tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33725164964113777352024-03-19T10:26:04.090+01:00Gemma Olivia......uncomplicated food for complicated lives!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-5591544625423679762012-03-30T18:25:00.000+02:002012-03-30T18:25:30.742+02:00FIDANZATI CAPRESI ALLA RICOTTA, POMODORO SECCO E FRUTTA SECCA<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The sun is shining and I'm about to go out for some shopping, but before that I'd like to tell you about the gorgeous recipe I made up last Saturday.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Serving 6 starving people</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">600 g of Fidanzati Capresi (it's a lovely pasta shape made by Gragnano)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">300 g of sheep ricotta</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 dried tomatoes, chopped </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 good handful of roasted, peeled and chopped pine nuts, walnuts and hazelnuts</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 garlic clove</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">about 10 fresh basil leaves, washed, drained and roughly chopped</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">salt</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">black pepper </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">half a glass of fresh milk</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">freshly grated parmesan cheese<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuNeP-broUjWyNIAuKPPwMUMPoC7_a_HmnZvWVJgOl_35-iJd8uA45cA6NvhB3HyLTby_MRttSCemQoPdwBjkTYVWcjJ0HNug6Qjiu-loSpD7QmEZ_gDTz5WyZY3JHm1mGCYDOZIbkKsd/s1600/fidanzati+capresi+alla+ricotta,+pomodoro+secco+e+frutta+secca.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuNeP-broUjWyNIAuKPPwMUMPoC7_a_HmnZvWVJgOl_35-iJd8uA45cA6NvhB3HyLTby_MRttSCemQoPdwBjkTYVWcjJ0HNug6Qjiu-loSpD7QmEZ_gDTz5WyZY3JHm1mGCYDOZIbkKsd/s400/fidanzati+capresi+alla+ricotta,+pomodoro+secco+e+frutta+secca.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pour the extravirgin olive oil in a large frying-pan, add the garlic clove, the chopped dried tomatoes, the chopped nuts and let cook on a high flame for about 3 minutes, then get rid of the garlic clove, add the ricotta, the milk, some salt and stir until creamy. Turn off the fire and allow to rest for few minutes. Drain your pasta but not completely: leave some water in order to avoid drying off. </div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Transfer into the pan, add the basil and stir well for half a minute. Serve with some ground black pepper and parmesan cheese.</span>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-68369035352900357412011-12-10T16:35:00.001+01:002011-12-10T16:36:41.363+01:00AFTERNOON CUPCAKES<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today is a grey day, the first cold wintery day. I'm sure you have those days in which you just wish to spend your afternoon and evening rolling from the sofa to the carpet and back...like a cat with its puppies...possibly with your oven switched on...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is what we proudly baked a while ago...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4BJ4zTpNe3gz2ppi5ZRa_r20cDYvZ8ytANbqfWkjRSJLTIKGOjTMX0v0fuJPRd0Z4mWqzLL27e1o9_9w4vWiLS6sckJN2JPTdocpstTAj3yrzJnA63x42FnBZ3bViLIG6X7vgx6E6Ds/s1600/cupcakes+bimbi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4BJ4zTpNe3gz2ppi5ZRa_r20cDYvZ8ytANbqfWkjRSJLTIKGOjTMX0v0fuJPRd0Z4mWqzLL27e1o9_9w4vWiLS6sckJN2JPTdocpstTAj3yrzJnA63x42FnBZ3bViLIG6X7vgx6E6Ds/s400/cupcakes+bimbi.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients for 12 cupcake<span lang="EN-GB">s</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">125 g of flour </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">125g of caster sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">125g of soft unsalted butter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">2 eggs</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">2 tablespoons of milk </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="FR">12 muffin papers</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line the tin with the muffin cases. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs with a little of the flour. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Add the vanilla extract and add the rest of the flour, pour the milk in order to get a fluid texture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Spoon the cream in, filling each case equally.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top. As soon as bearable, take the cup cakes in their cases out of the tin and let cool.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Decorate with the toppings you love. We made a lovely and light icing, mixing a little water with icing sugar (125 g should be enough) and adding different food colours to it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Easy and sooo pretty!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">And while cupcakes were cooking...they were painting... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVhi-c3jIaeWS8vXMNnPdYE4m0QQlvB_lgHGgiriRNJhu4hlJ9kkM3oniqoHOFrmgcvamdYpNW4qekCSaZovnzgqhOrIHpkbxNA6YAvSxA0kfYumdJ0vJ-3cFJ-OAfh2TRdZuGthOb8A/s1600/massi+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVhi-c3jIaeWS8vXMNnPdYE4m0QQlvB_lgHGgiriRNJhu4hlJ9kkM3oniqoHOFrmgcvamdYpNW4qekCSaZovnzgqhOrIHpkbxNA6YAvSxA0kfYumdJ0vJ-3cFJ-OAfh2TRdZuGthOb8A/s400/massi+painting.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6GqJ4G4TCNS18e59qWNVr7eLYGHZyP88Uw4l9Uv_vzw5dCW5xgZKcV5QUMrKfMules1q2iIsW-noJQLjH03T4zP4Llrt-5yN70VYwKqnT4KDBTkxq1q36tgcLbztHNBAONDd_jKwdp4/s1600/michi+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6GqJ4G4TCNS18e59qWNVr7eLYGHZyP88Uw4l9Uv_vzw5dCW5xgZKcV5QUMrKfMules1q2iIsW-noJQLjH03T4zP4Llrt-5yN70VYwKqnT4KDBTkxq1q36tgcLbztHNBAONDd_jKwdp4/s400/michi+painting.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJHY6duKIjHdOp0YeeF_Q3Jbc2_xzYn2VtB8iNfbRTmiYAicEspeNLpWdSWM7bNx7Y-Tu4lMNhxTnJKldDj3Cx8mQh1kQ7r7H6iBxV4RP5EBfsTXEV6Do-WpRbZPN2TLPNGleXT_Tvro/s1600/isa+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJHY6duKIjHdOp0YeeF_Q3Jbc2_xzYn2VtB8iNfbRTmiYAicEspeNLpWdSWM7bNx7Y-Tu4lMNhxTnJKldDj3Cx8mQh1kQ7r7H6iBxV4RP5EBfsTXEV6Do-WpRbZPN2TLPNGleXT_Tvro/s400/isa+painting.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-60874145594255200072011-11-26T14:32:00.000+01:002011-11-26T14:32:58.672+01:00HOT LEMON AND CINNAMON FONDENT PUDDING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>14</w:HyphenationZone> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8POYe9OLm2ybYyxKB9lmalbZiWT6AitMddj8xqnNDPjve9Gpi2ocQo2KRjRVRe7AhFlLcRTqZehzm-oVDlAC-CeVKPKlLrF9qwfYx49jflcmQdTlAEeiN6dqtbZzZb760Mf8UmvbVSsQ/s1600/hot+lemon+pudding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8POYe9OLm2ybYyxKB9lmalbZiWT6AitMddj8xqnNDPjve9Gpi2ocQo2KRjRVRe7AhFlLcRTqZehzm-oVDlAC-CeVKPKlLrF9qwfYx49jflcmQdTlAEeiN6dqtbZzZb760Mf8UmvbVSsQ/s400/hot+lemon+pudding.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;">You all almost certainly know the famous, lustful and to-die-for hot chocolate fondent pudding.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;">Well, i have to admit I truly adore it, but lately I'm not in that chocolatey mood at all. So yesterday evening I thought I'd change it a bit and came up with this lovely and creamy hot lemon fondent pudding. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;">I'm so proud of what I baked<span lang="EN-GB">!