Tuesday 4 December 2012
Foraging wild vegetables with Signora Wanda
Foraging wild vegetables in Italy is an ancient art which has been passed down from generation to generations, although less people nowadays have time to look for these flavour-packed wild vegetables. So, together with friends, yesterday we asked Signora Wanda to take us for a walk through the fields and reveal all the secrets on wild shoots and leafy green vegetables. It was a beautiful, sunny, crisp morning and after a few steps out of Toffia's medieval gate we where shown 5 types of cicoria (from the dandelion family), some mild in flavour to eat in salads and others to be boiled and stir-fried; wild artichokes called "cardi"; peppery hot wild mustard; wild garlic; chives; wild broccoletti, and even wild carrot, and radicchio. Pretty much every vegetable that we grow today has its corresponding wild "relative" out in the fields. It's out there and it only takes a bag to collect our wild 'goodies' and a little knife, making sure we don't damage the root of the plant, so it will produce more leaves. Fresh, wild vegetables that are full of flavour, essential nutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants: it's all out there and it's for free! Grazie, Signora Wanda!
Friday 14 September 2012
Zuppa Inglese
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| Zuppa Inglese being made in our cooking class |
Zuppa Inglese - Serves 6: half a litre of milk, 2 egg yolks, 50g of flour, 80 g of sugar, lemon, vanilla flavor, 'savoiardi' biscuits (sponge fingers), 'alchermes' liqueur or 'vin santo'.
To prepare the creme patissiere: mix the egg yolks in a mixing bowl with sugar and vanilla flavoring. Slowly add flour. Add warm milk and mix carefully. Add some lemon zest. Put mixture in a pan on low heat. Continuously stir the creme patissiere for 3 minutes after it starts boiling. Place a layer of savoiardi biscuits in a bowl. Sprinkle 'alchermes' liqueur or 'vin santo' over biscuits, spread over some creme patissiere, place another layer of savoiardi and so on.
Tried and tested variations: mocha (chocolate creme patissiere layered with coffee-soaked biscuits), tiramisu (creme patissiere layered with coffee-soaked biscuits), zabaione (Marsala wine-flavored creme patissiere layered with coffee-soaked biscuits).
Monday 25 June 2012
Zucchini (courgette) flowers
In season now, zucchini flowers can be filled with a variety of ingredients and cooked in different ways. Although most people are familiar with the deep-fried, mozzarella-filled flowers, in the heat of summer I prefer this lighter recipe, which has the zucchini flowers filled with ricotta and gently baked for only 30 seconds, then served with basil sauce and cherry tomatoes.
Filled zucchini flowers - Fiori di zucca ripieni - serves 4
12 zucchini (or courgette) flowers, 500g of ricotta, nutmeg, parmigiano reggiano, salt, pepper, basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar glaze.
Take out the flower's stamen. Mix ricotta with parmigiano cheese, salt, nutmeg. For the basil sauce, put basil leaves in a blender with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Put the ricotta mixture inside each flower. Put zucchini flowers in the oven, preheated at 180 C for only 30 seconds. Serve with basil sauce, quartered cherry tomatoes and decorate with balsamic vinegar glaze.
Monday 20 February 2012
Castagnole (mardi-gras traditional sweet fritters)
Castagnole (mardi-gras traditional sweet fritters)
It's Carnevale (carnival time) in Italy. This is the time of the year when children dress up and rules (especially dietary ones) are meant to be broken. Everyone prepares sweet fritters and give them to each other as a gift. Their name is "castagnole", o little chestnuts, and they are deep fried in extra virgin olive oil at medium temperature (well below 150 C). Olive oil will give these little mini doughnuts crunchiness and lightness at the same time. The traditional recipe for these delicious little fritters calls for lemon zest and only a little sugar in the dough.
Castagnole for 6
3 eggs, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, lemon zest, 240 g of flour. vanilla flavour (optional), icing sugar.
Mix eggs, sugar, olive oil, salt, finely chopped lemon zest and vanilla together. Add flour and keep mixing with a wooden spoon until mixture is sticky but firm. Deep fry in olive oil, putting only half a teaspoon of mixture in the frying pan at a time. They are ready when they get golden brown in colour. Serve with icing sugar to decorate.
Photo courtesy of Style.it
It's Carnevale (carnival time) in Italy. This is the time of the year when children dress up and rules (especially dietary ones) are meant to be broken. Everyone prepares sweet fritters and give them to each other as a gift. Their name is "castagnole", o little chestnuts, and they are deep fried in extra virgin olive oil at medium temperature (well below 150 C). Olive oil will give these little mini doughnuts crunchiness and lightness at the same time. The traditional recipe for these delicious little fritters calls for lemon zest and only a little sugar in the dough.
Castagnole for 6
3 eggs, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, lemon zest, 240 g of flour. vanilla flavour (optional), icing sugar.
Mix eggs, sugar, olive oil, salt, finely chopped lemon zest and vanilla together. Add flour and keep mixing with a wooden spoon until mixture is sticky but firm. Deep fry in olive oil, putting only half a teaspoon of mixture in the frying pan at a time. They are ready when they get golden brown in colour. Serve with icing sugar to decorate.
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