Perhaps an extra $100,000.00 is more up your alley? If so, enter Loacker’s Win Every Hour Contest. Find promotion codes on specially marked Loacker packages or check out details and more ways to play here.

There are many ways to win on this month of love and chocolate! Happy Valentine’s Day and buona fortuna a tutti! (Good luck everyone!) Check out my personal love affaire with Baci here.

“….it was delicious, even my little girls loved it and asked for more….I really enjoyed this… The videos are great and super easy to follow.” – Jenny Arena-Galati, Fables and Foccaccia

“…simple recipes (with the right ingredients) often make for the best meals. Homemade pasta sauces always taste so much better than the storebought kind, and this sauce couldn’t be easier.” – Natalie, Once Upon a Cutting Board

 ”I had to make the tuna pasta from your recipideo. I followed your recipe and it turned out great. I especially love the la bomba in there.” – L Duhamel-Gravel

“….Thank you to Aurora Importing for helping my creative juices flow and allowing me to change up my pasta dish from including meat!”  – Katrin Wade, Running with the Devil(ed) Eggs. Katrin’s unique and creative twist accommodated her family’s tastes so they could enjoy a meal she otherwise wouldn’t have tried.

Equal Opportunity Kitchen is hosting a giveway so be sure to visit and comment as directed by Jan 29th! Sara says, “I really enjoyed the recipe (as did my husband)! …I was particularly impressed with the diced tomatoes…Definitely a winning dish!”

Our winner last month writes, ” …ridiculously fast – from start to finish, I had dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat…Even ‘The Boy’ gave it his seal of approval and inhaled an entire bowl, which is rather impressive when you consider he normally wouldn’t touch canned fish with a ten foot pole.” – Isabelle, Crumb Blog

Congratulations to this month’s winner, Sage Cuisine! “I was a bit unsure about canned tuna in a tomato sauce with pasta; we were in for a pleasant surprise… planning to make Pasta alla Puttanesca very soon”  – Rita Huneault

We hope you enjoy your $50.00 gift card for My Italian Cantina!

The next Recipideo Roundup is on the first friday of March. Stay tuned as we may shake things up a bit! If you want to be the first to know, subscribe to our Recipideo Channel, Buon Appetito!

Mediterrasian.com  a blog that celebrates the health benefits of both Mediterranean and Asian cuisine shares their puttanesca recipe and explains “the name of this robust pasta dish originated in Naples after the local women of easy virtue…and all the ingredients are just as easy to get your hands on.”

Or does Bitchin’ Kitchen have it right when Nadia G states with her version “…prostitutes were only allowed to shop at local markets once a week, and so whatever they bought had to last.”  

Do you have a theory? How about giving it a try and see if you can figure it out. Just watch this month’s Recipideo Roundup feature video “Pasta with Spicy Tuna Sauce” while keeping in mind just a few substitutions and additions.

While sauteing the onion simply add the following ingredients before adding the tomatoes.

• 1 tsp hot chili flakes (or substitute with 2 tbsp La Bomba)
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 4 chopped anchovy fillets
• a handful of  your favorite olives
• 2 tbsp of capers.

Proceed as shown in the Recipideo and finish with freshly chopped parsley. Some “puttanesca” recipes include tuna while others don’t, so the choice is yours. Check out the fully adapted and printable recipe on our recipe page.

Give it a try tonight, but before you devour it completely send us a picture so we can automatically enter you in this month’s Recipideo Roundup.

Just watch cook and share your version of the Recipideo Pasta with Spicy Tuna Sauce . You’ll win in more ways than one!

Try Allessia Capers in salt if available (rinsed), but if  you can only find capers in vinegar just rinse them a little more carefully to reduce the acidity as much as possible. Use Aurora canned anchovies, anchovy paste or kick it up a notch with Allessia Anchovies from Sicily.

Watch

Cook

“Pasta with Spicy Tuna Sauce” and feel free to add your own personal flair. Hold the spicy La Bomba or add fresh hot peppers instead. Use canned tuna, fresh tuna or no tuna at all? Make it gluten-free using corn or rice pasta– do whatever it takes to make it your own!

