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Italian food: Cannoli siciliani

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

The “Cannoli” are probably the most famous Sicilian desserts. Their names is due to the word cannolo, which in Sicilian means “little tube”. Because of the many Italians from Sicily living there, they are very popular also in America.

Our Cannoli are made of a tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet filling usually made out of ricotta cheese and chocolate chips or succade; they are produced in various sizes, from the very small ones to the huge ones you can see in the original Sicilian confectioneries.

They were created in the Palermo area, for the period around Carnival (simbolizing fertility); however, now they can be eaten all year-round and are very good in Summertime also because of their freshness.

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Italian recipes: mushroom, bacon and walnut risotto

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

A rustic recipe, perfect in any occasion. Its creamy consistance will surprise your guests! Let’s see how is it made:

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 bacon rashers (diced)
  • 200g of mushrooms (cleaned and thickly sliced)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 cup walnuts – roughly chopped
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bacon and cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the mushrooms, garlic, walnuts and rice and cook for a minute, stirring to coat the rice with oil. Add the wine, stock, salt and pepper, bring to the boil then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Stir the reserved tablespoon of olive oil, parsley and cheese through the rice.

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Italian recipes: Easter egg bread!

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Many typical recipes are prepared in Italy for Easter; peaple are happy to go out and wellcome the sun back in the sky…try to make the easter egg bread and take it for your outdoor springtime lunches!

Ingredients:

1 package Rapid Rise yeast
1.25 cups scalded milk, cooled to room temperature
pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar

3.5 cups flour (approximate)
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
6 dyed Easter eggs
sprinkles

Indications:

In a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, warm (not hot) milk, salt, butter, eggs and sugar. Add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook.   Slowly add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Don’t worry about how much flour it ends up being, just keep adding until the dough is not sticky anymore.  Knead until smooth with either dough hook attachment or turn out on floured board and knead. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 14 inches long and, taking two pieces, twist to form a “braid”, pinching the ends,  and loop into a circle.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour again. Brush each bread with beaten egg wash. Put on the sprinkles. In the middle of each bread ring, gently place an Easter egg, making an indentation with the egg.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden – about 20 – 25 minutes. Cool on rack.

(source: http://italiandish.squarespace.com/imported-20090913150324/2008/3/19/italian-easter-bread.html)

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Italian recipes: Torta pasqualina!

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Easter is already approaching! We can feel it in the air…so why not surprise your guests with a special and savoury typical Italian easter recipe? Try to bake the Torta Pasqualina your own!

The Torta Pasqualina finds its origins in Liguria, a region in northeastern Italy. It is mostly made of a green mixture; the most common is swiss chard but you can also use spinaches or arugula. In Liguria they add to the mixture a slightly sour fresh cheese called prescinsena in place of the ricotta. Originally, the Torta was made with layers of filling alternated with paper-thin sheets of pastry: 33 layers of dough were used representing each year of Christ’s life. Also, 12 eggs were added to represent the apostoles. The one we propose here is an easier one,  made with 2 layers of douogh forming a top and a bottom crust. Good luck in the kitchen!

Ingredients for the dough

  • 2-1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup water

Ingredients for the filling

  • 10-12 ounces Swiss chard, washed and trimmed
  • 10-12 ounces spinach, washed and trimmed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • 6 eggs, divided
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • Pinch of grated nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
  • Olive oil

To make the dough:
Combine the flour and  salt  in a large bowl. Stir in the oil and 1/2 cup water to make a smooth, non-sticky dough.   Knead just to bring the dough together. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, one three times the size of the other.  Wrap each piece with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

To make the filling:
Combine the Swiss chard and 1/2 cup water in a large pot. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender and wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and season with salt.  Cook 5 more minutes or until spinach is wilted.   Drain the greens and allow to cool. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the greens.   Place on a cutting board and finely chop.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the onions and cloves. Cover and cook over medium heat until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.   Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs until blended. Add the greens, onions, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, marjoram, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Oil a 9-inch springform pan.

On a floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough to a 15-inch circle. Place the dough into the pan, pressing it against the bottom and up the sides.   The ends will overhang the edge of the pan.
Add the filling to the pan and smooth the top. Make four evenly spaced indentations in the filling.   Carefully break on egg into one of the indentations. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs.
Sprinkle each egg with some of the remaining tablespoon of Parmesan.

Roll out the smaller piece of dough. Cut out a 9-inch circle, using the bottom of the pan as a guide, if desired. Place the dough circle on top of the filling. Trim the overhanging dough to 1-inch.   Fold the dough inside the pan over the edge of the dough circle.   With your fingers, crimp the rolled edge to seal.  Brush the top of the dough with olive oil. Make several small slits in the top crust. Bake for 45 minutes, or until browned.   The top with puff up during baking but will relax when cooled. Cool on a wire rack about 10 minutes before removing the side of the pan. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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Italian recipes: Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Friday, February 26th, 2010

A very popular recipe, known all over the world for its tempting taste: try to cook it yourself and surprise your guests!

