Sughetto di Pomodoro alle verdurine

Who said, cheating or lying is not good or should not be done…….well in my case, I do and I am proud of it as it is gives me great pleasure in knowing that my Creations from cheating help me feed my kids amazing meals with all the nutrients they need without fuss or silly tantrums………As most parents always find themselves fighting through the most frustrating dinner experiences with their kids because of lack of appetite!! or don’t like this!!!, it is too hot!!!! i do not like green bits, it smells funny, my friends eat chicken nuggets every night, why do i need to eat a bowl of pasta!!! why do need to eat fish, well let me tell you, being a chef has its advantages and I use my skills to, as i said, Cheat my way into their tummies.

My wife is very regimental and well organized in planning meals that cover the entire food chart because she cares, she loves them and because they need to grow healthy and strong……what can you say to that!!!!!!!!

well this a recipe that I have created to encompass a well balanced dish with lot’s of good things without them knowing and trust me Adults will love it more than the little rug rats

For the sauce

For 6 pax….

Ingredients

1000ml of Italian peeled tomato

50gr of diced white onion

50gr of diced carrot

50gr of celery

50gr of spinach frozen or 100gr fresh washed and pat dried

30gr of zucchini

30gr of cauliflower

5gr of crushed garlic

5gr of basil leaves

50gr of parmigiano cheese

50ml of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place the olive in a pot large enough to accomodate all the ingredients and once the oil is hot but not smokey add the onion and garlic and sautee for a minute or two, add the celery, carrot and cauliflower and sautee for a furtehr 4 to 5 minutes or until very fragrant. At this stage add teh zucchini, spinach and basil and combine well, cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes ensuring all the ingredients are some how browned a little and omitting a delicate aroma. add the peeled tomato and simmer for about 30 minutes, add 1/2 of the parmigiano cheese, stir the sauce to incorporate and simmer for another 5 minutes. remove from the heat and with a hand / pulse blender, blend the sauce until a dense consistency is reached. Season well with salt and pepper and pass through a sieve, toss with their favorite pasta andserve at once….You will be amazed at the results…….for the adults garnish with a little Parmigiano and a sprinkle of chili…….Wow!!!!!!!!!! Buon Appetito

India Silvestrino……..

I met this vibrant young Athelete way back when she was born, I was standing right there when her mum, my wife delivered her. She was a bright little spark with energy to burn and a vigorous amount of stamina. On the very first day I was changing her nappy, she lifted her self off the changing table. Wow!!!!!!!!!! what strength, what determination!!! from that moment on, her enthusiasm for Athletics and running in particular was to become her forte’, at the age of 14 months old she would do 5 metre sprints in the family Room, she would lap all the supermaket isles and she would go into a frenzy when asked to do Star Jumps, I believe one day she reached 353 before we told her to stop………

She adores sports and the training associated with having to learn tecniques, she loves a challenge and thrives on competition, I remember India telling me one day after sports day….Papi, I wanted to run so fast that I imagined being a cheetah and as i was picking up speed the surroundings were like a Blur…wow!!!!! She was 20 metres behind the girl in front of her…she blitzed her and won by 30 metres…………..

One day she will become my Usain Bolt and run like the wind, but for now she is my little girl that  makes my heart melt every time she tells me….Papi, I la-lu

Horse Riding at School Jebel Ali Primary School on the oval where many medals will be fought

 A little Shy at Dubai Mall, Ice Rink………………..

Jayda Silvestrino

Jayda Silvestrino, wow!!!!!!! what can I say. She is my youngest daughter, she is the most vibrant, she is the most crazy and she does not give a rats ass about conformity or rules.

She is a wonderful spirited person with gracefulness, sincerety and most of all hard-felt love. She does not show her affection to all that embrace her but if she loves you….like she loves her sisters, her mum and me you are in for the most explosive, caring hug and kisses you have ever experienced…….

She is very gifted artistically and loves to sing and dance, she is a great admirer of clothing and shoes and already acts like a fashionista, yes a fashionista at the age of 7

She is very spontaneous and  can seriously crack you up with her one liners……she is a tripper amongst the troop.

The Star on her White Pony……………………………

Even dressed as a Pirate needs to have the Rodeo Drive Look and feel…………………………..

A tribute to our own Nelson Mandela……. Dr. Billy Gallagher

The initiative:

In 1973, fresh from London’s famous Dorchester Hotel, Dr. Billy Gallagher arrived with his wife to take up a position with local hotel chain Southern Sun. As executive sous-chef, Dr. Billy Gallagher was dismayed at the lack of formal training, low levels of competency and the absence of any apprenticeship schemes in South African kitchens.

In 1974, he helped to establish the South African Chefs Association (SACA) with the aim of nurturing world-class local chefs. Passion, culinary skill and natural business acumen saw Billy rise swiftly through the ranks of Southern Sun, to become the groups’ Food and Beverage Director by the end of the 80s.

