Italian Kitchen Secrets: recipe

Visualizzazione post con etichetta recipe. Mostra tutti i post

9/09/2014

Stuffed eggplants "greek style".

It's not a greek recipe, it's just what I had in the fridge last week :)

I used to live, when I was a student, with greek and english people and even now, after more than ten years, in my home there always are feta and tea :D

This recipe is a perfect vegetarian second course or single course, it's easy to make and quick to bake.

2 servings:

2 medium eggplants

1 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup peeled almonds

1 garlic clove

extra-virgin olive oil

oreganon

salt & pepper

Wash eggplants, cut them on the long side and dig the pulp untill you empty the halves.

Dice the pulp and sautee it in oil with the garlic clove.

When the pulp is cooked and golden put it in a mixer with feta, oreganon, breadcrumbs and almond.

Ground the mixture but not too finely, just a bit to mix everything well.

Fill the eggplants halves with the mixture then pour some extra-virgin olive oil.

Bake at 360°F for about 20 minutes.

Serve warm.

9/03/2014

Buckwheat pancakes (gluten free).

This is an healthy recipe really easy and quick, averything depend on the seasoning you choose.

The rough taste of buckwheat is, according to me, great with honey or maple syrup but if you want you can indulge in chocolate too of course!

Buckwheat is gluten free and it's used a lot in the north of Italy, especially in a mountain zone of Lombardia called Valtellina.

I've not tried yet but I think a savoury version (no sugar and a pinch of salt added) could be great with sour cream and bacon would be great.

And I was talking of healthy things uh!?

Here the recipe for 10 small pancakes or 5 big.

1 cup buckwheat flour

2 eggs

1 cup milk (any kind: cow, rice, soy...)

1/4 cup raw sugar or white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

oil or butter to grease the pan

Mix eggs with sugar untill smooth then add, little by little, flour and baking powder then milk untill you have a perfect mix with no lumps.

Let it rest for about 20 minutes, grease and heat a pan then start making pancakes.

Serve them hot with the seasoning of your choice.

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!

7/09/2014

Mozzarella cheese and eggplants' patties.

We are in season for eggplants, we love them and we often eat them.

These patties are easy, healthy and loved by children too: they can be served with tomato sauce but I prefer to eat them plain.

3 servings:

1 big round eggplant

1 cup breadcrumbs plus some to roll the patties in

3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 egg

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 garlic clove

5-6 basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Dice the eggplant and stirfry in a pan with olive oil and the garlic clove untill tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste, when it's cold put it in a blender with diced mozzarella, parmesan, basil leaves, breadcrumbs and egg.

Blend untill well combined, if the mix is too soft you can add some breadcrumbs.

Make small patties the size of a ping pong ball, roll them in the breadcrumbs and cook untill golden in olive oil.

I love them hot so the mozzarella form strings :D

7/04/2014

Bell peppers rolls.

It's been a long time since the last time I've written on this blog.
I had a lot to do in real life and I'm always more into my Italian cooking blog mainly because it took me a while to write in english and I'm always afraid to cut a poor figure.
Now and then, anyway, I feel the need to come back and share something: today it's time for bell peppers rolls.
It's the right time of the year for bell peppers and it's a recipe you can serve as appetizer or side dish, it's quite easy but you have to turn on the oven :D

For about 6-7 rolls:

2 bell peppers ( I did one red and one yellow)

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon unsalted capers

2 canned anchovies

1 garlic clove

3 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put in the oven, pre heated at 390°F, the bell peppers.
Let them roast untill they're soft then put them into a sealing bag while they're still hot.
When peppers are warm peel them and cut them in large stripes.
In a mixer put breadcrumbs, capers, garlic, anchovies, salt and pepper and olive oil. Blend untill everything is pulverized.
Put some mixture on the peppers stripes and roll them.
Put all the rolls on a baking pan, sprinkle with the rest of the breadcrumbs mixture and put in the oven just the time to brown the bell peppers.
Let them cool down and serve.

9/17/2013

Chicken roulade with capers and lemon zest.

It's been a long time...

You know: holidays, too hot weather to cook, a lot of work (and that's a good thing!) and I couldn't post anything.

Today I'm back with a really light recipe that still has a summer taste.

I've tried it in a restaurant in San Marino (an indipendent state inside Italy, you can learn something more about it HERE and about the restaurant HERE ) and I really wanted to try this at home.

The result is good even if not just alike the restaurant one (but I didn't have the recipe, just tried all by myself) so I want to share it with you.

It could be a nice appetizer or a light second course.

2 servings:

4 thin slices of chicken breast

1/ cup salted capers

juice of 1/2 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 garlic clove

extra-virgin olive oil

The first thing to do is to unsalt capers: leave them in cold water for about 1 hour changing water now and then.

