LA CROSTATA ALLA MARMELLATA

Ingredients For The Crust 

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons of Tapioca flour
• 1 stick of chilled unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (100 g) powder sugar
• 2 yolks
• 1 pinch of salt
• The grated zest of a lemon
• Vanilla
• Ice water

Preparation:Combine both flours, sugar, and salt in a processor; blend for 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Whisk eggs, lemon zest and vanilla; add to processor and pulse until moist clumps form. Add iced water if the dough is too dry.

Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 1/2 hours. 

DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C). Roll the dough out into not-too-thin sheet and use it to line a 10-inch or so pan and pour out a layer of jam over the dough. I used raspberry jam but you can use any jam you like. Form thin strips of dough and place them as seen in the picture above.

Bake it for at least 20 minutes.

We also made 2 heart shape cookies and a little "Nutella" crostatina with the left over dough from the raspberry jam crostata!

PANE DOLCE

Ingredients:

3 and 1/4 cups of flour 00
2/3 cups of of sugar
1/2 cup of warm milk
25 g of yeast

1/2 cup currants, soaked in warm water
3 eggs
1 pinch of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened
Equipment:a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment

Directions:

In bowl of mixer, pour flour and sugar.
Make a fountain in the center and put in the yeast previously dissolved in freshly warmed milk (if yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast).

Add 2 eggs and salt.
Beat at medium speed until combined. Increase speed to medium-high, then gradually beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to beat until dough is shiny and forms strands from paddle to bowl, 4 to 6 minutes.

Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic.Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and sprinkle with the currants.

Let rise for about 2-3 hours, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Brush  with 1 beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at 375 °F for 1/2 hour.

Risotto Fragole e Asparagi

http://community.marcatrevigiana.it/festa-fragola-asparago-risotto-asparagi-fragole/

• 1 pound (500 g) Asparagi (asparagus)
• 1/2 a small cipolla (onion), finely sliced
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) of Short-grained riso (rice) like Arborio 
• 2 tablespoons burro (butter) 
• 1/3 cup dry vino bianco (white wine)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
• 8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth simmering
• 2 cups of Fragole (Strawberries) cut in little cubes soaked in Balsamic Vinegar
•  BalsamicVinegar
• Sale (salt) and pepe (pepper)
•  un po’ di (a little of) prezzemolo (parsley)

DIRECTIONS

Clean the asparagus .Trim the tips from the stalks and set them aside. Cut the remaining green part of the stalks into one-inch lengths and set them aside too. Put the white ends in along with the broth or bullion.
Sauté the onion in half the butter or the oil.
Next, stir in the rice and sauté, stirring, until the grains have turned translucent, 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the wine, and cook until it has evaporated. Then add the one-inch lengths of green asparagus stem to the rice, and begin stirring in the liquid, a ladle full at a time.
Continue adding broth, one cup at the time. Continue to cook and stir almost constantly. When the rice is almost done, stir in half the reserved tips. Check seasoning and continue cooking the rice till it's al dente, around 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining butter , half the grated cheese and strawberries.
Let the risotto stand covered for two minutes, then transfer it to a serving dish and garnish it with the remaining tips and the parsley. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over it and serve.

CALAMARI RIPIENI-STUFFED

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh squid, cleaned
• 1 lemon 
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped 
• 4 salt-packed anchovies
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup of Parmigiano cheese grated
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 glass of white wine
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Remove tentacles and leave the body whole. Drizzle the squid bodies with the lemon juice and set aside.
2. Saute crushed garlic and anchovies (patted dry and finely chopped) in half the olive oil until anchovies are melted.
3. Chop the tentacles finely and add to pan. Add the wine and stir.
4. Add the parsley and  mix well.
5. Transfer everything in a bowl and add bread crumbs, egg and grated Parmigiano. 
6. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
7. Stuff the squid, but not too much, using a small spoon or a pastry bag and close the opening with a toothpick.They will shrink during the cooking and if stuffed too full they'll split open. 
8. Saute them in the bottom of a heavy pot in a little olive oil and a clove of garlic on all sides.

You can make this ahead and reheat it - it gets even better!

ARTICHOKES AND GOAT CHEESE BRUSCHETTA

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 artichokes 
• 10-15 black olives
• 1-2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Soft goat’s cheese
• Lemon
• Pine nuts
• Salt
• Olive oil
• 8 Slices of  pane (bread)

1. Trim the artichokes and slice them thinly length wise. 
2. When the pan is nice and hot, add the vegetables and sauté at high heat to quickly brown the outside. 
3. Once browned on the bottom, stir them around and let them brown some more.If needed you can add some a little lemon juice and some water.
4. While the artichokes are braising put the olives and the parsley into a blender and run it until it is chopped.
5. Slice the bread. On a baking sheet, arrange the slices in a single layer. Brown both sides of the bread slightly in the oven. Remove the slices from the oven. 

Spread the goat’s cheese on the toasted bread, sprinkle the olive-parsley mix over it, top with some slices of artichokes and, if you want, pine nuts!

