Puccini's Choccolates

The restaurants in the Province of Lucca rediscover the beloved dishes of the Maestro and create new ones.
«God created several beauties and different wines. I want to taste God’s work as much as I can». Scarpia [Tosca]
“Dio creò diverse beltà e vini diversi. Io vo’ gustare quanto più posso dell’opra divina”, sang Scarpia in “Tosca” (God created several beauties and different wines. I want to taste God’s work as much as I can). In the Italian framework of librettos, food is often regarded as paradigm for measuring the social value of characters. And this happens with Puccini’s operas, too, in which the acts of eating and food do not just play a narrative role but often assume metaphoric values and express the life philosophy of protagonists. The recipes named after the composer from Lucca were a lot, maybe because he also willingly abandoned himself to the pleasures of banquets. On the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the composer’s birth, the restaurants in the Province of Lucca rediscover the beloved dishes of the Maestro and create new ones, inspired by early twentieth century atmospheres, but above all, by the most typical tastes of the products of his land.

PUCCINI’S CHOCOLATES
Aurelio Barattini, owner of the “Antica Locanda” of Sesto, proposes rum chocolates. But for the time being, the recipe is secret.

By Apt Lucca

Porchetta.. The Queen of StreetFood

 

Porchetta is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. The body of the pig is gutted, deboned, arranged carefully with layers of stuffing, meat, fat, and skin, then rolled, spitted, and roasted, traditionally over wood. Porchetta is usually heavily salted in addition to being stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel, or other herbs, often wild.Across Italy porchetta is usually sold by pitchmen with their typically white-painted vans, especially during public displays or holidays, and it can be served in a panino. It is also eaten as a meat dish in many households or as part of a picnic. (WP)

Grandma's Cake (Torta della Nonna)

Hello everyone !
First of all i'm sorry for this long inactivity but in the last few months i was dedicating all of myself to my most important recipe ever......my child to come Filippo, he will join my team in november ! I want to thank you my love Fabiana for this surprise. I love you !!!!!
I cannot post the ingredients and the method for this recipe though...but i assume that most of you will know :-)

Anyway, for you to forgive me here's a cake that my grandmother usually do and i assure you that's delicious !

Ingredients for the dough :

100g Butter
100g Sugar
2 Eggs
250g 00 Flour

Ingredients for the custard :

1 Whole egg and 6 yolks
120g Sugar
250g Flour
Half a litre of milk
Skin of a lemon


Method :

Mix the egg and the softened butter until you get a cream,then add the sugar and the flour,form a sphere,wrap in film and put it to rest into the fridge for at least half an hour.
While we wait let's prepare the custard : whisk well the eggs with the sugar then add the flour and at last the lukewarm milk and the lemon skin. Put everything on the fire at low flame and as soon as you see that the custard  is starting to boil take it out of the fire and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Prepare the baking pan (it shoud be about 30cm of diameter) by putting some oven paper on it then take the dough out of the fridge and roll it to fit into the the pan,then finish it by putting the custard on it and some pinenuts for decoration on the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 180 °

When you take it out let it rest and sprinkle some icing sugar on the top.


Buon Appetito !

Have you ever eat an Italian Flag?

Today it's the 150° Anniversary since the Unity of Italy.
To celebrate the occasion my mother prepared a cake for the event resembling italian flag !

Ingredients for the dough :

250g. Butter
500g. Flour
5 Egg yolks
200g. Icing Sugar
a pinch of salt

For the custard :

6 Egg yolks
500ml Milk
50g Flour
150g Sugar
1 stick of vanilla

Fruit :
about 2 kiwis
about  2 bananas
about 200g of strawberries

Preparations :

Cut the fruits in little slices and then put it to rest into a bowl full of lemon juice (so it wont get dark)
For the dough,whisk together the butter,flour and salt until it's well mixed up then add the icing sugar and the yolks,keep whisking and form a sphere,then wrap it using a plastic film and put it to rest into the fridge while we prepare the custard : put the milk and the vanilla stick (cut the stick and open it to let it spread into the milk) on the fire and as soon as it starts boiling take it away. Whisker the eggs and the sugar,then add the flour,remove the vanilla stick from the milk and then pour it into the mixture of eggs and sugar,then put the whole thing back on the fire to heat gently until it's gently boiling and take it away to cool down.

Take the dough out of the fridge,into a rectangular baking pan  put some waxed paper on it then knead the dough forming a rectangle that you will put into the pan  cook into the oven at 180° until it's golden (about 20 min).
Spread the custard on the cooked dough and then put the fruit on it starting from the left with kiwis,middle bananas and right strawberries.

Enjoy !

Torta di Rose (The Cake of the Roses)

Ingredients :

500gr Flour
1 Sachet (about 7g) Dry Baking Powder
1 Sachet (about 7g) Vanilline
100gr Sugar
2 Eggs
1 small spoon of salt
80gr Butter
125-150 ml Milk

For the stuffing :

5 Apples
Cinnamon ( i used about 3 spoons but you can add the desired quantity)
Sugar (i used 4 spoons but again,as your taste)
lemon juice
100gr Butter
100gr Icing Sugar

Procedure :

First of all,put all the ingredients (except the ones for the stuffing of course) together in the Kitchen Aid until you get a dough,then put apart to raise until it's doubled.
Meanwhile let's do the stuffing; peel the apples and chop them,sprinkle with cinnamon,sugar and lemon juice and then cook them in a pan with some butter until they are golden - then mash them into a purea and let them chill.
With the icing sugar and the butter  make a cream.

When the dough it's ready (it must double up in size),lay it down and stuff it first with the butter cream and then with the apple purea,then roll in the dough to obtain a little log - and then cut it in thick slices (about 4cm each) .

 

Put the "roses" you got all into an oven dish that it's able to fit them all but at the same time not too loose - they have to stay very very close with no empty spaces. (this is to give them the rose effect when the cake is cooked)

Cook at 180° for about 30 Mins.