Questa è il  dolce che ho portato oggi a casa di mia sorella dove siamo stati ospiti a pranzo.E’ una crostata con crema di ricotta e fondo di marmellata di amarene..veramente deliziosa…..
La ricetta è di Dario,anzi colgo l’occasione per salutarlo e dirgli che mi mancano le sue ricette e la sua simpatia,spero tanto che torni presto il sereno nel suo cuore..

Ingredienti

Per la pasta frolla:
gr. 300 farina 00,
gr. 150 burro,
gr. 150 zucchero,
1 uovo e 1 tuorlo,
aroma limone .

Crema alla ricotta:
gr. 500 ricotta,
gr 200 zucchero,
1 uovo,
2 cucchiai di Rum
un vasetto di marmellata di amarene

Procedimento :

preparare la pasta frolla e metterla in frigorifero per circa mezz’ora; nel frattempo preparare la crema alla ricotta: direttamente nel robot da cucina frullare qualche secondo la ricotta, con lo zucchero e l’uovo, aggiungendo a piacere il rhum. Imburrare una teglia per crostate (diametro 26) e rivestirla con 2/3 della frolla, bucando il fondo con una forchetta. Mettere sul fondo la marmellata e riempire con la crema alla ricotta. Con la frolla avanzata formare un “reticolato” sulla crostata( io ho fatto delle stelline con la formina dei biscotti) . Mettere nel forno a 180° per circa un’ora.Quando è fredda cospargere di zucchero a velo

Alright, last night I was able to knock out one more Iron Chef from my list as Yuki’s parents took us along with her sister to Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe’s restaurant, Ristorante Massa. It’s located in a very cool neighborhood of Tokyo called Ebisu tucked away off a main street. It’s a simple little restaurant that seats only about 25-30 people. It was full when we were there, and probably is most nights due to his celebrity status and fantastic food.

There were two pre fix menu options. The one we opted for was the less expensive of the two (approx $65 compared to $85) as it offered one less dish than the other. Since none of us are fat Americans it seemed like the right choice. We could chose one from each category of Antipasto Freddo (3 choices), Antipasto Caldo (three choices), Primo Piatto (5 choices), Secondo Piatto (4 choices), and either a Dolce (5 choices) or Formaggio Plate (pick two out of 4 cheeses) followed by either tea or espresso. We washed down the meal with some Chianti Classico. I have pics of everything, but I’m only going to mention what I ordered otherwise this post will be way way way too long. This is already one of the longest introductions I’ve written. So, on to the food!

We each started off with the Oyster starter that was not part of the Pre Fix. It is probably the largest oyster I’ve ever eaten in my life! So fresh and clean it was simply served in its own juices with a little squeeze of lime and some rock salt. What more does a good oyster need?

Then they brought out an amuse bouche. Baked pasta filled with ricotta cheese, a little slice of pear, and an Italian parsley leaf. It almost reminded me of matzoh with cream cheese, a treat dear to my stomach for one week out of the year.

The Antipasto Freddo I ordered was a foie gras terrine with chamomile. It was served with smoked Ishikawa potatoes, a yuzu consomme jelly, Italian Arugula, and sprinkled with flaked red pepper.

My Antipasto Caldo of choice was a bit of a mis-translation. I thought I was getting duck confit, when it showed up we thought is was duck balls, but it turned out to be chicken gizzards. I actually preferred it to be balls since I’ve never eaten bird balls, but it was still outstanding! The gizzards were served on top of a kabocha puree with thinly sliced red onions that were soaked in cold water, a shishito pepper, and a pea pod.

The Primo Piatto, pasta course, I ordered was chitarra with cremini sauce. The sauce was as simple and delicious as could be…olive oil, garlic, and minced cremini mushrooms. There were big slices of sautéed cremini in it as well. With Kobe being the “Prince of Pasta” it was easily the best pasta in my life. Cooked to perfection, nice and al dente.

For the Secondo Piatto I got the beef, of course. I perfectly grilled strip loin to medium rare covered in a light mustard sauce and served with asparagus, a shiitake, a pea pod, and a slice of red pepper. Uichiro, Yuki’s dad, ordered his with black truffles on top. I wish I knew I could do that. He gave me a few of the truffles and they made an outstanding steak even better…as truffles always do.

