buckwheat focaccia

I have a friend that has introduced me to the wonderful pizzoccheri, a kind of pasta/soup from the northern Italian region of Valtellina. 

Pizzoccheri ain't a light dish! My friend uses 250gr of fried butter to dress them for 4 people eating. Now this is a problem for me....But I do love the taste of buckwheat so I have started using in other recipes just like normal flour.

This focaccia is made with 250gr buckwheat and 250gr plain white flours. 

The dough : 500gr flour, 14gr dried yeast, 250/350ml lukewarm water, honey 1 tsp, salt 1 pinch, EVOoil about 3 tbsp is made as per linked recipe http://madebypaola.blogspot.co.uk/baking.html, substituting the butter with the oil. 

For the filling I have used 350gr broccoli sprouts, 250 ricotta, 100gr hard cheese and 100gr grated Parmesan, 2 onions and chili peppers.

For speed I have cooked the chopped sprouts and onions together in boiling water for about 15 mins.

When ready dress them with some EVOoil, salt, pepper and finely chopped fresh chili, to taste. Then mix in the ricotta and Parmesan.

Roll the dough to a very large circle with a diameter larger than the baking tray (consider you want to overlap the dough to the filling at least 3 cm- my tray is 30cm). Place on the oiled tray, scatter chopped hard cheese to the base and poor in the ricotta mix.  Flip over the dough wings and bake on a preheated oven at 200º for about 15/20 mins. 

Please check timing because it does vary from oven to oven.  

petits gâteaux au chocolat

a very simple classic french recipe, adapted:

100gr 70% best quality dark chocolate;

100gr butter;

100gr caster sugar;

50gr plain flour;

2 eggs.

Whisk the eggwhites until stiff.

In a bowl melt the chocolate and the butter. 

Mix the yolks with the sugar, until foamy and pale.

Add mix to slighlty cooled choc+butter, add flour.

Incorporate eggwhites step by step, taking care in not letting the air escape.

Pour on a small square 1/2 pint shape if you have or in 4 moulds as i have done.

Bake in a preheated moderate 180º oven for 25 mins.

You want the centre still moisten so pay attention from the 25th minute.

Valentine's dinner

Baking, like frying, gives amazing satisfaction in the cooking department. 

Everything that prove and grows is a wonder. 

Recently for Valentine's day I have been preparing LOVE parcels, fried and baked. 


Making a basic fat read mixture is dead-easy and actually involves only a little patience. 
I have learned never to mix salt and yeast, never to mix too hot water, and also to work the dough once, then let it rest for 30 minutes, then punch the air out and shape it and let your creation rest for further 20 mins.

For two people I have used 350gr plain flour, about 180ml lukewarm water, 1 tsp dry yeast, 1 heaped tsp of honey, pinch of salt, 30 gr butter. The way to do it is to:

form a volcano of flour; 

in the centre pour the 1/2 amount of water already mixed with yeast and honey; 

incorporate SOME flour from the volcano;

scatter the chopped butter and a pinch of salt round the crater;

let it rest in a warmed oven (switched off) for about 20 mins.
add now little by little the remaining water

then beat all together for at least 5 mins.

let it rest 30 mins

work it again to let the air out and shape it/fill it etc.

In this case I have prepared heart shape parcels, without a cookie cutter....I had to shape my own hearts, hence the imperfections...because it was so complicated to perfectly form the filled shapes I have also fried some plain dough and baked some other balls (same filling) with an egg wash + sesame heart drawn on top. 

for the filling  i have put together fried aubergine, chopped ham and mozzarella.

This is the result. I was pleased!

celebration day

today is a day of celebration as i have become the proud auntie of a beautiful baby girl!

so i have decided to make some bread and focaccia to welcome, in my heart,  the new arrival.

here it is my bake off:

for the dough i have used about:

600gr plain white flour 

350 gr semola flour

30gr dried yeast

30 gr salt

30gr honey

more than a pint of lukewarm water ( about 700ml).

mix the flour in a very large bowl.

mix the yeast and the honey and dilute with the water.

add the lukewarm mix to the flours incorporating slowly from centre until all the water is absorbed.

add salt. knead for 5-10 mins. vigorously. form a ball.

