No-knead bread (Pane senza impastare)

I didn't do it still, I discovered this recipe just yesterday evening but it seems great.

The recipe isn't Italian but from the photos I've seen this bread is ok to make great bruschette or croutons so why don't share this recipe with you?

It's long because of raising but it's also so easy!

You need:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.

Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees.

Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.

Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K.

Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.

Cool on a rack.

P.S. The recipe is the original from New York Times, here it's the link to how-to-do video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

Chiken baked into the salt (Pollo al sale)

First of all I have to say this is, more than a recipe, a way of cooking.

It's very tasty and very healthy because it doesn't need any kind of fat.

You can cook this way also fish like salmon or trouts, turkey or other kind of white meat in quite big pieces.

You need:

a whole chicken, cleaned inside

cooking salt about 8 pounds (it depends on how big is the chicken)

1 lemon well washed, preferably organic

rosemary

pepper

garlic

Put the lemon into the chicken, cover it and fill it with some rosemary and ground some pepper on the meat.

Put into a capacious pan a layer of cooking salt, put in the chicken then cover it with the rest of salt untill the meat is well sealed.

Put in the oven at high temperature, about 500°F for 1 hour and 15', then let it rest 30 minutes out of the oven.

Crush the salt crust with a knife handle or something hard then keep off the salt and serve chicken.

It will be tender and juicy because nothing was evaporated douring the cooking.

Of course the cooking time depends on the weight of the piece you're going to cook: pay attention!^^

Cuttle fish and potadoes in red (Seppia con patate in rosso)

Great fish dish, not too expensive and good for children or elders because it's quite soft (if cuttle fish are cooked well).

You can use also squids, they're bigger, maybe a little less tasty but (here at least) even less expensive.

For 3-4 serves:

18 oz. little cuttle fishes

18 oz. podadoes

7 oz. peeled tomatoes

1 garlic clove

extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 glass of white wine

cooking salt

pepper (if you like)

black olives chopped (if you like)

chopped fresh parsley or thyme

Wash and clean cuttle fishes, cut it in tiny stripes.

Peel potadoes and chop them in pieces (not too big).

In a saucepan pour oil and add garlic, stirfry it for few minutes then add peeled tomatoes and their sauce.

Cook for about 5 minutes, add potadoes, cooking salt ( be carefull, not too much!) and let it cook for about other 10 minutes then add wine and let evaporate.

Now add cuttle fishes and thyme or parsely and cook again for about 20 minutes: it should be enough but it depends on how big are cuttle fishes so check them if they're still hard.

Four cheeses pasta ( Pasta ai quattro formaggi)

Here we are, still sad but strong and hopefully.

Today a quick recipe, in poor words a tasty way to season pasta.

Gorgonzola cheese is quite savoury, if you don't like you can omitt it and use double parmesan or another cheese you like.

For 4 serves:

1 pound pasta (dried one: fusilli, maccheroni, penne or any kind of short shape)

1/3 cup grated parmesan

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

3 oz. gorgonzola cheese in crumbles

4 oz. fontina cheese in crumbles

3 oz. mascarpone cheese

black pepper if you like

Cook pasta the usual way untill it's al dente.

Meanwhile in a large saucepan heat butter and heavy cream on low heat.

Add cheeses and stir untill they're completely melted, then add pepper.

Drain pasta, pour it into the saucepan, stir and cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes, put in dishes and serve hot.

This sauce is great to season potado gnocchi too.

SILENCE

I usually write only about food and cooking on this blog but sometimes there are things that can't be ignorated or untold.
In the middle of the past night a devastating hearquake hit a part of Central Italy, the Region of Abruzzo, the city of L'Aquila and its surroundings.
Too many people died, too many are still under rubbles: alive or not is hard to say.
In this scene of disaster solidarity from all the country comes to help: in the morning was asked for blood donating, in the afternoon the minister appeal to stop because was donated more blood than the hospitals in the whole region can stock.
At 6 o.c. in the morning the local rugby team was rescuing elders from a retirement home carrying them on their backs out of the house.
Everyone who can is helping now, I think of my friends there, they're ok but have so many relatives and friends without a home.
It's so painful.
No recipes today, you can understand.

Rice crispies and Mars cake ( Torta al riso soffiato e Mars)

I suppose you well know what a Mars snack is.

To tell you the truth I can't find it tasty even if I'm fond of mou cream.

This cake is something that, according to me, only children can love...

But for their parties it's so useful because it's quick and can be stored for a long time, it doesn't need spoons, plates or forks and it's totally junk :P

You need:

6 mars snacks

8 1/2 oz. rice crispies (white or chocolate ones)

3 1/2 butter

Divide mars in little pieces, put in a pan with butter and let it melt "bagnomaria".

When butter and melted mars will be well amalgamated add rice crispies and mix, keeping on low heat always "bagnomaria".

Take a baking tin (better if it's one with border that can be opened), pour the mix and press well with a spoon or even hands.

Let it get cold at room temperature, before serving take it out of the tin and cut with a long knife in slices or squares or brills.

If you want to decor the cake put on the bottom of the cake tin coloured chocolate coriandoli then pour the mixture: they will remain sticked to the cake.

P.S. : I rember this recipe from my childhood, especially in birthday parties but I never did it personally.

On the web the measures vary a lot so try this one than seems to me a good proportion then adjust the recipe following your taste (more mars, less butter or whatever).