Pasta with marinated dried Tomatoes, Ricotta and Oregano (Pasta ricotta, pomodorini secchi e origano)

Last week during the "Italiaanse Dagen" in The Netherlands I received a nice present from our friend Chef Giuseppe Migliaccio (the founder of Happy Cooking), a big bowl of his famous little marinated dried tomatoes... fantastic present! Once again... thank you Giuseppe! Today I will propose you a recipe I have built around his tomatoes... I thought that ricotta, oregano and pecorino cheese will make a nice combination together with Giuseppe's marinated dried tomatoes. The result was surprising, so I want to share the recipe with you.

Serving 4

Ingredients:
350g Italian short pasta( I have used farfalle)
250g Fresh Ricotta cheese
250g marinated dried cherry tomatoes
4 Tbs Grated Pecorino cheese
4 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Italian Oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
A small piece of Italian red chili (optional)
1 Garlic clove



Bring to a boil a big pot of salted water.

When boiling add the pasta and cook "al dente".

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce: add oil, garlic and chili in large frying pan, when frying add the tomatoes. Cook for one or two minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander. Preserve a cup of the cooking water.

Add the pasta in the frying pan, mix well with the tomatoes.

Add the ricotta cheese and mix well.

 

Add the grated pecorino cheese and mix well, add some of the cooking water to melt it well.

Add the Oregano. Mix well, taste for salt and add pepper Your pasta is ready.

Serve warm, with a sprinkle of oregano and few dried tomatoes on the top. Buon appetito!

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Chocolate, Pear and Cinnamon Cake (Torta al cioccolato con pere e cannella)

Another fanstastic cake for your Halloween weekend party? Here we go with a Chocolate and Pear soft cake, with a light flavour of cinnamon.....pure pleasure.... for you, your friends and family. It is very easy to make if you can have a mixer and an electric hand egg beater. I am sure everybody will love it! If you don't like cinnamon, don't add it.  I personally love the taste of Chocolate, pears and cinnamon together... Use a good dark chocolate for this cake, a 70% cacao minumum. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
150gr Dark chocolate
1 Tbs Powdered cacao
200gr Sugar
100gr Butter (softed)
230gr Flour
70gr Potato flour
125gr Plain yogurth
80gr milk
3 eggs
1 Teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
3 Medium pears
Powdered sugar for decoration

Instructions:

Butter and flour a round baking pan (24cm), keep aside. Peel the pears and cut in tin slides, keep aside. Preheat the oven 170 C° (340 F°). Add in a mixer the chocolate and the sugar, mix well till everything gets powdered. Pour the powdered mixture in a large bowl, add the chopped butter, yogurt, milk eggs and vanilla extract, mix it well with an electric hand egg beater till all the ingredients are well melted.

Add the flour and potato flour with the pinch of salt, mix it well. Add the baking powder, work with the electric cooking whip for long time.



Pour half of the mixturein the baking pan, add the pears, proceeding as in the photo.

When completed sprinkle the cinnamon powder on the pears.

Pour the left mixture on the top, to cover the pears. Place the cake in the oven at 170C° for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes check if the cake is cooked with a wooden stick...if the centrum is still liquid cook for further 5 to 10 minutes then take it out of the oven and make it cool.

Your cake is ready. Decorate with the powdered sugar. I use to place a pear on the cake and powder the sugar on it.... take out the pear and your nice decoration is done! Buon appetito!

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Pasta with Zucchini, Pancetta and Mushrooms (pasta con zucchine, pancetta e funghi)

Another quick and easy Pasta recipie, full of autumn's flavours... You can add a little red chili if you like and this pasta will warm you up when outside is cold! I used "mezze maniche" but you can use any other kind of short pasta, penne or tortiglioni for example.

Serving 4
Ingredients:
350 gr short Italian pasta
250gr Mushrooms (Champignons de Paris or else)
1 Zucchini
200 gr Smoked Pancetta cut in small cubes
2 Tbs Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup white wine
1 Tbs finely cut Parsley
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste



Bring to a boil a pot of salty water.