BUONISSIMA...CON UN BICCHIERE DI VINO BIANCO!

The Kitchen calls for LOVE, TIME and PATIENCE

It was only after I moved to the US that I realized how lucky I was to have learned -without even realizing it- the art of Italian cooking! I really think that cooking is therapeutic. Nothing makes me happier now than to prepare delicious meals for my family and friends and also to teach my daughter Sofia.

Fresh herbs at my parent's house in Conegliano

I remember afternoons after school and long summers spent at my nonna's house.

The kitchen was my favorite place, and for a reason. 

Nonna loved to bake cakes, cookies - specially "brutti ma buoni"- and the most delicious donuts. She called them "krapfen" or sometimes "bomboloni". The krapfen were  filled with homemade "marmellata" or with pastry cream. 

All her grandchildren (11) were gathered around her..wonder why? 

This is my nonna Elena when she was 18 years old

My mamma Jones was also a great cook. 

This is my mamma when she was 18 years old

It seemed so easy and fast for her to make fresh pasta, tortellini, lasagna, tagliatelle, all kinds of gnocchi, colorful and tasty "zuppa di pesce"  (fish soup), delicious "contorni" (side dishes)! 

She could really put together amazing meals for her five children and "con amore". Everyday. 

Unfortunately I only realized this when I became a mother myself.

The love and passion of preparing food, to look carefully for the best ingredients at the open market, grow and collect fresh vegetables, fruits and aromatic herbs from the garden, is one of the greatest gift my mother and grandmother could offer to me. And one of the dearest memory.

I found this interesting and wise quote in an old cookbook that belonged to my grandmother. Here is the translation:

"The kitchen (or cooking) calls for love, time and patience. In these elements is contained the preciousness of the family table"

NOTE ABOUT THE COOKBOOK:In 1927 the Carli firm (Olive Oil) was appointed supplier to the Papal Establishment. In 1937 the equivalent honour was granted by the Royal Household. In the mid thirties, Mr. Amedeo Pettini, a former Head Chef of the Royal family was engaged by Carli to compile a book of recipes which became immensely popular. Since then Carli has distributed over two million copies to its customers. 

The war brought hard times; the plant was totally destroyed and, due to oil rationing before and after the reconstruction of production facilities, eight years passed before Carli customers could be served again.
(http://www.oliocarli.com/us/carl/carl2.htm)

Crema di funghi e marroni

Chestnut trees, a significant feature of the hill and mountain landscape around my hometown of Conegliano up to 2000-2300 ft, provide two types of fruit, the larger, more highly prized marroni and chestnuts.  Always popular in rural culture for their high nutritive and energy-giving value, they are still eaten here in the autumn, boiled or roasted and also used for sweets and honey; dried, they become the traditional "stracaganasse".  Every year in October,  Combai (a little village near Conegliano) is host to a very popular chestnut festival. Here is a simple recipe, perfect for the fall:

INGREDIENTS   

Extra vergine olive oil
sale e pepe (salt and pepper)
garlic
parsley
water
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 pound of fresh mushrooms
4 leeks
300 g of marroni (chestnuts)
100 g of chestnut's flower
1 glass di vino rosso (red wine)Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION 

Boil the chestnuts in salted water and take the shell off when they are cold. Proceed with preparing a base of thinly sliced ​​leeks, which will then gently fry in extra virgin olive oil. Chop the mushrooms and brown in the pan where you cooked the leeks with a clove of garlic and the parsley. Slice the peeled chestnuts and add to the mushrooms. Add now the previously toasted chestnut flour. Bring water to boil and add the cream. Finally, pour a glass of red wine, leaving everything to simmer with the lid on for a while. In the last few minutes you can add a handful of grated cheese, and more olive oil.

Note: Chestnut flour is a grayish-tan alternative to regular all-purpose flour made from ground chestnuts. Its sweet flavor makes it a favorite ingredient for recipes involving almonds,chocolate, honey, and hazelnuts. A gluten-free product, chestnut flour is a cooking option for people with celiac disease or other gluten intolerances or allergies.

Tagliatelle verdi con polpettine gialle

It's almost spring and I want to see more colors on my table! 

The other day Sofia and I made some tagliatelle verdi (we also made some yellow one) and we had some more in the refrigerator so I decided to make some tagliatelle with the colors of the "Primavera": VERDE & GIALLO

For the Fish-balls

• 250 gr of white fish of your choice
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt, Pepper
• 1 Egg
• Garlic
• Parmigiano cheese (grated)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder (I know this spice is not Italian but I like the bright yellow color, pungent aroma of it and, it's very healthy!)

For the sauce

• Heavy cream
• 1/2 glass of Prosecco
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Butter
• Sale&Pepe

Cut the fish into small pieces and chop it in a food processor. Put the fish in a bowl, add a clove of crushed garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese,  the egg , sale & pepe. Then add the turmeric powder dissolved in a tablespoon of water and mix well.

