tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68065430778131936382024-03-13T04:35:37.710+01:00Mozzarella DiariesBeautifully simple Italian foodAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-7893658462726405402014-05-02T20:39:00.001+02:002014-05-02T20:39:49.879+02:00Ricotta Fatta in Casa<div class="MsoNormal">
Every Monday morning an elderly lady and her daughter
drive down our road selling homemade ricotta out of the back of a little white van. I
have to say that before sampling their produce I was never much of a ricotta
enthusiast. Like many Brits, I’d always thought of it as a rather mushy, bland
and uninspiring cheese that was not much good for anything other than mixing
with spinach or perhaps into a cake batter. How things have changed. I can
honestly say that the ricotta we now buy religiously every week is one of the
most delicious, pure and satisfying foods I have ever eaten and my main
motivation for getting out of bed on even the dreariest of Monday mornings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some time ago I started thinking about what sets this
ricotta apart from the rest and came to three conclusions. The first was that
the quality and flavour of the milk is of paramount importance, tasty milk =
tasty cheese! Secondly, the seasoning has to be absolutely spot-on, too much
salt and it will be inedible, not enough and it will be bland. Finally, I discovered
that, shockingly, this ricotta was in fact not an authentic one! The word
ricotta in Italian actually means ‘re-cooked’ due to the fact that the cheese
is made from the leftover whey of other cheeses such as mozzarella. The
difference with this ricotta is that, rather than being a by-product of another
cheese, it is in fact made directly from full fat milk, rendering it far
creamier and more luxurious than anything you can find in the supermarket.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After having this epiphany I set myself the challenge of
trying to replicate the sacred ‘Monday ricotta’ at home. It was no easy task!
For the past 3 months or so I have executed variations of the ricotta recipe
every Sunday, producing results which were never quite as good as the original.
This week I am happy to say that I have finally arrived at something which I
feel does ‘the Monday ricotta ladies’ justice. Unlike many of the recipes I
have found through my research online, mine contains no lemon juice or vinegar,
just milk, rennet and salt, giving it a truly pure and milky flavour. If you
haven’t made ricotta before, I strongly recommend that you give it a go, you
won’t be disappointed.</div>
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<b>Ricotta fatta in casa (Homemade ricotta)</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>2 litres full fat, good quality milk</li>
<li>2 tsp salt</li>
<li>2 tsp extract of rennet (My mum bought me mine from
Lakeland!)</li>
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<b>Equipment</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li>Thermometer</li>
<li>Muslin cloth</li>
<li>A ricotta mould</li>
</ul>
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Pour the milk and cream into a large, heavy based pan on a
medium heat, insert the thermometer and watch closely until it reaches 125C. Remove from the heat immediately, add the salt and rennet
and stir just for a few seconds using a metal spoon.</div>
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Leave the mixture to sit completely still for about an hour.
When you return the milk should have formed a jelly-like consistency on top
(the curds) and the whey should be sat underneath. With a knife cut the curds
into squares and carefully remove them from the whey using a slotted spoon,
transferring them to a colander lined with the muslin cloth. Once you have
sieved out all the curds, leave them to drain in the colander for about an hour.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once the curd has dried out a little you can then transfer
the ricotta into moulds, wait a few minutes then tip them over onto a plate and
serve. If you don’t have a mould, a bowl is just fine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To really appreciate the purity of fresh ricotta we like to
eat ours just on its own but it would also be great on crostini as an antipasto
or with honey as a light and creamy dessert.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Buon appetito!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-16547968397954364382013-11-24T18:59:00.002+01:002013-11-24T20:04:54.484+01:00Pappardelle alla Crema di Funghi Porcini<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This month Jacqueline, the author of vegetarian food blog
Tinned Tomatoes kindly invited me to take part in the November edition of <i>Pasta
Please,</i> a monthly cooking competition, hosted by
various foodie bloggers, which revolves around cooking a specifically themed
pasta dish. This month Jacqueline chose mushrooms as the theme so I thought what
better way to celebrate the end of the porcini season than by making a variation on
the classic porcini e pappardelle. Rather than opting for the classic sautéed porcini version, I decided to really go to town on the mushrooms by making a wild mushroom cream to stir through
the pasta with some fried porcini pieces for an extra intense flavour. I am well aware that fresh porcini are not the easiest ingredient to come
by in the UK so I have also included a variation using dried porcini for
the cream and fresh chestnut mushrooms which I’m sure will pack just as much of
a punch!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="IT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Pappardelle alla Crema di Funghi Porcini<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="IT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Serves 4</b></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">400g pappardelle
pasta</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">200g fresh porcini (or 30g dried soaked in hot water)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">150g chestnut mushrooms (or 250g if substituting fresh porcini)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">150g button mushrooms</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 clove garlic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 onion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 carrot</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 celery stick</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">250g grated parmesan cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Handful of fresh parsley</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If using dried porcini soak in enough hot water just to
cover them and set to one side. Roughly chop the onion, garlic, carrot and
celery and gently fry in a very generous glug of olive oil for about 15 minutes
or until soft but without colour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the fresh or soaked porcini, reserving the hot porcini water
for later, 150g of chestnut mushrooms and 150g of button mushrooms. Gently fry
for another few minutes until the mushrooms have wilted down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove from the
heat and puree the mushrooms with an electric hand blender, adding milk or the
porcini water until you obtain a silky cream-like consistency. Return to the
heat and stir in the parmesan cheese, taste and season with lots of salt and
pepper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cut the remaining porcini or chestnut mushrooms into chunky pieces and
fry off in olive oil adding salt and pepper to taste. All that’s left to do is
to cook the pappardelle until it is al dente, drain, reserving a little of the
cooking water and return to the pan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stir in the mushroom cream, fried
mushrooms and if needed, add a little of the pasta water until you obtain a
silky consistency. Serve with finely chopped fresh parsley. Buon appetito!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-76887347190833215302013-11-17T20:33:00.000+01:002013-11-17T20:33:01.472+01:00Sausage and Beans, Italian style...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Despite the many great dishes on offer in the UK, since
moving abroad it’s always the simple mid-week meals from my childhood that
bring back my memories of great British food. Being from Lincolnshire, sausages
were an important part of growing up for me and despite all the delicious
Italian food, every now and again I find myself craving a taste of home. With
the cold nights beginning to draw in even in sunny Tuscany I decided to put an
Italian spin on one of my childhood favourites, sausage and beans, taking
inspiration from the classic Florentine recipe, <i>fagioli all’uccelletto</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Made with toscanelli beans (similar to cannellini),
and flavoured with tomato, garlic and sage, <i>fagioli all’uccelleto </i>has got to be
one of the best recipes I've discovered since moving to Tuscany. Like the sophisticated European sister of the humble baked bean, when cooked properly, you’ll never want
to eat Heinz again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fagioli all’uccelletto (Tuscan baked beans)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Serves 4</span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">400g tin of cannellini beans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">200g tinned chopped tomatoes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tbsp olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 branch of sage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 large cloves of garlic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Start by gently heating the olive oil in a medium sized pan.
Peel the garlic cloves and lightly crush them with the heel of your hand or
size of your knife. Once the oil is hot add the crushed garlic and fresh sage.
