Sweet gift ideas ...

Another gift idea is one that I created crafting “Polentini” cookies in bags and then sealed in jars that I bought as a gift .... but I was sorry to offer them "empty"!
Of course you can fill them with other cookies, like Little coffee cakes

or Sandwich biscuits with chocolate!
In any case, it was a success for the package I used transparent sheets, three ear of wheat and a red bow!
Also excellent as a small gift for the epiphany!

Soft chocolate's squares

An original gift, I have packed  them in "vintage"  tin boxes for my aunts. Can be stored for several days.

Ingredients:Mixture:

5.2 OZ (150 grams) flour
5.2 OZ (150 grams) potato starch
3.5 OZ (100 grams) dark chocolate
2 eggs
5.2 OZ (150 grams) sugar
  ½ teaspoon of baking powder

Filling:
3.5 OZ (100 grams) apricot jam
3.5 OZ (100 grams) Nutella
Decorations and cover:
some lump of silver sugar
3 dried apricots or candied orange peel
1.7 OZ (50 grams) of grated coconut
5.2 OZ (150 grams) dark chocolate
2.8 OZ (80 gams) white chocolate
2.8 OZ (80 gams) of butter

Time: 45 min
Oven: 356° F

Beat by hand or with the robot the eggs with the sugar until frothy.
Add the flour and the potato starch slowly, the dough should remain fairly fluid, incorporate 3.5 OZ (100 grams)  of dark chocolate and the yeast, in the case where the mixture is too hard to add one or two tablespoons of milk.
Coat a baking sheet with parchment paper rectangular 11 x 17 inch.
Spread the mixture evenly.
Bake at 356° F  for 15/20 minutes, until golden.
Remove from oven and let cool.

Cut into squares and then divide each square in half and filling some of them with Nutella and some with jam. Brush them all with  little hot  jam.
Prepare the frosting dark chocolate melting it in a double saucepan with butter, cover half of this squares with the icing.
Put the icing advanced heat in a double boiler and add the white chocolate, so you get streaks, once well mixed pour on the remaining cakes.
If time is short you can use the icing ready.
Decorate immediately with dried apricots cut into strips, zest and sugar.
Sift some with coconut. Allow the icing at room temperature or in the refrigerator and then serve or wrapped the squares as you wish.

See the recipe in printable  PDF

Coming soon....

Monday's diet! winter salad with daikon and oranges

After yesterday's cake today you can eat a special salad , also suitable as a light appetizer.
Daikon is a white radish "giant" by purifying and digestive properties, with a slightly spicy flavor.

 
Ingredients for 4 people:

• 1 daikon
• 2 carrots
• 2 oranges
• 1 cup of rocket
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• the juice of half a lemon
• salt

Clean, strip and wash the vegetables.
Boil for 2 minutes in unsalted water daikon, then cut into thin slices.
Grate the carrots and after peeled oranges, remove the fine white skin and cut each slice into 2 or 3 parts.
In a bowl mix the vegetables prepared in this way, add the rocket  and season with an emulsion of olive oil, salt and lemon.
Enjoy your meal!

See the recipe in printable  PDF

Christmas “Panettone”

These days I wanted to try this xmas cake, I thought it was much more difficult, in fact only need to have patience because the process is slow, but the result was excellent.
I purchased the molds for cake baking paper of 26.46 OZ (750 grams).

Ingredients
yeast:

• 3.53 OZ (100 grams) of flour 0
• 3.53 OZ (100 grams)  of dried sourdough like this or 0.88 OZ (25 grams) of fresh yeast
• 4.23 OZ (120 grams) of water

# 1 dough

• 5.29 OZ (150 gams) of flour manitoba
• 3.53 OZ (100 grams) water

# 2 dough

• 3.53 OZ (100 grams)  sugar
• 1.76 OZ (50 grams) of water
• 3.53 OZ (100 grams)  of butter
• 3 egg yolks

# 3 dough

• 3.53 OZ (100 grams)  sugar
• 4.23 OZ (120 grams)  of water
• vanilla seeds or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 300 gr. of flour manitoba
• 0.53 OZ (15 grams) of fresh yeast
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 egg yolks
• 3.53 OZ (100 grams) of butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 7.05 OZ (200 grams) of raisins (soaked in brandy for 2 hours)
• 7.05 OZ (200 grams) of candied fruit (soaked in brandy for 2 hours)