Share

Please share our fun and fast Recipideos with your friends and followers and challenge them to join in the fun!? Help us fulfill our goal to get more people cooking Italian with ease….one Recipideo at a time! Once you’ve cooked your masterpiece email us a quick picture by Monday Jan 23rd (midnight.)

Win!

The first 25 submissions recieve a food inspired fine art card from Ita-liana.com. The winner receives a $50.00 gift certificate to My Italian Cantina, that can be used towards any purchase.

The yummiest looking entries and winner will be posted here on the fourth Friday of the month (Jan 27th). If you are a food blogger we LOVE  linking to your site and sharing your stories! It’s all about the food!  And with the right ingredients, (and a handy recipideo) it’s easier than you think!

“I followed the exact recipe from the video, and it was delicious! I served it with a golden beet, apple and walnut salad. It made the perfect Sunday evening dinner, but it was even better the next day at lunch!” – Laurence, Toronto

“I made this wonderful risotto in 18 minutes; I did add fried mushrooms with my peas. I intend to write about this recipe on my blog in the new year.”  – Rita, Sage Cuisine

“I was nervous that because this was my first time making risotto, it would end up inedible, but it turned out to be amazing!” – Natalie, Once Upon a Cutting Board

Finally, congratulations to our winner, Isabelle from Crumb Blog who used her creativity beautifully.

“I adapted the recipe in the Recipideo to make a classic mushroom risotto by using dried porcinis and a blend of fresh maitake and cremini mushrooms instead of fresh peas, and then finished the dish with a drizzle of black truffle oil. Delicious!

We trust that Isabelle will enjoy using her gift card to My Italian Cantina to stock her pantry with some great products! And if you haven’t had enough of risotto (who can?) check out her Wild Mushroom Risotto recipe on her blog.

Stay tuned and remember, our next Recipideo Roundup begins the first friday of January! That’s very very soon!

Did you know that many Italians practice the tradition of eating lentils on New Years Eve?

Mentioned in the bible, lentils are said to be the first domesticated crop of 13,000 to 9,500 years ago. They contain 31% concentrated fibre and are a very good source of iron while ranking 3rd for the highest level of protein by weight of any plant based food.

This abundance of nutrients and their keen resemblance to coins of currency make eating lentils at midnight a forebearer of good health and prosperity to your new year. That means cash! Need a recipe? Check our recipe page for my old standby. It’s quick and delicious. But as a reminder of our Recipideo Roundup contest did you know that you can make lentils using the Risotto method?

For this method soak the lentils for 2-24 hours (or bring them to a boil, rinse and drain). Some say that longer soaking times help eliminate phylates increasing the bodies ability to absorb nutrients. Could this be why my grandmother soaked all legumes overnight? Lentils are so small they cook relatively quickly and don’t require soaking but perhaps the added health benefit is worth it?

While your lentils are soaking, watch the Recipideo Risotto with Peas while keeping in mind a few minor substitutions.

Add chopped celery and carrots to the onions, red wine in place of cognac, and soaked lentils instead of rice. Rinse and drain the lentils before proceeding. See the full recipe here.

Unlike traditional risotto there is no need to go stir crazy. Let the vegetables and lentils simmer with a small amount of water while stirring only occasionally. After 10 minutes add enough hot water to cover the lentils (or a little more if you like it soupy.) Low simmer another 20-30 minutes depending on how long you soaked them. Serve with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

But wait! Remember to snap a picture before you dig in to enter our Recipideo Roundup contest by January 3rd (extended deadline) for a chance to win $50.00 worth of Italian products from Aurora Importing and My Italian Cantina. After you’ve eaten all those lucky lentils you’ll be a shoo-in to win! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Zeppole are a fried dough that many Calabrians make during the holidays. Our family makes them Christmas Eve, but don’t let the name confuse you, Zeppole are called a host of other names in different dialects and places. There is also another cream puff type pastry made on San Giuseppe that bears the same name. Check out the How to make Zeppole Recipideo to learn how to make them. The Recipe is on our recipe page here.

