MuchoGusto

Bailey's Cheese Cake

2010-10-28T14:16:00.004+02:00

I heart any sort of cheese cakes, of which there exist endless variations around the world, and this is one of the best I ever tried. Because I also heart the irish creme flavour. The topping part is really an optional (sour cream glaze and shaved white chocolate) if you are in a lazy mood, it tastes good enough without... but highly recommended!!

150g digestive biscuits
60g butter (room temperature)

500g mascarpone (room temperature)
160g sugar
2 large eggs, separated (room temperature)
50ml Baileys, or any high quality Irish Creme liqueur
a few drops of vanilla extract
1/3 cup flour
pinch of salt

200ml sour cream
powdered sugar
80g shaved white chocolate

Finely grind the biscuits in a processor. Add the butter, cut in small cubes and blend to make a bread crumb-like mixture.
Press the mixture onto the bottom of the 25-27cm spring pie form.
Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.
In a large bowl whip together mascarpone and sugar until smooth.
Add the egg yolks and continue to whip.
Add the baileys and vanilla and whip further.
Add the flour and salt, more whipping--until the texture is completely smooth.
Whip the egg white until it peaks, then gently fold it into the mascarpone mixture.
Pour the batter into the pie form lined with the biscuit mixture.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the surface slightly colours and puffs up, and the centre is set.
Cool on a rack

whip together sour cream and powdered sugar until attain a desired consistency and smooth

When the cake is completely chilled spread the sour cream mixture on the surface.
Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Decorate the surface with shaved white chocolate.

Mango Lassi

2010-10-22T11:16:00.002+02:00

Lassi is a traditional Indian, yogurt based, non-alcoholic beverage. It is lightly sweetened (or in some flavour variety also savoury), rich yet refreshing. It is very simple to prepare and will make a great beverage to offer to accompany your special dinner, especially for teatotalers as a substitute to wine or beer. It is also rich enough to make a light dessert option, or can be enjoyed any time when you are in the mood! :-)

Mango Lassi

300ml plain yogurt
200ml milk
2 fresh mangoes
2-3 tablespoon of sugar (to start with, add as needed.)
pinch of freshly ground cardamom

Peel, pit and slice up the mangoes
Put all the ingredients into a blender/food processor, blend thoroughly until smooth. (Check the sweetness and if needed add some more sugar to your preference)
Chill in the fridge 1-2 hour.
Give it another whip on a blender before serving.

Carrot-Nut Cake

2010-10-15T00:36:00.005+02:00

Ever since I made a disaster with a carrot cake recipe about 6 years ago (the batter remained a complete goo with the surface burnt), I became very wary and reluctant to try and make another. No, I am not a very persistent type. However my partner accidentaly bought 2 packages of carrots and we are stuck with more carrots than we know what to do within a reasonable time frame, I finally decided to give another go at a cake. This idea is based on a Jamie Oliver recipe which has been slightly modified, and it came out perfect, to my surprise. As always, I can count on this bloke :-)

• 250g butter, softened
• 250g brown sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 200g flour, sifted
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 80g chopped almonds (or hazelnuts)
• 80g walnuts, chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 250g carrots, coarsely grated
• pinch of salt

for the icing:
• 250g mascarpone
• 85g icing sugar, or as much as it needed to attain a smooth consistency
• a few drops of vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Generously butter a 22cm square or round cake form.
Beat the butter and sugar together until it becomes frothy.
Beat in the egg yolks.
Add the orange zest and juice.
Stir in the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Add the nuts, spices and grated carrot and mix together well.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gently fold into the cake mix.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared cake form and cook in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes until golden and risen.
(toothpick check recommended, and make sure the toothpick comes out clean)
Leave the cake to cool in the form for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a rack and leave for at least an hour.

Mix the icing ingredients together until smooth, and spread generously over the cake.

Padella alla Licia

2010-10-12T13:23:00.002+02:00

I invented this recipe while I was hard pressed to come up with an attractive "reduced calorie" recipe as my partner has been on a diet. It can NOT be classified either as risotto or paella, as the result is clearly different -- thus I decided to call this "padella" (which also means "skillet" in Italian). It skips the sautè process which will cut down significant amount of oil, however by toasting the garlic separately and adding it at the end with the drizzle of raw olive oil, it boosts the lively flavour to a satisfying level!

Ingredients (for 3-4)
200g basmati rice
300g-400g peeled prawns (decent sized-I used frozen), precooked
3 shallots, thinly sliced
3 spring onions, chopped
1-2 large cloves of garlic (depending on how much you love garlic :-p)
100-150g frozen green peas
2 smallish courgettes, sliced thin (about 1mm)
1/2 cup white wine
vegetable bouillon (granulated, powdered or cube)
1-2 bayleaf
1 packet of saffran
good quality extra virgine olive oil

- Chop the garlic finely, toast in a small skillet with a few drops of olive oil (just enough to cover them), until golden, taking care not to burn them.

-Place the rice, shallots, peas, rice, wine and bayleaf in a large skillet or shallow, flat based pot, add the water just enough to cover the rice, season with the bouillon (amount according to the direction--the amount of the total liquid should be slightly over 1 cup)

-Bring to boil, turn down the heat to the minimum, cover and continue to simmer for 6-7 minutes

-add the courgette, distributing evenly (not dumping all in one pile), add a small amount of hot water if needed, re-cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or the courgette becomes thoroughly heated. (until they take on a slightly transparentish look while maintaining the colour)

-remove the cover, add the prawns*, spring onions, saffran, the toasted garlic and the olive oil, toss thoroughly and vigorously over the heat.

Serve immediately.

*I have used frozen, precooked prawns so I first boiled them just to defrost quickly. If you use a fresh prawn add them with the courgette, after thoroughly cleaning them. It should be even better this way as the flavour of the prawn will integrate itself more to other ingredients!

Tortei di Patate

2010-10-05T00:52:00.003+02:00

Tortei di Patate (Trentino - Alto Adige)

I became permanently addicted to tortei di patate while we were on our holiday in Trentino this summer. It is a recipe quite similar to the Jewish Latke or German Rosti, but this is prepared simply with grated potatoes and a bit of flour and salt, no other additives.
It may sound strange but this dish is delicious served with blueberry or cranberry comport. Trying is believing! Applesauce is equally good as well. To make it an all out alpine fair, serve with marinated cabbage and bean salad, sliced speck and assorted cheese, preferably on a round wooden plate cum cutting board!

Ingredients:
for 2-4 ppl (depending on the accompaniments)
500g potatoes
about 2tbsp flour
salt
butter or olive oil to cook

-Peel the potatoes, grate them roughly to the size of shoestring potatoes.
-Add a pinch (or as desired) of salt, mix well.
-Put the grated potatoes in a collander and place it on a bowl. Cover the surface with a plate, let it sit for about an hour to drain the excess liquid.
-Squeeze the potatoes and put in a bowl mix thoroughly with the flour.
-In a large skillet (I use two simultaneously) and heat the butter/oil thoroughly.
-Scoop out a generous table spoon full of the mixture, place it on the skillet and press it flat immediately with a spatula. Repeat the procedure, cook about 3-4 at a time in one skillet. When the bottom is nicely golden brown flip them and cook the other side, about 10 minutes.
-Place them on an absorbing paper/paper towel and repeat the procedure.
-Add some more butter/oil if needed during the procedure.
Serve immediately, hot.

Empanadas de Argentina

2010-09-29T01:24:00.002+02:00

Empanadas are enjoyed in many countries, majority of latin america as well as Spain and Portugal where the origin of the reicpe seems to lie, and recipes vary enormously. This version of Empanadas was introduced to me by a friend who lived for some years in Buenos Aires, and typically Argentinean. There are great many Italian immigrants in Argentina, and the subtle use of sultanas and olives suggest a touch of Italian influence. You can also make a bite size empanadas for a buffet, or potluck, it will surely disappear pretty quickly!

600-700g puff pastry dough
500g pork mince
1 onion, chopped
1 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 tbsp sultanas, chopped
10-15 green olives, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp powdered cumin
1 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper
extra virgine olive oil
1 egg

Immerse the sultanas in lukewarm water, leave for about half an hour
Prepare a flat surface to work on and dust with some flour.
Roll out the pastry dough about 3mm thick, cut out discs of about 15cm.
Keep them in the fridge, with a sheet of wax paper in between layers.
In a skillet sautè the onion and mince and thoroughly brown them, in just enough olive oil.
Add the sultanas, olives, spices and just enough salt and pepper, toss well.
Remove from heat and let it cool to the room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
On the same surface where you worked the dough, assemble the empanadas.*
*you may want to take out the doughs in a few batches as you work, the dough is easier to work with when it is cold.
Place a spoonful of sautèed mixture at the centre of each discs.**
**take care NOT to overstuff it, you should be able to comfortably fold the disc in half and enough room to fold over the edge without struggle.
Fold the disc in half, and fold over the outer edge (up to 1cm) and secure it by pressing, using a fork.
Place the formed empanadas on a baking sheet (or on a few of them), bake them for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
They are equally good hot/warm or at room temperature.

Risotto with garden vegetables

2010-09-23T18:34:00.001+02:00

This variety was invented quite nonchalantly while I was cleaning out the leftovers in the fridge. I just threw in the odd vegetables remaining in the fridge and it came out fabulously. It's highly flavourful, and also came in handy while I had to come up with some low-cal repartoire for my partner who has been on a diet, I reduced the amount of rice and loaded with the vegetables, the result was equally satisfying. I can only dream how this dish would taste if I had a garden of my own to pick the veggies from!!

For 2-3 people
-1 cup of carnaroli rice (if you can't find it arborio is fine, but carnaroli is the ideal type for making risotto)
-One big onion
-2 cloves of garlic
-1 large carrot
-1 large bell pepper (red or yellow)
-2 ripe tomatoes
-50g (or more if needed) butter
-1 bayleaf
-150ml red wine (or white, if you prefer)
-500ml of hot good quality broth
-freshly ground parmigiano

Chop the vegetables except tomatoes and garlic in a food processor. (Vegetable should be in small pieces, not "pureed")
In a large skillet sautè the vegetables with butter over middle heat, until the vegs soften. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring thoroughly, until rice becomes semi-transparent.
In the meantime whip the tomatoes in the same food processor into a semi-liquid form.
Add the bayleaf and the tomatoes, raise the heat level and bring to boil.
Add the wine, continue to cook until boiling.
When the wine is almost absorbed, start adding the broth one ladleful at a time, adding another ladleful when the previous batch of broth is well absorbed (but the rice should still remain wet), stirring constantly to keep the bottom from burning.
Keep the broth hot by keeping it in a saucepan on a low heat, or microwaving from time to time.
Repeat the procesure until the rice are cooked "al dente" (firm, not crunchy not mushy)... it should take about somewhere between 20-25minutes more or less.
Serve hot with plenty of parmigiano to sprinkle upon.

Tabouleh

2010-09-13T12:45:00.005+02:00

This traditional lebanese treat is a wonderful summer fixture, no hassle, no heat recipe with ripe tomatoes in season, bursting with refreshing flavours. Also it makes a great part of a mediterranean vegetarian feast that would impress even a staunch carnivours, served along with hummus and falafel. :-) Ideally, prepare it about a couple of hours in advance and let it set for a while, for the flavours to settle and blend in. For a twist, you can use a handful of fresh coriander leaves in place of mint. In a pinch, couscous can be used in place of bulghur.

Tabouleh

150-200g lebanese bulghur
1 bunch flat leaved parsley, washed and finely chopped
3-4 firm red tomatoes, washed and finely chopped
Small fistful of chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 red onion, or 2 spring onion, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
salt (as desired)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a dash of black pepper
a generous dash of zatar, or mixture of thyme, majoram and oregano
1 tablespoon sesame seed
(serves 3-4)

PREPARATION:

Pour boiling water on bulghur just enough to moisten the entire surface.
Cover and let it stand for an hour.
Mix all ingredients except the sesame seed in a bowl.
Let it stand in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the flavour set.
Just before serving, dry roast the sesame seed and mix into the salad.

Wild Mushrooms and bechamelle sauce

2010-09-10T15:08:00.002+02:00

This is a great way to showcase often costly, precious and gorgeous gourmet wild mushrooms, delicious on gnocchi, polenta, pasta of all sorts, mashed potatoes or just scooping it up and eating by themselves. On a pinch the regular button mushrooms (champignon) can be used, but a splurge on more exotic shrooms will be highly worth it. Frozen ones can be used too.
(Above picture shows my latest effort with chanterelle, served over strangolapreti)

Ingredients:
About 500g of roughly shredded wild mushrooms (porcini, chanterelle, or mixture), or more as desired.
3-4 shallots, finely shredded (or 1 small onion)
2 garlic cloves, smashed or chopped
2 tbsp butter
about 10 leaves of fresh sage, chopped
dash of salt and pepper
250ml bechamelle
milk, as needed

Sautè the shrooms, shallots(onion), garlic and sage in butter on medium heat, until they are completely softened and the liquid from the veg evaporates, about 15-20 minutes.
While cooking add a dash of salt and pepper. (I go very generous on pepper)
Add the bechamelle, stir it to blend it in. If the bechamelle is too thick add a small amount of milk to thin it slightly.
Heat it through.
Enjoy with your choice of treat (pasta, polenta etc.), or without!!

Strangolapreti (Trentino-Alto Adige)

2010-09-07T12:09:00.002+02:00

Every time we come back from our summer holiday in the Alps I get obsessed with their luscious local dishes and specialties, and it takes some time to get over. And this is another example. Tasty gnocchi based on crushed bread and spinach (or similar green leafy veg), its name "Strangolapreti" translates to "Priest Chokers". There is no known sinister/criminal background to this dish however, the origin of the name is supposed that priests in the old days, typically hearty eaters, loved this dish so much and they used to scarf it down to the point they choked themselves. Typical way to serve it is with melted butter with fresh chopped sage. However it goes well with just about any sauce or condiments, and my favourite is wild mushrooms-bechamelle sauce (as shown in the second pic), which I will post separately!

For 2-3 people
150g day old bread, semi-dry, cut in small cubes
milk
150g frozen spinach, thawed
30g trentingrano (or grana padano, or parmigiano reggiano), freshly grated
dash of nutmeg
1 egg
flour

Preparation
-moisten the bread cubes with just enough milk (adding it little by little -- it shouldn't get too soggy), mix it well to even out the milk, let it stand for about an hour. (tossing the mixture a few times)
-microwave the spinach (the frozen spinach contain a lot of water, so no need to add any) for about 7mins, or until cooked. Let it cool.

-Squeeze the spinach very well, and add to the bread mixture, along with the rest of the ingredients.
-Buzz the entire mixture in a food processor, until it becomes a fairly consistent dough (it gets there pretty quickly, a few pulses, then 10-15 second
-roll the dough mixture onto a generously floured surface, knead briefly to give a little more consistency.
-Make several ropes of about 1,5cm thickness, then cut them into about 3cm long pieces.
-Boil a generous amount of water in a big pot, boil the gnocchi, preferably in two batches (it shouldn't be too crowded in the water, and the water temperature shouldn't drop too drastically)
scoop them out as they float into the surface.
Serve immediately with your favourite sauce/condiments.

Grilled Canaderli with Chanterelle mushroom sauce

2010-09-02T13:38:00.004+02:00

Canaderli (also called Knodeln in German) is a traditional Tyrolian dish, very tasty dumplings based on bread chunks. Traditionally they are boiled and served in a broth, however I found this new idea in Cucina Italiana magazine a few months back, which quite appealed to me. I added a newly invented sauce with Chanterelle mushrooms, another alpine specialty, which came out a smashing success! Chanterelle mushrooms can be very hard to find, you can also substitute with Porcini (fresh, frozen or dry) or another type of aromatic mushrooms.

Grilled canaderli
for 6(super size)-8(smallish) canaderli

160g day old bread, semi dry, cut into small cubes
120ml milk
2 shallots, finely chopped
2-3 slices of speck, finely shredded
30g of grated trentingrana (or grana padano, or parmigiano reggiano)
handful of parsley
1 egg
pepper

-cook the chopped shallots in butter, until they are tender.
-soak the bread cubes in milk, mix well to coat each pieces evenly, and let it stand for half an hour, remixing occasionally.
-add everything else to the bread, mix thoroughly and knead well.
-make 6-8 patties in hamburger-like shape. (don't worry if they are quite soft, they will solidify as they are grilled)
-spread a thin layer of olive oil on a hot plate, and pre-heat.
-when the hot plate is hot, place the patties, cook until it takes on the "grilled" colour* (4-5minutes on each side)
*if they are too limp or sticky to flip, let them cook further until the bottom side is solid and

easily slide on the surface.

Mushroom sauce
500g roughly chopped/stripped chanterelle or porcini mushrooms**
1 small onion, chopped
1tbsp butter
25g powdered fondo bruno mix (msg-free version is recommended), or enough for 300ml of liquid according to the package instruction***
200ml white wine
200ml water
1 bayleaf
150ml bechamelle
**or as little or as much as you like... I can never get enough of shrooms I tend to use even more...
***if you have real fondo bruno in stock, please do use it instead of the mix, naturally...

-sautè the onion and mushrooms in butter, until onions are tender, about 10 minutes.
-stir the fondo bruno mix in the water, mix well.
-Add the fondo bruno liquid, wine and bayleaf into the onion/mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil and let it simmer, until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
-Stir in the bechamelle, mix thoroughly and keep on cooking until the sauce is completely blended, another few minutes.

Apfeltaschen with walnuts

2010-01-22T21:49:00.004+01:00

This is a quick, easy yet tasty variation from the traditional apple strudel, which requires a painstaking effort in making its proper pastry sheet. Lightly roasted walnuts gives additional flavour boost, but you can also substitute them with a handful of sultanas. This can be made in smaller sizes, bite sizes even, by cutting the pastry sheets in sections for party treats or get togethers, however I prefer making a larger log as it holds more filling this way :-) Addition of a big pile of whipped cream or ice cream will further enhance the enjoyment when serving!

