Marmellata di Ciliege (Cherry Marmalade)

My  nonna Elena favorite food consisted in fresh fruit and milk. 
She lived 98 years so there must be something good in following her diet...
Of course she picked the ingredients right outside her door and we often went along with her but we were not allowed to go up in the trees (only she could go) because it was too dangerous for us kids!!
So my nonna was up in the cherry tree and we were down collecting them, lots of cherries..."nonna, cosa facciamo con tutte queste ciliege?" (nonna, what are we going to do with all these cherries)- I asked.
La marmellata, nonna aswered!

There was an abundance of wild cherries from May through to August and we pick them by the bucket load to make the delicious jam that we ate throughout the winter on bread and butter.

Allora ecco la ricetta for you!


Ingredients:

• Cherries
• Sugar - For every 2 lbs of cherries 1 lbs of sugar
• 2 Lemons 

Directions:

•  Wash and Pit cherries
• Cook the cherries over medium high heat in a big nonreactive stock pot
• Zest 1-2 lemons and add zest and juice to cooking cherries
• Add the sugar, stirring until it has dissolved
• Bring to the boil stirring frequently  for about 30 minutes until the jam sets when tested
• Let hot marmalade cool before putting into hot jars, leaving 1/4 in headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary by adding more marmalade. Wipe rim and put on lids and bands.

Cherry, along with most fruit, will keep for at least 12 months providing it is potted and stored correctly. If you are going to take more than a couple of weeks to eat an opened jar of jam, or in warm weather, store in the refrigerator.

Amaretto cookies stuffed Peaches

We had lots of fruit trees, my father (il papa') Roberto favourite past time was and still is to plant fruit trees around the house and near the vineyards. 
So what did we do with all these peaches, figs, apricots, cherries, pears, plums, apples, blackberries? Yes, we really had all this!!!
My mom and grandma made some "marmellata" (next recipe), we gave some to friends and family and the rest... well we couldn't eat it all so we made torte and desserts DELIZIOSI.


Here is a simple dessert recipe for you..of course using Prosecco!


Ingredients:
4 peaches
1 cup of amaretti cookies
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
half glass of Prosecco 
1 egg yolk


Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the peaches in half and arrange them side up in the prepared dish. 
In a bowl put the amaretti cookies finely crumbled, add the egg yolk, the flour, sugar and the Prosecco!
Fill the center of each peach with the amaretti cookie crumbs.
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over each. Bake until peaches are tender and filling is crisp on top.
Serve hot (with gelato) or cold with some mint leaves.


Next time another recipe using a different fruit!


Buon Appetito!!!

Ciao


Lucia

What is Prosecco?

Prosecco is a natural Italian sparkling wine that is usually white, and can be found in brut, extra dry and dry versions. Extra dry is the most popular.

Prosecco has fine long-lasting bubbles with a unique taste, expressing hints of apple, peach, pear and flower blossoms. It has a carefully controlled and low alcohol content of about 11.5% that does not interfere with the true flavor of the Prosecco grape. Prosecco has only about 100 calories per 5 ounce glass and there is none of the residual taste of vintner’s yeast inherent in Champagne.

Prosecco is both the name of the wine and the grape varietal from which it is made. Most Prosecco is made 100 percent from the Prosecco grape, although the minimum mandated requirement is 85%. Prosecco has been described as Italian Champagne. However, Prosecco is not Champagne because it is made very differently. Unlike Champagne, Prosecco has a taste that is younger and fresher. The difference is all about the yeast. 

All real Prosecco must carry either a DOC or DOCG designation on the label, and be grown and made only in designated areas. The best DOCG Prosecco comes from a small, exclusive area in the Veneto region of Italy covering less than 3,500 ettari, approximately 8,600 acres of vineyards. These 3,500 ettari have a predominantly southern sun exposure, soil composition, geology, elevation, and mountain water source unique to the Veneto. In contrast, the Champagne region of France covers more than 35,000 ettari or 10 times the area.

Making Minestra di Porro Patate e Carote

I learned to make this simple yet incredibly delicious soup at my grandmother Elena's kitchen. Her garden was just outside the back door. She grew everything she needed to make all the family's meals from scratch. Even the  chickens for a Sunday dinner were raised in her yard. I had to pick the grass to feed the chickens, and collect the eggs. The Sunday dinners with all my family are some of my favorite memories.

The beauty of this soup is that you can interpret the basic ingredients to fit your individual tastes, or even to fit  what you have available in your home. I still keep pots of herbs growing in my home in Connecticut all year round because for me, there is nothing like the clean bright flavors of fresh herbs.

Begin by thoroughly washing one leek. Slice it up to where it turns green into very thin slices. Sautee the leeks in a little olive oil and butter, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Chop two white potatoes and three carrots and add them to the pan. Add water to cover everything. Bring to a boil and add in a handful of parsley. You don't need to chop the parsley, it will cook down nicely. When all the vegetables are soft you can blend it all together. Ecco qua! You are in for a healthy treat.

We would enjoy a bowl of this soup with some homemade bread, salad and a boiled egg for dinner. Our main meal was in the afternoon, so dinner was light and healthy. Of course a glass of homemade Prosecco was part of the dinner too!