CIBO

OK…. So I LOVE the food here. Even grocery shopping…. Everything is so fresh, delicious, and relatively cheap! My roommate (Irene) taught me how to make a pasta sauce… it’s SO good… it will change your life! ;) I’ll share it with you…. Just because I care

Irene’s Pasta

1.       Chop up fresh garlic and shallots (you can use onion instead if you want…. Shallots are just easier sometimes).

2.       Start boiling water to cook pasta of your choice

3.       *Put garlic and shallots in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, dried parsley and oregano

4.       ‘Sweat’ ingredients on low heat and then turn up heat a little to cook

       Coarsely cut up some cherry tomatoes and add them to the pan

5.       When ingredients are cooked, add a heaping spoonful (or more) of mascarpone cheese (looks a little like cream cheese and is used to make tiramisu) into the pan and stir around

6.       Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix around – Serve with bread and ENJOY!

7.       For those cheese lovers out there…. Add parmesan cheese on top! yummmmmmm

*if you want to add chicken, cook in olive oil  and herbs until it is almost cooked and then add the garlic and shallots

You don’t even have to eat it with pasta…. You could just serve it (kinda like fondue) with bread and it will still be delicious!

This next one I have been making for the past couple years… I learned it while studying abroad here and I added balsamic too it…because I love balsamic! :p

Super-Duper Easy and Delicious Pasta

1.       Chop up fresh garlic and onion (or shallots)

2.       Start boiling water to cook your favorite type of pasta

3.       Add garlic and onion in a pan with olive oil (lots of olive oil…..this is the “sauce” part of the pasta), red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper – cook

4.       Add balsamic vinegar to the sauce to heat it up a little

5.       Add cooked pasta to the sauce and mix together – top with cheese and serve with bread

(you can also add chicken to this too). SO GOOD!

Another one of my favorite things that I have made is a mix between bruschetta and caprese! I’ve been eating it on a pretty regular basis… and just made it for an aperitivo and everyone really liked it, so I thought I would share this one too :p

 Bruschetta/Caprese

1.       Slice a baguette into moderately thick slices and toast lightly (so the top and bottom are harder… but not super crispy) in a pan (or an oven if you have one)

2.       Mix olive oil * with salt, pepper, dried oregano, parsley, rosemary and basil….and garlic powder if you so choose – spoon a little bit onto the slices of toasted bread

3.       Place fresh basil leaves on the slices so they are covered (usually one big leaf or a few little ones)

4.       Slice up cherry tomatoes and place a few slices on each piece of bread

5.       Slice up fresh mozzarella (I like to use the little balls because they are about the same size as the cherry tomatoes) and place on top

6.       Drizzle with balsamic glaze over the top and add salt and pepper if you would like

*if you don’t have balsamic glaze you can add some balsamic vinegar to this mixture… but I highly recommend getting the glaze because it is sweeter and makes this so much better!