Apfeltaschen with walnuts

1 sheet of puff pastry, 250-300g
2 firm fresh apples
20g butter
60g walnuts, roughly crushed
60g brown sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
1 beaten egg(optional)

-peel, core and slice the apples into thin wedges
-in a skillet cook the walnuts in melted butter.
-after a minute or two add the apple slices, sugar and cinnamon, continue to cook until the mixture is lightly caramelized, tossing and mixing thoroughly. Apples need NOT be fully cooked, just well coated by the butter-walnut-sugar mixture. Let it cool to the room temperature. (it will be much more manageable to handle the filled pastry when the filling is sufficiently chilled)
-roll out the puff pastry sheet on a lightly greased baking tray (or lined with silicon sheet).
-pour out the apple mixture lengthwise at the centre of the pastry sheet, leaving unfilled about 3-4cm at the end.
-fold over the top and bottom left empty from the filling (to avoid the filling from spewing out).
-then fold over the both side towards the centre, at this point filling should be completely covered with the pastry.
-press rightly to secure, then turn quickly to bring the seamside at the bottom.
-with a sharp knife make several diagonal slits on the surface.
-if desired brush the beaten egg lightly & evenly over the surface.
-bake in the oven at 200°C for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Creamy Cup o' Green Peas

2010-01-18T15:27:00.003+01:00

This is a very nice comfort dish for wintry evening, you can serve them as a light meal, or alternative to pasta or risotto, as it is reasonably substantial. This can be modified anywhere from mashed potato like texture to a more soupy consistency, depending on the amount of broth added (or omitted). Also for a vegetarian variation, substitute the bacon with a shredded carrot, to be sauteed with shallots!

Creamy cup of green peas

For 3-4
800g frozen green peas
200g cooking cream
4 shallots, finely chopped
100g chopped smoked bacon
vegetable broth (as needed/prefered)
extra virgine olive oil
salt
white pepper

Boil green peas in lightly salted water for about 10 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.
In a sauce pan fry the bacon and scallion in olive oil, until bacon is crisp.
Put the hot peas in a mixer until they become a puree.
Add the puree and cooking cream into the sauce pan, dash of salt and white pepper.
Stir well until they are thoroughly heated.
If you prefer thinner (soupy) texture, add some vegetable broth to bring it to preferred consistency.
Serve with fresh baked courton or toasted baguette.

Macadamia Oatmeal Crisps

2010-01-14T23:10:00.003+01:00

Inspired by the highly addictive Havreflarn from Ikea Food section, this all butter thin crisp biscuits gear up their goodness yet another notch, with a generous addition of macadamia nuts. It's a good idea to make a multiple dose as they are sure to disappear very quickly!! However make sure to allow the room for each biscuits to spread when you bake them, as they need to be on the thin side and crunchy!

Macadamia Oatmeal Crisps

120g butter (softened at room temperature)
120g brown sugar
120g sugar
1 egg
a few drops of vanilla essence
135g all purpose flour
3g baking soda
a pinch of salt
70g rolled oat flakes
110g whole macadamia nuts, crushed

Preheat the oven to 175°C
Cream together the butter and 2 sugars.
Add the egg and vanilla, mix vigorously until smooth.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix in thoroughly.
Add the oat flakes and the crushed macadamia nuts, mix well to distribute them evenly.
On a lightly greased baking tray, drop small balls of the dough -- space them well and do not over crowd, as a dough ball of about the size of a wallnut will spread into about 8-9cm diametre.
Bake them for 10-12 minutes or until golden, let them cool down to the room temperature.

Risotto al Radicchio

2010-01-12T21:38:00.001+01:00

Radicchio is a typical italian vegetable of chicory family, its spicy, tangy taste gets milder as it is cooked with wine, onion and carrot. It makes one of the classic, most loved variation of risotto. I personally like to use the red wine, instead of white to compliment the bright red-purple colour of radicchio, also it seems to bring out the tangier, deeper flavour. You can use the ready made bouillon mix to make the broth, but when it's possible do try with the "real" broth after cooking a roast etc., you will get a risotto with decidedly better flavour and texture!

Risotto al radicchio (Veneto, + northern region in general)

For 2-3 people
-1 cup of carnaroli rice (if you can't find it arborio is fine, but carnaroli is the ideal type for making risotto)
-One big onion, finely chopped*
-One carrot, finely chopped*
(I usually put these two in a food processor)
-1 small radicchio or half of one in larger size (ideally radicchio di treviso) finely shredded
-50g (or more if needed) butter
-1 bayleaf
-100ml red wine
-500-700ml of hot good quality broth
-freshly ground parmigiano (or grana padano)

In a large skillet sautè the onion, carrot and radicchio with butter over middle heat until tender.
Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring thoroughly, until rice becomes semi-transparent.
Add the bayleaf and wine, raise the heat level and bring to boil.
When the wine is almost absorbed, start adding the broth one ladleful at a time, adding another ladleful when the previous batch of broth is well absorbed (but the rice should still remain wet), stirring constantly.
Keep the broth hot by keeping it in a saucepan on a low heat, or microwaving from time to time if necessary.
Repeat the procesure until the rice are cooked "al dente" (firm, not crunchy not mushy)... it should take about somewhere between 20-25minutes more or less.
Serve hot with plenty of parmigiano to sprinkle upon.

Creamy Pumpkin Risotto

2009-12-29T13:59:00.002+01:00

Whenever we buy and crack a whole pumpkin this dish is a must along with cream of pumpkin, ravioli, and of course, a pie. It's a bit of a pain to dissect a pumpkin, but once done it is good for several great dishes, and steamed and mashed pumpkin can be frozen as well for future use. Hack the pumpkin in half, empty the inside (seeds & stringy stuff) and slice into wedges, about 4-5 cm at the widest, steam them in a large pot, 15-20 minutes counting from the boiling point should be enough.

Creamy Pumpkin Risotto

for 4 people
320g carnaroli rice
1 medium onion, chopped
100g speck (or English style bacon), finely julienned
30g butter
360g cooked pumpkin, roughly mashed or diced
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
500ml boiling hot vegetable broth
100g soft-semi soft cheese, recommended: robiola for mild flavour, smoked provola (diced) for more piquant flavour
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano

-sautè the onion and speck in butter in a medium sauce pan.
-when the onions are soft, add the rice, continue to sautè, tossing frequently, until the rice grains become partially transparent.
-Add the pumpkin pulp and nutmeg, turn up the heat and cook on the high heat, stirring frequently and thoroughly, until the pumpkin reaches the boiling point.
-start adding the broth, 1 ladle at a time. When the broth is mostly absorbed, add another ladle. Stir frequently.
-continuè to cook in this fashion for about 20 minutes, until the rice becomes al dente. the broth need to be hot, so reheat the remaining broth as you cook, as needed.
-When the rice attains the desirable texture, slightly al dente, melt the cheese into the risotto and blend it in thoroughly.

Serve immediately with generous serving of parmigiano/grana padano.

Mango Colada

2009-12-21T16:34:00.005+01:00

Here is another new idea for a refreshing festive beverage for the festive season. We had some extra mango perfectly ripe to be enjoyed, as mango being just as tropical and delicious as pineapple, I thought why not pairing it with pineapple's best friend coconut and voila, here it is... I invented this recipe without crushed ice, as we have lost our ice crusher, and it works perfectly as long as you think ahead by a couple of hours!
Also I have no doubt it will be just as delicious on a beachside on a hot summer day! :-)

Mango Colada (for about 3 servings)

1 large ripe mango, peeled, deseeded
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange
200ml coconut milk
70-80ml rum
2 tbsp sugar
water to bring the amount to 750ml

Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix until it attains a smooth texture.
Let it rest in the freezer for a couple of hours until it becomes dense and slushy (but not solid... if you are tend to be distracted may be an idea to set a timer to check!)
Give it another quick buzz on the blender before serving to even out the texture.

Cottage Pie

2009-12-14T15:44:00.002+01:00

This is a lovely comfort food for a wintry evening, a classic dinner number from Great Britain. It is almost identical to the famous Shepards pie but beef mince is used instead of lamb here, thus it turns into "Cottage" Pie. Make sure to use a lean mince, as the fatty one will make the dish look and taste too greasy. As usual I couldn't help but doctoring the traditional recipe just a wee little bit and adding a little sultanas and pine nuts, which gives a subtle but particular Mediterranean touch, which would be an optional addition. Below is a dose for about 5-6 with regular appetite(though 3 of us easily finished it off in one go.. :-p).

Cottage Pie

800g lean beef mince
800g potatoes
2 tbsp butter
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano, as needed
little milk
1 tsp nutmeg
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
100g green peas (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp powdered vegetable bouillon
extra virgine olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
25g sultanas(optional)
20g pine nuts(optional)
worcestershire sauce
pepper
1 egg

-soak the sultanas in just enough water.
-lightly toast/dry roast the pine nuts.
-peel the potatoes, boil or steam them until they are fork tender.
-Mash the potatoes, mix the butter and parmigiano (you can as cheesy or less cheesy as you prefer) while hot, adding a small amount of milk to smoothen the texture. Set it aside.
-Saute the onion and carrot in just enough olive oil. When they are tender add the mince, peas, bouillon and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, cook until the mince are thoroughly browned.
-Add the sultanas, pine nuts, pepper and splash (not pour) the worcestershire sauce to your taste, add a little more bouillon powder or salt if needed.
-Let the ingredients blend well, cook for another 3-4 minutes.
-Pour the mixture into a baking dish, even out the surface.
-Add a generous layer of the mashed potato mixture on top, smooth out the surface.
-Using a tip of fork, draw ridges across the surface.
-Beat the egg, and brush lightly and evenly the entire surface.
-Bake the cottage pie at 180°C for about 30 minutes, or until the surface takes on a golden colour.

Ricotta Pumpkin Pie

2009-12-10T14:59:00.005+01:00

Here is another seasonal, festive dessert, pumpkin pie :-) I added a wee bit of Italian touch using the ricotta instead of more traditional condensed milk, which also gives a distinct, rich flavour!! Nice choice for a dessert at a holiday gathering, as the touch of spice will also appeal to some of those people who are usually not particularly keen on sweets. Happy holidays everyone!!

Ricotta Pumpkin Pie

pasta frolla
2 cups pumpkin, cooked, well drained and mashed
150g dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove
50ml pure maple syrup, corn syrup or light treacle
250g ricotta
3 eggs (or 2 large), beaten
several drops of vanilla essence

Prepare the pasta frolla as described.
Line it over a 25cm diametre pie form.

Cook the pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, spices, and syrup in a saucepan over moderate heat until thick, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the ricotta, eggs and vanilla essence, and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes, mixing/whipping vigorously at the same time. Let it cool down to lukewarm-room temp.
Pour into the pie form, and bake for 10 minutes at 200°C, and then at 175C° for 40-45 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Serve with generous heaping of whipped cream.

Kiwi daiquiri

2009-12-07T19:14:00.003+01:00

Occasionally we run into certain problems with kiwi, we would buy them while they are pretty hard, assuming they would ripen in some days. Well some kiwis are pretty stubborn, they would remain like rocks and go straight into a shrivelled up state instead of ripening. The last time this happened, we found a great solution. A delicious, refreshing dose of kiwi daiquiri!! Of course more reasonable, ripened kiwi can be used as well, just adjust the amount of the sugar. This recipe will be a welcome idea for the upcoming merry season!

Kiwi Daiquiri
(for 3-4 portions)

-6-7 tough kiwis, peeled and cut into a few chunks
(if the whitish centre part is very hard, cut it away)
-half cup of sugar (or adjust the amount as needed. if you use mature kiwis obviously much less sugar is needed)
-80-90ml rum
-juice from 2 limes
-a little water to make it to about 750-800ml

place all the ingredients in a blender, buzz them until the mixture becomes smooth.
Place it in a freezer for about 2 hours, or until the mixture attains a slushy texture.
Put it back on the blender and give it a quick whip for a couple of seconds

Enjoy, slurrrrp

Ricciarelli

2009-12-03T22:57:00.004+01:00

As the Christmas season is getting into its full swing, I would like to introduce a special Chrissy treat from Siena, Ricciarelli. It's a melt in your mouth, delicate, rich and soft "marzipan biscuit", for a slight modification you can use the orange zest instead of lemon. Do not try with the juice as it severely interferes with the delicate texture!! Every year we triple or quadruple this recipe and pump them out, it's always a surefire huge hit for the merry season!!

Ricciarelli (Siena, Tuscany)

1 egg white
250g (8,5oz) peeled almonds*
300g (10,5oz) sugar
a few drops of vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
20g (1 tbsp) honey
grated lemon zest from 1/2 of lemon
powdered sugar, as needed

*Almonds need to be peeled in order to obtain the very light colour. You may be able to find ground almonds at a specialty store or large supermarket, to skip the first process.

- In a food processor finely grind the almonds to fine granules (almost powder).
- In a bowl mix sugar and the almonds together.
- Beat eggwhite with vanilla and a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then pour it into the sugar/almond mixture, delicately blend them in with the rest of ingredients.
- Dust a flat working surface with plenty of powdered sugar, then roll out evenly the almond mixture upon to about 1-1,5cm (half inch) thickness.
with a sharp knife also dusted with powdered sugar, slice the dough into small diamond(or oval)shapes (about 6 x 3,5cm, or 2,5 inch x 1,5 inch more or less).

- Lay out a baking paper on the flat baking sheet/pan, place the ricciarelli and bake at 140°C/280°F for about 15 minutes, or take them out of the oven as soon as they take on a golden colour just slightly. This is crucial, watch them carefully as they need to remain very light in the colour and tender inside.
- Let it cool completely without touching. (while warm they are still very very soft, only when they are cool they would attain the right firmness.)

- Cover each ricciarelli generously with powdered sugar.

Zesty Coconut Chutney

2009-11-30T21:59:00.003+01:00

This recipe was introduced to me by my friend Yakuta on www.discusscooking.com when I was looking for a good recipe for fresh coconuts when I wanted to try something savoury with it. It's unique and refreshing flavour will surely be a crowd pleaser during the season full of get-togethers and group dinners!
As a serving suggestion in above picture I used the chutney with grilled chicken breasts and tossed the chutney with cooked couscous.

Coconut chutney

1/2 of a fresh coconut, chopped it into small cubes
2 bunches of fresh coriander washed and roughly chopped
juice of 2 limes
4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
greek yogurt or sour cream
2 tsp of sugar

Blend all of this together in a food processor/mixer with just enough yogurt/sour cream to make the mixture smooth. The texture of it should be thick not runny.

Serve with grilled fish fillets, chicken breast or as a condiment for seafood/avocado salad. Nice also for canapè!

Brussels meatballs

2009-11-21T21:35:00.004+01:00

Well, it is not exactly a recipe from Belgium, I sort of invented the name. I always feel sorry for brussel sprouts as so many people vehemently detest them. For me it is a delicious versatile vegetable which go well with so many flavours and ingredients, and I always suspected they are hated because of unimaginative poor preparations to which they are subjected to. Surely they are not so attractive when they are simply boiled to death to the point they become greyish brown!! This is one of my favourite brussel sprouts recipes which are quite fun to eat also as an idea!!

Brussels Meatballs

for 4 people

24-30 (approx,depending on the size) brussel sprouts, cleaned and the bottoms cut off
500g lean mince, beef
1egg
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pepper
2 tsp Lea&Perrin worcestershire sauce

Sauce*:
500ml passata (tomato puree)
100ml. red wine
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
1 tsp herbs of provence (or mixture of oregano, thyme and majoram)
1 bayleaf
pepper
salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
(alternatively a tomato based pasta sauce, homemade or store bought, can be used for a shortcut)

Steam the brussel sprouts with little water in the microwave, until al dente (about 4-5 minutes) let them cool. Brussel sprouts should be on the firm side, but not too much. Test with a toothpick for the texture and if it is still too tough, cook further for another minute or two. Let them cool.

Mix all the rest of meatball ingredients, just as you do with regular meatballs/meatloafs.
Take each brussel sprouts and wrap them with the meatball mixture. Meatball part should be about 5mm thickness or little less.

To make the sauce, sautè the onion and garlic in olive oil, until they are softened.
Add the herbs, pepper, and wine and cook until the major part of wine is evaporated.
Add the passata and brown sugar. Bring it back to boil and simmer, stirring often for about 15 minutes. If needed add a pinch of salt.
Combine the meatball ingredients until blended in well.

Arrange the meatball wrapped brussel sprouts on a buttered baking dish, pour the sauce over, covering each meatballs completely.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 25-30minutes.

Savoury Mushroom-Cheese Strudel

2009-11-16T16:49:00.004+01:00

I improvised this recipe the other day when I defrosted a sheet of puff pastry meaning to make a quiche, then realizing too late I only had 1 egg left. :-( Thank god puff pastry is so versatile, and I jumped on the opportunity to use up some left over mushrooms and brie still left in the fridge. This turned out to be a yummy hit, and it will surely turn into a proper repartoire when an occasion calls for a quick snack or a hors d'oeuvres!!

Savoury mushroom-cheese strudel

Ingredients
250g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 slices of speck or english style bacon (optional)
dash of herbs provençal
butter, just enough to sautè the above items
1/2 tsp granulated (powdered) vegetable bouillon
dash of pepper
150g brie, chopped (or your choice of cheese)
generous handful of parsley, chopped
1 sheet of puff pastry (about 300g)

Melt the butter in a skillet and prepare the sautè mixture, starting with onion.
When onion starts to soften, add mushrooms, garlic, speck/bacon, and the seasonings. Continue to cook on high heat stirring well, until onions and mushrooms are completely tender.
Just before turning off the heat, add the parsley.
Let it stand to chill to the room temperature.*
(*if the mixture is too warm it will soften the pastry dough immediately, and it will be difficult to flip over in the process.)
Roll out the puff pastry dough, flatten it to about 3mm thickness if the sheet is thicker, spread it flat on a baking sheet.
Mix in chopped brie into the sautèed mixture, blend in evenly.
Arrange the filling on the surface of the pastry sheet across the centre, about 6-7 wide, leaving about 2cm each on both sides (so it can be secured).
Fold the pastry sheet in 3, folding over the both sides together, overlapping slightly at the centre.
Carefully flip over the strudel, so the seam side will be at the bottom. Press the opening edges on both sides gently with a fork to secure them.
Make a few diagonal slits on the surface with a sharp knife.
Bake the strudel in the oven at 200°C for about 10 minutes, or until the surface is thoroughly golden brown.
Let is stand to cool slightly to stabilize the texture before slicing up.

Hummus

2009-11-11T14:57:00.004+01:00

Hummus

Hummus is a delicious dip/spread made with garbanzo beans/chick pea, popular throughout in the Mediterranean-Middle Eastern region. The name "Hummus" is transliterated from the arabic word for garbanzo, thus the spelling can vary widely, and it can be written also hamos, hummos, hommus, houmous etc. A very versatile snack, tapa, antipasto, enjoy Hummus with toasted pita breads (alternatively crusty toasted bread or crackers), or accompaniment to falafel, grilled or raw vegetables.