Time: to leaven it took me one night
Cooking time: 1 hour
Oven: 374° F

yeast :
Mix the ingredients in a bowl until it forms a ball of dough not too sticky. Cut a cross on the top and let rise in a covered container from film or holding it in the oven (turn off), for 45 minutes or until it doubles in volume
# 1 dough
Pour over the leavened dough 3.53 OZ (100 grams) of water, mixed with the mixer (on which you have mounted the hook) up to as the liquid is not well absorbed. Add 5.29 OZ (150 gams) of Manitoba and knead to form a dough elastic and soft. Knead on a plane spreading it and rolling it several times. Put to rise for 1 hour.
# 2 dough
Put the leavened dough in the mixer and add the sugar and water, mix well and add butter and 3 egg yolks. You will get a mixture creamier.
Let rise for 1 hour covered.
# 3 dough
Prepare a syrup by heating sugar and water and adding the vanilla.
Pour dough flour and yeast, add the warm sugar syrup and honey. Knead. Add the yeast mixture, egg yolks, butter and salt. Work with the hook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the raisins and candied fruit and stir just to distribute evenly.
Pour the mixture into the mold (I used two 750 gr.)
Let rise overnight in the oven (turn off), and at least for 5 hours.
Brush with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes at 374° F  and cook for a further 30/40 minutes with the oven at  302° F and covering them with a sheet of parchment paper.
When it's baked and skewered with six big toothpicks to 2 inch from the base and and put to cool upside down in a large pot so that the sticks to leave it "hanging", this to prevent the moisture in the dough.
If you do not eat immediately store in a tightly closed bag.

(Recipe adapted from: "La cucina Italiana" - dicembre 2012)

  See the recipe in printable PDF

“Polentini” cookies

Today  I’m making cookies withcornmeal, with the flour that you can use to make “polenta”, but in milled thin. The taste is delicate, but particularly enriched by thevanilla and lemon zest.

 Ingredients:

2.82 OZ  (80 grams) of butter
2.82 OZ  (80 grams) of sugar
5.29 OZ  (150 grams) of finely ground cornmeal
7.05 OZ (200 grams) cake flour( ½  flour +  ½ starch)
2 eggs

1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
 ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon brandy

Time: 30 minutes
Oven: 356 ° F
the butter soften at room temperature,cut into small cubes.
Add sugar and eggs and work with the mixer or by hand with a whisk.
Stir in a pinch of salt, vanilla and lemon zest, then the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Pour a tablespoon of brandy and if the dough is too hard a tablespoon ofmilk. The preparation should be soft so that it can be portioned with a spoon or a pastry bag.
With the pocket by inserting the tip smooth, consisting of rounds, unless you want to use the pocket you can train them with a spoon.
Bake for 15/18 minutes,until golden prove.

 See the recipe in printable PDF

Monday's diet: light vegetable soup

Before the Christmas better to anticipate and take a few meal lightness. In this season I love the vegetable soup, such as what I propose today, I have prepared with vegetables I had at home. A light dinner, but tasty. Then I eat a broad bean purée.

Ingredients for two people:

• 1 courgette
• 2 carrots
• 1 piece of pumpkin
• the heart of cabbage or ¼
• a cup of spinach (I used 2 cubes of frozen ones)
• 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour or beans one
• 1 onion or 1 small leek
• salt

Time: 1 hour (½ hour with a pressure cooker)

Wash and clean all vegetables well.
Cut as little cubes and place them in a large pot.
Cover it with water, put a tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes (15 min with pressure cooker), after which uncovered, blend with immersion blender. In a small bowl, dissolve the flour of chickpeas or beans in a little water, then pour it into the pan, careful not to form lumps. Stir and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until it has reached the desired consistency.
Served by adding a little oil EVO raw.

See the recipe in printable  PDF

White Russian

Here's a cocktail made ​​by Mr.Paul for a movie-themed lunch and then repeated in many dinners.
The reference is to the movie "The Big Lebowski" (1998) by the Coen brothers in which the character played by Jeff Bridges spends his time playing bowling and drinking white russian!

