolo a un nivel de textura y sabor superiores.
Anímense entonces y siéntanse libres de contratar cualquiera de nosotros aquí en iCook para una demostración, una clase de pasta en la comodidad y privacidad de su propria cocina o, porque no, una tarde de probaditas de pasta, una "Fiesta de Pasta"!

Cocinando la historia // Cooking history

Muchas recetas de la tradición italiana tienen sus orígenes en la historia antigua de ese país. Muchas se perdieron, "no la hicieron", pero algunas otras nos han llegado, en lo particular me gustan mucho las del periodo renacentista, es decir ese arco de tiempo que abarca desde la segunda mitad de 1400 hasta 1600. Me imagino a los grandes personajes de aquella época, tales como: Lorenzo il Magnifico, Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo, San Francesco, Machiavelli, comer estos platillos llenos de sabor y sencillez.
Pero hay recetas mas antiguas aun, como esta receta del siglo III, una receta de la Roma antigua llamada Salsa Garum: un condimento largamente utilizado en las preparaciones de las antiguas cocinas imperiales, echo a base de pescado fermentado y hierbas aromáticas. Su sabor era probablemente similar al de algunas salsas orientales que se elaboran de la misma manera hoy en día, como por ejemplo la salsa nuoc-mam Vietnamita.
Mi receta favorita del periodo renacentista es sin duda el Peposo all'imprunetina: un platillo a base de carne, pimienta molida en cantidad y vino tinto entre otros ingredientes, que tiene una historia fascinante detrás. Se cuenta que al construir el Brunelleschi la cúpula de la catedral de Florencia, estamos entre 1420 y 1436, se encontró con el problema de de conseguir los ladrillos, que son el material principal de esa enorme estructura. La solución fue producirlos directamente alrededor de la catedral, trayendo la arcilla y cocinado allá los ladrillos en grandes hornos construidos también para tale oficio. Miles entre albañiles, carpinteros y maestros de obra participaban en la construcción de la catedral. Y tenían mucha hambre! Utilizaron entonces los enormes hornos ladrilleros para preparar grandes cantidades de Peposo en calderas de gran tamaño, para saciar el hambre de la multitud.
Cuando quieran una probadita de este platillo nos dicen y con gusto se la preparamos.... sin ladrillos pero.

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Many recipes in the Italian tradition have their origin in Italy's ancient history. Many got lost, they "didn't make it", but others did and, in particular , I like those from the Renaissance - the period of time from the second half of 1400 to 1600. I can imagine the great characters of the times, like Lorenzo il Magnifico, Michelangelo, Leonardo, St. Francis, Machiavelli eating some simple and very flavourful dishes. There are even older documented recipes,like this one from Imperial Rome, from the III century, called  Salsa Garum, that was widely used in imperial kitchens and made of fermented fish ( namely tuna gutts ) and aromatic herbs.Its flavour was probably similar to certain Asian sauces that still today are prepared in the same fashion, like, to name one, Vietnamese nuoc-mam.
My favourite recipe from the Renaissance is, without a doubt, the Peposo all'imprunetina: a meat dish prepared with plenty of ground black pepper and red wine amongst the others, which has a great story.It is said that Brunelleschi, while building Florence's Duoms cupola, we're between 1420 and 1436, was faced with the problem of come by the enormous amount of bricks needed to build the massive structure. The solution was to make the bricks on the cathedral site, bringing in the clay and cooking them  in big ovens built with that purpose. Thousand of workers took part in the construction of the Duomo...and they were  hungry! So, they used the brick ovens to cook copious quantities of Peposo in huge vats, to placate the hunger of the multitudes. When you want a sample of it just let us know and with pleasure we'll cook some up... without bricks, though.

