Category: Vegetarian

Categories
Biscuits Breakfast Dessert Healthy Vegetarian

Healthy Anise Cookies without Butter or Biscotti all’Anice

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Anise Cookies or “Biscotti all’Anice”

These super easy cookies remind us of our childhood, playing in the kitchen with our mum and grandmother when we used to spend the Sunday afternoons to make them, they are light, without butter, sweet, really delicious. Anise, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae popular in the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor is very similar to other spices, such as fennel, and licorice. This easy to make cookie gets it’s flavoring from the anise flavor. Perfect for a healthy children’s snack or even as an after dinner treat…

Ingredients

  • 250 grams of Sugar
  • 250 grams of Flour
  • 5 Egg yolks
  • 5 Egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon of  Baking Powder
  • 2 tablespoons Anise

Preparation

  1. It’s a one bowl easy to make cookie. That means 1 bowl only from recipe to oven. Beat the eggs with the sugar using an electric whisk until frothy, add the flour and stir for 2 minutes. Combine the anise and egg whites, and in the end, include the yeast dissolved in a little bit of milk.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 180°(350F). Spread the mixture on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 180° for 20 minutes.
  3. Once baked, bring it out from the oven and cut it into strips 2 cm wide and 6 cm long.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

anise cookies

Categories
Biscuits Dessert Vegetarian

Walnut Chocolate Cookies or Delizia al Cioccolato e Noci

chocolate cookies

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Walnut Chocolate Cookies or “Delizia al cioccolato e noci”

Chewy fudgy homemade cookies made completely from scratch. Those glorious Italian Chocolate Cookies with walnuts are great biscuits for an amazing indulgent breakfast on Sunday morning or after dinner for absolute perfection we suggest to add cream or vanilla ice cream: don’t forget it…

The health-benefits of chocolate have been known for long time. Did you know that chocolate and cacao are not the same? True, there is a clear distinction between commercial chocolate which has no health benefits and organic dark chocolate, ideally with no added sugar. Yet if you’re a chocolate lover, consider small amounts of raw cacao as a better option. The reason why raw cacao is the best choice for healthy benefits is because raw cacao contains the very popular antioxidants – anti-aging – that make raw cacao an absolute superfood. Another very good reason not to feel guilty when eating chocolate! If you’re looking for an indulgent chocolate cookies recipe, this is the recipe for you.

Ingredients

  • 100 grams of Margarine
  • 250 grams of Sugar
  • 125 grams of Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 200 grams of Walnuts
  • 75 grams of Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preparation

  1. Beat the eggs with sugar for about 5 minutes, add the sifted flour, cocoa and baking powder dissolved in a little milk, then add the chopped nuts.
  2. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake 180° for 15 minutes.
  3. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Take out from the oven and let it cool, then cut it into squares.  OMG: A true pleasure to try it, before serving sprinkle with powdered sugar .

TIP: Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.

 Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

chocolate cookie

 

Categories
Basic Preparations or How To Dessert Vegetarian

Mascarpone Custard or Crema al Mascarpone

mascarpone custard

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Mascarpone Custard or “Crema al Mascarpone”

Mascarpone Custard is a delicious dessert by the spoon, with a delicate taste eaten alone or perfect with a slice of cake, or even donuts. The preparation is quite simple and fast but the most important components of this recipe are the ingredients: which all must be fresh. You can also use this instead of custard when you make a fruit tart. Mascarpone is an Italian cheese made from cream, coagulated by the addition of certain acidic substances, such as lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or acetic acid. Mascarpone is milky-white in color and is easy to spread. We love anything with Mascarpone, this is a easy and delicious custard to use with any dessert!

 

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 2 Eggs
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla essence
  • 6 tablespoons of Sugar
  • 500 grams of Mascarpone, fresh Italian cheese
  • 6 tablespoons of Chocolate Chips (optional)

Preparation

  1. Beat the yolks with the sugar until frothy, together with Vanilla essence, add the Mascarpone cheese and beat for 1 minute.
  2. Mount the egg white to snow. Mount the egg whites until stiff add them to the mixture, stirring from bottom to top and then add the chocolate chips to the mix.
  3. Allow Mascarpone creme to set slightly in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
  4. Serve in small cups with strawberries decoration. Strawberries are so beautiful and delicious when accompanied with a simple creamy mascarpone cream. Or serve simply with dark cocoa powder on top as on picture below.
  5. Delicious also as a filling for any cake like Italian Tiramisu!

TIP: To fill cakes: place the Mascarpone mixture in a piping bag with a star tip attached or a plastic bag and cut off one corner of the bag to pipe. Slowly pipe the Mascarpone cream into the cake until filled.

 

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crema-al-mascarpone

Categories
Appetizers Lunch Main Vegetarian

Artichoke Pie or Torta Rustica ai Carciofi

artichoke pie

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Artichoke Pie or “Torta Rustica ai Carciofi”

The Artichoke Pie is an easy and delicious recipe, everyone simply loves it. Ideal for an appetizer with a nice glass of Red Italian Wine, for a picnic, a party or for the main course and you can always add a special salad as a side! Spring is ideal to consume artichokes and they are a very healthy choice. Artichokes are a powerful superfood. The phytonutrients in artichokes provide strong antioxidant benefits, and a serving of artichokes provides greater antioxidant benefits per serving than many other foods traditionally considered to be antioxidant-rich such as dark chocolate, blueberries, and red wine. Anthocyanins, quercetin, rutin, and many other antioxidants contained in fresh artichokes offer a range of health benefits, from cancer prevention and immune support to protection against heart disease. And they are absolutely super Yummy in this recipe!

Ingredients

  • 5 Artichokes
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Garlic
  • 2 spreadable Goat Cheese
  • 100 grams of grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 100 grams of Smoked Scamorza Cheese
  • 1 Rolls of Puff Pastry
  • 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer
  • A pinch of Parsley

Preparation

  1. In a pan add the oil, garlic, artichokes previously cut in chunks, with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and let them cook for 10 minutes. When the artichokes are ready, remove the garlic and add some parsley leaves previously cut.
  2. Add the eggs to a bowl, with the spreadable Goats cheese, Scamorza cheese reduced in cubes, grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Include the artichokes.
  3. Line a cake tin with a sheet of baking paper and lay the pastry, verse the mix from the bowl, add on top some pieces of artichokes to decorate. Bake at 200° for 30 minutes.

TIP: if you want, you can also add to the mixture 30 ml of fresh cream and 2 boiled potatoes cut into cubes.

