Calamari with Spinach in a fresh garlic tomato sauce

This dish its amazing, you can serve it has appetizer or you can even add the sauce to the pasta... But i like to serve it with bread. Start by boiling the fresh spinach in water with a pinch of salt. Also boil the fresh calamari for 5-10 minutes then place them aside in some ice water, so they can stay soft. In a pan start by cooking the tomatoes. Peel the fresh tomatoes, chop finely and add them to a pan with some olive oil and garlic, season with salt and pepper. cook through for 10 minutes, add some hot pepper if you like, and then add the cooked spinach with a bit of the cooking water, and also add the calamari, a bit of white wine and combine all together. Cut you some fresh bread, place in oven for 5 minutes if you like it nice and crispy or you can simply use it soft. Serve on top of a piece of bread and let the bread soak all that beautiful sauce. Its amazing. ENJOY!!

Risotto ai frutti di mare

This is one of my favorite dishes, actually i love all kinds of risottos. I went to a fish market in Viareggio, in the Tirrenio coast with a good size cooler full of ice, a bought some great fresh fish, i like to this sometimes to enjoy cooking and eating some great fresh fish. You will start my making a Fumetto, which is like fish broth. Clean the shrimp, put the heads on the side and start boiling some water with a carrot, 1 tomato, 1 zucchini, 1 onion, 1 cellery, add all the heads of the shrimp and the skin, some salt and herbs, (parsley). Take some muscles and cook them in pan with olive oil garlic and parsley, add the white wine and cover. When ready take them out of the pan and place them in a bowl and keep the cooking liquid, thats where all theyr flavor is. Prepare the rice, chop some shallots finely, add olive oil to a deep pan, add the shallots and let it cook then add the rice and a pinch of salt, let the rice toast, add some white wine and let it evaporate, then start adding little by little the fish broth (Fumetto), when the rice its almost ready, add the shirmp the muscles and the cooking liquid from the muscles, and a bit of butter, and spoon of tomato paste, combine all together and when nice and creamy serve and add some fresh parsley. Dont let the rice overcook, and always make sure that its nice and creamy, if it gets too dry add some more broth. ENJOY!!!

Spaghetti alla chitarra with scallops and zucchini in a scent of lemon zest and basil

This is a great fresh dish, perfect for the upcoming spring and summer, served with a chilled glass of white wine. Start as usual by boiling the water for the pasta and add the salt, in a separate pan add a finely chopped shallot and butter, when melted add the cleaned scallops season with salt and pepper, let them cook on both sides, when nice and golden take them out, and add the chopped zucchini some basil to give it a nice fresh flavor in the same pan where you cooked the scallops, and add some white wine, let them cook for 10m, I like the zucchini to stay nice and crunchy. When the pasta is ready add it to the sauce witness a bit of the cooking water and sauté together and add the scallops back in as well. When nice and creamy serve with a bit of fresh basil and lemon zest to give it a final touch of freshness... Enjoy.

Potato Veloute with Truffles and Leek Chips

I had this fresh Marzolino Truffles, wich are very similar to the White Truffles with a strong flavor, but not has expensive. A friend of mine gave me this truffles just picked up in the Sansepolcro area in Tuscany. I personally love Veloute so potatoes are a great mach with Truffles so instead of making the same Tagliolini al Tartufo, i made a Veloute with Leeks fried made as chips. So i started boiling in salted water the potates with the skin. At the same time heat some olive oil and chop very finely the Leeks and frie them to make like a chip. When the potatoes are soft, take them out pass them in ice cold water and peel them, cut them in smaller pieces, drain some of the cooking water and place the potatoes back inside and add the heavy cream and some nutmeg. Let it cook for 5 minutes and blend all, taste and adjust with salt and pepper and add some Parmesan Cheese. Serve and add the Leek Chips and shave the fresh Truffles on top. DONE. If you like you can cut some bread into squares and saute them with some butter to make like bread croutons to add to the Veloute. EJOY.

Paella and Sangria

Who dosent love Paella and a nice glass of fresh Sangria. Oh i personally love them both. In my town Arezzo, there is a fair every year where food lovers come and taste all types of dishes from all over the world, from Argentina to Middle Middle East, Germany, Spain, Belgium, France, Austria, And its amazing, the food is great. Come to Arezzo and try it.

Pici alla Norma

This is a classic dish from Sicily. The fried Aubergine gives it the kick to it. You start by boiling salted water, and in the mean while lets prepare the sauce. Start by cutting julien the Aubergines and season with salt and pepper. In a pan add the olive oil, heat well and add the aubergines, and fry them till golden brown, when done let them sit aside. In the same pan add a clove of garlic, the tomato sauce and season with salt and some basil, let the sauce cook for about 15 minutes. Add the pasta in the boiling water, (Pici are like thick spaghetti made with flour and water) cook for 4-5 minutes, and add the pasta to the sauce with some of the cooking water, saute and add some Pecorino and plate with the aubergines. Enjoy.