sprinkle dough ball with more flour. score it with a knife.

let the dough prove for one hour in a switched-off oven.

after an hour, when the dough will have doubled its volume, divide it to prepare the different breads.

i made a sunflower seeds loaf.

a focaccia with onion and rosemary

a focaccia with feta and tomatoes

some small breads.

for the sunflower loaf add to about 1/4 of the dough 80gr seeds. 

kneed the air out of the dough and form a loaf. place it on a tin and let it prove for an other hour.

for the focaccias use 1/4 each of the dough, kneed the air out, flatten on 2 baking trays. 

punch holes with your fingers and top with very generous amount of ev-olive oil, salt and rosemary and onions in one,

tomatoes (mine where frozen), feta cheese, oregano the other. let prove for one hour in a switched off oven.

for the small breads add some milk to the remaining dough, work it in. form equally sized balls. let prove for one hour in a switched off oven.

i have baked all in a 220 degrees oven for about 1/2 hour.

new-ish other self

http://me-theartist.blogspot.com/

in here i post my work. of art. sort of.

colour my table

cauliflower boiled on the first day, souped on the second!

with the addition of a very slow-low cooked ragout!

healthy eating

Autumn is here...a bit of a shock as I am back from a sunny Greek holiday.
My plan is too eat less than before but also better, healthier.
This Violet Queen cauliflower is the perfect beautiful start for simple eating.Colour appeal!

brownies

i've started baking again!
and for the first time i have baked brownies.
they are pale, but very good.

happenings

many things are happening in my life 

and i am very late in posting the outcome of my homemade limoncello....

so: i finally had a try and it is super nice. very alcoholic!

go ahead and make it, it is going to be great served ice cold at the end of a meal.

no point of posting pics of it for the moment

instead here are some easter shots.

limoncello

"porticello" limoncello part 1
finally i got around to make limoncello.
the lemons come from my aunt grove in porticello, scily.
the recipe has been given to me verbally from my sister,
but i had to do with the fact that i only had 2 lemons and
half litre alcohol.
so, simply, for phase 1 i have put the rind of the two organic,
un-waxed, thoroughly washed and dried lemons
to macerate in 500ml alcohol.
it is now resting for one week in a dark place.....

trullo

Before starting the diet, that I have already terminated

or to be honest interrupted, I have finally been for dinner at Trullo.

This 2010 newcomer has already received very positive reviews throughout,

so it was with some excitement that we sat for dinner an evening last December.

To begin with I must say that contrary to recommendations we did not book a table in advance,

being only a party of two we hoped to squeeze in without reservation.

The extremely welcoming and polite staff accommodated us without delay on a table by the window, which I prefer.

The place was packed but they are obviously able to take quick decisions on the table rotation system.

The service continued to be attentive during the whole evening, which I really think added to the pleasure of dining there, and the food...

I want to say that it did not disappoint, but I mean it in a very good way.

Being Italian I am always almost afraid to try Italian food outside Italy, so I was relieved to find the food very, very good.

Like a good restaurant, not a trattoria, in Italy.

I had a starter of tempura vegetables. Superb, both in the choice of vegetables and in the execution. Crispy and dry.

As a main I chose grilled fish, sea bream, with accompaniment of potato salad.

Again both the quality of the fish and the way the fish was grilled was excellent. grilled and moist, which is very hard to achieve.

So also I am now a fan of Trullo.

The good thing is that Trullo is really my local!

diet

first day of diet: lunch

i have to buy lots of vegetables.

long program

hope i last! 

i won!

 

not much, but i did win the competition!!!
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/competitions/article2461554.ece

santa lucia

Today in Sicily we celebrate Santa Lucia.

Santa Lucia helped the Sicilians to recover from a famine in 1646,

by 'sending' a ship full of wheat...if you believe in miracles.

It is tradition that on this day no pasta or bread should be eaten,

but rice, in the form of Arancine and Cuccia, a dessert made with boiled wheat and ricotta cream.

Today I am preparing Arancine, not because I am devoted to the Saint,

but because when you leave far from your country of origins

sometimes you do miss those delicacies typical of that place.