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">Ingredients for 4 hot lemon puddings</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">60 g of softened butter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span> </span>2 egg yolks </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">200 g brown sugar (I've used Demerara)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span> </span>50 g Corn Flour </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">finely grated rind and juice from 1 small lemon</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-GB">200 ml Milk</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or less, depending on one's taste)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a tablespoon of icing sugar for the topping </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;">Preheat the oven to 150 degrees</span></span><span class="boxbox1"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="boxbox1"><span lang="EN-GB"><span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Cream the butter with the sugar and the ground cinnamon until soft, add the egg yolks and beat together</span></span><span class="boxbox2"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="boxbox2"><span lang="EN-GB"><span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Add in the corn flour, the grated rind and juice of the lemon, and then the milk. If the mixture appeared lumpy it would be a good idea to smooth it with a mixer.</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Pour the custard into 4 ramekins and bake in the preheated oven for 25 mins, or until just set. </span></span></h3><div> </div><div> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"> <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Cool slightly and dredge icing sugar over the top.</span></div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-11920051493540293572011-11-20T08:20:00.000+01:002011-11-20T08:20:35.702+01:00LEMON AND POPPY SEEDS BISCUITS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqucOfPJy3VtCUAdKCP4k-r5MUJQ5JhLrGnkhLX0Z7DroPEJeqHv_67c1gjfwasXYc1BjBOpIRBoZ49IV00aOGOrT_hc260sW-7-3LCvngJEIUvok9rRswSxQXhXfrs8ZWqDxqH6yfOQ/s1600/lemon+and+poppy+seeds+frollini.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqucOfPJy3VtCUAdKCP4k-r5MUJQ5JhLrGnkhLX0Z7DroPEJeqHv_67c1gjfwasXYc1BjBOpIRBoZ49IV00aOGOrT_hc260sW-7-3LCvngJEIUvok9rRswSxQXhXfrs8ZWqDxqH6yfOQ/s400/lemon+and+poppy+seeds+frollini.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lemon and poppy seeds. Without a doubt one of the happiest union in my bakery repertoire.<br />
I had tried almost every solution, from the birthday cakes to ricotta cheesecakes, from my creamy lemony mousse, so refreshing after an "important" meal, to the fragrant muffins that remind me so much of those I used to buy every sunday from a californian gentleman who had a bakery stand at People's Park Market in Dun Laoghaire.<br />
There was only one thing left to try: biscuits or, as we call them in Italy, <i>frollini.</i><br />
It was a grey, rainy evening but my kids and I had a lovely time making them and they were so delicious that we couldn't keep our hands off!<br />
<br />
250 g of flour<br />
100 g of caster sugar<br />
70 g of butter (take it off the fridge a good 30 minutes before and let it soften)<br />
1 egg<br />
8 g of baking powder <br />
few drops of vanilla essence<br />
half a teaspoon of salt <br />
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds<br />
the grated zest of two lemons<br />
<br />
In a large bowl cream the butter with the sugar and the vanilla essence, then add the egg and keep beating until soft, foamy and smooth.<br />
In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, poppy seeds and grated lemon zest. Add the dry ingredients to the butter cream and work with your hands until you get a dough. <br />
Wrap it with clingfilm and store in the fridge for about one hour.<br />
Meanwhile get your work surface ready.<br />
(note: I generally start by placing a sheet of baking paper on the table, I flour the rolling pin and the biscuits cutters and I cover the baking tray with baking paper)<br />
After one hour switch on the oven and turn the temperature to 180 degrees, take the dough off the fridge, lay it on the baking paper sheet you have placed on the table and roll it to the thickness of half a cm.<br />
Cut the biscuits with the cutters and place them on the baking tray. Cook for 10 minutes then take off the oven and dust with icing sugar.<br />
Try them with fruit jam or even Nutella or, simple as they are, with your <i>"cuppa tea"</i> at five o' clock. </div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-74507687181972856172011-11-01T15:12:00.002+01:002011-11-01T15:13:53.337+01:00HOMEMADE POPPY SEEDS BREAD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgo0vV0Yd-IdzEv_RFcl2mPSKq-3Oim_gz88tR2hDZCfx5q9AOH7J7g6w5TjQTuziJIe96x8qgBSpB35J8PtEHUGnxNkJDPUMi6GP4w-6ZLY5_B8sO8dGnAR0pQajRJ7eMusiF8lB18ACJ/s1600/pane+casalingo+di+gemma+ai+semi+di+papavero.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgo0vV0Yd-IdzEv_RFcl2mPSKq-3Oim_gz88tR2hDZCfx5q9AOH7J7g6w5TjQTuziJIe96x8qgBSpB35J8PtEHUGnxNkJDPUMi6GP4w-6ZLY5_B8sO8dGnAR0pQajRJ7eMusiF8lB18ACJ/s400/pane+casalingo+di+gemma+ai+semi+di+papavero.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Is it ever possible for a person to wake up in the morning with the only idea of baking some bread? Well I don't know if it is, but it happened to me!</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was dreaming of nice, fragrant bread, just popped out of the oven, with a gorgeous crunchy crust and a soft inside; so soon after my breakfast I found myself kneading with all my energy.</div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It isn't "just" bread, because I sprinkled some poppy seeds into the dough to make it even crunchier and to add a touch of romantic femininity and because I used no ordinary flour but </span><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><a href="http://www.molinochiavazza.it/">Molino</a></i></b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Manitoba flour which is indeed of a superior quality!</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7815012399821291731"><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97XG8FXqzqrpUgt4naO0bGnRPdohjX2Rd7c6UUr6sSnfpzVTdllF7Zydgov3-lJVk6UWJR5pA5QYToDuF64BtoCH19alxuFphDXHweP5d01D4pkIQu6k4HjGt91v_cDenWKbBHYBvsv2N/s1600/logo+il+molino.BMP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97XG8FXqzqrpUgt4naO0bGnRPdohjX2Rd7c6UUr6sSnfpzVTdllF7Zydgov3-lJVk6UWJR5pA5QYToDuF64BtoCH19alxuFphDXHweP5d01D4pkIQu6k4HjGt91v_cDenWKbBHYBvsv2N/s200/logo+il+molino.BMP" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 kg of Manitoba flour <b style="color: #cc0000;"><i><br />
</i></b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">400 ml of milk </div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">300 ml of water </div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">25 g of brewer's yeast </div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 teaspoons of salt</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 teaspoons of sugar</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tablespoons of poppy seeds</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsZGw2HYxlH_378g5miy6yCwbfmcO4gL77Z1fEosq-kx8RNMrDZZxi3CppCIKh9WTDyx3evIZaPUepJ8p8L29Jm0D24HBfrTBvXkf_QeW2oSV1gJnTtOMogWHtWDbH8Ja0AnySQdE8i7_/s1600/pane+casalingo+di+gemma+ai+semi+di+papavero+dettaglio.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsZGw2HYxlH_378g5miy6yCwbfmcO4gL77Z1fEosq-kx8RNMrDZZxi3CppCIKh9WTDyx3evIZaPUepJ8p8L29Jm0D24HBfrTBvXkf_QeW2oSV1gJnTtOMogWHtWDbH8Ja0AnySQdE8i7_/s400/pane+casalingo+di+gemma+ai+semi+di+papavero+dettaglio.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pour flour into a large salad bowl and, little by little crumble the yeast in with your fingertips.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Add milk, water, oil, sugar, salt and mix well.<br />