I opted for the Formaggio instead of a Dolce. I chose the parmigiano and taleggio. He served it very typically with some dried fruits and sliced nut bread. I washed it down with lemon tea instead of espresso as I wanted to sleep later on.

Maki, Yuki’s sister, couldn’t finish her Tirimisu so I took it upon myself to not waste any food. It was served with kiwi sorbet and fresh fruit. Of course, it was the best tirimisu that I’ve ever digested.

Overall, this was by far the best Italian food I’ve ever eaten, hands down. And I’ve been to Italy. I’m sure there are places as good in Italy, but when Yuki and I went there we couldn’t afford any of the top restaurants. We ate some pretty damn good food there, but nothing as refined as this.

I have also said before that I didn’t think modern Italian food existed. I said that due to the lack of creativity and refinement of Italian food in Chicago (although, I have yet to eat at Spiaggia). At home it’s mostly humongous bowls of pasta with thick rich sauces that weigh you down. Nothing like Ristorante Massa where the portions were clean, fresh, perfectly sized, and creative modern takes on classics. I have a newfound respect for Italian food.

While I have eaten at Sakai’s, Michiba’s, and Chen’s restaurants, this is the first time that an Iron Chef has actually cooked for me. It was very exciting to see Kobe back in the kitchen when we walked in. I think there are two reasons Kobe was cooking for us. First, he only has one restaurant while the others all have numerous. So you know where Kobe will be when he cooks as opposed to it being a crapshoot for the others (I missed Sakai by 4 hours back when Yuki and I went to La Rochelle). Second, he’s still young at only 40 and still wants to create. Michiba is an old man and doesn’t cook anymore and I don’t think Sakai cooks too much anymore either.

No more Iron Chefs this trip as we head back to cold Chicago tomorrow. Next trip I’ll visit Iron Chef Japanese Nakamura Komei and maybe Honorary Iron Chef French Ishinabe Yutaka. Morimoto will have to wait as his Teppanyaki restaurant here in Tokyo starts at approx $300 a head!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cups baby spinach (about 198g )
• 425g  ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg

Click here to view the full recipe…
http://www.sevafrica.com/HealthWellness/Spinach-CheeseRavioli.shtml

This month I took part in my first Daring Bakers Challenge.  I was so excited to learn that the challenge this month was Cannoli.  When I lived in Boston I lived in the North End, which is the Italian section.  I was surrounded by Italian bakeries filled with delicious pastries that I couldn’t eat because I was gluten free.  Now that I can eat gluten again and make my own cannoli!  This was a great challenge, not too difficult because I have deep fried donuts before and so have experience with the hot oil.  I found the dough a little difficult to work with but once I figured out that I could get it thin enough if I used the pasta machine it was a piece of cake.  I made a full batch of dough but only used half and ended up with 20 shells. The filling is AMAZING!, rich and creamy, definitely better the next day when the candied orange peel had a chance to flavor the cream.  I will definitely be pulling out this recipe from time to time when I get the craving for the North End.

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

CANNOLI SHELLS (This is a half recipe and I got 20 shells)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp unsweetened baking cocoa powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
Approximately 1/4 cup sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand (I used grape juice)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts

Note – If you want chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough (Thanks to Audax).

CANNOLI FILLING
2 cups ricotta cheese, drained
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
2 ounces of finely chopped, candied orange peel

3 tablespoons (approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice (I used semi-sweet chocolate)

Note – If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2. Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch- large.  Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.  (I rolled out the dough as thin as I could and it was still too thick so I then cut circles and used a pasta machine to roll each piece thinner and then cut out my finale circle.)

3. Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes.  Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little water on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting water on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.  (I found that my shells browned very quickly and I only fried them for about 45 seconds to 1 minute.)

8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth.  (My ricotta was a little too drained but I just added some heavy cream and the filling came out perfect.)  Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate and zest. Chill until firm. (The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:
1. When ready to serve…fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

This weekend, we had our first Taste Space potluck where we each made a dish to share and learn more about/from each other. I am excited about how this blgo will bring us together as new and old friends, with lots of yummy food!

