Milk liquor.

This is a liquor made in the South of italy, in a very small and not well-known abroad region called Molise.

You can drink it, I made and tried it but, according to me, it gives its best into cakes and cookies and sweets in general.

It's not difficult to believe, it's made of milk, lemon and vanilla so it gives your sweet a great flavour!

17 oz. whole milk

17 oz. pure liquor alcool

18 oz. granulated sugar

1/2 organic lemon

1 vanilla pod

In a big bottle or airtight container pour all the ingredients (open the vanilla pod and scratch the seeds).

Keep it for 15 days or more (even a month) in a dark place, shake it now and then.

Filter with a very fine sifter and pour in a bottle.

You will see the liquor stratified: the lighter part on the top, the cream on the bottom: it's ok, just shake before use.

Soon I'll post a recipe for cupcakes made with this liquor, honoring the region of Molise as I did with Sicily: stay tuned! 

Orecchiette with anchovies and sun dried sweet peppers.

Few months ago I received a great present from a close friend who lives in Basilicata (deep South of Italy).

I received a lot of dried local pasta like orecchiette and cavatelli, wild boar salami, local cheese and much more.

I received also a big packet of sun dried sweet peppers which are typical of Basilicata.

I still have some of them and I used those peppers in a quick but very tasty recipe combined with some orecchiette left.

If you can't find orecchiette you can use spaghetti, penne, maccheroni of any kind. :)

2 servings:

3 medium sun dried sweet peppers 

2 anchovies in oil

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

2 cups orecchiette (or the serving size you like of the pasta you have)

Let orecchiette boil in a big pot of salted water, if they're dried they should boil for 14-16 minutes (taste them).

In a pan heat extra-virgin olive oil, add chopped peppers (without seeds) and garlic and stir frying for a couple of minutes then add anchovies and let them "melt" with peppers.

Remove the garlic, add the tomato sauce and stir well.

Cook for 2-3 minutes more then use a blender and reduce the sauce to cream.

Season your pasta hot with this sauce and eat immediately, it's sooo tasty!

Creamy onions bucatini.

This recipe is easy, tasty and suitable for vegetarians or vegans (just avoid bacon, use extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter).
It's also really quick and you can prepare the sauce while the water is boiling and bucatini cook.
For 6 serves:

21 oz. bucatini

3 big blonde/ white onions

1/2 cup butter or extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups (more or less) water

a small pinch of baking soda

2 cups grated Parmesan (or Pecorino cheese if you prefer)

1 cup diced bacon if you like

Put the water pot on fire, meanwhile slice onions very thin, put them in a pan with the grease of your choice on low fire.
Add the pinch of baking soda, stir well and add water enough to let the onions simmer.
Keep the fire low, onions must melt, not get brown.
You must end up with a sort of onion cream.
In another skillet you can crisp bacon cubes then you can add them to onions and mix: taste and if necessary add salt (and pepper if you like).
Drain your bucatini, save half a cup of cooking water, add it to onions after you poured in bucatini.
Add grated Parmesan and mix well and quickly on fire for a couple of minutes.
Serve this dish hot.
Have a nice meal!! :)

Sicilian cupcakes.

I'm up to something on my Italian site: a "cupcakes project".

It's sort of challenge (with myself and contribution from friends and fans) to create twenty different cupcakes, each one to match one of the Regions of Italy for ingredients and traditions.

Probably you can't name many of these Regions, I can recall some of them to your memory: Tuscany, Lombardy, Liguria and Sicily are the most famous among foreigners I think.

I don't want to post all the cupcakes I'm going to make because it will be difficult for you to find all the ingredients but I made Sicilian ones thinking of Sicilian cannoli which are quite famous worldwide then I thought you would like to try them.

With this recipe you'll have 8 cupcakes.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 tbs Marsala wine (if you like)

1 egg

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 ts baking powder

1/3 cup melted butter

1 pinch of salt

3 tbs candied orange

milk as needed to make the dough creamy

Frosting:

1+1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1/3 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

8 candied cherries

Finely chop the candied orange, mix all the dry ingredients then add egg, butter, Marsala and milk enough to make the dough creamy.

Fill the muffin pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 F°.

Beat ricotta cheese with sugar with an elettric mixer untill fluffy then add chocolate chips and mix with a spoon.

If you want to use a sac-a-poche to spread the icing be sure to use a tip large enough to let the chocolate pass.

Yes I did the mistake if you're asking...

I had to cut the sac-a-poche and I had to use it without tip (you can see it from the photo...)

Add a candied cherry on top to decorate.

Condensed milk cake.

I found this recipe HERE, it's easy and really quick, I've just added a step beating whites untill firm.
It's good for breakfast or tea time, you can try it with different kind of flours like chestnut flour or buckwheat to find new tastes and consistences.

1 can condensed and  sweetened milk (400 gm)

4 Eggs

1 cup Flour 

1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder

1/2 cup melted Butter + some to grease the pan

Brush the cake pan with butter, mix all the ingredients in a bowl except egg whites: you have to whip them untill firm then mix them with the rest of the dough.
Pour in the cake pan then bake in preheated oven ( 175 F°) for about 30-40 minutes.
You can fill it with marmelade, jam or chocolate cream.

Artusi's stew.

This is a revisited  recipe from Pellegrino Artusi's main opera " La Scienza in cucina e l'Arte di mangiar bene", 1891 ( " Kitchen science and the art of good eating"). Artusi has been the first to try to write down and classify the Italian cooking tradition, he was born and raised in Forlimpopoli, not far from Rimini and Bologna, where I live and his contribution is still very cherished.

If you want to know more about Artusi you can click HERE to learn more (in English or French) about him, about the Artusi foundation, Artusi's feast and prizes.

This recipe comes from the recipe number 300 of the book quoted, I did it for the New Year's eve and we enjoyed a lot with oven-baked potatoes.

Serves 4.

21 oz. beef (Shoulder clod or any stew cut)

1 onion

1 branch of celery

1 carrot

1/2 cup white vinegar 

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 gal. vegetable broth (made with 1/2 onion, 1 carrot, 1 courgette, 1 celery branch, 1 bayleaf)

10.5 oz. fresh milk cream

salt and pepper

Dice the vegetables and put them in a pot with oil, let them golden and blend with vinegar then add the meat salted and sprinkled with pepper.

Let the meat colour on each side then add some broth and milk cream, cover with a lid then let it simmer for a couple of hours.

If needed add some broth.

When the meat is ready take it off the pan and whisk the sauce untill smooth.

Slice the beef and serve hot with the sauce on.

Spiced white hot chocolate.



Yes I've decided to indulge in one more seasonal treat...Hot chocolate.

It's delicious in every shape and flavour but the version I created to appraise a wonderful saffron from Sardinia called San Gavino have that special flair that make you say "let's do this again".

My hubby doesn't like saffron very much, he usually can just stand it into a risotto alla milanese but I swear he drank two cups of this chocolate and asked for more.

 

For 2 plenty servings:

 

1 cup white chocolate chips

 

1  cup heavy cream

 

4 cups half-and-half

 

1 bag saffron powder

 

a big pinch of ground ginger

 

few saffron pistils to decorate if you have

 

In saucepan over low heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream.

Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted.

Stir in the half-and-half and stir until thick then add the saffron powder and mix very well.

Pour into cups, sprinkle a pinch of ground ginger on top (as much as you like) and few saffron pistils to decorate.

Serve with dark chocolate cookies and enjoy you holidays!