Peel lemon zest avoiding the white part and chop finely with a knife, then do the same with unsalted capers.

Put them in a small bowl with smashed garlic and a generous pour of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.

Mix with a spoon (you shouldn't need more salt due to capers but just try it and see).

Beat chicken breast with a tenderizer then spread some sauce on it.

Roll it on the longer side and close it in tin foil or any cooking paper than can handle hot temperatures.

Do the same with all the slices then put them in a food steamer or in any pot where you can cook with steam and cook for about 45 minutes.

When the meat is cold cut pinwheels not too thick and cover them with a little sauce before serving.

You can prepare the meat one day in advance and store it in the fridge (same as sauce) but cut it only before serving.

You can decorate with some more lemon zest.

8/04/2013

Blue cheese, bacon and peach salad.

This is just a salad, not even a recipe you can say.

It's true but try this mix and you'll make it over and over again!

Peaches with smoked bacon and blue cheese are a perfect match you'll fall in love with it!

Yuo can use lettuce or baby spinach (the youngest and more tender leaves), I prefer spinach.

For each serve:

a bunch of lettuce or baby spinach

2 tbs diced roasted smoked bacon

1/2 peach (nectarine if possible) sliced in thin slices

1/4 cup diced blue cheese (gorgonzola if possible)

extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

1 tbs balsamic vinegar if you like

1 tbs roasted pine nuts if you like

Wash and dry salad, put it in a bowl and season it wih oil then add all the ingredients, mix and taste: then add salt and pepper if needed.

7/06/2013

Pollo alla cacciatora, chicken Cacciatore.

This is a really easy recipe quite common in the North of Italy but mainly in Tuscany.

You can cook it in advance and keep in the fridge for a couple of day or you can cook it and serve it.

You can use a whole chicken or just parts: as you see in the photo I used 2 chicken legs for 2 servings.

2 chicken legs with skin

1 garlic clove

rosemary stick

parsley

1 celery stick

1 carrot

1 onion

1 glass red wine

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups tomato sauce

Put the chicken, skin on, in a hot pan with oil, rosemary and garlic.

If you're on a diet you can avoid oil, skin is greasy enough to brown on its own, when the chicken is ready you can peel it.

Let it brown on both side then add red wine, let evaporate then add finely chopped vegetable, stir well and cook on medium fire for a couple of minutes, remove garlic and rosemary stick.

Add tomato sauce, cover with a lid and cook for about 40 minutes on low fire, few minutes before you turn off fire add chopped parsley.

Serve hot with a lot of bread to pick up sauce!

6/02/2013

White chocolate ricotta mousse with coffee.

I was editing this recipe from my Italian blog for a contest and suddenly I thought I didn't post it here.

It's so simple and delicious I can't avoid to share it with you, it's 6 servings the size of an espresso cup as you see in the photo.

1 cup 1/4 fresh ricotta cheese (better if it's buffalo's ricotta but plain one is ok anyway)

1/2 cup white chocolate

3-4 ladyfingers or plain biscuits you can soak

1/2 cup espresso coffee

Melt chocolate bain-marie or into the microwave at very low temperature, with a beater beat ricotta cheese until fluffy then add melted chocolate while you're still beating.

Taste the cream, I think it's sweet enough but you can add a tablespoon or two of icing sugar to taste, always while beating.

beat until there are no lumps and the cream is smooth then soak biscuits divided in small pieces in cold coffee and put a piece in every cup.

With a spoon or better with a sac-a-poche pour the cream inside the cups.

You can store it in the fridge (1 day max.) or into the freezer (3 weeks max., remove them in advance from freezer before serving).

You can decorate with chocolate coffee beans and coffee powder or cocoa powder but just before serving.

5/15/2013

Milk liquor.

This is a liquor made in the South of italy, in a very small and not well-known abroad region called Molise.

You can drink it, I made and tried it but, according to me, it gives its best into cakes and cookies and sweets in general.

It's not difficult to believe, it's made of milk, lemon and vanilla so it gives your sweet a great flavour!

17 oz. whole milk

17 oz. pure liquor alcool

18 oz. granulated sugar

1/2 organic lemon

1 vanilla pod

In a big bottle or airtight container pour all the ingredients (open the vanilla pod and scratch the seeds).

Keep it for 15 days or more (even a month) in a dark place, shake it now and then.

Filter with a very fine sifter and pour in a bottle.

You will see the liquor stratified: the lighter part on the top, the cream on the bottom: it's ok, just shake before use.

Soon I'll post a recipe for cupcakes made with this liquor, honoring the region of Molise as I did with Sicily: stay tuned!