While the water gets to a boil, clean and cut the mushrooms and the Zucchini. Finely chop garlic and onion.
When the water is boiling add the short pasta, while the pasta is cooking prepare the sauce:

Pour Olive Oil in a large frying pan, add garlic and onion, cook till the onion gets tranparent, add the pancetta cubes, cook for 3 -4 minutes then add the wine. Once the wine has completely evaporated add the zucchini.

Mix and cook for few minutes, add the mushrooms and parsley, mix and cook for few minutes.



Check the pasta, when "al dente" drain it in  a colander (preserve some cooking water in a a cup) and add it to the zucchini/ mushrooms sauce, stir well. Add the Grated parmesan and stir it well. If the mixture is too dry add some cooking water and mix well.

Your Pasta is ready, serve warm with a dash of Grated Parmigiano on the top. Buon Appetito!

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Halloween pumpkin cake (Torta di Halloween alla zucca)

Just back from a fantastic cooking weekend at the ''Italiaanse dagen'' in Rosmalen, NL, where we've met a lots of new friends and Italian cuisine lovers :-) I want to propose you a cake recipie for the coming Halloween weekend parties.... a pumpkin cake with hazelnuts and chocolate (once again... not for a diet). I have baked the pumking to get a puree, you could also use canned puree but the taste will not be the same, if you have a little time, please try to make your puree at home, it is easy and healthy, you will taste the difference!

Ingredients:

- For the cake
1 small pumpkin (or 2 cups of canned pumpkin puree)
4 eggs
250ml of flavourless oil (sunflowers or else)
300gr wheatmeat organic flour (I use the 96%)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250gr granulated white sugar
200 gr roasted and crushed hazelnuts
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
A pinch of ground cloves

- For the chocolade glaze
200gr Dark chocolate
60gr butter
1 Tbs liquid honey
1 Tbs brandy or rum (optional)
2 Tbs crushed hazelnuts

Instructions:

Cut the pumpking in halef and place it in the oven with 2 tbs water for  about1 hour, 200°C (420F°)

 
When cooked, Scoop flesh out of the shell with a spoon and mix it with a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 180C° (350F°) Butter a 25cm cake pan (or bundt pan).

In the bowl of a food processor beat the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, sugar untill well combined. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well.
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder salt and ground spices and nuts. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin batter and pour into the prepared baking cake pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes

Take out the cake from the oven. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely before frosting.

Prepare the chocolate glaze: melt the chocolate , butter and honey in a glass bowl and place it in the microwave for 30 sec, stir well then place it again for 30 sec. till the chocolate is melted. tir in the brandy or rum (only if you want) let cool at room temperature. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake. Let the glaze flow down the sides. Sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts on the top. make it cool.

Your Pumpkin cake is ready. Buon appetito!

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Cabbage and Orange salad with pine nuts (Insalata di cavolo e arance con pinoli)

Dear Friends, first of all I want to remind you that this weekend you can meet us at the "Italiaanse Dagen" Italian Food Fair in Rosmalen, The Netherlands (Europe) together with our Italian wine specialist partner Purapassione. We will present some traditional products from the Italian region Abruzzi (Zafferano from l'Aquila, Hand made Tuna in olive oil, Crema di Pecorino, Caciotta allo zafferano etc..) and delight the pulic with some of our most famous Appetizers and Bruschette. If you live in the neighbourhoods... come visit the Myitaliacuisine stand, you will receive a warm welcome!
For all the other friends here is a new recipie! A quick and easy salad with two products that apparently have nothig in common: Cabbage and Orange, melted with a vinegrette made of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic vinegar from Modena, Honey, French mustard, grated fresh ginger and sprinkled with roasted pine nuts and a pinch of pepper...what else? It is simply delicious. Dedicated to my friend Bernice.

Serving 4
Ingredients:
Half Pointed Cabbage (or another variety of green cabbage)
2 Medium oranges
2 Tbs Pine nuts
3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar from Modena (Aceto Balsamico di Modena)
3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Honey
1/2 teaspon strong french mustard (or 1 teaspoon of mustard)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 small piece of fresh ginger root
Unrifined grey sea salt to taste

Instructions:
 

Cut the cabbage in fine julienne.