My contribution was this lovely pan-fried pumpkin gnocchi with brown butter sage, from the Steamy Kitchen.  I have made her pan-fried lemon ricotta gnocchi which were simply heaven on my tongue (moist, melt in your melt soft, with a hint of lemon within a pillow-soft cheese base), so I knew they were coming from a great source and would be easy to make.  Personally, I prefer the lemon ricotta gnocchi, but the pumpkin was a nice change.  It has a heavy cheese taste as there is lots of ricotta and parmesan cheese within the gnocchi. In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the best dish for a potluck, as the gnocchi toughened up a bit while they were being kept warm in the oven as we took the photos (yes, I did sneak a few to make sure they were cooked all the way through).

Not only was this the first time I cooked with pumpkin, it was also the first time I cooked with sage, so I am submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Lynne. Don’t worry, I have plenty more pumpkin recipes to come and I still have to investigate other uses for sage in the meantime.

Pan-Fried Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage
As posted by Steamy Kitchen

1/2 cup skim milk ricotta
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup freshly grated parmegiano reggiano
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon zest (plus extra reserved for garnishing)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
3 sprigs fresh sage, plus more for garnish
shaved parmegiano reggiano for serving

Preheat oven to 300F

1. Combine ricotta, pumpkin parmagiano, yolk, zest and salt in large bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle half of the flour on the mixture, gently turn with spatula a few times to incorporate. Dump mixture on clean, lightly floured countertop or you can still do this in the bowl. Sprinkle remaining flour on top of the mixture. Gently knead with your fingertips, just bringing together the mixture until flour is incorporated through. This only should take a minute or two. Any longer and you will be over-kneading.

2. Dust a clean, dry surface with a generous sprinkling of flour. Divide dough into 4 parts. Take one part and roll into a long, 1″ diameter log. Cut gnocchi into 1″ pieces.

3. Heat a large frying pan or saute pan with just 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add a few gnocchi – enough to cover surface but not touch each other. Fry on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, turn and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Remove gnocchi, place on large baking sheet to put into oven to keep warm. Repeat with rest of gnocchi.

4. When all gnocchi is finished, discard butter/oil in pan and clean pan with paper towel. Heat pan on medium heat and when hot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the fresh sage. Let the sage brown and sizzle (but not burn) for a couple of minutes until very fragrant. Remove the sage and discard if you want (or keep it in to eat). To the pan, add the balsamic vinegar and whisk. Let simmer on low for 1 minute and pour over the gnocchi.

5. Serve with shaved parmegiano reggiano and a sage leaf for garnish.

Serves 4.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving dinner with your family and loved ones.

This is the first Thanksgiving that I spent alone. It was just another full-working mode day for me: woke up at 4.30AM , worked 9 hours , an hour of yoga to unwind and finished with my beloved bowl of kabocha! Do I feel miserable? Not really. Last year’s experience taught me that Thanksgiving is meant to be with your family or your closed friends, otherwise, being alone and thinking about them is better than surrounded by strangers.

I had to intention to be host again this year, offering food and joy to my friends like I did 2 years ago.

But I really need to work. Timeline is approaching to the end and I have to finish the work before I reunite with my best friend in Germany (<2 weeks) and my family in China (<3 weeks) Expecting to see them  gave me the strength!

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Breakfast: I had the other serving of waffle, just needed to make a sauce. I used aduki beans, silken tofu and coconut oil

Da da!!! aduki coconut mousse!!!

I needed another coffee to start to work. The first one was served at 5AM

I’ve been snacking these small walnuts and tea

Lunch: I made my family’s traditional bok choy noodle

opsss sorry for the messy work station

here it is! The most delicious noodle, with taste of Mom’s cooking!

it has bok choy, shitake and dry shrimps.

Dessert: chocolate ricotta

I made popcorns for afternoon snacking

Dinner: Wonton AGAIN because I wanted to feel closer to my family

And the indispensable KABOCHA! :lol

Q: What meal makes you feel closer to your family?

chickpea & ricotta fritters

Chickpea Fritters with Ricotta, Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Filling

For the fritters, combine

• 200ml besan (aka gram flour or chickpea flour)
• 200ml water
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

in a dish.  Stir well and leave to sit while you prepare the filling.