5/06/2013

Orecchiette with anchovies and sun dried sweet peppers.

Few months ago I received a great present from a close friend who lives in Basilicata (deep South of Italy).

I received a lot of dried local pasta like orecchiette and cavatelli, wild boar salami, local cheese and much more.

I received also a big packet of sun dried sweet peppers which are typical of Basilicata.

I still have some of them and I used those peppers in a quick but very tasty recipe combined with some orecchiette left.

If you can't find orecchiette you can use spaghetti, penne, maccheroni of any kind. :)

2 servings:

3 medium sun dried sweet peppers

2 anchovies in oil

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

2 cups orecchiette (or the serving size you like of the pasta you have)

Let orecchiette boil in a big pot of salted water, if they're dried they should boil for 14-16 minutes (taste them).

In a pan heat extra-virgin olive oil, add chopped peppers (without seeds) and garlic and stir frying for a couple of minutes then add anchovies and let them "melt" with peppers.

Remove the garlic, add the tomato sauce and stir well.

Cook for 2-3 minutes more then use a blender and reduce the sauce to cream.

Season your pasta hot with this sauce and eat immediately, it's sooo tasty!

4/01/2013

Creamy onions bucatini.

This recipe is easy, tasty and suitable for vegetarians or vegans (just avoid bacon, use extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter).
It's also really quick and you can prepare the sauce while the water is boiling and bucatini cook.
For 6 serves:

21 oz. bucatini

3 big blonde/ white onions

1/2 cup butter or extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups (more or less) water

a small pinch of baking soda

2 cups grated Parmesan (or Pecorino cheese if you prefer)

1 cup diced bacon if you like

Put the water pot on fire, meanwhile slice onions very thin, put them in a pan with the grease of your choice on low fire.
Add the pinch of baking soda, stir well and add water enough to let the onions simmer.
Keep the fire low, onions must melt, not get brown.
You must end up with a sort of onion cream.
In another skillet you can crisp bacon cubes then you can add them to onions and mix: taste and if necessary add salt (and pepper if you like).
Drain your bucatini, save half a cup of cooking water, add it to onions after you poured in bucatini.
Add grated Parmesan and mix well and quickly on fire for a couple of minutes.
Serve this dish hot.
Have a nice meal!! :)

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.

1/10/2013

Artusi's stew.

This is a revisited recipe from Pellegrino Artusi's main opera " La Scienza in cucina e l'Arte di mangiar bene", 1891 ( " Kitchen science and the art of good eating"). Artusi has been the first to try to write down and classify the Italian cooking tradition, he was born and raised in Forlimpopoli, not far from Rimini and Bologna, where I live and his contribution is still very cherished.

If you want to know more about Artusi you can click HERE to learn more (in English or French) about him, about the Artusi foundation, Artusi's feast and prizes.

This recipe comes from the recipe number 300 of the book quoted, I did it for the New Year's eve and we enjoyed a lot with oven-baked potatoes.

Serves 4.

21 oz. beef (Shoulder clod or any stew cut)

1 onion

1 branch of celery

1 carrot

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 gal. vegetable broth (made with 1/2 onion, 1 carrot, 1 courgette, 1 celery branch, 1 bayleaf)

10.5 oz. fresh milk cream

salt and pepper

Dice the vegetables and put them in a pot with oil, let them golden and blend with vinegar then add the meat salted and sprinkled with pepper.

Let the meat colour on each side then add some broth and milk cream, cover with a lid then let it simmer for a couple of hours.

If needed add some broth.

When the meat is ready take it off the pan and whisk the sauce untill smooth.

Slice the beef and serve hot with the sauce on.

12/12/2012

Spiced white hot chocolate.

Yes I've decided to indulge in one more seasonal treat...Hot chocolate.

It's delicious in every shape and flavour but the version I created to appraise a wonderful saffron from Sardinia called San Gavino have that special flair that make you say "let's do this again".

My hubby doesn't like saffron very much, he usually can just stand it into a risotto alla milanese but I swear he drank two cups of this chocolate and asked for more.

For 2 plenty servings:

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

4 cups half-and-half

1 bag saffron powder

a big pinch of ground ginger

few saffron pistils to decorate if you have

In saucepan over low heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream.

Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted.

Stir in the half-and-half and stir until thick then add the saffron powder and mix very well.

Pour into cups, sprinkle a pinch of ground ginger on top (as much as you like) and few saffron pistils to decorate.

Serve with dark chocolate cookies and enjoy you holidays!

12/07/2012

Salted caramel toffee.