 

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 artichoke pie slice

 

Categories
Healthy Lunch Main Pasta Vegetarian

Pasta with Rocket Pesto Sauce or Orecchiette al Pesto

pasta rocket pesto

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Pasta with Rocket Pesto or “Orecchiette al Pesto di Rucola”

Rocket Pesto is a great alternative to the classic pesto sauce or “Pesto alla Genovese”.  A scented seasoning thanks to the combination of rocket, pine-nuts, olive oil, Parmesan, and Pecorino cheese.  It takes just a few  minutes, perfect option for a last minute dinner with friends. A very simple dish that will surprise your guests, thanks to the bitter aftertaste of the rocket balanced with the pine nuts and cheese. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 150 grams of Rocket
  • 320 grams of Orecchiette pasta or if you like Spaghetti pasta
  • 70 grams of Pine nuts
  • 50 grams of Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 50 grams of Grated Pecorino Cheese
  • 1 clove of garlic ( remove it if you don’t like the strong garlic flavor or add just a little bit of it)
  • 180 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

  1. Wash the rocket, put it in a blender with Pine Nuts, Parmesan, Pecorino, Olive Oil, Garlic and blend it all. Add salt and pepper to flavor the mixture. The sauce is ready.
  2. If you are not using it right away, add it to a jar, with olive oil on top.
  3. Cook Pasta “al dente” as from instructions on package on salty boiling water in a large pot.
  4. Before draining the pasta, to make the sauce smooth, you can add to it a few tablespoons of cooking water it will make it a bit more liquid. 
  5. Drain the pasta al dente and mix with the rocket sauce. Add Pine-nuts and parsley on top before serving. For the perfectionists: you can also include a couple of slices of baked potatoes on top for decoration.

TIP: To make your pesto even more creamy, you can put some cream cheese spoon, like cottage cheese or Philadelphia.

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pesto-di-rucola-e-pistacchi-770x375

Categories
Healthy Sides Vegetables Vegetarian

Red Cabbage Salad or Insalata di Cavolo Rosso Altoatesina

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Red Cabbage salad or ” Insalata di Cavolo Rosso Altoatesina”

The Red Cabbage Salad is a nutritious and healthy dish, fast and very easy, suitable for all the occasions, ideal for a brunch, or a Sunday lunch and for an important dinner, there are a few variants of this salad but today we will propose the classic recipe: “Insatata Altoatesina”.

Red cabbage, contains polyphenols which include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds called anthocyanins. This vegetable is also unique as rich in glucosinolates. These phytonutrients can be converted by the body into isothiocyanates that have special detoxification and anti-cancer properties. Very healthy meal…

Ingredients

  • 1 Red Cabbage
  • 1 Apple
  • 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 glass of Red Wine
  • 1/2 glass of Broth
  • 40 grams of Butter
  • Salt and Pepper

Preparation

  1. Wash the cabbage and cut into strips 1 cm wide, cut the onion in finely slice and the apple into cubes.
  2. In a frying pan melt the butter and add the chopped onion, cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the brown sugar, the red cabbage and the apple, stir and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.
  4. Add Salt and pepper as you prefer, add the vinegar and let it evaporate.
  5. Finally, add the red wine and cook for 3 minutes without the lid, then cover with a lid and cook over low heat for additional 15 minutes.
  6. During cooking, add the broth needed directly to the cabbage so that it wont be too dry.

TIP: If you like, to make this warm salad even richer, you can also add nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, some peaces of orange.

 

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Red cabbage salad

 

 

Categories
Cake Dessert Vegetarian

Apple Strudel, a Delicious Apple Cake

apple cake strudel

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Apple Cake or “Strudel di Mele”

A delicious old-fashioned Apple Cake made with apples from the north of Italy with LOVE! A good combination of flavors like: raisins, cinnamon, lemon, apples, pine-nuts; all together for a great result and absolutely an All Healthy choice!  You can eat it with vanilla ice cream, with simply fresh cream or with a vanilla sauce, is always perfect in every possible way….

Ingredients

To make the dough

  • 1 Egg
  • 300 grams of Flour
  • 100 grams of Water
  • 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • a pinch of Salt

Make filling

  • 1 kg of Apple
  • 60 grams of pine-nuts
  • 50 grams of Butter
  • 60 grams of Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon
  • 50 grams of Bread Crumbs
  • 1/2 Lemon
  • 70 grams of Raisin
  • a bit of Milk

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the dough: Mix the flour with the salt, form a fountain in the center and add the egg. Begin kneading,  gradually adding warm water and oil, until the dough will not assume elasticity and texture. Form a dough ball, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for an hour in a warm place.
  2. Prepare the filling: Peel the apples and cut them into chunks. Add the lemon juice. Toast the bread crumbs with the butter in a fairly large pan, then add the apples, pine nuts, the raisins, previously soaked and squeezed, cinnamon and sugar. Let it cook for a few minutes. Do not burn it!
  3. Take the dough and roll it out into a very thin sheet, giving it the shape of a rectangle. Place it on a plate covered with parchment paper.
  4. Add the apples filling, previously prepared with the raisins and pine nuts, inside the strudel being careful to leave the ends of the long rectangle of dough open (about two cm from the edges). With the help of the parchment paper roll the strudel on himself. Trim the excess of dough at the sides and seal well.
  5. Brush the entire surface of the strudel with milk and bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes. When it’s ready serve accompanied with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or with a custard.

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apple strudel 3

Categories
Dinner Main Vegetables Vegetarian

Vegetarian Spelt Meatballs or Polpette di Farro e Parmigiano

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Spelt Meatballs or “Polpette di Farro”

Spelt Meatballs with Parmesan are a tasty variation of the classic vegetarian meatballs often prepared with rice. Meatless Meatballs make a great addition to an Italian meal. Toss these wonderful vegetarian meatballs in soy sauce or any favorite sauce, and you’ve got a delicious dinner option! Spelt is an ancient grain. From a nutritional point of view, spelt compared to other cereals is slightly less caloric and richer in vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. A great Healthy Dinner option!

Ingredients

  • 100 grams of Spelt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 60 grams of  Parmesan Cheese
  • Bread Crumbs
  • Oil to fry
  • Salt as preferred

Preparation

  1. Add the spelt to a big bowl and cover it with water, leave in the water for 24 hours, now is ready to cook.
  2. Add it to a large pot with salty water, boil it for about 2 hours.
  3. Once cooked, drain it through a sieve, and place it in a bowl, adding 2 eggs, parmesan and a pinch of salt.
  4. Shape into balls, cover with breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil. Serve!

TIP: buy a ready to cook Spelt if you wish to prepare the meatballs faster so that you don’t have to add the Spelt to water a day before. In this case, you can start from step 2, cook as long as directed in cooking instructions included on packaging.

