Gluten Free ‘Sformato di Verdure’

 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 lb. of fresh green beans
• 3/4 lb. of fresh husked peas
• 1/2 medium vidalia onion, diced
• 1 lb. ricotta cheese
• 2 whole eggs
• 4 oz. grated parmigiano cheese
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• salt and black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil the green beans for five minutes, drain.
2. Cook the onion in oil, then add beans and peas and let cook for 15 minutes.
3. Puree the vegetables until creamy with a hand blender and let cool.
4. Add eggs, butter, cheese, nutmeg and ricotta.
5. Line a round baking dish with parchment paper and fill with the batter.
6. Top with a sprinkling of parmigiano and bake at 350°F for 40 minutes until edges are crispy.
7. Serve hot or let cool and eat at room temperature.

Dinner with Jovialfoods

Hello everyone,

Tonight i will be opening the Jovialfoods experience in Tuscany , preparing a gluten-free dinner for their guests,including Shauna Ahern "the Gluten Free Girl" and Chef Danny !

The dinner will have only gluten free natural products - contrary of what you may think, gluten-free can be a pleasure too !

You can have a peek at the menu :

8th March : Women's Day ! Let's celebrate with "Torta Mimosa"

Torta Mimosa

Ingredients :
200g Flour
4 Eggs and 8 Yolks
40g Potato Starch
220g Sugar
For the "Crema Pasticcera" :
55g Flour
300ml Milk
300ml Cream
8 Yolks
Hallf a stick of vanilla
200g Sugar
For the Whipped Cream :
200ml of fresh cream
20g Icing Sugar

Lets start preparing "Pan di Spagna" with the first set of Ingredients :
Mix together the the whole eggs and the sugar,whisk them for at least 10-15 mins (i suggest using a robot if avaliable). Add the yolks and keep mixing for another 5-6 minutes then add to the mixture the flour and the starch previously sieved.
Butter two baking pan (22-24 cm of diameter)  and flour them,put the mixture inside and cook at 180°-190° for 30 minutes; once ready turn them upside down on a sheet of baking paper and let them cool.
In the meanwhile let's prepare "Crema Pasticcera" :
Put the milk and the cream together in a pan and just before they boil stop the fire.
In another pan mix the sugar and the yolks with a wooden spoon then add the flour and the seeds of the vanilla stick that you have already cut.
Add to the mixture the hot milk & cream then whisk all together on the fire,let it thicken up,and when it starts boiling gently take it away from the fire and pour it in a large basin and cover with film,then put in the fridge to cool down.
Let's prepare a liqueour : put 50g of sugar with 50g of Cointreau and 100ml of water to boil then put aside to chill.
Whisk the cream (must be very cold) with a mixer,when it thickens up add the icing sugar and stop whisking,putting the cream in the fridge.
When both the "Crema Pasticcera" and the Whipped Cream are cold,mix them together gently,but save a couple of spoons of whipped cream that we will need later.
Now let's get back to the "Pan di Spagna" : remove the dark cover from both of them,cut horizontaly and split in three parts while with the other one use one half for the same thing and the other  half to make little cubes of about 1cm.
It's now time to put all together :
Let's start putting the first disk and wet it with the liqueour prepared,then add first one of the saved spoon of whipped cream and after the crema pasticcera mixed with the cream. repeat the same procedure over and over until you've used all the disks,then cover with the remaining crema pasticcera and use the little cubes you've prepared first to cover it all using the crema as "glue".

Extra Virgin Olive oil guide presentation by Fausto Borrella

 Just a few more days,then,the 25th of February 2012 in Lucca @ Villa Bottini will be presented the 2012 Extra Virgin Olive oil guide.
The event wil be presented in the suggestive "Salone degli Affreschi" by Fausto Borrella,president of the "Accademia Maestro dell'olio".

Befanini

Among the traditional Tuscan dishes that we prepare, Befanini is one that stands out from the rest due to the story it represents. In Italy, the Epiphany, also known as the Feast of the Three Kings, is celebrated on January 6th. Italian legend says that during the journey of the Three Kings to find Baby Jesus, they encountered an old woman named Befana. Although Befana did not join the Three Kings, she departed later with baked goods and her broom in search of the Baby Jesus. In her quest to find the Baby Jesus, Befana visits the homes of all children on the eve of January 6th to leave treats and gifts. Many families here still prepares Befanini to celebrate the Epiphany.