Ribollita toscana

Oggi la Redazione Cucina di " Donne sul Web "  nella sua rubrica "Sapori e Tradizioni d'Italia " vi propone una zuppa tradizionale toscana.

La Ribollita

Food Pet Peeves & A Giveaway!

It's just one of those days. The last day of January and another winter snow covered Monday. It feels like Groundhog Day (which is actually Wednesday!).No recipe to post, I'm just in the mood to complain.I've been keeping a list of my food pet peeves, and I think today is the day that I will share them with you along with a great giveaway! (see, I am not that bitchy!).Peeve #1. (and probably my

Orzotto al radicchio, speck e Cabernet

Oggi vi propongo una ricetta con l'orzo,un cereale ad alto contenuto di fibre solubili. Insieme all'avena, � il cereale con il pi� basso indice glicemico.
In commercio si trovano due tipi di orzo : il decorticato e il perlato.L'orzo  decorticato, che richiede una lunga cottura e un ammollo in acqua per alcune ore, contiene pi� fibre, sali minerali e vitamine.L'orzo perlato subisce un processo di raffinazione atto a rimuovere la parte pi� esterna. Pu� essere utilizzato senza ammollo preventivo e la  sua cottura � pi� breve.Sta a voi scegliere il tipo che preferite,io uso quello perlato che si trova ovunque, quello decorticato potete acquistarlo nei negozi di alimentazione naturale...La ricetta � qui :

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Peanut Butter Cookies w/ Chocolate Chunks & Sea Salt

I have never made a recipe from Paula Deen. I made her son's fish recipe once, but never a recipe from Madame. Her stuff is too heavy with cream, butter, mayo and loaded with fat for moi. I was so surprised when I saw this cookie on this blog and it was from a Paula Deen "healthy" recipe! What got me interested was the sea salt and the orange zest, both, for which I am a sucker for.I wouldn't

Food Matters: Chickpea & Carrot Soup

I was just reading an article about the 10 WORST, and the 10 BEST foods for you.On the list of WORST foods were the usual suspects:- Cold Cuts (processed disgusting deli meat filled w/ preservatives)- Diet Soda (is soda a food?)- Canned Soup (must be the high sodium content)- Margarine (a tablespoon of real butter is not going to kill you!)On the top of the BEST foods were:- Sweet Potatoes (

Muffin all'arancia e mandorle

ho ricevuto come gradito regalo questi deliziosi pirottini, me li ha spediti la cara  amica Deborah del blog "Il sapore del verde" , premetto che pur non avendo esperienza di muffin mi sono lanciata ugualmente , ho scelto una ricetta con arance e mandorle e tutto sommato sono contenta,il sapore � veramente buono....la ricetta potete leggerla qui :

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Ragu Napoletana = Sunday Gravy

I know it's not a Sunday, but I wanted to give you some good ideas for the upcoming weekend.As a kid growing up in NJ, my friends would invite me for "Sunday Gravy". Since we weren't Italian, this was foreign to me. Gravy in my family was the brown sauce my mother served with her roast beef or what you put on mashed potatoes.This heavenly sauce, reserved for Sundays only, was filled with pork

Pears for Dessert, 3 Ways!

Here's a few simple desserts using fresh pears which I happen to have an abundance of!
Marsala Baked Pears, doesn't that sound good to you? Believe me when I tell you, it was!

The flavor is out of this world because what happens here is while the pears are baking their continually soaking up butter and Marsala to the point where they become beautifully caramelized, when finished and still warm they become the perfect companion to ice cream,
whipped cream, or luscious mascarpone! You can garnish with something crunchy like nuts or crumbled biscotti, need I say more?

Not really a recipe, here's what you do;

Peel and slice pears lengthwise, place them in a baking dish, pour in sweet Marsala wine half way up the side of the pears, place dabs of butter all around and sprinkle wine with sugar or you can even use honey just to sweeten everything up a bit. Place in a 350F oven for around a good hour basting them often, you'll know their done when the liquid becomes caramelized.
Pear and Ricotta Tart, This is a standard recipe I use whenever I want to bake a fruit of any sort with ricotta. I use a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom then place a good pre made pie dough into the bottom, ( I told you it was simple!) of course you can make your own if you like. To insure the dough being crusty and cooked on the bottom I like to blind bake the dough for a five minutes in a 425F oven by placing a piece of parchment paper on top and then adding some beans or pie weights, then remove, take off the weights and reduce oven to 375F.