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Polpette-farro

Categories
Drinks Gluten free Vegetarian

Our Limoncello Liquor Home Made with Lemons from Sorrento

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of one of our best southern liquors: “Limoncello”

Limoncello liquor was born in the early 1900s on the Amalfi Coast and from there it has spread all around the world! Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri claim it’s paternity. Limoncello is a grat digestive after a meal, often served very cold. Someone prefers it mixed with tonic water or even champagne. The yellow and wrinkled lemon skin is the essential ingredient of this recipe: Limoncello di Sorrento. Limoncello was created with a genuine recipe: lemon peel, enriched with water, alcohol and spoonfuls of sugar. For this you need the best quality of Lemons available, better if organic, and if you can find the Lemons from Sorrento, big and juicy with a thick peel and amazing aroma, that would be absolute perfection!

Ingredients

  • 8 Lemons
  • 8 Lemons Leaves
  • 1 Lt  of natural Water
  • 700 grams of Sugar
  • 1 Lt of  grain Alcohol ( Everclear or similar, also known as rectified spirit-as long as it’s potable, strong, and unflavored you’ll be fine)

Preparation

  1. Wash well the lemons under running water and scrub thoroughly. Peel the lemons and use only the peel for this recipe.
  2. Add the lemon peel into a jar (to be hermetically closed) with 700 cl of alcohol, close hermetically  and let it sit for a month in a dark and dry place. After a month of rest resume the jar with alcohol that in the meantime, will have acquired a light yellow color.
  3. Put a pan on the fire with water and sugar without boiling. Let the sugar syrup obtained cool, then pour into the jar with alcohol and add another 300 cl of alcohol. After another 40 days of rest in a dark and dry place, take out the jar, filter the alcohol, remove the peels of lemon and add it to a nice bottle of choice. Done!

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limoncello

Categories
Easter Healthy Main Pie Vegetables Vegetarian

Italian Easter Pie with Ricotta or Torta Pasqualina

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Easter Pie or “Torta Pasqualina”

It is not Easter without our “Torta Pasqualina” Easter Pie.  Originally, from  Genoa, everyone in Italy loves it, generation after generation, simply because you can never get tired of good things!!! This savory pie, called Torta Pasqualina in Italy, is often made for special occasions or parties, it’s easy to make and serve, plus, it’s delicious. This preparation is very simple, what really makes the difference for a good recipe are always the ingredients, their freshness, and the highest quality: spinach, fresh ricotta, organic eggs as main ingredients for this marvelous spring recipe. Light, yet filling, this savory Italian quiche is simply gorgeous. YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY TO TRY IT!

Ingredients for a cake pan – 23/25 cm

  • two circles of dough: puff pastry or dough briseé (you can buy it frozen or make this base preparation at home if you have more time)
  • 600 grams of Spinach
  • 300 grams of Ricotta cheese
  • 70 grams Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 5 Eggs
  • Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg as you prefer

Preparation

  1. Add the spinach into a pan, without water, (previously washed and shredded), cover with the lid and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain the spinach and sauté with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for additional 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile in a bowl, add the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, parmesan cheese and 1 egg, mix for 3 minutes. Add the spinach and mix well.
  3. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, roll out your first piece of dough, roll out the dough into a very thin 12-inch circle. Place the dough circle on a 12-inch pizza pan lined with parchment.  Add the spinach mixture on top. Spoon the spinach evenly over dough to a 2-inch thickness, leaving a 1-inch border of dough. With the back of a spoon make 4 holes on the spinach mixture over the dough and in each little hole pour a whole egg opened gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, cover with the other circle of dough and paint lightly with oil.
  4. Seal the edges well, fold outer edges together and crimp to seal the pie. Then prick the surface with a fork just a little bit here and there.
  5. Bake the Pasqualina Pie, in preheated oven, at 190 degrees for 45 minutes.
  6. Slide the Pasqualina Pie onto a cutting board and let cool slightly before slicing. May also be served at room temperature.

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Easter cake

Categories
Dessert Vegetarian

Delicious Dough-Balls Fritters with Custard or Bigné di San Giuseppe

Fried Custard Dough-Balls or Bignè di San Giuseppe

These Dough-Balls Fritters without yeast are a traditional dessert typical of the Roman cuisine, the symbol of St. Joseph celebration on March 19, the Father’s Day in Italy. These sweet bignè are soft and fluffy. This recipe in other parts of Southern Italy may also be called “Sfinci di San Giuseppe” or even “Zeppole”. And on this note, here we leave you with a popular and wise old style saying: “E chi vuol bene mantenersi sano di frittelle mantenga il ventre pieno”….. It says it all! 🙂 So gooooood.

Ingredients for 10 people

  • 200 ml of Water
  • 50 grams of Butter
  • 100 grams of Flour
  • 60 grams of Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • a pinch of Salt
  • Oil for frying: prior to World War II olive oil was used for deep frying in Italy, but nowadays an all-purpose vegetable oil is often preferred; most cooks, Italian or otherwise, agree that canola oil or peanut oil is best for frying as these oils don’t leave an aftertaste
  • Grated lemon zest (better if organic)
  • Powdered Sugar

Preparation

  1. Heat the water with the butter and a pinch of salt when the water starts to boil, add the flour and stir immediately, not to make form clots, continue to cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Let cool the mixture and then add the beaten eggs and sugar slowly.
  3. In a frying pan heat the oil and pour the mixture of the fritters with a tablespoon,  the fried dough balls will be ready when it will become golden. Once fried let cool on a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
  4. With the help of a pastry bag fill the fritters or bignè with custard, previously prepared, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. You might be tempted to eat them all at once … they are exquisite;-)

NOTE: Prior to World War II olive oil was used for deep frying in Italy, but nowadays an all-purpose vegetable oil is often preferred; most cooks, Italian or otherwise, agree that canola oil or peanut oil is best for frying, as these oils don’t leave an aftertaste and they burn at higher temperatures, ideal for frying.

TIPS:

  • The fried dough balls or Bignè di San Giuseppe can be baked as well in the oven, we can consider this a light healthier version. Still quite delicious.
  • A delicious alternative is” la Zeppola” with custard and black cherry, this recipe you can fry or bake in the oven. The donuts are circular in shape with a central hole from 2 cm diameter and garnish covering them with custard over the cherries in syrup.

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Agrodolce

Categories
Dessert Gluten free Healthy Vegetarian

Italian Créme Caramel or Traditional Budino

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Creme Caramel or “Budino Creme Caramel all’Italiana”

A healthy and light dessert for all the family, Budino or Créme Caramel, is a simple and old-fashioned dessert made just with milk, eggs and sugar. A delicious Italian pudding, it dates back to ancient Roma. A must of Italian and international cuisine made in different variations all over the world: here we prepare a classic Italian recipe. Yummy!

