venerdì 19 luglio 2013

Enjoy your sunny days!

Dear friends,
Summer is here, love is all around...

See you in September with a lot of recipes and tips!
Hugs


mercoledì 17 luglio 2013

Zucchine alla scapece

This is a traditional dish from Naples, consumed especially during summertime. This express and easy recipe is very aromatic and fresh, vegetarian and not fat too because I prefer grilling the courgettes than frying.

2, 3 courgettes (sliced into 1 cm thick slices)
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh mint
white wine vinegar
evo oil

Grill the courgettes slices and cool down. In a bowl mix 2 tbs of evo oil with 1-1/2 tbs of white wine vinegar and the minced garlic. Put the courgettes into the bowl and mix, serving with fresh mint.



lunedì 15 luglio 2013

Mozzarella di bufala

Mozzarella di bufala is a fresh cheese from Southern Italy. The best production is in Caserta and Battipaglia nearby Naples. Mozzarella holds the protected designation of origin (PDO) under the European Union law.

It is made from buffalo's milk. The curd is stirred and heated to be separate from the whey. The cheese is then stretched and kneaded to produce a delicate consistency (this spinning and cutting method is also known as pasta filata).
The cheese-maker kneads the cheese with his hands, like a dough, until he obtains a smooth, shiny paste, a strand of which he pulls out and lops off, forming the individual mozzarella (hence, the name comes from the Italian verb "mozzare", i.e. to cut).

Mozzarella is usually sold as a ball (from 100 gr to 1 kg), small balls (bocconcini) or twisted to form a plait (treccia). Mozzarella is soaked and sold with its brine in a bag.
Mozzarella di bufala must be distinguished from fior di latte that is processed with the same method but with pasteurzied or unpasteurized cow's milk.

Mozzarella must be smooth,  with a creamy and rubbery texture and It is slightly sweet/sour with a distinct milk flavor. Fresh mozzarella DOES NOT go to the fridge. It must be soak with its bag in a bowl with water at room temperature. Change the water into a very hot one, 10 min before eating.

Enjoy mozzarella with some tomatoes and basil and you feel in paradise (do not put oil or salt on mozzarella, you'll become a sinner).


 

venerdì 12 luglio 2013

Alici in carrozza

Small, shiny and silver: anchovies can change your dish from good to extraordinary delicious.
 
They are sold fresh, oil-canned or salt-preserved, as a paste, oil or extract (the so-called colatura). Full of Omega-3 fatty acids, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium they can be used to enrich salads, pasta, stuffing or to marinate.
 
I fell in love with this dish when I tried it for lunch on the beach. Today I will give you the light version of the original recipe where the anchovies were fried.

300 gr anchovies (serves 2)
2 eggs
125 gr mozzarella
breadcrumbs
white wine
chili
lemon zest
ginger
parsley
oil
salt

Wash the anchovies under cold water. Open them horizontally from the head to the tail and Remove the head and the innards.

Mix in a bowl the eggs. Blend in the breadcrumbs with the ginger, the chili flakes and the salt on a wax paper. Cut the mozzarella into sticks, squeezing out the liquid on a paper toilet.

Lay 1-2 mozzarella sticks with some lemon zest between two anchovy fillets (like a sandwich). Dip it into the eggs and dredge in the breadcrumbs.

In a oven pan put the anchovies with 2 tbs of oil, a sprinkle of white wine and parsley and cook in a preheated oven to 200°C for 10-15min.










mercoledì 10 luglio 2013

Pummaroò&Friends: il succo di pomodoro di Rudy!

If I had had an elder brother,  It would have been Rudy!
I met him in Nice some years ago when I started to appreciate this fresh and tasty cocktail.
Rudy is smart, ironic, generous, nice and sexy...he is a real Italian stallion and girls... he is single!!!



tomato juice
lemon juice
worchester sauce
tabasco
ice cubes
salt
pepper


Put in your glass: a splash of lemon juice, a spray of salt, a spray of pepper, a few drops of tabasco and a few drops of worchester sauce, add a few cubes of ice, and pour in the tomato juice; shake it all and drink it fresh.