Finally work the poppy seeds in, kneading the dough quite quickly.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Form a ball, cover it with clingfilm and let it stand for 10 hours at room temperature.</div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then take your dough and knead it in order to obtain few loaves, about 4 or 6, depending on the size you want to get.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Lay the loaves on a baking tray covered with baking paper and cook for about 40 minutes.</span></div></div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-31838673284767270342011-10-30T16:43:00.000+01:002011-10-30T16:43:12.095+01:00VISIT TO THE CULTIVATED FIELD AND AUBERGINE CHEESY PIE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRBjU1v1QNEJ4k8pl-8NPyZmkuib1gcG8akCSxKy-22D5LfCZ_f-90cb2v-POiehV4qfBDVwHbsm4ZFDp27bXjMJIPjt9qoTagJA2ayzoqJhFnl8gzwcNtJ9jelPbpTGImNS5f4-oewc/s1600/bimbi+orto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRBjU1v1QNEJ4k8pl-8NPyZmkuib1gcG8akCSxKy-22D5LfCZ_f-90cb2v-POiehV4qfBDVwHbsm4ZFDp27bXjMJIPjt9qoTagJA2ayzoqJhFnl8gzwcNtJ9jelPbpTGImNS5f4-oewc/s400/bimbi+orto.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Happiness has many faces</i><i>.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've seen one today, actually, two. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those of my children, being back from a visit to the cultivated field of a family friend.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My parents, extraordinary granparents, drove the two rascals to the beautiful garden, while my husband and I stayed home with little Mickey Mouse, downhearted with his <i style="color: #e06666;">roseola infantum</i>.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">They were back in three hours time, with a massive crate filled with fruit and veggies such as peppers, leeks, aubergines, black cabbage and green beans. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">They, of course, brought me an incredibly fragrant bunch of multicolour flowers as well, which I placed into a vase at the centre of my table.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I cooked the aubergines straight away and here is what I made.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jS5dTaIJwv9CMDTmrz5cI281wjs5emNx4zPtZATtfDKyqad1gz91_vP9XZgeQ2La5T7tnGal6jj9JjDKqywq5LGqI9d1Ib3gpO7kdx-1Cy_5pEgfYeTLSThxkLxmzUvOH5pPHBj5mtC4/s1600/tortino+melanzane+e+basilico+per+tortino.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jS5dTaIJwv9CMDTmrz5cI281wjs5emNx4zPtZATtfDKyqad1gz91_vP9XZgeQ2La5T7tnGal6jj9JjDKqywq5LGqI9d1Ib3gpO7kdx-1Cy_5pEgfYeTLSThxkLxmzUvOH5pPHBj5mtC4/s400/tortino+melanzane+e+basilico+per+tortino.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 small aubergines cut in slices (1 cm thick)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">200 g of caciotta cheese (but mozzarella would do the trick as well!)<a href="http://www.inalpi.it/" style="color: #cc0000;"> </a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">200 g of grated mature sheep cheese or parmesan cheese</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a handful of basil leaves</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3 eggs</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">salt, as needed (I don't use much anyway)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">fresh ground black pepper </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stirfry the aubergines in a large pan with the olive oil and add very little salt. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When they change their colour into a slight golden shade turn the heat down and cover with the lid. Cook for about 20 minutes.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Apart beat the eggs with the black pepper and sheep cheese or parmesan, depending on what you have in the fridge.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Arrange the first layer of aubergines in an oven dish, top with basil leaves and thinly sliced caciotta (or mozzarella, again depending on what you have) than lay the remaining aubergines on top. Finally pour the beaten cheesy eggs on the whole surface and garnish with breadcrumbs and more grated cheese.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pop in the oven and cook at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-90151753295385645972011-10-09T16:06:00.001+02:002011-10-09T16:06:27.716+02:00POTATOES AND RED PEPPERS FRITTATA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozcNW8MAwokPIslhVKj4aT3ZolozLvA44Ezbqm6VOh30uBC7tvg5lLsU0aug-wRCet8ncb_8fIIBLSGg8lW-F0KrmKFVTT0RTUeicRvJNmI746EN-g2O16yGY86Bfy9jeSHEJ3Z401SM/s1600/IMG_0400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozcNW8MAwokPIslhVKj4aT3ZolozLvA44Ezbqm6VOh30uBC7tvg5lLsU0aug-wRCet8ncb_8fIIBLSGg8lW-F0KrmKFVTT0RTUeicRvJNmI746EN-g2O16yGY86Bfy9jeSHEJ3Z401SM/s400/IMG_0400.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perfect for a rich pic-nic in the country, but also nice as an apetizer, cut in small, nit square, while you're sipping a glass of fresh, sparkling, white wine with your guest, waiting for a special pasta to be cooked "al dente".</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
4 eggs</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 red pepper (remove pepper's stalk and seeds and dice it)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 potatoes speeled and diced</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 shallot, peeled and chopped </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">100 g of grated parmesan cheese and 50 g of grated mature sheep cheese </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 small courgette (for a nice hint of green), sliced in rounds</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 teaspoon of dry rosemary </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 teaspoon of dry marjoran </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">salt</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">ground black pepper</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil for stewing the veggies and half a glass of olive oil for frying the frittata</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In a large pan, stirfry the red pepper, the potatoes, the courgette and the shallot. Add salt, black pepper and the herbs. Let the veggies get a nice golden colour on their surface, turn the heat down and cover with the lid. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Apart beat the eggs with parmesan and sheep cheese and very little salt, add to the veggies and blend. Pour the nice chunky mixture you got in a frying pan with half a glass of olive oil and fry carefully both sides of your frittata.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Serve at room temperature</div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-34734891823619322712011-10-09T15:37:00.000+02:002011-10-09T15:37:09.907+02:00LEEK AND PARMESAN MINI SOUFFLES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoon64vUcYF5P7-cLjxQCrdIfR4mtM6VrxGQKee4RsE5vmKlYMhVquqkCLcbcfZ55W-FjsOtb69_eXLW-JYhQIwW_WBpKh8uwCH1sNDk_Al7RtujTVnMA4iiqpL20KD2pcZ2twwCc_mC0/s1600/souffle+parmigiano.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoon64vUcYF5P7-cLjxQCrdIfR4mtM6VrxGQKee4RsE5vmKlYMhVquqkCLcbcfZ55W-FjsOtb69_eXLW-JYhQIwW_WBpKh8uwCH1sNDk_Al7RtujTVnMA4iiqpL20KD2pcZ2twwCc_mC0/s400/souffle+parmigiano.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">More and more leeks. I think I'm just fallen in love with these gorgeous veggies and it's so hard to stop me from buying them!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Frankly I believe that they have a "just-perfect-for-every-dish-taste" and that they give to your food a hint of irresistible homey flavour.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients for ten souffles<br />
<br />
200 g grated parmesan cheese</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">350 g of bechamel</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 egg yolk, beaten </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 egg whites, beaten until stiff</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 leeks sliced in rounds</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">salt </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">ground black pepper</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tablespoons of butter</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tablespoon of olive oil</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">breadcrumbs for dusting the oven shapes </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stew the leeks in a large pan with butter and olive oil.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Add the cooked leeks to the beaten egg yolks; pour the bechamel and the parmesan cheese, add salt and ground black pepper.<br />