Leave to gently fry for about 5 minutes so that the oil becomes infused and the
garlic turns lightly golden in colour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the tomatoes and cook through for another few minutes
until the sauce thickens slightly. Drain the beans and rinse thoroughly. Remove
the garlic cloves and sage and add the beans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Season well and cook for about another 5 minutes until the
beans have absorbed some of the flavour of the sauce. We served ours with a
spicy variety of Italian sausage and lots of crusty bread. Buon appetito!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-56957520010312998002013-11-09T15:11:00.000+01:002013-11-10T14:53:18.133+01:00My Top 10 Issues with Italian Eating Habits<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know that over the past few weeks I've been giving us Brits (and Americans) a bit of a hard time with <a href="http://mozzarelladiaries.blogspot.it/p/top-10.html" target="_blank">my top 10 lists</a> so this week I decided that it was time to pick on the Italians for a change. They may have arguably the best cuisine in the world but, when it comes to food, like all nations, Italians are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. So here are my top 10 issues with Italian eating habits.<br /><br /><b>1. Italian food is the be all and end all</b><br />It may be a bit of a stereotype but there is some truth to it! For some Italians, it doesn't matter how good a dish is, if it hasn't been a part of the Italian diet for at least 100 years then there will always be something about it which doesn't quite cut the mustard.<br /><br /><br /><b>2. Desserts</b><br />I’m probably going to get into a bit of trouble for saying this but I think Italian desserts are really quite uninspiring! Yes a good panna cotta is nice, and tiramisu is OK I suppose, but for a nation of foodies is that really the best they have to offer? Give me a sticky toffee pudding any day of the week!<br /><br /><br /><b>3. Cookery shows</b><br /> Can you believe that in Italy they’ve translated Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and James Martin’s TV shows into Italian? I can! It’s because, like a lot of Italian TV, most of their cookery shows are really quite clichéd and outdated!<br /><br /><br /><b>4. Spicy foods</b><br />My boyfriend’s father, like many Italians I know, won’t eat anything with any spices in. No cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, nothing! I could maybe understand an aversion to chilli powder but what’s so offensive about cumin!?<br /><br /><br /><b>5. Supermarkets</b><br />Don’t get me wrong, maybe this isn’t entirely bad, but being from the UK, I’m used to the luxury of being able to find any ingredient I need at any time of the year. It can be really frustrating in Italy when I head to the supermarket for something specific and 50% of the time can’t find it because they “haven’t got it in that week”. Apart from pasta that is. They always have pasta…<br /><br /><br /><b>6. The primo-secondo thing</b><br />Almost every restaurant in Italy follows the primo and secondo rule, even Chinese and Indian restaurants. First they bring you your rice or noodles and, when you’ve finished, they bring the meat! Most of the time when I ask for my fried rice and chicken in cashew nuts to be brought at the same time they look at me as if I’ve got two heads! What is that all about?!<br /><br /><br /><b>7. Foreign food</b><br />I couldn’t believe my eyes the first time my boyfriend took me to an Indian restaurant in Pisa and the Italian family on the table next to me, obviously first time customers, were holding up their plates and sniffing the food like gone-off milk. Bizarre! <br /><br /><br /><b>8. Italianisation</b><br />There may be a bit of a pattern may be emerging here but any food which is not of Italian origin is often ‘translated’ so Chinese noodles become ‘spaghetti’, a British pie is a ‘savoury cake’, any rice dish is a ‘risotto’ and so on. Some Italians seem incapable of accepting new terms for new foods since, naturally, they are all simply adaptations of the Italian original!<br /><br /><br /><b>9. Beer</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They may have Peroni, but a lot of Italians have quite a limited experience when it comes to beer. I’ve tried many times to explain that British ale is really quite different from their fizzy lager but they don’t seem to get it. They don’t have cider either, which is a shame. Although my liver is all the better for it!<br /><br /><br /><b>10. Gravy</b><br />You can take the girl out of the north but you can’t take the north out of the girl! I know I’m a saddo but it really upsets me when I cook a roast dinner for Italians and they refer to my gravy as a ‘sauce’! It’s not a sauce, it’s gravy, for a northern girl like me, they are two entirely different things!<br /><br /><br />I love Italians and Italian food more than anyone I know but I do think that some need to open their eyes a little to the other great foods available to them. Of course this doesn’t apply to all Italians; my Italian boyfriend is probably one of the most adventurous, open minded eaters I’ve ever met and would quite happily eat a different cuisine every night if it were up to him! I do think that things in Italy are changing and that the younger generations are increasingly opening their minds to foreign food but they've still got quite a way to go…</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-73290315430557261452013-10-27T10:03:00.000+01:002013-10-27T10:03:03.087+01:00Zuppa Ricasoli<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking for a warm and comforting recipe that's incredibly quick and easy to make? Check out my latest article in <a href="http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=8841&browse-by=Food-Wine&level=Recipes" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">The Florentine for Zuppa Ricasoli</span></a>, a Tuscan soup with butter beans, sausage, pancetta and cabbage. I have to say that I usually run a mile when the words 'cabbage' and 'soup' are used in the same sentence but this really was delicious and healthy too! If you can't find Tuscan sausages, anything herby and garlicy, like a Lincolnshire or Toulouse would be great. A lot of supermarkets now stock sausages with fennel which would work fantastically too. Equally, for the cheesy toasts, there's no point in spending a fortune on Asiago cheese, a good cheddar would be just as good!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-66762102940216876452013-10-17T14:55:00.000+02:002013-10-17T14:55:19.685+02:00Funghi Porcini e Polenta Gratinata<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Earlier this week I was beside myself with excitement after
coming home and finding a basket full of porcini mushrooms on the kitchen
table! A family friend and expert mushroom picker had kindly donated them to us
after I had told him how difficult it was to source porcini in the UK and how,
although I’d often used dried porcini in my cooking, I had never had the
pleasure of being able to cook with fresh ones. After extensively quizzing my boyfriend’s
mother on fresh porcini preparation I decided to experiment with a creamy
porcini and polenta bake and was not disappointed! Again, this is a really simple recipe that delivers big on flavour. For those of you who are unable to source fresh porcini it would also work well using another variety of mushroom, such as chestnut, mixed with some dried porcini for that extra rich flavour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Serves 4</b> as a primo</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the polenta</span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">350g polenta flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1.5 litres water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Large teaspoon of salt</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>For the filling</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">300g porcini mushrooms</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 clove finely chopped garlic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 tablespoons olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">150 ml double cream</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Good-quality grated cheese (I used a mix of asiago and
parmesan)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To cook the polenta bring the water to the boil in a heavy
based saucepan, add the salt and sprinkle in the polenta flour. Keep stirring
with a wooden spoon and allow to cook for 40-45 minutes. For those of you who
don’t have time for this stage (let’s face it, it’s a bit of a faff really) you can
also use quick-cook or ready-made polenta which you can find in most big
supermarkets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When your polenta is cooked, pour it onto a large, clean work surface
and spread it out to a 2-3cm thickness and leave to cool. When cold, cut out
the disk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">s of polenta, one for the base and one for the top of each dish. I used
a medium-sized, round oven dish for two people but, if serving for a dinner
party, you could also cut out smaller disks to put into individual ramekins as
a more elegant way of serving.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Clean your porcini by scraping them with a knife and wiping
with a clean tea towel. If your mushrooms are really dirty you can give them a
quick rinse under some cold water but be sure to dry them as quickly as possible
as washing the mushrooms will make their flavour less intense. Separate the
mushroom stalks from the tops by gently twisting them, then slice into fairly
chunky pieces. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat the olive oil and garlic in a frying pan then add the
mushrooms and let them simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the cream and parsley
and turn off the heat then season well with salt and pepper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place a disk of polenta in the bottom of your greased dish
or ramekin. Add a generous amount of the porcini mix and top with another disk
of polenta. Cover with lots of cheese and grill for about 10 minutes or until
the top is golden and bubbling!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-25021246674004932802013-10-09T11:21:00.001+02:002013-10-09T14:51:18.134+02:00Fiori di Zucca Ripieni al Forno<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cooking with courgette flowers is still such a novelty for me since, unless you grow your own, they’re not so easy to come by in the UK. Well, not in Lincolnshire at least! For those of you who have never had the pleasure of eating courgette flowers, I have to say that in terms of flavour you’ve not missed out on much, but what I love about them is that no matter how they're prepared they always look exquisite and are such a versatile receptacle for showcasing great flavour and texture combinations. This summer we grew courgettes in our garden in Pisa and my Italian family's preferred method of preparation was stuffing the flowers with mozzarella and anchovies, then battering and frying them to create the most gorgeous, colourful and crunchy antipasti which brightened up many a mid-week lunchtime!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Having bought some courgette flowers myself this week, I decided to try something new and which didn't involve battering since, unlike my boyfriend's mother, I rarely have the patience required for deep fat frying things on a week day! Instead, I decided to experiment with oven-baking my flowers and after rummaging through the fridge for inspiration, I came up with my delicious and very simple spin on stuffed courgette flowers using a soft Italian cheese called <i>Robiola</i>. Unless you’re living in London, and willing to pay well over the odds, you may struggle to source this particular cheese but anything mild and creamy should do the trick, Philadelphia would probably work equally well! So here they are, my oven-baked courgette flowers...