Once, years ago, I had an intense craving for Spaghetti Caruso. I saw it in a cookbook, and for some reason, I thought it would be amazing. In case you aren't familiar with the dish, it's spaghetti with chicken livers (and brandy, at least the recipe we had- I can't seem to find one online that includes it.)
The cookbook I saw it in was written by a man you've probably never heard of, unless you're from southern Ontario and over 30- Pasquale Carpino. He was this singing Italian chef with a TV show in Toronto in the late 70s through to the 90s, but the early years on cable access were the best, because you'd tune in and think what the hell?
He had a thick accent, a giant chef hat, and he spent the entire show drinking wine and breaking into song. Yes, the Italian chef sang opera to the food. It was, well, odd. He was the first Pasquale I had ever heard of, too. I'm from a place that The Kids in the Hall know well- a world full of Daves.
Pasquale was parodied on the original SCTV- Tony Rosato did a hilarious version where the chef, called Marcello, was drunk, sang opera, and occasionally battled lobsters. Sadly, I can't find a clip. However, here is the real Pasquale!
As a suburban Canadian of UK descent, Pasquale was my first exposure to "real" Italian food, as opposed to the delicious, but I'm guessing inauthentic, meals we had at our favourite Italian restaurant, Mother's Pizza.
Anyway, my aunt got me Pasquale's cookbook for Christmas, and as a budding gourmand, the recipes intrigued me. From it, I learned basics like stuffed manicotti, and pesto sauce. Then, I came across Spaghetti Caruso. I have no idea why this recipe stood out- honestly, how good could a plate of noodles with chicken livers on it have looked?! I decided I had to make it for dinner, so I went out and got the ingredients we didn't have (I am happy to say we didn't generally have chicken livers lying around), and asked my mom to get a small bottle of the required booze. I followed the directions carefully, and made something that I thought approximated the photo in the cookbook. I was so excited, filled with anticipation of eating this great dish...
Oh my god, it was GROSS!
I haven't had it since. I have been lucky enough to gorge on real Italian food in Capri, Naples, and Rome, and all across Umbria, Tuscany, and Liguria. In all that eating, I honestly don't recall if I have ever seen Spaghetti Caruso on a menu. If I ever do, maybe I'll give it another shot. Hell, if my mom can find the cookbook, maybe I'll try to make it again, and see what happens. The moral of the story is, maybe you shouldn't always give in to your cravings...
Which leads to this past weekend.
I didn't like mushrooms until I was almost 20. They mostly appeared canned in my house, or as dried out flakes on a pizza, which I would of course pick off. Once I had them cooked properly, though, I was on board.
For some reason, at the end of the work day on Friday, the craving hit- mushrooms sautéed in oil and butter, with garlic and thyme. Which, to my mind, belong either on some crunchy grilled Tuscan bread, or some fresh egg tagliatelle. I went with the latter.
I love a pasta sauce that really isn't; just cook up something you like, in some good quality olive oil, and dump it on the right shaped noodle, and you're golden. It was so good, I ate it all weekend. Hence, the smoothies and soup I will be stuck eating the rest of the week. Yes, I gave in to a craving, but in this case, it was worth it. Pasquale would be proud. Method below.
Tagliatelle with Mushrooms and Thyme
Fresh egg tagliatelle
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter (more at the end of cooking)
2 (at least) cloves garlic
1 large banana shallot
5-6 cups chopped white mushrooms (add a few reconstituted dried porcini, if you have them.)
Thyme
Oregano
Basil
Parsley
As much parmesan as you like (and I like a lot!)
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, then add a knob of butter. Sauté chopped banana shallot and chopped garlic for a minute or two. Then, add the mushrooms (they will wilt down considerably); stir and cook for a few minutes. When they are partially reduced, add some chopped herbs, and red pepper flakes, if you like. You can cook them until they are done the way you like; more reducing will intensify the flavour, but you might need to add more oil or a touch of broth to make the sauce thinner.