For the filling;

1lb ricotta cheese

6 0r 7 ripe pear halves, sliced lengthwise and cored

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

Fresh orange zest or 1 heaping tablespoon of apricot preserves

Pinch of cinnamon

Mix everything together in a bowl until well blended, (except the pears of course). Place filling into pie shell and position pears all around. ( optional, sprinkle and swirl more cinnamon on top) Bake at 375F for around 30 minutes. While still warm brush apricot preserves on top of pears. Let it cool down while you put on a pot of espresso!

And last but not least, Chocolate Ricotta Filled Pears. Turning creamy white ricotta into chocolate is so quick using cocoa powder and then pairing it with orange is a match made in heaven! I can't wait to try this with strawberries, because we all know how good chocolate and strawberries are!

Poach 3 whole peeled pears in 3 cups of water and 1/4 cup of orange juice, cook around 10 minutes in a covered pan , when pears are tender remove and cool down.When cooled, slice them lengthwise and remove cores.

Ricotta Filling:

1 cup ricotta

1/3 cup of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mini chocolate chips, ( as many as you like)

Combine everything into a bowl then spoon the mixture into the center of the pears. Garnish with orange zest and more chocolate chips.

Recipe adapted from BHG

Note: For a real quickie, use purchased bottled pears, I tried it, it's good too!

Buon Appetito!

Broccoli Bites for Kids

File this under the Onion Soup Mix Recipe category, though there is no Lipton onion soup mix in site.I may even serve these at my next dinner party, they were that good!While babysitting for my 6 year old picky eater niece, I had to come up with a good lunch that would be fun for the two of us to make together.She is not a big broccoli fan (or any vegetable fan), but I told her we would add

Winter Chicken Salad w/ Blood Oranges & Almonds

On the quest for some healthy salads this week, I came across Mindy Fox's recipe for a chicken salad w/ blood oranges in Food & Wine.This was light lunch fare, and made me feel good to know I was eating something with almost negative calories.Did I ever mention that for as much as I love blood oranges, I hate peeling them?They require a sharp paring knife to remove all the thick skin, then you

Tagliolini all'arancia e pistacchi di Bronte

Continua la settimana delle arance. Oggi la Redazione Cucina di " Donne sul Web " vi propone : 

                       Tagliolini all'arancia e pistacchi di Bronte

Nostalgia: Horn & Hardart Macaroni & Cheese

I am not old enough to remember the Horn & Hardart Automats in NYC, which closed in the 1960's, but I always remember my dad talking about how he used to have lunch there.Anyone from NYC or Philadelphia (older than 60) would probably remember these cafeteria style places that coined the phrase "Less Work for Mother".They fell out of fashion when waitress style luncheonettes became more popular in

Spezzatino di maiale all'arancia

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Con questa ricetta partecipo al bellissimo contest di Cinzia del blog " Il ricettario di Cinzia" dedicato a Gli agrumi

Per questa ricetta ho usato le buonissime e succose arance

SANTACROCE   direttamente dalla Sicilia a casa vostra....

Almond Pear Tart

Oh gosh. I had good intentions of paring down on desserts come January, when another box of those Harry and David pears arrived at my door. Not that I�m complaining. For those friends and relatives who sent me these gifts, I thank you profusely. It seems almost sinful to use these succulent pears for baking, when they�re just so darn juicy raw and fresh from the box.  But I only sacrificed two of them for this tart, I swear.

If you�ve ever received those Riviera pears from Harry and David, you know what I mean. They�re the best � and they�re huge. Here�s a shot of one of them, but there�s nothing here to give you perspective on the size.  To give you some idea though, let me tell you that it took only two pears to completely fill the tart in the picture above.

By way of contrast, I made the tart in the photo below last year, using three bosc pears from the supermarket. Delicious � yes. Pretty � yes, but these three pears didn�t nearly fill the pan in the manner as the two Harry and David pears. I have to admit though, that the taste was equally delicious with the supermarket pears once they were poached and baked in the tart.

But since I had the Harry and David pears I used those, cutting them into thirds rather than in half, the way I did with the supermarket bosc pears.

Take a melon baller (or small spoon) and trim the center and any remaining hard spots from the tips. Poach the pears in a pot of simmering water to cover for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until they�re easily pierced with a knife. I added 1/4 cup of sugar to the water and the juice from half a lemon. While the pears are poaching in the water get the ingredients mixed in the food processor for the crust.

This recipe will give you too much for just one nine-inch pie crust, so I made a couple of tart shells too. There wasn�t enough of the almond filling (frangipane) to fill those as well as the larger pan, but I�ll show you later what I did with the baby tart shells.  Hey, do you see Mickey Mouse too?

Mix the frangipane filling (recipe below) in the mixer, then carefully spoon some all over the tart shell. I say carefully because the crumbs from the crust are still not baked and they�ll easily lift off from the base and blend in with the filling if you just start smearing it helter-skelter.

