No-cream Pasta Primavera

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Pasta Primavera as the name suggests in a fresh take on pasta served with vegetables of the season. Some recipes call for a creamy sauce but the Primavera may also be prepared without.

To do a No-cream Pasta Primavera you will need 1 package penne pasta, 1 yellow squash, chopped 1 zucchini, chopped 1 carrot, julienned 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into pieces, 5 spears asparagus, cut into pieces, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, coarsely ground black pepper, and lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, butter, 1 large yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese.

To prepare, cook the pasta in a pot of lightly salted water. Add a few drops of olive oil to the water to prevent sticking.

In a bowl, toss the squash, zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning and bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes until tender.

Use the remaining oil and butter and cook with the onions and garlic in a large skillet until hot. Remove from the fire and place in a large bowl. Toss with eh vegetables and add Romano cheese to taste.

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Scampi-style Scallops over Linguine

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scampi
Scallops are some of the most highly prized seafood dishes in the world. Its taste is extraordinary and in certain cuisine may be eaten with pasta, fries, or as part of a bigger seafood meal.

The scampi-style scallops served over linguine is a treat and is simple and easy to prepare. All you need is 1 package linguine, 1 can anchovy fillets with oil, 1/2 onion, minced, 3/4 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup white wine, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/8 teaspoon seafood seasoning , 12 ounces bay scallops, salt, and pepper.

To prepare first bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil and all linguine. You may add a few drops of olive oil to the water to prevent pasta from sticking together.

Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes and once cooked but firm, drain.

In a skillet over a medium flame, cook anchovies in oil until they melt and add the onion and cook until tender. Add the chicken stock, wine, garlic, parsley, and seafood seasoning. Add the scallops to the liquid and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the scallops are opaque. Serve over the linguine with a glass of white wine!

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A new friendly face at CircleMe

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As CircleMe continues to grow its vast network of interests, the need to bring awesome content to our users based on their likes becomes paramount. For this important task, we are super excited to introduce to the world and to our Circlers a new friendly face who in the last weeks has been hanging out  the office: Jelly! Jelly joins our team as a Content Manager, making sure you get the most relevant, coolest, up-to-date and unique content on all the passions you expressed on the platform.

But enough said from this ‘voice-over’: best to hear directly from Jelly as she tells us a bit about herself and why she seems to be enjoying her time in this little crazy world of CircleMe:

Content manager at CircleMe

“I am really excited to be part of the CircleMe team. Firstly, because the team is quite fun and motivated. Then, because I really enjoy my job, and while doing my daily tasks I even get the chance to discover numerous interesting things. As a matter of fact, being a content manager also means being updated on everything that is potentially of interest to the community and this is quite cool since at the same time my cultural awareness keeps on expanding.

If you take a look at my profile you’ll see that the highest level on my Reach Score is for the category ‘Food & Drinks’, and that’s simply because I love eating. Chocolate and sweets are among my top food. But I also love listening to music and watching movies. I listen to all kinds of music, from rap to rock. Here are some of my favourite singers: Queen, Pink, Macklemore… Same goes for the movies, and in my favourite movie list you’ll find Pulp Fiction, The Green Mile and Life is Beautiful. What I love about CircleMe is that it is not focused on the ‘user’ but on the specific ‘passion’. It’s great to share all my passions with other people I might not know but who do have my same tastes!

I hope CircleMe gets known by more people because it is quite a unique way to tap into your network of interests.”

 

Jelly's profile page on CircleMe

Feel free to contact Jelly just to say hello or to suggest some great content she should take a look at: she is always on the look out for the new interesting story which just hit the wires or that very original content to share with all passionate Circlers.

Amir Alexander on the move

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Amir Alexander is one of the leading names in US house music in the last few years.

The Chicago-based house music producer has won for himself fans all across Europe with his Vanguard Sound label.

Alexander will play at ADE along with the likes of John Daly, Youandeman,Roman Flugel, Giles Smith, and James Preistley.

Alexander came onto the scene after starting an association with the Secretsundaze label which has backed Midwestern US artists such as Smith, Patrice Scott, and Chez Damier.

After spending many years as a starving artist, the now 40-year-old Alexander, who first became exposed to electronic music at age 7, is glad for the opportunity to ply his trade, develop his skills, and further his discipline.

And he says while his mentality hasn’t changed it has certainly evolved and being able to play out regularly enables him to see what works and what doesn’t and in what context.

He notes that his life changed forever after he heard the full version of ‘Planet Rock’ played on the radio for the first time.

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Rocket and Parma Ham Salad

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rocket_parma_ham_salad
Parma ham or prosciutto is often a mainstay of Italian antipasto dishes. The dried, cured ham can also be used as part of a salad and other interesting dishes.

The thinly-sliced version of Parma ham can be wrapped around grissini and may also be eaten with watermelon. Whether served with vegetables such as asparagus and peas or part of a pasta sauce or stuffing, the Parma ham is a versatile way to spice up a meal.

