The Kuki Witch Project

Just retrieved my Grandma's cookbook.

When I was a child I thought it was kinda of a sorcery book (the black cover and its saved-from-a-wreckship appearence obviously contributed alot), thus making of Granma a sort of witch.

Unfortunately for my childish fantasies and luckily for my tongue, she was simply an exceptional cook and her cookbook - as I discovered only recently - is the 12th edition of the most famous best-seller of Italian kitchen since its first edition in 1929, "Il Talismano della Felicità - The Talisman of Happiness" by Ada Boni.

It's still published, updated and well sold till nowadays. But this copy obviously is of a great value to me because it dates to her marriage and is plenty of her handwritten notes and recipes.

Julie had Julia's cookbook, Kuki's got Grandma's!

That doesn't mean that I will try all the recipes in it, simply because some are absurd or provide for unreacheable ingredients or come from an era when the fridge had still to be invented. But will do my best!

Black squid ink spaghetti - Spaghetti al nero di seppie

Kuki's mom knows that's one of the few ways I do really like spaghetti and that it's a bit difficult to find fresh squids with their own ink in Milan (although, I couldn't) so she prepared this dish for my arrival in Sicily.

The intense black color and strong iodine taste makes it irresistible. This is nothing new. In popular crime novel by Andrea Camilleri, Sicilian police captain Montalbano is invited for dinner by the police Superintendent. "My wife will prepare spaghetti in squid ink. An exquisiteness". Montalbano is so taken with the prospect of eating this legendary dish that during the whole novel he makes every effort not to confront his superior in the thorny case in he's working on so that the spaghetti in squid ink can be safe.  Finally Montalbano calls him the day before:
  -Superintentent? I am calling to say I am really mortified, but won't be able to make it for dinner tomorrow.
  -You are mortified because we cannot meet, or because of the squid ink pasta?
  -Both Sir.
(Thanks to fxcuisine for the Camilleri translation)

For 4 people:

• 4 squids with their ink pockets (if they don't come with their ink you will need to buy 2 bags of squid ink)
• 1/2lt of tomato sauce
• 1 medium onion
• 400grs long pasta (ie spaghetti, linguine)
• parsley
• red hot chili peppers
• oil

Peel and wash the squids, then cut them into pieces or rings. Cut the onion into tiny cubes and fry it in a large pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, then add the squids and cook over a medium-high flame until when they are cooked through. Add the tomato sauce along with a few pieces of peppers (depending on how much spicy you do like it) and let it cook for 5 mins. Then add the squid ink and the chopped parsley. You will see the ink spreading in the bright red sauce and turning everything to the darkest shade of black. Let it cook for a few minutes and turn off the flame. Cook the pasta, then pour it in the saucepan (or vice-versa) and cook it with the sauce for 30 secs.
Serve.

Eat & taste.
Be careful to your clothes!

Bon Roll Aia agli spinaci con salsa al gorgonzola - Chicken-meat and spinach roll with gorgonzola sauce

Time to leave Milan for Xmas holidays, time to empty out the fridge of all the remnants!

Ingredients (that's simply what I had in the fridge):

• 1 chicken meat (but any meat is good -c'mon! it's minced!) and spinach roll (about 750 grs)
• 1 big onion
• 4 small potatoes
• 6 little tomatoes
• 100 grs of Gorgonzola cheese
• 125 grs of mozzarella cheese
• 200 decilitres (1 cup) of milk or cream
• a glass of red wine
• oil, rosemary, salt, pepper, curry, flour if needed

Put some oil and 1/2 glass of wine in a large pan with cover and cook the onion (cut into slices) and the meat roll on low flame for about 45 mins/1 hour. Take care to turn the meat roll from time time so that it's well cooked all around. After 10 mins add the potatoes cut into pieces and a stick of rosemary. Wait other 30 mins and add the tomaetos cut into pieces the same size about as the potatoes. When the cooking is almost finished add the mozzarella cut into small cubes till it melts down, add the wine left and let it vaporize on high flame.