Use a spatula and carefully spread the filling evenly all over the base.

After the pears have poached, drain them and slice them evenly.

Then fan out the slices with your hand and lift them altogether with a knife.

Start by placing them on opposite sides of the tart shell. When the pears are this large, you won�t be able to make them meet evenly in the center, so you can either remove some of the slices or slide them off center and place all the slices on the tart (I went with the second choice.)

Fill the tart shell completely with the sliced pears and bake.

When it comes out of the oven, you can spread some glaze over the top. I normally use a little apricot jam that has been warmed to make it easier to spread. This time I didn�t have any, but I had some sweet orange jam, and used that instead. Any light colored jam or jelly will do.

Here�s what I did with those little tart shells. I poached another pear (the supermarket bosc kind this time.) and I put half (well almost half � I ate a few slices) of it in one shell, and half in the other tart shell. I glazed it with the jam before baking this time, then baked it for 30 minutes.

Almond Pear Tart

Printable Recipe Here

Poach two or three pears, depending on size, in a pan of water to which you add the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/4 cup sugar. Let it simmer together for about 10 or 15 minutes or until the pears are tender. Remove and drain the pears.

Chocolate Crust

1  nine-ounce box chocolate cookie wafers

5 T. butter, melted and cooled slightly

dash of salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla.

Place all ingredients in a food processor and whir until everything is crushed into fine particles. Spray a 9-inch tart shell with PAM (or butter it lightly) and gently press the crumb mixture into the pan. Set aside.

Frangipane Filling:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour (I found almond flour at my local health food store)

1 tsp. almond extract

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the ground almonds or almond flour and almond extract and mix until a smooth batter forms.

Assembly:

Spread the frangipane mixture carefully over the chocolate crust. It�s best if you take dabs of it and place them all over the crust, rather than put one big lump in the center. That way you won�t loosen as many of the chocolate crumbs, which are still pretty loose in the shell, since it�s unbaked. Spread the mixture all over the tart shell.

Take the cooled pears and slice them evenly. With the palm of your hand, press them flat. Pick up the slices altogether and arrange them on the frangipane mixture, covering as much of the shell as you want, and in any design you want. If you have small pears, it may take three or more. With large pears, it might take only two.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until the filling is golden. Remove from the oven and glaze with some apricot, orange or other light-colored jam or jelly.

 

 

Technorati Tags: Harry and David pears,almond pear tart,frangipane

Melissa Clark's Chocolate Chip Pecan Cake

If you have noticed, I usually post a baking recipe on Saturdays."Do you really bake a cake once a week?", readers have asked me.Yes, I really do. I like to have a piece of cake with coffee in the afternoon; my husband MUST have a slice of cake at around 9:00 pm with milk for his snack; my neighbor calls and asks if I have anything sweet to eat to satisfy her sweet tooth?; and most importantly,

Comfort Food

It's cold here today! Chicago is in the single digits and that requires some comfort food and I can't think of a more fitting dish than Chicken with Fennel and Olives, and to make it even more comforting it's served on top of Creamy Warm Polenta.

This is a simple rustic dish, nothing fancy, cooked in one pan and packed with flavor, I guarantee it will make you all warm and cozy inside.

I used chicken thighs but you can use whatever chicken parts you like.

Here's the recipe.

Chicken with Fennel and Olives

6 chicken thighs

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 onion, sliced

8 cloves of chopped garlic

1 14 oz can of cherry tomatoes ( or diced)

Jumbo green pitted olives

Parsley, thyme, oregano and basil

White wine
In a large oven proof skillet brown up your chicken which has been seasoned with salt and pepper until it has a nice deep golden color, remove and drain the fat. Drizzle in some olive oil and saute the garlic, onion and fennel and then deglaze with a healthy splash of white wine. Add in your herbs, salt and pepper then place the chicken back in. Spread your olives all around then place the pan in a preheated 375F oven for around 45 minutes uncovered.

Creamy Polenta

1 1/2 cups of half and half, cream or milk

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

3/4 cup of polenta, I used the instant kind

1 tablespoon butter

Grated parmesan ( a nice size handful) and chopped basil

In a deep sauce pan heat your milk and broth until boiling then whisk in the polenta until it starts to bubble and splatter, be careful! Take it off the stove add in butter, cheese, snipped basil, salt and pepper to taste. Tastes best when served immediately, if it thickens up just add more liquid to loosen it up.

Enjoy your weekend, we'll be home Sunday rooting for the Bears! Go Bears!