Meanwhile, cook up some egg tagliatelle, and when it's just done, dump it into the sauce. Add a bit more butter, stir everything together, and when serving, add copious amounts of real grated parmesan, and some more chopped herbs. Be prepared to diet the following week.
The cookbook I saw it in was written by a man you've probably never heard of, unless you're from southern Ontario and over 30- Pasquale Carpino. He was this singing Italian chef with a TV show in Toronto in the late 70s through to the 90s, but the early years on cable access were the best, because you'd tune in and think what the hell?
He had a thick accent, a giant chef hat, and he spent the entire show drinking wine and breaking into song. Yes, the Italian chef sang opera to the food. It was, well, odd. He was the first Pasquale I had ever heard of, too. I'm from a place that The Kids in the Hall know well- a world full of Daves.
Pasquale was parodied on the original SCTV- Tony Rosato did a hilarious version where the chef, called Marcello, was drunk, sang opera, and occasionally battled lobsters. Sadly, I can't find a clip. However, here is the real Pasquale!
As a suburban Canadian of UK descent, Pasquale was my first exposure to "real" Italian food, as opposed to the delicious, but I'm guessing inauthentic, meals we had at our favourite Italian restaurant, Mother's Pizza.
Anyway, my aunt got me Pasquale's cookbook for Christmas, and as a budding gourmand, the recipes intrigued me. From it, I learned basics like stuffed manicotti, and pesto sauce. Then, I came across Spaghetti Caruso. I have no idea why this recipe stood out- honestly, how good could a plate of noodles with chicken livers on it have looked?! I decided I had to make it for dinner, so I went out and got the ingredients we didn't have (I am happy to say we didn't generally have chicken livers lying around), and asked my mom to get a small bottle of the required booze. I followed the directions carefully, and made something that I thought approximated the photo in the cookbook. I was so excited, filled with anticipation of eating this great dish...
Oh my god, it was GROSS!
I haven't had it since. I have been lucky enough to gorge on real Italian food in Capri, Naples, and Rome, and all across Umbria, Tuscany, and Liguria. In all that eating, I honestly don't recall if I have ever seen Spaghetti Caruso on a menu. If I ever do, maybe I'll give it another shot. Hell, if my mom can find the cookbook, maybe I'll try to make it again, and see what happens. The moral of the story is, maybe you shouldn't always give in to your cravings...
Which leads to this past weekend.
I didn't like mushrooms until I was almost 20. They mostly appeared canned in my house, or as dried out flakes on a pizza, which I would of course pick off. Once I had them cooked properly, though, I was on board.
For some reason, at the end of the work day on Friday, the craving hit- mushrooms sautéed in oil and butter, with garlic and thyme. Which, to my mind, belong either on some crunchy grilled Tuscan bread, or some fresh egg tagliatelle. I went with the latter.
I love a pasta sauce that really isn't; just cook up something you like, in some good quality olive oil, and dump it on the right shaped noodle, and you're golden. It was so good, I ate it all weekend. Hence, the smoothies and soup I will be stuck eating the rest of the week. Yes, I gave in to a craving, but in this case, it was worth it. Pasquale would be proud. Method below.
Tagliatelle with Mushrooms and Thyme
Fresh egg tagliatelle
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter (more at the end of cooking)
2 (at least) cloves garlic
1 large banana shallot
5-6 cups chopped white mushrooms (add a few reconstituted dried porcini, if you have them.)
Thyme
Oregano
Basil
Parsley
As much parmesan as you like (and I like a lot!)
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, then add a knob of butter. Sauté chopped banana shallot and chopped garlic for a minute or two. Then, add the mushrooms (they will wilt down considerably); stir and cook for a few minutes. When they are partially reduced, add some chopped herbs, and red pepper flakes, if you like. You can cook them until they are done the way you like; more reducing will intensify the flavour, but you might need to add more oil or a touch of broth to make the sauce thinner.
Meanwhile, cook up some egg tagliatelle, and when it's just done, dump it into the sauce. Add a bit more butter, stir everything together, and when serving, add copious amounts of real grated parmesan, and some more chopped herbs. Be prepared to diet the following week.
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