To make about 20 Arancine you will need:

100 g mince beef

1 chipolata

1 small carrot

Half small onion

1/2 glass of wine

Tomato paste

500gr Arborio risotto rice

50 g grated cheese like Parmesan

80gr butter

300ml milk

50 g flour

250 g mozzarella

125 g ham

3 eggs

Flour

Grated nutmeg

Breadcrumbs

Oil for frying

You will also need a small bowl (5cm dia) and some cling film to assemble the Arancine.

I find in fact that the Japanese cooks are much more advanced when dealing with rice

and from some cookbook I have noticed they use the cling film to shape their rice bowls.

Good idea!

Method:

First of all prepare a small amount of meat sauce with

the carrot, onion mince + chipolata, wine

tomato paste and let cook for 1 hr

In the meanwhile boil the rice with a teaspoon of salt.

Also prepare a béchamel sauce with 50 g butter, 50 g flour and 300ml milk

you will need a pretty dense one. When ready add salt pepper and a little bit of grated nutmeg

When the rice is cooked dress it with 30 g butter, 2 spoons ev olive oil,

50gr Parmesan, 1 egg, salt & pepper. Saffron if you have it. I do.

Let it cool.

Add the thinly chopped ham and mozzarella to the béchamel sauce.

Prepare the ingredients in order of assembly

rice : small bowl covered with cling film : meat sauce : ham/béchamel sauce:

flour : beaten eggs : breadcrumbs :

NOW

Place about a spoon of rice on the cling-filmed bowl

and spread to the side making sure you have rice at the bottom as well.

Place condiment (meat sauce or béchamel sauce) with a teaspoon in the bowl.

Cover condiment with 1/2 spoon rice. Cover with cling film (do look at picture above) press and form a ball.

Flour the ball, pass it in the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Place on a tray waiting to be fried.

When they are all ready heat some veg oil in a small deep pot and deep-fry the Arancine in small batches.

Drain excess oil with kitchen paper.

Serve.

Enjoy!

chilli con carne

last night i prepared chilli con carne!
if you wish to prepare same way i did it you would need:
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 carrots
2 courgettes (to make it lighter)
1 can borlotti beans (i prefer them to red kindeys)
1/4 tube of tomato paste
500 gr mince beef
1 glass wine (mine was champagne)
1 glass water
garlic powder half teaspoon
smoked paprika half teaspoon
tumeric powder a very tiny amount
cinnamon powder a very tiny amount salt and 1 oxo chicken stock cube ev olive oil about 3 spoons 50 gr corn
200 gr rice
100 gr grated cheddar
how to do it: chop the onions the carrots and the garlic into fine pieces, sweat them slowly in a 3l cast iron pan for about 5 mins add the mince and brown it for 5 mins. add wine, stock cube, water, tomatoes pure and the powders let cook on a slow heat for 1 hour. then add the chopped courgettes and a pinch of salt over them cook for further 30 mins. add the can of beans and simmer gently for 10 mins. in the meanwhile you should have boiled some rice grated some cheddar cheese. now the fun part begin: heat a spoon of ev oil in a heavy bottomed pan when hot hot hot add the corn COVER THE PAN and let it pop shaking gently the pan all the time!!
when popcorn is ready add salt to it.
how to serve it:
layers:
rice
chilli
cheddar
popcorn
i also added some sour cream with chives to complete the layering...
aaaaaaah!!!.... and i left the chilly bit of the chilli to individual taste.
i added to my own portion a very generous amount of west indian west pepper sauce.
NEVER WITHOUT ENCONA!
below: popping the corns

and the other biscuit

lebkuchen...or sweet meatballs

yesterday I visited my friend and daughter and we made christmas cookies.
3 varieties, a kind of almondy butter base with dark chocolate glaze;
with lemon glaze and
lebkucken aka meatballs for their aspect.
but they taste very good!

aubergine and squash curry

paola-thai style

yes because it takes inspiration from thai cusine, 

but it is heavily influenced by me not being capable of following a recipe.

haringey

on my path today:

a heart of orange and an abandoned photo...
LOVE and UNLOVED. 
both the product of careless dumping.

 

coffeemates

they are making me company when having breakfast

for mari

for a lovely child
fishes, ready to be cooked
but painted

autumn leaves

autumn gives us such beautiful colours