</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serves 6</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> as a side dish</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">12 courgette flowers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 medium courgette</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">100g Parma ham</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">200g Robiola or similar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 ball of mozzarella</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">100g parmesan cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">400ml Béchamel sauce (not too thick)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt and pepper</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove the yellow stigma from inside the courgette flowers and, if still attached, snap off the stems at the bottom too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Roughly chop the courgette and Parma ham and pan fry in the olive oil over a medium-low heat until the courgette is soft. Transfer to a blender and blend the courgette, ham, robiola and mozzarella to a smooth paste, adding salt and pepper to taste. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gently open the flowers and stuff them with a large teaspoon of the robiola puree. A piping bag would be ideal for this step however I used a teaspoon and it worked just fine. Lay the stuffed flowers in a baking dish and cover with a plain béchamel sauce (Delia Smith’s <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/all-in-one-white-sauce.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">all-in-one recipe </span></a>is perfect for this) until the flowers are evenly coated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sprinkle with parmesan and bake in the oven at 180C for about 20 minutes or until the parmesan is bubbling and golden. I served ours with some very simple grilled chicken and a rocket salad, but feel free to use your imagination!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-45494622339956600702013-10-06T16:41:00.000+02:002013-10-06T16:42:13.979+02:0010 reasons why Italians are so slim<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before moving to Italy, I always thought a big downside of leaving the UK was that I could kiss goodbye to my size 1o figure; with the pizza, the pasta, the wine and daily trips to the gelateria, gaining weight seemed inevitable. During my first month in Italy, I did put on some weight from gorging on all the amazing food on offer, but then something quite unexpected happened, my weight gradually started to go down until it eventually plateaued at about half a stone less than when I arrived! For some time I couldn't work it out but then I started to reflect on the Italian diet. Italy has the second lowest obesity rate in Europe after Romania at just 9.3%, whereas, in the UK, obesity is currently at 23.9%. Yes, there is a lot of wonderful food in Italy, some of it rather carb-heavy to say the least but is it really any worse than what I’d been eating back in the UK? And had my change in lifestyle affected my eating habits? After giving it some thought I came up with 10 reasons why I think Italians manage to eat so well and yet stay so slim, so here they are…<br /> <br /><br /><b>1. They eat at lunch</b><br />A lot of Italians, including my boyfriend’s family, eat their main meal at lunchtime meaning that they have all day to burn off the energy. Having a substantial meal early on in the day also reduces the temptation to snack, so come 4 pm I no longer fight to resist having a sneaky biscuit (or 5) with my afternoon tea.<br /><br /><b>2. They have primo and secondo</b><br />The format of primo and secondo means that Italians first eat a small amount of carbohydrates (the primo) and then fill up on meat and vegetables (the secondo), ensuring that their diet is balanced. The pause between courses also gives you more time to register that you’re full meaning that you don’t overdo it and then regret it 10 minutes later when you’re feel like you've eaten the Christmas turkey!<br /><br /><b>3. They eat less butter</b><br />Italians don’t butter their bread nor use butter for cooking anywhere near as often as us Brits. It may seem like a small change but over an extended period of time it could really make a difference. Saying that, I still haven’t quite come to terms with the idea of an un-buttered sandwich!<br /><br /><b>4. They have less of a sweet tooth</b><br />For a country that’s in love with food Italians certainly seem to lose their mojo a little when it comes to desserts. Puddings are rarely served at home and the selection of traditional Italian desserts is extremely limited when compared to Italy’s extensive savoury repertoire. Tiramisu and panna cotta are great but when that’s about all that’s on offer, it gets easier to say no after a while!<br /><br /><b>5. They eat less processed foods</b><br />Probably the most fundamental point of all is that Italians make most of their food from scratch. The ready-meal aisle of the supermarket quite simply doesn't exist in Italy; after all, what could be quicker to cook up for dinner than a bowl of spaghetti? I showed the Dolmio microwavable pasta advert to my Italian friends and they thought it was a joke!<br /><br /><b>6. They have a healthier attitude to food </b><br />Fad dieting is nowhere near as big in Italy as it is in the UK. Rather than binging and dieting, a constant and moderate diet is favoured by most. When I suggested cutting out carbs to my boyfriend his reaction was, ‘but a carb-free diet makes people grumpy’. I guess he had a point…!<br /><br /><b>7. They don't drink as much</b><br />Another hugely influential factor has got to be the booze. Italians generally don’t drink outside of meals and, when they do, they only have one or two. There is still quite a stigma attached to heavy drinking in Italy, especially for women, so whilst for Brits having a few too many and staggering home at the end of the night might be funny, for Italians it’s probably an embarrassing story that they’d rather keep to themselves. The size of a glass of wine in Italy is also much smaller, to the extent that my Mum once thought the glass our waiter had poured her was just a taster!<br /><br /><b>8. They have a warmer climate</b><br />Cold weather undoubtedly plays a part in increasing appetite so when the summer in Italy lasts for so much longer and the temperature is so much hotter it’s no wonder they don’t eat as much. As lovely and refreshing as a rocket salad is, I’m not sure it’s ever going to cut it for dinner during a British winter!<br /><br /><b>9. They have to get their bodies out in public</b><br />On a related topic, the fact that, for 3 months a year, Italians regularly go to the beach with friends and family is a huge motivation to keep an eye on their weight. In the UK we can quite happily stuff our faces knowing that, with the help of some loose clothing, our friends and neighbours will never see the effects on our body (thank goodness)!<br /><br /><b>10. The <i>bella figura</i></b><br />Italians place a huge amount of importance on appearance and are a nation that celebrates beauty. With fashion brands such as Gucci, Prada and Dolce and Gabanna at the heart of Italian style, maintaining a slim figure is all part of the Italian <i>bella figura</i>. For us Brits, appearance, although important, does not define a person in the same way as it does for Italians. So although of course it’s nice to be slim, maybe we should celebrate the fact that in the UK, it’s OK to indulge in that third glass of wine, to order the jumbo fish and chips or to have an extra biscuit with your cup of tea… after all, you only live once!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-40972051783295908152013-09-30T15:24:00.003+02:002013-10-06T22:47:07.272+02:00La Bersagliera<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">This weekend I went with a
group of friends to my very favourite pizzeria. Bearing in mind that, living in
Pisa, I have over 120 pizzerias right on my doorstep, almost every time I go
for pizza with friends we take the 20km drive through a series of tiny villages
to reach the pizzeria La Bersagliera on the outskirts of Lucca. The
surroundings are not in any way spectacular, it is set right on the edge of the
SS12, surrounded by residential buildings. Similarly, the interior leaves a lot
to be desired with plain white walls, a series of camping-style, long, wooden tables
and benches and a vast array of ornaments and trinkets that make you feel as
though you are an intruder in an old lady’s retirement flat. When it comes to
the service, things aren't much better, stories of the 'like it or lump it' attitude of the
dinnerlady-style waitress have become local legends. We warn the two
newcomers in our group to keep their heads down and not to ask too many
questions! When eating at the Bersagliera you can expect to be crammed in like
a sardine, presented with a menu that consists only of pizza, one variety of
wine and one variety of beer and then to wait between 40 – 90 minutes for your
food to arrive. Yet the thing that keeps us and so many others coming back time
and time again is, of course, the incredible pizza.</span></div>
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<td><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi675UN4auXBXHfGwpKs0DxPL-8ca0nMNYvo9pBwqTHeNyFCU-ygr7e29WB2srrFpmw_EX-uRn0jbL5-DU_Deuzxe9v7iS5WiLBPGEJWjTs2HQit-u9wKIp5bnqPl4UrszCJI8UTY1ARlqs/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0.5em; margin-right: 0.5em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi675UN4auXBXHfGwpKs0DxPL-8ca0nMNYvo9pBwqTHeNyFCU-ygr7e29WB2srrFpmw_EX-uRn0jbL5-DU_Deuzxe9v7iS5WiLBPGEJWjTs2HQit-u9wKIp5bnqPl4UrszCJI8UTY1ARlqs/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">The first thing that makes
the pizzas so great is the toppings. The Bersagliera specialises in sourcing
Calabrian ingredients, which are not so easily found in other pizzerias, such as Calabrian sausage, <a href="http://mozzarelladiaries.blogspot.it/2013/09/tastes-of-calabria.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">sopressata</span></a>, sorriso (a blend of chilies), rosa marina (tiny
fish in a spicy sauce) and the best olives I've ever tasted in my life. Then,
there is the pizza base itself which is beautifully fresh, salty and the
perfect compromise between the thin Tuscan base and the deep pizza from Naples.
The best part of all is the generosity of the portions, the pizzas are easily
twice the size of a standard pizza and are covered with an abundance of toppings.
Most people don’t even come close to finishing a full pizza in one sitting but,
for me, being able to take the rest home and eat it the next day is one of the biggest draws!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjBuCdC4xOxbS_bAXczk4dwEWTTm_LUsZBp2DpNOd14sYK3nTtrKtGGWiKsuJvxTOMWC0SH2o9oquKrPGxFePVmpy-G-MVK_Nd0o1aNvXFHTgqlfCEXa1_uC_jrw2yoXvGsTvkWoNFXBn/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjBuCdC4xOxbS_bAXczk4dwEWTTm_LUsZBp2DpNOd14sYK3nTtrKtGGWiKsuJvxTOMWC0SH2o9oquKrPGxFePVmpy-G-MVK_Nd0o1aNvXFHTgqlfCEXa1_uC_jrw2yoXvGsTvkWoNFXBn/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Edoardo was very happy with his calzone!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Despite its many flaws, we have also come to love the ‘alla buona’, rustic atmosphere that the Bersagliera
has to offer and look forward to our monthly trips where we stuff ourselves
with delicious spicy pizza. Everybody has their usual order which they go for
every time, mine is the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Tarantella </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">pizza, a combination of Calabrian sausage,
sorriso, scamorza cheese, aubergine and olives. This time, however, I decided to
make the bold decision of adding mascarpone to my order which was a great
success; the creamy cooling mascarpone worked perfectly with the spiciness of the
sausage and the sorriso.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRnohyphenhyphen3Mz0eDB2zS7MhCY3osamLPObH8aRn7WExC5Kq3QWdZdY7nT_eu0_5uZUwDRL_PbGCIdRQZYmcmoapFePqFypxL4tSExW6HF_yy26omzy-xayB1PgSYMhORUfQfwm8OyAPn9jJ7m/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRnohyphenhyphen3Mz0eDB2zS7MhCY3osamLPObH8aRn7WExC5Kq3QWdZdY7nT_eu0_5uZUwDRL_PbGCIdRQZYmcmoapFePqFypxL4tSExW6HF_yy26omzy-xayB1PgSYMhORUfQfwm8OyAPn9jJ7m/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pizza Tarantella con mascarpone</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjBuCdC4xOxbS_bAXczk4dwEWTTm_LUsZBp2DpNOd14sYK3nTtrKtGGWiKsuJvxTOMWC0SH2o9oquKrPGxFePVmpy-G-MVK_Nd0o1aNvXFHTgqlfCEXa1_uC_jrw2yoXvGsTvkWoNFXBn/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">In tribute to my new pizza topping combo, I decided to make some n’duja (pronounced un-doo-ya) and mascarpone pasta for lunch today. Super simple, super quick and super tasty!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="IT" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>Maccheroni con n’duja e mascarpone<o:p></o:p></u></b></span><br />