For the filling, combine

• 150g ricotta cheese (I used a ‘light’ version)
• 5 or 6 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 8 – 10 black olives, finely chopped
• salt to taste

in a dish, adding a bit of/enough olive oil to form a smooth consistency.

ricotta, tomato & olive filling

Heat olive oil in a nonstick fry pan.  Pour in batter in 50ml measures, flipping fritter over as it becomes crispy.  Place finished fritters on papertowel to drain of excess oil.

Spoon ricotta filling on top of fritter and put another on top.  I made my fritters long and narrow and simply folded them over the filling.

fritters with veggies

We enjoyed these chickpea fritters with a stir fry of broccoli, red cabbage, eggplant, carrot, turnip, tomato and preserved lemon.

Since I moved to US, this is my fourth Thanksgiving. I’ve always thought saying what we’re thankful in this day is kind of cliche. Why you need a special day to do that? Well…. today I’m going to do it because I need and feel it!

I’m thankful

- to have a wonderful boyfriend, I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s the only man in this world who really appreciates who I am “raw” and to be unconditionally supportive on whatever I do.

- to have healthy parents and to have spent two months with them.  They’re in their 60s and they’re still strong, ill-free and are enjoying life more than ever.

- to have the opportunity to challenge myself to the edge. As much as I complain how stressful I am somedays, overall I do enjoy what I do and I do it because I chose choose to.

- to be able to travel. Nothing is as exciting as to go to a new place, to learn a new culture and to know a new lifestyle. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to visit Chicago, San Francisco, Fresno and Germany this year and revisit New York, Buenos Aires and Shanghai.

- to have this blog. No matter how busy I am, blogging and reading other blogs have been the most gratifying and relaxing thing to do in a daily basis. I met so many amazing people and whenever I write a post, specially when I need extra love like yesterday, you’ve always been there for me. Your words touch me deeply. Thank you my friends!

No Thanksgiving dinner, no family gathering, this is the way I’m celebrating it:  feeling thankful. Wish everyone a great Thanksgiving, enjoy and remember to take few moments to think what you’re thankful.

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Yesterday was productive in term of work (9 hrs) so I feel much better than Tuesday.

Breakfast: Ricotta waffle with ricotta & jam sauce

I used this recipe, substituted squash by ricotta cheese and used another 1/4 cup ricotta, 2 tbsp jam, 1 tbsp dry cranberries for the sauce. Very satisfying, just what I needed

okay. this is not the most appetizing environment to eat. But as I moved my work place to dinning table… that’s all I got!

Lunch: soup with added veggie and tofu, baby corn pickles and Dr. Krackers.

Dessert: ricotta + jam + cinnamon= faux cheesecake! an old favorite!

Went to gym for a powerful cardio session to de-stress! It’s amazing that 99% of the time works!

Dinner: Mom’s wonton added spinach and seaweed.

plus sesame oil and white pepper!

Delicious!~~~ I could taste love~~

I wanted to show you where I store my dark chocolates. Look this box, isn’t it cool?

that half bar was 1/2 of my dessert, you can imagine what’s the other half right?

Q: Are you cooking tonight? What’s on the menu? for me it’s just another day, but I’d love to hear what yummy foods you’re going to eat.

Finally, Campbells V8 Soup giveaway winner is:

Brandi @BranAppetit!

Un “dolcepensiero” ritrovato: ricetta e foto che risalgono a giugno, perse nei meandri di ben due computer (il portatile di casa e il mac dell’ufficio). Ma soprattutto mai postata per il semplice motivo che curiosando fra i vostri bellissimi blog, mi è venuto il dubbio che forse l’avevo notata e trascritta nei minimi particolari senza però segnarmi il blog di appartenenza… e me ne scuso. Comunque ora la sto’ postando cogliendo l’occasione di aggregarmi a tutti quei blog che hanno subito plagi: in questi giorni ho letto molti vostri sfoghi, non so’ se è capitato pure a me – non me ne sono mai accorta -  ma la cosa che più mi ha scioccato è stato il plagio che è finito in diretta tv!!! Finisco chiedendo a colui o colei che dovesse riconoscere la sua ricetta, di avvertirmi subito che modificherò il post indicando il diretto interessato… ma ora rilassiamoci con le gambe sotto il tavolo e questo piatto di pasta molto gustosa!