At last pour the egg whites and stir very gently from the bottom to the top.<br />
Butter the shapes and dust them with breadcrumbs.<br />
Divide the mixture into the shapes and cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees and for 15 minutes at 150 degrees.</div><br />
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</div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-22887780618586733712011-10-07T07:17:00.000+02:002011-10-07T07:17:01.808+02:00OLD FASHION FALL SOUP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGg_N-40hfLbmq91rFGXa_RS1vl7YGD_ipvN5uW2x_M9wdXTo4oCEK42xSW5pBhYWY3GesK1hQ8UmsLzkUYoetCBGTBZt7wXfzhVlv2rFyfUWxzcv34RYO6DNCnfYMKABTmjhlwFqo-o/s1600/zuppa+piselli+patate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGg_N-40hfLbmq91rFGXa_RS1vl7YGD_ipvN5uW2x_M9wdXTo4oCEK42xSW5pBhYWY3GesK1hQ8UmsLzkUYoetCBGTBZt7wXfzhVlv2rFyfUWxzcv34RYO6DNCnfYMKABTmjhlwFqo-o/s400/zuppa+piselli+patate.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I love smooth soups, but every now and then I long for one of those old fashion, chunky ones, the ones the one italians call minestrone</span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. </span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's a very easy one, perfect for this season. Fall hasn't kicked in quiet yet, it's struggling against a very stubborn summer which doesn't want to be left behind. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Ingredients per 4</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">250 g di peas (Birds Eye's are perfect)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"> 10 small champignons mushrooms (sliced along their wide section)<br />
6 baby potatoes (diced)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="text_exposed_hide">1</span><span class="text_exposed_show"> leek (sliced in thin rounds)<br />
a mix of chopped herbs (dry or fresh depending on what you have at home) such as marjorane, basil and parsley.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="text_exposed_show">1 tablespoon of butter <br />
3 tablespoons of e.v. olive oil </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="text_exposed_show"> half a teaspoon of very hot chopped dry chilly pepper<br />
salt </span></span></div><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the olive oil and stew the leek, potatoes and champignons. Pour the peas, hot chilli pepper, salt and herbs i piselli. Cover with boiling vegetable stock or boiling water and add salt according to your taste. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cook for about one hour and serve with croutons.</span></span></span>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-51312398636450137882011-09-05T15:33:00.000+02:002011-09-05T15:33:13.926+02:00CREAMY CARROT AND EMMENTHAL CHEESE RISOTTO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaOj6e4nn1XeWQUSTObKh6KMeooFudzIq51dH0G_5Iw48oMZFvt-iLjpPax-yiR533ouL4rdfXDb2UUR8vAhNAq43HhK0SdTHw5pEgGaLARQ-fCD-79iLMrWWM-8IeukrZLicPYBtKSs/s1600/risotto+carote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaOj6e4nn1XeWQUSTObKh6KMeooFudzIq51dH0G_5Iw48oMZFvt-iLjpPax-yiR533ouL4rdfXDb2UUR8vAhNAq43HhK0SdTHw5pEgGaLARQ-fCD-79iLMrWWM-8IeukrZLicPYBtKSs/s320/risotto+carote.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Risotto, mon amour.</span></span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fall's kicking in and I just can't help but think of confort food: creamy and hot dishes suddenly fill my mind and the cooler air makes me long for cooking again.</span></span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's a great recipe for both children and grown-ups.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;">Serves 4:</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"> </span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">350 g arborio rice<br />
1 thick slice of emmenthal cheese - about 250 g<br />
50 ml of fresh cream, 1/2 litre of milk and 1/2 vegetable stock, 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil<br />
half a glass of white wine, 6 medium size carrots, a tablespoon of butter, salt and white pepper</span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Peel the carrots and blend them with the white wine. Pour this cream in a large pan with the olive oil, cook for 5 minutes than add your rice. Stir and allow the rice to get all the flavours. Now start adding milk and stock little by little and one after the other, always stirring in order to avoid that rice sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add salt, freshly ground white pepper, the fresh cream and the butter. Add the diced emmenthal cheese just 5 minutes before you turn the heat off. Allow the risotto to stand for another 5 minutes before serving and finish with a nice handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese.</span></span></span></h6>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-15036972930517776572011-02-10T15:37:00.001+01:002011-02-10T15:39:28.517+01:00RAIMBOW CAKE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6A_jhBMj8juIpSvHg5HH2DuOsUX0LBEJQloJE7ZzpSCBIWXyogtC4k4BdlieiwKPkHeCz-upGZja3DfhBb9JT8QUlw1oYYlsy3_LqcuwXqmWF4WIpRUtYQJKtBNPYLDzPGLUlWbfwfWw/s1600/CIMG1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6A_jhBMj8juIpSvHg5HH2DuOsUX0LBEJQloJE7ZzpSCBIWXyogtC4k4BdlieiwKPkHeCz-upGZja3DfhBb9JT8QUlw1oYYlsy3_LqcuwXqmWF4WIpRUtYQJKtBNPYLDzPGLUlWbfwfWw/s320/CIMG1037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Sometimes kids ask for unusual stuff, but now and then their requests can be really inspiring.<br />
My three years old daughter Isabella asked for a supercoloured cake with loads of pink in it; well, few days ago I baked something similar to her description and despite the genetically-modified look it was delicious!<br />
It can be a great idea for children birthday parties or even for halloween if you just pick the right colours...lots of orange and extra dark cocoa powder.<br />
Here's trhe recipe.<br />
<br />
200 g plain flour<br />
100 g caster sugar<br />
60 g icing sugar<br />
100 ml sunflower oil <br />
100 ml fresh full fat milk <br />
2 and a half teaspoons of baking powder, about 14 g<br />
food colours <br />
<br />
Turn the oven to 180 degrees then butter and flour your tin.<br />
Beat the egg whites with the icing sugar until stiff, apart beat the yolks with the caster sugar and add to the whites very gently. Pour the other ingredients one by one, mix carefully and add the sieved flour at last. Mix again until smooth. <br />
Divide the mixture into 4 or 5 parts (or more if you really want a raimbow effect!) and colour them with food colours.<br />
Pour the coloured mixtures in the tin one by one, put in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes.Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-91249697481647339092011-02-07T17:06:00.000+01:002011-02-07T17:06:38.235+01:00CHILI CON CARNE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueHNHFE-GWgY5U1iqTumzMwMssqSmWQGKbi1EleMCem7s5gJ6bVxuz4WdAqtlW2z3oND1uPdymKz694CqZDrT_8UcebvoxfOn5wnwIvlyv6wfzgsZpWlPRqaM4tSFprLsuLP5P6Y30VU/s1600/CIMG0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueHNHFE-GWgY5U1iqTumzMwMssqSmWQGKbi1EleMCem7s5gJ6bVxuz4WdAqtlW2z3oND1uPdymKz694CqZDrT_8UcebvoxfOn5wnwIvlyv6wfzgsZpWlPRqaM4tSFprLsuLP5P6Y30VU/s320/CIMG0671.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Great for informal dinners with friends you feel totally confortable with, because your fingers are going to get dirty and so are the corners of your mouth.<br />
In winter chili is the panacea for surviving the coldest days because it really warms your body and in summertime, by raising your body temperature, it makes you sweat and sweating is the most natural remedy to desperse heat. Try to believe!<br />
<br />
for 6 people<br />
<br />
500 g mixed mince meat (pork and beaf)<br />
3 red peppers<br />
1 medium size white onion <br />