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<span lang="IT" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Serves 4</b> </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">400g maccheroni rigate</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">1tbsp n’duja sausage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">1tbsp mascarpone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Parsley for serving</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Cook the pasta in
boiling salted water until it is <i>al dente </i>then drain, keeping to one side some of the pasta water. Stir the n’duja and mascarpone into the pasta, adding a little of the water until you get a smooth, creamy sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. It’s a
simple as that! Buon appetito!</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInSFqiSY3u4ETqIoKn95m_r58gB1w9Vha_oIBB9l45HiHT1nAT18UhEyUWyESHPxC5QaPAP2S4TjPsf28pIrurXadVGls8F1jgjaoiGQbFnrtphgxuHV8zlQPmzTW9oe0fxEY4hIO65VJ/s1600/IMG_1704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInSFqiSY3u4ETqIoKn95m_r58gB1w9Vha_oIBB9l45HiHT1nAT18UhEyUWyESHPxC5QaPAP2S4TjPsf28pIrurXadVGls8F1jgjaoiGQbFnrtphgxuHV8zlQPmzTW9oe0fxEY4hIO65VJ/s1600/IMG_1704.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can visit <i>La Bersagliera</i> in via Pisana, 2136, Lucca, Italy</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last
week my friend Valeria and I decided to organise a dinner party inspired by some homemade ingredients that she had brought back from her hometown of Bono
in Sardinia. Her father had cured some prosciutto and sausage which we served as antipasti, along with some Sardinian cheese and typical Sardinian bread called
Pane Carasau. For the primo we decided on Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, a dish from Sorrento, near
Naples, in an attempt use up the last of the season’s tomatoes. Of course you
could cheat a little and buy your gnocchi ready-made but I wasn’t about to pass
up the opportunity for a master class in making fresh gnocchi so we decided to
start completely from scratch.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05yIrJtUcg1frU2B5BGIubWR7PB4aLYlr-KeDTHEdYGPy2_cTlxg31pRVfYZqGIer5HDQu18MlPWguQblAmqbB7r86bmfoEhURcgVumaSRoPY7AkpW569nOkBhxMVnPQmswQbOrLYRmGy/s1600/IMG_0994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0em; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05yIrJtUcg1frU2B5BGIubWR7PB4aLYlr-KeDTHEdYGPy2_cTlxg31pRVfYZqGIer5HDQu18MlPWguQblAmqbB7r86bmfoEhURcgVumaSRoPY7AkpW569nOkBhxMVnPQmswQbOrLYRmGy/s1600/IMG_0994.JPG" height="200" width="auto" /></a>
</td>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">There
are in fact many different varieties of gnocchi including gnocchi di farina
(made with bread and flour), gnocchi di polenta (with polenta flour), gnocchi
di castagne (with chestnut flour) and many types of gnocchi with added
ingredients such as spinach, pumpkin or cheese. The recipe for gnocchi alla
Sorrentina, however, calls for the classic potato gnocchi, which was perfect for my first gnocchi-making experience! Since we had two coeliac guests</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> for dinner, we replaced the wheat
flour with a <a href="http://mozzarelladiaries.blogspot.it/2013/09/gluten-free-gnocchi.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">gluten-free mix</span></a> but for my non-coeliac readers, here is the
method for the classic potato gnocchi:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
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<tbody>
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXICONriy-7BqeowWkp18EWIrlo4KaxXnWfQF2kHd_H-1s-c9BBtpzC2Q06YfpS7KYZn2V97fp-VmE3GLqKVAYkaH0kIykSYk2YazkrUyxeQwhSGX1Lu4R8gMI9Vu7VqH9s6dZQC2U77yQ/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXICONriy-7BqeowWkp18EWIrlo4KaxXnWfQF2kHd_H-1s-c9BBtpzC2Q06YfpS7KYZn2V97fp-VmE3GLqKVAYkaH0kIykSYk2YazkrUyxeQwhSGX1Lu4R8gMI9Vu7VqH9s6dZQC2U77yQ/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG" height="310" width="auto" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fjySkrXnRTBOsY-EIOcWKnjC4vX09spTdb9QCkv7-jsjQwA0flvLXavO8sdkvyQDDrzyFtuPALpjblKWW5vqf2KibJ_gxa6svjjfTMVDFDNN0lTEfIQcVlySQJrpsbFL4VjhpJhpduXa/s1600/IMG_0938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fjySkrXnRTBOsY-EIOcWKnjC4vX09spTdb9QCkv7-jsjQwA0flvLXavO8sdkvyQDDrzyFtuPALpjblKWW5vqf2KibJ_gxa6svjjfTMVDFDNN0lTEfIQcVlySQJrpsbFL4VjhpJhpduXa/s1600/IMG_0938.JPG" height="310" width="auto" /></a>
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</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Note: Classic potato gnocchi should be made without egg but most Italians add at least one to ensure that the mixture binds together well for a smooth result.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Serves 4<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the gnocchi:</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g flour</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">400g potatoes (a floury variety)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 egg</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wash the potatoes and put them into salted boiling water
with the skins on. Leave them to boil for around 30 minutes or until you can
easily pierce them with a knife, then drain and leave them to cool down a little.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once sufficiently cooled, you can then begin to peel the skin
off the potato. Cooking the potatoes with the skins on makes them incredibly
easy to peel and also gives them a richer, earthier flavour. When all the skin
has been removed, pass the warm potato through a potato ricer or mash
thoroughly. Do not use a blender as the potato will become heavy and gelatinous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tip the mashed potato onto a floured surface, make a hole in
the middle and fill it with the flour, egg and around a teaspoon of salt. Gently
incorporate all the ingredients until you create a ball of dough. Do not
over-work the mix as the gnocchi need to be fluffy and light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll them out into long
cylinders about 2cm wide, re-flouring the surface as required. Cut the
cylinders into 2cm long pieces using a sharp, floured knife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can then shape each gnocc0 (gnocco is the singular form of gnocchi, one gnocco, two gnocchi) by lightly rolling it
with your thumb against a ridged surface, slightly twisting your thumb at the
last minute to create a small fold in the back. We used a
gnocchi board to create this effect but you can also get great results by just rolling the gnocchi
across the prongs of a fork. Continue this process, placing the finished
gnocchi on a tea towel until you have used all of the dough. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you don't have the time or patience for shaping your gnocchi don't worry, a rustic rectangular or even round gnocco is perfectly acceptable, you can even just squash them a little bit with a fork!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To
cook the gnocchi simply drop them into salted, boiling water and drain once
they begin to float to the top, this should only take about 2-3 minutes so make sure you keep an eye on it! If making the gnocchi alla Sorrentina, make sure you have prepared your sauce (see below) before cooking the gnocchi!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEubkjY01JsZWrtfYVrjJwHhLWr6iniIxgZxBa-rskSr83gWYDikmGsExsEOkBc-WMLPVUyVJ4-s33zobGHK1hYZtgxmmciNZtD7Jl5JHCg3VvEB4JDsvMeiCYmRTTBS6afG1pxRVJU3ZM/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEubkjY01JsZWrtfYVrjJwHhLWr6iniIxgZxBa-rskSr83gWYDikmGsExsEOkBc-WMLPVUyVJ4-s33zobGHK1hYZtgxmmciNZtD7Jl5JHCg3VvEB4JDsvMeiCYmRTTBS6afG1pxRVJU3ZM/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></span></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the Sorrentina sauce:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">500g fresh tomato sauce</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Basil to garnish</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">250g buffalo mozzarella (cut into 2cm cubes)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g grated parmesan</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before cooking the gnocchi, pre-heat your oven to 180C. Take
an oven-proof dish and line the base and edges with a little fresh tomato sauce
and place 1/3 of the mozzarella in the bottom. If you can’t find buffalo
mozzarella, normal is fine. Lining your dish with tomato sauce will ensure that
the gnocchi won’t stick to the sides.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cook your gnocchi as above. Note:</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> To save time, do not salt the water until it is
fully boiling as salted water takes longer to come to the boil.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Return the drained gnocchi to the pan and mix with the remaining
tomato sauce, another 1/3 of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Pour the
tomato-coated gnocchi into the baking dish, sprinkle over the remaining
parmesan and mozzarella and bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown
on top. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Garnish with basil leaves and eat it while it’s hot! As you can see, it certainly went down well with our dinner guests!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWHQPJJSn5sIWeyIi1B-pSaSyR3PcYggkhM9cSnLrEoa1MGnN1o0gc_MVH4C0VY_4yKKIhyfs-nifErmJ4bZmiGoQga0uf-nyw_iAJtRYx7Xi8yOttVGHRIDu7-HO9z0vOZE3ZW_Vr1nK/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWHQPJJSn5sIWeyIi1B-pSaSyR3PcYggkhM9cSnLrEoa1MGnN1o0gc_MVH4C0VY_4yKKIhyfs-nifErmJ4bZmiGoQga0uf-nyw_iAJtRYx7Xi8yOttVGHRIDu7-HO9z0vOZE3ZW_Vr1nK/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" height="600" width="600" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">100g gluten-free flour (we used Schar)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">400g potatoes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs (plus one extra yolk if your mixture doesn’t seem to
be coming together)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" border="0" style="text-align: center; width: 80%px;">
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXICONriy-7BqeowWkp18EWIrlo4KaxXnWfQF2kHd_H-1s-c9BBtpzC2Q06YfpS7KYZn2V97fp-VmE3GLqKVAYkaH0kIykSYk2YazkrUyxeQwhSGX1Lu4R8gMI9Vu7VqH9s6dZQC2U77yQ/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXICONriy-7BqeowWkp18EWIrlo4KaxXnWfQF2kHd_H-1s-c9BBtpzC2Q06YfpS7KYZn2V97fp-VmE3GLqKVAYkaH0kIykSYk2YazkrUyxeQwhSGX1Lu4R8gMI9Vu7VqH9s6dZQC2U77yQ/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG" height="310" width="auto" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fjySkrXnRTBOsY-EIOcWKnjC4vX09spTdb9QCkv7-jsjQwA0flvLXavO8sdkvyQDDrzyFtuPALpjblKWW5vqf2KibJ_gxa6svjjfTMVDFDNN0lTEfIQcVlySQJrpsbFL4VjhpJhpduXa/s1600/IMG_0938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fjySkrXnRTBOsY-EIOcWKnjC4vX09spTdb9QCkv7-jsjQwA0flvLXavO8sdkvyQDDrzyFtuPALpjblKWW5vqf2KibJ_gxa6svjjfTMVDFDNN0lTEfIQcVlySQJrpsbFL4VjhpJhpduXa/s1600/IMG_0938.JPG" height="310" width="auto" /></a>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wash the potatoes and put them into salted boiling water
with the skins on. Leave them to boil for around 30 minutes or until you can
easily pierce them with a knife then drain and leave them to cool down a
little. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once sufficiently cooled, you can then begin to peel the
skin off the potato. Cooking the potatoes with the skins on makes them
incredibly easy to peel and also gives them a richer, earthier flavour. When
all the skin has been removed, pass the warm potato through a potato ricer or
mash thoroughly. Do not use a blender or the potato will become heavy and
gelatinous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tip the mashed potato onto a floured surface, make a hole in
the middle and fill it with the flour, egg and around a teaspoon of salt.