The Rocket and Parma ham salad is perfect if you are looking to enjoy a simple yet beautifully-arranged salad. It can be eaten as a starter for lunch or dinner as a light lunch or midday snack itself.

To prepare, gather 1 (7 ounce) bag arugula, 7 ounces Parma ham, torn into thin strips, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar.

To prepare the salad, arrange the arugula on a large flat platter, top the arugula with the prosciutto, and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad. The Parma ham salad can be “jazzed” up by adding cashew nuts as well as some parmesan cheese.

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Central Europe’s biggest things in Music

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Central Europe, in countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, is really getting into its own in the house and electronic music arena.

In Budapest, Hungary some of the more intriguing sounds include those by Imre Kiss – who happens to hail from Slovakia- Asio Otus and Stanley Maneuver.

Also making their mark is the Farbwechsel crew which plays at almost every party in the city. The crew has also been a major backer of the musicians that have made a name throughout the city’s underground within the last few years.

Poland boasts some of the most unique and diverse music in Central and Eastern Europe.

Sangoplasmo is one of the big electronic music labels from out of the largest country in central Europe.

One of the names that have emerged from the Polish label is Lubomir Grzelak who performs under the alias Lutto Lento.

Wroclaw resident Lento, who has been described as a “lone ranger” has mixes that include remixes of tracks from Irish artist Enya as well as other samples.

Aranos, Folja, and Tidal are a few of the others on the Sangoplasmo label.

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Cinnamon Hazelnut Biscotti

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Nothing says Italy like biscotti. These long, oval, crunchy, flavoured biscuits can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee, tea, or on their own. Biscotti, also known as cantuccini are twice baked biscuits that originated in the Italian city of Prato.

To make the cinnamon hazelnut biscotti take 3/4 cup butter, 1 cup white sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup hazelnuts.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy and beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift in flour cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix it into the egg mixture. Add the hazelnuts.

Next shape the dough into logs and place on the baking sheet and flatten to about a ½ inch. Bake for 30 minutes until the edges are brown and the centre is firm. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, slice into long ovals. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

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Blondes Ambition

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blondes
The house music pumping pair of Sam Haar and Zach Steinman, better known as Blondes has been creating a stir in the underground with their second album Swisher. The album has been talked about a lot lately with its A and B sides “Business” and “Pleasure” and “Hater “and “Lover”. The full-length album is a mixture of German sounds from the early 1980’s.

According to Steinman, who was speaking to Electronic Beats, the pair takes a conceptual art approach which goes back to their days in college when they were part of a band called Misty which was all percussion instruments.

Haar and Steinman both graduated from the Oberlin College over ten years ago.

And Steinman says he isn’t quite sure if they are a better live band or playing in the clubs because they get mixed reaction from fans. Some prefer them live; others prefer them in the club.

Haar does admit thought that he doesn’t know if the music works in the club scene as the pair started out with the intention of doing live electronic playing although it was also always intended to be dance music.

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Pete Tong announces his new album

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British born DJ Pete Tong is getting ready to release a new album. Tong, who works for BBC Radio 1 in the UK will be putting together a compiled sic of house music and classics in one disc, entitled The Pete Tong Collection.

The album will feature dance music from the last three decades with 60 of the leading tracks from that period being featured.

Tong, who hosts programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Collection on the BBC, says that this is the right time to be releasing an album such as this.

“And remember where we were when we first heard these life-changing anthems. The music hasn’t gone away and its influences have only spread further, with the sound crossing over into almost any genre you’ll hear in 2013,” he told Resident Advisor.

Tong has his own record label FFRR Records and also performs in nightclubs and at music festivals across Europe.

The former resident of the Pacha Club in Ibiza is one of the most recognized DJ’s in Europe.

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Torta Rustica, ethnic treat

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torta_rustica

The Torta Rustica is an easy Cuban, Greek, or Italian dish that can be eaten for breakfast or lunch. The dish which is a complete meal consisting of carbohydrates, vegetables, and food from animals, is a fairly heavy meal and best eaten before late hours.

Gather together 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup butter, diced 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons cold water, 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, 4 ounces feta cheese, 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 egg 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 pound ham slices, chopped frozen chopped spinach, roasted red peppers, and 1 egg.

To prepare add flour, cornmeal, and salt and cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Beat in eggs and cold water and mix it into the flour mixture until the dough forms. Shape2/3 of the mixture into a flattened round and repeat the process with the remaining 1/3 and place in the refrigerator.

In a separate bowl, mix the cheese, 1 egg, parsley, basil, and oregano until blended. In an 8 inch round baking dish rollout the dough mixture and place the flattened portion in the bottom of the pan. Use the remaining 1/3 to wrap in the round section of the dish and add the cheese mixture. Add the peppers in single layer and top with the mozzarella and press down. Cover with the remaining dough and seal the edges. Use the remaining egg to top the mixture and bake in an oven at 375 degrees F or until the crust is golden brown. Once done, cool, cut into wedges and serve.

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