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.