Gently incorporate all the ingredients until you create a ball of dough. As the
flour is gluten-free, you will need to knead for a little longer than when using
normal flour in order to create some elasticity to the dough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll them out into long
cylinders about 2cm wide, re-flouring the surface as required. Cut the
cylinders into 2cm long pieces using a sharp, floured knife.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: justify;">You can then shape each gnocc0 (gnocco is the singular form of gnocchi, one gnocco, two gnocchi) by lightly rolling it with your thumb against a ridged surface, slightly twisting your thumb at the last minute to create a small fold in the back. We used a gnocchi board to create this effect but you can also get great results by just rolling the gnocchi across the prongs of a fork. Continue this process, placing the finished gnocchi on a tea towel until you've used all of the dough. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">If you don't have the time or patience for shaping your gnocchi don't worry, a rustic rectangular or even round gnocco is perfectly acceptable, you can even just squash them a little bit with a fork!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="line-height: 17.77777862548828px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To cook the gnocchi simply drop them into salted, boiling water and drain once they begin to float to the top, this should only take about 2-3 minutes so make sure you keep an eye on it!</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">If making the <a href="http://mozzarelladiaries.blogspot.it/2013/09/gnocchi-alla-sorrentina.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d;">Gnocchi alla Sorrentina</span></a>, make sure you have prepared your sauce before cooking the gnocchi!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b>1. Variety </b>– Whenever I step into a UK coffee shop I’m always painfully aware of being worlds apart from my home in Italy where, after 10am, nobody orders anything other than 'a coffee please’ because, after all, what type of coffee could you possibly want to drink post-breakfast time other than an espresso?! Starbucks proudly advertises that there are over 87,000 different drink combinations for their customers to choose from whereas, in Italy, if you’re able to find a drinks menu at all, it’s likely to look something like this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENtBiepItUnEoKicX3095vxLmfcoCI1ayNqks8KBvR-YE_L2R3TSX35mqZBP1pmgBKUuh05NJHiWh1JVofCiET2CK3dC2p3HznwySkVcGuDt8a5jQsCX3BEsEKwn0dw2x0kA2RfhYOzsE/s1600/listino-prezzi-bar-ars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENtBiepItUnEoKicX3095vxLmfcoCI1ayNqks8KBvR-YE_L2R3TSX35mqZBP1pmgBKUuh05NJHiWh1JVofCiET2CK3dC2p3HznwySkVcGuDt8a5jQsCX3BEsEKwn0dw2x0kA2RfhYOzsE/s1600/listino-prezzi-bar-ars.jpg" height="138" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which looks a little sparse next to the Costa menu:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhUaSqRKlDE5gpqHBk4ma6Jxwym12JZeFURbWMh9H3xSCjXWq8VeaiztN3cmRXb_ychY8qZOhm_YcA8N-TEKcHl28xxBT3e6KJMpCQ7BiqnA0P54IszDVZcPPCfMpU-hc-yLVZvfWjFLu/s1600/780x551.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhUaSqRKlDE5gpqHBk4ma6Jxwym12JZeFURbWMh9H3xSCjXWq8VeaiztN3cmRXb_ychY8qZOhm_YcA8N-TEKcHl28xxBT3e6KJMpCQ7BiqnA0P54IszDVZcPPCfMpU-hc-yLVZvfWjFLu/s320/780x551.jpeg" height="166" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that’s before reading the specials board! What ever happened to enjoying the simple things in life?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2. Flavoured coffee</b> – On a similar note, my second issue with coffee chains is the different syrups, sauces and sprinkles you can add to your coffee to make sure your blood sugar levels are always kept sky high. Why on earth would you want to buy a coffee only to pump it with sugar and flavourings so that you can effectively completely mask any hint of the original taste? It’s like they’ve created a way to make people who hate coffee think that they like it by giving them something that resembles a knickerbocker glory!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>3. Frappucino</b> – Ah, the frappucino, yet another imposter on the menu and a clever strategy which now means that even people who don’t like hot drinks don’t miss out on regularly handing over their cash to the coffee chain giants. A chilled coffee, the caffè shakerato, does exist in Italy but there are no plastic glasses, straws or whipped cream in sight. And don’t even get me started again on the flavours!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>4. Mocha </b>– Another problem I have is that every coffee chain serves the drink <i>mocha </i>as an authentic Italian beverage when in fact coffee with chocolate is called a <i>Bicerin </i>and can only be found near Turin.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The word <i>moka </i>does exist in Italy but refers to the gas-heated coffee makers used by most Italian families to make their espresso at home. No chocolate involved I’m afraid.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz25wTgh0Pmo693SdPeGSEI-k_W8OyzEMxy0WkZNEu3WNp2nfAU7I03bQWndbUK_6adB-T_j4rck__0Y7G8C47WATtskT2kye2ml8HXtVNSDof44NPQXeW0qraD3yQPBZX-07MnYcehly_/s1600/IMG_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>5. The Basic coffee</b> – In spite of everything, I could probably forgive all the coffee-mutilation if chains could actually get the basics right. My biggest issue is that even a simple espresso is generally burnt and a bit like drinking dirty dishwater. Overall, Caffè Nero probably comes the closest to recreating an authentic coffee, but as my Italian friends point out, it’s the best of a bad bunch and still very hit and miss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>6. Size </b>– Another issue I have is the size of coffee chain coffees. Not only do they have three, sometimes four, size choices, it seems that no matter what you order it’s always enormous! I may be the only one here, but when I order a cappuccino in the morning I don’t want a pint of it! In Italy, the sizes are pretty standard since it's an essential part of the composition of the coffee; just as you wouldn’t put water in a caffelatte, you wouldn’t serve it in pint-sized mug either.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>7. Price</b> – It’s enough to make you choke on your iced skinny caramel latte. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the price for a coffee these days is bordering on daylight robbery. The average espresso in Italy costs around €1 (84p), so how can Costa justify charging up to £2.20?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>8. Coffee to go</b> – Another thing that really annoys me is how takeaway coffee has become an Americanised fashion accessory, a symbol that you are too ‘busy’ even to stop and have a drink. My message to these people, get out of bed 10 minutes earlier in the morning! You don’t see people on the tube with a bowl of Cheerios for goodness sake! It’s also getting worse with automatic coffee machines in supermarkets and now even coffee drive-throughs –what is the world coming to!?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>9. Pronunciation of latte</b> – Sometimes I think if I hear another person order a lar-tay I'll scream! It’s pronounced lat-tay, the Italian word for milk, so to my southerners readers please stop trying to make it sound posh, it doesn’t work! I also find it quite confusing when ordering a latte, am I ordering a caffelatte or a latte macchiato? Caffelatte is milk with less foam and more coffee, on the other hand, a latte macchiato (meaning stained milk) is milk with a lot of foam and a dash of coffee, often served in a jug on the side. Either way, whenever I order a latte in the UK I never seem to get either!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxescuH8nYZFUV04xa4pw1s1TL_lw0I7iMfipZdzOuHTvRR1gZsJCjNdbY3r2OidyAFhhuBAhxmBXKeVo32CKP2MUHxWUrhAgNyopxyRW_cCmDvjhCJudEYNUM-Qfe4nE1cwXy-X_wUgV/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxescuH8nYZFUV04xa4pw1s1TL_lw0I7iMfipZdzOuHTvRR1gZsJCjNdbY3r2OidyAFhhuBAhxmBXKeVo32CKP2MUHxWUrhAgNyopxyRW_cCmDvjhCJudEYNUM-Qfe4nE1cwXy-X_wUgV/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" height="150" width="auto" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHN0IcoV1RjY2p56U3XRYjX3VyR1mN_oBQhsEULNv_p02CVAd2LbYXonDv27O4S7P7lZBLnUQcCM_onsEV6G8uJKO763euvxHoc92ilcM3tMfTPTcWqhF3wlHiwHejhHDR6c1870EAIz1/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHN0IcoV1RjY2p56U3XRYjX3VyR1mN_oBQhsEULNv_p02CVAd2LbYXonDv27O4S7P7lZBLnUQcCM_onsEV6G8uJKO763euvxHoc92ilcM3tMfTPTcWqhF3wlHiwHejhHDR6c1870EAIz1/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" height="150" width="auto" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>10. When we drink coffee and why</b> – My final point is not so much of a criticism but more of an observation. It seems that we Brits usually drink coffee for very different reasons to Italians. For us a coffee is often accompanied by a slice of cake, comfy chairs and friends. In Italy on the other hand, after breakfast, coffee is normally just a quick fix to keep you going through the day or to aid digestion, gone in a couple of sips and usually consumed whilst still standing at the bar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But how do you like to drink your coffee? And what coffee do you like to drink? Please post your comments below and I promise I won’t judge the milky, syrup, sprinkle drinkers out there!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love making pesto. I find it’s one of those things that’s
just nowhere near as good when you buy it in the supermarket. It needs to be
made fresh and eaten quickly, preferably with a large serving of pasta or generously
spread onto some toasted bread. There’s also such a lack of choice when buying
ready-made pesto; unless you’re shopping somewhere uber-posh, there’s generally
the ‘green’ one and, if you’re lucky, the ‘red’ one and that’s about it. I have
to say that things have improved a little on the shop-bought-pesto front since
I moved to Pisa but despite trying pretty much every brand and variety going, I
still haven’t find one that comes close to beating homemade. And I suppose when
it’s so quick and easy to make, why not just make it yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I decided to put to the test just how easy it is to
make a good pesto. The first reason why making pesto is so easy is because you
can put pretty much anything you want in it. The word ‘pesto’ in Italian comes
from the verb <i>pestare</i> which roughly
translates as to ‘mash or ‘pound’ so as long as the ingredients are pretty well ground up, almost anything can qualify as a pesto. Of course the classic ‘green’ pesto, pesto
alla Genovese, is made with basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino and
olive oil, but other famous varieties include pesto alla Siciliana, pesto alla
Trapanese and pesto alla Calabrese. These recipes originate from different areas
of Italy; the Sicialiana, from Sicily, features ricotta and tomatoes, the Trapanese,
from Trapani, has added tomatoes and almonds and the Calabrese, from Calabria,
is made with roasted peppers. The problems is when you have to make a special trip to the
supermarket to buy all the ingredients for a traditional pesto recipe it all
becomes a bit of a faff and not quite so quick and easy after all. That’s why
the recipe for my <i>easy</i> pesto is a
little less specific:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1.
<!--[endif]-->Some kind(s) of nut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2.