A nice, quick and easy treat for the incoming holidays.
You just have to wrap each candy into clingfilm or tin foil.
If you leave them free they stick to each other.
You can pur them into chocolate molds or into a baking pan (if so cut them into squares when they're cold).
With this recipe you'll have about 30 toffees the size of a chocolate.

2/3 cup granulated or raw sugar (I used raw, Muscovado)

4.5 oz. fresh milk cream

0.7 oz. honey or corn syrup ( I used honey)

1.4 oz. butter

vanilla flavour

2 teaspoon fleur de sel

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan but a teaspoon of salt (sprinkle this one on the bottom of the pan/moulds).
Let it simmer on low fire untill you have a sticky mixture then try to pour a drop of caramel into a glass of cold water: if it melts you have to cook it more, if it forms a gummy drop it's ready.
Pour the liquid caramel into moulds then let it cold, you can store the moulds into the fridge, the candies will be hard and easy to be wrapped into film.
Then store in an airtight box.

11/12/2012

Potato gnocchi with leeks and blue cheese fondue.

Yesterday I spent the day visiting a big fair in Santarcangelo di Romagna: many many sellers, clothes, home clothing, underwear and...Food.

Food, food, food with producer from the whole country, from Trentino Alto Adige (North of Italy) to Sicily (the deep South) with great cheeses, breads, sweets, meats...

As usual I bought some fresh black truffles then I found a producer from Vallecamonica ( near Brescia, Lombardia) with some cheeses...

They were so smelly and tasted sooo good I had to bought them!

I had a Fatuli' (smoked goat cheese) and a Blu di capra ( blue cheese half goat milk half cow).

I used the last one to make this recipe, I don't think you can find it easily outside Italy but you can use Gorgonzola cheese or a blue cheese.

2 servings:

1 medium leek

14 oz. potato gnocchi

1 tablespoon butter

2.5 oz. blue cheese your choice

Put on stove a big pot full of water, bring it to boil then add a pinch of salt.

In a large pan put butter and finely sliced leek, let it golden, add a little water if needed.

When the leek is soft turn off fire and add the blue cheese in little dices, cover with a lid.

Cook the gnocchi into the boiling water then drain them and pour in the pan.

Pan-fry for a minute, be careful not to broke gnocchi then serve hot.

With my blu di capra I didn't add any salt to the sauce, it depends on taste so try it before seasoning your gnocchi!

Serve hot.

10/13/2012

Pumpking hot soup.

This is a great treat for the incoming season: it's easy and smooth, it's light but you can enrich it with bacon or cheese or whatever you like.

I made it for two-three persons, I added some bacon and a slice of fatty cow cheese 'cause I had some leftovers in the fridge but you can toast some country bread or add any spice or herb you like.

3 medium potatoes

12 oz. pumpkin pulp

2 shallots

2 tbspoons extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Dice the shallots and stirfry them in a pot with olive oil, add diced potatoes and diced pumpkin.

Mix a little and add a 2-3 cups of water and let it simmer untill the vegetables are tender.

Add salt and pepper and the spices you like then blend untill smooth.

You can choose the thickness of the soup adding more or less water but pay attention to add water enough to cook the vegetables completely!

I always prefer thick soups as you can see in the photo. :)

Serve hot or warm alone or with something you like as cheese and/or bacon.

A nice Italian touch?

Add once the soup is in the serving dish a small amount of good and thick balsamic vinegar, its taste is great with pumpkin.

I usually don't specify what kind of herbs/spices I use, this is because I usually use an aromatic salt called in Bolognese vernacular "salarol" that's made of sea salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, sage and more.

Maybe I'll give you the recipe one day. ;)

9/24/2012

Parma ham layered cake.

It's a great appetizer I discovered in a historical gourmet shop in Bologna called Tamburini.

You can learn more about all the great things they sell HERE , it's a place where I often buy something for dinner when I spent my saturday in Bologna's downtown and sometimes I also stop there for luch because it's truly worth a stop if you want to try real bolognese cooking at a fair price.

For this recipe I don't want to give you measures because I do it using the scientific method "a little of this, a little of that"; I'm sure you can follow this method too :D

Parma ham in thin slices

green salad

arugula

processed cheese slices or cheese in thin slices

black truffle sauce or mayo and black truffle

In a pan or on a dish make a layer of ham, put on top black truffle sauce or some mayo plus some truffle then green salad and arugola in small pieces.

Make another ham layer then add the cheese slices, add some more truffle sauce or truffle mayo another green salad and arugola.

End with a last layer of Parma ham.

Let it set for a couple of hour into the fridge covered with clingfilm to let the tastes combine together and serve in small squares of about 1.5X1.5 inches.

If you have a pizza slicer you can use it to make squares, if not use a very sharp knife.