Italian Kitchen Secrets: butter

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7/11/2012

Cheese cigars.

This is a quick-quick-quick appetizer recipe, you can put the cheese you prefer inside, in the picture you can see cheddar because that was the cheese I had at home at the moment but they're fabulous with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese too or parmesan, a little mozzarella and rosemary.

You need:

toast bread in slices

same amount of cheese slices or diced mozzarella and tomato sauce

a little butter

Cut out the crust from bread slices, pass them under a rollpin to flatten then put on every slice a slice of cheese or a little tomato and mozzarella.

Roll the cigars, melt a small amount of butter in a pan then cook untill golden (first the seam side down to prevent them from open).

Serve hot, if you make the tomato-mozzarella version be aware that the filling will pour a little more than with plain cheese.

3/17/2010

Beer crostini ( Crostini alla birra).

A quick recipe for a dinner with friends.

Beer- related to celebrate St. Patrick's day!

For 4 serves:

8 slices of stale- tuscan bread

3 1/2 oz. butter (non salted)

7 oz. cheese ( fontina or any other cheese that melt well)

1/2 cup beer

a sprinkle of black pepper

Toast bread in the oven then spread butter on the slices.

In a pan "bain-marie" let melt cheese chopped in cubes with beer mixing consistently.

Spread melted cheese on bread and add a sprinkle of black pepper then bake for 5-10 minutes at 345° F.

Have a nice time with this recipe!

4/14/2009

Four cheeses pasta ( Pasta ai quattro formaggi)

Here we are, still sad but strong and hopefully.

Today a quick recipe, in poor words a tasty way to season pasta.

Gorgonzola cheese is quite savoury, if you don't like you can omitt it and use double parmesan or another cheese you like.

For 4 serves:

1 pound pasta (dried one: fusilli, maccheroni, penne or any kind of short shape)

1/3 cup grated parmesan

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

3 oz. gorgonzola cheese in crumbles

4 oz. fontina cheese in crumbles

3 oz. mascarpone cheese

black pepper if you like

Cook pasta the usual way untill it's al dente.

Meanwhile in a large saucepan heat butter and heavy cream on low heat.

Add cheeses and stir untill they're completely melted, then add pepper.

Drain pasta, pour it into the saucepan, stir and cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes, put in dishes and serve hot.

This sauce is great to season potado gnocchi too.

4/02/2009

Rice crispies and Mars cake ( Torta al riso soffiato e Mars)

I suppose you well know what a Mars snack is.

To tell you the truth I can't find it tasty even if I'm fond of mou cream.

This cake is something that, according to me, only children can love...

But for their parties it's so useful because it's quick and can be stored for a long time, it doesn't need spoons, plates or forks and it's totally junk :P

You need:

6 mars snacks

8 1/2 oz. rice crispies (white or chocolate ones)

3 1/2 butter

Divide mars in little pieces, put in a pan with butter and let it melt "bagnomaria".

When butter and melted mars will be well amalgamated add rice crispies and mix, keeping on low heat always "bagnomaria".

Take a baking tin (better if it's one with border that can be opened), pour the mix and press well with a spoon or even hands.

Let it get cold at room temperature, before serving take it out of the tin and cut with a long knife in slices or squares or brills.

If you want to decor the cake put on the bottom of the cake tin coloured chocolate coriandoli then pour the mixture: they will remain sticked to the cake.

P.S. : I rember this recipe from my childhood, especially in birthday parties but I never did it personally.

On the web the measures vary a lot so try this one than seems to me a good proportion then adjust the recipe following your taste (more mars, less butter or whatever).

3/03/2009

Granny cake ( Torta della nonna)

I've seen that "granny cake" in english means a pineapple cake: this is something else but I wanted to translate the Italian name literally.

This cake is one of my favourite, it's so easy, plain but rich in flavour and so "country" to see.

You need:

For the shortcrust pastry:

12 oz. all purpose flour

1 bag baking pownder

4 oz. butter

6 oz. sugar

1 egg

1 yolk

a sprinkle of salt

For the cream:

3 1/2 cups milk

peel of half a lemon

7 oz. sugar

8 yolks

1 1/2 oz. all purpose flour

1 vanilla pod (or vanilla aroma)

For the decoration:

pine kernel

icing sugar

Put milk, vanilla and lemon peel in a pan, put on medium heat.

