Time to sit on the Porch! Foodie Friday- Curry, Italian Style!

     

     It's Foodie Friday and we'll be linking up at Designs by Gollum. Many thanks to Michael for hosting the week's yummiest party!


    It's also the end of another busy week at Casa Bramasole. Remember yesterday when I gave you a peek at what Mr B. was doing here?

Well, this morning it looked like this

I decided to repaint some furniture and plant stands 

and so our backyard looked like this... (see my little helper there? He did most of the supervising)

Our annual clean-up and freshening is almost done. Want a peek?

we're not quite done yet...

but we're getting there....

just a few more plants and maybe some candles....

and wine. Definitely wine.

One thing I have learned since moving South is that Southerners know how to DO summer. 

Screen porches become the most lived in rooms in the house.

And that's as it should be

     As those of you who follow us know, most of the recipes I post here are Italian. This is because I tend to use this blog as a written history of our family so that my children will be able to look back some day and say "Is THAT what she was talking about??" Someday...

In real life, I don't only cook Italian, but it is the most frequently found cuisine on our table. 

        Actually, the three most frequently found foods are probably  pasta with butter and parmesan, pizza, and chicken nuggets- because those are the only 3 foods my two youngest boys will eat. Yes, I know- it's pathetic. 

Tonight I'm going to share a pasta dish that I made earlier this week. It happens to be one I love both for the flavor and for the ease and speed of preparation. As it happened, a client of mine had brought me some lump crabmeat ( I shared that with you here) and some shrimp. I have used this dish in cooking classes a few times and I always see raised eyebrows when I pull out the curry- after all they came to see Italian cooking, didn't they? 

       Actually, Italian merchants were trading with India centuries ago. Curry is frequently used particularly in the areas near port towns such as Liguria. I love the colors of this dish and the smoky heat of the curry combined with the sweetness of the apple. 

Pasta con Gamberi al Curry (Pasta with Shrimp and Curry)

about 3/4 cup good olive oil

2 large onions, chopped (I used 1 white and 1 red- what I had)

2 apples- peeled, cored, quartered and then sliced crosswise

about 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 lb. shrimp- peeled and deveined

2-3 tsp. curry powder (to taste)

1/2 cup white wine

1 pound fine spaghetti or capellini

Salt and Pepper to taste

 Cook the pasta in a large pot of well salted boiling water. While the spaghetti is cooking, start the sauce. Heat the olive oil, saute the onions and apples till the apples just start to soften- don't overcook. Add the parsley and stir well. Add the shrimp, curry, and wine. Raise the heat a bit and cook till the shrimp become opaque and orange, stirring frequently. Drain the pasta, combine it with the shrimp mixture and stir

Tonight's dinner was roasted pork tenderloin. I had some leeks that really needed to be used, so I turned them into a side dish that my Nonna called a Torta or Tortina and my old neighbor called a "souffl-iche"- she said it was a combination of souffle and quiche! You can adapt this by adding other veggies, but I actually love the leeks on their own

Leek Souffl-iche

1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil (depending on how many leeks)

2 large leeks (what I had), sliced in half lengthwise and cut cross-wise in 1 inch chunks

2 Tablespoons flour

6 eggs

3/4-1 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 ounces heavy cream

3 cloves garlic, pressed and minced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 1 quart souffle dish and place it in a roasting pan. Put a pot of water on to boil.

Heat the olive oil and slowly saute leeks till soft but not brown (I got a little distracted). Put cooked leeks in a bowl and sprinkle with flour- stir. In another bowl, beat together eggs, cheese, cream, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well with leeks. Pour mixture into souffle dish, pour boiling water in roasting pan about 1-2 inches high around the souffle dish. bake for about 1 hour till set and turning golden.

As Always,

Buon Alimenti, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie