Fast, easy and delicious

Time is priceless. Children and work seem to grab all time we have. Everybody knows it, but... it doesn't help! Lack of time is never a good excuse. I wouldn't even try it with the chef of this blog. Thinking about that, I decided to post one of the quickest recipes I know. When my mom does it, it looks simple. I'm still perfecting it. It's fast, only pasta aglio & olio can be faster. On September last year I posted a recipe quite similar. This one, besides been quicker, preserves more of the salmon flavor.



There are few ingredients:



400 g of spaghetti (bavette is great)

half of a medium onion

3 table spoons of olive oil

100g of smoked salmon

half a glass of white wine

salt and black pepper



When the pasta is almost done, trow the chopped onion on a hot pan with olive oil. Add the salt and the pepper. As the onion starts to turn brown, add the salmon finely sliced. It's easy to find frozen smoked salmon at the supermarket. It comes in very thin slices and chopping it won't take more than a few seconds. Let the salmon cook a little and add the wine. Keep the heat high to reduce it quickly. It's easier on a big pan. Drain the pasta, that should be al dente by now, and stir it in the frying pan. You could add a table spoon of butter, if it feels right. As in most recipes that you add white wine, this one tastes better with champagne. Besides, you may have a drink while preparing it!

A special weekend

Travel and work keep me away from this blog from time to time. Sometimes, however, it does just the opposite. So, last time I had the chance to visit the kitchen when this chat happens. On the picture, the couple responsible for everything. Food is divine, but even for a fork addict like me, company surpass the meal by far.

'Loose' rice and first class carreteiro

My mother always made a killing carreteiro. Carreteiro's rice, or just carreteiro, is an appreciated dish in Rio Grande do Sul, where I live. While in the italian risotto we try to let the rice release starch in order to end up with a cream, in the carreteiro the idea is to get a loose rice. That is the way I like it, and that is the way I learned it from my mother.

The original carreteiro is peasant food. Made of rice and salted meat, it was easy to prepare in a era without refrigeration. By the way, carreteiro means carriage's driver, someone that wanders on horse power with very few resources. Today we call carreteiro rice with all kinds of meat cuts and even with leftovers of a good churrasco, or barbecue. My favorite.

I start with chopped onions on hot olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then comes the meat, the rice and enough water. Sometimes, tomatoes or even (what a heresy!) catchup. Sorry for that, Clarissa! Next comes the secret: after the rice, after have added the water, leave it alone! Don't touch anything. Get everyone out of the kitchen, do not speak loud! The rice should cook on low heat with the pan semi-closed. You should watch it carefully, adding water when necessary, but never, never, stirs.

Well, then came a wife and a doughter that like their rice glued like a puree. The technique, passed from one generation to the next, is lost. A tradition is dead.

Risotto on stand by

I became a big fan of risotto after learning how to
make it with italian rice. I learned the recipe from
José Hugo Celidônio's book, Histórias e Receitas
(Stories and Recipes). Clarissa has already
written about the risotto's technique, so I am not
repeating it here. What I want to mention
is the tip he gives on how to stop the cooking,
just before the rice is ready.

When the rice is almost cooked, you add one more
cup of chicken broth and turn off the heat. You
may ask "How do I know when the rice is almost done?".
Well, you have to learn it by yourself, doing one
after another (I always taste it). The rice will
cook a bit more and absorb the liquid while it
seats waiting for your next move.

You should try shrimps! One pound of scrimps,
a hot pan with a little bit of olive oil, salt,
pepper... After frying the shrimps, lightly,
throw it into the rice under low heat.

Mussels and squid are great too. I have just
tried smoked salmon and it was delicious.
Don't forget to add one more spoon of butter
with the salmon.