Jan

29

Mini croissants with Nutella®

January 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment


I don’t think Nutella needs any introduction, but what you might not know is that this famous worldwide chocolate spread passed through a series of transformations before becoming the nutella you know now. Originally it had a loaf shape and had to be sliced to be placed on bread. It then transformed to a spread and was named “pasta gianduja”. Pasta meaning paste, in this case, and gianduja was referring to the famous carnival mask from the Piedmont region. Its origins date back to 1940, just at the beginning of War World II. At that time chocolate was hard to find, so Mr. Pietro Ferrero added hazelnuts which were, and still are, abundant in Piedmont and created an affordable snack for everyone. In 1964 Nutella® became the creamy chocolate hazelnut flavor we all know. I’m amazed that after so many products disappeared over the years that nutella has remained and has become part of our Italian culture.

I have a special affection to nutella because it reminds me of my childhood. I used to eat it spread on a soft slice of white bread just like in the picture on the label, but my favorite way was, and still is, to eat it directly from the jar. Read more

Jan

10

Pasta a risotto with red beets

January 10, 2010 | 1 Comment

Happy New Year to all of you! I just got back from a long vacation in Minnesota where I had such a wonderful time with friends and family. I’m still adjusting to the time difference, which means staying awake most of the night, but this didn’t stop me from making this pasta that I was craving for a long time.

I like pasta and love to experiment new recipes and methods. A method that I’m particularly fond of is to cook pasta as if making risotto. It’s in fact called “pasta a risotto”. It’s easier than preparing risotto itself, but you still have to follow the preparation closely if you don’t want to end up with an overcooked pasta dish. The best pasta types are the small format like pennette, maccheroni, farfalle and cavatappi. They hold better and they’re prettier to see in the final preparation. Read more

Nov

30

Crescent rolls with prosciutto crudo

November 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment


I had rolls for the first time at my mother in law’s many years ago in Minnesota. They had such a soft consistency and a buttery taste that I couldn’t stop eating them. She gave me her recipe and while back in Italy I tried to make them. They didn’t come out like they were supposed to. They were crunchy, dough didn’t rise properly, but my family loved them anyway.
I was so disappointed, but I didn’t give up and made them many more times until they turned out as I wanted. My mother in law’s are still better even if my husband kindly tells me it’s not true.

These are the rolls I prepare for our Thanksgiving dinner every year and they always disappear in minutes. I made them this year too but I only used a small amount of the dough and I refrigerated the rest. This particular preparation can be refrigerated, but I had never done it until now. I made the rest of the rolls few days later and served them warm, as an appetizer, with prosciutto crudo and Speck. They were a hit.
Our pastry shops often have small croissants cut in two and filled with prosciutto crudo, Speck or ham with a thin slice of cheese and a leave of salad. My rolls are obviously different from croissants, they are a pan brioche kind of dough but the flavors are well balanced. If you prefer you can spread them with a little bit of butter and then add the prosciutto. I personally like them without, but that also depends on the prosciutto some are in fact drier than others. Never choose the beginning of the leg, it’s drier and saltier than its middle part. The end is sweeter but it is usually cut thicker. Check this well informed site about prosciutto crudo for more info. You can read about Speck on the Speck Consortium. Read more

Nov

21

Broccoli salad with tangerines

November 21, 2009 | 3 Comments

Every year I like to try a new side dish for Thanksgiving. I usually choose cooked vegetables because I feel they go better with the rest of the dinner. This year for a change I’ll introduce a broccoli salad to my usual menu. The recipe is inspired by a dish I found years ago on Taste of home. It’s an easy salad to assemble, and should be prepared one hour in advance, which is very helpful when you have one dish less to think about before guests arrive.

Quality ingredients are important for good results. Don’t buy the broccoli florets in the plastic bags, they’re already dry and have lost part of their flavor, not to mention their properties. It will take a little bit more time to prepare the salad, but your efforts will be worth it. I bought mine at my local farmer and made the salad right away. The broccoli were so fresh that I used part of the stem too. The day after broccoli were still crispy and didn’t get soggy at all. Buy your tangerines fresh, don’t even think about getting them canned. Be careful when choosing your mayonnaise, make sure it doesn’t have honey or spices in it. It should only contain eggs, oil and vinegar otherwise it will change the flavor of your salad. Read more

Nov

4

Spiced basmati rice with vegetables

November 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment

In this period I’m craving spicy food and in particular Indian. I’m fascinated by this cuisine and particularly interested in the primary role spices and herbs have. I’m amazed by all the different aromas and flavors each individual spice can have: whole and popped, grounded and then cooked, toasted, soaked and more. I have a few books on Indian cuisine and I’ve tried quite a few recipes with success. Notwithstanding I should say I feel I still don’t know anything about it. For the moment I will learn from the books I have, but sooner or later I’m going to follow some cooking classes to learn more about the usage and the different combinations of spices and herbs.

The dish I made today is adapted from a recipe in The Turmeric Trail: Recipes and Memories from an Indian Childhood by Raghavan Iyer. If you have never heard of this book and you’re interested in Indian cuisine you should definitely have it. It’s a beautifully written book where the recipes are well explained and very precise. Each recipe is introduced by an episode from Mr. Iyer’s personal life that captures your attention and brings you on a time travel through India and its world of spices. I’m never tire of reading his recipes and personal notes again and again. I’m planning to try all his recipes and looking forward to going to the States where, thanks to his indications, I can find certain ingredients that I haven’t found in Italy . Read more




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