300g dried garbanzo(chickpea)*
80g tahini (middle eastern sesame paste)**
1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 tsp cumin
Extra Virgine Olive Oil
salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

Soak the garbanzo beans overnight (12-15 hours) in water with 1 tbsp of baking soda mixed in.
At the end of soaking rinse the garbanzo several times, then boil for 1,5 hour, or 45minutes in a pressure cooker.
Drain and transfer into a food processor/mixer. Add the rest of ingredients, with first about 1/4 cup of Olive Oil, pulse a few times, check the consistency and the flavour and adjust the amount of oil, add it gradually to make a smooth, creamy texture, as well as the salt and spice to your taste.
Garnish with chopped flat parsley or fresh coriander leaves if desired.

*It IS a bit of pain preparing the dried garbanzo while you can just pop open a tinned chick peas, but the difference in flavour is so significant it is highly recommended to use the traditional method with the dried beans!! Garbanzo beans are so versatile, you can prepare multiple doses in one go and make a few different items as well!

**as an emergency solution when you can't find Tahini, you can mix in some good intense quality sesame oil with the Olive oil, about 2-3 table spoons. Not exactly the same thing and significantly lighter in taste, but quite similar essence can be attained.

La Cucina Italiana the magazine

2009-11-08T23:52:00.007+01:00

La Cucina Italiana, this beautiful series of monthly magazines is undoubtedly the queen mother of magazines when it comes to a real Italian cooking in depth. As soon as I could sort of waddle through the italian writing, I was hooked and now I have been a faithful subscriber for well over 5 years since. It is so much more than a collection of recipes, every edition is filled with interesting reads about cultures behind each regional cooking, monographs on specific/seasonal items, introductions of great chefs and their secrets, gastronomic anecdotes, not to mention hundreds of mouth-watering gorgeous photographs. This month the magazine celebrated its 80 year anniversary, and one of the special features were stupendous collection of cakes specially created and dedicated by their appointed chefs. Here are some examples which will surely make your eyes drool :-)

Naturally the main editions are issued in Italian, however it's popularity has well extended into the international market, and now they are also issued in different languages, notedly in English, in German, in Dutch, and in Czech, each editions stick to the true Italian way as much as possible and keep the "international" modifications to the minimum so as to transcend the spirit of its founder and authenticity, so if you are in a bookshop or newsstand next time, check and see if a copy of "La Cucina Italiana" can be found near you!! There is also a worldwide site in English where you can learn the 101 of Italian food, so have a visit!!

Tagliatelle al cacao with Traminer sauce

2009-11-04T14:50:00.002+01:00

I found this highly intriguing recipe on the latest issue of "La Cucina Italiana" and just HAD to try it out immediately. The result did not disappoint, faint touch of cocoa flavour from the pasta matches perfectly with the aroma of Gewurz Traminer, celebrated alpine wine famous for it's fruity refreshing fragrance, accented by speck, another delicacy which represents the alpine region. What's more, the dark chocolate coloured pasta does produce an interesting choreographic effect as well. The key is not to overcook the wine in order to maintain the distinct flavour and aroma!!

Tagliatelle al cacao with Traminer sauce

Ingredients (for 3-4 people)
-for pasta
220g flour (plus more for dusting)
30g unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1tsp extra virgine olive oil
pinch of salt

-for condiment
180g speck*, finely julienned
250g onion, thinly sliced.
60g butter
360ml Gewurz Traminer
Freshly shredded parmigiano reggiano or grana padano
*if Speck is unavailable, try with a well smoked English style bacon

Knead the pasta ingredients thoroughly until the dough becomes elastic and smooth.
Roll out the dough thin, 1-2mm, and cut into strips about 5-6mm wide.
Let the pasta air dry a little, by hanging or on top of a dry clean cloth, lightly dusted.
(for the detail of pasta dough making technique consult this page)

In the meanwhile cook the condiment. Sautè the onion in the butter, when they begin to soften, add the speck and cook a few more minutes. Add the wine and bring it boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 7-8minutes.

Cook the pasta in a generous amount of boiling water, it takes just about a minute from the point the pasta floats up to the surface. Quickly drain the pasta and toss it with the condiment.
Serve with a generous amount of freshly shaved/grated parmigiano or grana padano

Homemade Pancakes

2009-11-01T18:22:00.004+01:00

Here is a favourite treat for just about everyone, great for brunch, afternoon tea, late night snack or any time of the day when you feel peckish!! Contrary to the belief of many it doesn't require a special ready made mixture, it is just as simple making it totally from scratch!! While it IS a quick and easy recipe but it may take a bit of practice to get the hang of it, so I tried to explain step by step in detail, please don't be intimidated by the longish entry, the procedure is much simpler than it looks!!

If you can find a self rising flour, that would be the perfect pancake making flour. This type of flour has already a rising agent mixed in so your pancakes will puff up without fail!!

However, if you can't find it in stores don't despair, you can mix about 1,5 tea spoon of baking power into about a cup of regular all purpose flour for the same effect as well.
Make sure though, the baking power is well preserved and well within the expiration date, many people make the mistake of using the poorly preserved "dead" baking powder which surely leads to a disappointing result!!

Ingredients:
1 cup of flour (self rising, or all purpose + 1,5 tsp baking powder)
1 egg
2 tablespoon sugar
milk (preferably at room temperature)
juice of half lemon

Beat together all the ingredients, gradually adding the milk little by little, to bring the texture to a "muddy" consistency (not too dense not too liquid, it will be lighter than the regular cake batter, but not so liquid like the crepe batter)*. it's okay if it is not perfectly smooth and slightly lumpy.
Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes.
Lightly grease a hotplate or non-stick skillet and heat it.
Give a quick thorough stir to the mixture before start to cook it.
Drop about a ladleful (you can make it as small or as big as you want, but regular pancakes are usually about 10-15cm diametre).
Observe the pancake, after a while the bubbles start forming on the surface. When there are lots of bubbles all over and the edge of the batter start to dry, quickly flip it.
The side comes up should be nicely golden brown (not burnt), if the colour is still too pale, flip it back when the second side is fully cooked.
The other side should take much less time to colour. You can just raise the edge slightly with a spatula to check the colour/doneness.
When the both side is fully cooked, take off from the heat and repeat the procedure. (the first one usually takes the longest, as the hot-plate/skillet heats up more the cooking procedure gets quicker. If you are using a burner you may want to turn down the heat just a little when it starts to cook too quickly)

Enjoy the pancakes with
generous amount of butter plus
-pure maple syrup
-honey
-molasses
-fruit preserve/sauce
-nutella etc. etc.!!

Licia's Quiche Lorrainishe

2009-10-29T23:18:00.002+01:00

This is a cross between quiche and Italy's torta rustica (savoury pie), while the recipe is basically inspired by the famous quiche Lorraine, there are a few key modifications I made, so it became "Lorrainish" :-p Possibilities for variations are abound, you can use any cheeses that melt well, or potatoes can be substituted with broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus depending on the season. They are also great for picnic or potluck as they still taste good at room temperature.

Licia's Quiche Lorrainishe

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
150g speck or smoked bacon, shredded thin
1 large potato, chopped into small cubes (a little less than 1cm for quick cooking)
Olive oil
3 eggs
250g ricotta
80g gorgonzola, cubed
100g fontina (or gruyere, emmental or edam), shredded
dash of black pepper
240-300g sheet of puff pastry dough

In a large skillet heat up about 2tbsp of olive oil. Add onion, speck/bacon and potato until onion and potato are cooked through. Transfer the mixture on an absorbent paper and let it cool to the room temperature.

In the meanwhile line a pie form about 28cm diametre with the puff pastry sheet, covering well also the side.
Punch some holes on the bottom surface, cover with a wax paper and pour some dried beans evenly(just to loosely cover the bottom surface in a single layer).
Blind bake the pie shell for about 10 minutes at 200°C, until the edges are lightly browned.
Beat together the eggs and ricotta until well blended. Add the cheeses and the sautèed mixture, season with a dash of black pepper. Mix well.

Remove the beans* and the wax paper from the pie shell, and pour the egg-cheese mixture over the shell. Spread it out evenly.

Put the pie back to the oven and bake another 12-15 minutes, until the surface is nicely golden.

Strawberry Millefoglie (Mille-Feuille)

2009-10-28T02:07:00.004+01:00

Strawberry Millefoglie (Mille-feuille)

Using the ready made puff pastry sheets, this is a magical dessert that is very easy to make and looks and tastes absolutely fantastic!! Of course for a variation, you can try other fruit sauces, raspberry, blackberry or peaches also work very well. My recommendation also is to make some extra strawberry sauce, which will be always handy for ice cream, crepes, strawberry shortcakes etc!!

3 ready made puff pastry, about 20-22cm square*
*you can also cut the squares out of unbaked sheets, poke some holes on the surface with the fork and bake at 190-200° until golden brown.
custard (crema pasticcera), about 700ml see recipe at http://muchogustaio.blogspot.com/2009/07/crema-pasticcera-custard.html

strawberry sauce
500g strawberry, fresh or frozen
200g gelling sugar for jam (sugar with pectin added)
juice of 1/2 lemon
powdered gelatin, if needed

Prepare the custard. Let it chill.
Prepare the strawberry sauce, by roughly whipping the strawberries in a mixer, leaving them still a bit chunky. In a sauce pan heat up the strawberries, sugar and the lemon juice together, bring to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes. Stir often. If it is still too liquidy, mix in a tiny bit (half a teaspoonful or less) of powdered gelatin, stir well and let it dissolve and add to the cooking mixture, let it boil for another minute or so. Let it cool down.

Spread the custard generously over a sheet of puff pastry, then cover with another pastry sheet. repeat the procedure with the rest of the custard cream twice. Over the surface (should be the top layer of the custard) generously spread the strawberry sauce.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Oven Roasted Bell Peppers

2009-10-23T20:49:00.002+02:00

Oven Roasted Bell Peppers (Sicilia, Lazio)

They are delicious "tapa" by themselves, or an alternative topping for bruschetta. While roasting, do not worry about the burnt patches on the surface, they are just external skins which are to be easily peeled off. Alternatively the peppers can be roasted on a barbeque grill during a cookout, which makes a nice accompaniment to the meal.

4 bell large bell peppers (for choreographic effect, 2 red 2 yellow)
4 garlic cloves
handful of capers
handful of pine nuts
extra virgine olive oil

Cut off the top of the bell peppers, place one garlic clove inside each bell peppers.
Place the bell peppers on a shallow baking dish, roast them in the oven at 180°C for about 30-35 minutes, or until they are full cooked and limp. Turn over the peppers once around 15-20 minutes into cooking.
Take off the peppers and let it cool off, until you can comfortably handle them. They should be still quite warm.
Peel off the external skin of the peppers. (once the peppers cool off too much it becomes more difficult to peel!) Then rip them into several strips.
Take the garlic from the inside of the peppers, mush them up.
Rinse the capers under running water to eliminate the excess salt, then chop it up.
Toss the pepper strips with the mushed up garlic, caper and pine nuts.
Drizzle with good quality extra virgine olive oil, serve at room temperature.

Chick Salad al Avocado

2009-10-18T21:19:00.003+02:00

This is no ordinary boring chicken salad, avocado is a wonderful companion of chicken, crispy bacon and toasted cashew adds the nice flavour kick for your sandwich/wrap. Turkey can also be used in place of the chicken, and this will be a fresh idea for the leftover roast during the upcoming holiday season!

Ingredients:

-450g/1lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked* and roughly shredded
(*Grilled, pan fried, boiled in a light broth with a bayleaf, or leftover roast, according to your preference/convenience)
-100g/3,5oz bacon crispily cooked and flaked
-50g cashew, crushed and toasted
-2 big plump ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
-splash of lime juice
-mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream, as needed to coat the ingredients sufficiently, but not to drown them
-dash of black pepper.

combine all the ingredients, coating them with the condiment thoroughly.
Serve chilled or at room temperature, by itself or as a filling for wraps/sandwiches.

Stuffed Zucchini (Courgette) Flowers

2009-09-21T18:01:00.002+02:00

This is a very popular antipasto (especially at a pizzerias) or tapa, delicate yet flavourful. Traditional recipes come with a piece of anchovy fillet along with mozzarella, I personally like it just with the cheese. Courgette flowers are sometimes sold with a baby courgette intact, in this case you can leave the courgette attached to the flower and cook altogether, just make sure to remove the stamen inside the flower.

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers (Campania, Lazio)

15 courgette flowers
100g, or as needed 50/50 flour/corn flour(maizena) mixture
2 eggs
cold water, as needed
200g fresh mozzarella
15 anchovy fillets (optional)
frying oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Carefully eliminate the stamen from inside the courgette flowers and gently rinse the flowers, being careful not to break them.
Heat the oil* in a large frying pan (deep enough to let the flowers "swim") or an electric fryer to about 175°C.
*If you don't use a fryer or a thermometre, drop a small piece of bread in the pan to check the hotness of the oil. It should sizzle and turn golden within 40 seconds.

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with a little salt and pepper. Add the flower mixture and little by little, cold water. Mixing well and bring the batter to a smooth consistency, something like a crepe batter.
Slice the mozzarella into thin strips and pat dry the anchovy fillets to eliminate excess oil.
Fill each courgette flower with a strip of mozzarella, 1 anchovy fillet and mozzarella. Make sure the mozzarella will stay within the flower petal, not sticking outside. This way the petals will close themselves while being cooked, preventing mozzarella from oozing out.

Dip the stuffed flowers into the batter, coat thinly and evenly.
Gently slip the courgette flower into the oil, cook about 3 at a time. If you are using a fryer, do not place them in the raised basket as the batter will stick, drop the flowers directly in the oil and let it swim.
Fry for a couple of minutes on each side, until they turn golden.
Gently remove each flower with a slotted spoon and let them rest on an absorbent paper.
Serve immediately.

Caramelized Apple cake

2009-09-17T16:23:00.003+02:00

There are many variations of apple cakes, this is one of our favourites!! Sort of an apple upside down cake, but the melt in your mouth buttery richness, and the hint of orange liqueur gives the extra classy touch to this memorable dessert!!

60g+100g butter
100g+160g sugar
60ml water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large firm apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
150g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 shot glass of Grand Marnier or similar orange liqueur + a bit more for brushing
some drops of vanilla

Butter a round non stick cake form about 22-24cm diametre. Lightly coat the form with sugar. (or silicon form, no coating necessary in this case)
Arrange the sliced apple pieces to cover the bottom of the cake form. (can be slightly overlapped)
Melt 60g butter in a skillet. Stir in 100g of sugar, 60ml water and cinnamon and bring to boil.
Beat together 160g sugar, egg yolks, eggs, Grand Marnier and vanilla in a bowl to blend. Gently stir in sifted dry ingredients.
Fold in 1/2 cup melted butter.
Pour the syrup over apples in pan, then the batter. Bake at 175°, about 40 minutes (do a toothpick check for doneness).
Cool the cake for some minutes. Brush bottom of cake with a bit of Grand Marnier.
Turn over the cake out onto a platter.

Melanzane (aubergine) alla Parmigiana

2009-09-14T10:45:00.004+02:00

Melanzane (Aubergine) alla parmigiana (Sicilia-Campania)

Another well known classic favourite. Apart from the parmigiano as a topping, you can also use different type of cheese to insert in the middle, such as firm sliced mozzarella, provola or fontina. Also as a short cut you can use a good quality readymade pasta sauce, however don't shortcut on preparation of the aubergine in order to maximize the flavour and the texture. For the amount stated below it should feed about 6 "average" people served with some garden salad and fresh baked bread, however in our household we are easily capable of gobbling it all down in one go between the 3 of us! When you are making a sauce, prepare a generous amount, if there will be an extra left, it will always be handy for another day for some other recipes!

1kg-1,2kg Aubergine, sliced in circles slightly less than 1cm thickness
oil for frying
2 onions
2 large cloves of garlic
2 carrot
2 bayleaves
olive oil
1 tsp. herb mix provençal
salt, pepper
1-1,5 lt. passata (or 1/2-1/2 of tomato puree & diced tomatoes from tin)
about 100g parmigiano reggiano or grana padano, freshly grated
some bread crumbs

Soak the aubergine slices in a cold, salted water in a large bowl, let them rest for at least 30min.
Rinse the aubergine slices under running water in a sieve, then pat dry.
Deep fry the slices in hot oil (about 175°C), a little at a time so the temperature will stay high, cook each slices until they are golden brown. Let them dry on an absorbent paper.
Finely chop the onions, garlic and carrots (or smash them together in a food processor), sautè them in sufficient amount of olive oil in a large skillet.
Season the mixture with salt and pepper as needed.
When they are completely soft, add the herbs and tomatoes, bring it to boil and let it simmer on a low heat for 15-20 minutes, or the sauce somewhat thickens.
Generously coat the bottom of a baking dish (about 30x40cm) with the tomato sauce.
Arrange a layer of aubergine slices closely lined together to cover the bottom.
Add another thin layer of tomato sauce over the aubergine slices.
sprinkle generously and evenly a mixture of bread crumbs and cheese on the surface.
Repeat the procedure until you run out of the aubergine (usually about 3 layers), ending with a layer of tomato sauce. (at this point you should have enough bread crumbs/grated cheese left to make one more layer)
Cover the dish with an aluminum foil, secure the edges well if the oven is ventilated, so the foil will not fly open.
Bake for 20 minutes at 175°C.
Take out the tray from the oven, turn up the temperature to 200°C, take off the foil and arrange the final top layer of bread crumbs and grated cheese over the surface.
Put the tray back uncovered, continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until the topping is golden grown.

Herb Ricotta Bites

2009-09-07T14:20:00.003+02:00

This is a very easy and simple snack/antipasto for an impressive result. A well esteemed friend of ours passed on this recipe to us, according to her this is a very antique Roman recipe, she translated it from a Latin text!
The dose of course can be multiplied as this would also make a great party nibble!!

fresh bayleaves (10-12 circa) or sage leaves (20 + or -)
1 tub (250g/8 oz) ricotta
about 50-60g freshly ground parmigiano, pecorino or grana padano
1 large tablespoon (heaped) of flour
1 tsp baking powder
dash of pepper

Rinse clean the herbs, pat dry.

Mix well the rest of ingredients in a bowl.

