Italian Kitchen Secrets: baking

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7/27/2014

Lemon & feta zucchini rolls.

Time for a new post!

It's sunday afternoon, my son is playing alone (miracle) with his Legos and I had the time to post this on my Italian blog La mora Romagnola, now I hope to have spare time enough to translate and post the recipe here too.

These rolls are easy and tasty, vegetarian (or vegan if you avoid feta cheese) and gluten free if you use GF breadcrumbs.

I loved them and I must admit I've eaten almost half before dinner. B)

4 servings:

3 big and long zucchini

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup feta cheese

zest from 1 organic lemon

5-6 mint leaves

extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Using a vegetable slicer slice zucchini the long side, you have to end with long and thin "ribbons" made of zucchini.

Put them on a soup bowl, cover with a dinner plate, put in a microwave and microwave 2-3 minutes at medium power.

In a mixer put breadcrumbs, feta, lemon zest, mint leaves, salt and pepper and oil enough to have a crumbled mixture.

Once zucchini ribbons are cold put them 3 in a row on the short side to make a longer ribbon, spread the mixture then roll carefully.

Fasten the roll with a toothpick.

Do the same with all the zucchini ribbons, put them on a baking pan, if you have spare mixture add it on top of the rolls then bake untill golden at 350°F (about 15 minutes).

You can serve them warm or cold, I'm sure you'll like them!

2/17/2013

Sicilian cupcakes.

I'm up to something on my Italian site: a "cupcakes project".

It's sort of challenge (with myself and contribution from friends and fans) to create twenty different cupcakes, each one to match one of the Regions of Italy for ingredients and traditions.

Probably you can't name many of these Regions, I can recall some of them to your memory: Tuscany, Lombardy, Liguria and Sicily are the most famous among foreigners I think.

I don't want to post all the cupcakes I'm going to make because it will be difficult for you to find all the ingredients but I made Sicilian ones thinking of Sicilian cannoli which are quite famous worldwide then I thought you would like to try them.

With this recipe you'll have 8 cupcakes.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 tbs Marsala wine (if you like)

1 egg

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 ts baking powder

1/3 cup melted butter

1 pinch of salt

3 tbs candied orange

milk as needed to make the dough creamy

Frosting:

1+1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1/3 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

8 candied cherries

Finely chop the candied orange, mix all the dry ingredients then add egg, butter, Marsala and milk enough to make the dough creamy.

Fill the muffin pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 F°.

Beat ricotta cheese with sugar with an elettric mixer untill fluffy then add chocolate chips and mix with a spoon.

If you want to use a sac-a-poche to spread the icing be sure to use a tip large enough to let the chocolate pass.

Yes I did the mistake if you're asking...

I had to cut the sac-a-poche and I had to use it without tip (you can see it from the photo...)

Add a candied cherry on top to decorate.

1/21/2013

Condensed milk cake.

I found this recipe HERE, it's easy and really quick, I've just added a step beating whites untill firm.
It's good for breakfast or tea time, you can try it with different kind of flours like chestnut flour or buckwheat to find new tastes and consistences.

1 can condensed and sweetened milk (400 gm)

4 Eggs

1 cup Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder

1/2 cup melted Butter + some to grease the pan

Brush the cake pan with butter, mix all the ingredients in a bowl except egg whites: you have to whip them untill firm then mix them with the rest of the dough.
Pour in the cake pan then bake in preheated oven ( 175 F°) for about 30-40 minutes.
You can fill it with marmelade, jam or chocolate cream.

8/31/2012

Crazy crust, pasta matta.

As promised I'm back not only with news and chats but also with recipes!

Today I post you a basic recipe that will come on hands to you, I'm sure!

This is a good recipe to make tarts and pies, especially salty ones.

This is low on fat and really cheap, a good alternative to phyllo pastry or puff pastry.

It's good with soggy fillings and keep a good shape after baking.

This is a recipe for a 4-6 serving tart.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

a pinch of salt

1/4 cup sparkling water, cold

Mix all the ingredients untill you have a smooth and non sticky dough, you may need more or less water, add it little by litte.

Let the dough rest for few minutes then spread it and use it for your pie or tart.

You can bake it but also deep fry it, making little calzoni with tomato and mozzarella cheese for istance.

6/14/2012

Honey buns extra-light.

This recipe came out from a magazine clipping that arrived to me through a close friend some years ago.

It was about "honey cookies" but, even if I followed it to perfection, what I had at the end was very far from a cookie!

Anyway the taste is good and dainty and this recipe is so light that can become a non-guilty treat.

You need:

1/2 cup milk or less

1 egg

2 cups 1/4 all purpose flour

1/2 cup honey

baking powder

Mix warm honey with flour and baking powder, add egg then milk enough to have a smooth dough.