The strange name, “Carbonara” probably belongs to the fact that the dish was invented by the carbonari, the foresters making charchoal from the woods in the Italian Appennini. But let’s see how it is made:

For 4 serves
Preparation: 15 mins
Cooking: 10-12 mins
Difficulty: Medium

INGREDIENTS:
* 400 g (14 oz) Spaghetti (cooked “al dente”)
* 150 g (5 oz) Unsmoked streaky bacon slices (very thin – 1 mm thick)
* 50 g (2 oz) Pecorino cheese – matured (freshly grated)
* 15 ml (1tbs) Extra virgin olive oil
* 3 Egg yolks + 1 whole egg (use large size eggs, preferably free range organic)
* 80 ml (3 fl. oz) White wine
* 1 Small size onion (cut into thin rings)
* 5 g (¼ oz) Ground pepper grains (crushed in the mortar)

About the salt: Spaghetti is boiled in salted water, the bacon is salty and the Pecorino cheese is salty, so take care seasoning with salt!

DIRECTIONS:

Put 3 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg into a large bowl. While whisking, add the Pecorino cheese, but add it gradually because the cheese will dry the mixture and you need a smooth and creamy mixture. The remaining cheese can be used later for topping the pasta if you like. Take the crushed pepper you have previously prepared and add it to the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy, and then leave it to rest.

Put the oil into a frying pan and when it is hot move the pan around distributing the oil all over the pan surface. Lay all the bacon slices into the pan and cook at medium heat. After a minute or so, start stirring the slices in order to cook them on both sides. When you see the first sign of browning, remove the pan from the cooker and go to the next step.
Transfer the bacon slices into a small bowl and leave them for the moment. Now, put your spaghetti into the boiling water and while boiling start cooking the onion. In the same pan you cooked the bacon slices, which is still hot, add the onion rings and cook them for a couple of minutes; then, add the wine and cook for a couple of minutes. Then, turn the heat down and gently cook the onions until caramelised. Remove the pan from the cooker and put the bacon slices back into the pan. With the pan away from the cooker (in order to avoid the bacon to overcooking), stir everything together and set aside.

When the spaghetti is ready, put the saucepan containing the bacon and the onion back on the cooker (low heat) and meanwhile drain the spaghetti (remember to leave the spaghetti a little wet). Be quick draining the spaghetti because they shouldn’t cool down. Put the drained spaghetti back into the large pan you used to boil it, which is still hot, and quickly add the bacon and onions. Stir quickly for 10 seconds and move on to the next stage.

Quickly add the egg mixture. Stir everything together for 20 seconds. The heat of the spaghetti and the heat of the pan is enough to cook the egg mixture. Do not carry out this procedure on the cooker otherwise, you will dry the spaghetti too much (I do not think you want to reach this stage to have spaghetti and scrambled eggs!). The final result should be a creamy sauce coating the spaghetti.
Serve immediately and feel free to season with more pepper if you like, or sprinkle with some of the remaining Pecorino cheese, if you have any left. You can also try garnishing the plate with some parsley (flat leaf – torn by hand), but not too much.

(source: http://www.italyum.com/italian-recipes/pasta-recipes/spaghetti-carbonara.html)

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Traditional recipes from Florence: Grapes Cake

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Coming back from the summer holidays, the Florentines and all the ihnabitants of the Chianti area soothe themselves with the coming of  “Canaiolo” grapes, a particular kind of grapes from central Italy, and with a special cake prepared using it – the typical “schiacciata con l”uva”. It’s a very simple dessert, done with the same mixture as bread with a little oil and so and sooo much of grapes. Every bakery has its special and unique recipe, some use anise, some add more sugar, some less. The recipe we report here it’s not too sweet, it’s enriched with a glance of anise, and in the end it’s not too thick. By the way, a real “schiacciata con l’uva” must dirty your hands with the grapes sticky purple and must leave all the little seeds in your mouth (never use seedles grapes)!!!!

(For a thin backing-tin of about 30×23 cm)

Ingredients

  • 350 gr of flour
  • 15 gr of brewer’s yeast
  • sugar
  • salt
  • extra virgin olives oil
  • 1,2 kg of Canaiolo grapes
  • anise seeds

Method

Let the brewer’s yeast melt in a bowl with some tepid water. Add some flour, and start to mix with one hand. Add some salt and some sugar. Then put the mixture on a pastry board and work it until it appears to be firm (if necessary, add some flour in the beginning of the process). Add a spoonful of oil and keep working it for at least 20 minutes. Grease a bowl and put the mixture inside, covering with foil (without sealing it).  Wait until it gows double its size.