Ingredients  for 6 People

  • 500 grams of  Whole Milk
  • 3 Eggs and 1 Yolk
  • 120 grams of Sugar
  • a Vanilla bean
  • 6 ramekins/molds

Ingredients for Caramel

  • 100 grams of Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of Water
  • (For those who do not wish to prepare the caramel at home, they can find it easily at the supermarket ready to use. We prefer to prepare it, so easy!)

Preparation of Budino

  1. Gently heat the milk, adding a split vanilla pod: in a deep saucepan boil the milk together with a vanilla bean engraved along its length; when reaching boiling state immediately remove from the fire and let it stand for 15 minutes to ensure that the milk assimilates all the vanilla scent.
  2. Break the eggs into a bowl, add the sugar and the hot milk, stir very slowly with a whisk to prevent the mixture from incorporating too much air. Continue beating, after adding the milk with the vanilla bean.
  3. Pour the Caramel (*) in 6 crème caramel molds.
  4. Pour the mixture into the molds, filtering using a sieve to remove the vanilla beans. Filter the milk and join the caramel on top into all the molds. Settle them in a pan with high sides filled with cold water, cooking a bain-marie in the oven for 1 hour and 15 mins at 160°C.
  5. The creme caramel is ready when the cream has curdled while still soft. Let it cool in the water before transferring the molds in the fridge, wait at least 2/3 hours before you flip them on a serving plate. Enjoy.

*Preparation of the Caramel

  1.  We combine the sugar and a little bit of water in a saucepan and put on low heat.
  2. Without touching it, let it cook until the mixture is colored. Once obtained a brown color, pour it carefully over the six ramekins. Temperature is very high so be careful when pouring it.

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creme caramel 5

Categories
Dinner Gluten free Healthy Main Soups Vegetables Vegetarian

Healthy Italian Lentil Soup or Zuppa di Lenticchie

lentils soup

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Lentils or “Lenticchie”

There are different varieties but, in any case, rich in iron and protein. We eat them as a first course, we like a lentils soup with pasta and potatoes, or as a side dish, healthy and tasty. Never miss for New Year’s Evening since the tradition tells that bring health, wealth and lucky.

 

Ingredients

  • 350 grams of Lentils
  • 300 grams of “Pancetta” or Bacon or also diced ham for a lighter version
  • 1 Onion
  • 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 tablespoons of  Tomato
  • 2 Carrots
  • 1 Celery
  • 1 Sprig of Rosemary
  • 4dl of structured Red Wine
  • Salt and Pepper as preferred

Preparation

  1. Wash the lentils in cold water, drain. Cut “Pancetta” or Bacon into cubes of about 2cm. Add the olive oil and the diced bacon in the pressure cooker and fry while open, not yet covered.
  2. Meanwhile, peel the onions and carrots and slice them, clean the celery, removing the leaves and the base of the coast, wash and cut into chunks. Combine the carrots, bacon, onions and celery, including the lentils and the rosemary, sprinkle with red wine and about 4dl of water, add salt to taste. It’s time to close the pot!
  3. When the valve of the pressure cooker starts to whistle, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
  4. When cooked, lift the valve and let the steam out. Now you can open the pot and pour into a pot to serve. Add a sprinkling of black pepper and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

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zuppetta-di-lenticchie-di-colfiorito-con-pancetta--118533

Categories
Basic Preparations or How To Breakfast Drinks Vegetarian

Anyone for a great Coffee? How to make Coffee with a Moka in easy steps

How to prepare the real Italian Coffee with Moka or “Caffè Espresso con la Moka”

What are the secrets of preparing the best coffee with a classic Moka? The Neapolitans are the best when it comes to coffee and there is so much to learn about the different ways to prepare it. The classic “na tazzulella e café” (literally: a little cup of coffee) is an important part of the inalienable Neapolitan lifestyle, typical food and drinking habits. A great Coffee is always the perfect fit: a waking up MUST HAVE in the morning, the classic excuse for a work break, an after lunch essential, the first drink offered to welcome a guest or to family and friends, anyone loved. Italian coffee simply represents – in Italy and abroad – a symbol at the root of our Italian culture. Neapolitans do it better!!!! 🙂

Ingredients for a 3-cup of Coffee maker /small size

  • 3 teaspoons of Grounded Coffee (we like Vergnano or Illy Coffee)
  • Natural Water, we use bottled natural water if in doubt of the tap water quality

Preparation

  1. One rule: You can’t make a good coffee if you don’t have the best quality of the key ingredient: coffee. So the first step is to buy a great mix of grounded coffee. You will have 3 pieces in a Moka machine: base, filter, top.
  2. Fill the base of the Moka with cold water up to the level of the valve and not beyond. Water will affect the taste of your coffee, we often avoid tap water.
  3. Insert the filter on top,  should be just above the water level, add the coffee on top with a teaspoon, coffee is flattened with the teaspoon (do not compress it) being sure to make a few small furrows in the mixture. The coffee should be fully covering the 2 cm above the filter, do not press it in too much or the water will not pass through.
  4. Now you can add the top part of the Moka. Tightly screw the two parts together and put the coffee maker on the stove. Important Step: Keep the heat low.
  5. Once the coffee starts coming out, open the lid to avoid condensed water to drop in.  If you wish, you can take a coffee cup and place it on top of the spout imprisoning the aroma and fragrance of coffee in the cup.
  6. When the coffee level is at about 3/4 of the top part of the Moka turn off the fire completely and wait until it stops dropping. Enjoy super hot.

TIPS:

  • If you want a perfect coffee,  you can pre-heat the coffee cups for 1 minute in the microwave and then pour the coffee in, it will keep it extra hot!
  • COFFEE CREAM: for the perfectionists only, when the coffee starts to come out take the first drops and put them in a separate cup, add 3-4 teaspoons of sugar and blend them until you have a homogeneous creamy mix, add it on top of the coffee in each cup before serving instead of sugar. TOP!
  • Never wash the coffee maker Moka in a washing machine or with soap, just wash it with hot water!

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caffe 3

Categories
Appetizers Eggs Sides Vegetables Vegetarian

Fried Eggs with Zucchini or Frittata di Zucchine

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Fried Eggs with Zucchini or Frittata di Zucchine

“Frittata” is Italy’s answer to the French omelette and the Spanish tortilla.  Fillings are usually made with what’s in season and the cook’s imagination and LOVE, common inclusions in the frittata are potatoes, asparagus, onions, or mushrooms, ham and mozzarella. For this recipe, we will use some fresh zucchini. The filler should be lightly and simply cooked: a quick saute before being incorporated into the egg mixture. There are three critical elements to a great frittata: a non-stick pan, low heat, and a (non-stick) wood spatula. The pan allows you to cook the frittata without much oil, the low heat cooks the eggs through without burning!

