Sunday At the Giacomettis

At our house, it's all about the simplicity of the Italian kitchen.  With fresh vegetables showing up at local famers markets, it's good to keep some simple recipes handy.  This red bell pepper cream is all about consistency.   The creaminess of this dish comes from the starch in the pasta water, rather than real cream.  The intensity of the flavor comes from gently oven roasting your pepper ahead.   You can also cut up your pepper and give it a boil.  I prefer to gently oven roast as the skin can easily be peeled off when cooled, before it goes in the food processor.  This sauce can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Ingredients:  One red bell pepper (large) Flat skillet. One large shallot (diced) 2 tablespoons Olive oil plus more for drizzling at the table Parmigiano Reggiano grated for the table. One teaspoon salt One teaspoon pepper One food processor  Sprigs ...

Ingredients:  One 3 pound Pork Tenderloin 2 handfuls of fresh Rosemary  (one diced fine for baking/ the other for decoration on plate) Handful of fresh Sage A sprinkle of ground sage all over your meat about 2 teaspoons chopped garlic 2 teaspoons pepper 2 teaspoons salt one cup flour one cup of white wine 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for the plate) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 slices of Pancetta kitchen twine to hold your roast together Roasted Vegetables:  2 pounds red potatoes, cleaned, sliced thin 1/2 pound baby carrots 2 tablespoons olive oil one teaspoon salt one teaspoon pepper Place your vegetables into a bowl with the above ingredients and toss. One large baking pan that can go from stove-top to oven (do not use a glass dish) Oven string to tie your roast Preheat your oven to 375 degrees/ bake Method:  In a large skillet or baking pan, heat olive oil on low.  In the meantime, ...

Fresh artichokes even in season are hard to come by here in the Southern, United States.    Imagine my surprise when I cam across such a vision.    They were firm and leaves tight. To maximize its freshness, thought I would create some Artichoke pesto.  You need very little  to spoon on some focaccia or toss with some Pasta.   The beauty of this pesto is that it will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.  In my house, it doesn't last long.   I made pasta several times with this batch.  Follow this simple recipe.   Store in a tight container and spoon out as needed.   Ingredients:ur One globe Artichoke Lemon water Bowl Pot to boil your artichokes. 1 tablespooon of salt (plus more for your pesto) handful of parsley 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 4 tablespoons of olive oil 3 cloves of garlic  3 tablespoons of artichoke cooking liquid  A good handful of fresh parsley One large globe ...

If your travels take you to the northern borders of Italy, this dish is fairly common.  Asparagus grows plentifully almost all Summer long.  There's nothing better than fresh Asparagus out of the garden.  The beauty of this dish is that a little goes a long way .   Came home to find about 15 fresh Asparagus ready to be picked.   In the time that it takes to boil your pasta, your Asparagus cream is ready.    Ingredients:  15 or so of the freshest Asparagus you can find Large pasta pot filled about half way with cold water.    2 tablespoons of salt (plus extra for the table) 1 large skillet 1 small clove of garlic cut in half  1 tablespoon of olive oil (plus a drizzle for the plates before serving) 1 food processor 1 tablespoon of lemon peel 1/2 reserved Asparagus water 1/3 cup starchy cooking water you can remove with a measuring cup (while your pasta is boiling).  12 ounces of spaghetti 3 tablespoons of...