Arrange the leaves on a baking tray, and on each leaf drop a spoonful of the mixture, roughly making the shape to match the form of the leaves, in about 1cm thickness. Bake at 180°C about 12-15 minutes, or until golden.

Note: leaves are to be peeled off when they are eaten. In case of sage leaves though (which are much more tender than bayleaves), some people would happily eat them without any harm!

Pan fried Catfish fillet alla mimosa

2009-09-01T13:09:00.003+02:00

A spur of the moment improvisation turned out so very well! The name is given because the bright yellow coconut/lemon/saffran condiment reminds me of the glorious spring flower, which also gives this dish a nice choreographic effect, thus a dish delicious both to your appetite to your eyes. Catfish can be substituted with any firm white-fleshed fish like haddock or ocean perch.

2 catfish fillet (200-250g a piece)
butter
flour
salt
60-80g fresh coconut flesh chopped in small pieces
2tbsp liquid from coconut
1 lemon
1 packet of saffran

Carefully peel the lemon.
In a food processor or hand mixer grate the coconut and lemon zest with the coconut liquid and the juice of the lemon, until they are small flakes.
Pat dry the fillets, and coat them with the flour.
Heat about 2tbsp of butter in a large skillet (enough to generously cover the surface)
lightly sprinkle a little salt over the butter (not necessary if the butter is already salted)
Fry the fillets in the butter until thoroughly cooked, about 10 minutes turning them over about half way.
Scoop out the fillet, let them dry on an absorbent paper and keep warm.
Add another 2tbsp of butter in the skillet and lightly sautè the coconut/lemon zest mixture for a few minutes.
Add a packet of saffran and distribute well in the mixture, continuing to cook for about another minute.
Return the fillets in the Skillet and gently coat them with the condiment.
Serve hot with the extra condiment heaped onto the fillets.

Baklava

2009-08-29T09:58:00.003+02:00

Flaky, sinfully rich treat are widely enjoyed from the mediterranean to the mid-eastern countries, they are deeply integrated part of the culinary tradition equally in Greece, Lebanon and Turkey, with slight variations. One of the yummy options that are practised in some of the regions is to use pistacchio instead of walnuts, which is equally worthy to be experimented!

Ingredients:
500 gr. walnuts, or almond, or mixture of the two, coarsely chopped
60 gr. sugar
dash of cinnamon

1package Phyllo pastry (about 500g)
180g (or as needed butter) melted

Syrup
100 gr. sugar
300 ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
juice from 1/2 lemon, or a few dashes of orange flower water
100g honey

Butter the base and sides of a large, relatively shallow baking dish, rectangular or round.
Brush each layer of phyllo with melted butter and spread over the base of the baking dish. Carefully stack 4 layers.

Sprinkle evenly a thin layer of filling all over the surface.
Carefully stack 3 more layer of phyllo, then the filling, repeat the procedure until you finish with the ingredients, take care to finish with 2 layers of the phyllo.
Fold any excess pastry on either of the sides over the filling and brush it with butter, especially very generous at the top.

Trim any excess pastry with a small sharp knife, keeping in mind that it will also shrink.
Slit just the top layers of Phyllo carefully to make diamond shapes (or square).
At this point do not cut right down to the bottom.
This procedure will make cutting and lifting the pieces out, once it is cooked, much easier and efficient.
Lightly sprinkle a little water all over the surface and bake at 180°C for about 30minutes or the surface is evenly golden.

Meanwhile place the ingredients for syrup except the honey, in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let it immer for 6-8 minutes, add the honey and simmer for additional 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.
When the baklava is chilled carefully drizzle the hot (not boiling) syrup evenly over the surface.
Let it stand and absorb the syrup.

Important note!
If you have purchased a frozen package of the phyllo, it is essential on your part to think ahead, take the package out of the freezer the night before cooking and let it defrost gently and gradually in the fridge. If they get defrosted too quickly the texture will get sticky and too limp, and becomes unmanageable for the delicate treatment required for this recipe.

Pan fried potato wedges Calabrese

2009-08-26T13:37:00.002+02:00

This is a very tasty alternative to regular chips or french fried potatoes to accompany your main plate or burgers. A litte touch of balsamic vinegar gives a distinct flavour twist. It's important not to overcrowd the skillet in order to cook the potatoes correctly, with the amount stated below I use 2 skillets together so I can cook them in one go!

Ingredients:
400g Red Onions (Tropea if can be found), thinly sliced
600g Potatoes, skinned and cut into wedges
Olive oil
salt
Balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the potatoes, not too many at a time, should be loosely one layer with some room to be shifted. When the potatoes are halfway done, just lightly coloured, add some onions (amount proportionate considering the remaining potatoes). Salt to taste, continue to cook until the potatoes are thoroughly golden brown and the onions are lightly caramelized. Scoop out the potatoes and onions, let them rest on a absorbent paper. Keep warm (for example inside lightly heated oven about 150°C) and repeat the procedure with the remaining potatoes and onions.
In a serving tray or bowl drizzle about 1tbsp of balsamic vinegar and toss thoroughly, serve hot.

Pasta Salad alla Caprese

2009-08-20T12:13:00.002+02:00

This is a lovely fresh tasting pasta dish for a hot evening, easy to prepare and you use the heat only to boil the pasta. The idea is taken from the classic Italian dish Insalata Caprese, I tossed in the pasta to make more substantial for a first course. Not only it tastes great, its red, white and green colour looks so typically Italian as well!! As with any simple recipes , the quality of each ingredients is the key. Make sure to use a good quality olive oil and fresh mozzarella, and the perfect tomatoes plump, red and firm, and oh, a fresh batch of basil leaves. This is a perfect example why it is so handy to grow a small shrub of basil at home during the warm months, even if you don't have a garden it grows very well on your balcony or window sill!!

Ingredients for about 2-3 people

200g dry pasta (short versions, like fusilli, orecchiette, farfalle etc.)
3-4 tomatoes
250g mozzarella, preferably of buffalo milk (di bufala)
generous handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
Extra Virgine Olive Oil
salt, pepper

Cook the pasta as indicated on the package, drain and rinse under the cold water. Drain
Eliminate the stem and core from the tomatoes, then roughly chop them
Chop the mozzarella into bite sizes. (Or you can use the "bocconcini" version, which come in small balls)
Toss the pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, add salt and pepper to your liking, sprinkle with the basil leaves then drizzle the olive oil.
Preferably let the salad rest for at least half an hour, as the flavours blend together better while resting.

Paella Portuguese

2009-08-17T14:50:00.001+02:00

The original recipe was taken from my favourite magazine La Cucina Italiana, it was introduced by a guest author from Portugal, it was simply called "seafood rice", however I found a striking similarity to a paella from the neighbouring Spain, so I took the liberty to call it Paella Portuguese... I use frozen prawns but if you can find a fresh batch I am sure it will be even better, in any case make sure to use a good sized plump variations, not the tiny popcorn shrimps!

1-2 onion (depending on the size), chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 med. red or yellow bell pepper, julienned
olive oil
2 tsp. powdered vegetable bouillon
1-2 bayleaves
3-4 tomatoes, peeled and diced
100g frozen green peas
200ml. dry white wine
240g basmati rice, uncooked
400g prawns (more if they are whole)
pepper, salt
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped.

Sautè the onion, garlic and bell pepper in plenty of olive oil using a large sauce pan and they are completely softened.
Add the bouillon powder, bayleaves, tomatoes and wine, bring it to boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile quickly boil the prawns, drain, saving about a cup of cooking water, and clean off the excesses of prawns, set them aside.
Add the cooking water to the veg. mixture and continue to cook for another few minutes.
Add the frozen green peas, mix well and bring it back to boil.
Add the rice, let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often and adding a little hot water as needed to give the mixture the wet consistency (but NOT swimming like "soup"), until rice attains a pleasant texture. (firm but not tough or crunchy)
Adjust the flavour with salt (optional) and pepper as needed.
At the last stage add the prawns, mix them well and heat them through.
Serve with a generous sprinkling of chopped coriander leaves.

P.S. fresh coriander adds a lovely, unique fresh flavour, however it is not shown in the above picture, our poor batch on our balcony just died, and it was made during the national holiday so all the shops were closed so we had to make do without it :-(

Smores

2009-08-14T12:47:00.005+02:00

This is a classic outdoor favourite, particularly in North America, when they gather around a campfire. I suddenly thought of this when Cristiano found a bag of marshmallows in a supermarket and bought it out of curiosity. We have an indoor gas grill, so that was a perfect tool to toast the marshmallow after we had our grilled dinner, it turned out so well we ate 3 portions each :-p You can also use any gas burner if there is no campfire available!! It may take a few marshmallows for you to practise on to get the hang of roasting them evenly, but it's actually quite simple and easy, so don't panic if the first marshmallow doesn't roast well, uneven, or drop, you will get it quickly enough!

What you need

-twice the number of crunchy thin type biscuits* for the number of smores to be made.
*The original recipe calls for graham crackers, but since they are rarely found here in Italy I used the round oatmeal crisps from IkeaFood (Kakor Havreflarn).

-not too thick chocolate slabs, milk or semi-sweet depending on your preference.

-Marshmallows

-wooden skewers

What you do

Break up the chocolate slabs, lay the pieces in the middle of half of the biscuits.
Secure a marshmallow at the tip of the wooden skewer, insert it fully so there will be less risk of dropping while you are roasting them.
Hold the marshmallow just above the open fire, turning frequently until the surface turns golden.
Place the hot, coloured marshmallow on top of the chocolate/biscuit, place another biscuit on top and lightly press on it, carefully remove the skewer.
Give it some seconds and let the chocolate soften with the heat from the marshmallow.
Enjoy :-)

Curiosity about its name
Smores, or S'mores, is said to be a shortened form of "some more", as they were always enjoyed so enthusiastically and everyone would ask for "some more" --- becoming "s'more" while it is spoken hastily full mouthed with this sticky gooey treat. ;-)

Nasi Goreng al Curry

2009-08-01T16:40:00.001+02:00

This is one of my few variations of nasi goreng (fried rice) inspired by the famous Indonesian dish. I also like it with prawns in place of chicken, which I toss in directly towards the end of sautèing just until they become opaque, or vegetarian version is nice as well, in which case fried potato cubes will give an added flavour and texture. Other selections of vegetables can be added/substituted as well, such as green peas, chopped broccoli or cauliflower.
Also if you don't have all these different spices, you can just use 50/50 of galam masala and ready made curry powder.

Ingredients
300g boneless chicken breasts sliced in strips
(for marinade)
1tbsp ketjap(indonesian sweet soy sauce) or teriyaki sauce
1tbsp olive oil
1tsp freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic, smashed

1 large onion, or 3-4 shallots, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, smashed
(I usually zap together these 4 ingredients in a food processor)
Olive oil
1,5 tsp coriander seeds
1,5 tsp fenugreek
*1,5 tsp bouillon base in powder, or more or less as needed
1,5 tsp galam masala
1 tsp turmeric
0,5 tsp cumin
0,5 tsp cinnamon
0,5 tsp clove
2 eggs
1 courgette, finely julienned
about 3 cups of cooked basmati rice, completely chilled
0,5 tsp cardamom powder
drizzle of sesami oil
(optional) chopped fresh coriander leaves

-marinate the chicken strips in the following 4 ingredients, let it rest for a few hours, turning occasionally.
-dry roast the coriander seeds and fenugreek in a skillet (ideally SS or cast iron), taking care not to burn them. Grind the toasted spices well in a pestle.
-Sautè the onion, carrot, bell pepper and garlic in generous amount of olive oil on high heat in a large wok or skillet, tossing vigorously. Add the bouillon powder and spices (except cardamom) halfway.
-Prepare a batch of scrumbled eggs in a separate skillet.
-When the vegetables are completely well cooked and soft, add the chicken and courgette, continue to cook until chicken strips are cooked through, still tossing regularly.
-Add the rice, scrambled eggs, dash of cardamom and drizzle of sesami oil, toss all together thoroughly, breaking any lumps of rice and blending the flavour well.

Sprinkle the coriander leaves (if desired) and serve.

Pasta alla Norma

2009-07-27T15:24:00.004+02:00

Pasta alla Norma is one of widely loved pasta dishes originating in Sicilia (city of Catania to be exact). According to the legend, the name Norma comes from Bellini's opera Norma. the composer hails from Catania and the fans who were taken by the beauty and the excellence of this opera starting to use "alla Norma" to express something particularly well crafted, and this includes this recipe.

Pasta alla norma (Sicilia)

80-120g of dry pasta a person, depending on appetite/custom*
for 4 people (with 320-480g pasta)
2 slender type aubergene, cleaned and sliced in 1cm thickness then quartered
3-4 shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic
olive oil (to fry, as needed)
6-7 firm, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped(peeled if prefered)
evoo
salt and pepper
Ricotta salata**
fresh basil leaves
coarse granuled salt

Soak the aubergene chunks in a large bowl of cold water, sprinkle some salt and leave for about 30min.-1hour

Rinse the aubergene, pat dry very well.

Fry the aubergene in hot oil until golden, taking care not to burn. Drain the excess oil on an absorbent paper and keep warm.

Sautè the shallot/onion and garlic until tender and golden in a large skillet.

Add the chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper.

Cook further until excess liquids are somewhat thickened.

Toss together piping hot pasta cooked al dente, tomato mixture, aubergene.

Dress the pasta with chopped basil leaves and freshly grated ricotta salata generously and serve hot.

*use your choice of pasta shape, short or long. My personal favourites are orecchiette, penne or fusilli.

**ricotta salata is a Sicilian specialty, much more solid and much less moist than regular ricotta and salted. If not available aged pecorino (ideally Siciliano) or parmigiano reggiano can be used.

Pasta Frolla (Tart base/Pie crust dough)

2009-07-23T16:22:00.003+02:00

This is another essential recipe for dessert making, you can fill the shell with cream filling(crema pasticcera etc.), then top with fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or anything you fancy and you will have a lovely treat! Alternatively, this is also a basic sugar/butter biscuit recipe, you can make a little extra to be cutted with a special cutter, then coated with various glazes for a decoration on top.
You can also freeze the prepared dough in advance for your convenience!

Pasta Frolla

300g flour
100g cold butter or lard, or mixture.
100g sugar
1 egg

Pour the flour into a large bowl.
Beat the egg in a separate smaller bowl
Cut the butter in small cubes, or drop cold lard in little drops, rub them into flour until the mixture becomes like fine bread crumbs.
Add the sugar and beaten egg, knead vigorously until the ingredients are thoroughly blended in and attains a soft but compact, slightly crumbly texture.
Make into a ball, wrap in a plastic sheet and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.
On a smooth flat work surface roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Form the dough into desired size.
When you bake a larger pie, you can blind bake the crust to ensure a more even result. Prick some holes on the surface of the dough with a fork. Line with a wax paper, then spread loosely a single layer of dried beans (or you can obtain "pie pebbles" manufactured just for this purpose from a specialty shop) onto the surface, bake in the oven at about 200°C for 15minutes, or until the crust takes on a light colour (not too dark!).
The excess bits and pieces can be used for decorations on top, or baked into biscuits.

Crema Pasticcera (custard)

2009-07-21T12:28:00.003+02:00

This is an essential recipe for any dessert making, so verstile and delicious as a filling for tarts, pies, cream puffs, crepes, doughnuts, base for ice cream, or as a dessert sauce...if you can manage not to eat it all with a spoon while you are making it!! :-D

1 heaped tbsp flour
100g sugar
4 yolks
500ml milk (room temperature)
a few drops of vanilla essence

Beat the york in a double boiler.
Add about 400ml of milk, sugar and vanilla, turn on the heat and whisk.
In a separate cup whisk the flour briskly in the remaining 100ml of milk until the flour is dissolved. Add into the double boiler. Mix well.
Heat the mixture on low heat, stirring often, until the cream thickens.

If the double boiler is not available, you can
1. Layer a smaller sauce pan over the larger sauce pan filled with boiling water
or
2. Use a thick bottomed saucepan with extremely low heat, constantly stirring from the bottom, taking care not to have it boil over or burn at the bottom. (If the cream starts to get overheated take off the saucepan from the heat for some seconds)

Further tips

For a liquidier cream for making a sauce, reduce the amount of flour.

The cream can be further flavoured with real vanilla bean pod*, lemon or orange zest, cinnamon, cocoa powder, rum or amaretto.

*make a slit length wise on the pod, scrape out the seeds into the egg yolk at the beginning. Put the pod in as well, just as the cream begins to thicken, take out the pods.

Homemade pasta

2009-07-16T17:41:00.004+02:00

Nothing beats freshly made homemade pasta, and it is actually quite simple to make!! Of course if you have an electric mixer and an Imperial type pasta cutter it makes the process much easier but even without them it is not a mission impossible, until two years ago when we bought them, I used to do it all by hands quite regularly, and it's really worth the effort, also you can make enough for 2-3 dinners in one go as it keeps in the fridge for several days!!

1 egg to every 100g of flour
Have some water in a little cup/jug handy

1. Kneading

-with an electric mixer

Put the flour in, then make a slight dent and crack the eggs into the dent.
Turn on the mixer, first on slower, then turn it up gradually. If the dough is too dry, add a little water, a few drops at a time. The dough must remain full of body, and shouldn't turn sticky or runny. When the consistency of the dough stabilises turn the mixer up to a vigorous cycle near full speed. Let it knead for about 5-10 minutes, checking intermittently, until the dough is smooth, elastic and very compact.

-by hand
Before you start, keep extra flour handy, make sure your hands are dry and covered with flour.
Pile the flour on a clean, smooth, flat work surface, thoroughly dusted with flour. Make a well in the centre. Beat the eggs, and carefully pour the mixture into the well. Carefully let the top edges of the flour into the eggs, then smoothing up the flour from the outer sides towards the centre to guide into the eggs, let it slowly incorporate into the pile of flour. If the egg spew out don't panic, swiftly push the "lava" into the flour and continue to work. Once the eggs are roughly amalgamated into the flour, start kneading vigorously, thoroughly from every angle, utilising your body weight. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add just a few drops of water (and no more) at a time, to make the dough smooth enough to work with but never let it become sticky or runny. Sprinkle generous amount of extra flour on the work surface as needed. Continue to knead in the same manner for at least 20 minutes, until the dough is elastic, smooth and compact.

If you are rolling out the dough by hand,
Cover the dough with a plastic film, and let it rest for about an hour. This resting will "tame" the elasticity and make flattening process easier.