In a bowl beat the yolks with sugar untill you have a foaming cream, then add flour and mix well.

Add hot milk to the yolk cream little by little, mixing then put the liquid again in the cooking pan and put on light heat mixing untill the cream become dense: at this point cook other 5 minutes then turn off fire.

Keep off vanilla pod and lemon peel.

Let it get cold.

Now knead shortcrust pastry: mix flour with baking powder, add soften butter and knead.

Add also egg, yolk, a salt sprinkle and sugar, knead again untill you have a a smooth dough loaf, close it in a clin film and let rest in fridge for at least one hour.

Stretch the shortcrust pastry on the bottom and sides (let some dough more out of the tin) of a round baking tin, prick the bottom with a fork, pour the cream, spread it well, cover with pine kernel, refold the plus of dough on the cake.

Put in hot oven at 345 F° for about 40 minutes, let it cold and cover with icing sugar.

2/10/2009

Mussels in garlic butter sauce ( Cozze in intingolo bianco)

Easy way to cook mussels, prepare a lot of plain crusty bread slices to serve with it because you have to sup up in the sauce!

This quantity is intended as a starter dish (the most part of the wheight are shells) but often people here could have a whole meal with mussels and crusty bread so don't worry and abound^^.

So delicious!

You need for 4:

2 pounds fresh and cleaned mussels

2 minced garlic cloves

a bunch of finely chopped fresh parsley

4 oz. butter (unsalted)

salt & pepper

a glass of white dry wine

Put in a large pan the mussels with butter, garlic, parsley salt and pepper and wine.

Light the stove up, high heat, let the mussels stew for about 15 minute.

Turn off the fire, check the mussels and discard the ones that do not open, put the good ones in a serving bowl then filter the sauce with a strain (this is because often moussels, even if cleaned, leave little pieces of dirt/shell/sand and so on) and pour over the mussels.

You can serve also in individual little bowls, in this case divide equally the sauce and add bread crouton aside and a little bunch of fresh parsley to garnish.

2/08/2009

Tenerina cake (Torta tenerina)

It's Valentine's day period, everyone is looking for presents, flowers, chocolate.

I read everywhere of women and girls in search of chocolate treats for their men so I decidet to post the recipe of a very particoular cake, Tenerina cake.

It's a typical dessert from Ferrara city (not far from Bologna, I've got there my uncles and cousins, it's a little and quiet city, perfect for a slow kind of life, for bicycles, famous for the ferrarese bread).

This cake remains very short, humid: it's normal, it's quite a sort of brownie to tell the truth.

You need:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

8 oz. dark chocolate

1 1/2 oz. milk

3 eggs

salt (a sprinkle)

Chop chocolate then melt it with milk "bagnomaria" (in a double saucepan).

In a bowl mix butter and sugar untill you obtain a cream then add 3 egg yolks and flour.

Let the chocolate getting warm then add to the cream mixing.

In a bowl apart whip the egg whites up with a sprinkle of salt (the egg whites should be at room temperature) then add them to the chocolate mixture mixing carefully and slowly.

Pour it in a buttered cake tin and cook for about 25 minutes at 300 F°.

When the cake is cold sprinkle with icing sugar, you can also make or buy a heart-shaped stencil and use it to decor the cake with sugar; you can serve it with whipped cream aside.

1/14/2009

Veal escalopes Roman style (Saltimbocca alla romana)

This is a great classic of Roman cooking.

It's delicious, easy to prepare, children loves it.

Serve with a fresh plain salad or mashed potadoes.

If you prefer you can substitute white wine with Marsala wine or Brandy and veal meat with pork or turkey: everyone has his own version and recipe...

You need for 4:

14 ounces of veal in thin slices (about 1/4 inches each)

3 1/2 ounces Parma ham in thin slices

a handful of sage leaves

1/2 a glass of white dry wine

1 ounces butter

salt and pepper

flour

Flour the veal slices, put on each one a slice of Parma ham (same size more or less, help yourself with a scissor if you need) and over the ham put a leaf of sage.

Fix everything with a toothpick.

Heat a large skillet, add butter, when it fries add the escalopes (if they're too many for the pan cook in more than one times: take the cooked ones in the warm on a plate near the stove), salt and pepper and the white wine.

Cook for 2 minutes on each side, serve hot with the side dish.