<!--[endif]-->Some kind(s) of herb/leaf/vegetable<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3.
<!--[endif]-->Some kind(s) of cheese<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4.
<!--[endif]-->Some kind(s) of oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5.
<!--[endif]-->Common sense<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can use pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, basil, garlic,
rocket, parsley, tomatoes, peppers, parmesan, pecorino, ricotta, mascarpone,
olive oil, chilli oil, walnut oil, truffle oil….the list is endless. Of course
a little common sense does have to be applied, I’m not sure walnuts, peanuts,
coriander, iceburg lettuce, cheddar, Philadelphia and vegetable oil would make
for a successful combination, but with a bit of thought you can create
something really tasty in a matter of seconds and proudly be able to say ‘I
made it myself’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I raided my kitchen and found the below ingredients
which I decided could be pesto-able:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parmesan, pecorino romano and pecorino pugliese</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basil, tomatoes and rocket</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine nuts, almonds and walnuts</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Although tempted to go for a
walnut and rocket combination that I’d seen on a restaurant menu a few days ago,
I decided to use up some of our tomatoes and go for my take on a pesto alla Trapanese
with pine nuts, almonds, basil, tomato, garlic, parmesan and olive oil. In
terms of quantities, to serve 2, I normally go with a small handful of nuts, a
large handful of herbs, a medium handful of chopped tomato, a small clove of
garlic (unless you like it really garlic-y), a generous wedge of cheese and a
tablespoon of olive oil. Now
technically, to get an authentic pesto, you should then grind the ingredients
using a pestle and mortar but since I was going for a quick and easy version I
cheated and used a food processor. Particularly when using basil, this is not
the condoned Italian practice; I was pulled up just a few days ago by my
boyfriend’s mother for cutting rather than tearing the basil for my caprese
salad! Once the ingredients are blended to your desired texture, personally I
like my pesto quite smooth and creamy, all that’s left to do is adjust the
seasoning. Don’t worry if your pesto looks too thick, you can keep some of the
pasta water to one side at the end of cooking and add it until you get the
right consistency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In summary, I can now confirm that making homemade pesto is incredibly
easy. Preparing the ingredients, putting them in the food processor, wizzing
them up, seasoning and pouring into a bowl took me a grand total of 1 minute 58
seconds. Jamie Oliver’s 15 minute meals eat your heart out! I’m afraid I don’t
have a picture of the pasta because I was so hungry I completely forgot to take
a photo until about two thirds of the way through my lunch so I’m afraid you’ll
have to make do with just the pesto!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-81429611378596099292013-09-13T18:05:00.001+02:002013-09-13T19:33:46.101+02:00The 10 Italian Cooking Commandments...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyone who reads newspapers, Twitter or Facebook will have seen that many articles have been doing the rounds this week regarding The Academia Barilla's release of <a href="http://www.academiabarilla.com/italian-food-academy/press-release-1/italian-cooking-commandments.aspx" target="_blank">The 10 Italian Cooking Commandments</a> which are as follows:</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You shall not sip cappuccino during a meal!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Risotto and pasta are not a side dish</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You shall not add oil to pasta water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ketchup on pasta: please, don't</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spaghetti Bolognese? No way, it's tagliatelle!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chicken Pasta: not in Italy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Ceasar Salad"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The red and white checked tablecloth is only a stereotype!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Fettucine Alfedo" are popular only overseas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You shall respect tradition and what Italian mamma says</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Call me a food snob, but my first problem with this list is that it doesn't cover even half of the embarrassing Italian food faux pas that I am constantly having to explain to confused, and often horrified, Italians. I remember being mortified the first time I brought my Italian boyfriend to meet my family in the UK and my brother insisting that we go to the popular Italian chain restaurant Prezzo (which translates as price or cost in Italian). Aside from the slightly bizarre name choice, he was deeply disturbed by some of the 'Italian' dishes on the menu. Based on some of the Italian-chain restaurant horrors (they know who they are!), we decided to compile some commandments of our own which include:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One does not stuff their pizza crust. Not with cheese, and particularly not with hot dog sausages! I mean, come on people, that's just wrong!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thou shalt not put chicken, steak, salmon, pineapple, sweetcorn, jalapenos, spicy minced beef, BBQ sauce and god knows what else on a pizza!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thou shalt not use thousands of ingredients. The whole secret to Italian food is that they keep it simple so stop over-gilding the lily! Pasta with gorgonzola, chicken, pancetta, leeks, broccoli and parsley* or pizza with S<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15px;">ausage, N'duja, chillies, roquito peppers, red & yellow peppers, mozzarella, rocket, pesto, oregano and grana padano**, it's a bit much don't you think?!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is no such thing as 'Italian nachos'. Nachos are Mexican. They always have been and they always will be, no matter how much pesto you put on top.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Similarly, garlic bread is not Italian either. A baguette is french for starters! Garlic bruschetta maybe, garlic bread, no way.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The tricolore salad does not contain avocado. In fact, they don't even really use avocados in Italy as they're considered a tropical fruit. The green part of the salad is meant to be basil.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carbonara does not include, onions, mushrooms, garlic or cream. And it's made with pancetta, not bacon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pepperoni is not a type of sausage. In Italian, the word <i>peperoni </i>actually means peppers (yes, as in the vegetable).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On a similar note, restaurant staff could at least do some research into the correct pronunciation of common words such as <i>bruschetta </i>(pronounced brus-ket-ta) or <i>prosciutto </i>(pro-shoot-toe).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally, the biggest misunderstanding of all has probably got to be regarding the organization of an Italian menu. It's completely different to that of any other nation in that they have <i>antipasti </i>(bruschetta, meats, cheeses etc) then a <i>primo </i>(usually either pasta or rice) then <i>secondo </i>(fish, meat or vegetarian dish) and <i>contorni </i>(side dishes of vegetables or salad) followed by fruit, desert and, finally, coffee. I'm not saying you have to order them all but it could at least be acknowledged that they exist!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not that I'm a some crazy purist when it comes to Italian food, I love a bit of fusion cooking as much as the next person, what annoys me is that these restaurants, supermarkets and even TV chefs put the label of 'Italian' on something that is quite clearly not Italian at all! I almost have respect for places like Domino's because, although they may have taken the pizza and completely butchered it, at least they don't claim to be making 'authentic' Italian food. Just yesterday, I cooked an 'English Carbonara' for my Italian family and they loved it. My problem isn't with adapting recipes, it's with the fact that the British nation seems to have had the wool pulled over their eyes not only in terms of Italian food, but foreign cuisine in general.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Fusilli gorgonzola - Prezzo</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">** Pizza Calabrese - Pizza Express</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-85572643242726618632013-09-10T18:22:00.000+02:002013-09-27T16:25:10.512+02:00Gluten-free Baking<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My boyfriend Michele had an operation this weekend so to cheer him up I promised to make him a cake of his choice. Now, being a coeliac (I know, an Italian coeliac, how depressing!), it's always a bit of a gamble when I try and bake for Michele. My biggest dilemma is usually whether to try to adapt a normal cake recipe using gluten-free flour or whether to go for a tried and tested gluten-free version. The problem with this second option is that often the types of gluten-free flour vary enormously from recipe to recipe so gluten-free baking is never really an exact science. For this reason I was sold when I stumbled upon this <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5870/glutenfree-lemon-drizzle-cake" target="_blank">Gluten-free lemon drizzle cake</a> recipe on BBC Good Food which uses ground almonds and mashed potato instead of flour. I have to say that despite having over 100 positive reviews, I was a little sceptical about using potato as I thought it might be a little stodgy and, well, potato-ey, but I have to say I was extremely impressed with the results! I was left with a light, fluffy and extremely moist sponge with a sweet hint of lemon but nothing too over-powering. I would go as far as saying that the drizzle topping over gilded the lily really as the sponge was already perfectly sweet and moist without it. My Italian family, who normally seem a little under-enthused by British baking due to its high butter content, also seemed to enjoy my 'English cake' as they finished it all within 2 days!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So thank you Jane Hornby for posting such a great recipie that I'm sure to make and adapt again and again!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-61424304919610901792013-09-06T16:48:00.003+02:002013-09-10T18:39:34.372+02:00Tomatoes!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check out this monster of a tomato I picked from the garden today! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My boyfriend recently observed that Italians growing tomatoes is probably the equivalent of Brits growing their own potatoes. He came to this conclusion whilst my uncle was showing him around his vegetable patch in Cambridge which, like most British veg gardens, is largely dominated by potatoes and other root vegetables. "The thing is, with potatoes you can really taste the difference if they're home grown." said my uncle "With things like tomatoes, they really don't taste much different to the ones you can buy in the supermarket." I see that Michele tries to hide a smirk at this remark. He thinks it's hilarious how obsessed us Brits are with our potatoes and how many different varieties you can find in the supermarket, as opposed to Italy, where the only choice seems to be between big potatoes....or small potatoes...! But however obsessed we may be with potatoes, when it comes to tomatoes, Italians are ten times worse! And I have to say after tasting home grown, I'm not sure I can ever go back to buying the tough, pallid and scarily uniform product that in the UK we call a salad tomato.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In our garden we grow <i>pomodori marmande </i>which originate from France but are also very popular in northern Italy and can be easily identified by their ribbed exterior. They're absolutely great for using in salads, <i>capresi</i>, <i>bruschette </i>etc. because they're mainly flesh and hardly any seeds or water so you get a lot of tomato for your money and the texture is very meaty and sweet. As with most things in our garden, we have a bit of a tomato surplus at the moment so Anna has been making pan after pan of her special tomato sauce to put into jars for the winter. Here is her recipe:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anna's <i>Sugo di Pomodoro Fresco al Basilico</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1kg large tomatoes (the sweeter the tomatoes, the better the sauce!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A handful of basil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">salt</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Method:</span></b><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wash the tomatoes, cut them in half from top to bottom and remove the green part of the core.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Take a bowl and squeeze the tomato halves to remove any seeds and excess water.