2. Flattening

Again prepare a clean, smooth, flat surface to work, strewn with flour and smear more flour onto your hand as well, and more flour ready nearby.

-with a pasta cutter

Secure the pasta cutter on the work surface.
Separate the dough into smaller pieces in order to fit them through the cutter easily and evenly. First Roll each pieces out on the thickest setting.
Narrow down a couple of notches and repass each pieces. If it gets too long, cut in half.
Continue until each piece is about 1,5mm thick sheets for lasagne or filled pasta (ravioli, tortellini etc.), 1mm for tagliatelle, trenette etc.

-by hand

Separate the dough in a few pieces. With a rolling pin flatten out each piece evenly, gradually working into thin sheets, 1,5 mm for lasagne or filled pasta (ravioli, tortellini), 1mm for tagliatelle, trenette etc. Do not worry if the dough spreads into irregular shape, in the end the odd ends can be sliced off, and there is always a way to utilise them. Make sure to cover the work surface with additional flour from time to time as the dough absorbs the loose flour.

3. Cutting:

Tagliatelle/Trenette: With a pasta cutter, choose the size of the pasta form and cut each sheets. By hand, slice them with a sharp, fairly large, smooth bladed knife into desired width. They are best air dried first before being put away, if you have a rack, that will be ideal so every strip will be aired all around.

Lasagne: if they are reasonably regular size, leave as is or slice them into roughly the same sizes.

Ravioli: use a round ravioli cutter, to be filled and folded over in half moon shape, or alternatively put spoonful of filling with even spaces directly on to the sheets, then cut through in between the filling (making sure there is enough space around the filling to secure the edges all around) to make square shapes.

Extra remains: It is normal for you to be left with some odd bits and pieces. They also have a "status" and are called "maltagliate" in Italian. If they are rather large slice them into tagliatelle like strips, and enjoy with sugo, ragù etc. just as you would with other pasta.

4.Hang dry

Let the cut pasta dry for about half an hour, a special rack shown in the above picture is an ideal equipment, however you can also use a rack from your oven as well.

5.. Storing:

Coat the pasta with dry flour as you put them in a container that closes tightly. If you stack lasagne sheet or ravioli, use a sheet of wax paper in between.

6. Cooking:

Fresh pasta cooks very fast. After dropping the pasta into generous amount of boiling water, two minutes will suffice for the pasta to be ready.
For filled pasta, watch carefully and scoop each pieces out as they float onto the surface. Do not overcrowd the water so as not to affect the temperature too drastically.
To make lasagne, no need for precooking the pasta. Lay them directly between the layer of sauces and cheeses. Make sure the surface of the pasta is covered completely with the sauce before baking, so it will be cooked properly.

Alfredo who?

2009-07-10T11:35:00.003+02:00

As it happens to many ethnic cuisines, “la cucina italiana” has met considerable amount of “interpretations” and modifications once arriving in other parts of the world, taking its own form and becoming quite different from what the Italians actually cook in this country. Today I would like to talk about some of the popular dishes widely known as “Italian” in many other countries, and the truth about it, perhaps some of you are in for a surprise!!

Spaghetti with meatballs: as I mentioned in the previous entry, Italians are not big on “one pot dishes”. Thus they don’t take to the idea of throwing in meatballs (which are considered as a part of “Secondi”, or second course) onto their plate of pasta, which is a part of primi, or first course. They would much rather have a simple pasta with tomato sauce (or other type of lighter condiment) then afterwards take a plate of meatballs separately.

Manicotti: Okay, large tube shaped pasta stuffed with ricotta and spinach is a popular dish also in Italy, but they are called cannelloni, considered as a variation of the meat stuffed versions. The word “manicotti” is not an appetizing one for Italian diners, as it only means “sewer pipes”.

Fettuccini Alfredo: This vastly popular dish is practically unknown in Italy. According to its legend, it is not entirely a foreign invention, as it is said to have been created at a Roman restaurant called “Alfredo’s” who was catering for some foreign VIPs, but the idea never really took off locally while it had been embraced with enthusiasm abroad. You are most likely to draw a bemused blank look if you try to order this dish in Italy.

Chicken Parmigiano/Chicken Parmesan: this is a pure foreign invention, I have seen some specialty recipes in which parmigiano was used in a chicken dish in different ways, but this “standard” version, a breaded chicken cutlet doused in tomato sauce and grated parmigiano thrown on top of a bed of pasta doesn’t exist, for the same reason as spaghetti with meatballs, the idea simply doesn’t sit well with the Italian diners.

Caesar’s salad: again a pure foreign invention!! Some of the touristy restaurants may have heard of it and try to serve them, but chances are you will be getting their own version, something quite different… Italians prefer to enjoy their salad in a simple fashion, just with a good quality olive oil and salt, pepper and perhaps a dash of balsamic vinegar. Also noted that they do not have such thing as “Italian dressing” either!!

Panini: the terminology Panini, or Panino as a singular form, means ANY kind of sandwiches, not the specialty flattened grilled oblong sandwiches which are considered as “Panini” elsewhere. Sandwiches can be grilled but frankly I have never seen this particular form of so called “Panini” sold in any takeaway places. Also the simple sandwiches made with a white square bread cut in a triangle form are called “tramezzini”.

Marinara sauce: “Salsa marinara” exist but it is interpreted quite loosely. As the word “marinara” suggest something related to the sea, many recipes include some seafood like anchovy, sardine, tuna, clams etc. Some are type of sauce which can be conserved well to be served to the sailors upon the sea. Simple tomato sauce is commonly called “sugo al pomodoro”.

Garlic bread: Everyone’s favourite companion to pizzas and pasta, or is it really? You may find yourself in need of a good explanation when you want a slice in an restaurant in Italy. Bruschetta and Crostini, both grilled or toasted pieces of bread with various toppings are very popular, but a toasted bread simply smeared with butter and garlic isn’t quite the tradition of the Italian dining.

These are just a few example of the truth and myth about Italian foods. Of course some of the foreign inventions are delicious in their own rights, but it is very important to know the difference, especially when you decide to visit this country. You will be in for a whole new experience!!

Tips: dining out in Italy!

2009-07-07T15:03:00.004+02:00

It is now amidst high summer holiday season and some of you may decide to visit Italy. As you can imagine there are many myths and misinterpretations concerning “Italian food” abroad, and I would like to talk about a few things so everyone can enjoy the real Italian dining to the max when you guys make it here…

Today I would like to share a few pointers about dining in the restaurants and trattorias. The Italians have a few particular customs they tend to adhere to, and when you eat out it comes in handy to be aware of them, not only in a formal place but also in a casual dining atmosphere.

Firstly, they are not very accustomed to eating one big heap of “one pot meal”, they traditionally eat their meals in series of courses in relatively small portions. Roughly they are divided into

-Antipasto (hors d’oeuvres)

-Primi (usually pasta or risotto, or similar dishes)

-Secondi (dishes based on meat, seafood, or frittata/omelette etc.)

-Contorni (vegetable based side dish, often served alongside “secondi”, but on separate plates)

-Frutta (fruit) or Dolci (dessert)

Average everyday suppers at home are simpler, usually 2-3 courses (Primi & Secondi OR Contorni, plus either antipasto, frutta or dolci), and on a big formal occasion there will be many more courses to be added to the above.

In addition, there are a few key points which I would like to remind you….

-Portions of pasta dishes are much smaller than you would expect, as it is not considered as a “main dish” and they assume the diner will be having something else after you finish the pasta.

-I have seen some confusions between foreign tourists and waiters, as the diner asks the waiter “what does it come with?” when they order a dish of “Secondi”. A plate of secondi (for example a cutlet, steak, roast etc.) does not come with anything, it is served alone. For a “side” you need to order “contorni” separately!!

-speaking of “sides”, tossed/garden salads are usually considered as “Contorni”, not as a starter like it is believed in many part of English speaking countries. Same thing as soup, soup is usually considered as a part of “Primi” for light eaters for whom pasta or risotto is too heavy.

-unless you are eating at a restaurant catering mainly to the foreign tourists (these joints are to be avoided at all cost!! Food are generic at their best, and prices inflated!), do not ask for things like spaghetti with meatballs, chicken parmesan, manicotti, fettuccini alfredo, garlic bread etc. You will draw a bemused look as they are not at all authentic Italian repartoire. (I will speak of this more in separate entry!!)

-also a few things when you eat at sit-in pizzerias… pizzas are mostly sold in one size, one pizza per person. (they are much lighter than, say, American counterparts.)

-At tables they tend to eat their pizzas with knife and fork, instead of manhandling them. This rule only applies in a restaurant though, there are many people munch on takeaway pizzas on the streets, or at home you can also pick up a slice bare handed.

-There are many variety of pizza Bianca (white pizzas) which are made without tomato sauce. They are very tasty and highly recommended!!

-If you are in a mood for a snack during the day, try some of the pasticceria (bakery for sweets), fornaio (bakery for various bread and related savoury treats), take away pizzeria, and gelateria (ice cream shops), which are to be found everywhere!! There is absolutely no need or reason for heading towards one of those ubiquitous McDonalds outlets!!!

Try to keep these in mind when you are in Italy, and if any of you guys have more suggestions and ideas let me know, I will add to the list!! Buon appetito!
ip_

Caponata Siciliana

2009-06-30T01:14:00.004+02:00

Caponata Siciliana (Sicilia)

Caponata is one of the most famous and delicious vegetarian treat coming out of Sicily. It is a perfect antipasto, tapa, light meal with a freshly baked crusty bread, or accompaniment for the main dishes when you have guests on a hot summer evening, as it can be prepared in advance, it tastes better after being rested for some hours and can be enjoyed at room temperature. Alternatively, you can use grilled bell peppers in place of aubergine, (or both!) equally tasty!

3 large but slender aubergines, cut into cubes
olive oil
1-1,5 onion, roughly chopped
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
about 20 green olives, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple vinegar
2 tbsp. sultanas, soaked in water for about half an hour
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp sugar
2 tablespoons pine nuts
salt (optional)
good quality extra virgine olive oil

Soak the aubergine chunks in a cold, salted water for at least 30 minutes, then drain, rinse well and pat dry.
In a large skillet fry the aubergine in a sufficient amount of olive oil. Gently shaking the pan now and then cook for about 4-5 minutes until the aubergines are nicely coloured. (Try not to overcrowd the skillet. If the skillet is not big enough, cook in two or more batches.) Set the aubergine aside on an absorbent paper.

Sautè the onion in just enough olive oil until onion becomes tender. Add the prepared capers, olive, oregano, pine nuts, sultanas, sautè for another couple of minutes.
Add the tomatoes and let it simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
Dry roast the pine nuts in a stainless steel or cast iron skillet, or in the oven until lightly coloured (take care not to burn them!)
Add the pine nuts, aubergine chunks, parsley, vinegar and sugar, toss well and continue to cook until the vinegar is evaporated.

If needed add a little more salt/sugar to your preferred taste.
Ideally let the completed dish rest for a few hours to let the flavour bind together.

Drizzle good extre virgine olive oil and serve warm or room temperature.

Lasagne di Pane Carasau

2009-06-26T14:06:00.005+02:00

Lasagne di Pane Carasau (Sardinia)

Pane Carasau is a Sardinia's answer to the Mexican tortilla, just as versatile and typical. It is a large, round paper thin crunchy sheets of bread, also called "Carta da musica", or music sheets. It is great munching on as it is, or some condiments, however it is also famous for making an alternative lasagne.. Some people use ragù, or bolognese type meat based sauce, but I personally prefer this without meat, as it goes perfectly well with the light texture of pane carasau!

5-8 sheets of Pane carasau (depending on the size), or as needed
300-400g of fresh mozzarella
coarsely ground fresh bread crumbs*
grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano, ideally pecorino sardo

Sauce
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 small stalk of celery, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
2 bay leaves
Tomatoes, for a quick recipe you can use about 800ml-1lt of mixture of crushed tomatoes from a tin + passata/tomato puree, but using ripe, fresh tomatoes in season (chopped) greatly improves the flavour. I usually take the happy medium and use about 5-6 fresh tomatoes then add 1 tin (400ml circa) of crushed tomatoes. (Note) Fresh tomatoes does also take longer to cook until they thicken.
Salt, black pepper
Handful of fresh basil leaves (or dash of dried, flaked oregano+basil)
olive oil.

*for bread crumbs, the best option is crushing some slightly stale dried bread in a food processor, however the commercial bread crumbs can used also.

Prepare the sauce by sautèing the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in just enough amount of olive oil. When they are completely softened, add the tomatoes and bay leaves, season with salt. (also add the oregano-basil at this point if dried herbs are used.)
Cook the sauce until it attains a consistent, thickened texture, about an hour. Add chopped fresh basil leaves and black pepper towards the end of cooking.

Chop or slice the mozzarella into small pieces.

Grease the bottom of a baking dish (about 20x30cm), then pour some of the sauce just to thinly cover the bottom.
Take pane carasau, sheet by sheet, dip quickly (but thoroughly) in a lukewarm water and lay evenly to cover the surface of the baking dish, breaking the bread as needed to fit into the dish. (of course some overlapping is expected!)
Cover the surface of the bread again with the sauce, not too heavily.
Arrange the pieces of the mozzarella on top, not completely covering but evenly dotted throughout the surface.
Repeat the procedure with pane carasau-sauce-mozzarella twice over. finishing with the mozzarella.
On the fourth layer, after the pane carasau and the sauce, sprinkle generously with the bread crumbs, then the parmigiano/grana padano/pecorino.
Cover the surface with the foil and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 180°C, then take off the foil and continue cooking in the oven, cranking up the oven to 200°C. Cook another 10-15 minutes or until the surface is golden brown.

Serve hot!

Bacon & Prune antipasto

2009-06-18T12:46:00.003+02:00

This is an incredibly simple yet tasty tapa/hors d'oeuvres, a perfect combination of sweet and savoury. The procedure will be even simpler if you can find a package of already deseeded prunes!!

16-20 (or more if desired) large dried prunes
8-10 thinly sliced strips of smoked bacon
tooth picks, the same number as the prunes
evoo

Deseed the prunes.
Cut each bacon strips in half.
wrap each prunes with a halved strip of bacon, secure it with a toothpick.
Repeat the procedure for every prune.
Fry the prune/bacon in a thin layer of evoo in a large skillet, until the bacon is golden and crisp.
Serve hot.

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-06-15T14:10:00.004+02:00

This is my own improved version of the blast from KFC Chicken Pot Pie :-) My partner Cristiano was rather dubious at the look of it, but quickly changed his mind once tasted it :-D The fresh, quality ingredients do make a lot of difference!! The given amount will feed 3 or 2 hearty appetites, have 2 or 3 portion sized (about 12-16cm diametre) baking dishes ready, or you can use disposable aluminum trays to bake in as well!!

300g boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 large carrot, diced
1 large onion, chopped
200g fresh mushrooms, diced
100-150g frozen green peas
salt & pepper
nutmeg
butter

500ml bechamele sauce*
puff pastry dough, enough to cover the dishes/trays.

Steam cook the diced carrot in microwave for about 3 minutes (full power), or until cooked al dente, set aside
Steam cook the green peas in microwave for about 6 minutes (full power), or until cooked al dente, set aside
Sautè the onion and mushrooms in butter, until golden.
Add a pinch of salt, nutmeg and pepper to taste.
Add the chicken strips and continue to cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Mix in the peas and carrots, and the bechamele*, toss thoroughly until they are evenly heated and blended.
Bring the mixture to the room temperature.
Pour the mixture into the portion sized baking dishes, cover the surface with the puff pastry sheet cut to fit to the shape of the dishes.
Press the edges with a fork to secure, then poke several holes on the surface, and cut a criss crossed slit in the centre.
Bake the pot pie in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 10-15 minutes, or the pastry turns puffed up and golden.

*Bechamele sauce
500ml whole milk
1 tablespoon of flour
30g butter
pinch of salt

Vigorously beat the milk at the room temperature and the flour until they are blended. Heat the mixture in a double boiler with the butter and a pinch of salt, continue to cook until it attains a right consistency. Alternatively you can use a ready made bechamele easily found in supermarkets.

Baccalà Portuguese

2009-06-03T18:26:00.004+02:00

Baccalà, fillets of cod preserved in salt is widely consumed in Italy, but even more popular in Portugal. My partner had this dish when he visited Lisbon earlier this year and wanted to recreate it back home and here we are. We added the smoked provolone on top on a whim (which was not on the original version), and came out extremely nicely!!

Baccalà Portuguese

baccalà 600-700g
1tbs butter
Extra Virgine Olive Oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
1kg potatoes
about 1/3 cup of chopped fresh flat leaved parsley, or as needed
breadcrumbs
*300g of smoked provolone, thinly sliced (Optional)
coarsely ground black pepper

1. Soak the baccalà in lightly running water and leave it for 1-2 day.
(alternatively soak in a generous amount of still water, changing the water several times)
2. Pat dry and clean the baccalà, removing the bones and skins, then cut in cubes (slightely bigger than bite sizes)
3. Bring to boil a pot of water and boil the baccalà for about 10 minutes. Drain well.
4. Sautè the onion in butter, until they are completely softened and lightly golden.
5. Peel and slice the potatoes about 5mm thickness, sautè lightly in sufficient amount of olive oil until the surface turns lightly golden. Dry the slices on an absorbent paper.
6. Generously butter a good sized casserole dish, dust the surface with breadcrumbs.
7. Put down a layer of potato slices on the bottom of the casserole, then sprinkle the pepper and parsley, then lay half of the baccalà pieces evenly over the potatoes, then spread half of the sautèed onion over. Repeat the procedure, finishing with the onions, then more parsley, peppers and breadcrumbs on the surface.
8. Cook the dish in the oven at 325°C for about half an hour, or until the surface is well coloured. To add the provolone, take out the dish after about 20minutes and lay the cheeses over, put it back in the oven and bake until the cheese is golden.
Great served with homemade hollandaise sauce. (see the recipe below)

Hollandaise sauce
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 dried bay leaf
2 eggs, yolks only
125g butter, softened
lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Put the vinegar in a small pan with a bay leaf. Reduce the vinegar over a high heat until there is only 1 tbsp left. Remove the bay leaf.
2. Blend the egg yolks in a food processor with the condensed vinegar.
3. Add the butter into the food processor.
5. If the sauce is too thick, add a little hot water.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a little lemon juice.