250 canned black beans<br />
250 g peeled chopped tomatoes<br />
half a glass of white wine <br />
1 tablespoon of ketchup<br />
2 teaspoons of tabasco<br />
2 teaspoons of chopped fresh parsley <br />
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil<br />
1 teaspoon of ground chilli pepper<br />
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika <br />
salt <br />
<br />
Wash the peppers, cut them in halves and take all the seeds off. Rinse and drain them. Peel and chop the onion, fry it in a large saucepan with the olive oil till soft, add the mince meat and cook at high flame. Add salt. When the meat has got a nice golden shade add the white wine and let boil off. Add the peppers, beans, the chopped tomatoes, parsley, ketchup, chilli pepper, paprika, and tabasco. Cover with lid and turn the heat down to a simmer fiamma. Cook for an hour and a half.<br />
Serve hot with tortillas and nachos chips.Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-42284877465934944302010-12-14T15:51:00.004+01:002010-12-14T15:54:45.106+01:00CAVIAR, PRAWNS AND COURGETTES CREAM FUSILLI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjQEKLEiIJCjoD5uDPnoCqHWBhQEwk8ci0zJegJgCQtNHKBJY7nVSeszRh0u922YojlxgyOK-KSoCtNrt_T2hXWFAaIvf6R92PDPbtFUxK2sm9i8XQ45yQS_hFz5xeimRWOh_DirT9N0/s1600/CIMG0748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjQEKLEiIJCjoD5uDPnoCqHWBhQEwk8ci0zJegJgCQtNHKBJY7nVSeszRh0u922YojlxgyOK-KSoCtNrt_T2hXWFAaIvf6R92PDPbtFUxK2sm9i8XQ45yQS_hFz5xeimRWOh_DirT9N0/s320/CIMG0748.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
This is the creamiest pasta I've ever made, warm and reassuring in winter time with a hint of fresh cream, or light and zesty with the addition of grated lemon peel on a lovely summer day. <br />
<br />
for 4 people<br />
<br />
400 g of fusilli<br />
2 medium light green courgettes <br />
3 or 4 spring onions<br />
300 g of prawns<br />
40 g of caviar<br />
100 ml of fresh cream<br />
30 ml of brandy<br />
1 teaspoon of dried thyme and marjoram<br />
5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil <br />
salt and white pepper<br />
<br />
Carefully wash the courgettes, drain them, chop them and put them into a large pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Do the same with the spring onions then cook until the vegetables will soften. This will take about 15 minutes. Add salt, ground white pepper, thyme and marjoram and the fresh cream, then transfer into the beaker of your blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, add the caviar and stir gently, then pour into a large pretty serving dish.<br />
Meanwhile bring the water to the boil in a large pan. Add salt and fusilli when water's boiling.<br />
Apart, in a small pan quickly fry the prawns. I've been lazy and I used the freezed ones...they are not as good as the fresh ones but they will do the trick, plus you won't have to shell them, which is one thing I hate!<br />
Pour the brandy into the frying prawns and let boil off, add a little salt and take off the heat. Add the prawns to your courgettes cream, drain the fusilli and pour them into the cream, stir gently then serve with extra freshly ground white pepper. Your guests will simply adore it!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-51470009024208525892010-11-22T23:49:00.001+01:002010-11-23T07:33:47.132+01:00ROMAN-STYLE GNOCCHI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAYqyF5WQWb9wrxAlw1nEpY7ACojDaTtn60NgYVFH8bLEhle8Wh0Lwc1nMh4iMEMYetu2Ayz_BTdDu_-PYFKhw6EBpuzmOZI5e_WUWjBR0P3ZmvYqUk6HGvLCTb1qx8N8339cIcGo9L4/s1600/gnocchi+di+semolino+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAYqyF5WQWb9wrxAlw1nEpY7ACojDaTtn60NgYVFH8bLEhle8Wh0Lwc1nMh4iMEMYetu2Ayz_BTdDu_-PYFKhw6EBpuzmOZI5e_WUWjBR0P3ZmvYqUk6HGvLCTb1qx8N8339cIcGo9L4/s320/gnocchi+di+semolino+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I simply love <i>gnocchi di semolino</i>: they are the quintessence of confort food, the food I'd dream to plunge my fork in when I'm feeling cosy, on a freezing, rainy evening. It's something I'd definitely cook for my children on a feast day<br />
Here's the super-easy recipe. <br />
<br />
for 4-6 people<br />
<br />
750 ml of milk <br />
200 ml of semolina<br />
3 egg yolks<br />
120 g of butter <br />
5 tablespoons of parmesan cheese<br />
salt <br />
<br />
Heat the milk in a non-stick saucepan and, when it starts to boil, add salt and sprinkle in the semolina, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the semolina is very stiff and hard to stir. Take the pan off the heat and add 80 g of butter, 3 yolks and 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Mix well until the mixture becomes smooth and not sticky.<br />
Now, this is how I cut the semolina rounds.<br />
Place a sheet of baking paper on the table and on top of that lay your semolina mixture. Leave it there until it's cold. Switch on the oven at 200 degrees and grease a nice baking dish with a little butter.<br />
When the semolina's cold you can start rolling it with the rolling pin to the thickness of 1 cm. Now cut the rounds with a glass or with a biscuits cutter.<br />
Start to fill the baking dish with the scraps, and between a layer and the other sprinkle some parmesan cheese and few butter flakes. Last of all arrange the rounds of semolina overlapping them partially. Dust with more parmesan cheese, add the chunks of the remaining butter and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.<br />
People sitting at your table today will adore you!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-28276363762198106612010-11-19T22:37:00.000+01:002010-11-19T22:37:22.184+01:00WHITE WINE AND TERRAGON SALMON<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1miU052dx4YuLX81FtJ4dxvWFdl0gHyEhyncZYbjrPUwgDPWGUIaMKVsugs4kFsPC3jpSai0m-_JvIcTZTdJ1f1j0VO_5FUufYSDYjm4razbrmm9HQjeXI8cG4TYPtr7iFkuo4Z9-cMM/s1600/big+fish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1miU052dx4YuLX81FtJ4dxvWFdl0gHyEhyncZYbjrPUwgDPWGUIaMKVsugs4kFsPC3jpSai0m-_JvIcTZTdJ1f1j0VO_5FUufYSDYjm4razbrmm9HQjeXI8cG4TYPtr7iFkuo4Z9-cMM/s320/big+fish.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
This dish brings me back to Dun Laoghaire and reminds me of its colours and perfume. The sunday market, the peaceful morning walking along the seaside and the cold wind messing people's hair.<br />
It's happening again...I'm feeling homesick more than usual and I need a taste of HOME.<br />
<br />
for 2 people <br />
<br />
2 fresh salmon steaks<br />
half a glass of white wine<br />
3 tablespoons of olive oil <br />
a teaspoon of dry terragon<br />
<br />
a teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley leaves<br />
salt <br />
ground black pepper<br />
<br />
Put the salmon steaks into a large pan with the olive oil, add salt and cook until both surfaces are kind of crispy. Add the white wine, the terragon and let boil off for two to three minutes on a high flame, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cover with the lid.<br />
Cook for about 20 minutes.<br />
Turn the heat on again and add the parsley and the black pepper, cook for another 5 minutes and serve with boiled baby potatoes or peppers.Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-75199080803201175892010-11-19T18:44:00.002+01:002010-11-19T18:46:48.538+01:00PUNTARELLE FRITTATA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FhvTtJJUAxsPATbBiZ5VYxdUorgSbjArX0zZEGScDtviwCOlJCXxMSQHDBAdYmXzvBzmJJCsa_pF3uyNHPBiWMCat2fiwUHuIMkOe4itqvl9y9Pysl3_UcWrDibvTT1mDj7htEaiWvQ/s1600/frittata+di+puntarelle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FhvTtJJUAxsPATbBiZ5VYxdUorgSbjArX0zZEGScDtviwCOlJCXxMSQHDBAdYmXzvBzmJJCsa_pF3uyNHPBiWMCat2fiwUHuIMkOe4itqvl9y9Pysl3_UcWrDibvTT1mDj7htEaiWvQ/s320/frittata+di+puntarelle.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is definitely the last minute<i> frittata</i>, I prepared with the external leaves of the puntarelle salad. they were so nice and tender I couldn't possibly throw them away!<br />
<br />
for 4-6 people <br />
<br />
the external leaves of the puntarelle salad (more or less 200 g), thoroughly washed and drained.<br />
