This month: Italy! in food and virtual journeys – and a nifty way to present a hard-boiled egg!
-JT
Sorry, all; that last link DOES go to ProWalks; but looks like it’s a repeat of a TerreRosse link. Don’t know how that happened...mysteries of (my incompetence at) HTML, I guess :-(
throw in the spaghetti. Cook until very al dente.
"Very al dente"... So that means on the al chewy side? Or the al mushy side?
The Amalfi coast - looking forward to seeing that little slice of beauty some day.
www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/best-scungilli-salad-265431
French Med, but delicious and simple.
https://www.cuisineaz.com/recettes/avocats-aux-crevettes-23398.aspx
Have a friend that is trying to do more keto, and she gave me a keto pancake recipe using cream cheese, eggs and baking soda. I couldn’t get it to work at all, unless I used coconut flour. It was just nasty.
I decided to try some “Frankensteining” of it:
1 - Brick Cream cheese
3-4 eggs
3 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter, I mean heaping with an actual spoon, I’m guessing it is probably 3/4 of a cup worth.
Soften the cream cheese (a minute in microwave works for me)
Mix in the peanut butter and eggs, with a fork until mixed well. Anytime I try with a blender it gets too to watery.
Throw on hot griddle like any other pancake mix. They will fluff up very nicely. I don’t miss flour pancakes at all, and prefer these in fact.
Round Veggie Lasagna
Ingredients
These are just suggestions for an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan with removable bottom
Have a pot of sauce ready to go like marinara or a bechamel, plus extra for spooning on top of each cut wedge..
½ lb or more depending on what size pan you have of boil your own pasta sheets, cooked al’dente.
Ingredients of your choice for layering, if using veggies cut them on the flat side instead of diced and have them pre-roasted and ready to go, or stick with a more classic version.
roughly 1½ lbs of ricotta cheese mixed with generous amounts of romano or parmesan, 2 eggs, salt, pepper and fresh herbs like basil or parsley.
A nice shredded melting cheese like fontina or mozzarella.
Instructions
Cover the bottom of a baking sheet that has sides with tin foil, you’ll thank me for this because there might be some leakage of juices.
Brush or spray olive oil on the inside and bottom of your spring form pan.
Start layering. Sauce first, then pasta sheets, cutting to form around the pan, more sauce, ricotta cheese mixture, other ingredients like veggies,sprinkle the shredded cheese and more romano on top.
Repeat for three layers total, ending with sauce and some cheese on top.
Place filled pan on the foil lined baking sheet and bake at 375 F. for 45 minutes.
Cool on a rack so air gets on the bottom and let it rest for ½ hour, take a knife and go around the sides of the pan before you release it.
Release clasp and place the whole lasagna on a nice platter.
Make sure it’s not steaming hot when you cut into it.
https://www.prouditaliancook.com/2014/02/round-veggie-lasagna.html
This recipe is also worth making if you have the time. The link they give on this page is behind a pay wall, so I’ll add one I found. The pictures are well worth looking at and the movie is worth watching if you love food ;)
https://www.prouditaliancook.com/2016/06/party-picnic-timpano.html
https://www.recipelion.com/Pasta/Timpano-alla-Big-Night-1
I am putting this on my to make list. It reminds me of giant arrancini.
