Meatball and Spicy Tomato Pasta

Have you guys watched Master of None Season 2? Where Dev moved to Italy in the first 2 episodes? After watching that, Joanna and I actually craved for a good plate of pasta. So we looked into our fridge and decided, let's make a meatball and tomato pasta.

So here is how we made ours. 

Ingredients

400g of minced pork

2 slices of bacon rash (diced)

4 Cloves of Garlic (diced)

1/2 Onion (diced)

1 can of peeled tomatoes

1/2 cup of red wine

Tabasco Sauce

Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper to season

Red Chilli Flakes

Olive Oil

Attempting Gnocchi

Gnocchi is essentially a dough dumpling and a staple in Italian cuisine. Gnocchi is made with a variety of base ingredients; for example semolina, flour, cornmeal, different vegetables and the classic potato.

As with many dishes, many regions lay claim to where gnocchi originated from. However, it is often associated with the northern region of Italy where the classic potato gnocchi is from. This was because potatoes were easier to grow than grain because of the colder climate of that region. The word "Gnocchi" is thought to originated from the word nocca which literally means knuckle or the Lompard/German word knohha which means a knot in wood. All which portraits something tight and small like the gnocchi we all know and love today.

Surprisingly, the potato gnocchi is a relative new innovation dating only back to the 16th Century as opposed to the other form of gnocchi, recorded served at banquets and important functions around the Renaissance period (or probably earlier).

Today, I will share my attempt on the potato gnocchi. Here we go:

Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is an Italian rice dish, usually cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. Rice was essentially introduced to Sicily, Italy and Spain by the Arabs during their rule around the Middle Ages.The flat and humid territories of Italy was found to have very favourable climate to grow these short-grain rice. Rice quickly become a staple all around Italy.

It is not very clear how did risotto came about, but a young apprentice by the name of Valerius is thought to be the creator of risotto and one that invented the famous Milan yellow risotto (Risotto alla Milanese). Valerius was supposedly tasked to work on the stained-glass windows of the Cathedral Duomo Di Milan in 1574. While he was working on the windows, the people at that time made fun of him and accredited the beautiful colours of the stained-glass to the saffron rather than Valerius himself. Valerius was furious. He devised comeback plan to play a trick on the people during his master’s wedding. He added excessive amount saffron into the rice dish during the wedding with the intention to ruin the dish and the festivities of the wedding. 

His act of retribution backed fire and everyone loved the risotto. There are also accounts that its actually Valerius team/apprentices that played a trick on him during his daughter's wedding. Whatever it is, we are glad someone played that trick. Risotto is indeed a lovely dish to have.

Now, there are a variety of risotto recipes. Just a quick search on the Internet, you will find all kind of recipes. Going back to our recipe today, here is a breakdown of it:

 Ingredients

450g Mix of Swiss Brown and White Mushrooms (sliced finely)

2 Shallots (chopped finely)

1 cup of Arborio Rice

1 cup of White Wine

5 cups of Chicken Stocks

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 tablespoon of Salted Butter

Salt and Black Pepper

Chives (chopped finely)

2 handfuls of grated Parmesan Cheese