Ingredients (4 people)

  • 2 medium Zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/8″ half-rounds
  • 7-8 large Eggs
  • 1 small Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
  • 1 tbsp of Olive Oil
  • few leafs of Fresh Basil
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • Pepper to taste
  • non-stick large Skillet, silicone or wood Spatula

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, onion, cheese, pepper, and salt until well mixed with consistency in color.
  2. Saute the zucchini with olive oil over medium-high heat oil for 6-8 minutes, tossing frequently. Until zucchini get gold and softer. Add the fresh basil leafs chopped.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low. For a fluffier frittata, beat the egg mixture again to incorporate air, otherwise let the ingredients sit while the pan loses a little heat. Add the egg mixture to the pan. Lift the edge of the frittata  with a spatula and angle the pan to allow egg mixture flow underneath.
  4. Once the frittata is mostly cooked and a quick check to the underside shows a nice brown crust, turn the frittata over. Before its too late! The usual method for doing is to place a large plate on top of the pan, flip over, and then slide the frittata back (uncooked-side down) into the pan.  Cook for another minute or so, and flip onto the serving plate.
  5. A frittata can be served warm or room temperature.

TIP: you can finish cooking your frittata in the oven for a more crispy feeling.

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Frittata zucchine

Categories
Healthy Main Vegetables Vegetarian

Easy Linguini with Home Made Pesto Sauce or Linguine al Pesto

How to prepare the real Italian Linguini with Home Made Pesto Sauce

Basil is best at the height of summer. Still, in the middle of winter a nice pesto, is a breath of freshness and a super tasty sauce. Pesto originates in Genoa, mentioned as early as the 17th Century. The recipe as we know today with basil, garlic, pine nuts, and cheese, appeared in the mid-1800’s. That recipe remains the true pesto genovese, but variants have spread and been adapted to local resources and tastes. The best ingredients yield the best flavor. Home grown or organic basil and garlic, a good quality olive oil, and the best imported Parmigiano Regiano, Grana Padano, and/or pecorino you can reasonably afford will be worth the effort in the final dish!

Ingredients for 6 people

  • 50 grams fresh Basil leaves
  • 2 Garlic cloves without peel
  • 100 ml of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • 50 grams of Pine Nuts
  • 80 grams grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/4 cup of freshly grated Pecorino cheese
  • Salt as you prefer
  • 500 grams  of dry Linguine (or Spaghetti)

Preparation

  1. Wash the basil leaves and combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts and cheese in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the oil gradually and process with the blender until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt.
  2. Alternative to Step 1. If using a pestle and mortar instead of a blender, add basil, garlic pine nuts and a pinch of salt.  Start working with the pestle, pressing and rotating it until all the ingredients are nicely ground. Add the cheese and mix well, include the oil and continue mixing until well incorporated and smooth. Season with salt.
  3. Add the Pesto sauce to a glass container and cover the pesto on top with some olive oil to avoid the Pesto to become darker and preserve it well in case you need it.
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the linguine. Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water until “al dente”, as from cooking instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the pesto and toss. Taste for salt and add a drizzle of oil. Yummy!

TIP: These days a food processor does the heavy lifting, but if you have a mortar and pestle and are willing to spend a few extra minutes, grinding the nuts and garlic together before adding the leaves has a distinct effect on the texture of the sauce (See Step 2).

 

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Linguine Pesto

Categories
Carnival Dessert Fried Vegetarian

Sweet Cocoa Ravioli with Ricotta Cheese or Ravioli al Cioccolato

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  Cocoa Ravioli with Ricotta cheese or “Ravioli al Cacao con la Ricotta”

This is a fried pastry used originally in the Middle Ages, of course without the addition of cocoa because it has discovered in the nineteenth century! A tasty dish prepared for Carnival Festivities, a real triumph of gluttony.

Ingredients

  • 250 grams of Flour
  • 500 grams of Ricotta Cheese
  • 200 grams of Sugar
  • 20 grams of Cocoa powder
  • 30 grams of Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 3 tablespoons of Milk
  • 2 tablespoons of White Wine
  • 1 Lemon
  • Powder Sugar as you need
  • a pinch of Salt
  • Oil to fry

Preparation

  1. On a large bowl pour the flour, make a hole in the center, add 100 grams of sugar, cocoa and softened butter and mix; add the egg, milk, wine, grated lemon rind, a pinch of salt and  continue to knead until the dough is compact and smooth.Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until you have a smooth dough ball. Wrap the dough in a plastic film and let rest for at least 1 hour in a cool place ( not refrigerator).
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: in a different bowl mix the ricotta with the remaining sugar, remove the dough from the plastic film, arrange it on a work surface, roll out with a rolling pin into a thin sheet, and form rectangles of 10X20 cm (1 mm thick). Brush the edges with egg white. Put a spoon of filling onto one side; fold over to form a “raviolo” shape. Fold them in half and sealed the edges with a fork.
  3. Fry the ravioli in a pan with hot oil on both sides until golden, drain them with a slotted spoon, let dry on paper towels and sprinkle with powder sugar before serving.

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Categories
Carnival Dessert Vegetarian

Indulgent Honey Dough Mini-Balls or Carnival Struffoli

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Small traditional Honey Dough Mini Dough Balls or “Struffoli”

“Struffoli” or Honey Mini-Dough Balls are a typical dish from Naples, made traditionally during Christmas, while in many regions of Italy is eaten during Carnival time. Struffoli are small balls of sweet dough, fried and then dipped in honey and decorated with colored sprinkles and candied fruit. Small dough balls, really small, are deep-fried and then rolled in honey before being assembled into a cone structure. Fancy to try them? Always a good idea!

Ingredients

  • 500 grams of Flour
  • 8 grams of Salt dissolved in water
  • 50 grams of Sugar
  • 50 grams of White Wine
  • A bit of Semolina or Flour for the baking tray
  • 4 Eggs
  • Vanilla seeds
  • 1 Orange
  • 1 Tangerine
  • 60 grams of Butter
  • Honey
  • Candied Orange and Cedar as you refer
  • Colored Sugar Sprinkles