While the meat is cooking prepare the sauce. In a small pot heat the milk or cream and when it's nearly boiling low down the flame and add the Gorgonzola in pieces. Let it melt, add salt, pepper and curry, mix and let it thicken. If you're using the milk you will probably need to add some flour.

Cut the meat roll into big slices, put them in a plate along with the tomato-potato sidedish and cover with some sauce.

Perfect. Now: fridge empty, time to fill in the suitcase and go!

Tramezzino gorgonzola, sedano e mela - Sandwhich with gorgonzola cheese, celery and apple

This afternoon I had such a profound longing for this gorgeous sandwhich that I decided to face the snow storm to buy the ingredients. I had tasted it for the first time during a business lunch. Before that I simply could not have ever conceived such a weird combination. Nevertheless that it was so delicous!

Ingredients:

• 50 grs gorgonzola cheese (if you can't find it you could try with the roquefort, it should be different, though)
• 1 apple granny smith quality
• 1 celery stick
• 2 slices of sandwhich bread

Spread a thick layer of gorgonzola on one side of each slice of bread. Cut the apple and the celery into thin slices (I used a potato peeler). Lay over the gorgonzola some apple slices first, the celery ones later.
Close the sandwhich.
Cut it into 2 triangles.
Eat.
Welcome to Paradise.

Kuki Veggieburger

Asli and I survived the 5 hours Wagner's Valkyries opera at La Scala and nearly enjoyed it!

It was midnight already, didn't have dinner and still dreaming about Kukiburgers. Unfortunately, no more hamburgers and/or fresh sanwiches left. Luckily, I always keep in the fridge some veggieburger or similar and a pack of sandwich loaf.

That's how Kuki's veggieburger came to life.

Proceedings are the same as the Kukiburger except for the veggieburger and the sandwhich loaf.

 if you think this way it could be too low in fats, do as we did, add  a sunny-side up egg on top!

Oh, a little present to all my beloved readers, some pictures from Wagner's Valkyries and La Scala Theater! Enjoy!

Kukiburger

Culture day.
Today, together with that Russian girl alredy well-known to all of you beloved readers I have visited the new Museum of the '900 in Milan and in the evening we are going to Alla Scala theater as well for Wagner's "The Valkyries" opera.

After the museum (it was lunchtime) we were very hungry and the nearby Japanese restaurant was closed. So it ended up for a Kukiburger!

For 2 people:

• 2 demi-baguettes (or nearly whatever sandwhich you do prefer!)
• 3 beef burgers
• a few big leavesof radicchio (or salad, if you prefer)
• 2 pachino tomatoes (or a normal size tomato)
• 1 mozzarella
• 2 sweet and sour pickles
• a few slices of onion
• french mustard (I prefer Maille's "a l'ancienne"), barbecue sauce, ketchup, chili sauce, mayonnaise

Roast the burgers and the radicchio alongside (not necessary if you are using the salad). In the meanwhile cut tomatoes, onion, pickles and mozzarella in very thin slices so that the sandwhich will not be excessively thick. Cut the baguettes in two halves and toast them slightly on a pan or whatever.

Let's fill in the sandwhich! That's the toghest part: in my opinion the secret for a perfect Kukiburger as well as for any sandwhich is to find out the best order to pile up the ingredients. I proceed in this order.

First, spread on lower half of the sandwhich the french mustard, then put on it the sliced tomato and the roasted radicchio or the salad. After that, put on it the burgers (since I used 2 baguettes and 3 hamburgers I disposed 3 halves of hamburger per baguette along its lenght). That's time for mozzarella to lie on the hot meat, then put the onion and the pickle slices. Finally, sauces! Whatever you want, as much as you want! Personally, I have a crush for the barbecue sauce (so difficult to find and so expensive in Italy, even in Milan!).

Enjoy your Kukiburger!!!

P.S. It may appear so stupid to post a recipe for a burger but believe me, I have personally attended a lecture of a famous cuisine school on "how to do the perfect California burger". And mine is far better than theirs.

A sweet, sweet Christmas!

Kuki ha fatto l'albero!