Mimosa of the Ocean

2009-05-29T15:23:00.003+02:00

This is another example of our invention on the whim turning out as a big success, when we had the following ingredients on hand. It also looks extremely lovely esthetically (the coconut-lemon-saffran condiment does look like mimosa, where we invented the name from!), another dish which could easily win over the usual anti-fish bunch!! :-)

4 fillets of haddock, ocean perch or cod (any ocean fish with firm white flesh)
salt & pepper
flour enough to coat the fish
1 egg + milk for dipping the fillets
bread crumbs
olive oil
flesh of 1 coconut
1 large lemon
50g butter
1 sacket of saffran

Slice the fillets into bite sizes or strips, season with salt and pepper.
Dust the fish evenly with the flour
Beat the egg with about 1/4 cup of milk to make a coating for the fillets.
pour sufficient amount of bread crumbs into a large plate.
Dip each pieces into the egg mixture, then coat them with bread crumbs.
Fry the fillet pieces in sufficient amount of hot oil, until they are golden.
Place the fish on an absorbent paper and keep warm.
In a mixer/food processor shred the coconut into fine flakes.
Grate the lemon zest.
In a separate plate lightly sautè the coconut flakes and lemon zest in butter.
Before turning off the heat, add the saffran and mix well to distribute the colouring.
Distribute the coconut mixture over the fish fillet strips.
Squeeze the lemon juice over and serve hot.

Classic Bruschetta

2009-05-27T18:25:00.005+02:00

Bruschetta is one of the finest example of the delicious simplicity of the true Italian cooking!! This traditional Italian "antipasto" is not just for a starter, but also is a great snack or light meal which is really easy&quick to prepare... it is also a perfect variety for a barbeque cookout, throw on some slice of bread on the barbeque grill and dress it up as you go!
you can experiment with endless options of toppings, various grilled vegetables, cheeses, patè etc., but this is the most classic, most loved version, prepared with fresh ripe tomatoes and basil leaves, it does carry a wonderful summery flavour!

Large crusty loaf of bread
Garlic cloves, about half per slice
Tomatoes, ripe but firm, chopped. (Eliminate the seed if too soggy, but better with skins intact to maintain the texture.)
Good quality extra virgine olive oil
Fresh basil leaves, chopped*
salt, pepper

In case fresh basil leaves are not available, use crushed dry oregano.

Slice the bread, not too thinly, broil both side.
Cut the garlic cloves in half, put the sliced surface in contact with the broiled bread, still hot, and rub into it evenly.*
Pile the tomatoes on the slice, sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil leaves to taste.
Drizzle the olive oil over.
Serve immediately.

*Alternative preparation
For people who are disturbed by the strong aftertaste of raw garlic.
Roast the garlic in the oven and then mash it, or sautè the minced garlic in just enough olive oil, and sprinkle them over the toast evenly.

Veggie Briouats

2009-05-25T17:12:00.005+02:00

Briouats originates in Morocco, but like other certain food the basic idea seems to be pretty global, it is quite similar to Indian Samosa, or Lumpia from Philippines and alike. It can be shaped in triangle like classic Samosa, but I went for the cigar shaped version as it is easier to form... :p The fillo is very delicate, so take care in its handling, keep it cool and dry, and also chill the filling completely. While rolling the briouats, if there are many of them put them in the fridge as you go! Slightly tedious procedure will be definitely paid off as they are absolutely delicious!! As you get the hang of it, you can experiment with different fillings, like cheeses or minces, or sweet version with nuts and dried fruits!!

1 packet of fillo pastry sheets (270g)
1 small courgette
1 small bell pepper
2-3 porcini mushroom*
1 medium carrot
1 small onion
1 spring onion
1-2 clove of garlic, crushed
salt & pepper
Olive oil
frying oil

*you can use a regular button mushrooms mixed with a small amount of soaked dried porcini (you can utilize the soaked liquid to flavour the vegetables), or substitute with shiitake.

1. (if bought frozen) take out the fillo sheets from the freezer at least half a day in advance (better the night before) and defrost in the refrigerator.
2. finely julienne all the vegetables.
3. sautè the vegetables in just enough hot olive oil with garlic. Start with onion, carrot, bell pepper, then courgette and mushrooms, spring onion goes last just to pass the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cool the vegetables completely, and let them rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.
5. take out the fillo sheets, carefully roll them out and slice them into about 20x15cm (approx., depending on the original size of the fillo sheets)
6. add about one tablespoon full of the vegetables on each sheet and make a thin line of it near the centre.
7. fold over the both sides of the fillo sheet, to keep the vegetables from falling out from the ends.
8. Roll up each sheet like a cigar.
9. Let it rest in the fridge again to chill.
10. Deep fry the rolls (a few at a time at the most, not too many) at about 175-180°C, until golden.

Serve piping hot, they are delicious by itself, or enjoyed with various sauces/condiments like mango (or other type) chatney, tahini, tzatziki, curry etc.

Risotto agli asparagi & formaggi (asparagus & cheese)

2009-05-13T00:34:00.003+02:00

This is a deliciously seasonal springish risotto, loaded with fresh asparagus. If you enjoy the famous combination of broccoli and cheese, this will be a surefire hit, one of my favourite way to showcase one of my favourite vegetables (and only enjoyed for too short a period!)!!

For 2 people
-1 cup of carnaroli rice (if you can't find it arborio is fine, but carnaroli is the ideal type for making

risotto)
-One onion, finely chopped
-300-400g of fresh green asparagus
-60g (or more if needed) butter
-100ml white wine
-500-700ml of hot good quality broth, not too salty
-80g maasdamer (or edam, fontina, gouda, ementhal or similar type of cheese), diced
-60g gorgonzola in chunks

Prepare the asparagus. Wash them, then break off the tough part. You can bend each asparagus
carefully and find the spot where breaks off easily, somewhere between halfway to 2/3 of the length from the tip. After this procedure, you can check the bottom stems, there maybe some parts usable by shaving off the tough outer skin with a fine knife.
Cut the asparagus into bite size pieces.

In a large skillet sautè the onion with butter over medium heat. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring thoroughly, until rice becomes semi-transparent.
Add the wine, raise the heat level and bring to boil.
When the wine is almost absorbed, start adding the broth one ladleful at a time, adding another
ladleful when the previous batch of broth is well absorbed (but the rice should still remain wet),
stirring constantly.
Keep the broth hot by keeping it in a saucepan on a low heat, or microwaving from time to time.
Repeat the procesure until the rice are cooked "al dente" (firm, not crunchy not mushy)... it should take about somewhere between 20-25minutes more or less.

In the meanwhile, sautè the asparagus lightly (for a few minutes) in a separate skillet. Asparagus should remain bright green and pleasantly crispy.
When the rice is almost done, add the cheeses and sautèed asparagus, mix them well to blend in the cheese until they are melted and mixed in evenly.
Serve them immediately piping hot.

Chicken with un "tocco di marocco" (touch of morocco)

2009-05-11T01:51:00.001+02:00

This dish bursts with a wonderfully exotic flavour, the original idea was taken from La Cucina Italiana (the best of Italian cooking magazines) a couple of years ago, it was a lamb dish but since I don't eat lamb I substituted with a chicken breast. I also added some pancetta to give a savoury kick, which worked wonderfully although perhaps not a traditional option for this dish originated from northern africa. Pancetta can be left out to stick with the tradition, of course!

100g smoked bacon/pancetta, diced
70g crushed almond
150g dried prune, deseeded and chopped
30g brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Orange zest from one orange
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice
100ml water
500g boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced or pounded thin.
evoo

Sautè the bacon/pancetta and almond in just enough evoo until golden.
Add the prune, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and orange juice and the water, lowering the heat once starting to boil.

Let it simmer on low heat for about half an hour, adding a little amount of the water if necessary,
until it forms a thick sauce.

Brown the chicken in evoo in another skillet (ideally on a cast iron or barbeque grill for maximum
flavour), then slice them into strips.
Smother with the sauce, serve over a hot cooked bulghur or couscous.

Orange parmigiano cream sauce

2009-05-05T16:16:00.002+02:00

I just mixed up these ingredients on a whim in order to jazz up the ready made tortellini, which are a bit bland. And it was a smashing success!! It's simple and quick, and it makes an impressive difference to these store bought stuffed pasta!!

for 2 people

1 orange
20g butter
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano or grana padano
200ml cooking cream
some drops of milk

Thinly peel the orange skin, then grate it finely.
Sautè the grated orange peel lightly in the melted butter, just for a minute or two
Add the juice from orange, cook for about 5 minutes and let it condense itself a little
Add the cheese and cream, stir well and heat thoroughly. Add some drops of milk as needed to keep the sauce from getting too thick.
Serve over piping hot pasta, it is ideal for ready made spicach and ricotta tortellini!

Licia's Sushi Salad

2009-04-30T19:04:00.003+02:00

I got this idea from the italian style rice salad and "chirashi" type sushi. It is somewhat "safer" (requires less technique) than the classic rolls which takes some practice to make them into a "state of art" and otherwise it can easily get pretty messy. It is a bit unconventional too as I prefer using apple vinegars as opposed to the traditional rice vinegar, it gives a milder, lighter taste. It's a fresh idea for summer evenings with guests :-)

270g rice for sushi (the sticky type, medium grain)
30ml (or as needed) apple vinegar*
20g (2tbsp) sugar*
salt*
(start with this amount, taste as you mix the rice and adjust the flavour as you prefer)

200g tuna in brine, smoked salmon sliced into strips, crab flakes, or prawns, or any of combinations.
3 eggs
1 large carrots, shredded
1 avocado
2 teaspoons of white sesame seeds
3 eggs
mayonnaise
several sheets of yakinori (toasted seaweeds), julienned with scissors thinly.

-prepare the rice. Rinse the rice under running cold water, changing the water about 5 times, until the water runs clear.

-boil the rice in about twice the volume of water, covered. Let it boil on a high heat for a couple of minutes, then turn down the heat to the lowest and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Cut the heat, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes with the cover intact.

-Transfer the rice into a large bowl, sprinkle over the apple vinegar, sugar and salt while mixing vigorously.
-Cool the rice completely. Ideally the rice needs to be cooled quickly, to help the procedure, use a stainless bowl which absorbs the heat well, then immerse the bowl in an iced water. Fan the surface stirring often.

-Prepare the eggs. Making a very thin egg sheets to be shredded thinly takes a bit of practice, I employ a crepe like method, using a heated griddle and pour the beaten egg on, about the amount of 1 egg each, then quickly spread the egg with the T-bar for crepes. If you manage to spread it thin enough there will be no need to flip it, as soon as the surface dries up scoop it up carefully with a spatula. Then shred them as thinly as possible. Set it aside.

-Dry roast the sesame seeds on a stainless steel frying pan, taking care not to burn them.
-Toss the rice with the fish/seafood, carrots, diced avocado, and sesame seeds. Season with mayonnaise as desired. (I use a big hearty spoonful.)

-sprinkle the shredded egg and yakinori and serve. (or serve the eggs and yakinori on a separate bowl, and let the diners help themselves as they like)

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

2009-04-27T23:45:00.004+02:00

Bucatini all'Amatriciana (Lazio)

This is another classic pasta recipe from Rome. It is also very easy and simple to whip up, a perfect tasty and quick dinner for any occasion. There are two schools among the traditional recipes, with onion or without onion, so this is up to you, but as a firm believer that sautèed onions make everything taste better, I always add them!! Also carefully controll the spiciness with the amount of red peppers. If you are very sensitive to spicy food, you may want to opt for a generous sprinkling of coarsely grated black pepper.

Bucatini al Amatriciana
80g-120g of spaghetti a person, depending on their appetite.
about 30-50g of smoked bacon or pancetta per person, chopped
1 shallot or 1/2 small onion per person, finely chopped
1/2 garlic clove per person, minced or finely chopped
red pepper flakes, or ground cayenne pepper (as much or little as preferred), or coarsely ground black pepper
tomato base
-option 1: chopped ripe tomatoes
-option 2: diced tomatoes from tin
-option 3: passata, or pureed tomato
(option 3 for a thicker, uniform effect)
evoo
salt to taste
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, grana padano or pecorino romano

Sautè the bacon/pancetta with shallot/onion and garlic in evoo until golden.
Add the pepper, salt and tomato to your liking, let it cook further.
If using fresh tomatoes or diced tomatoes, cook a little longer to let the excess liquid evaporate,
with passata just to heat it up.
Toss with piping hot bucatini (or spaghetti) cooked al dente.
Serve hot with generous amount of grated pecorino romano, parmigiano reggiano or grana padano.

Kodafa

2009-04-24T17:19:00.002+02:00

Totally unique treat from the middle east, Kodafa is a special cake made with couscous, fresh cheese, pistacchi oozing with honey. A lovely idea when you are in the mood for something different, a new taste experience!! Visually it looks great, too!! :-D

Ingredients:

200g (7oz) Couscous
2 eggs
120g (4,5 oz) butter, melted
Pinch of salt

180g (6oz+) FRESH mozzarella, chopped
250g (8,5oz) ricotta
40g (1,5 oz) honey
1 tsp Cinnamon
A few drops of vanilla essence

For the syrup
180ml (6oz+) honey
100ml water
1 small package or 1 pinch of ground saffran
1tsp orange flower water (alternative, rose water)

30-40g (1,5oz circa) roughly crushed pistacchi for garnish

prepare the couscous following the direction. (for quick cooking ones, immerse in about 300ml of boiling water, cover and let it stand for at least 5 minutes, for this cake, a bit more)
Flake the cous cous well to get rid of big lumps.
In a good sized bowl, beat together the eggs and the melted butter, then mix in the couscous, blend together well.
In anoter large bowl, beat together the chopped mozzarella, ricotta, 40g of honey, cinnamon and vanilla, until the mixture become smooth and thickly creamy.
In a buttered cake pan (about 27cm/10-11inch) lay down the half of the couscous mixture evenly. Then cover with the cheese mixture, then top with the rest of the couscous, spreading it out evenly.
Bake it in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F for 20minutes. Let it cool.
In a small saucepan, mix the honey, saffran and water, let it boil for 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and mix in the orange flower water.
Let the syrup cool slightly, then pour evenly over the cake. Garnish the top with pistacchi.

Ocean Perch fillet Orange Blossom

2009-04-22T18:01:00.003+02:00

We invented this when we wanted to try a new flavour apart from the usual tartar sauce, and we had a lot of extra oranges on hand. Choreographically it looks great, and its rich yet fresh, mild and fruity flavour can be a great way to convert someone who usually don't care for fish!!

4 hearty Ocean Perch fillets (150-200g each), or of any firm white fleshed fish fillets, like flounder, sole, catfish etc.
50g flour or more as needed
100g butter
3 oranges
60-70ml of milk
salt
fistful of chopped flat leaved parsley (optional)

peel the orange part of the orange, as thinly as possible (less white pulp the better)
in a mixer/food processor grind the orange peal finely to make fresh orange zest.
squeeze out the juices. (take care to remove the seeds)
On a large plate coat the fillet with flour evnely.
Melt the butter in a large skillet.
Fry the fillets in the heated butter, until the surface is golden and crunchy, salt to taste .
Carefully scoop the fillt out with a slotted spatula, drain the excess grease, and keep warm.
Add the squeezed orange juice,the zest and milk into the same skillet.
Lower the heat and continue to cook to attain a thicker consistency.
Arrange the orange sauce over the fillets, sprinkle the parsley over and serve hot.

Shakey's MoJo potatoes

2009-04-19T15:52:00.003+02:00

As a kid I adored Shakeys, and even more so for their famous MoJo potatoes than the pizzas. Sadly Shakeys seem to have completely disappeared from anywhere near I have been living for the last 2 decades or so, I have been craving for them for so many years... finally I found a recipe to recreate them quite accurately, courtesy of my dear friend jkath from discusscooking !!! Yummers!!

Shakey's Mojo Potatoes

6 large, solid mealy potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 teaspoons thyme
Salt and pepper
About 1/2 cup milk
Frying oil

Bake potatoes at 200°C for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool.

Cut each potato into not too thin slices.

Heat oil to 180°C.

Stir together the flour, cayenne, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Dip each potato slice into the milk and then dredge thoroughly in the seasoned flour mixture. Deep fry wedges without overcrowding for about 1 1/2 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Risotto con Shiitake Mushrooms

2009-04-17T00:08:00.004+02:00

Mushrooms are always one of my favourite additions to make risotto. Porcini and finferli are particularly the perpetual winners, however recently we had a lot of dried shiitake on hand, while shiitake is not a traditional risotto mushrooms considering their marked unique fragrance I thought why not an experiment with risotto!? Surely enough, it came out extremely yummy!!

For 2 people
-1 cup of carnaroli rice (if you can't find it arborio is fine, but carnaroli is the ideal type for making risotto)
-One big onion, finely chopped
-6-10 dried shiitake mushrooms (depending on the size)
-60g (or more if needed) butter
-1 bayleaf
-100ml white wine*
-500-700ml of hot vegetable broth
-freshly ground parmigiano
-(optional) handful of chopped flat leave parsley

Soak the shiitake mushrooms in just enough water for one hour.
Take the mushrooms out, squeeze the liquid out (which to be saved) and roughly chop them.
In a large skillet sautè the onion with butter over middle heat. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring thoroughly, until rice becomes semi-transparent.
Add the bayleaf, chopped mushrooms and wine, raise the heat level and bring to boil*.
When the wine is almost absorbed, add the liquid from soaking the mushrooms.

As the liquid gets absorbed as well, start adding the broth one ladleful at a time, adding another ladleful when the previous batch of broth is well absorbed (but the rice should still remain wet), stirring constantly.
Keep the broth hot by keeping it in a saucepan on a low heat, or microwaving from time to time.
Repeat the procesure until the rice are cooked "al dente" (firm, not crunchy not mushy)... it should take about somewhere between 20-25minutes more or less.
Chopped flat leaved parsley can be added towards the end of cooking the rice.
Serve hot with plenty of parmigiano to sprinkle upon.

*alternatively, you can use more water to soak the shiitake (+ you can load on extra mushrooms as well) to substitute the wine with the liquid conserved from soaking.

Pastiera Napoletana

2009-04-14T15:36:00.004+02:00

Pastiera Napoletana (Campania)

This is a real traditional treat to celebrate Easter in Italy, however it is great for any special occasion :-) The key ingredient, cooked wheat grain is somewhat particular, in Italy ready-made (already cooked) wheat that comes in a jar is readily available in supermarkets, which will simplify the procedure. You may want to check out any grocery shops which deal with the imported Italian food items if possible. If such wheat grain can not be found, you may want to try with cooked barley or rice. (the result will be different but should be equally delicious, sort of a rice pudding pie...