These are our Zeppole, from our family to yours. We hope your holiday table is full of good food, good friends, loving family, and maybe a few homemade Zeppole too!) Buon Natale!

Well, I agree. So if you can say  Risotto con Funghi di Porcini Secchi it will sound beautiful, fun, sexy and romantic. If you cook it? hmm…well there is no telling what could happen…but it’s oh so easy! Firstly, watch our Recipideo Risotto with Peas.

Then to vary the recipe to make Risotto con Funghi di Porcini Secchi add the following 3 steps.

1. Add 2 cups of boiling water to your choice of dried mushrooms and let re-hydrate for 10-15 minutes.

2.Strain the mushrooms reserving the liquid and taking care to leave behind any sediment that naturally occurs in all dried mushrooms.

3.Cook the risotto as shown in the video adding the mushroom liquid at any time (i like to add it half way through along with the re-hydrated mushrooms)

As Rouxbe cooking school states in thier cooking video the risotto method, authentic risotto is not just a recipe, it’s one of the 4 main cooking methods for cooking rice and grains. So once you have mastered the risotto method you can add and vary the ingredients to make a multitude of dishes.

For even more mushroom variations we have a wide selection of different dried mushrooms available that can be used in exactly the same way.  I especially love Aurora’s Merlini brand. An Italian company that dates back to the early 1900′s and dedicated to the preservation of wild mushrooms in Italy. These 3 are my favorites and I often like to mix them. For all varieties available click here and ask your local grocer for them or order them as a special request at My Italian Cantina. 

And don’t forget to enter our Recipideo Roundup. In lieu of this busy holiday season the deadline for entries has been extended to Jan. 3rd. Try this version and submit your photo (before you devour it) and you could win $50.00 towards stocking your pantry with great Italian products! It’s a win win win win situation!!

Buon Appetito!

Asiya at Chocolate and Chillies (gosh my two favorite things!) makes Spring Green Risotto with peas and asparagus. You can follow her recipe or just add asparagus at the same time as the peas in our Risotto with Peas Recipideo. Its a nice touch if you reserve the asparagus tips. Just cut the tips, blanch and season and set them aside as a garnish.

Isabelle at Crumbblog with her witty writing style has the most unusual combination I have seen. Risotto with Fiddleheads, Fava and Snow Peas. She writes ” ..wading into the crowd of old-timers to pick a bag of [fava] beans is one of my favourite springtime rituals on the Danforth.”

Katie at Little Spatula makes Shrimp Risotto with Sweet Peas and Leeks. Again follow her wonderful recipe or just substitute onions with leeks and add cooked shrimp at the end of Risotto with Peas recipideo.

Next Friday I will share with you my personal favorite. Risotto con Porcini. Super easy, wonderfully flavourful and my ultimate comfort food.

Meanwhile when you get stuck for dinner ideas remember our featured recipideo this month, Risotto with Peas and don’t forget to watch, cook, send and win!!!

Watch

Subscribe to our YouTube channel  so you can stay on top of all the Recipideos available to view at any given time.

Cook

Try out the featured recipe at home and feel free to add your own personal flair. Hold the anchovies, add your favorite cheese, make it gluten-free– do whatever it takes to make it your own!

Send

Ok, so we know you’ll be anxious to dig in but before you do, snap a quick photo. Don’t worry it doesn’t have to be perfect. When you are ready, visit http://auroraimporting.com/first-friday and send us a picture of your masterpiece.

Win

On the first friday of every month we will post results here and on our facebook page (how about becoming a fan?) The winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate to My Italian Cantina, and can be used towards any purchase.

So let’s get started

This month the first 25 submissions will receive an exclusive 5.7 x 8.5 greeting card, hot off the presses from Ita-liana.com, (and just in time for Christmas!)

(inside reads) "Shopping Italian Style" Buon Natale!

This month’s featured Recipideo, Risotto with Peas is ready for you to try now and submissions will be accepted until midnight on December 23rd. Winners will be announced on January 6th.

Buon Apetito!

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