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place the now seed-free tomatoes into a large pan and leave to soften on a low heat for about 15 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When the tomatoes are soft, remove from the heat and pass the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the skins and create a smooth sauce. If you don't have a food mill you could also try to use a sieve but it may take a while!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once passed through the food mill the sauce can then be return to the heat to gently cook for a further 15 minutes </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally, season the sauce adding the salt, olive oil and torn basil. If your sauce is very sharp, you can also add a pinch of sugar. Stir thoroughly and remove the sauce from the heat.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Buon appetito!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Note: <i>Sugo di pomodoro fresco</i> is the most pure form of tomato sauce. You can then use this sauce to make variations by adding mince and diced vegetables to make a <i>ragu'</i>, chilli and garlic to make <i>pasta all'arrabiata </i>or aubergine, garlic and mozzarella to make <i>pasta alla norma</i>. I personally love it on its own with spaghetti and a few shavings of <i><a href="http://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cacioricotta_cheese" target="_blank">Cacioricotta</a> </i>on top<i>.</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-4013466670450665992013-09-05T15:18:00.003+02:002013-09-05T15:23:19.740+02:00Tastes of Calabria<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every summer my Italian family take a trip down to the region of Calabria ie. the toe of the boot to visit relatives and never fail to return laden down with ingredients that you simply can't find here in Tuscany, or in the rest of the world for that matter. Last year they packed the car so full of food that my boyfriend's mother had to take the train back to Pisa as we couldn't fit her in the car! I am a huge fan of Calabrian flavours and was pleasantly surprised to see that they seem to have increased in popularity lately - last time I was in the UK I noticed that even <a href="http://www.pizzaexpress.com/our-food/our-restaurant-menu/mains/" target="_blank">Pizza Express</a> now offers two Calabrian-style pizzas!</span><br />
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Today I thought I would talk you through some of my favourite Calabrian ingredients and tell you a little bit about what we do with them in our household.</span><br />
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So, the first thing I'll say is that a lot of the traditional Calabrian produce is famous for being quite hot as they tend to be quite liberal with the use of chillies, which is fine by me, but not everyone's cup of tea. For those who are a little chilli-shy, fear not, there are also plenty of equally tasty ingredients that have less of a kick.</span><br />
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Starting off with the spicy options, the Calabrian staple ingredient has got to be the <i>Salsiccia Piccante,</i> literally, Spicy Sausage. A lot like Chorizo in both appearance and concept, the salsiccia piccante has a less smokey and more peppery, perfumed taste thanks to the use of the Calabrian <i>pepperoncino </i>and fennel seeds. The quality of sausage can differ greatly so unless you're buying it directly from Calabria it's best to check that the packet has the D.O.P label to ensure that you're getting something authentic. The best <i>Salsiccia Piccante</i> I've ever tasted was some homemade by my boyfriend's aunt that she hangs up to dry in her loft in Calabria, but failing that, anything D.O.P. approved should be decent. You can also find <i>Salsiccia Dolce</i> which is the same as the piccante but without the kick. The sausages can vary hugely in texture depending on when they've been made - I would recommend an older, harder sausage for just eating sliced on its own but a newer, softer one for cooking as you tend to get better results. Most of the time we eat the sausage on its own as an antipasto but it's also great on top of pizza, thrown in a tomato sauce or fried off with some potatoes.</span><br />
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The next ingredient on my list is the<i> 'nduja</i> (pronounced un-doo-ya) which is possibly the most successful ingredient to make it out of Calabria. For those of you who haven't tried it,<i> 'nduja</i> is essentially a spicy sausage paste which, on first glace, doesn't look so appealing but tastes wonderful. Again, there is a lot of variation in the types that you can find - some hotter, some milder, some thicker, some really quite runny. The ones that you find in the Calabrian delis tend to be thick and spicy but, again, a good tip is to go for something D.O.P. We eat ours simply stirred into pasta with some <i>stracchino </i>cheese or spread onto crostini for a tasty antipasto.</span><br />
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Ending the spicy line up we have the <i>pepperoncino </i>flakes themselves which form the base of many calabrian dishes as well as being a key ingredient in cured meats. Calabrian pepperoncino is in fact available in both piccante and dolce varieties meaning that those who love the deep peppery flavour of chilli but don't like the heat needn't miss out. These wonderful little chilli flakes are a welcome addition to any tomato based sauce that needs livening up as well as being used in dishes such as <i>orechiette con cima di rapa, </i>a fresh pasta dish with turnip tops. Being from Calabria, my boyfriend's father sprinkles them on pretty much everything!</span><br />
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Moving on to something a little less spicy, one of my favorites has got to be S<i>oppressata dolce, </i>a dry, cured meat similar to <i>salsiccia</i>. <i>Soppressata</i>, also known as <i>Suppizzata</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"><i> </i>in Calabrian dialect, is a wider, drier salame which slices into oblong shapes and often contains whole peppercorns. Like the salsiccia it is available both in piccante and dolce varieties but tends not to have the fiery red colour of the spicy sausage. Due to its very dry consistency, <i>Soppressata </i>is not normally used for cooking with but is simply eaten as an antipasto or as a snack to accompany an <i>aperitivo</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">Finally, I wanted to talk about cheese. Calabria produces many fantastic cheeses such as <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caciocavallo_Silano" target="_blank">Caciocavallo Silano</a><i> </i>and <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprino_della_Limina" target="_blank">Caprino della Limina</a>, however ,my favourite has got to be the <i>Burrino Calabrese, </i>a mild, cylindrical cheese with a salty butter centre. Again, this beautifully rich and creamy cheese is best enjoyed as an antipasto or snack on some fresh crusty bread or even on its own. Sadly, this summer our <i>Burrino </i>didn't fare so well since the buttery centre melted during the 10 hour drive back to Pisa so<i> </i>we've ended up with a ghee-like filling in our cheese! A non-melted version should look something like this:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-34675854914952186072013-09-04T17:01:00.002+02:002013-09-05T12:20:20.866+02:00Figs Galore!It's that time of year again...as the summer comes to an end and our fig tree is so laden down that the branches are dragging on the floor, we have begun the yearly ritual of collecting the figs to dry out in the sun. Now for those living in less sunny climates, I can see that it may seem like sacrilege to put fresh figs (priced at £2.99 for 4 in Waitrose!) out to dry but, believe me, we have so many we don't know what to do with them! This week we have eaten fresh figs, stuffed figs, baked figs, figs in wine, figs wrapped in ham, fig jam - you name it, we've eaten it! My Italian family tell me the problem is that as soon as it rains, the figs lose their sweetness and become watery and since the fantastic weather we've been having is forecast to change next week we need to get all the figs out to dry for as long as possible.<br />
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I also think there is something quite nice about drying fruit, it means that at Christmas time you still have a souvenir from the summer, something to keep you going through the winter. Anna and Giovanni prefer to dry their figs whole, although there are some who believe it is better to cut them in half. We usually stuff ours with almonds which I think really transforms them from just some uninspiring dried fruit to a real winter treat.<br />
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Here is Anna's method:</div>
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First of all, it is very important to have a good sort through the figs and try to identify any which have been inhabited by bugs - not always the easiest of tasks but well worth taking your time over in order to avoid a nasty surprise on Christmas day! Anna likes to get ours started by drying them for as long as possible in the sun but then finishes them off by cutting them in half, putting a whole almond inside and drying them in the oven for a good few hours at around 20C. It is also possible to put them straight in the oven without the sun drying but they will need about 12 hours to be fully dried. Be careful that your figs do not begin to cook. If they look like they're going that way, open your oven door and turn the heat down. Anna then lets the figs cool and stores them away for Christmas. Some more cautious cooks prefer to freeze the figs after baking in order to ensure that any bugs which slipped through the net are killed but Anna prefers to live on the wild side and take the risk!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-90968540207562934762013-09-02T18:07:00.001+02:002013-09-03T14:33:49.300+02:00Seafood Paella<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My boyfriend Michele and I recently got back from a holiday travelling around southern Spain. The original plan was just to visit my parents who have a house near Malaga, however, since there were no direct flights from Pisa airport, we decided to stop off in Valencia on the way to sample the famous <i>Paella Valenciana</i>. Being allergic to seafood, sadly I have always foregone the family ritual of gorging on paella whilst on holiday so I was beside myself with excitement when I read that the Valencian paella is in fact seafood free! There are a few variations on the recipe but the classic main ingredients are chicken, rabbit and beans - either butter beans, great northern beans (similar to cannellini) or runner beans. Other variations include the addition of snails, favored in the past by poorer families, duck and artichokes, which are often used in winter to replace the runner beans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After doing some extensive research on where to eat our first authentic Valencian paella, we opted for a little restaurant in the old town called <a href="http://www.bodegodelasarieta.com/" target="_blank">Bodegó de la Sarieta</a>. I ordered the traditional Valencian paella which came with chicken and rabbit on the bone and butter and runner beans, whilst Michele ordered a classic seafood paella. I have to say, I was very impressed with all aspects of the dish; the fact that we were warned in advance that the paella was cooked from scratch so there was a half an hour wait, the moistness of the rabbit which is so easy to overcook, the great depth of flavour and the salty 'crust' on the bottom of the pan, called the <i>socarrat</i>, which indicates a top notch, smokey flavoured paella.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Michele and the paellas!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I arrived in Malaga some days later I was telling my Spanish neighbour, Clotty, about my fantastic dining experience in Valencia and she offered to show me how she made her legendary seafood paella, and the secret to getting that perfect <i>socarrat </i>on the bottom. She was entertaining for a family birthday so the quantities were a little more than I would ever normally need but here is the scaled-down recipe!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>RECIPE</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Clotty's Seafood Paella</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before starting Clotty advises me that the key to a good paella is to resist the temptation to stir! She explains that unlike a risotto, the idea isn't to make a creamy stock with the rice but rather to allow the stock to be absorbed. She also suggests to keep turning the pan around every so often to ensure that the rice is cooked evenly and there are no burnt bits.