Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog has a strong Italian influence to it, with Madonna and Robert De Niro celebrating birthdays this week. Two of this week’s featured recipes are traditional Italian family recipes, they areStuffed Chicken Breast with a Red Pepper Sauce, Classic Amatriciana Bucatini and Chilli Soup. The herb of the week is Penny Royal.
Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone; August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983. She followed it with a series of albums by which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Critics have praised Madonna for her diverse musical productions while at the same time serving as a lightning rod for religious controversy.
Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation.
Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century" by Time for being an influential figure in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry.
Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation.
Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century" by Time for being an influential figure in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry.
Robert De Niro, Jr. (born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film role was in 1973's Bang the Drum Slowly. In 1974, he played the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
His critically acclaimed, longtime collaboration with Martin Scorsese began with 1973's Mean Streets, and earned De Niro an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991). In addition, he received nominations for his acting in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978) and Penny Marshall's Awakenings (1990). Also in 1990, his portrayal as Jimmy Conway in Scorsese's Goodfellas earned him a BAFTA nomination.
His critically acclaimed, longtime collaboration with Martin Scorsese began with 1973's Mean Streets, and earned De Niro an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991). In addition, he received nominations for his acting in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978) and Penny Marshall's Awakenings (1990). Also in 1990, his portrayal as Jimmy Conway in Scorsese's Goodfellas earned him a BAFTA nomination.
He has earned four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: New York, New York (1977), Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999) and Meet the Parents (2000). De Niro also directed A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006).
The full version of this article can be found at www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
The full version of this article can be found at www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
My first recipe is Stuffed Chicken Breast with A Red Pepper Sauce, recipe courtesy of BBCGoodFood website. First appeared in Olive magazine July 2005.
Serves 4, Prep time approx 5mins, cooking time approx 45mins.
4 x Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 x Mozzarella Ball, sliced
8 x Cherry Tomatoes, halved
A Handful of Basil Leaves
8 x Slices of Parma Ham
1 x Mozzarella Ball, sliced
8 x Cherry Tomatoes, halved
A Handful of Basil Leaves
8 x Slices of Parma Ham
For the Red Pepper Sauce
4 x Red Peppers
Olive Oil
200g x Cherry Tomatoes (about 1 x punnet)
1 x Organic Vegetable Stock Cube
2 tbsp x Light Muscovado Sugar
4 x Red Peppers
Olive Oil
200g x Cherry Tomatoes (about 1 x punnet)
1 x Organic Vegetable Stock Cube
2 tbsp x Light Muscovado Sugar
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. To make the sauce, put the red peppers on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and cook for 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly, peel, chop and put in a pan with the tomatoes and a splash of water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the stock cube and sugar and season well. Blend to a smooth sauce in a food processor.
Make a slit down 1 side of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Season. Stuff each pocket with slices of mozzarella, 4 cherry tomato halves and a quarter of the basil. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 pieces of ham and season. Put on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with the red pepper sauce and seasonal vegetables such as steamed carrots and broccoli or roasted courgette and red peppers. Or alternatively with fresh pasta or potatoes..
Make a slit down 1 side of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Season. Stuff each pocket with slices of mozzarella, 4 cherry tomato halves and a quarter of the basil. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 pieces of ham and season. Put on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with the red pepper sauce and seasonal vegetables such as steamed carrots and broccoli or roasted courgette and red peppers. Or alternatively with fresh pasta or potatoes..
My next recipe is Classic Amatriciana bucatini, recipe by John Tarode, courtesy of BBC GoodFood website. First appeared in GoodFood Magazine September 2010.
Serves 5-6 easily doubled, Prep time 20mins, Cooking time 20mins
2kg x Tomatoes - cherry, plum or ordinary - roughly chopped
250g x Smoked Bacon, cut into strips, or cubetti di pancetta
2 x Small Red Chillies
500g x Bucatini
200g pecorino , grated
250g x Smoked Bacon, cut into strips, or cubetti di pancetta
2 x Small Red Chillies
500g x Bucatini
200g pecorino , grated
Put the tomatoes into a food processor in batches and whizz to a fine pulp. Sieve into a large pan, in batches again, pressing through as much tomato as you can with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 20-30 mins until the sauce has reduced by a third to about 700ml. This homemade passata can now be frozen.
Put the bacon or pancetta into a cold, large, heavy-based frying pan. Place over a medium heat - the fat will slowly melt and the bacon will cook. Add the whole chillies (don't worry, they come out at the end) and cook for 8-10 mins with the bacon until the bacon is sizzling and golden all over. Stir in the tomato sauce, bring to the boil and simmer for 4-5 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta, then drain well. While still hot, tip it into the sauce, sprinkle with most of the cheese and stir well. Remove the whole chillies, dish the pasta onto plates and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
No seasoning should be required for this dish, the salty pecorino cheese and smoked meat should mean there is no need to add extra salt. The chilli will add heat, so you may not need pepper.
Put the bacon or pancetta into a cold, large, heavy-based frying pan. Place over a medium heat - the fat will slowly melt and the bacon will cook. Add the whole chillies (don't worry, they come out at the end) and cook for 8-10 mins with the bacon until the bacon is sizzling and golden all over. Stir in the tomato sauce, bring to the boil and simmer for 4-5 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta, then drain well. While still hot, tip it into the sauce, sprinkle with most of the cheese and stir well. Remove the whole chillies, dish the pasta onto plates and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
No seasoning should be required for this dish, the salty pecorino cheese and smoked meat should mean there is no need to add extra salt. The chilli will add heat, so you may not need pepper.