Ingredients:

• 5/10 Vodka
• 3/10 coffee liqueur such as Kahlúa
• 2/10 fresh whipping cream
• ice cubes

Use short and wide glasses. Fill them with ice cubes.
Pour very cold vodka and coffee liqueur. Mix.
Shake the cold cream in a shaker for a few seconds or whip up lightly with whisk.
Add the whipped cream slowly by sliding it on the back of a spoon or pour it over the ice cubes so that it remains on the surface.
Serve.

See the recipe in printable PDF

Whole wheat “pasta” with Brussels sprouts and mozzarella

Ingredients for 4 people

• 10.58 OZ (300 grams) of wheat pasta like “penne”
• 5.29 OZ (150 grams) Brussels sprouts
• 1 cheese like mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons of grated “Grana Padano” cheese
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 anchovy
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup of dry white wine
• salt

Time: 20 minutes
Oven: 392 ° F grill

Cook the whole  sprouts clean in saltwater for 10 minutes (5 in the pressure cooker).
Cook the pasta, with a little salt.
Boiled Brussels sprouts, cut them in slices, sauté the chopped onion and anchovies in a little oil. When the onion is golden put the sprouts.
Sprinkle with ½ cup of dry white wine.
Cooked pasta in a oven pan with a little oil and pour the pasta and Brussels sprouts, stir and add the diced mozzarella mix  and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Gratinated in the oven for 5 minutes and serve hot.

See the recipe in printable PDF

Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc is a dessert popular in Piedmont and Lombardy, whose name is misleading with reference to a French tradition. In fact, it would seem that in France the Mont-Blanc is also a kind of sponge cake filled with coconut cream original from the Antilles!
 As in the case of Sachertorte talk about it in a memorable scene of Bianca, a film by Nanni Moretti.

Ingredients

• 21.16 OZ (600 grams) chestnut or brown large
• 13.52 OZ (400 ml) of milk
• 4.59 OZ (130 grams) of sugar
• 0.71 OZ (20 grams) of cocoa powder
• 1 small glass of rum
• 1 pinch of salt
• 10.14 OZ (300 ml) of whipping cream
• 76 OZ (50 grams) of icing sugar
• marron glacé to decorate

Fig. 1

Time: 2 hours 

Wash the chestnuts and cut each with a deep cut to prevent bursting. Place them in a covered pot of water and cook for about 20 minutes or if you use a pressure cooker for 10 minutes (Fig. 1).

Drain the chestnuts two or three at a time and peel them with warm (it will be easier), removing also the white skins.


Put the chestnuts on the fire with milk, sugar and salt, letting it cook for 20 minutes, or until they have absorbed all the milk.

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4

Now switch the chestnut puree in a potato masher, pick up the past in a bowl and add the cocoa and rum, if it is too liquid cooks again (Fig. 2).


Mix until the mixture is creamy but firm then put to cool in the refrigerator for an hour

Take back the dough in the masher, dropping the wires directly to the center of a serving plate, so as to form a small mountain (Fig. 3).

 
Whip the cream with the icing sugar, and with the help of a pastry bag cover the entire mountain chestnut with tufts of cream (Fig. 4).

 
Decorate the cake with candied chestnuts and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

See the recipe in printable PDF

Rice "long & wild", shrimp and champagne

A quick recipe but very good, you can use the advanced sparkling wine, preferably sweet that creates that special taste.

  

Ingredients for 2 people

• 100 grams of rice "long & wild"
• 200 gr. of shrimp tails (even frozen)
• 200 gr. of mussels
• 1 small onion
• 1 sachet of saffron
• 1 glass of sparkling wine
• ½ liter of vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon oil EVO
• salt
• parsley q.b.

Time: 20 minutes
Cooking rice: 12/15 minutes 

Cut the onion and cook it in the oil in a frying pan  (if you have the wok is fine!).
Simmer for a few minutes the prawns in hot water and then remove the shell, but not the tail.
Add them to the onion along with the mussels, pour the champagne.
Pour the hot vegetable stock gradually dries and cook for 10 minutes.
I have a little salty only the stock.
Dissolve the saffron in a small cup of stock and pour over rice. Cook for another 5 minutes until completely absorbed the liquid.
At the end of cooking sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve, I decorated the plate with dell'insalatina curly.
Enjoy your meal!

See the recipe in printable PDF