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Serves 6</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5 tbsp olive oil</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 garlic cloves, finely chopped</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 large spanish onions, finely chopped</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 peppers, (Clotty used one red and one green) chopped into 1cm pieces</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">2 tsp pimentón picante</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">400g fresh squid, dried with kitchen paper, seasoned and cut into 3cm pieces</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">200g large peeled prawns (uncooked)</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">400g small clams, washed</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">600g short-grain paella rice, such as Calasparra</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">1 generous pinch of saffron strands</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">1.5 litres fish stock (Clotty made hers from scratch a couple of days before)</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">250g mussels, cleaned</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">6 cooked langoustines</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">Salt</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><b>Preparation</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place a medium sized, well oiled, paella pan over a large burner (if cooking at home, use 2 regular burners) on a medium heat. Add the oil and garlic, shortly followed by the onion and fry until soft. Next add the peppers and pimentón, and fry for about another 5 minutes until the peppers start to go soft. Add the squid and stir-fry about 3 minutes or until it turns white.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Scatter the clams and prawns into the pan and add the rice and saffron. Give everything a good stir then add the stock and some salt (depending on the saltiness of the stock). Bring the paella to the boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, leave on a strong simmer for around 5 minutes without stirring. Remember to turn the pan every few minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. Then lower the gas to medium, place the mussels and langoustines over the rice, pushing them down slightly. Cook for another 15 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed, still without stirring.<br /><br />Turn off the heat and cover the pan with a clean tea towel then leave to rest for a few minutes before serving. Buen Provecho!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Legendary paella</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-61674728988188368712013-09-02T15:46:00.001+02:002013-09-02T18:14:49.270+02:00Duck all'arancia<h3 style="font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.625px;">The Florentine origins of a French classic</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those who don't take an interest in hunting, it is easy to forget that the transition from autumn to winter also marks the hunting season and the delicious promise of <em>la caccia</em>. Although not always readily available in supermarkets, most good Florentine butchers stock a variety of fresh local game from October to December.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are several ways to prepare wild game, but the dish that usually comes to mind before many others is perhaps the world-famous French classic <em>canard à l'orange</em> (duck with orange). But just how traditionally French is this dish? It most likely has origins in Florence. Originally known as <em>papero alla melarancia</em>, it was invented in the Middle Ages, when it became popular in noble kitchens to use citrus fruits as a way to preserve meat. It was in this era that the powerful Medici family subsequently ordered the construction of <em>limonaie</em> (orangeries) in many of their villas, where they mainly cultivated lemons and oranges in large terracotta pots. Even today, these <em>limonaie</em> are important features of most Medici villas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>Papero alla melarancia</em> was exported to France in 1529, when the 14-year-old Caterina de' Medici, daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici, ruler of Florence, married the future king of France, Henry II. Forty chefs from Siena and Florence accompanied her to Paris, bringing some of their best recipes, many of which were later claimed by the French. Among these are <em>crespelle </em>(crepes; see TF 146), <em>balsamella</em> (béchamel sauce), <em>carabaccia</em> (onion soup; see TF 141) and, of course, <em>papero alla melarancia</em>, soon renamed<em>canard à l'orange.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Along with her cooks and their recipes, Caterina de' Medici is also reported to have imported to France the fork (see TF 161), porcelain dishes, Venetian glassware, the Italian banking system, theatrical comedy and ballet, as well as the expectation that ladies would be present at dinner (previously they had been excluded, except for special occasions).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While Italians fiercely defend the theory that <em>canard à l'orange</em> originated in Florence, other nations, including France, have also claimed to be the source. In <em>The Oxford Companion to Italian Food</em>, Gillian Riley says that French recipes for duck with orange sauce existed as far back as the fourteenth century. However, the majority of food historians credit Caterina de' Medici, a veritable culinary trendsetter who brought more to France than any other noble, for this dish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whether fact or fiction, the possibility of the Florentine origin of duck <em>à l'orange</em> will add a touch of historical spice to this perfect winter warmer. Succulent, rich duck meat combined with the warming, aromatic spice of orange truly makes a delicious alternative to the everyday roast. With high levels of protein, B vitamins and minerals such as zinc, potassium, magnesium and iron, duck meat is very nutritious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some cooks avoid duck <em>à l'orange</em>, deterred by its reputation as a complex dish. Here, however, I offer a no-fuss but equally delicious version, <em>arrosto di anatra all'arancia</em>, in tribute to its simple Florentine origins.<strong></strong></span><br />
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<b>RECIPE</b></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arrosto di anatra all'arancia</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(serves 4 as a <em>piatto unico</em> or 6 as a <em>secondo</em>)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 duck (1.5-2 kilos)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 oranges</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">zest of 1 orange</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 onion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 stalk celery</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 carrot</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">200 ml chicken stock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">juice of 2 oranges</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1-2 tsp brown sugar</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Preparation</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have not bought the duck already cleaned, clean it well, cutting off any excess fat and removing the giblets. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Cut one of the oranges and the onion into quarters and stuff them inside the cavity. Dice the carrot and celery and place in the bottom of a roasting pan. Cut the other orange into slices and add to the bed of carrot and celery. Place the duck on top so that it covers all of the vegetables and orange slices. Prick the duck all over with a skewer and season generously with salt and pepper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place it in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and continue to roast the duck for another hour and 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat with its juices. Remove from the oven, cover and leave to rest on a large board while you make the sauce.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strain excess fat from the roasting pan and remove the orange slices, carrots and celery with a slotted spoon. Adding a splash of chicken stock, place the roasting pan over medium heat, scraping off any residue from the sides and base of the pan. Add the remaining stock, the zest of 1 orange and the juice of both of the remaining 2 oranges, and 1-2 teaspoons of brown sugar (according to taste). Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced a little. Add the brandy, taste and season as required.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To serve, decorate the duck with singed orange slices, and carve into quarters at the table, adding the orange sauce. Serve along with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12818970777056538510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806543077813193638.post-70910810313744140972012-09-02T17:58:00.000+02:002013-09-12T16:31:17.128+02:00A Family Introduction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's been almost two weeks since I made the move to the sunnier climates of Tuscany and today it occurred to me that it would truly be a crime not to document, and indeed share, all that I have experienced in recent days and what is still yet to come. I have had the unbelievably good fortune of finding myself totally immersed in authentic, Italian family life; a life which, for this family, mainly revolves around a small vegetable garden, a well broken-in gas stove and a polished, wooden table on the far side of the kitchen. I feel as though I have died and gone to foodie heaven. And this is what it looks like...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />My boyfriend Michele (pronounced Mee-kay-lay) and his brother Antonio crowd around the kitchen counter top, obscuring my view of whatever has grabbed their attention. The intermittent blowing and 'mmmh' sounds coming from their direction and the delicious smell of fried breadcrumbs tells me that Anna has cooked up another batch of her awe-inspiring <i>arancini </i>- balls of rice, coated in breadcrumbs and fried. Anna, Michele's mother, stands at the stove, frying off yet another batch of today's <i>antipasto</i>. She turns to greet me and tells me to dive in whilst they're still '<i>belli caldi</i>' (nice and hot) rather than waiting to eat them at the table. I wrestle in between the two brothers who seem more like a couple of kids in a sweet shop than two grown men in their mother's kitchen. I pick up a beautifully golden <i>arancino </i>between my fingers which has the appearance of a large scotch egg. I blow on it for a few seconds then take a large bite through the crispy golden coating to reveal a center of delicious tomato-ey rice stuffed with oozy mozzarella which stretches out into a long string as I attempt to bite through it. Anna explains that, traditionally, the rice in the <i>arancini </i>is flavored with saffron and is usually stuffed with <i><span style="line-height: 18.18181800842285px;">ragù </span></i>and peas but today she has adapted the recipe in order to use up ingredients in the fridge. As we continue to gorge on the plate of crispy treats, Michele's father, Giovanni, appears from the garden carrying a large bowl of freshly picked figs and a handful of tomatoes boasting in thick Calabrian dialect about the abundance of today's pickings. Eventually Anna announces '<i>É pronto eh!</i>' (its ready) and we eagerly sit at the table and await the wonders that are to follow...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Arancini di riso al pomodoro e mozzarella</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serves 4-6</span><br />
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<b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">500g left-over risotto rice</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">75g parmesan cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 ball of mozzarella cut into 2cm cubes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flour</span><br />
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<b>Preparation</b></span><br />
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<b>1. </b>In a large bowl mix together the cold risotto rice, parmesan cheese and 2 egg yolks. Then gradually add the fresh tomato sauce until the rice is well coated but still firm enough to shape with your hands.</span><br />
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<b>2. </b>Take a small handful of the mixture, flattening it in the palm of your hand and place a cube of mozzarella in the centre. Close your hand, enclosing the mozzarella in the rice and roll it between your palms until it forms a firm, ball-like shape. Repeat until you have used up all the rice and mozzarella. (Note: it helps if you dampen your hands with water before trying to mould the rice.)</span><br />
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<b>3.</b> Half-fill a medium saucepan with oil and place over a medium heat until the oil is at the correct temperature for frying. (You can test this by dropping a few breadcrumbs into the pan. When the oil bubbles around the crumbs it is ready for frying.) In the meantime set up 3 bowls to coat the rice balls, one with flour, one with well seasoned eggs and one with breadcrumbs. Taking one rice ball at a time, roll in flour, egg wash and finally breadcrumbs. Repeat the process for the rest of the rice balls. (Note: use one hand for the flour and breadcrumbs and the other for the eggs.)</span><br />
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<b>4. </b>Fry the breaded arancini in small batches for around 4 minutes or until they are golden brown. Eat them while they're still <i>belli caldi!</i></span><br />
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Variation:</b> Be inventive! Add different cheeses, vegetables and meats to the centre of the arancini, whatever you have in your fridge! <i>Prosciutto cotto</i> is a very popular addition for meat lovers.</span><br />
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