Let it rest for about 1 hour in the fridge, covered, then knead again and divide it into pieces of about 0.70 oz., put them on a baking tin, brush with a little milk then bake for 15-20 minutes at 355 F°.

They're good but the day after they become a little bit stale because they have no fat inside, keep them in a plastic bag to prevent it or heat them a little before eating them.

You can add about 1/2 cup of butter to the mix to have a richer treat.

6/07/2012

Eggplants' minipizzas.

Ok we're still shaking, many families lost their homes and maybe even worst their workplaces (it's a place full of factories, stock-breedings and dairies) but we're strong and ready to rebuild everything bigger and better.
I'm trying to do my part with some clothes and other things donation and today I'm back here with a recipe, sign that lie goes on anyway.
It's easy and light, very yummy and I have to thank my friend Miky for it!

Serving 2:

1 big eggplant

tomato sauce

mozzarella cheese

basil or oregano

salt and pepper to taste

anything you like to top your pizzas with

Cut your eggplants into about 0,30 inches round slices, sprinkle with a little salt, let them rest untill some water appears on the slices, dry them with kitchen paper and put on a slightly greased baking tin then cover with a spoon of tomato sauce, some mozzarella, salt and pepper and theherbs you like.
Bake for about 15 minutes at 390 F°, when they're almost ready add other toppings if you like.

5/13/2012

Zucchini bites.

Lovely idea found somewhere on Pinterest: I've tried them, they're simply and delicious.

I prefer them room temperature rather than hot or warm, not tried cold.

I used a mini muffins pan (so hard to find it in Italy...Two friends of mine ordered it and gave to me as Christmas present and I still say thank you!), I don't think they would turn out well in a regoular muffin pan: too big, there's the risk they remain soggy inside.

This week end in my city there's a big flower fair: if you like flowers and gardens give a look to my facebook page, I've posted a lot of pics!

For 12 mini muffins:

1 medium zucchini grated

1/2 onion grated or finely diced

salt & pepper

1/2 smashed garlic clove

1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, if it's seem too liquid add a little more bread crumbs, put the mixture with a spoon into the muffin holes (grease them if you don't have a non sticky pan).

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 F°, serve room temperature.

5/09/2012

Ricotta braids.

Time for a new recipe today!

A great treat for your mornings, lovely to see delicious to eat!

They're also light, no eggs, no butter!

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup 1/2 sugar

1 cup 3/4 fresh ricotta cheese

baking powder

grated zeist from 1 organic lemon

1 pinch salt

milk and sugar to decorate

Knead all the ingredients till you have a smooth loaf, divide it in bites about 2 oz. each, roll to have a cilinder then fold in two and twist the two parts.

Put the braids on a baking pan then brush with some milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake about 20-25 minutes at 340 F°.

Once cooled you can freeze the braids; when you need one just pick it up from freezer, wait 3-4 minutes then heat for a while in the oven.

They will be as good as just baked.

5/02/2012

Ricotta cheese rolls.

Nice recipe for a light afternoon break, for a children party or even for a simple treat for the whole family without regrets.

2+1/3 cups all purpose flour

7 spoons skimmed milk

7 spoons seeds oil

3 spoons sugar

2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavour

1 egg white

1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted and minced

1/2 dark chocolate drops

Mix ricotta cheese with milk, add sugar, salt, oil then the flour sifted with baking powder.

Knead untill you have a smooth loaf and let it rest into the fridge for about 1 hour.

Divide the dough in 2 parts, same size and with a rollpin spread them in a rectangular shape, spread the dough sheets with egg white, lightly whisked, then sprinkle with hazelnuts and chocolate drops.

Roll the two parts and cut each into slices about 1/2 inch tall.

Put them on a baking pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 356 F°.

When cold sprikle with icing sugar.

You can choose many other filling: cinnamon and apples, almonds and chocolate...Just chop them in tiny pieces!

4/29/2012

Gluten-free chocolate cake.

This flourless cake is very very similar to a chocolate cake made in Ferrara (North of Italy) that's called "Tenerina" (softy cake) and made the first time in honour of Elena Petrovich from Montenegro, married to Vittorio Emanuele III and their tender love.
It's really really easy and everyone can make it but it's really good.

4-oz dark chocolate coarsely chopped

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Melt chocolate with butter into the microwave at low temperature mixing now and then, add sugar, mix untill warm then add eggs one at time mixing well.
Add vanilla extract and sifted cocoa, mix and pour into a slightly greased 8 inch pan.
Bake at 375 F° about 20-25 minutes, cake will remain short, soft and moist.
Serve at room temperature with a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar.

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!