Yum! Roasted Cauliflower Pesto

The word pesto means "paste" in Italian, so it doesn't always have to be a summer thing made with basil.You know how much I love cauliflower, so when I saw this recipe in Cooking for Friends, I knew I had to try it.It was yummy. You could spread this stuff on bread (crostini!) or spoon it over spaghetti, which made for a wonderful dinner.I took the liberty and added golden raisins for a Sicilian

Tartellette alle pere , roquefort e noci

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Good Ideas: Chicken Negimaki

Since my husband is not a sushi lover, he always orders chicken negimaki when we go to a Japanese restaurant.Negimaki are small bites of chicken breast or beef rolled up w/ scallions in a soy glaze. I figured I would try them at home.It was very simple, the only challenge was keeping them hot. They have to be gobbled up right away. You could leave the bundles whole, but the fun is eating the

Cassoulet Soup: Sausage & White Beans

It's day 4, and the huge casserole dish of cassoulet is staring me in the face.Yes, it gets better each day, but by today, we are tired of having it for lunch.Instead of tossing it, or freezing it, I made soup.This is a good idea, turning leftovers into something completely different so it doesn't get boring.I sliced up the remaining sausage and duck pieces from the casserole and set them

One potato, two potato

Here are a couple of really easy potato ideas when you�re hankerin� for some spuds.  The first one I�ll call �rosemary potato chips,� because they�re almost like eating potato chips flavored with rosemary. The second recipe is parmesan potatoes because they�re crunchy on the outside with parmesan cheese goodness.

For the potatoes in the first photo, I used a mandoline, and sliced the pieces about 1/8 inch thick � thicker than a real potato chip. You can also slice them by hand if you haven�t got a mandoline, but it�s hard to get them uniform. Using a pastry brush, swipe a thin layer of olive oil on a cookie sheet. Place the potatoes on the cookie sheet and turn them over once to coat with the oil. They shouldn�t be drenched in oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced fresh rosemary. Bake in a high oven � about 425 degrees, watching them carefully. They will quickly turn from golden brown to burned if you�re not paying attention. The ones close to the edges always brown first, so I removed them and put the pan back in the oven to finish the rest.

These parmesan potatoes are simple to make too.  I have two friends named Jan, each of whom served me a version of this on different occasions. I�m not sure this recipe is how they make it exactly, since I just kind of guessed at it. You can experiment with different herbs or seasonings.

Start out with a zip lock plastic bag. Pour in two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, 1/8 tsp. paprika and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Cut the potatoes into chunks and place inside the bag. Seal the bag shut, then mix everything together inside the bag so that the potatoes are coated evenly. Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet that has been lightly greased with olive oil and bake at 425 degrees about 30 to 40 minutes, turning them once midway during the baking.

Printable recipes here

Technorati Tags: parmesan potatoes,rosemary potato chips

Ciambella allo yogurt ed agrumi

 Questa facilissima ciambella � proprio adatta a chi  la giornata ama iniziarla con dolcezza....

Ingredienti :

150 gr di burro morbido

1 cucchiaino da the di scorza grattugiata di arancia

1 cucchiaino da the di scorza grattugiata di limone

150 gr. di zucchero

70 gr. di mandorle tritate finemente

2 uova

160 gr. di farina

1/2 bustina di lievito

2 yogurt naturali

zucchero semolato q.b.

Nel robot (usando le fruste)sbattere bene  il burro, le scorze degli agrumi e lo zucchero fino a renderli spumosi.Aggiungere un uovo alla volta, la polvere di mandorle, la farina, il lievito e gli yogurt.Amalgamare bene , ungere di burro uno stampo a ciambella e versare il composto.Cuocere in forno a 180� per circa 40 minuti.Sfornare la ciambella, lasciarla intiepidire e cospargerla  con lo zucchero semolato

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Duck Fat Potatoes

This is a continuation of last night's cassoulet dinner.Though I am not a fan of fried foods (bothers my stomach), I make an exception to duck fat. It makes the best potatoes on the planet.Never greasy and the best flavor. These are a real treat.I saved the duck fat from the duck confit (it stays for months in the freezer), and poured the drippings into a big skillet.Cut up some potatoes (I had

Spaghetti Squash "Pasta"

This is a simple and healthy meal I served to my spaghetti loving husband the other day, it's packed with flavor and so good for you. A nice Italian salad on the side, maybe some warm crusty bread and you have dinner on the table in no time.

Once you roast your spaghetti squash this dish comes together in minutes, in fact I roasted mine the day before and had it for dinner the next day.

I cut my squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and then place cut side down on parchment paper in a preheated 350F oven for 40-45 minutes depending on size. I test mine by piercing the skin with the tip of a knife, when it goes through easy, it's done!

I used just a few ingredients; garlic** red onion slices** red pepper** fresh spinach** grated parmesan or romano cheese** fresh basil and parsley.