INGREDIENTI

320 grammi di farfalle

un mazzetto di asparagi

100 grammi di ricotta

4 cucchiai di latte

1/2 cucchiaio scarso di pepe verde in salamoia

mezzo scalogno

40 grammi di burro

sale

PREPARAZIONE

Lavare gli asparagi, privarli della parte finale più dura e sbollentarli per circa cinque minuti. Scolarli, tagliare le punte mentre i gambi tagliarli a pezzetti. Tritare lo scalogno finemente che farete soffriggere con il burro e appena lo scalogno si sarà dorato, unirci le punte e i gambi dell’asparago. Regolare di sale. Unire il pepe verde pestato o tritato, unire qualche cucchiaio di acqua di cottura della pasta e continuare la cottura mentre lessate la pasta. A parte in una ciotola stemperare la ricotta con il latte ottenendo una crema liscia. Scolare la pasta che unirete agli asparagi, saltare e unire poi mescolando la ricotta. A fuoco vivo mescolare per qualche minuto. Servire…

 H  O  M  E

B  L  O  G

Ich werde direkt ein wenig nostalgisch, wenn ich mir das obige Bild so ansehe. Vom heutigen Rezept wollte ich euch nämlich schon seit Monaten erzählen, aber die Umstände (Gedächnis wie ein Nudelsieb) haben mir leider immer einen Strich durch die Rechnung gemacht.

Um genau zu sein habe ich diese Muffins – gemeinsam mit der Sisterella – bereits im Mai – war es Muttertag? – gemacht, aber das dazugehörige Rezept stammt aus einem Kochbuch, das ich der Sisterella vermacht habe und die mentale Notiz, mir das Rezept daraus abzuschreiben, ist mir seitdem bei jedem meiner Besuche beim Überschreiten der Türschwelle meines Elternhauses entfallen, um mir auf der Heimfahrt wieder einzufallen.

Gestern habe ich es dann aber doch noch geschafft und nun kann ich euch endlich auch davon erzählen. Das Problem ist nur, dass ich mich kaum noch daran erinnern kann, wie sie eigentlich geschmeckt haben, ich weiß aber noch, dass wir sie geliebt haben. Vor allem, weil sie so fruchtig und leicht waren - perfekt, wenn man sich gerade nicht entscheiden kann, ob einem gerade mehr nach etwas Cremigem oder Kuchigem ist. Ich hätte die Muffins ja wirklich gerne noch einmal gebacken, bevor ich euch davon erzähle – nur um sicherzugehen, dass ich sie noch immer mag und das nicht nur eine kurfristige Geschmacksverwirrung meinerseits war. Aber leider wurde mir mittlerweile eine Laktoseunverträglichkeit attestiert und bevor ich keinen laktosefreien Ricotta finde, werde ich darauf wohl schweren Herzens verzichten müssen.

Deshalb bin ich fast ein wenig nervös, aber ich bin schon gespannt, auf euer Feedback.

Ricotta-Mango Muffins
Rezept aus dem Buch “Lieblings-Muffins” von Christa Kempe

2 Mangos (je 450g)
500g Ricotta
150g Zucker
2TL Vanillepuddingpulver
2 Eier
Saft 1 Zitrone
1 Prise Salz
etwas Butter zum einfetten des Muffinblechs
geriebene Mandeln

Muffinblech einfetten und mit geriebenen Mandeln bestreuen.

Backrohr auf 160°C vorheizen.

Mangos schälen und mit dem Messer gitterförmig einschneiden. Dann parallel zum Kern schneiden, sodass man kleine Würfel erhält.

In einer Schüssel Ricotta, Zucker, Zitronensaft und Salz cremig rühren.
Dann die Mango vorsichtig dazurühren.

Teig in die Muffinformen füllen und bei 160°C ca. 20 Min. backen. Aus dem Backrohr nehmen und vor dem Servieren etwas abkühlen lassen.

These green & white balls are a delicious antipasti from Rome. They’re bright, fresh, and melty. The brown butter with sage glazes the dumplings and adds an herbal accent to the plate.

They're like green meatballs

These would be good to serve at a party, as all the prep can be done the day before, and they cook in just a few minutes.

Chop the spinach very fine to give the dumplings a better texture and mouthfeel.