2/22/2010

Two-coloured ring-shaped cake ( Ciambellone bicolore).

from gingerandtomato.com

A nice recipe for morning breakfast or afternoon snack or...Well, whatever! LOL

I love it because I used to eat it when I was a child, my mum still often prepare it because it's quick, fast and have the smell of something made with love.

You need:

8 1/2 oz. all purpose flour

8 1/2 oz. sugar

3 eggs

4 1/2 oz. milk

4 1/2 oz. extra-virgin olive oil ( delicate taste)

1 bag baking powder

2 spoons cocoa powder

pearl sugar

Beat eggs with sugar untill smooth, add milk and oil and mix.

Add flour with baking powder and blend in.

Grease a ring- shaped cake pan and pour half of the mixture in it.

Into the half still in the bowl add cocoa and mix untill blended.

Pour gently over the first half and sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Put in preheated oven for about 40 minutes at 345 F°.

Oh now I'm starving to death for it, tomorrow I'll do a ciambellone! ^^

12/18/2009

Glass cookies ( Biscotti di vetro).

from lascimmiacruda.info

Hi everyone!

I'm still here, hanging around my blogs: little time to post but I don't want to give up, really!

The pregnancy is going on very well but I still feel sickness even if I passed the first three months: it's a little trouble compared to the happyness of the event but it still could be a big trouble if you manage a kitchen blog. ;)

This recipe is easy as one two three, you just need shortcrust pastry to make cookies, cookie cutters and hard candies, the colours and the flavours you prefer.

Now spread pastry about 1/4 inch and cut the shapes you like.

Inside the shape cut another hole, the same shape but little or rounded, it depends only on your creativity.

Crush hard candies on a chopping board and with candy's crumbles fill the hole in the centre of the cookie.

Cook in preheated oven for about 15 minutes at 345 F°, the crumbles will melt and create a nice "glass" panel inside your cookie.

They're so beautiful you can use them to decorate your Christmas' tree...

They would be nice in heart shaped and red for Valentine's day!

10/05/2009

Onion soup ( Zuppa di cipolle)

Maybe it's because the cold is slowly coming, maybe it's because I feel in need of comfort food but I'm here with a soup recipe again. :D

It' warm, creamy, tasty, cheap: anything better?

Don't worry about your breath, cooked onions don't make it smell!

For 4 serves you need:

2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

15 small blonde onions

salt and pepper

4-5 cups meat (better) or canned broth

1 cup fontina cheese chopped in dices

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan

8 big slices of rustic Italian bread, thick and stale

Heat in a big pan oil and butter, add finely sliced onions and let them stirfry mixing often.

Keep them on fire untill they're soft and golden.

Add salt and pepper.

In individual soup bowls put a dipper of meath broth, then a piece of stale bread, then cover with onions and add some fontina cubes.

Cover with another layer of bread and onions, add another little dipper of broth, spread a generous part of grated cheese.

Cover with an allumionion foil and put in preheated oven (around 375F°) and cook for about half an hour.

Check if the soup needs a little more broth, keep off the alluminium foil and cook 10 minutes more untill the grated cheese is brown, remove from the oven, let it rest for few minutes and serve hot or at least warm.

P.S.: You can use Pecorino cheese instead of Parmesan and another stringy cheese instead of Fontina if you can't find it.

5/17/2009

Icing cookies ( Biscotti glassati) second try.

This is not a recipe post but a "show off" about what I made this week end, taking inspiration from Pam ( http://cookiecrazie.blogspot.com/ ).
I've piped them, unluckly I have only one sac a poche so I can manage just one color at time...It's not so comfortable, next time I'll try to have more material to work with.
It's quite easy once you take confidence with icing but it's a long work!

5/10/2009

Mother's day (Festa della mamma).

I hadn't so much time to go in search of presents and to tell you the truth we're not so involved in this kind of celebrations (quite more an occasion to spend than to celebrate...).
But today we had to go to my grandma's house for lunch so I decided (yesterday at 11 p.m., I should have decided some hours earlier...But I'm a sort of night bird) to make a cake.

Something easy & peasy, just a shell of pastry with egg custard inside but because some pastry remained and I was so excited about my new purchases of food colours and sac a poche pipes I decided to make some heart cookies and two big flower cookies.

I decorated them with pink icing and these on the photos are the results.

Do you like them?

4/20/2009

Chiken baked into the salt (Pollo al sale)

First of all I have to say this is, more than a recipe, a way of cooking.

It's very tasty and very healthy because it doesn't need any kind of fat.

You can cook this way also fish like salmon or trouts, turkey or other kind of white meat in quite big pieces.