In 1982, South African chef Billy Gallagher was elected president of SACA. He held the position for 21 years before becoming honorary president in 2003. During his tenure, the association swelled from a few hundred to several thousand members. Billy’s boundless legacy includes being a member of the first South African Culinary Olympics team; bringing the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) to South Africa; collaborating with renowned French chef Paul Bocuse to create the prestigious Bocuse D’Or competition; and becoming World President of WACS in 1996, and Honorary Life President in 2000. Billy retired in 2008, and remains a beloved mentor to the hospitality profession.

Founder of the original event of “BIDVEST WOLRD CHEFS TOUR AGAINST HUNGER’ in 1993 when 50 chefs from all over the world joined hands to raise the funds of R 50000 followed by the second event in 2003 when 100 chefs gathered again for the humble cause and raised R 1.5 millions.

The Event:

This year 2011…..Bidvest World Tour Against Hunger took place from August 21, the 10-day event public fundraising initiatives, gala dinners, cook offs at demonstration kitchens and food festivals in Southern Sun Hotels in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, East London and Nelspruit. The public were able to sample speciality dishes prepared by 250 chefs from 44 countries. This was the biggest fundraising event yet undertaken within global chefs’ fraternity

The Goal:

Yes the ultimate goal was to feed the hungry children, but that was not enough. The objective was to bring the awareness among the South African affluent population for the need to create middle class. To raise the funds through food festivals, gala dinners, selling chefs hats with the humble message, “sing children sing” song by P.J.Powers to download, auction of official paintings and other memorabilia’s, and pledges – a promise to donate funds. To know and understand each other’s better, people need to create friendly atmosphere among the communities. Proceeds raised through this event has to be donated in the form of monthly food donations to the Akani Diepsloot Foundations, African Children’s Feeding Scheme, and nominated charities in Durban, Cape Town, Nelspruit and East London.

Why South Africa:

It is estimated that 30% of all South African children or 12 million go to bed without having had a meal all day – This is not their dream ………………..or Ours The Team: As chef Billy said in the Farewell Gala Dinner, “to get the chefs from all over the world was the easiest task” he approached the Chefs associations all over the world and response was in hundreds.

I represented the “EMIRATES CULINARY GUILD” A team of five talented chefs. Vivek K Huria – Team Leader, My Self, Chandrasena Sudusinghe, Vinod Kumar, Ammar Ekili. All carrying our badges and dignity in our hearts and responsibility on our shoulders, shedding out our personal vacation leave for the noble cause. Each one of us donated 100% of our ability by doing cooking demonstrations at the Hemingway’s Casino & Mall and producing amazing food at the Garden Court East London all day dining restaurant where the myriad of local produce, great team effort and abundance of friendship ensured a successful festival. Our team work was remarkable and bonding became stronger. The team of ECG along with other team from Kenya and Tanzania, made history in South Africa when through a crazy Idea, I enticed Scott Valentine a South African chef with great skills and fun to sell to hijack the plane to raise funds……and collected we did, we raised the wings off the plane whilst flying between Jo’burg and East London. Wow, What spirit!!!!!!……

The achievement:

The convener of the tour Mr. Martin Kobald was proud to announce at the Farewell Gala Dinner that the amount raised was R8 million – which exceeded all expectations, and it is thanks to the generosity of the fraternity of caring Chefs. This will go a long way to sustain our goal of being able to feed 500 children every day for 5 years.

Nicholas………..Metro stars and the Rib Eye………………………………….

My nephew Nicholas Scalzi has become more than a little man, he has filled up like a little sumo and he loves it…..Last Sunday the 10th of April I witnessed the most heart felt moment in my life….my nephew had become a man by standing firm for his passion, his love and most of all for the sport he plays and adores as many other kids….but this moment was not about him scoring or saving a goal, it was for the way his anger and emotion allowed for a true sportsman and that he is, to shed a tear in agony to his father, his mentor, his coach, his best pal at that moment…..God bless him with what he deserves……

Nicholas and the gigantic Rib-eye…….As we are about to sit at the table, at my mums house, where commotion, emotion and hunger go hand in hand…Nicholas glanced at my kitchen apron and with that almost Tony Soprano look on his face….blurted out hei Uncle Sal!!!!! is my rib eye ready yet!!!! if not, make sure it is medium rare…a faccia ro cazz at 11 years of age he already masterfully bosses me, his godfather around like a kitchen helper..allanam e chit ammuort mo te scass o cierviell……….

