Insalata di puntarelle

Chicory Sprouts (Puntarelle) are a vegetable from the chicory family. It is traditional dish from Rome, served as antipasto, contorno or salad (mangiare in Italia).

Puntarelle are green and leafy and once pried apart the outer leaves, there is a crunchy center, full of pointy spears. Their taste is delightfully bitter.

First thing to do: clean the Puntarelle! It is a bit laborious and requires time, but in some supermarkets you can find the ready-to-eat version to make life easier!

Rinse under cold running water, pry apart the outer dark green leaves and then cut off each spear from the center that will be cut lengthwise into thin strips. Soak them into a bowl with ice and water for an hour until they curl up and lose part of  their natural bitterness.

250 gr puntarelle

8 anchovy fillets, packed in oil or anchovy paste

200 gr mozzarella di bufala

Evo oil

Balsamic vinegar

In a glass mix the oil with the some drops of balsamic vinegar, do not add salt since the fillets are salty (If you are using the anchovy  paste, just mix the oil with the paste). This is our dressing to pour on the puntarelle.

Once seasoned add the anchovy fillets, some diced mozzarella and enjoy with some warm bread.

Homemade Pizza

I cannot resist to Pizza. I need to eat a pizza at least once per week to be happy: It’s my birthright.

Pizza dough has accompanied my childhood when I was with my grandma and she always gave me the task to melt the fresh active yeast. Tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil, easy ingredients for an easy recipe with many different results…why? As I told you some posts ago, LOVE always makes the difference, especially for kneading and baking.

I enjoy preparing the dough, waiting for its rising and preparing my favorite topping.

Let’s start with the basic recipe with the traditional topping for your own homemade pizza.

500 gr “00” flour (if you can, find the Caputo flour)

10 gr fresh active yeast

Salt

1 tbs oil

Lukewarm water

Topping

500 gr peeled canned tomatoes

300 gr mozzarella

Oil

Salt

Fresh basil

In a bowl mix the flour and the salt then in the middle melt the yeast with the water and oil, adding little by little the flour until you get your dough. Kneading it with some movements from the bottom to the top as you wanted to push the dough on the table. When you get a smooth dough, let it stand covered for 2 hours in a warm place or with some blankets.

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Smash in a bowl the tomatoes and add some salt. Dice the mozzarella and put it into a strainer.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and work it using your fingers or a rolling pin. Transfer the dough on a baking pan, add the red sauce and some oil. Bake for 15/20 minutes then add the diced mozzarella and bake until melted. Garnish with some fresh basil.

Zuppetta di zucca

At the supermarket I saw a big pumpkin and I decided to change it into a wonderful chariot for the palate.

500gr Pumpkin
100gr Ricotta
1 Garlic clove
Ginger
Thyme
Sage leaves
Almonds
White wine
Evo oil
Salt

Put a casserole on the stove with 3 spoon of oil, a big garlic clove, sage leaves and a  sprig of thyme for 4-5 minutes then discard the garlic and the herbs. Toast the almonds in the oven.

Add the pumpkin in pieces when a bit browned, pour a glass of white wine and when reduced,  add 3/4 glasses of water, salt and cook for 1 hour until you'll get a rough cream. 

Serve into a bowl with fresh ricotta and the toasted almonds.

Risotto alla milanese

Milano is the Italian city to enjoy life, you can get here whatever you want, whenever you want!

I live close to a supermarket open 24 hours...close to a delicious Chinese restaurant...close to an amazing flower shop/bar...close to a trendy shop...close to a Maison de Mode ...close to ...close to...Milan is Milan! Fashion, business, design, galleries, art, gourmet and/or exotic food ...Omnia Omnibus Ubique!

Milan traditional dish is so vintage so gold and definitely delicious: Risotto allo zafferano. It is a very good option for a Sunday lunch or for a dinner in which you'll bewitch your guests!

320gr Carnaroli or Arborio rice (serving 4)
1 onion very finely chopped
Light vegetable broth (celery, carrot and tomato)
Saffron threads (or if you don’t find them, powder could be also good)
White wine
30gr butter
Parmesan
Black pepper

In a pot, prepare the light broth (I prefer the veggies broth since I think that the chicken or meat broth are too intese for the saffron roundedness).

In a large saucepan or pot,  put the oil (a spoon per person plus one for the pot) with the chopped onion over low heat. When the onion is browned, add the rice and stir in to coat over medium heat. Pour in a glass of white wine, when reduced, pour in the broth to cover all the rice and simmer for 15/18 minutes without turning.

Add some broth, if needed and check the cooking. Some minutes (5/8) before the rice is ready, add the saffron threads. Turn the stove off, melt the butter gently.

Serve with parmesan flakes and roughly ground black pepper.



R I S O

Rice is definitely my comfort food. If I am sad, I prepare a delicious bowl of rice and I feel better. It is funny in Italian rice is spelled as smile: riso… !

This grain similar to wheat is the most popular food all over the world! There are tons of variety according to whick kind of dish you wanna prepare and so different ways of cooking it: a creamy risotto, a folky paella, a magic pilav, a sweet pudding rice or a fresh sushi.

Here some suggestions:

Arborio, Carnaroli rice: the best choice for risotto

Basmati rice: side dish, perfect with chicken and fish

Black rice: side dish or risotto, intense smell of fresh baked bread, long cooking time

Brown rice: side dish, ideal for steaming, long cooking time

Indian rice: very long grain, perfumed, ideal for steaming

Japonica rice: very sticky, ideal for sushi

Red rice: side dish with a strong smell of wood, long cooking time

Thai Jasmine rice: side dish, very perfumed and ideal for steaming

Wild rice: side dish, intense perfumed, long cooking time

"Rice is the best, the most nutritive and unquestionably the most widespread staple in the world"   Escoffier

Branzino all'acqua pazza

Acqua pazza, literally crazy water, is a light broth, especially prepared in South Italy to oven bake fish.

This broth is perfect for white fish (sea bass, sea bream, snapper, monkfish, tub fish). It is very light but deeply tasteful.

1 sea bass

unpeeled clove of garlic

10 cherry tomatoes
white wine

parsley sprig
thyme sprig

salt

evo oil

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Set the fish in a oven pan with the cherry tomatoes, the unpeeled clove of garlic (I prefer unpeeled because I do not like the strong garlic taste for my broth), some parsley and thyme sprigs, salt, evo oil and 1/2 glass white wine and cook for 20/25 min.

Fillet and serve with the warm broth.

Hug!

The beginning of a new year always means retrospection, introspection and hope.

I started my 2014 off by this drawning...a little man with long arms to hug better and strongly!

For the first time I have no resolutions for my 2014! This time, this year must be more than words...with always a lot of good food and recipes!

Stay tuned!