Sartu di Riso
Ingredients
1 pound Arborio rice (2 1/3 cups)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 dried bay leaf
3 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage or sweet Italian turkey sausage
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 shallot, sliced
2 sprigs basil
One 2-inch piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
7 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces ground sirloin or ground dark turkey meat
Olive oil, for frying
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
One 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella, diced
Directions
In a large saucepan combine the rice, chicken broth, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and the bay leaf. Stir and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring once, until the rice is still slightly undercooked but the liquid is absorbed, 8 minutes. Pour the rice into a large bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the cheese and 3 of the eggs until well combined, and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from the casing and break into small, bite-size pieces. Add the sausage to the hot oil and cook until browned, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a medium bowl and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, shallots and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant and the shallots are soft, 1 minute. Add the basil, cheese rind and tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the basil and cheese rind. Add 2 cups of the sauce to the reserved sausage and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a separate medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, the milk and the remaining egg with a fork and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in the oregano, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Using your hands, mix in the beef, until just combined. Heat 1/2-inch of olive oil in a medium straight-sided pan. Scoop 1-tablespoon mounds of the mixture into damp hands and roll into uniform balls. When the oil is hot, fry the balls in 2 batches, turning them as needed with a slotted spoon to brown the balls evenly, about 4 minutes. When golden brown and crispy all around, remove the balls using a slotted spoon to the bowl with the sausage and sauce. Continue with the remaining balls, and then toss to coat evenly in the sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using 1 tablespoon of the butter, grease the inside of a Bundt pan or a 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven, making sure to coat it very well. Dust the inside of the pan with 3 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs. Make sure it is evenly coated and there are no bald spots. This is very important to prevent sticking.
Add the peas and diced mozzarella to the meat and sauce, and toss gently to incorporate. Spoon two-thirds of the rice mixture into the prepared bundt pan. Using damp hands, press the rice evenly over the bottom of the pan and 2 1/2-inches up the sides and middle of the pan. Spoon the meat filling into the well of rice and press gently to make sure it is evenly packed. Spoon the remaining rice over the filling and, using damp hands, press the rice evenly over the filling, being sure to press the rice on top into the rice along the edges to seal. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and dot with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Bake until lightly browned on top, 45 minutes.
Cool for 15 minutes.
Place a plate large enough to cover the top of the pan over the pan. Using heat-resistant pads or a towel, invert the sartu onto the plate. Carefully lift the pan off of the rice, shaking gently if needed. Warm the remaining sauce and fill the opening in the middle of the molded rice with the sauce to serve.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/sartu-di-riso-3083452
Hullo JT, visiting my mom in the mountains outside Asheville. This looks like a wonderful thread. Will check in tomorrow. Those eggs.......sigh.....
It reminds me of a combo of Greek isles and the Ticino part of Switzerland. I’ve never been to that coastal part of Italy, only Rome - Anzio. In Arona I felt I was pretty close to heaven.
Any chance you get to head over there this summer or fall?
http://cakescottage.com/2016/05/11/no-bake-summer-berry-icebox-cake/#more-132996
Love this cake with a cup of tea. Had it first on the Amalfi Coast for breakfast. Love that region.
http://italyonmymind.com.au/breakfast-pear-cake-torta-di-pere-frullate/
One of our greatest memories of Italy was walking down to the 5 villages in the Cinque Terre/Liguria region. We stopped and tasted little seafood dishes along the way in this glorious region.
http://tangoitalia.com/liguria/liguria-food-and-recipes/
We make this every summer when the lemon verbena comes up.
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cinque-terre
Eggplant is starting to come up in the garden. I make lots of this and freeze it:
https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Caponata-1000087189
Drumstick Ice Cream Sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
1 2/3 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste
20 waffle-style cookies
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups chopped honey roasted peanuts
DIRECTIONS
Combine cream, half and half, and sugar in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add in vanilla bean or paste. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes before placing in an electric ice cream maker.
When ice cream base has cooled, pour it into ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
When finished churning, transfer to an airtight container. Allow ice cream to harden in freezer for at least 1-4 hours.
To assemble, use a large ice cream scoop; place one scoop of frozen ice cream on top of a waffle-style cookie. Spread ice cream as flat as you can, then place another cookie on top, creating a sandwich. Repeat this process with all the cookies.
Place ice cream sandwiches on a tray, and put back in the freezer for 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Remove sandwiches from freezer. Dip 1/4 of each sandwich into melted chocolate, tapping off any excess. Immediately coat chocolate in chopped nuts and place back on the tray. Repeat with all sandwiches.
Place them back in freezer for 15 minutes to freeze chocolate.
Wrap each sandwich tightly in cling wrap, and store up to 1 month in freezer.
http://www.imperialsugar.com/recipes/desserts/frozen-desserts/Drumstick-Ice-Cream-Sandwiches