Any way, he sat at the table and before the big plates merry go around started he had already scoffed down 2 bread rolls, 6 slices of prosciutto, 3 slices of capocollo and a dozen slices of salami….a faccia ro bicarbunat……we ate the “candele al pomodoro e ricotta salata fresca oppure stagionata”, tomato sugo and salted ricotta long tubular pasta, then as my wife, sisters and mum cleared the table of the entree plates, I rolled in with 3 Rib eye, the smallest was 900gr……the smell was absolutely to die for, the rosemary and sea salt rubbed ripened tomato had burst and omitted this wonderful sweet- fragrance, the roasted garlic was heavenly as the jus.

Upon placing theRib-eye in Nicholas’s plate, his appreciation for the soon to be divoured meat was evident as he smile showed more than he would normally show…….I was happy as I take pride in cooking for my family and as a proud uncle I wanted to ensure he got what he had asked……………

Ingredients………………..for 6 pax

6 Rib-eye on the bone about 600gr each or has big as you like

5 garlic cloves

3 table spoons of dijon mustard

4 tablespoons of olive oil

freshly ground pepper

sea salt

3 rosemary sprigs

24 large cherry tomatoes on the vine

Method………

Whisk the mustard, olive oil and freshly ground pepper until all combined, coat the rib-eyes well with the mixture and let marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before needing to cook the meat. Place a large skillet with a dash of olive oil on the stove and whilst waiting for it to get hot, turn the oven on at about 190 degrees celsisus, season the meat well with salt and place 2 rib eyes at a time in the pan, searing well on all sides, this step will ensure a tasty and juicy rib eye. place a small rack in a roasting tray and once the meat is seared place on top of the rack, repeat this step until all the rib-eyes are seared. in the same skillet, add a little olive oil, add the garlic and sea salt rubbed tomatoes and sautee for few minutes….. remove from the pan and place in the roasting tray with the rosemary sprigs…………..place in the hot oven and cook for about 18 minutes. Remove the rib eye from the oven and let rest for a few minutes………..serve at once with the tomatoes, garlic cloves and jus from the roasting tray………..accompany with either peppery mash potato or steak fries………….I leave that up to you……………………

My heart of a warrior is for all to see,

I fight the world to be what I want to be,

I would bare hand up root a tree,

But that is not all just, as my heart sweet can be

I would blissfully give anything to see the sun set on the horizon,

Even a rainbow after a rainy day would make me smile,

I would love to swim in crystal clear waters Of an untouched sea,

Just to catch a glimpse of the sun reflecting upon me

Sometimes I’ll see a shooting comet, as I am gazing at all the stars;

I truly feel the mist on the mountains is breathtaking

As is it riding an elephant in the jungle;

To see cascading waterfalls I’d do anything for,

To feel it’s cold dew on my skin I would give anything and even more

As to stand on the highest peak in the world and scream to all down below,

I am on top of the world, I am letting you know

I would love to fly Across the bluest skies;

I would blissfully give anything to see it all

All the beautiful things in the world,

Like a red rose blooming in the Desert,

Like a lion roaming free,

An elephant bathing in the little water left on the almost dry land

all the magical and enchanting I would love to see;

But I also know with my heart, that no matter what

God’s work was done, heavens upon me

As I am looking at the world’s most beautiful creation

every time you smile, every time I look into your eyes.

My heart blissfully is Enchanted

Three Sisters and Thunderbolt Pictures

a Johnny Bravo production

un film di Salvatore Silvestrino

Il Turista, Sua Moglie e le Nipotine

con

Ignazio Silvestrino, Il Turista

Anna Maria Silvestrino, Sua Moglie

Charlize Silvestrino La Nipotina

India Silvestrino La Nipotina

Jayda Silvestrino La Nipotina

e la partecipazione straordinaria di Liliana Silvestrino

Scritto da Salvatore Silvestrino

Regia di Salvatore Silvestrino

Mamma Anna special Pasta e fagioli recipe

Ingredients

• 1 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½  cup diced onion
• ½  cup of diced celery
• 50gr of chopped Italian canned tomatoes
• 50gr of pancetta, 1 piece whole
• 2 whole garlic cloves
• 1 litre of vegetable stock (2 cubes of low sodium Vegetable stock-1 litre of water)
• 2 cans mixed beans, drained and rinsed
• 200gr of all mixed pasta, (try to find pasta with a similar cooking timing)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• 30gr of freshly grated Parmigiano or pecorino

Method

Heat 3 tablespoon olive oil and in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat, Add the onion, celery and garlic and sautee until the onion is tender, add the pancetta and sautee for a further 5 minutes. Add the broth, chopped tomatoes, beans and the herbs, cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove and puree1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the mixed pasta and cook with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8-9 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmigiano and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

*An IMPORTANT WARNING” When blending hot liquids” Remove liquid from the heat and allow the hearty liquid and vegetables to cool for at least 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the liquid to a blender and fill it no more than halfway. Release one corner of the lid. This step will alleviate heat explosion, I normally place   kitchen towel over the top of the blender and pulse a few times for no more than 1 second at time then process on high speed until smooth.

