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.

Nonna Ida's Style Rovelline Lucchesi

Rovelline is a traditional dish of the old farmers food.

This version is a little different from the original version as this one has Mirepoix (celery,carrot and onions) and it's missing garlic instead.

Ingredients for 4 people :

4 not too thick slices of Veal

150g  Carrot

200g Onion

150g Celery

3 Tablespoon of Chopped Tomato
A handfull of Capers
1 Egg

00 Flour
Breadcrumbs
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preparation :

First of all take the slices of veal and add some salt  then cover them with flour and deep them into the egg and finally coat in the breadcrums.

Fry them into the olive oil (or if you preferer in the Clarified Butter - but in tuscany we use olive oil !)

Once they are ready put them aside for now and in a frying pan put the mirepoix with some olive oil,when it's golden add the chopped tomato and capers.

Now put the veal in the sauce you prepared adding a glass of water and let it steam.

Serve with the sauce on top and...Buon Appetito !

Christian's Back !

This evening Christian De Sica came back to visit us at my restaurant and this time he did not come alone....he brought his friend Paolo Conticini , co-star with christian in many movies in their career...one of the latest is "The Clan" which has been filmed in Las Vegas. Thank yours for coming!!

Gocce d'oro (Golden tears)

 This one of my favourite dish for christmas....it's a grandmother's recipe that always reminds me my childhood.
Merry merry xmas to all my readers !!! Have a happy new year as well and remember...Love,Peace and....Food ! :-9

Ingredients :

150g Lasagne
70g Ham
30g Grated parmesan cheese
1/2 lt. Besciamelle Sauce
10g of dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 of a Onion
3/4 leaves of calamint

Procedure :

Before starting out put the dried mushrooms into a bowl with lukewarm water for about half an hour.
Saute the onion into a pan and when it's golden add the mushrooms and the calamint with a pinch of salt.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes,then when it's ready prepare a ovendish with some besciamelle sauce inside and do a first layer by putting the pasta on the sauce,then cover with ham and mushrooms and then start again with besciamelle sauce and the previous ingredients until the ovendish is filled up,the last layer should be ended with besciamelle sauce and then a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Put in the oven at 180° for about 30 minutes.


Buon Appetito !