Herb of the week – Penny Royal (Mentha pulegium)
Pennyroyal also called Squaw Mint, Mosquito Plant, and Pudding Grass, is a plant in the mint genus, within the family Lamiaceae. Crushed Pennyroyal leaves exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional culinary herb, folk remedy, and abortifacient. The essential oil of pennyroyal is used in aromatherapy, and is also high in pulegone, a highly toxic volatile organic compound affecting liver and uterine function.
Pennyroyal was commonly used as a cooking herb by the Greeks and Romans. The ancient Greeks often flavoured their wine with pennyroyal. A large number of the recipes in the Roman cookbook of Apicius call for the use of pennyroyal, often along with such herbs as lovage, oregano and coriander. Although still commonly used for cooking in the Middle Ages, it gradually fell out of use as a culinary herb and is seldom used so today.
Pennyroyal also called Squaw Mint, Mosquito Plant, and Pudding Grass, is a plant in the mint genus, within the family Lamiaceae. Crushed Pennyroyal leaves exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional culinary herb, folk remedy, and abortifacient. The essential oil of pennyroyal is used in aromatherapy, and is also high in pulegone, a highly toxic volatile organic compound affecting liver and uterine function.
Pennyroyal was commonly used as a cooking herb by the Greeks and Romans. The ancient Greeks often flavoured their wine with pennyroyal. A large number of the recipes in the Roman cookbook of Apicius call for the use of pennyroyal, often along with such herbs as lovage, oregano and coriander. Although still commonly used for cooking in the Middle Ages, it gradually fell out of use as a culinary herb and is seldom used so today.
Even though pennyroyal oil is extremely poisonous, people have relied on the fresh and dried herb for centuries. Early settlers in colonial Virginia used dried pennyroyal to eradicate pests. Pennyroyal was such a popular herb that the Royal Society published an article on its use against rattlesnakes in the first volume of its Philosophical Transactions in 1665.
Pennyroyal tea is the use of an infusion made from the herb. The infusion is widely reputed as safe to ingest in restricted quantities. It has been traditionally employed and reportedly successful as an emmenagogue (menstrual flow stimulant) or as an abortifacient. Pennyroyal is also used to settle an upset stomach and to relieve flatulence. The fresh or dried leaves of pennyroyal have also been used when treating colds, influenza, abdominal cramps, and to induce sweating, as well as in the treatment of diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis, and in promoting latent menstruation. Pennyroyal leaves, both fresh and dried, are especially noted for repelling insects. However, when treating infestations such as fleas, using the plant's essential oil should be avoided due to its toxicity to both humans and animals, even at extremely low levels.
Pennyroyal essential oil is extremely concentrated. It should never be taken internally because it is highly toxic; even in small doses, consumption of the oil can result in death. The metabolite menthofuran is thought to be the major toxic agent. Complications have been reported from attempts to use the oil for self-induced abortion. For example, in 1978 an eighteen year-old pregnant woman from Denver, Colorado died within one week after consuming one ounce of concentrated Pennyroyal oil in an attempt to self-induce abortion. There are numerous studies that show the toxicity of pennyroyal oil to both humans and animals.
Since the U.S. Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in October 1994, all manufactured forms of pennyroyal in the United States have carried a warning label against its use by pregnant women. This substance is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
My final recipe is Chilli soup, recipe courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk. Recipe first appeared in Woman’s Weekly magazine.
Serves 4 Prep time 10mins, Cook time 40mins
1tbsp x Sunflower Oil
1 x Onion, peeled and chopped
1 x Red or Green Chilli, peeled and chopped
2 x Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
250g x Minced Beef
1 x 400g can of Chopped Tomatoes
1 x 300-400g can of Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
1 beef stock cube
1-2 cubes dark chocolate
1tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dash of Tabasco sauce
600ml x Hot Water
1 x Onion, peeled and chopped
1 x Red or Green Chilli, peeled and chopped
2 x Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
250g x Minced Beef
1 x 400g can of Chopped Tomatoes
1 x 300-400g can of Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
1 beef stock cube
1-2 cubes dark chocolate
1tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dash of Tabasco sauce
600ml x Hot Water
To garnish:
A few nacho chips
4dsp soured cream
30g (1oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
A few nacho chips
4dsp soured cream
30g (1oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook it over a medium heat for 4-5 mins, stirring it occasionally. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for a further 2-3 mins. Add the minced beef to the pan and cook for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally until the meat has browned.
Pour the water into the pan and add the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans. Crumble in the stock cube and stir until it’s dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat. Simmer the soup gently for 20-30 mins.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate. Stir until it melts and then stir in the coriander and season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.
Spoon the soup into serving bowls, pushing the meat towards the centre of the bowl. Place a small pile of nacho chips in the centre, so they rest on the meat, and then spoon some soured cream on top and scatter over some grated Cheddar. Serve immediately.
Pour the water into the pan and add the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans. Crumble in the stock cube and stir until it’s dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat. Simmer the soup gently for 20-30 mins.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate. Stir until it melts and then stir in the coriander and season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.
Spoon the soup into serving bowls, pushing the meat towards the centre of the bowl. Place a small pile of nacho chips in the centre, so they rest on the meat, and then spoon some soured cream on top and scatter over some grated Cheddar. Serve immediately.
cibo per tutta la famiglia
If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.
Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D
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