3eggs<br />
3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese<br />
extravirgin olive oil <br />
1 garlic clove<br />
salt<br />
<br />
Cut the leaves in about 5 cm long segments then put then into a pan of 20 cm in diametreporle in una padellina with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a garlic clove. Fry on a high flame and remove the garlic clove before it gets brown. Cook for about 10 minutes, then take off the heat and let cool.<br />
Apart, beat the eggs with the parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt, add the cooked leaves and transfer the batter into the same pan (cleaned out with kitchen paper) with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Fry until both surfaces of the frittata become crispy and golden.<br />
The result is super especially for the sweetness of puntarelle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFGQUTwud13czF1jMOrXGiK4QgGlu_H5gFf_dhGafxFzCQyQ8NnrKTMYhE8rwXCzFe5kmNxXcgqNPh4DBGKXp0oTISYOebbun9G23-4q1kBqu3BhZtuOxj0SjMiAaJVTRfAMu4RgoDW8/s1600/japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFGQUTwud13czF1jMOrXGiK4QgGlu_H5gFf_dhGafxFzCQyQ8NnrKTMYhE8rwXCzFe5kmNxXcgqNPh4DBGKXp0oTISYOebbun9G23-4q1kBqu3BhZtuOxj0SjMiAaJVTRfAMu4RgoDW8/s320/japan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-5327258135370219512010-11-18T16:13:00.001+01:002010-11-18T16:14:12.207+01:00PUMPKIN ORECCHIETTE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIpu9-QN11gnLOIw1bZG3RPAIRwVMrIE4qLvkCmXqFpTz9-t9G-ob8YXPWk3FpgvN7s9gLDhOxP4Jb8svS_5EdJ2XT6cstB3653Ep7c58SpTiSaFTyOvtAvIfQmQB1hRXDjmiq2TlJis/s1600/CIMG0652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIpu9-QN11gnLOIw1bZG3RPAIRwVMrIE4qLvkCmXqFpTz9-t9G-ob8YXPWk3FpgvN7s9gLDhOxP4Jb8svS_5EdJ2XT6cstB3653Ep7c58SpTiSaFTyOvtAvIfQmQB1hRXDjmiq2TlJis/s320/CIMG0652.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Chestnuts, mushrooms and pumkin.<br />
Together with the warm shades of the leaves that cover our town's sidewalks and wood's paths, these are for me fall's real tresure.<br />
Yesterday night I prepared for a couple of friends a nice pasta with soft pumpkin, a delicate and easy-to-make <i>primo piatto</i>.<br />
Here's the recipe. <br />
<br />
for 4 people<br />
<br />
400 g of pumpkin, peeled and diced<br />
1 leek peeled and cut in thin rounds<br />
1 teaspoon of fresh roughly chopped parsley<br />
2 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil<br />
2 tablespoons of white wine <br />
about 40 g of butter<br />
salt <br />
black and white ground pepper<br />
<br />
Put the diced pumpkin in a glass bowl with 80 ml of water, cover with a lid (suitable for microwave) and cook in the microwave for about 15 minutes at the maximum power.<br />
Meanwhile bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan. When water's boiling add salt and the orecchiette.<br />
Apart put the leek in a pan with butter and olive oil and cook on a high flame in order to soften the leek. Add the wine and let boil off.<br />
Drain the pumpkin and add it to the leek in the pan, add salt, pepper and parsley and cook for about ten minutes or so. <br />
Drain the orecchiette <i>al dente</i> and transfer into the pan with the pumpkin sauce, let cook for another minute, then serve topping with parmesan cheese.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXgjgDen4nOVy7SzHhtZdjVXugrXrA6B_j2oNzyHzrpkiiMf4_5lELsFrfYMG0axQhdecwmI7BBgNbCbxeEZQvmle5G7Q9ar1kuUVBDCerC1hDikrCJnhX_Mu31JtuxTvImhZhDC0sOs/s1600/CIMG0650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXgjgDen4nOVy7SzHhtZdjVXugrXrA6B_j2oNzyHzrpkiiMf4_5lELsFrfYMG0axQhdecwmI7BBgNbCbxeEZQvmle5G7Q9ar1kuUVBDCerC1hDikrCJnhX_Mu31JtuxTvImhZhDC0sOs/s320/CIMG0650.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-45535701012497065982010-11-17T13:23:00.001+01:002010-11-17T13:29:07.864+01:00PUNTARELLE SALAD<span id="goog_1918984692"></span><span id="goog_1918984693"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXGjN0noHEXz6jrMKI0ynFIrgMfoZUvscZ3RTXN_Qps4KtLW4_zzByGynnJ2GHM-Wb5qpWkXhmI7A-kBFj_LL4z6Pb3GuVrvu4Hj9A9FSH2vNoNIq3j-RHr-TuArrM0HVkNAElZ9ie7o/s1600/puntarelle+salad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXGjN0noHEXz6jrMKI0ynFIrgMfoZUvscZ3RTXN_Qps4KtLW4_zzByGynnJ2GHM-Wb5qpWkXhmI7A-kBFj_LL4z6Pb3GuVrvu4Hj9A9FSH2vNoNIq3j-RHr-TuArrM0HVkNAElZ9ie7o/s320/puntarelle+salad.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is a fresh, crunchy italian style salad, ideal as a side dish - delicious with salmon but also with chicken and pork - and as a solution for a light lunch, when served with nice toasted brown bread.<br />
<br />
for 4 people<br />
<br />
1 puntarelle salad<br />
6 anchovies fillets<br />
<br />
for the vinaigrette <br />
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds<br />
the juice of half a lemon<br />
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar <br />
2 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil<br />
half a teaspoon of crushed dry chilli pepper<br />
sea salt <br />
<br />
Take the external leaves off *.<br />
Cut the puntarelle into thin strips and put them into a salad bow.<br />
Drain and chop the anchovies fillets and add them to the salad.<br />
In a small bowl prepare the vinaigrette mixing together the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, salt and chilli peppers. <br />
Top the salad with this sauce and serve...nothing easier!<br />
<br />
* with the external leaves I made a great frittata...I'll post the recipe next!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-69294873993216313422010-11-15T23:24:00.001+01:002010-11-15T23:25:52.154+01:00NUTELLA AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS MUFFINS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu7VQyMu17P5luva5G1e6QOTkAGWyotxM-W65-WQwcwt-EP4sh-zwP91l7JjEdW5x6vRYk3SV821rE8_URTYEEgEwuq8W-72DNbm6FdiMBeJP2_Ks4fZEcQ__Pm05G8kEbuB3JolX0ys/s1600/CIMG0637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu7VQyMu17P5luva5G1e6QOTkAGWyotxM-W65-WQwcwt-EP4sh-zwP91l7JjEdW5x6vRYk3SV821rE8_URTYEEgEwuq8W-72DNbm6FdiMBeJP2_Ks4fZEcQ__Pm05G8kEbuB3JolX0ys/s320/CIMG0637.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
There's nothing better than a muffin for breakfast. And what are the two things that children and grown up most loves? Without a doubt Nutella and chocolate!<br />
Here's the delicious recipe for the muffins I've baked this afternoon. For the very first time I have weighed the ingredients in order to write down the exact quantities required.<br />
<br />
240 g of flour<br />
140 g of caster sugar<br />
24 g of baking powder <br />
half a teaspoon of baking soda80 g of dark chocolate chips<br />
200 ml of lukewarm milk <br />
<br />
60 g of melted butter <br />
2 eggs<br />
<br />
1 good scoop of Nutella<br />
<br />
for the icing<br />
<br />
100 g of dark chocolate<br />
120 g of icing sugar<br />
2 tablespoon of water <br />
<br />
a handful of chopped hazelnuts to garnish<br />
<br />
Turn the oven on to the temperature of 180 degrees.<br />
Put about 14 to 16 muffin cases on an oven tray.<br />
In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and chocolate chips. In another bowl mix well the milk with the eggs, the butter and the scoop of Nutella. Then add the wet mixture to the dry one and blend with a spoon until you get a lumpy batter.<br />
Scoop the batter into the muffin cases and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. <br />
Take off the oven and allow to cool.<br />
Apart prepare the chocolate icing, this is my way and it always work!<br />
Put the chopped chocolate and the water into a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, allow to melt then take off the heat, let cool then add the icing sugar and stir carefully.<br />