Mix everything together to form a dough

Roll the dough into balls and refrigerate for a few hours to firm up

The recipe is from Biba’s Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities, by Biba Caggiano:

2 pounds fresh spinach, stems removed, washed in several changes of water
salt
3/4 pound fresh ricotta
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
coarse salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves

Put a couple inches of water in a large pot over high heat; in a large bowl, prepare an ice-water bath. When the water begins to boil, add the spinach and a large pinch of salt, and boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and plunge the spinach into the ice water. When cool, drain again. Squeeze the spinach with your hands to remove as much water as possible. Place the spinach on a clean kitchen towel or cloth napkin and wring the cloth to draw out as much water as possible. Chop the spinach very fine by hand or by pulsing in the bowl of a food processor, making sure not to puree it.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the ricotta, nutmeg, egg, and 1 cup of the Parmigiano. Season lightly with salt. Sprinkle in the flour a little at a time, and mix with your hands or with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture is moist but sticks together easily.

Test the consistency of your dumplings:

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Take a large tablespoon of the spinach mixture, shape it into a ball about the size of a walnut, and drop it into the boiling water. If the dumpling keeps its shape and does not break up in the water, go ahead and shape the remaining mixture. If the dumpling falls apart, add a little more flour to the mixture.

Shape all the dumplings, then line them on a lightly floured baking sheet, making sure they do not touch one another. Refrigerate, uncovered, for up to several hours.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a large pinch of coarse salt. Drop the dumplings gently into the boiling water. As soon as the water comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook at a gentle simmer until the dumplings rise to the surface of the water, 3 to 4 minutes.

While the dumplings are cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. When it begins to foam, add the sage and stir a few times.

As the dumplings come to the surface of the water, remove them with a slotted spoon or a skimmer, draining the excess water back into the pot, and place on warm serving dishes. Spoon the butter-sage sauce over the dumplings and dust with the remaining Parmigiano. Serve at once.

Wet Ricotta:

Cow’s-milk ricotta is the most common type found in the United States, and it often has a larger amount of moisture then imported Italian ricotta. Since moisture in ricotta (or in the spinach) will make these dumplings fall apart in the water, this is what you do:
Line a strainer with two layers of cheesecloth. Add the ricotta and wrap it in the cheesecloth. Place the strainer over a large bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight to allow the liquid to drain. Or, to speed up the process, wrap the ricotta in the two layers of cheesecloth and gently squeeze out some of its liquid.

I tableaux vivants sono figurazioni “statiche”, con modelli o comparse, a imitazione di grandi dipinti del passato. Queste figurazioni, inserite in una sequenza cinematografica o soggetto di una ripresa fotografica, tendono a riprodurre gli elementi strutturali dell’immagine originale. Talvolta il legame tra immagine originale e la sua trasposizione è poco evidente: si tratta di relazioni analogiche, di sofisticate corrispondenze o mere allusioni, che richiedono una grande cultura e memoria visive. L’appropriazione di modelli figurativi “alti” e la loro traduzione nel linguaggio delle nuove arti – fotografia, cinema, televisione, moda, pubblicità – è storia lunga e complessa. Si è trattato spesso di operazioni sofisticate e dirette ad un pubblico acculturato, dunque quasi sempre confinate nel limbo delle sperimentazioni di autori dotati ed eclettici. Il fenomeno, giustificato o da circostanze occasionali o dall’affioramento di una cultura profonda che finisce col tracimare nell’agire creativo, ha mantenuto negli anni un suo aspetto carsico. Abbiamo quindi molti episodi rilevanti e rare occasioni in cui la contaminazione fra tecniche, modalità espressive e spunti tematici sono frutto di un vero “progetto poetico”. Mostrare una sequenza di questi episodi è tentazione forte alla quale intendo resistere per ragioni di spazio. Da cosa iniziare dunque? Un episodio notevolmente interessante accadde nel 1863. Un pittore di grandi ambizioni e di una certa notorietà, Edouard Manet, dipinse un soggetto che al grande pubblico apparve manifestamente e provocatoriamente illogico: due giovani normalmente abbigliati erano dipinti nell’atto di conversare accanto a una donna nuda. Si trattava, almeno nelle intenzioni suggerite dal titolo, della più banale e borghese delle circostanze: un picnic. Che cosa disturbò i bempensanti e cultori della buona e rassicurante arte accademica? La donna nuda ovviamente vicino a uomini vestiti: si trattava di persona riconoscibilissima invece di una personificazione o figura mitologica. Come se non bastasse, osservava sfrontatamente il pittore ben consapevole della sua condizione. Al di là delle critiche di tipo tecnico, feroci e ingiuste al punto di apparire oggi una sorta di accanimento punitivo, quel che sorprende è la mancata percezione delle reali intenzioni del pittore anche da parte di settori importanti della cultura artistica del tempo (su tutti Delacroix). Manet si proponeva di attualizzare l’arte dei grandi maestri trasformando scene mitologiche o oscure allegorie rinascimentali in arte “viva”, in immagini coerenti con il suo tempo. Ben pochi si accorsero che la posizione delle figure ripeteva senza sostanziali variazioni quella di un dipinto perduto di Raffaello conosciuto attraverso un’incisione all’acquaforte di Marcantonio Raimondi e che un dipinto di Tiziano, Il concerto campestre, mostra la contemporanea presenza di figure maschili vestite e femminili nude in un contesto arcadico. A ben vedere Manet più che citare le opere predette aveva organizzato per il dipinto un vero tableaux vivant per il quale avevano posato la modella Victorine Maurent e Ferdinand Leenhoff suo futuro cognato. Di seguito si può seguire l’evoluzione dall’immagine originale, alla Colazione sull’erba fino a un’interpretazione recente del tema.