Preparation

  1. Mix the flour with the salt, sugar and white wine. Add 2 eggs and the vanilla seeds, finely grated orange zest (better if Organic!) and tangerine zest. Include the other 2 eggs and, in addition, include the softened butter. Beat until frothy. Mix well. If it is too sticky, then add more flour and keep kneading, using either your hands or a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook, until you have a smooth, pliable dough. Let it stand 2 hours in the refrigerator.
  2. Flour your work surface and turn out your dough. Then divide the dough into 10 roughly equal pieces, each about the size of a small ball. Take 1 ball and roll it into a rope approx. 1/2 inch thick, then with floury hands divide this into about 20 small pieces, and roll each piece between your hands (flouring them again if this helps) to make marble-sized “Flipper” balls, about 1/4th of a golf ball.
  3. Place the formed balls of dough on a semolina-sprinkled baking sheet, as you shape them. Repeat the process with the remaining portions of dough. On a large frying pan heat the oil (180 °or 375°F), remove the excess of flour and fry the Struffoli balls.
  4. Gently lower, using a mesh scoop or perforated spoon, about 15 little dough balls at a time. At first they will sink and then, as they cook, they’ll float to the surface and begin to turn golden brown. Continue to cook them in batches making sure the oil returns to the correct temperature.
  5. When the Struffoli turn gold as the crust of bread we remove them from the oil  and put on paper towels. You can fish them out with your mesh scoop or perforated spoon.
  6. Pour the honey into a roasting pan that can go on the stove, and heat very gently until it becomes runny—a matter of moments, so do not leave the pan—then take it off the heat. Tip all of the fried dough balls into the warmed wildflower honey and, using a soft spatula, turn them gently to coat them.
  7. Move them to a bowl and cover the Struffoli with the candied orange peel, grated orange zest (or tangerine or lemon), mix well and present them in a structured cone shape on a serving dish with the colored sprinkles on top. Delicious!

TIP: These delicious  struffoli are best if eaten on the day they’re made. Use a scoop or spoon and fork to serve. It will be a sticky business, but that’s part of their charm.

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file_548ed7b75f7f0

Categories
Biscuits Carnival Dessert Fried Vegetarian

Crispy Sweet Fritters or Carnival Frappe

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Carnival Fritters or “Frappe”

Frappe, Chiacchiere or Lies are quite delicious, many names for those simple thin fried dough strips, typical during Carnival time in Italy, over February. Very ancient Roman tradition. Slightly different in every region. In Italy, Frappe are crispy and light as air when you bite into them. Enjoy with family and friends. If you start, you can’t stop eating. Happy Carnival!

Ingredients (40 Frappe)

  • 500 grams Flour (3 full cups)
  • 4 tablespoons (70 grams) Sugar (do not add too much sugar or they burn when you fry)
  • Butter 50 gr.
  • ¾ teaspoon (5 grams) Baking Powder like Pane Angeli
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Vanilla bean or “Vanillina” powder
  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) Butter diced, at room temperature
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • Rhum or Grappa 30 gr
  • Oil to fry
  • TOPPING: powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

  1. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add to a food processor, or mix manually, then add the eggs together with the butter, combine till the dough comes together.
  2. Remove from the food processor and leave on a floured surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth (should not be a sticky dough). Wrap in plastic and let rest at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  3. Remove from fridge and taking ¼ of the dough at a time roll into a very thin strip. It is weighed and rolled in a pasta machine as you would do with pasta dough. Then cut into strips with a fancy edged pastry cutter, cut into approximately 2-3 inch sizes and fry in a pot of hot vegetable oil for frying (approximately 2 inches of oil, the temperature must reach 170° and stay at this temperature, no higher or dough will burn). Fry until frappe becomes golden turning them over once at the mid-cooking time while frying.
  4. Remove to drain and cool on a plate lined with kitchen paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Consume fresh. Enjoy as soon as ready!

TIP: for a light version you can also bake the Frappe. Will be a very nice healthier option. But traditionally Frappe are the best if fried!

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 Frappe-baked

Categories
Gluten free Healthy Vegetables Vegetarian

Raw Artichokes and Parmesan Salad or Insalata di Carciofi crudi e Parmigiano

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Raw Artichokes Salad with slices of Parmesan or “Insalata di Carciofi crudi e scaglie di Parmigiano”

 

If you love artichokes and you can buy them fresh, tender and of the best quality during the winter season, this salad will be marvelous, a perfect combination of flavors, great for every occasion as an appetizer or as a side dish. Artichokes are a superfood in every sense of the word. The phytonutrients in artichokes provide potent antioxidant benefit. Artichokes, as well as artichoke extracts from the leaves and stems of the plant have been historically recommended for liver health. This salad is a vegetarian dish with a strong personality, and we simply love it!

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 6 Artichokes
  • 2 Lemons
  • Slices of Parmesan Cheese
  • Aceto balsamico di Modena, q.b
  • 5 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

  1. Cut the lemons and squeeze the juice. Wash the artichokes, and cut the stalks (keeping them on the side for other preparations) and cut the leaves, use only the inside of the artichoke, where the leaves start to become greener and softer. You need the most tender leaves.
  2. Private the artichokes of the pins or spikes, which are also hard. With a sharp knife, slice the vegetables into slices the thickness of a few millimeters. While cutting them, put them in a bowl and moisten immediately with lemon juice to prevent blackening.
  3. Roll out the artichokes sprayed with lemon on a serving plate as if serving a plate of “carpaccio” or raw meat, adjust with salt, pepper, add a few drops of balsamic vinegar, wet the dish with the best quality of Extra-virgin olive oil. Finish decorating the surface with slices of parmesan. Lovely!

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insalata di carciofi e parmigiano

 

Categories
Appetizers Dinner Gluten free Healthy Main St. Valentine Vegetarian

Cheese-Balls with Pistachio or Polpettine di Caprino

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Goat Cheese-Balls with Pistachio and Rocket or “Polpettine di Caprino con Pistacchi e Rucola”

A delicious appetizer all cheese based but light and fast, those Caprino Goats Cheese-balls are suitable for any occasion. Easy, quick, super tasty. A good starter for large dinners with friends, well presented light soft cheese. Caprino is an Italian cheese traditionally made from whole or skim goat’s milk. The name of the cheese derives from the Italian word for goat, capra. Goat cheese has been made for thousands of years, and was probably one of the earliest made dairy products. Enjoy and have fun!

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 130 grams of Goat Cheese like “Caprino” or Philadelphia
  • 250 grams of white Greek Yogurt
  • 3 slices wholemeal Bread chopped
  • 100 grams of chopped Pistachios
  • Chopped Chives
  • Rocket for decoration
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, mix well the goat cheese, chopped chives, yogurt, rusks crumbled, 50 grams of chopped pistachios. Put the mix in the freezer to make it coagulate well for about 30 minutes.
  2. Now prepare the balls not too big and cover them with the remaining pistachios chopped and a leaf of arugula on each ball. Serve.

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palline-ricotta-e-pistacchi

Categories
Appetizers Fried St. Valentine Vegetarian

Parmesan-Cheeseballs or Polpettine al Parmigiano

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Parmesan Cheese-Balls or “Polpettine al Parmigiano Reggiano”

This delicious dish is created with one of the most famous and traditional Italian  ingredients: THE PARMESAN CHEESE OR PARMIGIANO REGGIANO, which is considered the King of the Italian food. This Parmesan Cheese-Balls are perfect for an appetizer with friends. Your guests will want the recipe, no doubts. Simply delicious!