Spread the icing on the top of the muffins, then sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts on top of the icing and finally...enjoy your creation!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-33495521895313432352010-11-14T16:16:00.000+01:002010-11-14T16:16:52.701+01:00PORK STEW WITH FRESH CREAM AND EVERLASTING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGR56GMJZK09qHjfU9Lb7_8uzhazeEsrhYwP43oF5-OmL8QuDxVMuwhwNZ7fb-7sUINKlq9hKdz3zBZaotxdHDtxFbAesLyftChsdAi_nn6tzApvXJzUoeDcOOKcgxa0YaqxSkOvZI5I/s1600/CIMG0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGR56GMJZK09qHjfU9Lb7_8uzhazeEsrhYwP43oF5-OmL8QuDxVMuwhwNZ7fb-7sUINKlq9hKdz3zBZaotxdHDtxFbAesLyftChsdAi_nn6tzApvXJzUoeDcOOKcgxa0YaqxSkOvZI5I/s320/CIMG0629.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Have you ever taken a walk on a country road of Sardinia?<br />
If you have then you've almost certainly smelled the sharp, sweet and sour essence of<i> Helichrysum</i>, aka <i>Everlasting</i>. It's one of the most characteristic herb of the <i>Macchia Mediterranea</i> and it's renowned for its antinflammatory properties.<br />
But that's nothing new.<br />
My aunt has always used it for cooking and, as scepctical as I was, I hardly believed it could work.<br />
Well, I had to change my mind the day I tried it for the first time.<br />
Since then, everytime I'm stewing pork or veal meat I sprinkle few dry leaves of everlasting and that makes a huge difference!<br />
<br />
for 4 people <br />
<br />
600 g of loin of pork, diced<br />
4 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil<br />
half a glass of white wine <br />
3 tablespoon of fresh cream<br />
a little twig of everlasting<br />
salt<br />
black pepper<br />
fresh parsley and marjoram to garnish<br />
<br />
Season the diced pork with salt and pepper, put it in a pan with the olive oil and cook on a high flame until the meat surfaces have picked a golden shade and the meat liquid has boiled off. Add now the white wine, soon after the cream and let boil off for a while, then add the twig of everlasting, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover with the lid.<br />
Cook for one hour.<br />
Before taking the pan off the heat check that the juice is nice and thick. If it's not take the lid off and turn the heat up for few minutes.<br />
Garnish with fresh parsley and marjoram and serve with a fresh salad on a side.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i></i>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-40792435479298637532010-11-13T16:02:00.001+01:002010-11-13T22:24:51.822+01:00TRENETTE RATATOUILLE WITH ANCHOVIES AND HAZELNUTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIyDaeXmOc9HXAEqCinIhiIp1OAKY5mnB2xHYLQUf9P_o18-JyycBfdp3Lvc5sAGth-nKtbDLr4veBG0DGZDGOODe30MWCkMf0HQJGQk9Eg40-61bGC5w76X8fxT4nxcx-v85OldHBh60/s1600/rataouille+pasta+with+anchovies+and+hazelnuts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIyDaeXmOc9HXAEqCinIhiIp1OAKY5mnB2xHYLQUf9P_o18-JyycBfdp3Lvc5sAGth-nKtbDLr4veBG0DGZDGOODe30MWCkMf0HQJGQk9Eg40-61bGC5w76X8fxT4nxcx-v85OldHBh60/s320/rataouille+pasta+with+anchovies+and+hazelnuts.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Last night I really wanted to pamper my husband, who's feeling down because of chicken pox, so I created a very special pasta dish with the three ingredients he loves the best: veggies, hazelnuts and anchovies.<br />
The result was amazing to look at because of the bright, shiny colours and mouthwatering for the crunchiness of hazelnuts.<br />
<br />
for 2 people<br />
<br />
250 g of trenette or spaghetti<br />
half a red pepper <br />
half a green pepper<br />
half a yellow pepper<br />
1 small aubergine<br />
1 courgette<br />
1 garlic clove <br />
8 anchovies fillets<br />
1 handful of chopped hazelnuts<br />
1 handful of fresh basil leaves <br />
4-5 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil<br />
salt <br />
half a teaspoon of crushed dry chilli pepper<br />
<br />
Wash and drain the vegetables.<br />
Dice the aubergine, sprinkle sea salt all over the cubes then put them in a bowl with a weigh on (the salt and the weigh - it could be a smaller bowl filled with water - will allow the bitter fluid to come out the diced aubergine).<br />
Apart bring water to boil in a large saucepan.<br />
Cut the peppers in halves and remove all the seeds, rinse again and dice them. Cut the courgette in cubes too.<br />
Drain the bitter fluid off the aubergine cubes, rinse and drain them and put them in a very large non-stick pan with the olive oil, the whole garlic clove and the other diced vegetables.<br />
Fry over a high flame and remember to remove the garlic clove before it gets brown. Stir often to avoid burning.<br />
The vegetables are ready when they become kind of crispy on the surfaces and quite soft on the inside. Add a little water if needed. Don't be rushy because it takes a while!<br />
Meanwhile the water into the saucepan should be bubbling. Add about a tablespoon of salt then put the trenette into the boiling water.<br />
Generally you wont' need to add salt in this dish because anchovies are quite salty and you've put salt in the aubergine before cooking them, but this is the moment to check if more salt is needed in your veggies sauce.<br />
Before taking the pan off the heat add the chilli pepper, the chopped anchovies, chopped hazelnut and chopped basil leaves. Drain the trenette and transfer them into the pan together with the vegetables. Stir for about one minute then serve and...buon appetito!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-44645067511604059092010-11-11T22:44:00.002+01:002010-11-11T22:48:59.735+01:00PUMPKIN "ORZOTTO"<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIU0EBpllxNHX-uW7i3eR8KKYSthanXk2UauyYbA_0US5F66vqkR1FmyBf6_CjHbzhh5SA7TYq7NlsUrjv79MzEGkBSABhgGklVqE1B_SG_fheJkcZipcbXSP-ZMi-In8O-SSdw8HGzXg/s1600/CIMG0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIU0EBpllxNHX-uW7i3eR8KKYSthanXk2UauyYbA_0US5F66vqkR1FmyBf6_CjHbzhh5SA7TYq7NlsUrjv79MzEGkBSABhgGklVqE1B_SG_fheJkcZipcbXSP-ZMi-In8O-SSdw8HGzXg/s320/CIMG0490.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This is a barley version of the italian risotto.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It was born yesterday as a result of a silly mistake.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> I had in mind a risotto with pumpkin to celebrate Halloween, but when I went to check, there was no trace of any kind of rice in the cupboard, not even the cheapest one. So I picked a light yellow box hidden in the very bottom of the shelf and, there it was, just the right quantity of barley for the four of us, lucky me!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We enjoyed our Halloween Eve with a very simple but extremely nice dinner.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">for 4 people</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">400 g of barley</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">400 g of pumpkin or butternut squash peeled and diced</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">3 shallots peeled and finely chopped</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1 litre of hot chicken stock</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">150 ml of nice white wine </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">40 g of butter</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">4 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">2 handfuls of freshly grated mature pecorino cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">sea salt</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">ground black and white pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Melt the butter in a saucepan together with the olive oil, add the shallots and pumpkin and slowly fry without colouring them, in other words, don't let them go brown but just soften them and let them pick a nice golden shade. This will take about 10 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Add the barley and turn the heat up, stir and add the white wine. Keep stirring until the barley has absorbed all the liquid then start adding little by little your chicken stock (it must be real hot so keep it in a pan with a lid on).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Now turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding the stock until the barley is nice and soft. Keep in mind though that barley tends to keep a crunchier texture compared to rice. It will take about 30 minutes to get a nice texture, so get yourself a nice glass of wine and enjoyed it chatting away with your guests.