BocelliOnline

[christine]

from the old forum

Did you know?
Started at Mon Dec 23 16:30:33 2002
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Did you know that Andrea goes CRAZY over plain noodles with butter on them?Just wanted to share that.

Airess
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #1 Posted at Wed Jan 8 20:59:28 2003
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Are you sure?
I thought he was more sofisticated.
In Italy, I never tasted their food
I like the cappucino's and to visit a record shop
to seek for Andrea.

There is another issue, here too.
My God, what the Italian guy in Venice
would say up to today about me?

A solid half an hour, speaking in English
protesting about Andrea Bocelli, in Italy
The first time I visited Italy, I step Italian Soil
listening to Sogno Record, and all the Italian
youth looking to me, who was me?

I wonder, the hard time I gave to that man
in a Shop that sell records? My God. Shame on me.

PIM
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #2 Posted at Thu Jan 9 00:20:04 2003
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Andrea is not the only one who dies for Pasta Burro: when I feel sad it's the only thing I can eat. I've read several times how much Andrea likes it. He said he has a very plain taste, but I think it's subtle. This is how I make Pasta Burro:
I use mostly Campagnole, but also Tagliatelle. I cook them al dente, not too soft. Then I let them drain, and put some butter in the warm pan. I add garlic cloves, chopped or from the garlic-press. I put back the pasta, mix well and serve with parmeggiano.
I found a recipe which added more herbs like parsley, but I prefer the subtle taste of just garlic, butter and parmeggiano.

Nina
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #3 Posted at Tue Jan 21 03:21:23 2003
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I have also read in 'Celebration' that Andrea likes buttered pasted. I like your garlic recipe, Nina. It is an old favorite of mine,too,...a really fine "comfort food" !

Zia
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #4 Posted at Tue Jan 21 06:08:05 2003
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It's yummy! I first tasted flat noodles (fetuccine?) with just plain butter at a wedding. I never thought such a simple dish could taste so good. I didnt know then, that it had butter. When you look at it, it looks bland. But, it was meant to be served as side dish to the other food on the menu in place of rice or mashed potato.

I think the secret is- the pasta have to be cooked al dente.

Bocellifan
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #5 Posted at Thu Jan 23 13:04:43 2003
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Yes, you're right. But I also learned something else in Italy: they have "pranza", a meal at the start of the afternoon. Antipasti, primo, secondo and dolci. That means : small hors d'oeuvre-like things with bread as an appetizer, il primo = risotto or pasta to fill the stomach, il secondo = things like meat, fish , game or poultry with vegetables, which can also be roasted potatoes. Eventually sweet things as desert, and coffee. So this is the way I eat now, because in the morning I work in old people's houses, in the afternoon I'm home writing music, only coming out to go to my horse, and in the evening I'm conducting choirs. Half-way I cook and eat at low speed, which is very much relaxing, and I'm not very hungry in the evening this way. I only eat at the start of the evening a pear and some Pecorino cheese, which is enough for the evening. I have the experience that the Tuscan way of life can be very economical, and that's also something I like. And....by eating this delicious food every day now, I'm even losing weight!

Nina
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #6 Posted at Fri Jan 24 00:12:00 2003
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Yea, noodles with butter..you can't get any better than that...my favorite for many moons...A man after my own heart, in many, many, many, many ways..buttered noodles with spinach, now, thats to die for, or I should say, to LIVE for..a glass of wine..and you dine
kisses

Em
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #7 Posted at Fri Jan 24 04:35:42 2003
Last Modified at Fri Jan 24 04:38:59 2003 by bocellifan
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Does the parmegianno have to be melt along with the butter?

Em, what is spinach with buttered noodles? Can you post the recipe? How do you cook the spinach?

Do Italians drink wine during dinner like the French?

Is lemoncillo the counterpart in Italy? Tea for the Chinese and English and lemoncillo for Italians?

Bocellifan
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #8 Posted at Fri Jan 24 14:30:12 2003
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I grew up with pasta burro. It was what we used to call our 'poor' meal when Mom had little money for food. You cannot imagine my astonishment when I first found it on a menu at an unbelievably high price!!! Couldn't wait to call Mia Piccola Mamma to tell her. And, of course, she couldn't believe either.