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 300 grams of Parmesan Cheese
  • 2 Eggs
  • 3 Egg Whites
  • 50 grams of Flour
  • 25 grams of Breadcrumbs
  • Salt and Pepper as preferred

Preparation

  1. Pour into a bowl the Parmesan Cheese, stir in the breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt and ground pepper, mix well. Mount the egg whites until stiff, when ready add them to the mixture.
  2. Shape into small balls, prepare two separate plates in one pour the flour in the other the two beaten eggs.
  3. Heath in frying oil. Pass the little balls, one by one, first in the flour, then into the eggs and pour into the pan, make sure that the oil has reached the right temperature. Once ready add the meatballs on a plate on top of paper towels to absorb any excess of oil.

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file_55191e304570e

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Main Rice Vegetarian

Zucchini stuffed with Rice or Zucchine ripiene con Riso

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Zucchini stuffed with rice or “Zucchine ripiene con il riso”

The stuffed zucchini are a delicious traditional Italian dish, a good alternative eating rice and vegetables, you can use zucchini or aubergines or red and yellow peppers. Delicious cold and hot, you just have to try it!

 

 

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 300 grams of Vialone Rice ( vialone is a kind of rice)
  • 8 Zucchini
  • 80 grams of Butter
  • 3 Amaretti crushed
  • 100 grams of Fontina Cheese, diced
  • 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 80 grams of Parmesan Cheese grated
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

  1. Cook the rice: use the same method of the pasta. When it is ready, pour it in a bowl with butter, 50 grams of Parmesan, Fontina cheese and mix well.
  2. Cut zucchini in half and take out the center. Mix the chopped zucchini with crushed Amaretti, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, verse into the rice and mix well.
  3. Fill the zucchini with rice, put into a baking sheet, previously buttered, cover the zucchini with other parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C.

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DSC07650

 

 

 

Categories
Main Pasta Vegetarian

Pasta with Tomato, Parmesan, Pecorino or Paccheri alla Scarpariello

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  Pasta with Tomato sauce, Parmesan and Pecorino Cheese or “Paccheri alla Scarpariello”

Pasta Scarpariello way is a classic recipe of Neapolitan tradition, the basis for this recipe are fresh cherry tomatoes and cheese together to give life to a pasta dish to go mouth-watering just watching it! Paccheri are typical from Gragnano area.

The Origins of pasta “O’Scarpariello”: it takes his name from the Spanish shoemakers neighborhoods of Naples. It was prepared around noon, quickly with the ingredients that they had already in the house and with products that were given away to the shoemaker as payment for their services, such as cheese.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 320 grams of Paccheri Pasta or Maccheroni Pasta or Spaghetti
  • 600 grams of fresh Tomatoes
  • 1 clove of Garlic
  • 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 200 grams of grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 30 grams of grated Pecorino Cheese
  • Chilly as preferred
  • 6 leaves of Basil
  • Salt as preferred

Preparation

  1. Peel the garlic and chop it finely, do the same with the basil. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds and slice thinly with a knife.
  2. Pour the oil in a large high pan, let the garlic and chilly fry, will be ready when browned. Do not burn them! Add the tomatoes and cook on high heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, then drain and pour into pan, turn the heat to low heat, stirring constantly, add the Parmesan cheese and Pecorino cheese. Before serving, add the fresh basil.

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lo-scarpariello

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Basic Preparations or How To Gluten free Healthy Vegetables Vegetarian

Healthy Fresh Tomato Sauce or Sugo di Pomodoro

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  Fresh Tomato Sauce or “Sugo al Pomodoro Fresco”

The fresh tomato basil sauce is the sauce Mediterranean for excellence. Simple and tasty, even more if done during the period of July-August, when the tomatoes are tasty and fragrant, grown with the sun, and often used to prepare the best red sauce preserved with care for the winter time.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 10 Fresh Tomatoes we like San Marzano
  • 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer
  • 4 leaves of Basil

Preparation

  1. In a saucepan, bring to a boil plenty of water, pour the tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain the tomatoes, remove the skin and cut them in half. Remove the seeds and the vegetation water, cut into cubes.
  2. In a saucepan, pour the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garlic, let the garlic get brown and then add the tomatoes, cook for 10 minutes, season with salt, add pepper and basil leaves before serving. The sauce is ready!

TIP: if you have short time to make a tomato fresh sauce, just wash and cut the tomatoes directly adding them to the pan. Do not boil them before. Start boiling the water when cooking the tomatoes and in ten mins: voila’! A nice, fresh, healthy sauce.

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pomodoro3

Categories
Biscuits Carnival Dessert Fried Vegetarian

Carnival Sweet Fried Balls or Castagnole

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Carnival Sweet Fried Balls, Fritters, or “Castagnole”

Get this all-star, easy-to-follow recipe. In Italy, we always say: “A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale” it means literally “on Carnival time every kind of joke counts”, but this delicious recipe is definitely not a joke! Between the most popular pastries we use to cook during this very special period, let’s keep up with the celebrations!

Ingredients

  • 400 grams of Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 150 grams of Sugar
  • 30 grams of Butter
  • 1/2 zest of Lemon (grated)
  • 1/2 glass of White Wine
  • 16 grams of Baking Powder
  • a pinch of Salt
  • Oil for frying
  • Flour for dusting

Preparation

  1. Knead the flour with 2 eggs,  sugar, butter, zest of lemon, 1/2 glass of white wine, add the baking powder and a pinch of salt.  Work well the dough with your hands until it is firm and elastic, making many small balls.
  2. Set your oil to heating. Fry each “Castagnola” until pretty golden brown, drain them all well on absorbent paper, dust them with powdered sugar. Enjoy it warm or cold!!!

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Main Pasta Vegetarian

Potatoes Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Basil or Gnocchi di Patate alla Sorrentina

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Potatoes Gnocchi with Tomato sand Basil Sauce or “Gnocchi di Patate al Pomodoro e Basilico”

A traditional dish of the Italian cuisine that you can find in all regions, with so many variations, their unique taste always brings us back in time. In the city of Rome the Potatoes Gnocchi are a traditional dish on Thursday , following the dictum Thursday Gnocchi or “Giovedì Gnocchi”. For some reason known is the saying “Laugh, laugh, mum made Potatoes Gnocchi”. A recipe for potato dumpling, cloaked in a top-notch sauce. Enjoy this mouthwatering Italian recipe for gnocchi with tomato sauce. And if you are preparing a nice lunch with friends consider baking them with mozzarella and Parmisan on top to make the best “Gnocchi alla Sorrentina”.