Peel and cut the oranges in slides. Collect the juice.

 

Preserve the orange juice in a cup.

Peel and grate a teaspoon of fresh ginger root. 

 

Add 2 Tbs oil, 2 Tbs vinegar, mustard, oil, a pinch of salt, grated ginger and orange juice in cup. Stir it very well. 

 

Roast the pine nuts in a frying pan.

 Pour 1Tbs oil and 1 in vinegar in a salad serving plate.

Cover with the cabbage julienne.

Add the orange slides, trying to make a nice decoration, pour the vinegrette on the salad, Sprinkle with the roasted pine nuts, a good pinch of pepper.


Your salad is ready! Buon appetito!

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Italian Chicken Broth (Brodo di pollo)

This is a recipie for a very tasteful chicken broth. The spices give to this broth a special taste, really appriciated during winter. I use it for soups and many preparations, I usually make it in big quantity and freeze it, to use it when i need. This  broth should be cooked not less than two hours, more you cook it, richer it gets. It is really better if you get organic chicken and veggies for this praparation. Organic chickens are in general much more tasteful and healthy as well as organic veggies. Well... home made broth is very easy to make and much better than any bouillon cube or canned broth you can find in shops, so why don't you try it and let me know how it worked out?

Makes about 3 liter of broth

Ingredients:
500gr Chicken (better if organic) cut in pieces
1 Medium onion
1 Carrot
1 Medium tomato
1 Rib of celery
1 Medium potato
1 Bay leaf
6 black peppercors
4 Cloves
1 Star Anice
1 Tbs unrifined grey sea salt
4 Liters water

The bay leaf is missing in the photo, sorry... Peel the onion, cattot, potato, and wash the tomato. Pierce the peeled onion with the 4 cloves.

 

Place all ingredients in a broth pan, add 4 liters of water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil on medium heat.

While boiling a brownish foam will appear on the surface, skim it using a large spoon. Once done, taste for salt. Cover and simmer for further 2 (or more) hours.

After minimum two hours (or more) of total cooking, strain the broth and discart the solids (you can use them for a soup or chicken salad).

Your Chicken broth is ready! Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. The day after skim the  solid fat from surface. Broth can be refrigerated for up two days or frozen for several months. Buon appetito!

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Blackberry Tart with Chantilly Cream (Torta di mirtilli alla crema chantilly)

To make your Sunday a little sweet I propose you a new dessert recipie which is for sure not a diet recipie! I've made this tart for my friends using the last fresh blackberries of the season (this year my garden produced an incredible amount of berries) it was delicious...but ok just for special occasions! If you don't have blackberries you can use any other fruit... the one you like. You could also mix different fruits and create a very colourful tart!

Serving 8

Ingredients:
1 portion of Short Crust Pastry
1 portion of Italian Pastry Cream
500gr of Blackberries(or any other fruit)
250ml  of 35% fat cream (to be whipped)
2Tbs powdered sugar

Instructions:
Preheat the oven 180°C (360°F). Roll out the Short Crust Pastry on a floured surface with a rolling pin, until it is about 30cm in diameter, lift it up using the rolling pin and drape carefully over a buttered and floured tart pan. 

Carefully push the pastry down into the edges of the pan. Run the rolling pin over the top of the tin to cut off the excess and leaving a neat, smooth edged crust. Lightly prick the pastry using a fork. Cut a large circle from baking paper and place it over the pastry in your tart tin, fill with dried beans, chick peas or rice. Blind bake like this for 20 minutes, then take out the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes.While the pastry case is cooking, prepare the filling. Prepare a portion of Italian Pastry cream and let it cool. Take the pastry case out of the oven and make it cool. While the case is cooling prepare the cream. Place the cream in the freeze for 1 or 2 minutes before wipping. Whip using a mixer or a kitchen whip. When almost whipped add 1 and half Tbs of powedered sugar. You are now ready to compose the blackberries tart.

Place the Pastry cream into the tart case and make it even.

Add the cream on the top and make it even with a long wet knife or spatula. Gently place the blackberries on the top starting from the center.

Cover the surface with blackberries and powder with powdered sugar. Your dessert is ready.
Buon appetito!

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