Sicilian pesto (Pesto alla siciliana).

As promised I'm here with a recipe.

This is a pesto recipe: I've already posted the genovese one, now it's time for "pesto alla siciliana"!

It's a lovely and tasty recipe, very quick and good for the summer season, you just need good cherry tomatoes and fresh ricotta cheese.

As often happens there are many version of this recipe: some don't include ricotta cheese, some use almonds instead of pine kernels son don't be surprised if you find the same recipe around with different ingredients.

4 servings:

1 garlic clove

a bunch of fresh basil

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup pine kernels

2/3 cup fresh ricotta cheese (cow or goat)

2 cups cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Open tomatoes in half and squeeze them to remove juice and seeds, put them into the mixer cup.

Add washed and dried basil leaves, pine kernels, oil, the garlic clove, Parmesan, ricotta cheese and oil.

Close the blender lid and mix for a while: you can choose pesto's thickness, if you like it creamy mix a little bit longer, if you prefer to taste pieces mix just few seconds.

Taste it and add salt and pepper, you can preserve it into a glass holder for about two days in refrigerator.

Cook the pasta you prefer, drain it and save a little cooking water, mix pasta with pesto and add water as needed to whisk well.

Easter surprise, I'm back!

Lorenzo is almost one year old, this year has been full of wonderful moments and it has been really really hard sometime.

Now I'm starting to breathe once again, breastfeeding is at the end and I have some moments to write down something on this blog.

I received mails and comments, often very nice ones and they helped me deciding to come back.

I'm thinking about the recipe to post, I'll be back soon!

Welcome Lorenzo!

On 29th May 2010 my little boy Lorenzo came to this world.

The hard final months of pregnancy and a predate childbirth are the main causes for my absence.

I don't really know when I' ll be able to write again because, you can figure, I have so much to manage with this new and deep experience.

I don't want to close this blog, I'm sure I'll be back one day, ready to write more and more recipes.

Feel free to leave your comments or suggestions, I'll read them for sure!

Take care!

Claudia

Bacon candies (Caramelle al bacon).

I'm back for a while with a giant belly and a nice recipe I still didn't share with you.

It's an appetizer or an idea for a party, they're easy to prepare and really loved by children.

You need very simple ingredients and alluminium foil:

for about 20 candies you need:

a pack of sandwich bread (the white one, rectangular shaped)

bacon or italian pancetta

white creamy cheese like philadelphia

Spread cheese on the first bread slice, top it with another slice and spread cheese again, do the same untill last slice.

Now chop the bread tower with a long knife and make squares, mouth-sized.

Roll on each square a slice of bacon then close it into an alluminium foil giving the shape of a candy.

Do the same with all the squares then put in oven for about 15 min. at medium heat.

Serve hot or warm, they're fantastic!

Beer crostini ( Crostini alla birra).

A quick recipe for a dinner with friends.

Beer- related to celebrate St. Patrick's day!

For 4 serves:

8 slices of stale- tuscan bread

3 1/2 oz. butter (non salted)

7 oz. cheese ( fontina or any other cheese that melt well)

1/2 cup beer

a sprinkle of black pepper

Toast bread in the oven then spread butter on the slices.

In a pan "bain-marie" let melt cheese chopped in cubes with beer mixing consistently.

Spread melted cheese on bread and add a sprinkle of black pepper then bake for 5-10 minutes at 345° F.

Have a nice time with this recipe!

Today is time for a first course recipe.
It's quick, really savoury and saffron gives that chic touch that's never out of place.

This recipe is for 4 serves:

1 pound pasta ( short and big shape like rigatoni, fusilli, farfalle...)

8 oz. fresh sausage

1 bag saffron powder

1/2 cup fresh milk cream

salt and pepper

1 small onion chopped in tiny pieces

1 glass white dry wine

In a large saucepan fry lightly onion chops with a little oil then broke inside the pan the sausage in grains.
Let it cook and add the wine.
Meanwhile cook pasta "al dente".
When sausage is well cooked add milk cream and low the fire.
Let it simmer for few minutes and then add saffron: mix untill the sauce is evenly yellow.
Add salt and/or pepper if needed.
Drain pasta and pour into the saucepan.
Mix with the sauce on fire for a couple of minutes then serve.

Here we start to feel spring in the air, this dish is a sort of last cooking goodbye to winter and I'm quite happy because, even if I love cold and snow, this year we had too much of both.

Two-coloured ring-shaped cake ( Ciambellone bicolore).

A nice recipe for morning breakfast or afternoon snack or...Well, whatever! LOL

I love it because I used to eat it when I was a child, my mum still often prepare it because it's quick, fast and have the smell of something made with love.

You need:

8 1/2 oz. all purpose flour

8 1/2 oz. sugar

3 eggs

4 1/2 oz. milk

4 1/2 oz. extra-virgin olive oil ( delicate taste)

1 bag baking powder

2 spoons cocoa powder

pearl sugar

Beat eggs with sugar untill smooth, add milk and oil and mix.

Add flour with baking powder and blend in.

Grease a ring- shaped cake pan and pour half of the mixture in it.

Into the half still in the bowl add cocoa and mix untill blended.

Pour gently over the first half and sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Put in preheated oven for about 40 minutes at 345 F°.

Oh now I'm starving to death for it, tomorrow I'll do a ciambellone! ^^