Rudy







lunedì 8 luglio 2013

Spaghetti alla carbonara

You think that you need double cream...NO!
You think that you need onions...NO!
You thinking that you need to cook eggs...NO!

The misinformation about this Roman dish is huge. I'll try to give you the authentich recipe.

320 gr spaghetti (serving 4)
130 gr cured pork cheek (guanciale) or bacon
3 egg yolks
black pepper to grind coarsley
pecorino romano cheese
oil
 
Set a skillet over medium heat when hot put the cured pork cheese or bacon in cubes to brown then lay on paper towel to absorbe the fat.
 
In a glass or ceramic bowl (not in metal otherwise th eggs would cook) put the yolks with the pepper and the pecorino romano cheese and mix grossly and quickly (You must not whip the eggs since they must remain creamy and not fluid).

Drain very well the pasta (no water at all) and fold it into the egg cream and mix powerfully, adding the bacon or guanciale. Do not add salt since the bacon or guanciale and the pecorino cheese are naturally salty.

Serve with other percorino cheese and black pepper.
 
 
 

venerdì 5 luglio 2013

Involtini di vitello

The sun is shining so let's give the go-ahead to the weekend!!!
 
You can prepare these rolls in advance and stuff them with the vegetables you more enjoy.
 
2 thin veal round steaks (for 4 rolls)
100 gr Swish chards
5 black olives
8 raisins
oil
salad
 
Boil the Swiss chards and drain well. Soak the raisins in warm water for 10 min.
 
In a bowl put the raisins, the pitted black olives in pieces and fold the Swiss chards in, mixing with 2 tbs of oil and salt.
 
Set the skillet over medium-high heat with the steaks, cook for 3 min per side (longer time depends on the thickness of the meat).
 
Cut each steak into two parts and roll with the Swiss chards mixture.
 
Serve on a mix salad plate. 




mercoledì 3 luglio 2013

Le mie casarecce

Sometimes you do not have time but in need of good food, sometimes you do not have time but some friends are coming to dinner,  here's the recipe you are looking for.

I tried the combination of these ingredients and I love the fresh, crunchy, sweet, bitter and creamy taste of this recipe that is also very express and easy to prepare. You can serve warm or cold.

180 gr casarecce (serving 2)
6 sundried tomatoes
80 gr ricotta
1 bunch of rocket
chopped almonds
lemon zest
black pepper (possibly the seichuan pepper)
oil
salt

Put the rocket with water and ice in a bowl for 15 min and dry. Let the sundried tomatoes soak in warm water for 15 min until soft and drain. Brown the chopped almonds in a skillet. Mix in a bowl the ricotta with 2,3 tbs of pasta water.

When the pasta is ready, set a skillet over medium-high heat with the sundried tomato in pieces and a tbs of oil (a pinch of salt, If needed), add the pasta and the rocket and fold the ricotta in.

Garnish with the black pepper, the almonds and the lemon zest.


lunedì 1 luglio 2013

Nonna

I have never been a quiet child. My parents worked and I spent all my childhood and more with a great woman, my granma. When I was a little girl, I could not understand how lucky I was growing up with her.

I was more a hurricane than a baby. It was really difficult to look after me but my granny has been amazing. She had and has an extraordinary power.
She hasn't had an easy life, she has suffered a lot.
She knows hunger, poverty, pain, abuse and danger. She lived the Second World War. 
She is 86 years old and she is always ready to give love.

I remember days passed on her legs, hearing stories belonged to her life. Morning passed in the kitchen, preparing love and afternoon spent sewing or crocheting.
I loved playing with a sort of big box where my granny kept all memories so I had the impression to meet her as a woman.

We loved cooking for many hours. My granny always prepared delicious but simply recipes.
I remember our lunches where she always tried to cook something I liked.
Her food has a special taste, It is love and dedication.

Today I cook because It is something that belongs to me. It's my life, It is the way in which I grew up, It is a way to show love, It is a way to share passion, feelings and moments.

When I feel sad and I am far, I call her to find a smile again otherwise I go to her place and I love sitting on her legs, caressing her soft, strong hands and wonderful hair, smelling her perfume and I feel that I am happy!!!

Thanks Nonna to have taught me love, passion and sacrifice.