Edourad Manet, Colazione sull'erba, 1863. Olio su tela, 208x264cm. Parigi, Musée d'Orsay

Uno dei più felici incontri tra l’arte dei maestri e cinema è senz’altro l’episodio della “Ricotta” nel film ROGOPAG di Pier Paolo Pasolini. In una sequenza del film un regista tenta di costringere all’immobilità un gruppo di comparse grevi e indisciplinate che dovrebbero realizzare un tableaux vivant dalla “Deposizione” del Pontormo.

Pontormo, Deposizione, 1526-1528. Olio su tavola, 313x192cm. Firenze, Chiesa di Santa Felicita.

Sometimes I love how picking up a new ingredient leads you into different culinary directions.  I had lots of buttermilk left over after I made the fluffy blueberry buttermilk pancakes so I made the orange-cranberry scones and also this hearty apple cranberry loaf. It wasn’t long that I declared that I wasn’t a foodie hippie, but here I am a month later making cakes with ground almonds, buttermilk and ricotta with a minimal amount of flour (at least I didn’t go looking for muscovado sugar, and replaced it with brown sugar instead). And it was good. Moist, dense yet flavourful. The fresh cranberries were a wonderful addition. I liked the cake, and made a few modifications from the original at Sprouted Kitchen, but likely would not go through the fuss of buying such fancy ingredients a second time. This week, they all just perfectly came together at the same time.

Hearty Apple Cranberry Loaf

2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, just barely melted
1/2 cup ricotta
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 cup ground almonds (or almond meal)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (for topping) brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
2 cups chopped apple
1 cup fresh cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Butter the loaf pan.
3. Whisk the eggs, butter, ricotta, vanilla and buttermilk together.
4. Add the dry ingredients together, including the cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix to combine. Gently mix in the buttermilk mixture until incorporated.
5. Fold in the apples and cranberries, do not over mix.
6. Fill the loaf pan and sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of the brown sugar. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes until golden on top and springy to the touch. Test for doneness with a toothpick, as the type of pan and oven vary. Do not overcook, as it will continue to cook a bit more when you remove it. Remove and cool.

On Sunday afternoon we made Jamie Oliver’s Crispy Zucchini Flowers stuffed with Ricotta and Mint.

They were extremely tasty, and I was surprised by how quick and easy they were. Although there were a few things to prepare, the only fiddly thing was being careful not to rip the petals as you snipped out the stamens. I hadn’t made anything cheffy for a while, so I was very pleased to discover that restaurant-style cooking doesn’t always mean loads of trouble.

Yum! I really recommend you try these while zucchini flowers are available—the great taste and novelty far outweigh the small effort.