Saute garlic, onions and red pepper, at the time I made this I had a few of those sweet red thin skinned long peppers so I just cut them into rings and used them.

Next you need to shred all those glorious strands from your squash, a fork works perfectly, it's amazing how much I got from just one squash, enough to feed us twice, talk about "budget friendly!"

Combine your squash with your veggie mix right into the saute pan, on medium heat add in some fresh torn spinach leaves, your grated cheese, the fresh herbs, more olive oil, salt and pepper, tossing as you go along and tasting for just the right amount of everything to your liking.

I'm sorry but I never have an exact recipe for things like this.

Taste as you go, that's my motto and I'm sticking to it!

Buon Appetito!

Sunday Suppers: Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a gorgeous peasant dish from France, made with beans, duck legs and French garlic sausage. It is baked in the oven with toasted breadcrumbs on top and is a heavenly winter comfort dish.It makes such a difference when you use quality ingredients when preparing this dish. Try and find the best sausage, duck legs, stock, and fresh ingredients that you can. I have had too many

Timballo " low cost "

 C'� una cosa in cucina che mi infastidisce pi� di ogni altra...trovare nella dispensa diverse confezioni di pasta che all'apparenza sembrano piene  in realt� celano pochi grammi ormai inservibili a meno di non integrarli con altra pasta dello stesso formato. Cosa  me ne faccio di 30 gr. di penne, di 40 gr. di fusilli, di 20 gr. di sedanini? Buttarli? Continuare ad avere la dispensa zeppa di sacchetti e scatole semivuote? Certo che no,bisogna trovare una soluzione originale, economica ma soprattutto saporita che risolva questo piccolo ma fastidioso problema....Oggi vi propongo un timballo fatto con tutti i rimasugli (quelli con i minuti di cottura pi� o meno uguali), legato con una besciamella insaporita da un p� di paprika, pomodoro, prosciutto e pezzetti di avanzi di formaggi facili a fondersi,sar� un piatto veramente goloso...Anche la dispensa liberata da tanti ingombri vi ringrazier� !La ricetta potete leggerla qui :

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Snow Angels and Comfort Food

Sometimes the most unexpected things can raise your spirits. For me, it was these three neighborhood kids who don�t know it, but who were responsible for an upward shift in my outlook.  The prospect of shoveling my driveway (again!) was not engendering warm, fuzzy thoughts and I was remembering how my sister and I, as children, used to shovel not only our parents� driveway, but our neighbor�s as well.

�Aren�t there any kids like that anymore?� I thought to myself, bracing myself to start clearing the 8 inches of white stuff that covered our driveway as a result of the third snowfall in three weeks. Before I could suit up for the job, I hear a knock at the front door. Opening the door, I am greeted by three  adorable, rosy-cheek children, asking �Would you like us to shovel your driveway?� 

�How much are you charging?� I ask, thinking �I don�t care what you�re charging. I�m just glad you�re here� When they reply �It�s free,� I am nearly bowled over. 

�I�d love for you to shovel, but I insist on paying you,� I tell them.

Halfway through their work, I mix some cocoa, milk and sugar for hot chocolate, and take it outside to them along with a plate of cookies.  By now, they�re nearly finished their work, so I happily pay them, remarking, �You know you really could charge people to shovel.� 

�Oh no, we do this as a neighborhood service,� they reply.

At this point, a smile bigger than the widened driveway transforms my face and my mood. The good feeling has stayed with me since Wednesday � the day that these three siblings - Piper, 10; and 11-year-old twins Adam and Lana, appeared at my door with their generous offer and enthusiasm.

So I thank you, my little snow angels, (and your parents too, for teaching you to help others) for clearing my driveway and bringing some brightness into my life this week.

That little bit of help gave me the time and energy to focus on other things, like putting together this beans-and-sausage recipe that reminds me of my own daughter. Most kids ask for pizza, pasta or burgers as their special birthday meal, but no,  my little munchkin - now a sophisticated career woman who has called Manhattan her home for years - always requested this humble dish on her birthday. 

  The recipe is adapted from my well-worn 1971 edition of  � The New York Times International Cookbook� by its former food editor Craig Claiborne. The original recipe calls for 1 pound of cotechino or fresh kielbasa sausage. I prefer to use the type of Italian sausage you would find in a sausage and peppers sandwich. I buy a brand that comes from a local farm called �Simply Grazin.�  The pigs are raised on certified organic feed in large paddocks where they able to roam freely. If you live in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Virginia or Philadelphia, here�s a link to where you can buy their products.  The taste is so much better than normal supermarket sausage � and I�m not being paid to say that. It�s just really good and I want you to try it if you can.