9/30/2008

Perch fish with lemon sauce (Pesce persico al limone)

Today I have a very quick and easy recipe, light and tasty, a great solution for dinner when you don't want to cook for hours.

Take a perch fish fillet (one per person), flour it on each side, put it in a pan where you melted a little butter with a garlic clove, let it golden then add the juice of two lemons and salt.

Let it cook for a while (perch is really quick to cook), keep off garlic and at the end add a little parsley if you like.

Here you are the dinner!

So fast and so good...Isn't it easy?

If you don't like lemon you can do the same with white wine.

Of couse you can serve it with any kind of side dish, boiled potadoes and carrots are the best according to me.

9/23/2008

Pot roast with porcini mushrooms ( Arrosto ai funghi porcini)

To celebrate Fall today I post the recipe of a great "sunday special": pot roast with porcini mushrooms.

You can use any other kind of mushrooms of course but porcini are definetely the most yummy according to me!

I often prepare this pot roast when I've friends for dinner: it's always loved.

Ingredients:

2 lb beef roast

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil

1/5 oz dried porcini soaked in warm water

1/2 lb fresh porcini, chopped or frozen chopped porcini

1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup white dry whine

1/2 cup meat broth (or canned broth)

salt

pepper

Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper, in a saucepan put the butter, the oil and the garlic cloves turn the heat (medium) and when the fat starts foaming add the meat.

Brown the meat on each side add wine and let it evaporate.

Drain the soaked porcini and chop them, filter the brown water and add it to the roast with broth and mushrooms.

Add also fresh/ frozen porcini and turn the heat to moderate.

Turn the meat a couple of times during the cooking, let it cook covered until the meat is tender, near the end add parsley .

To slice the meat you must let it become cold or at least warm: then put it again in the pan with sauce and warm it, then serve.

So good with roasted potadoes or potadoes puree!

Have a nice fall!

4/27/2008

Grandma's lemon chicken (Pollo al limone della nonna)

ingredients/6 persons:

6 chicken tights (or even better the upper part)

4 carrots

1 onion

2 celery stalks

1 lemon

3 laurel leaves

parsley

flour

white wine

salt

butter

extra virgin olive oil

Keep off skin from chicken tights then pass them in the flour.

Chop in tiny pieces carrots celery and onion, put in a pan with a little butter and a little E.V.O. oil, add a glass of white wine, laurel leaves, 3 slices of lemon (keep off skin and white part and seeds) salt and half a glass of water.

Cover and let it cook gently for about 15 min. then add tights.

Add a little water if needed (the vegetable sauce must remain really creamy) and cover again.

Cook for about 45 min., turn the meat sometimes.

5 min. before turning off fire add juice of half a lemon and parsley as much as you prefer.

Keep off laurel leaves before serving, it's fantastic with mashed potadoes.

This is my grandma's best recipe according to me: enjoy it!!

3/03/2008

Fennel gratin (Finocchi al gratin).

Inspired by a request from a member of DC (Discuss cooking) today I post the recipe to use in a tasty way fennels.
Chop each fennel in four, then boil them in salty hot water untill they're soft.
Put them in a pirex pan with thin slice of butter and cover with grated parmesan.
Let them golden under the grill and serve.
If you want to add taste and softness you can use bechamel instead of butter: cover fennels and mix well then use parmesan.
You can do the same with boiled cauliflower, it's fantastic!
It's a light alternative to pasta al forno or a tasty side dish.

Italian Kitchen Secrets

7/11/2012

Cheese cigars.

3/17/2010

Beer crostini ( Crostini alla birra).

4/14/2009

Four cheeses pasta ( Pasta ai quattro formaggi)

4/02/2009

Rice crispies and Mars cake ( Torta al riso soffiato e Mars)

3/03/2009

Granny cake ( Torta della nonna)

2/10/2009

Mussels in garlic butter sauce ( Cozze in intingolo bianco)

2/08/2009

Tenerina cake (Torta tenerina)

1/14/2009

Veal escalopes Roman style (Saltimbocca alla romana)

9/30/2008

Perch fish with lemon sauce (Pesce persico al limone)

9/23/2008

Pot roast with porcini mushrooms ( Arrosto ai funghi porcini)

4/27/2008

Grandma's lemon chicken (Pollo al limone della nonna)

3/03/2008

Fennel gratin (Finocchi al gratin).

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