My husband has a tomato paste sensitivity, every time he eats something with tomato paste in it, he would have a sore and burning feeling on his tongue. Strangely, he’s not reacting to fresh tomato, tomato sauce, or sundried tomato.  Therefore, I tried to find a good lasagna recipe that has no tomato paste in the recipe. This tomato-less lasagna recipe is taken from vegie food cookbook, with a little changes. The original recipe was actually a free-form lasagna, meaning that you assemble the lasagna individually, I decided to bake it in the a baking dish, and I also add grated mozzarella cheese on top. Next time, I will mashed the pumpkin, and place it on the upper layer, cause what happened was, when I tried to slice and transfer a piece, it just disintegrate, which is not pretty, but still yummy though. I will not skimp on the mozzarella cheese either to glue the layers properly. I had the lasagna with some baked kipfler potato wedges, and broad beans salad with some ricotta, olive oil, and lemon juice dressing (oh my God,  peeling the broad beans shell was such a ‘fun’ chore!). The lasagna was alright, I will definitely perfecting it in the future. I’m still in search of a perfect vegie lasagna recipe, if anyone has one, please share.. . By the way, this is the recipe..

ingredients :

• 4 fresh lasagna sheets
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach
• 350 g pumpkin, diced
• 500 g / 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

place pumpkin in baking dish, drizzle with olive oli and bake for 20 min in the oven or until tender

defrost the spinach in the microwave, and squeeze excess water

mix in ricotta and parmesan cheese to the spinach, season with salt and pepper

boil about 4 cups of water in a big pot

oil a baking dish

cook 1 lasagna sheets in boiling water for a few seconds until tender (don’t overcook, or the lasagna will rip, and that’s really annoying..!)

place in baking dish, spread with spinach mixture, sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese

cook another sheet of lasagna, and put no top of spinach

arrange the baked pumpkin on top of it, and add some more grated mozzarella

repeat with another sheet of lasagna, and top with the spinach mix, mozzarella, and the last sheet.

sprinkle with the remaining of grated cheese, or add some more mozzarella cheese to cover all surface.

bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and browning a little bit.

Tutte le torte profumano di buono, ma quelle cucinate con amore per la famiglia sono speciali. Ad un mese dal Natale mi preparo a gustare i profumi della mia cucina, che esprime una sola sensazione: calore!  Se la pensi come me: provala subito!

Ingredienti:

Per la pasta:

• 300 g di farina bianca “00″
• 150 g zucchero bianco
• 150 g burro o margarina
• 50 g nocciole
• 2 tuorli
• 1 uovo
• 1 bustina di vanillina
• 1/2 bustina di lievito
• 1/2 limone non trattato

Per il ripieno:

• 400 g di ricotta di pecora o vaccina
• 200 ml di panna da montare
• 3 uova
• 100 g di zucchero bianco
• 1 bustina di vanillina
• 1 limone non trattato
• gocce di cioccolato

Come si prepara:

Prepara la pasta frolla unendo alla farina, disposta a fontana, le nocciole tritate, il lievito, i tuorli, l’uovo intero, la vanillina, il limone grattuggiato, il burro fuso e lo zucchero. Ti consiglio di ammalgamare tutto all’interno di una terrina in modo da lasciarla poi riposare almeno mezz’ora in frigorifero.

Nel frattempo passa alla preparazione della crema di ricotta. Versa la ricotta in una terrina, aggiungi le uova, lo zucchero, la vanillina, la panna montata e la buccia del limone. Se come me adori il cacao, aggiungi delle gocce di cioccolato: non piaccciono solo ai piccini!!!

Stendi la pasta morbida direttamente sulla teglia con le mani, se invece preferisci puoi utilizzare il mattarello. Poni la pasta su un tegame di 30 cm di diametro. Se invece preferisci puoi fare anche delle piccole torte di diverso diametro. Versa la crema ottenuta in precedenza. La cottura con il forno tradizionale è di 30 minuti a 180 gradi, se invece come me, utilizzi il forno a microonde 12 minuti funzione Crisp.

• Preparazione: 60 minuti
• Cottura: 30 minuti forno tradizionale – 12 minuti Crisp
• Esecuzione: facile

Consigli:

Prepara questa torta un giorno prima di servirla ai tuoi ospiti, sarà più buona.

You know the days where the only thing you want to do is drink a bottle of wine with an incredibly long straw and hide under the bed?? Well, thank god I am in Italy because eating my emotions takes on an entirely new meaning, a superior echelon per se…