Start making a lot of small fish yellow-balls!

Now make the sauce:put  the oil and butter in a pan and add two cloves of garlic (you you will eliminate the garlic later), add the fish- meatballs, sauté for 2 minutes, then pour in the Prosecco, add the cream, season with salt and pepper and  turn off the heat. 

Cook the noodles in salted water and then, once drained, add them in the pan with the sauce. 

Ecco qui! Buon Appetito!

Pasta Verde

Friday, snow day. Sofia is home. There is no school. 
What do we do? Home made Pasta of course! 

But this time I decide to teach her how to make a colorful pasta. Of course natural color. This is also a good way to add vegetables to my daughter diet and make it fun for her. I noticed that it's not easy to convince her to eat more greens but if she helps me prepare a dish she is more likely to try it at least!

So...we are making "pasta verde": GREEN PASTA

First we cook a bunch of spinach (we used frozen one but you can use fresh too).
When the spinach is ready, drain away excess water and mash into a smooth puree using a blender or the "mezzaluna".

Ingredients:

1 egg
Salt
Olive oil
150g/5oz fresh or frozen spinach
250g/8.8oz plain/all-purpose flour


Preparation:

I make my dough with the food processor, it is easier and less messy!

Place the spinach together with the olive oil, the egg and the flour in the blender and blend until you have have a dough that it's not too sticky and can be kneaded.
Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes.
Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

We decided to make tagliatelle with our GREEN PASTA. My mom use to make lasagne or "il rotolo of spinach and ricotta"  (next post) but Sofia and I today want to go out to enjoy the rest of the free day and the snow!



Ciao a tutti e Buon Appetito!

Torta di Mele e Pane

If you have left over bread don't throw it away! This very simple recipe makes a tasty and delicious dessert.

We had lots of apples in our garden! I took the picture above in last summer when the apples were still green and not ready to be picked.

So, what did my nonna do with all these apples? Keep reading...

INGREDIENTS
- 5 Apples cut in slices

- 8 tablespoons of butter

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs

- 1/2 spoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of  ground ginger

- Lemon Zest of one lemon

PREPARATION

Set aside one third of the breadcrumbs.

In a bowl, mix the 2/3 breadcrumbs, sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest.

Then add the melted butter and mix everything very well.

Cut the apples cut into very thin slices, add the bread, sugar and butter mixture to the apples and mix well.

Then put the mixture of apples and bread crumbs in a greased baking pan, pressing it well with your hands until it forms a fairly compact layer.

Cover with the breadcrumbs you set aside in the beginning.

Bake in a preheated  oven at 350  for about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely

Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla  gelato or panna montata as you like!

Valentine Day Cansunziei

Today is snowing and I feel like making these kind of ravioli typical of the Dolomites called "Cansunziei".

This dish remind me of Cortina D'ampezzo, one of the most beautiful places on earth where I was lucky to go on vacation every winter and summer growing up.

And because it is going to be Valentine Day soon, I chose to shape them as hearts.

Hidden between all my cookbooks I found this little wonderful booklet  "La cucina nelle Dolomiti" that helped me create these valentine treats and share them with you.

RED FILLING

• 2  pounds red beets
• 1 cup of Ricotta cheese
• 1 spoonful of Mascarpone
• 1  large egg
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Nutmeg
• RED FILLING DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 400º. Put beets in a baking dish and roast beets until they can be easily pierced through to the center with a knife or skewer, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Put roasted beets in a food processor and add ricotta cheese, a spoonful of Mascarpone cheese, Parmesan cheese, one egg, salt, nutmeg and pepper; stir to combine. 
• SAUCE

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4  cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Piave cheese
• 3/4  teaspoon poppy seeds
• SAUCE DIRECTIONS: In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat until melted and foamy. Pour butter over pasta, add cheese and toss to combine. Serve immediately, sprinkled with cheese and poppy seeds.

I like to make fresh pasta with my daughter Sofia. She has so much fun and she is learning very fast!

PASTA: fresh pasta contains only three ingredients: flour, salt, and eggs. To make one pound of pasta, you need:

•  2 cups of unbleached flour
•  3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Place the flour on a table in a mound and make a well in the center. Put the eggs and salt into the well. Mix the eggs together with a fork without disturbing the flour. Start with a large, clean work surface. Make a mound of the flour and salt with a well in the middle. Add the eggs to the well, and start stirring with a fork, slowly incorporating all the flour until the dough comes together.

Knead the dough until it is soft and pliable. This might take several minutes. Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting one notch at a time until pasta sheet is about 1/16 inch thick.

Using heart shape cutters like the ones in the picture form the "Cansunziei". 
With a fork, press on the trim of the cansunziei to add detail and seal them.

 Here they are!

Ready to be frozen (up to 3 months) or cooked right away...We could not resist:we cooked them and had them all right away! 


The poppy seeds add crunchiness to this unusual but delicious dish!

 Buon Appetito!

I forgot! With the leftover pasta from the ravioli we made RED SPAGHETTI!