June
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #9 Posted at Fri Jan 24 22:24:55 2003
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Hi..You asked about the spinach, aha, I just like spinach, seemes like it would be very tasty with buttered noodles..however, if you would like strictly an M recipe, I will do my creating as we speak, no kidding.
Make a cream sauce(flour, mixed with melted butter and blended with milk), put in cooked noodles, cooked spinach and sauteed mushrooms..throw in silvered almonds, if desidered..complete with little baby tomatoes on the side..A first..think I will fix it tonight..have the wine to compliment, but ofcourse. Creating your recipes is like poetry. Oh well,, you asked, I think

Em
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #10 Posted at Sat Jan 25 05:14:24 2003
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Sounds yum yum. But, do you saute the spinach or boil it in plain water. Do you use button mushrooms?

Bocellifan
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #11 Posted at Sat Jan 25 16:58:52 2003
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Hi,my dear...I have been thinking about this...meant to fix it last night but didn't have any spinach...I should think fresh spinach would be best, I would slice first in strips and steam, adding it then to the sauteed mushrooms(button) and lastly, adding this mixture to the noodles and cream sauce...don't forget the silvered almonds, which I think would add a touch of class. This would be excellent with garlic bread...Little tomatoes OR cold slaw would be good with this, I think.
Don't think this would be considered Italian, but I'll bet Andrea would love it
Amore

Em
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #12 Posted at Sat Jan 25 17:18:57 2003
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Hi Em!
It sounds delicious, though not very italian indeed. But can you tell me what silvered almonds are?
Hmmm, I really like this cooking corner of the site. I had my pasta burro again today. Yesterday I had tagliatelle verde with mushroom/meat/onion béchamel sauce. Accidentally the tagliatelle were cooked a little too long, they became too soft. That's something I really hate.

Nina.
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #13 Posted at Sat Jan 25 18:02:57 2003
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Dearest Nina..No, just a little m thrown in there..the only thing that might be considered Italian, is the garlic bread and ofcourse, the spinach...It was served alot, as a side dish, in Lucca.
Slivered almonds are just simply almonds which have been silvered..what a concept, eh? haha...
Amore

Em
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #14 Posted at Sat Jan 25 18:37:07 2003
Last Modified at Sat Jan 25 18:42:28 2003 by Christine
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Slivered.......silvered.....just a little switcheroo of the l and i do make for fun!!! You two are really making me hungry!

Chris
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Re: Did you know?
Reply #15 Posted at Sat Jan 25 18:55:01 2003
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Yeah, Chris, words are funny...I shivered down the street and met my true love, who was slivered, I knew you and I had something in common...crazy...but not slivered, at all...

Em

[asunta]

Spinach is used alot in italian cooking, especially in lucca and is always soooooo goooood...as a side dish plus........Next time I make pasta con burro, I will put some fresh spinacci in for extra taste....thanks em........my veggie lasagne sometimes has spinach and also I have used eggplant in the layers along with the ricotta etal.
Simple and subtle is correct Nina for cooking good italian food. This past weekend I made the pasta bocelli and it was a disaster....first of all it is complicated...with so many ingredients that you can't enjoy any of them! The scallops and shrimp in the dish conflict with each other...it should be one or the other....I love veggies but in this recipe it was overwhelming....at least in my gina cucina it was!!!

[asunta]

Forgot to tell you that my mother used to pick dandilions growing wild in the fields which were used as spinacchi and also rappini is a "spinach like" green used in italia as well as arugula which is now very trendy.

In toscana, beans were a staple for the poor country people of long ago....meat was very scarce. The ribolitta or old bread soup was also created.

I don't know if the medici family had to resort to poor mans food.....they had the bistecca!!! The fiorintines also like spinacci because their name is used with some recipes, e.g. eggs fiorintine etal.......

[Marianne]

Try it with penne pasta. While the penne is cooking, melt the butter in a separate pan with thinly sliced garlic. simmer until garlic is transparent - about 5 minutes so flavor enters the butter. When the pasta is done, drain off the water, but don't shake the strainer - allow some of the water to remain in the penne. Then pour on the butter-garlic mixture and stir in the cheese at the same time making sure not to let it clump.