Tagliolini al pesto e pomodorini - social cooking

Here is me cooking in a Local tv show.  We cooked home made Taglioni pasta with pesto sauce and cherry tomatoes.  Im the one in the Middle, the good looking one..HAHAHA!  And the one making all that noise with the blender...  Enjoy the video (its in Italian Language).

Social cooking its a simple cooking class held in a local restaurant that helps you learn some of the basics of home made pastas and other simple dishes, and most of all to enjoy meeting people with your same passion.. COOKING!

The King of Saffrons, Risotto allo Zafferano

Amazing Risotto with Saffron. On the side get you a vegetable broth boiling (zucchini, tomato, carrot, fennels, and herbs season with salt and pepper) thats how i like to do it, you could add any vegetables you like. When its boiling tast and see if needs any adjustments. Let the Saffron melt inside the broth and turn down the flame. Chop a shallot and add it to a hot deep pan with some butter and the rice, season the rice with a little salt, when its toasted add a some white wine let evaporate and start adding the broth little by little, and let cook for about 20m, when its almost cooked add a bit of butter and parmesan cheese and mix all together and make sure its nice and creamy, turn off the falme and surve. If you see its too dry add a little broth and mix. ENJOY.

Poppy seeds crusted Tuna fillet with a Zucchini Veloute

Love this dish. Clean the Tuna Fillet and season with salt and pepper, in a bowl add the poppy seeds and start rubbing the seeds all over the fillet. In the mean while boil in salted water 2 zucchini and add some basil leafs, that will give it a nice fresh flavor. Heat the grill for the Tuna, place the fillets and cook for about 5 minutes each side, that way it will be nice and pink in the middle and golden crust in the outside, remove from grill and let sit aside while you finish the Veloute. When the zucchini are soft drain by leaving some of the water and add the heavy cream, a bit of garlic, and blend together. Plate the tuna with the veloute and enjoy this amazing dish. BUON APPETITO.

Chicken with Grapes in a honey vinagre sauce

Very easy but great contrast of flavors. Heat a pan with some olive oil, add the Chicken Breast season with salt and pepper and cook till nice and golden, then add the white wine vinagre, 1 spoon of honey, the grapes, and some lemon thyme and saute all together. DONE and ready to SERVE! Enjoy.

Hot Dog Margherita

Pizza!! I love Pizza... I made the fresh doug with 00 Type Flower, add a pinch of salt, mix the yeast with some olive oil, and add the liquid, start mixing and when the dough is ready, fold it with a towel. Let sit for 5 hours. I like to use San Marzano Canned tomatoes (Which are Plum type tomatoes from South of Italy), Place the tomatoes in a bowl and add some salt, olive oil and a leaf of Basil, mix all together with a fork and smash the tomatoes. Slice the fresh mozzarella cheese, and slice the hot dogs. Roll out the pizza dough and place it into and oiled oven pan, add the tomato sauce, mozzarella, and the hot dog, and at then end some parmesan cheese. Bake in oven at 350 Degrees for about 10-15 minutes. ENJOY it with a nice ICE cold BEER.

Turkey Breast Bundle filled with Procini Mushroom risotto.

I tried this the other day that i had some Procini Mushroom risotto left over. I started thinking what i could do with it, and i came up with this: I bought a Turkey Breast, season with salt and pepper, add some Risotto with a bit of butter, make like a litte bundle and tie it on top. Heat a pan add some olive oil and let the turkey cook till it gets nice and golden, in the mean while pre heat the oven at 350 degrees. Add some white wine to the turkey, let evaporate and place it in the hot oven for about 8 minutes. SERVE!! Enjoy. It turned out to be really good.

Parma Ham Ravioli with a white wine cream sauce and carrots

Bring the salted water to a boil. While thats starting to boil start your sauce. Chop 1 shallot and the carrots and saute with a little bit of butter, season with salt and pepper, then add the white wine and let evaporate, add the heavy cream, nut meg, some parmesan cheese and a bay leaf and whisk till its nice and creamy, adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Cook the Ravioli it will take around 4/5 minutes, dont overcook the ravioli, they may open and all the filling could come out. Drain and add the ravioli to the sauce, with a bit of the cooking water, saute and serve when its all combined. ENJOY

Spaghetti with Lemon Zest and Zucchini

Very fast and simple dish, Boil the salted water, and add the spaghetti. Prepare the zucchini and cut them julienne, season with salt and pepper and saute with some olive oil. When the pasta is cooked, spaghetti usually take around 9 minutes to be AL DENTE. Add the pasta to the zucchini with some cooking water, add the lemon zest, and some parmesan cheese, saute till it gets nice and creamy and all the starches break. SERVE.. Buon appetito. (As you can see in this dish i did not use any garlic or onion, just plane and simple) In this dish i want the Lemon to overcome on all flavors, but at the end to taste the fresh zucchini and creamy parmesan cheese.