You need:

a whole chicken, cleaned inside

cooking salt about 8 pounds (it depends on how big is the chicken)

1 lemon well washed, preferably organic

rosemary

pepper

garlic

Put the lemon into the chicken, cover it and fill it with some rosemary and ground some pepper on the meat.

Put into a capacious pan a layer of cooking salt, put in the chicken then cover it with the rest of salt untill the meat is well sealed.

Put in the oven at high temperature, about 500°F for 1 hour and 15', then let it rest 30 minutes out of the oven.

Crush the salt crust with a knife handle or something hard then keep off the salt and serve chicken.

It will be tender and juicy because nothing was evaporated douring the cooking.

Of course the cooking time depends on the weight of the piece you're going to cook: pay attention!^^

3/30/2009

Giant homemade Oreos ( Biscotti al cioccolato accoppiati)

Oreos are sold in Italy too but not very loved.

I know that abroad, instead, they're really really appreciated, especially in the English-speaking world ( U.K., U.S.A. ...).

This is a funny and easy recipe to have really big kind of Oreo cookies, perfect for children and teen-ager parties but even for unformal meetings with friends maybe for a tv- movie night.

For 4 serves you need:

3 1/2 oz. dark chocolate

6 oz. all purpose flour

1 egg

2 oz. bitter cocoa powder

1 1/2 oz. butter

2 oz. sugar

1 oz. icing sugar

vanilla flavour

a sprinkle of salt

1 cup milk cream

Chop chocolate and let it melt "bagnomaria".

Mix butter with sugar very well then add vanilla flavour, egg and the melted chocolate.

Add then cocoa, flour and a sprinkle of salt; mix again untill you have a smooth dough.

Stretch it with a roll-pin in a layer of about 1/4 inch, if it's stitcky don't add flour but icing sugar.

With a cookie cutter round shaped or a glass cut biscuits in even number.

Put them on a buttered baking tin and cook for about 8 minutes in pre-heated oven at 345°F.

Let them get cold, then whip milk cream with icing sugar, spread whipped cream on a cookie then cover with another.

Put in fridge for at least 2 hours then serve cold.

P.S. If you want to give a spicy touch you can add at the cookie dough a generous sprinkle of red chili pepper powder.

It fits great!

For adults only ;)

3/21/2009

Potato masher's cake with ricotta cheese ( Torta dello schiacciapatate con ricotta).

This recipe is easy peasy, quick and a sure success for any kind of meal, with family, friends, colleagues...

The cake in the photo misses of the last icing sugar sprinkle but I wanted to take the picture immediately :P

The potato masher I'm speaking about is like this (with big holes) :

You need for the shortcrust pastry:

10 1/2 oz. all purpose flour

5 1/5 oz. sugar

3 1/2 oz. butter

2 eggs

1 bag baking powder for cakes

For the stuffing:

25 oz. ricotta cheese

3 1/2 oz. sugar

Decoration:

dark chocolate chopped in irregular pieces

icing sugar

Mix all the ingredients to make the pastry and divide the loaf in two parts of the same wheight.

Put one part in the potato masher, take a baking tin of about 10 inches diameter and press untill strands of pastry fall down.

Spread them quite evenly but don't worry if you see holes between the strands: the dough, rising, will close them.

Mix ricotta cheese with sugar then pour on the base of pastry's strands, put the other half of the loaf in the potato masher and cover ricotta with the same process, once again don't worry about holes :)

Heat the oven at about 345° F, before putting in the oven sprinkle icing sugar on top of the cake and add chocolate chops.

Bake for 45 minutes.

The result will be the one in the photo...Enjoy! :D

3/19/2009

Extra-Virgin olive oil cake ( Torta all'olio d'oliva extravergine)

Problems with cholesterol?

Do you wan to to avoid animal fats or just to try something unusual?

This is a plain cake, perfect for breakfast, afternoon break or just to treat yourself and your family.

Please consider only extra-virgin olive oil for this cake: other oils aren't healthy enough to gain benefit from their use, expecially when they have to be cooked.

This recipe has a lemon flavor but you can choose to put some cocoa powder to half of the mixture then pour in the baking pan first the white mixture then the cocoa one and passing a pick to give the cake a marbled effect or add 3 apples chopped in tiny pieces.

You need:

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups of sugar

1 1/2 cups of milk

a sprinkle of salt

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 bag of baking powder

zest from one lemon (only the yellow part)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

icing sugar to serve

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and the sugar.

When well blended add the oil, milk, lemon juice and zest and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the first mix to this mixture, and stir just until blended.

Pour into a baking pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes at 350° F or until a pick comes out clean.

Cool and remove from the pan.

Dust with powdered sugar.

You can serve with fresh fruit, egg custard, whipped cream or melted chocolate or eat it plain.