thats a nice! sicilian secrets

return to top	fresh or plum tomatoes? when a recipe calls for fresh tomatoes and it's not summer, use plum tomatoes.
return to top	garlic powder or granulated garlic? if you can't use fresh garlic in your recipe, use granulated garlic instead of garlic powder. the granules do not stick to each other like the powdered version.
return to top	cooking pasta secrets? stir thats a nice! "primi piatti" or your favorite pasta well when you first put it into the boiling water so it won't stick to itself or to the pan.
return to top	fresh or dry herbs ratio? fresh or dry herbs are based on a 3 to 1 ratio: 3 units fresh is equal to 1 unit dry.
return to top	mix tomato sauce with pesto? a portion of thats a nice! "sugo" makes a nice contrast on a bed of pasta with your favorite pesto.
return to top	mix thats a nice! pasta sauce with olive mix? a portion of thats a nice! "sugo" mixed with a portion of thats a nice! original olive mix named "olivetta" will make a perfect original PUTTANESCA pasta sauce.
return to top	breaking spaghetti before cooking? you should not break spaghetti in half before cooking. broken spaghetti is too short to twirl on your pasta utensil.
return to top	add salt when cooking pasta? you should always add a little salt to the cooking water for pasta. it keeps pasta from tasting bland. we recommend to add 1 teaspoon per 4 quarts of water as soon as it boils.
return to top	rinse pasta after cooking? you do not have to rinse pasta after cooking. you should rinse only if you are serving it cold or preparing it in another dish, such as baked ziti or lasagna.
return to top	baste steaks with extra virgin olive oil? baste steaks with extra virgin olive oil or our very own "bacio" sicilian garlic bread spread before grilling. this is an old sicilian secret to enhance the flavor.
return to top	garlic enhancing technique? for an added gourmet southern italian touch, shave fresh garlic cloves into slivers with a single edge razor. this will fuse garlic flavors with any recipe.
return to top	pasta consumption fact? the average person in Italy eats more than 51 lbs. of pasta per year. the average person in North America eats about 15 lbs of pasta per year.
return to top	olive oil fact? olive oil is technically a fruit juice rather than an oil. olives are pressed to release their juices just like an orange.
return to top	olive oil types? First Cold Press = Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Recommended) Second Cold Press = Thinner Olive Oil Thrid Cold Press = Pure Oilve Oil (Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil) Virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams and the other characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. Ordinary oil may still be fine for frying or where the olive oil flavor is not wanted or needed. Fourth Grade = Lampante Virgin Olive oil, Virgin olive oil not fit for consumption as it is, designated lampante virgin olive oil, is virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams and/or the organoleptic characteristics and other characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. It is intended for refining or for technical use. Fifth Grade Press = Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%) and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. Pomence Press = Pomace is the ground flesh and pits after pressing. Olive-pomace oil is the oil obtained by treating olive pomace with solvents or other physical treatments, to the exclusion of oils obtained by re-esterification processes and of any mixture with oils of other kinds. Olive-pomace oil is the oil comprising the blend of refined olive-pomace oil and virgin olive oils fit for consumption as they are. It has a free acidity of not more than 1 gram per 100 grams and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard.2/ In no case shall this blend be called "olive oil". It is considered an inferior grade and is used for soap making or industrial purposes.
return to top	pasta / noodle law? by the USA federal law standards, a noodle must contain 5.5% eggs solids to be called a noodle. So without egg, a noodle really isn't a noodle.
return to top	Neil Simon Quote? "There are two laws in the universe: the law of gravity, and everyone likes Italian Food".