Twisted Penne with artichoke and pancetta.

Add the pasta in the boiling salted water, in mean while saute the pancetta, season with pepper and a little salt, since the pancetta is quite salty already. When the pancetta starts to get golden add some white wine and the artichokes season with salt and pepper, let it cook for about 15m. Drain the pasta leaving some cooking water aside and add it to the pancetta and artichokes with the cooking water, saute and when creamy serve.!!... DONE!, Enjoy

Grilled Prawn with poached egg on a Bearnaise Truffle sauce.

This is a great dish. 1st Place at the Truffle contest. Once a year there is a cooking contest with a King ingredient, TRUFFLES. In Tuscany can be found some of the finest truffles. This dish i prepared its very unique and all combined super tasty. I grilled a Prawn, poached an egg and toasted a bit of bread, then prepared the Truffle Bearnaise Sauce.

Spaghetti with Pumpkin Flowers and Fresh Stracchino Cheese

So fresh, you will love it. Bring the salted water to boil and add the spaghetti. Clean the pumpkin flowers and chop them finely, leave you a couple of flowers for garnish, add them in a pan with olive oil and a clove of garlic, season salt and pepper, saute for 5-10 minutes. When the pasta is cooked add it to the pumpkin flowers with a bit of cooking water from the pasta, add the fresh Stracchino Cheese and saute for 2-3 minutes. SERVE and garnish with the Flowers you left aside. ENJOY...

Fillet Mignon cooked on Wood Fire Grill, with baby carrots.

Beautiful and lean Fillet Mignon, that i cooked on a wood fire Girll, which changes the whole flavor. With baby carrots boiled then saute with some olive oil and garlic.

Broad Bean and fresh Pecorino Salad

Perfect for an a appetizer. Boil the Broad Beans in salted water for 15 minutes, drain them and season with pepper (dont add anymore salt, since they boiled in salted water). Combine the Broad Beans with the cheese, add a little leaf of sage, olive oil and balsamic vinagre glaze. DONE, simple but great combinations of flavors.

Pennoni with Sausage carrots and Fennel seeds.

Bring the salted water for the pasta to boil and add the Pennoni. Saute the sausage in a pan with the carrots, season with salt and pepper, on the side have you some vegetable broth boiling so when the sausage is golden you can start adding some broth, let cook for 10 minutes and dont let all the broth evaporate, leave some on there. When the Pasta is cooked add it to the sauce, and saute till the starches break and its creamy. Add the fennel, ENJOY.

Turkey Rolls Stuffed with Artichoke and Pecorino Cheese

From your butcher shop get you a nice turkey breast, Stuff the turkey with fresh artichokes and pecorino cheese, season with salt and pepper, roll the breast over the filling and tie the ends. In a pan with a bit of olive oil let the breast golden on both sides then bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (depends on how thick is the breast) let it rest for 5 minutes then slice and serve with the sauce from the juices of the turkey and the melted cheese from the bottom of the backing pan. ENJOY.

Spaghetti ai Funghi Porcini

Make sure that the Porcini are Fresh, or if you are not in an area were porcini grow, then buy them frozen. Bring the salted water to boil and add the spaghetti, cook for 8 minutes. While that's going, saute the mushrooms with one clove of garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and sprinkle with some white wine. When the pasta is ready add it to the mushrooms with a bit of cooking water, saute all together, add some finely chopped celery, DONE!!.. ENJOY.

The Best Spanish Restaurant in PARIS!!

CAVES SAINT GILLES, 4 rue saint gilles Paris. Its an amazing spanish restaurant that serves tapas, an amazing sangria, and you cant miss the Paella on Saturday's and Sunday's. TRY IT!!!

BIBI GRAETZ, TESTAMATTA

The funny and Crazy wine maker BIBI GRAETZ makes some of the best wines. TRY THEM

Maltagliati al Pomodoro e Basilico

Maltagliati its an uneven cut pasta with a simple tomato sauce with basil. When the pasta its cooked always let it saute in the tomato sauce and break the starches so it can be nice and creamy, and while you do that add the basil so it can be a fresh flavor. AMAZING..

Champagne Jacquesson 734

Another night drinking Champagne while having dinner... TRY IT. We had saffron risotto with Ossobuco, A classic Milanese dish.

Penne al Pesto

Simple Penne al Pesto, easy but very good. How i make my pesto, Blend in together basil, olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, make a nice and smooth sauce. Boil the penne in salted water, when they are cooked, drain most of the water, just leave you some to make it nice and creamy, combine the pesto with the pasta and you will see the cheese in the pesto start melting and it will make it a cream. Serve. DONE!... Amazing.