In the meantime, wash the grapes and dry it.

When the mixture is grown, put it in a pastry board (which has to be covered previously with some flour). Grease a backing tin with oil and let half of the mixture cover it (the other half must remain outside the tin). Now, put on it two-thirds of the grapes and 2-3 spoonfuls of sugar, a little anise and a spoonful of olive oil. Fold it with the other part of the mixture, push it on the whole surface and add the rest of the grapes. Another time, add sugar, anise and olive oil. Push it again and cook in a pre-heat oven at 180°C for 45-60 minutes.

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Italian recipes: Rolled pepper delights

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Make your aperitivo more than good, but delicious! This recipe is good also ad appetizer, before a light meal. Here you are the “Rolled bell pepper delights”!

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 red or yellow bell peppers (or a mix), cut into 1 inch wide strips (along the longest length, in order to have long strips)
  • 1 lb. ground meat
  • ¼ lb. mortadella
  • ¼ lb. cooked ham
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • toothpicks
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).To make cutting the bell peppers into strips easier, you can first soften them by placing 2-3 at a time inside a small plastic bag and heating them up in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. The vapor that forms makes them soft and easier to cut and clean.
  2. Prepare the meat filling by processing the mortadella and ham in a mixer or blender. Add to the ground meat in large bowl, then add the bread crumbs and egg. Mix well. Add salt and pepper.
  3. Take some meat and spread it on the bell pepper strips with the back of a spoon. Take one end of the strip and roll up onto itself until you have a small roll. Fasten closed with one or two toothpicks.
  4. Pour enough olive oil into a long tray to cover bottom. Place the rolled up bell peppers flat on one layer, close to each other (you should see the meat filling from the top and rolled up peppers). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops of rolls are slightly browned. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before serving. Also tasty served slightly warm. (source: tuscan recipes)

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italian recipes: Eggplants parmesan

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

This is a typical delicious dish from Italy. You can find the recipe with pictures clicking here

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • Olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
  • 1 cup grated high quality Parmesan cheese
  • 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

Method

1 Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange one layer in the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle evenly with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. The purpose of this step is to have the eggplant release some of its moisture before cooking.

2 While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to tasted and set aside.

3 When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, wipe off the excess salt, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10×15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves.

5 Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan, and all of the remaining basil. Add remaining eggplant, and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan.

6 Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

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Italian traditional recipes: Bruschetta with tomato and basil

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Easy to cook, lovely to eat! A simple recipe, perfect for summertime.

Ingredients:

  • Italian or French bread, cut in 1/2 inch slices
  • fresh, ripe, firm tomato, washed and coarsely chopped
  • fresh basil leaves, whole or shredded
  • olive oil, extra virgin, the best
  • garlic, peeled, whole (optional)
  • salt to taste

Place sliced bread under the broiler, in the toaster or best yet over a charcoal grill and toast.

Rub toast with a clove of garlic or not, depending on taste.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Spoon chopped tomato onto bread.

Scatter some basil. Alternatively, place the tomatoes, basil, garlic (chopped fine), olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix.

Set bowl at table alongside the toasted bread and simply spoon on mixture.

Some prefer to use sliced rather than chopped tomato.
Whatever way you serve it, it is delicious.

(source: http://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/index.shtml)

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Italian recipes: Risotto primavera

Monday, May 11th, 2009

This risotto is perfect each spring as the new vegetables arrive in the store. You can vary the recipe as you choose by adding other spring vegetables from time to time as well. Just keep all vegetables cut into bite sized pieces.

Serves 4 to 6
by Deborah Mele

(source: Italian Food Forever)

6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter Plus 2 Tbsp Removed To Finish The Dish

1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Onion

1 Large Clove Of Garlic

2 Cups Arborio Rice

1/2 Cup White Wine

6 Cups Vegetable Broth

1 Cup Fresh, Shelled Fava Beans

6 Small To Medium Artichokes, Cleaned And Thinly Sliced

6 Spears Fresh Asparagus Cut Into 1 Inch Pieces

1 Small Zucchini, Diced

1/2 Cup Fresh, Chopped Parsley or Other Fresh Herb Of Choice

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Heat the 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the artichoke slices and cook one minute. Next add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the butter. Begin to add the wine, and stir continually over medium heat until it is absorbed. Start to add 1/2 cup of hot broth, stirring as it is absorbed. Continue in this manner, adding ladles full of hot broth, and stirring continuously. About 10 minutes into the cooking time, add the asparagus, fava beans and zucchini and continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked, but remains slightly firm to the teeth. Remove from the heat, add the remaining butter. parsley and the parmesan cheese. Serve, offering additional cheese if desired.

Buon Appetito!

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