My Godson, The Doctor and a Bike numbered

”46”

Children most of the times spend hours, dreaming or talking about their heroes whom most of them only get to watch through the flat medium we have in positioned in our Majlis, yes our comforting lounge or family area.

My Godson, an amazing sporting kid with the Midas touch at Football has always been fascinated with Valentino Rossi (The Doctor) but then again who isn’t, he is a masterful speedster with incredible fuel and passion to burn. Nicholas attended the MOTOGP At Phillip Island Australia, hoping to get a glimpse of his Icon, the man that makes him burn more calories and fuel than an hour and a half of football practice or chasing his cousins around the back yard, so when it came to the crunch Nicholas jumped at the chance to stand in front of a camera with his idol and take the shot of a lifetime. Yes, because that moment will be turned into the greatest memory, it will be shared with all his class and play ground friends for years to come. It will be the focal point of his ever increasing popularity, not that he needs it, as he is already right up there with the chicks in the circle of wanting to be your friend……

A lot of parents shy at the idea of their kids being so forward, so active,  wanting to be like their heroes……..do not be silly, expose them to the world that surrounds us and let them be the masters of their own destiny with a well balanced education, happy family environment and all the morals one can instill in them.

Let them dream big as dreams turn into reality, for all that we deserve as mankind can only hope and wish that every unbelievable moment turns into a tangible picture, like it did for

My Nephew, My Godson,

Nicholas Carmine Scalzi,

Te Voglio bene assai!!!!!!!!!!! Zuzzusiell…………….

Lilly Silvestrino….. a Dream come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sports fans can describe enthusiasm for a particular athlete, team, sport, or all of organized sports as a whole. The Sports fans are often seen attending sporting events or following them on television, as well as through newspapers and internet websites. The mentality of the sports fan is often such that they will experience a game, or event while living vicariously through players or teams whom the fan favors. This behavior manifests itself in a number of different ways, depending on the venue. At a stadium or arena, sports fans will voice their pleasure with a particular play, player, or team by cheering which consists of clapping, fist-pumping, or shouting positive exclamations toward the field of play and ultimately, the favorable object. Likewise, displeasure toward a particular play, player, or team is met by fans with jeers, which consist of booing, the shouting of expletives, and in occasional, extreme cases, throwing bottles or even garbage cans onto the field of play in the hopes of injuring a particular participant. This violent type of fan reaction is called hooliganism, an activity which is especially associated with football (soccer), where it is called football hooliganism. Hooligans form clubs to fight with or attack the fans of the opposing team, and their brawls have led to injuries from thrown objects, stabbings, and beatings, and even to deaths.

Yesterday whilst enjoying a family outing with my wife, my three daughters and the French Guy, I was surprised by none other than one of my favorite footballers of all time, Fabio Cannavaro. I am an avid admirer of his professional career as he has played for Napoli and Juventus, 2 clubs that I follow with avid passion. As a fan I could not believe my eyes as my Idol was strolling past me, I stopped him and without hesitation I introduced myself. My wife whom through my passion has become an avid football supporter has more than once expressed her admiration for Fabio Cannavaro for his on field performances as the Italian Captain that guided Italy to the 2006 World Cup Win and his Neapolitan good looks.

I was impressed by his accommodating mannerism, when Lilly asked him to pose for a photograph with her, he nodded with pride and a beaming smile, I was asked to join in the photo, but it was Lilly’s golden moment and why spoil it…………….Cannavaro sei magico!!!!!!! Sarai sempre il mio capitano………

Fabio Cannavaro (was born on the13th of September 1973 in Naples, Italy) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for the UAE Football League club Al Ahli Dubai. He spent all of his career in Italy. He started his career at Napoli, before spending seven years at Parma, with whom he won two Coppe Italia and the 1999UEFA Cup After spells at Internazionale and Juventus, Cannavaro transferred along with manager Fabio Capello from Juventus to Real Madrid, with whom he won consecutive La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. After returning to Juventus for one season in 2009–10, he joined current club Al-Ahli.

Cannavaro has also achieved success with the Italian national team He was part of the Italy team that won consecutive Under-21 European Championships in 1994 and 1996. After earning his first senior cap in 1997, he eventually became captain. Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and in 2009 overtook Paolo Maldini as the most capped player in the country’s history. He announced his retirement from international football on 25 June 2010 following Italy’s failure to qualify for the knock-out stages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup  having amassed 136 and scored 2 goals for the national team

He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2006, making him the first, and so far, only defender to win the award, as well as the oldest recipient. Cannavaro’s younger brother Paolo is also a professional footballer and plays for Napoli in Serie A