The above picture is the last one we made the other day, we decided to make a monster one which measures up to 55cm (almost 2 ft)... :-D We doubled the ingredients but somehow we didn't have enough the crust dough, so the typical criss-cross pattern on the surface had to be sacrificed!! Nontheless it made many people quite happy!! :-D

Crust:
200g flour
150g lard or butter, or half/half
120g sugar
3 egg yolks
fresh orange zest from 1 orange

Filling:
1 cup whole-wheat grain
3 eggs, separated
1200ml milk
80g candied orange and lemon peel
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a few drops of vanilla essence
fresh lemon zest from 1 lemon
pinch of salt
500g ricotta (preferably di pecora/of sheep milk)
240g sugar
1 tbs. orange-flower water
30g butter

Prepare the filling: soak the grain for 2-3 days, changing the water every day.

Knead the flour, butter, sugar and eggs and orange zest together until smooth.
Make a ball of the dough and let it rest for half an hour or so.

Drain the wheat and boil with fresh water for 30 mins. Drain and put back in the pot with milk, cinnamon, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbs. of sugar. Bring to a boil, lower and cook over low heat until the milk is absorbed.

Beat the egg-whites until solid.
Beat ricotta, sugar and beat until creamy in a bowl. Add the yolks, the whole-wheat grain, diced candied fruits, lemon zest, and the orange-flower water. Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Grease a 30cm baking pan and dust with sugar. Line with 3/4 of the pastry. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into strips. Arrange the strips over the filling in a criss-cross pattern. Brush the strips of dough with egg yolk. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake the cake for 1-1,5 hour, until the filling has set and the crust is golden brown.

Oven baked pasta alla ricotta & mushrooms

2009-04-06T21:33:00.004+02:00

This was another improvisation that came out a winner on my recent experiment. I came up with this idea when we had a lot of ricotta on hand. The key is the naturally lumpy ricotta needs to be whipped well with the milk to the smooth, cream like texture, and not to cook the pasta all the way as it will finish cooking itself inside the oven. As a mushroom lover, I think I will increase the amount of the mushrooms the next time though, IMO one can never put too much mushrooms in a dish ;-P

500g dry short pasta (I used fusilli)
700g ricotta
milk - as needed
50g(+ or -) grated parmiggiano/grana padano
500g mushrooms (button mushrooms are fine, but I would like to try with oyster mushrooms next time!)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 tsp dried oregano
olive oil, as needed
more grated parmiggiano(grana padano) and bread crumbs for topping
salt
pepper

Finely slice the mushrooms and onion. Sautè them well in enough olive oil with smashed garlic.
Beat the ricotta in a bowl, adding some milk little by little gradually, to make a smooth, creamy (not too runny) mixture.
Meanwhile cook the pasta, remove from the pot and drain about 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time. (should be still quite chewy to the teeth)
Mix in the large bowl the sautèed mushrooms/onion, ricotta mixture and pasta until the pasta is evenly coated with the condiments.
Pour the mixture in a baking dish, top the surface with the mixture of bread crumbs and parmiggiano.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes at 175°C, or until the topping is golden brown.

Boeuf Bourguignon

2009-04-03T21:37:00.004+02:00

Frankly not sure of the authenticity about its origin, but this dish does have a nice Frenchy touch, magically turning a tough sinewy cut of beef into a melt in your mouth delicacy. It does take a lot of wine to attain a right flavour and nice depth, no need to use an expensive wine but make sure to use the kind of wine also pleasant to drink (a golden rule for using a wine for cooking...)!! The rest will nicely accompany the dinner at the table!

Roughly 700g/1lb & half of beef, sliced in small pieces.
2 medium size onion, roughly sliced
1 large or 2 smaller garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
1 small stalk of celery, finely chopped (or you can chop up some leaves and mix them into the liquid during the boiling process)
2 med. or 1 big carrot, sliced
500ml(1/2 pint +) of red wine, or preferably burgundy wine
1 bayleaf
thyme, majoram, black pepper
100ml/3,5 oz tomato puree, or more as needed
200g mushrooms, roughly chopped
150g smoked bacon or pancetta, diced
2 bunches of green onion, chopped
handful of fresh flat leaved parsley, chopped.

In an ample pot/skillet sautè the onion, garlic and celery until the onion is golden brown.
Sautè the beef separately, with just enough oil, coat the surface with about 1 table spoon of flour. Cook until the surface is browned.
Unite the cooked beef into the onion mixture.
Pour the wine, add the carrot, the herbs and pepper, bring to boil then cover, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. During this process, add tomato puree as needed.
Sautè mushrooms, bacon and green onions together in a separate skillet.
At the end of the two hours of cooking add this mushroom mixture to the main pot. Let it cook for another half an hour.
Garnish with the parsley.

Great served with a fresh baguette and a garden salad to complete the meal!

Mascarpone-ricotta Cheesecake

2009-03-26T15:04:00.003+01:00

After trying various cheesecake recipes, I am finally settled with this one as our winning recipe. It is extra delicious served with your choice of fruit sauce and whipped cream!

500g ricotta cheese
500g mascarpone
350g sugar
4eggs (or 3 large)
fresh lemon zest from 1 lemon
Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
a few drops of vanilla essence
3tbsp corn flour
3tbsp flour
60g melted butter
200ml sour cream

Blend cheeses together. Fold in sugar. Mix in one egg at a time. Mix in the rest of ingredients and whip until smooth. Pour into greased, floured 28cm round cake form. Bake at 180C° for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave it for 2hours.

Potatoes, tomato and cheese casserole

2009-03-24T17:05:00.003+01:00

This is another winning improvisation, sort of a clean out the fridge recipe :-) It is substantial enough to hold up as a main dish, or also as a side with other pasta or rice dish in smaller portion. The handy thing about this dish is all the ingredients are the items you usually have around in the kitchen. You can always experiment with different type of cheese, anything that melts well in the heat will be great in this dish!

4 onions, sliced thin
50g butter
5-6 large tomatoes, ripe yet firm enough thickly sliced
potatoes, 3 large or 5-6 medium
150g fontina cheese, chopped
100g Parmigiano reggiano or grana padano, grated
1 cup full of bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
mild paprika
2-eggs-beaten
200ml. sour cream or creme fraiche

Sautè the onions in butter.
Peel and slice the potatoes about 5mm thick, boil or steam to the point they are still fairly firm, just a few minutes.
Prepare a mixture of the chopped, grated cheese, sautèed onion and bread crumbs, salt, pepper and mild paprika.
Butter a baking dish (about 20X30cm, not too shallow) and put in a layer of potatoes on the bottom, then another layer of tomatoes over the potatoes. Cover the surface with the cheese/onion/bread crumb mixture.
Repeat layering til you've used all ingredients, ending with the mixture on top.
In small bowl beat the eggs and sour cream til smooth, pour over to cover the surface.
Sprinkle on a little more paprika for colour.
Cover and bake at 190° for 30 min. Uncover and bake 15 min longer so it will puff and get golden.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

2009-03-20T14:30:00.005+01:00

Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Lazio)

This famous, and delicious pasta dish is one of the traditional recipes to represent the Roman cuisine. It is called "coal miner's spaghetti" (alla carbonara) because the generously sprinkled black pepper reminds you of coal dusts. Very simple to make, yet it requires a few tricks to perfect the dish. The key to attain the creamy texture, instead of creating a spaghetti mixed in scrambled eggs is, to have the eggs at room temperature and prepare the well beaten mixture with the cheese before tossing into the piping hot spaghetti!!

80g-120g of spaghetti per person, depending on their appetite.
roughly 1 egg per person. (room temperature)
about 30-50g of smoked bacon or pancetta per person, chopped
half a shallot or about 1/4 small onion a head, thinly sliced
little cooking cream (optional)
generous amount of freshly grated aged pecorino romano, or parmigiano reggiano
coarsely ground black pepper
evoo

Take out the eggs from the fridge some time before starting to cook, to bring them to the room temperature.
Fry the bacon in a little olive oil. When they starts to take on colour, add shallot/onion and continue to cook, until they are thoroughly sautèed.
Beat the egg well with the cheese (to attain an extra creamy texture, mix in some drops of cooking cream).
Toss all together the bacon mixture, egg mixture with piping hot spaghetti cooked al dente.
Shower the spaghetti with black pepper at the table as it is served HOT.

Carrot salad with lemon poppyseed dressing

2009-03-19T16:57:00.004+01:00

As I promised on the last post, here is an example of salad recipe perfect for the lemon poppyseed dressing.

This is one of the winning recipes born amidst a moment of pinch, when I was left with very limited items in the fridge. The salad itself is a nice fusion of sweet and savoury. You can substitute the speck with some leftover roasted/grilled chicken breasts (and with increased quantity if you like) that will make the dish more substantial, possibly a meal by itself with some crusty bread to acocmpany it.

600-700g carrots
100g speck, thinly sliced and then julienned*
30g sultanas
50g walnuts
*lemon poppyseed dressing

soak the sultanas in just enough water, room temperature
Peel and shred the carrots using a food processor or mandolin
In a blender crush the walnuts, but not to the point of being powdered.

Toss all the ingredients. Let it rest for about half an hour for the flavour to blend in.

Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

2009-03-17T18:48:00.004+01:00

This is a very fresh tasting dressing for various salads. It has a delicate balance of light sweetness from honey and sugar, savoury touch from the pinch of salt and olive oil, and the slight tanginess from the lemon, but none of them should overpower other flavours. Carefully taste the dressing as you mix, and bring it to the taste you like.

1teaspoon black poppyseeds
2 tablespoon honey
1 lemon, zest+juice
200ml sour cream
1tablespoon sugar
30ml (or shotglass full), circa, extra virgine olive oil (or little more if necessary)
drop of milk (optional)
pinch of salt

Mix vigorously all the ingredients, adjusting the amount of honey, sugar, salt.
Add some drops of oil or milk and bring the dressing to desired consistency. (creamy but not too thick)

*I will introduce a yummy salad on the next installment which is perfect for this dressing!!

Pineapple Coconut Cream Pie

2009-03-14T18:47:00.004+01:00

This came out as a real winning improvisation just the other day. I just love the combination of coconuts and Pineapple, perhaps the next time I will add a few drops of rum and make it into a "Pina Colada Pie"!! :-D

Ingredients: Pie shell

250g plain flour
120g butter, cubed, at room temperature
120g sugar
2 egg yolks (or 1 large egg yolk)
1 pinch of salt
(you can save some work by using a ready made puff pastry dough)

Ingredients: Coconut Custard

300ml whole milk
2 table spoon (generous heap) flour
140g sugar
4 egg yolks
300ml coconut milk
some drops of vanilla essence

half pineapple, or 1 baby pineapple

Pie shell

Work together the flour and butter, rubbing the butter into the flour until butter gets integrated to the flour. Make a well, and pour the sugar and yolks. Knead the dough, first carefully joining all the ingredients, then vigorously, until the texture becomes solid and smooth.
(Up to this part, it can be done in a electric mixer/food processor)

Wrap the dough and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Roll out the dough on a flat surface, divide the dough to roughly 6-4.
Take the 60% portion and stretch it with a rolling pin to fit into a round pie form (about 28cm/11 inch)*

Poke some holes on the dough spread on the bottom of the form with a fork.

Cover the surface with a wax paper, spread over some dried beans and blind bake it at about 190°C(375°F) for 10-15 minutes.**
Let it cool a little until it becomes manageable.

Stretch out the rest of the 40% dough, into a long ribbon form (easier if you make it into a few pieces), wrap around the side of the pie form to make the border, securing the joint with the baked shell bottom.
If you like using the end of a fork or butter knife, press around the edge to make a decorative pie shell pattern.

*I am not very good at handling a fully stretched pie dough, so I press out half way and then transfer it inside the pie shell, then stretch them into the edge with my fingers.

**If you are using a ready made puff pastry dough, cover the edges with aluminum foil to keep it from burning, or cut out just enough to make the side/edges to be attached after blind baking.

Cream

Mix the flour vigorously into the milk, until the flour is dissolved.
Put all the ingredients in a double boiler, heat it up, mixing constantly, until the cream thickens.

Remove the excess (outer skin, core) from the pineapple, and roughly chop it into small pieces.

Pour the cream evenly into the pie shell, then arrange the pineapple pieces on top to almost cover the surface.

Bake the pie in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for another 20-25 minutes, until the custard is fully cooked and the edge of the shell is golden brown.

Let cool, serve with a whipped cream.

Stuffed Tomatoes alla Romana

2009-03-13T00:00:00.004+01:00

Stuffed Tomatoes alla Romana (Lazio)

This is one of my favourite dishes of all, especially during the summer season when nice big fat tomatoes are everywhere to be found. With a hearty serving this can make a good one pot dinner, or also good as a side/first course with some other main course. Another great thing about this dish is it tastes also great at room temperature, so you can make this ahead of time when you have a company, or on a busy day.

4 large red, firm tomatoes*
160g parboiled rice
3 large cloves of garlic. minced or chopped
generous handful of chopped flat leaved parsley
salt & pepper
4-6 potatoes, depending on the size, to fill the gap of the baking tray
Extra Virgine Olive Oil
garlic powder
rosemary, either small sprigs or powdered

1. Using a fine sharp knife cut off the top of the tomatoes, cutting deeper into the centre, making a cone like / fat pencil tip shape, making an opening wide enough to insert your tool to scoop out the inside. Set the tops aside.
2. Scoop off the inside of the tomatoes to make cups, taking care not to poke or break open the surface, putting the inside of tomatoes and put into a bowl.
3. Mix the uncooked rice, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in the bowl.
4. Scoop the mixture into the tomatoes, leaving enough space to put the top back on.
5. Arrange the tomatoes in the centre of a fair sized baking dish.
6. Peel the potatoes and cut into dices.
7. Put the potato cubes in a bowl, coat the potatoes evenly with olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary and salt.
8. Arrange the potatoes around the tomatoes in the baking dish.
9. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
10. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 45-50 minutes, until tomatoes, rice and potatoes are tender.
11. Take off the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the potatoes take on a golden colour and the surface becomes crisp.

Apple Crumbles

2009-03-10T20:24:00.002+01:00

While I am a huge fan of anything sweet, I am unfortunately not a dessert whiz when it comes to preparing them, and I have some serious limitations. However this recipe is so easy and tasty, it is one of my go to "satisfying desserts for dummies" when we have guests on short notice, or any time I have some urgent craving!! It is indeed THAT easy!! Highly reccomended to anyone! :-D

Base:
4-6 (depending on the size) firm apples
80g brown sugar
10g flour (1tbsp)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
50g flour
70g sugar
70g butter
30g walnuts or almonds

Peel the apples, remove the core and slice them. (roughly 1/4, then 1/4 each of them)
In a bowl mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together and thoroughly coat the apples. Spread the apples evenly in a baking dish (about 20cm diametre).
In a mixer/food processor chop (not grind) the nuts.
Soften the butter, then combine with the flour, sugar and nuts.
Spread the butter mixture over the apples, then bake at 180°C for 30minutes circa, or the topping is golden brown.

Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or warm with custard.

Salsa ai quattro formaggi (4 cheese sauce)

2009-03-06T17:12:00.003+01:00

Quattro formaggi (4 cheese sauce), a real treat for any cheeseheads, is one of our favourite condiments for pasta, gnocchi and steamed vegetables (like broccoli, brussel sprouts, potatoes etc.), also popular as a pizza topping.
Below is an example of our winning combination in our household, however you may experiment with different kind of cheeses that melt well in the heat, for example toma, casera, tilsiter, emmental, edam, gouda, maasdamer etc. Combining some of the mild cheeses and strong, tangy flavoured cheeses is the key for a rich, multi dimentioned flavour. (I particularly reccomend a touch of gorgonzola, even if you don't like the raw, plain blue cheese like myself, belive me, it really takes on a different dimention used this way!)

100g fontina
100g taleggio
100g gruyere
100g gorgonzola
100ml cooking cream (or more, or less, depending on the preference)
dash of white pepper
dash of nutmeg (optional)

cut the cheeses in small cubes
put the cheeses in double boiler and let them melt (if you don't have a double boiler, use a thick saucepan with very low heat, take care to not to burn the bottom, stirring more often.)
when the cheeses soften, add the cream and stir gently to incorporate the ingredients
add some more cream if desired, to the desired consistency
season with pepper and nutmeg
Continue to stir until the mixture becomes smooth.
Serve immediately

Pesto alla Genovese

2009-03-04T20:12:00.003+01:00

Pesto alla Genovese (Liguria)

This bright green condiment for pasta has an incomparably rich, refreshing aroma and flavour, but be sure to carefully choose the ingredients!! (good quality extra virgine olive oil, well aged hard cheese, and fresh basil leaves in season are the absolute must!) Then you will taste the EMORMOUS difference from those jars available at supermarkets!! you will need...

-a big bunch of fresh basil leaves separated from the stem and well rinsed, then well drained

-Extra virgin olive oil about 3/4 of amount (in grams/ozs) of the leaves.

(please experiment with the amount of below items, adding them gradually... to your personal taste...for a rough measure I use about 75g of cheese, 2 big cloves of garlic 75g of nuts to make about !/2 lt./1lb. of pesto)

-well seasoned parmigiano, pecorino cheese or grana padano cheese, freshly ground

-cloves of garlic

-mixture of pine nuts and cashew

First you whip the basil with oil in a blender/food processor to make a smooth goo, adding the oil gradually. Then add the next 3 items and mix further until everything is well blended.
It can be frozen in portions (using ice cube tray or small container), make sure you pack it well and it will freeze fairly quickly. To keep in the fridge you put it in a bottle, and cover the surface with extra olive oil, to avoid the contact with the air. It will last about 2 weeks.

Zucchini marinati (Fried and marinated courgette slices)

2009-02-27T18:22:00.003+01:00

This tasty vegetable side dish can be pretty addictive! You can prepare this ahead of time, as it needs to be rested at least half an hour or better few hours to let the flavour settled in. Surprisingly, unlike the usual fried food, I find it even tastier the day after as the flavour gets blended better!