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Add salt if needed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Take the orzotto off the heat and add the pecorino cheese and the ground black and white pepper, stir gently, then put a lid on and leave the orzotto to relax for 3 to 5 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Serve the orzotto tempting your guests to more pecorino cheese...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Buon appetito! </span>Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-9304646421036611452010-11-11T22:36:00.000+01:002010-11-11T22:36:47.326+01:00CHICKEN UPPER TIGHS WITH MUSTARD AND BUTTERMILK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn9kwBoNNKRpQDxmGK75M0DYDT5-d_hZPxp27W2w6-5EeouZ6bvtML0Ldb131wUsPZNeWRr7C5sOY1ebvUwkgdhCIBb29Gs9Amc596UY8gnbf0WomcS4ifQ60DykwqP2zUn78I2PgVIw/s1600/spezzatino+senape+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn9kwBoNNKRpQDxmGK75M0DYDT5-d_hZPxp27W2w6-5EeouZ6bvtML0Ldb131wUsPZNeWRr7C5sOY1ebvUwkgdhCIBb29Gs9Amc596UY8gnbf0WomcS4ifQ60DykwqP2zUn78I2PgVIw/s320/spezzatino+senape+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
This is a dish I created last year for a non conventional dinner with friends. <br />
I took the inspiration from the indian cuisine that my husband and I love so much for its creamy texture and its abundance of spices and herbs.<br />
I was trying to find the right combination between the simplicity of italian food and and the exotic note of eastern taste. The result was great!<br />
<br />
for 4 people<br />
<br />
4 chicken upper tighs<br />
a tablespoon of french mustard<br />
a teaspoon of mixed dried herbs (coriander, marjoram, thyme, rosemary and, last but not least, my best-loved “everlasting” if you’re so lucky to find some)<br />
half a teaspoon of cumin seeds<br />
half a glass of buttermilk<br />
half a glass of white wine<br />
4 tablespoons of olive oil<br />
sea salt<br />
ground black pepper<br />
crushed hot chilly pepper<br />
<br />
Take the skin and the bone off the tighs, dice the meat or let the butcher do this for you if you are half as lazy as I am.<br />
Season with olive oil (use a brush or do it with your hands if you like dirty jobs!), dried herbs, cumin, pepper and chilly pepper, then put the diced chicken in the fridge to get all the flavours. Leave it for about half an hour.<br />
Put the olive oil into a large pan and cook the chicken until it becomes light brown on all the sides of the cubes. Add the wine and let evaporate for a while, then add salt, mustard and buttermilk (if you can find it use 150 g of natural yogurt), put the lid and let cook for about 45 minutes. It doesn’t take a long time to cook because the chicken is diced and, moreover, tighs meat is rather soft. <br />
At the end of this time, if you reckon that the cooking juice is too watery, transfer the chicken cubes into a serving dish and let the juice boil off until it is nice and creamy, then pour it on top of the meat.<br />
Serve with peas (cooked in a bit of oil and finely chopped parsley) on a side.Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-39095144255866426682010-11-11T22:32:00.000+01:002010-11-11T22:32:51.109+01:00FABIA CREAMY RICOTTA TAGLIATELLE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jofT-FUC1mdRDqHioZJTIrsqS2cxMsL5b3uc-n7WiQBL7uA4MMNirlkIcH-UAVYXsyU3hGlMQXF16HwDXQKlQMx0wDFb-10dcRlT4JyVqJwJBgJhXEM4oxuYNnztGxtXZRgX9jmbM04/s1600/tagliat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jofT-FUC1mdRDqHioZJTIrsqS2cxMsL5b3uc-n7WiQBL7uA4MMNirlkIcH-UAVYXsyU3hGlMQXF16HwDXQKlQMx0wDFb-10dcRlT4JyVqJwJBgJhXEM4oxuYNnztGxtXZRgX9jmbM04/s320/tagliat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I simply love ricotta cheese, as it is, or in sweet preparations such as baked cheese cakes or filling creams for cupcakes and pastries but, moreover, in savoury dishes.<br />
My father makes a gorgeous pasta with ricotta and safran, recipe which is quite reknown in Sardinia, where both ricotta and safran are widely used.<br />
But Tagliatelle alla Fabia, my very own creation, were born from an idea I came up with few months ago when I had friends coming over for dinner and I really wanted to impress them with something unique and simple at the same time. Something that would have make them go "WOW!".<br />
<br />
for 4 people<br />
<br />
400 g of fresh tagliatelle<br />
150 g of good quality fresh ricotta cheese<br />
a handful of pine nuts<br />
a handful of a mix of the following fresh herbs:<br />
marjoram<br />
rosemary<br />
parsley<br />
basil<br />
thyme<br />
sage<br />
2 tablespoons of fresh cream<br />
4 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil<br />
salt ground black pepper<br />
<br />
Bring the water to the boil, add salt and cook tagliatelle for as long as the time indicated on the package.<br />
Lightly roast the pine nuts in a non-stick pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil for no longer than 2 minutes, the tale off the heat.<br />
Put in a mixer the ricotta together with the herbs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and blend until the cream is nice and smooth.<br />
Add the obtained cream to the roasted pine nuts, add salt, pepper and the fresh cream then turn the heat up again for about 3 minutes.<br />
When your tagliatelle are AL DENTE (remember to save a cup of the cooking water) drain them and transfer them in the pan together with the pine nuts and ricotta cream.<br />
You may need to add the saved cooking water to your tagliatelle so that they look and taste nice and moist.<br />
Season in the pan on moderate heat for about one minute then serve and...enjoy your meal!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372516496411377735.post-59744368435655692242010-11-11T22:28:00.001+01:002010-11-11T22:29:43.136+01:00PANCETTA AND PECORINO CHEESE MUFFINS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSI8LMGDk6vIA26-xD-hjoykwzX68w-GAGUXNuTq4SGtckgLHX6Yggqt5BtX5QuW-4BPTBsF-wNssVTAqMt_jVA5EgyRGOvSN5jNPLj1BxfTUT23wjthDeOYcxeGVM5tmpAJB1ksG7YU/s1600/CIMG0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSI8LMGDk6vIA26-xD-hjoykwzX68w-GAGUXNuTq4SGtckgLHX6Yggqt5BtX5QuW-4BPTBsF-wNssVTAqMt_jVA5EgyRGOvSN5jNPLj1BxfTUT23wjthDeOYcxeGVM5tmpAJB1ksG7YU/s320/CIMG0510.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpnMUbc9E8usms5mm7d8oOfvV6pG4Gp5c0UVSu7ZU2uXp_tJHmAroAyes3nIlIdbc_C3djFG8tpaXkt6CMoAp4LYepIehzXjNAjypLdHjNnSs9yXMweCOpdiCOMJfq-vRxwL9IxG6hFU/s1600/CIMG0518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpnMUbc9E8usms5mm7d8oOfvV6pG4Gp5c0UVSu7ZU2uXp_tJHmAroAyes3nIlIdbc_C3djFG8tpaXkt6CMoAp4LYepIehzXjNAjypLdHjNnSs9yXMweCOpdiCOMJfq-vRxwL9IxG6hFU/s320/CIMG0518.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Savoury muffins: I think they are absolutely gorgeous and mouth-watering. Just the right idea for parties!<br />
I have used pecorino cheese, but don't get frustrated if you can't find it...cheddar would equally do a great job! <br />
<br />
for 14 medium muffin cases<br />
<br />
dry ingredients: <br />
<br />
250 g flour<br />
50 g of grated parmesan cheese <br />
2 teaspoons of baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon of baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon of salt <br />
100 g of non smoked diced pancetta ( preferably diced non smoked bacon)<br />
100 g of diced pecorino cheese (not the mature type)<br />
<br />
wet ingredients:<br />
<br />
200 ml of milk (room temperature)<br />
60 g of melted butter <br />
2 eggs<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Put the muffin cases on a large baking tin.<br />
Put the dry ingredients into a large bowl and the wet ingredients into a jug.<br />
Mix them all together until you get a lumpy but smooth batter.<br />
Using a spoon put the batter into the muffin cases and pop in the oven.<br />
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.<br />
Nothing easier and tastier!Gemma Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12965661554456475129noreply@blogger.com1