In this recipe, I use only 1/2 pound of sausage rather than the full pound called for. A half pound goes a long way toward flavoring the dish, and as much as I love good meat, I am trying to cut back on eating too much animal protein.

Sausage and White Beans

(serves 4 to 6 people)

printable recipe here

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1/4 cup olive oil

6 green onions, green part and all

6 cloves garlic

2 13-ounce cans white cannellini beans (or other type of white beans)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

fresh ground pepper, coarse salt to taste

• Peel the casing off the sausage and place the sausage in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until cooked. Do not throw away the water.
• Meanwhile, drain the beans in a colander and rinse them.
• Trim the green onions and chop fine. Cook briefly in the oil, then add the garlic and cook a few minutes. Cut the sausage into thin slices, or break into bits, and add to the pan, along with the beans, the wine, the salt and pepper and enough of the cooking liquid to barely cover the beans. Cook over very low heat about ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the parsley, and add more water if too dry. Serve hot with some crusty bread.

Technorati Tags: snow angels,sausage with white beans,Craig Claiborne,The New York Times International Cookbook,Simply Grazin'

Applesauce Cake w/ Candied Ginger

Yet another cake to add to my repertoire.Don't be afraid of the black pepper and kosher salt in the recipe. It's a spicy cake, with allspice, ground ginger and cinnamon.I added raisins and candied ginger to the batter and it was delicious.The original recipe calls for a caramel glaze, but that's too rich for my blood. I am not an icing girl anyway, powdered sugar is all I ever need.And I hope by

Comfort: Broccoli Bacon & Cheddar Quiche

This was something I was craving. Not sure if it was the iron I needed from the broccoli, or just the melted cheddar cheese that makes everything taste so yummy. Either way, it satisfied both cravings.This recipe makes a tall quiche, so make sure if you are using a pre-made pie crust, it is a deep dish one.Broccoli Bacon & Cheddar Quiche:1 9" prepared pie shell1 cup of fresh broccoli florets 3

Spaghetti cacio e pepe

E� uno dei piatti cardine della cucina romana.. Molto gustoso e di facile esecuzione sta spopolando a New York dove hanno aperto una serie di ristoranti che propongono piatti tipici della capitale. Gli americani, da sempre innamorati della cucina italiana, stanno scoprendo una cucina tipica del territorio laziale e naturalmente ne sono rimasti entusiasti. Per esigenze fotografiche vi mostro un piatto di bucatini cacio e pepe ma potete usare tranquillamente anche degli spaghetti, naturalmente cucinati al dente�.L�importante � che usiate dell�ottimo pecorino romano DOP e del pepe nero macinato al momento.....La ricetta potete leggerla qui :

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Meatless Thursdays: Ad Hoc's Curried Rice & Cauliflower

Today is not Meatless Monday, but it is my 20th wedding anniversary (I know, I look young, I got married at 12).If I would have served this meal for dinner early on in my marriage, I would've been in divorce court the next day. "Where is the main meal?", would've been the $60,000. question.What was really being asked was, "where is the meat?".My husband has since "modified" his diet (or I have!

Winter Salad: Orange & Date w/ Pistachios

Received a bag of oranges from the old folks in Florida. Citrus is always welcome in the winter months, pink grapefruit, being my favorite.I made a nice salad with a Moroccan twist. I used a spice called Ras el Hanout, which means "Top of the Shop". It's a lovely blend of cardamom, saffron and cinnamon with some other stuff. A blogger once mentioned to me to "buy the best" Ras el Hanout that

Risotto spumeggiante !

Chi mi conosce un p� sa che sono una donna ottimista e  passionale,  molto spesso la met� meridionale di me prende il sopravvento e nonostante  sia nata e viva da sempre a Trieste, patria della gelida Bora, il mio carattere focoso e spumeggiante si fa notare alla grande,come il sorriso che difficilmente abbandona le mie labbra ma soprattutto i miei occhi ! La frase"Il sorriso dei tuoi occhi", tra l'altro sempre visibile nello header del blog ,fa ormai parte di me come la persona che me l'ha dedicata senza sapere che sarebbe diventato il mio life motive......  Questa ricetta, un semplice risotto al prosciutto arricchito dalla presenza di un eccellente spumante italiano ,andr� bene per  tutti quelli che hanno in mente una serata romantica,questo risotto creer� l'atmosfera giusta, il resto per� dovete metterlo voi...

Con questa ricetta partecipo al  bellissimo contest a carattere psicologico della cara Elena del blog "Cooking Elena"  EDO ERGO SUM     






Ingredienti per 2 persone :

160 gr. di riso carnaroli
1/4 di  cipolla
30 gr. di burro
50 gr. di prosciutto cotto
1/2 bicchiere di panna 
1 bicchiere di spumante
brodo q.b.
Parmigiano Reggiano q.b.