Fresh Sardines Just Caught

Super Fresh Sardines just caught in Sperlonga Italy, just South of Rome, a beautiful place with amazing seafood. These Sardines are amazing simple fried. Seasoned them with some pepper and just little salt, then cover them with flour and deep frie, when golden take them out and sprinkle with olive oil and lemon. DONE. Enjoy.

One night in a real restaurant's kitchen

What a great night, thanks to my friend Shady and his staff of the restaurant Le Rotte Ghiotte in Arezzo Italy, to welcome me in a real restaurant's kitchen. That night i made Beef, Checken, Pork skewers with veggies, BBQ Sauce (made from Scratch) , and fries.

Amazing Filet Cut

I like to go to the butcher and choose the meat, i saw this clean cut of Filet and i just had to get it and cook an amazing Filet. How i made it: I like to season the filet with rock salt and a bit of pepper, then seared in a pan with a little butter till its golden on both sides, and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. DONE! In this case i served it with Home made fries.

Trout stuffed with rosemary, chilly and black olives, served with potatoes.

Super fresh trout, oven backed AL CARTOCCIO which means cooking in foil, but in this case i used regular backing sheet, wich i prefere tu use with fish instead of foil since the fish tends to get a metally flavor. So, Clean up the trout, stuff it with rosemary, black olives, chilly's, season the fish with rock salt, pepper and olive oil, place the fish on top potatoes so that they can cook together, then close the backing sheet leaving a little opening on the top. Cook in the oven for 20m at about 390 degree oven. SERVE... amazing flavor. Drink you a nice chilled glass of white wine (Muller Thurgau, Pinot Grigio, Greco di Tufo) Can be a great match. BUON APPETITO

Meat Lasagna with rucola, and provola cheese

This is a fun plate and quite easy. Grab the ground beef, add salt and pepper and work the meat, make 3 squares, place in a an ove tray one square, add the cheese and the rucola (season the rucola with olive oil and bit of salt), place the other square on top e again add the cheese and the rucola, and place the last square on top, when its completed before placing it in to the oven add to the tray some vegetable brooth then Cook at 350 degree oven for 20m. Once its done place the meat lasagna in a plate, to make a gravy add some flour to the broth and stir till ist creamy. ENJOY

Rigatoni alla Puttanesca. With tomato sauce, black olives, anchovies, celery.

Bring the Salted water for the Pasta to Boil Sauce: Heat the pan add some olive oil and the anchovies and let them melt with the olive oil and create like a cream, add the olives and the tomato sauce and let it cook for 15m, when the pasta is cooked add it to the sauce with the chopped celery, saute the pasta, when it starts to get creamy and the starches break its ready to serve.

Bucatini with pea veloute and smoked pancetta

Bring salted water to boil. Sauce: Boil the peas add a litte salt in the water, on the side caramelize the smoked pancetta "do not add olive oil since the pancetta its a fat so it will release the oil" when its nice and golden its done. When the peas are ready take them out and blend them with a bit of butter and some of the water were they cooked in and create a veloute. When the pasta its ready add it to the pancetta with the Pea veloute and saute till it reaches a creamy look and the starches break. Serve!

Patisserie in Paris, You can always get some amazing bites of mignon sweets in Paris.

Saffron Risotto with zucchini.

Prepare your broth, for Risotto its the base. Carrot, Zucchini, Celery, Tomato, salt. Chop the shallots "i like to use shallots with risottos since they are not so strong" simmer with olive oil, then add the rice with a pinch of salt a toast it, add some white wine e let evaporate. In this case we are doing a Saffron risotto, so add the saffron to your broth so it will blend in. When the rice is toasted start adding the broth little by little till the rice its AL DENTE, not too hard not too soft, just right! At the end add a some of the zucchini from the broth, bit of butter and some parmesan cheese. READY TO GO!

Wine Tastings

When dining with friends we just love to taste all types of different wines, but at the right restaurant. In Cortona in the Tuscan Country Side of Italy there is a great restaurant "PANE E VINO" wich is well known for his special wines. He likes to offer very popular wines or very particular wines made all the old fashion way NATURAL.

Ravioli filled with Ricotta and Spincah, with ground beef in red wine reduction olives and Chily.

Champagne "Egly-Ouriet"

Many people believe that Champagne its mainly when you celebrate something, or as an aperitif, but try it to dine with, and you will find out how amazing it is. The fresh bubbly results perfect with pork, chicken, and all types of risottos. TRY IT.

Chicken Oregano salad with olives, peppers.

Jumbo Shrimp Risotto.

Tartare with guacamole.

Oven Baked sea bass with rosemary, lemon, served with home made chips.

Classic Roman Dish. Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

Empanadas Argentinas, Puff pastry filled with saute ground beef with olives, dry grape, tomato paste and cumino, served with herbs olive oil