Raw Seafood Starter

I am spending my holidays in Italy, on the Adriatic sea cost. Here you can get the best seafood of the
region.... I am trying some starters for the New Year's eve dinner... here is a suggestion for you if you manage to get fresh seafood in your region... this is the best... simple and easy!

Serving 2
Ingredients:
8 Oysters
4 "Fasolari" or small scallops (coquilles Saint Jacques)
8 Venus clams (Tartufi di mare)
4 Lemons
Pepper to taste

Carefully open the seafood shells and place them on a serving plate, cut the lemon in quarters, cut the quarters in half. place them on the serving plate, sprinkle some pepper on the top of the opened seafood. Eat each shell with lemon juice..... Buon Appetito!

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Cocoa Ravioli with Ricotta & Lemon filling in Pistachio Pesto

Traditional Pesto, from Liguria, is made of fresh Basil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Pinenuts with the addition of Pecorino and Parmigiano cheese. This Pistachio pesto is from Sicily, the only Italian region where Pistachio plants are cultivated. The famous Italian Pistachio from Bronte is mainly used to make this pesto. Of course you can use any kind of (unsalted) pistacho to make it. I've served this Pistachio Pesto with handmade star shaped cocoa ravioli with a filling of Ricotta and grated lemon zest, an original recipe by Myitaliancuisine for Christmas. This could be your very special Italian Christmas or New Year's Eve original dish.  Cocoa, ricotta and pistachio are a very nice combination of flavours. I recommend to use pure unsweetened cocoa powder to make the pastry.

Serving 4
- For the Ravioli
Pastry:
100gr Durum semolina (Italian: farina rimacinata di grano duro, tipo 0)
200gr all pourposes flour (Italian: farina di grano tenero, tipo 00)
30gr Usweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
A pinch of salt
Filling:
250gr Fresh ricotta
1 egg
Grated zest of half organic lemon
50gr crushed pistachio nuts
Salt  and pepper to taste
- For the pistachio Pesto
200gr unsalted pistachio nuts
4 Tbs Extra Virgin olive oil
1 Tbs Grated Pecorino
1 Tbs Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and pepper to taste
Some extra Grated Pecorino cheese to serve

-Prepare the ravioli pastry. Mix the 2 flours and the cocoa. Place the flour mixture on a worktop, make  a hole in the middle, pour the eggs, and a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs, mix it with the flour with a fork. Work the pastry till you get a even mixture. Give it a ball shape. make it rest for 15 minutes.

-Prepare the filling. Mix the ricotta with a pinch of salt and pepper, the grated lemon zest and the crushed pistachio nuts.
-Prepare the star shaped ravioli. Place the pastry on a floured worktop, roll it out with a rolling pin.

Add flour when needed. Roll it out till you get a fine pastry disc.

Start to cut out the stars of pastry with a star shaped form (the same used to shape Xmas biscuits) Cut as much stars as you can.

Place a teaspoon of ricotta in the middle of a start, cover with another star.

 Make sure that the borders are well sealed, if necessary use a little water and help pressing with a finger. Proceed this way till all the pastry stars are filled.
-Prepare the pesto.

In a mortar (or in a  small food mixer ) smash the pistachio nuts together with the grated cheese, little by little pour the oil on the mixture, mix well.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the Ravioli.

 Your Christmas cocoa stars are ready! Place the ravioli on a serving plate and pour the pesto on it. add some grated Pecorino cheese, sprinkle some pistachio nuts. Buon appetito!
"Cocoa ravioli with ricotta and lemon filling" is an original recipe by MyItaliancuisine.  All right reserved ©MyItalianCuisine2011.

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Ricotta & Mortadella Bites (Mini panzerotti ricotta e mortadella)

This is my revisited mini version of the original "Panzerotti" from my auntie Maria. They remind me my childhood in Italy, those kind of things I will never forget... today I love to make these bites for my friends. The main ingredients are the wine pastry (made of flour, olive oil and white wine), ricotta and mortadella with a sprinkle of marjoram. A perfect appetizer, surprisingly tasty!

 Makes about 12 bites
Ingredients:
- For the pastry
200gr all pourposes flour
70 dry whiteh wine
50 Extra virgin olive oil
A good pinch of salt
- for the filling
200gr Italian Ricotta (better if sheep's milk ricotta)
150gr Mortadella chopped
2 eggs
50gr Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 teaspoon of dried or fresh marjoram
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepepr to taste
- For the glazing
1 egg
1 teaspoon of marjoram

 Preapare the pastry Add all the pastry ingredients in a mixing bowl or in a food mixer and mix till you get the a mixture as you see it in the photo.

Pour the mixture in a floured workingtop and work it till you get an even ball of pastry. Cover with a kitchen towel and make it rest for 10 minutes. In the meanwhile preheat the oven 180C°(360F°) and prepare your ricotta filling.

In a mixing bowl add ricotta, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, marjoram, pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste. Mix till you get a creamy mixure, add the chopped mortadella. Reserve the mixture in the fridge.

Roll out  the pastry with a rolling pin.

Roll it till you get a large circle of 1cm height.



Cut the rolled pastry in the shape you need, I use the cups as you can see in the photo.



Cover the cup with the cut pastry, fill with the ricotta mixture.

Cover with another piece of pastry and fix the borders with a fork.

Glaze with the beaten egg and sprikle with the marjoram. Proceed filling all your cups. Place them in the preheated oven. Cook for 15 minutes, untill the top gets gold brown. Take out and let cool.

Your ricotta & mortadella bites are ready! Serve warmish or cold. Buon appetito!

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