600-700g (1-1/2lb, circa) zucchini (courgette), smallish ones are better, not huge.
frying oil (something light, sunflower, corn etc.)
2 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped.
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
generous handful of flat leaved parsley, chopped
good quality extra virgine olive oil
salt

Using mandolin or similar tool, slice up the courgette/zucchini in thin, small circles.
Heat up the oil and fry the slices, to make something of zucchini crisps. (not too many at a time, so you can cook them evenly. Take care not to burn them to death!)
Dry the slices well on a few layers of paper towel.
Quickly sautè the chopped garlic separately in a small skillet, again taking care not to burn them. (Take it off from the heat as soon as the garlic start to take on some golden colour. They will continue to cook in a hot oil!)
Place them in a large bowl, toss with the garlic, balsamic vinegar, parsley, evoo (as much/little as preferred) and salt (see the amount for evoo).

*ideally you could fry the courgette in olive oil, but since it costs a lot (especially overseas!), use a regular light tasting veg. oil to deep fry, and after drying them off drizzle over a little of the good olive oil for a flavour!

Insalata di funghi (Mushroom salad)

2009-02-25T17:48:00.003+01:00

I had always believed it would be a complete waste of delicious food to eat mushrooms while they were raw, and I was very dubious about this recipe until I tried it once. Now I do make an exception with this lovely salad and it became one of my favourite shroom recipes!! Even if you also a staunch believer of cooked shrooms, trying is believing!! :-D

Insalata di funghi (Mushroom salad)

Ingredients for 2:
-500g/1lb White button mushrooms (Champignones), the fresher and larger the better!
-generous bunch of rocket/arugula (roughly chopped)
-80g/3oz.of bresaola or speck, if neither is available good quality smoked ham or lean hard salami, thinly sliced then finely julienned.
-80g/3oz.of parmigiano or aged pecorino, thinly shaved (NOT finely grated)
-grated peel of 1 lemon + the rest of the lemon
-mild gourmet mustard (I use either french dijon with whole mustard seeds, or german/bavarian style sweet mustard)
-good quality Extra Virgine Olive Oil

Wash the mushrooms, remove the stems and save them for other recipes (sugo, omelette etc...). peel off the thin outer surface of the cap. Then slice them as thinly as possible, or with mandoline or food processor will greatly help the task!
Toss in the rocket, bresaola/speck, cheese and lemon zest, squeeze the lemon juice over, and blend everything gently.
Serve the salad into individual serving bowl/plate, then spoon on the mustard and a drizzle of the oil, blend it into the salad and enjoy!!

Connie's Fresh Apple Cake

2009-02-23T16:42:00.004+01:00

This has become my favourite apple cake recipe in the last few years, but the credit goes to my friend Connie, whom I met at a cooking forum . The basic recipe was told by her, which I modified it in my own way just a bit. It is very simple to make, even I, who is quite pitiful at cake baking, manage to make this a success every time and it tastes absolutely gorgeous!!

Connie's Fresh Apple Cake

Ingredients:
2 eggs
200g sugar
2 tsps baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon
a few drops of vanilla essence
250g flour
diced fresh apples (3-4 depending on the size of the apples)
60g butter, softened
80g chopped walnuts
*optional* unbroken, unchipped halved walnuts for decoration

FROSTING:
200g mascarpone (if unavailable you can use fresh spreadable creamy white cheese, quark or philadelphia type)
50g butter
a few drops of vanilla
enough powder sugar to make a suitable consistency for frosting

Directions:
Cream eggs and sugar. Add next 8 ingredients. Pour into a round greased pan, about 25cm diametre.
(at this point the mixture has very little moisture. However have no fear, the juice from the apples oozes out while the cake is cooking)
Bake at 175° for 45 minutes. Let it cool.

Cream together mascarpone, butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla, adding gradually the sugar, to the desired consistency(it must not be runny, pretty dense but manageable).
Spread thoroughly on the cake.

The cake may be spruced up with some halved walnuts on the surface, as in the above pic.. :-)

Pizzoccheri alla Valtellina

2009-02-22T22:35:00.004+01:00

Pizzoccheri alla Valtellina (Lombardia)

Pizzoccheri is a very special type of pasta made with buckwheat flour, a specialty of Valtelline, the alpine region of Lombardia, north of Italy. Buckwheat gives an earthy nutty flavour to the pasta, making this recipe truly unique. It is so tasty, you may explore many possibilities using different ingredients, apart from this well preserved traditional recipe!

Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese

Ingredients for 4 (approx):

-250g of buckwheat flour
-100g of regular flour + extra for dusting the board
-pinch of salt
-200g potatoes, peeled and diced in small cubes (1 large or 2-3 smaller ones)
-600g of shredded vegetable – the traditional recipe calls for cabbage, but I find chopped broccoli, halved brussel sprouts or spinach tastier.
-1 Onion, finely chopped
-150g of cheese, alpine cheeses from northern Italy, such as casera, bitto, fontina would be ideal, also gouda, edam, emmental or any kind that melts well with heat can be used. A few different kind of cheeses can be mixed as well, a little gorgonzola (about 50g of it) will add a lovely flavour!
-100g of grated parmigiano or grana padano
-2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
(if available) A few leaves of fresh sage, finely shredded
-100g butter
-dash of white pepper

-knead vigorously together the flours with a pinch of salt, adding just enough water. You need to play around the amount of water, adding little by little for a right consistency taking care not to get it too soggy. The consistency should be on the firm side. Keep on kneading well for at least 15 minutes until it attains a smooth somewhat elastic texture (but not as elastic as the egg based pasta).

-roll out the dough on a flat surface well dusted with flour (keep more flour handy as you work!), stretch it out with a rolling pin to about 3mm thickness (a bit thicker than regular fresh pasta) then cut into short strips about 1cm x 6-8cm (1/3 inch x 2-3 inch).

-cut the cheeses in either small cubes or slices.

-Steam the vegetable to a desired doneness (I prefer them on the al dente side, with the bright colour still intact!)

-In a skillet melt the butter, and gently sautè the chopped onion, minced garlic and sage. When the onion softens and become semi transparent, add the steamed vegetable and mix them well. Turn off the heat and cover and keep warm (if the pasta is not ready at the time).

-Meanwhile boil plenty of water in a large pot, add a pinch of salt then the pasta and potatoes, bring it back to boil and continue to cook for 5 minutes (or until the pasta is cooked al dente, taste a piece before draining).

-drain the pasta+potatoes well, then quickly toss them in a big bowl with the garlic/veg/butter mixture, cheeses and dash of pepper until cheeses are melted and well blended in.

-serve it piping hot.

Note 1: You may be able to find a ready made pasta dried and prepackaged (called pizzoccheri) in a specialty food store or large supermarkets which stock imported items. This will save some work but it will take longer cooking time (anywhere from 10-15minutes, consult with the instruction on the package).

Note 2: Modification from the above recipe, instead of the steamed cabbage/broccoli etc., I also like sautéed radicchio or mushrooms, which can be cooked with onion, garlic and butter. With radicchio, sometimes I may add shredded speck for additional flavour.

Savoury Mushrooms Au Gratin

2009-02-20T14:51:00.003+01:00

Here is another very tasty dish that will surely please any shroom heads like myself. The original idea and the real credit goes to Kadesma, a dear friend whom I met at a cooking forum. I modified her recipe slightly. This amount listed will serve anywhere from 2 hungry mushroom-heads to 4.

600-700g mushrooms, ideally porcini, oyster or portobello, but regular button mushrooms work just as well.
2 large cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
4-5 shallots or 1 onion, thinly sliced
Good fistful of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Dash of dry marjoram
salt and pepper
80g evoo
splash of balsamic vinegar
butter for sautè, baking dish + for topping, circa 100g

1/2-c. fresh bread crumbs
1/4-c. freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano

Clean the mushrooms. Cut into small chunks if porcini are used, strip into thin pieces for oyster mushrooms, thin slices for portobello or button mushrooms (champignons).
put garlic, onion, parsley, marjoram,salt,pepper, evoo and vinegar in a good sized bowl.
Add mushrooms, mix well and marinate for a few hours, stirring occasionally.
Melt 1/2 the butter in heavy skillet. Sautè the marinated mushroom mixture thoroughly.
Pour the sautèed mixture in a buttered medium baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and cheese dot with remaining butter. Place dish under preheated broiler for some minutes until the top is golden brown. (Watch closely so it doesn't burn)

Kaiserschmarren

2009-02-19T12:31:00.004+01:00

Kaiserschmarren (Trentino-Alto Adige)

This pancaky omelette/omeletty pancake is originally an austrian recipe, but it is very popular also in the alpine region of Italy. You can make a savoury version with cheese, chives, asparagus etc., but for a first try I definitely recommend this sweet version!! Lovely for brunch or afternoon tea, but it also offers great opportunity for us sweet toothes to enjoy a full sweet dinner!!

Kaiserschmarren

Ingredients to feed 4 hungry people

100g(3,5oz) sultana/raisins
6tbsp of rum (optional)
8 eggs, separated
8tbsp sugar
vanilla essence
2 pinches of salt
100g (3,5oz) flour
200ml (7 oz) milk
125g (4+oz, or 1 stick?) butter
100g almond slivers
powdered sugar
your choice of fruit comport or jam

Rinse the sultanas(raisins) with cold water, drain well and soak in the rum (or water).
Whip the eggwhite, gradually adding 4 tbsp of sugar, until firm.
Beat together the yolk, 4tbsp of sugar, salt and a drop or two of vanilla.
Add to the yolk mixture the flour, then milk, and the sultanas, mix well.
Finally, gently fold in the whipped eggwhite.

Melt half of the butter in a large skillet. (preferably cast iron)
When the skillet and the butter is well heated, pour in the mixture.
When the bottom side becomes golden brown, roughly cut up the mixture, using a spatula or large fork, to something like bite sizes or slightly bigger.
Add another half of butter and almonds, toss around and cook until they are nicely golden brown all round.
Generously coat with powdered sugar before serving, serve with your favourite fruit comport or jam, enjoy them while piping hot!!

Trentinian Apple risotto

2009-02-18T12:01:00.004+01:00

This is the newest and pretty exciting addition to my risotto repertoire. As versatile as they are, apples are not one of the first ingredients that come to your mind when you are making a risotto. I found this recipe in a book of regional cooking from Trentino-Alto Adige, the alpine region north of Italy where the apples are one of their most famous local products. It inspired me a lot so I gave it a try, it bursts with the interesting fusion of flavours savoury, sweet and a touch of tartness, gave a fresh and pleasant twist from the usual risotto you may be familiar with. The ideal apples for this recipes are the ones from the Trentino region, however any type of apples that have firm flesh and not too sweet but not entirely sour (Royal Gala, Stark, Fuji etc.) would be perfect!

Ingredients: to feed about 4 people
360g Carnaroli rice (if carnaroli can’t be found Arborio will do)
3 medium apples
1 lemon
200ml white wine
1 onion, finely chopped
40g butter
600-800ml steaming hot vegetable broth
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Freshly grated parmigiano or grana padano

Method:
1. Peel, core and cut the apples in small chunks. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chunks and mix very well in a bowl.
2. Sautè the chopped onion in butter in a saucepan. When onions are entirely soft, add the rice, continue to sauté stirring continuously, until the rice is semi transparent.
3. Add 100ml of white wine to the sauce pan and stir well. As soon as it start to boil, turn the heat to very low. Continue to stir to avoid sticking at the bottom.
4. When the liquid is almost absorbed (not entirely dry but very little excess liquid left) Add a ladleful of the hot broth. Stir often. As the liquid get absorbed, continue to add another ladleful of the broth. *
5. In the meanwhile, cook the apples with another 100ml of wine and about 100ml of water in a separate saucepan for about 5 minutes.
6. After 15 minutes of cooking the rice, add the apple mixture and a dash of cinnamon, mix thoroughly.
7. Continue on cooking until the rice attains the desired consistency, another 5 minutes or a little more.
8. Serve with generous serving of freshly grated parmigiano, or grana padano.

*this method of adding the liquid a little at a time and stirring continuously, may look very tedious, but is actually the secret of making a delicious risotto. This ensures the proper distribution of the flavour, coating every morsel of the rice richly with the condiments! So be patient!

Creamy Mushroom Lasagne

2009-02-17T20:37:00.003+01:00

I just love shrooms, and love to invent dishes dedicated to this adored ingredient of mine... I whipped up this lasagne on a whim, and turned out to be a big hit! :-D The description became a little long and ended up looking complicated, but if you ever made a regular lasagne, the method is pretty much the same... just the difference of using mushroom mixture instead of tomato based meat sauce. Warning: like so many of my recipes, the exact amount of ingredients were never measured... they are all approximate, so please prepared to be a little flexible! (I am sure if you are interested in this recipe, you wouldn't mind a little extra mushrooms, or cheese or bechamel, so better to be on the generous side :-) )

Ingredients:

Egg based lasagna sheets: about 400g, or enough to cover 20cmx30cm (8x12 in.) baking dish in 4 layers. Fresh ones are ideal (especially home made!), but you can also use certain type of dry sheets, for example Barilla "oven ready" http://www.barillaus.com/Home/Pages/Lasagne_OvenReady.aspx.

2 large onions, or 3 smaller ones, finely chopped
800g-1kg button mushrooms (champignons), thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
3 generous tablespoons of butter
dash of majoram
dash of oregano
generous fistful of fresh flat leaved parsley, chopped (optional)
salt & pepper

250-300g solid mozzarella (the kind generally used for pizzas, sold in larger block or log, not the pure white moist ones conserved in liquid), diced or thinly sliced*

500ml+ bechamel sauce (Packaged Bechamel can be found ready to use in supermarkets, but it is also fairly easy to whip up. recipe is listed below!) **

60-80g freshly grated parmigiano or grana padano

Method:

1. In a large skillet melt the butter, add the onions, mushrooms and garlic, season with the majoram, oregano and s+p. Cover and simmer on a moderate heat, stirring occasionally.
Continue to cook until onions and mushrooms are completely softened.
By keeping the cover on you will extract the liquid to cover the bottom of the baking dish. If it gets too watery, remove the cover and let it evaporate.

2. Line a 20x30cm baking dish (or 8x12 in... normal rectangular size?) with a wax paper as neatly as possible. Or you can generously butter the surface alternatively.

3. Scoop out the liquid from the mushroom mixture, and generously and thoroughly wet the bottom of the dish.

4. Lay the first sheet of the lasagna pasta sheet.

5. Spread some of the mushroom mixture evenly on the surface (keeping in mind the shroom layers going to be repeated 3 times)

6. then sprinkle over the mozzarella cubes/slices. considering the cheese will melt and spread out, you don't need to cover the surface entirely. (you are going to run out of the cheese way too early!) sort of dot them over the mushrooms as evenly as possible.

7. sprinkle a little bechamele over, again sort of dot them around, otherwise you will get a lasagna swimming in bechamelle "soup"!

Repeat the procedure from 4. to 7. 2 more times.

8. Now Pour the bechamelle this time generously over the surface, making sure you will cover every corner of the pasta so it won't dry out in the process of cooking.

9. Cover the baking dish tightly with a foil and bake in the oven at 180°C/350°F for 30min.

10. Take out the dish and remove the foil. Turn up the oven to 210°C/425°F. Sprinkle generously with the grated parmigiano/grana padano.

11. Return the lasagne in the oven, bake for another 10-15min. or until the surface becomes golden brown.

*if the right kind of mozzarella can not be found, you could use a good quality ricotta, or other type of cheese that melts well with the heat, such as provola, fontina, gouda, emmental etc.

**Bechamel sauce
50g butter
500ml whole milk (room temp.)
50g flour
salt
pinch of nutmeg (optional)

melt the butter in a double boiler on a medium heat.
vigorously whisk the milk and flour together until smooth.
add the milk/flour mixture into the double boiler and stir well.
season with a little salt and nutmeg
Stir often in order to keep the texture smooth, and continue to cook until the mixture attains a desired density.

Tiramisu Piemontese

2009-02-16T23:18:00.001+01:00

Tiramisu Piemontese (Piemonte)

To kick off MuchoGusto the blog with a style, I needed a very special recipe with an universal appeal, yet something typically Italian, and something SWEET. After racking my head over some tough choices, I picked Tiramisu for my starter, even though its a classic dessert!

I love desserts and many of my favourite foods are from this department, although my partner Cristiano is much more expert in baking... here is one recipe he taught me, one of the most celebrated italian desserts and and there is no baking required!! yum, yum!
There are several theories as to the origin of Tiramisu, but Cristiano found this recipe from a Piemontese (the region around Turin) cookbook years ago and proved to be a winner!
Tiramisu Piemontese

Ingredients:
700g/ 1,5 lb mascarpone
6 very fresh (essential!!) eggs (5 if eggs are particularly large)
100g / 3,5 oz sugar
half cup of Marsala wine
1 cup (circa, more if needed) freshly brewed coffee (not too strong, slightly diluted) or little more as needed.
600g / 1 lb + 5oz Savoiardi or lady fingers
pure cocoa powder unsweetened
sweetened cocoa powder

Instruction:

Separate eggs. Beat together yolks, sugar, wine and mascarpone until the mixture attains a smooth creamy texture.
Whip the eggwhite vigorously until it becomes solid. (do this patiently with "high energy", if it is not solid enough the end result will be soggy and soupy!)
Carefully fold in the whipped eggwhite into the mascarpone/york mixture, blend them well and evenly.

Mix 2 teaspoonful of sugar into the coffee, then pour in a container large enough to dip savoiardi/lady fingers comfortably. dip each pieces of biscuits into the coffee quickly, (wet the entire surface for a moment but not until it gets soggy all the way through) lay them neatly in one layer at the bottom of a large square/rectangular baking dish (or 2 medium).
pour half of the cream (mascarpone/egg mixture) evenly over the savoiardi, then sprinkle the sweetened cocoa powder to cover the surface.

Arrange another layer of savoiardi on top, repeat with the cream, then top it off with unsweetened pure cocoa powder.

Chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Ciao from Rome!!

2009-02-16T15:43:00.000+01:00

Ciao everyone!!

As some of you may already know, I am Licia, that cat-mad person from Rome who is always getting up to something in her kitchen in Rome... ;-)
Anyhow I've finally decided to get my recipes together over here, as the notes from my facebook profile is getting a little messy lol!! To start with I am going to start copying all the recipes I already entered over there so for those of you who have been following my notes, it will be the same familiar stuff for a while, but be patient with me very soon I will start writing the whole new series of goodies!!
For a starter, I would like to let you all have a few vistas of my kitchen, where all the fun begins...

Mucho gusto mi amigos, and buon appetito a tutti!!

Licia