Tortei di Patate

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.

Strangolapreti (Trentino-Alto Adige)

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.

Risotto al Radicchio

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.

Ricciarelli

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.

Oven Roasted Bell Peppers

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.

Stuffed Zucchini (Courgette) Flowers

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.

Melanzane (aubergine) alla Parmigiana

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.

Pasta alla Norma

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.

Caponata Siciliana

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

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!

Classic Bruschetta

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.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

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.

Pastiera Napoletana

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.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

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.

Stuffed Tomatoes alla Romana

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.

Pesto alla Genovese

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.

Pizzoccheri alla Valtellina

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.

Kaiserschmarren

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!!

Tiramisu Piemontese

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.