In defense of artisanal pasta

The kneading of flour and water was perhaps one of man's first actions if you look back through his history. The first bread was simply dough made from flour and water without yeast: even today, among some primitive populations, the use of yeast is completely unknown. However, all cultures have known the art of kneading, even if they have not all used the same ingredients, which are usually chosen according to what is available locally: the flour of various cereals either mixed with water alone or enriched with eggs and perhaps oil, and so on.
Pasta casalinga ( home made pasta ), or so called fresh pasta, now generally means egg pasta;  it contains one egg for every 2 1/2 ounces of American all-purpose white flour and is extremely nutritious. Why not indulge in it every now and then in order to rediscover forgotten aromas and flavours especially since you can acquire readily through purveyors like us?
Some have objected that home-made pasta is a food that is hardly suitable for the sedentary life of modern man because it contains too many calories: in fact a normal plate of pastasciutta contains about 360 calories, most of which are derived from carbohydrates, with only a few coming from protein.The most up to date nutritional science has now accertained that pasta is not fattening if it's properly seasoned  and included in a correct and well balanced diet. Indeed, it is advisable to introduce pasta into the daily diet because wheat flour, especially "natural" wheat flour that has not been treated chemically during refining and that has been cultivated using natural fertilizers, contains minerals salts and many important vitamines including some from B and E groups. Moreover, pasta made with one egg ( or more ) every2 1/2 ounces of flour has considerable nutritional value. If soft -grain wheat flour is less rich in proteins than the hard-grain durum wheat flour used in making industrial pastas, the deficiency is largely compensated by the nutritious substances contained in the eggs: albumin, other proteins of animal origin, and fatty substances.
After the above considerations, it is easy to realize how important this food is in our diet. If one also considers that fresh pasta is mainly seasoned with foods that are also very nourishing - cheeses and other such ingredients- or that it may be stuffed with succulent meat, fish and vegetable fillings, one can definitively conclude that it has great chances of becoming a dish with unmatchable flavour, within everyone's means and ready to satisfy even the fussiest and most refined palates.

En defensa de la pasta artesanal

Lo de amasar harina y agua fue tal vez una de las primeras actividades humanas, remontándonos a nuestra historia primordial. El primer pan fue una simple masa de harina y agua sin ninguna levadura añadida: inclusive hoy, entre algunas poblaciones primitivas el uso de la levadura permanece desconocido. Sin embargo, todas las culturas conocieron el arte de amasar, aunque no todas utilizaban los mismos ingredientes, que eran usualmente escogidos entre lo que se encontraba en los alrededores: la harina de algún cereal mezclado solamente con agua o en algunos casos enriquecida con huevos o algún aceite y así siguiéndole.
Pasta casalinga (pasta echa en casa) o pasta fresca, hoy en día suele significar pasta echa con huevos, contiene un huevo cada 100 gramos de harina de trigo y es extremadamente nutritiva. Porque no consentirse de vez en cuando para volver a descubrir aromas y sabores olvidados, especialmente cuando la puedes conseguir ya lista con proveedores como nosotros?
Algunos han objetado que la pasta echa en casa es un alimento que es difícilmente adecuado para la vida sedentaria del hombre moderno porque contiene demasiadas calorías:  de echo una porción normal de pastasciutta contiene algo como 360 calorías, la mayoría de las cuales provienen de carbohidratos y solo una parte desde proteínas. Los estudios sobre nutrición mas avanzados han comprobado que la pasta no engorda si propiamente sazonada e incluida en una dieta correctamente bien balanceada. En efecto es recomendable introducir pasta en la dieta diaria, porque la harina de trigo, en especial la harina de trigo "natural" que no haya sido tratada con químicos para su refinación y haya sido cultivada usando fertilizantes naturales, contiene sales minerales y vitaminas importantes entre las cuales las de los grupos B y E. Ademas, la pasta echa con un huevo (o mas) cada 100 gramos de harina tiene un valor nutriente considerable. Si es cierto que la harina  de trigo "blando" es menos rica en proteínas que la harina de trigo "duro" utilizada para las pastas de producción industrial, es igualmente cierto que esta insuficiencia es largamente compensada por las sustancias nutrientes contenidas en los huevos: albumina, otras proteínas de origen animal y  elementos grasos.
Después de hacer estas consideraciones, es fácil entender que tan importante este alimento sea para nuestra dieta. Y si de plano uno se pone a pensar que la pasta fresca es a menudo sazonada con ingredientes igualmente muy nutritivos - como los quesos entre otros - o que puede llevar un relleno de suculenta carne, pescado o verduras, se puede definitivamente concluir que la pasta tiene buenas posibilidades de volverse un platillo con un sabor inigualable listo para satisfacer el mas exigente y refinado paladar.

Ravioloni

First batch of ravioli is looking good......

....and we're open! Abierto!

Bienvenidos, Welcome to the virtual pasta, deli and catering shop.
Please look around, read the menus and don't hesitate letting us know what you think and how you FEEL about it.
We'll be posting special, recipes and pictures of our dishes and catered dinners ( with your permission, of course...).

Hope to see you in the shop soon,

Emilio and Giulio