Ingredients for 4 people

Potatoes Gnocchi

  • 1 kg of yellow Potatoes
  • 300 grams of Flour
  • 50 grams of Flour
  • 1 Egg
  • 50 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and Nutmeg as preferred

Tomato sauce

  • 10 fresh tomatoes like San Marzano or Canned Tomato
  • 1 clove of Garlic
  • a sprig of Basil
  • 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Black Pepper as preferred
  • Parmisan cheese as preferred

Preparation

Gnocchi Preparation

  1. In a saucepan pour the water and potatoes, bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes from the boil. Drain, peel and place them in a potato masher. Take a wooden pastry board, pour 50 grams of flour and verse the potatoes, let them cool.
  2. Add to the potatoes 150 grams of flour, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and a bit of salt, to form a fountain shape empty in the center and include an egg in the center. Process quickly, mix adding the remaining flour from the sides until getting a soft dough.
  3. Divide the dough into more pieces, bringing down every piece on a wooden pastry board to obtain cylinders of the diameter of a finger, cut each roll into pieces of about 2 cm long to get the gnocchi. Place them on a tray previously floured.

Tomatoes Sauce Preparation

  1. In a pan pour 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a clove of crushed garlic, cook until the garlic becomes golden and then remove it, add the fresh tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
  2. In a saucepan, pour the water and salt (about 1 spoon/the water should taste a little bit salty), bring to a boil, add the gnocchi, cook them for few minutes, they are ready when they are all up on the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them into the pan with the tomato sauce, add the basil leaves. Add Parmisan cheese on top and serve.

TIP: you can also keep the gnocchi refrigerated and bake them later on with Parmisan cheese on top and mozzarella. This version is called Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. Spoon them into individual baking dishes, top with fresh mozzarella and more parmesan, and pop into the oven for 5 minutes, just long enough to melt the mozzarella. You can’t go wrong with Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. The result is pretty amazing.

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GNOCCHI-ALLA-SORRENTINA-3.jpg

Categories
Dessert Gluten free Healthy Vegetarian

Light and Easy Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake or Torta di Ricotta al Limone

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake or “Torta di Ricotta al Limone”

Halfway between a cake and a cheesecake, this ricotta cheesecake cake with lemon and ricotta cheese has a light texture that almost melts in your mouth and an intense flavour of lemon, delicious and nutritious. It is easy to prepare, the result is a cake with a moist dough, which makes it suitable as a dessert to be served after a meal. Better to prepare this lemon cake using organic lemons: in addition to the juice, in fact, we use a fair amount of zest also essential to give the sweet smell and taste of these amazing fruit.

Ingredients

  • 3 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 200 gr. – around 1 container (16oz.) – whole milk Ricotta cheese
  • 80 gr. white wheat all-purpose Flour and 80 gr. Potato Flour (or 1/4 cup Gluten-Free Baking mix)
  • Juice from 1/2 Lemon and grated Zest (if using organic Lemon)
  • 3-4 Biscuits of your choice, or Graham Crackers or Gluten-Free Biscuits, all crushed
  • 16gr. Baking Powder
  • 2 tbsp of Butter for greasing the pie dish

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Thoroughly rinse the lemon, dry and grate the zest without touching the white part. It will get about 1 tablespoon. Squeeze the juice (around 50 ml) and zest the lemon. What is zesting? It’s removing the very outer layer of skin from a citrus fruit. Zest is a great way to add extra flavour to cooking and extra oomph to food and drink presentation.

zest lemon

2. Start off by cracking 3 eggs and place them into a mixing bowl, then add in sugar and mix together. Add the ricotta cheese and blend with the egg and sugar mixture. While it is blending, add in the 2 flours (or the gluten-free baking mix) and continue to blend until it is well incorporated. Finish by adding in fresh lemon juice and lemon zest and blend one more time.

3. Grease your pie dish with butter and sprinkle the biscuits crumbs evenly over the bottom of the dish. You can crush the graham crackers or biscuits by using a blender or food processor, or just crush them.

4. Pour the batter over the crumbs and place it in the oven for 25 minutes or until it begins to turn golden brown. Once the cake is golden brown let it cool or place it in the refrigerator so it tastes more like a cheese cake. Slice into serving pieces and place on a platter. If you wish spoon warm or room temperature blueberries on top.

TIP: You can also easily prepare a gluten free lemon and ricotta cheesecake: just replace the wheat flour with an equal amount of gluten-free cake mix flour and use a gluten-free baking powder.

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ricotta cheesecake

Categories
Basic Preparations or How To Vegetarian

Bechamel Sauce or Besciamella

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of “Bechamel or Besciamella”

The Bechamel sauce is a base sauce of the traditional Italian cuisine, which is used as a starting base for more elaborate dishes such as Lasagne or Cannelloni. You can make it at home quickly and easily or you can buy it already made. We prefer to make it at home, nice and fresh. Super easy. Yummy!

Ingredients for the Bechamel

  • 50 grams of Butter
  • 50 grams of Flour
  • Half liter of Milk
  • Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg as preferred

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and cook on low heat for 3 minutes.

2. In the meanwhile bring the milk to a boil with salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir in the butter and flour and simmer for five minutes.

THE SECRET: the bechamel is ready when you insert the spoon into the sauce, you take it out and see that the sauce stays firmly attached to the spoon.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

 

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Categories
Dessert St. Valentine Vegetarian

Raspberry Tiramisù or Tiramisù ai Lamponi

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Raspberry Tiramisù or “Tiramisù ai Lamponi”

A delicious alternative to the classic Tiramisù made with coffee, Italian dessert par excellence. Perfect dessert for St. Valentine’s night. Quick and simple to make. A twist on an Italian favorite. Ladyfingers are layered in a dish with raspberries and mascarpone filling.

Ingredients for 6 people

Preparation

1. The first thing you need to do to prepare the Raspberry Tiramisu’ is to thoroughly wash these sweet wonderful red fruits under running water. Then let the raspberries dry gently on a cloth. Set aside a few raspberries for the final decoration, then put in a bowl the fresh raspberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar and half glass of water and let it rest for 6 hours after that whisk half part of raspberries with the juice obtained.

tiramisu raspberries2. In a bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes foamy and light. Add mascarpone and one shot-size glass of Grand Marnier or other liquor. In another bowl, preferably high, mount the egg whites until stiff and gently fold the egg whites, from top to the bottom, into the mascarpone mixture, very gently, add the other half of raspberries left to the mix.

3. Cover the bottom of a ceramic dish (you can also use small bowls for mono-portions) with 3 tablespoons of mascarpone sauce, wet the biscuits into the raspberry sauce quickly, add into the glass dish as a one layer at the bottom and cover the first layer of biscuits with one-third of the mascarpone mixture. Repeat layers 2 times, ending with the cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Before serving, dust generously with cocoa powder and fresh raspberries. Wonderful.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

tiramisu-lamponi