Sciogliere il burro in una casseruola(io uso una casseruola di rame e mi trovo benissimo), tritare finemente la cipolla e il prosciutto e aggiungerli al burro. Lasciar cuocere un pochino, non dovr� dorare. Bagnare con lo spumante e aggiungere subito il riso. Mescolare e  portare a cottura con i mestoli di brodo caldo.
Mantecare alla fine aggiungendo la panna e il parmigiano.


Abbinamento vino : per una  serata romantica  consiglio un prodotto d'eccellenza  della zona della Franciacorta, BELLAVISTA  Cuv�e Brut DOCG, Az. Bellavista,12,5 �, temperatura di servizio 6�


BELLAVISTA

Anelletti and Corzetti Pasta

I received an awesome book for review a while back called, The Geometry of Pasta, (Quirk Books) I'm embarrassed to say how long ago it was. This a book I wouldn't normally gravitate to because it has no pictures, the cover is black and white and I convinced myself I wouldn't like it, but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down, I read it from beginning to end in one afternoon.

The book in great detail covers every shape of pasta you can think of, fresh, dry, stuffed you name it, plus all the history behind each shape, where and how they originated, how they're used, plus recipes all throughout. If you're a pasta freak like me I would highly recommend this book.

I love using different shapes of pasta in my cooking, I get bored with the same old thing all the time so when I saw a recipe for Anelletti Al Forno I knew I was going to try it. Little loops of pasta baked together in a sauce filled with cheese, peas and crumbled Italian sausage, placed in a ring mold or in my case a springform pan. You might even want to call this grown up spaghettiO's!

This is the perfect dish to bring to a party or to put out on a buffet, it doesn't have to be steaming hot, great at room temperature and it has a nice presentation. This is also great for a picnic but unfortunately that's not happening here for a while, but I will keep it in mind for the summer.
It doesn't take long to put this dish together either, after you make a quick marinara sauce or quicker yet purchase a really good one, then you cook your pasta until it's very al dente.

Then it's time to mix up your filling and place it into a buttered springform pan dusted with toasted breadcrumbs.

The nice thing is you can do a meat or a vegetarian version. The first one I ever made was with out meat using ricotta, fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan and asiago cheese.

Here's what I used for the filling;

Totally adapted from The Geometry of Pasta

Marinara sauce, around 3 cups or so made with basil and garlic

3/4 lb of cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, casings removed

1 lb of anelletti cooked very al dente

1 cup of frozen peas

4 oz of diced fontinella cheese or provolone

1/2 cup of grated pecorino

1 egg

Basil, parsley, salt and pepper

Get a big bowl and add everything inside together if you have some leftover put it in a ramekin or a smaller mold.

Butter a springform pan, I used a 10 inch and dusted it with toasted breadcrumbs. Pour in the pasta mixture pressing down with the back of a spoon. Top with more grated cheese and then bake at 425F between 35 and 45 minutes. The important thing is to let it cool for at least a good hour or so, then unmold, it could then be cut into wedges or scooped out, whichever you prefer.

I recently received a bag of corzetti pasta as a gift and was waiting for a special occasion to make it. Corzetti ( spelled a couple of different ways) are large coins of pasta cut into discs and embossed on both sides using a hand carved stamp originating from Liguria. The stamps are hard to find here but I'm confident I will get my hands on one soon.

If you want to see a beautiful post on homemade hand stamped corzetti please check out my friend Elaine's post here. I'm in awe of this pasta with it's understated elegance!

The brand I received as a gift was absolutely delicious, I used Elaine's sauce and it was quite a hit on our holiday table!

Buon Appetito!

Good Ideas: Leftover Brisket Chili

I slow roasted that fantastic 6 hour brisket on Sunday, but by Wednesday, we were tired of brisket sandwiches.What else to do with leftover brisket? Rachael Ray had a good idea of making a brisket tomato ragu to serve over penne. That sounded good, but we had already had our once a week pasta, but will save it for next time.I found this great recipe on Fine Cooking Magazine's website, and

Grape & Goat Cheese Crostini

To add to my crostini collection, here is a super easy and elegant version.I found quite a few different versions of grape crostini on the internet, using different herbs, but basically they were all the same in the end.Slice a baguette and brush slices with olive oil. Bake at 375F for 10 minutes and let rest on the sheet pan.Spread some herb goat cheese on the toasts and sprinkle w/ halved

Tripoline ai pomodori secchi, zucchine e pinoli

Questo formato di pasta,   arricciato su un lato, � particolarmente fotogenico,ho voluto proporvelo con un sughetto veloce e molto gustoso.Finalmente sono riuscita, dopo mille pazienti tentativi, a far mangiare a Marco le  zucchine e mi sto sfogando a cucinarle in mille modi.... la ricetta potete leggerla qui :

IL BLOG DI CHIARA

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French Yogurt Cake w/ Nutella

Another new cookbook? I may have a problem. I liked this book so much, I bought one for my mother in law and for my girlfriends for Christmas. When I can find 8 recipes in one book that are easy and delicious, then the book is a keeper.It's the 11th cookbook by Rozanne Gold, called Radically Simple, Brilliant Flavors with Breathtaking Ease. This is the only dessert that I've made so far from the

Salad of Pears, Candied Pecans & Blue Cheese (& Winners!)

It's winter time. That means pears. I never know which pear is what and which pear tastes best. Anjou, Comice, Red, Bartlett. I am not a huge fan, so I have never done the pear taste test. In this salad, I combined 3 different varieties. Normally, I would add candied walnuts to this salad. But my neighbor Valerie makes the most addictive candied pecans for Christmas, which I don't usually

My Brother Frank

How do you keep writing about food when life throws you a curve ball? Do you just pretend nothing happened and keep blogging about cookies, cakes and tiramisu? Or do you pause from what seems like an inconsequential activity to reflect on the event with your readers?  I�ve always wanted this blog to be about food - not my personal life - and I certainly never intended it to be maudlin. Yet when I took a blogging break during my husband�s illness and subsequent death, readers emailed to find out why I�d dropped off the planet. I had to explain.

My post about �A Birthday Souffl� for Rich� not only gave readers insight into why I had disappeared from the blogosphere for a while, but was also therapeutic in expressing the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. A surprising thing happened as a result, with dozens of total strangers responding to show concern for me and my family. So many of you said you missed my posts and were waiting for me to return.

My brother Frank followed my posts and also encouraged me to return to blogging.

My brother Frank - an expert mycologist who loved to cook, and who wrote a guest post for me in June 2009 on foraging for mushrooms.

My brother Frank - who as a young boy, was always the mischief maker in the house, but as an adult excelled in everything he did.

My brother Frank - who as a handsome young sailor in the U.S. Navy, served as a ceremonial guard aboard the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston�s harbor, and spent months incommunicado on the U.S.S. Henry L. Stimson, a nuclear submarine.

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My brother Frank - who traveled the globe in his work as project engineer for a multi-national pharmaceutical company, but who favored the natural beauty of  the woods more than any cosmopolitan place on earth.

My brother Frank � who loved the ocean as much as the mountains, and who was equally skilled with a fishing rod as with a rifle:

My brother Frank - who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,  at just about the same time as my husband.

My brother Frank - who died on New Year�s Day.

 

My brother Frank - who was loved by his family and close friends, and who will be missed very much.

My brother Frank - who�s now in a special place with the rest of my loved ones who have also left this earth.My brother Frank � who was writing a book about his hunting trips  including these paragraphs in the intro: 

�It�s not about killing a monster buck or shooting a deer 300 yards away from a heated tripod elevated hut. We are not trophy hunters nor are we disappointed when we don�t �bring home the meat.�  I�d like to get the monster buck as well as the next guy, but that�s secondary to why I hunt. Just being out in the woods and sharing my experiences with my buddies is what it�s all about for me.  Most times during the year, I can be found at a local archery club, or in the woods photographing nature, hiking and looking for mushrooms. Each of these pastimes aids in sharpening my skills for the glorious 10 days of autumn hunting.

Make no mistake about it. I am a hunter, an outdoor enthusiast, an observer of nature. But hunting takes up only a small portion of my outdoor endeavors. A quiet walk in the woods observing nature unfolding around me,  spending solitary time fly-fishing in a meandering trout stream or feeling the salt spray on my face while at the helm of my sport fishing boat are what I consider quality time. The outdoors is the real story and I feel privileged at having had the opportunity to spend time there.

A tree hugger I am not, but I have had the pleasure to hike through ancient northwestern forests, only to be humbled by the majesty of old growth hemlocks, cedars, and douglas fir as I listened to the muted sounds of solitude. Although I do not admit it that often, I have purposely removed my walking boots to feel the spongy forest duff beneath my toes. I strongly believe we are only temporary patrons of the land we live upon, and as such, enjoying and respecting Mother Nature should be paramount in any outdoor endeavors we undertake. As outdoorsmen and hunters, we have a responsibility to nature and to the quarry we seek. Never take this for granted, for someday it will also disappear.�

 

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