Rhubarb jam

If you had asked me 7 years ago, what rhubarb is, I wouldn’t have had an answer.

I discovered rhubarb when I lived in Paris. I was in a bakery shop and  I saw some delicious pinky cakes: the rhubarbe tarte…I could not resist to taste them: fruity tang, sweet, hot, sour…a real explosion in  my mouth.
 
In Italy especially in the South rhubarb is little known and in the North is not so easy to find it and the price…oh my gosh…very high around 10-15 Euros per kilo. When I find it, I prefer to prepare jam rather than cakes so here’s below my special and natural rhubarb jam.

500 gr rhubarb
120 gr brown sugar
80 gr sugar
Lemon zest
Grated ginger

The night before cut into slices the rhubarb and mix with sugar, lemon zest and let it covered.

The morning you will find in your bowl a  lot of water. It is very very good because this liquid will be our jelling agent. Grate the ginger and put on the stove over medium high heat for 10 minutes afterwards cook for 30-40 over low heat. Your jam can need extra time to be ready if it is not so dense as it should be (or as you prefer it is).

 

 

Pastiera

This recipe is more than a dessert to me! It's family! I prepared pastiera with my grandma not only for Easter as the tradition says in Naples! She was almost a professional. She prepared lots of pastiera each time. The recipe is a bit hard because the preparation is as long as the cooking time but believe me It's worth it.

FILLING

350 canned presoaked grain + ½ spoon of not milled grain (for a 20 cm round pan)

90 gr milk

25 gr butter

550 gr ricotta

300 gr sugar

4 eggs

2 yolks

Vanilla

Orange blossom water

Cinnamon

Lemon zest

 

PASTRY

400 gr flour

3 eggs

100 sugar

110 butter

FILLING

Begin the day ahead by milling the grain to get a smooth texture than cook the grain, adding just 1 or 2 spoon of not milled grain, with the milk, zest and butter over low heat for 10 min, so that the mixture is dense and creamy.

The day after  strain ricotta and stir in sugar, eggs plus yolks, vanilla, orange blossom water, cinnamon and lemon zest. When the cream is very thin, add the grain cream.

SHORTBREAD PASTRY

Make a mound of flour, scoop a well in the middle, and fill it with butter, sugar and eggs. Use a fork or pastry cutter to combine the ingredients, handling the dough as little as possible (don't knead it). Once you have obtained a uniform dough press it into a ball and preserve covered in the fridge. 

Roll out 2/3 of the pastry dough and line the pan. Fill it with the filling. Next, roll out the remaining dough and cut it into strips, which you will want to lay across the filling in a diagonal pattern.

Preheat the oven to 150 °C and cook for an hour or slightly more. The pastry should be slightly brown and the filling firmed up but still soft and moist.

Serve without removing from the pan with some icing sugar.

Raspberry jam

After summer holiday I am used to prepare jams and preserved tomatoes. Let’s start with this simple and taste recipe that will make your  smile.
 
1 kg raspberries
300 gr sugar
100 gr brown sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
 
Once sterilized your jars, select the raspberries, washing them without rinsing.
 
 Put a pot on medium-low heat with the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice and stir gently. Once on high-boiling, skim the foam off and turn on medium-high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon for 10 min.
 
Your jam is ready when putting a spoon of jam on a cold dish,  It does not start to fall down, otherwise the jam needs more cooking time.
 
Pour your hot jam in the jars and close them.  Store  in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 1 year.
 

Pan di spagna

It is time for a moist and fluffy cake that can be eaten plain or with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream or just ice cream.

125 gr sugar

125 all purpose flour

4 eggs

a teaspoon of baking powder

a pinch of salt

vanilla extract

lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Sift or whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites in two different bowls. Whip the egg whites until foamy and form stiff peaks and set aside.

Whip the egg yolks with the sugar and gently but quickly fold the flour into the egg yolk batter, once incorporated add the lemon zest and the vanilla extract. Gently fold little by little the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten. Do not over mix the batter or It will deflate.

Pour the batter into a baking pan and bake for 20/25 min until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely before unmolding.

Pancakes

When I was in the US, weekend meant a stack of pancakes! Americans do it better and various.  They eat them with bacon, sausages, eggs, marple syrup, jam, butter and dried fruits.

Personally I prefer the fresh version that I usually enjoyed on my American Saturdays: pancakes, yogurt, fresh berries and acacia honey.

If you want, you can mix up the dry ingredients in advance and store in fridge or offer as a gift to lazy friends.

125 gr all purpose flour

15/20 gr sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt

20 gr butter, melted  (or 2 Tbs greek yogurt)

200 ml milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Combine the milk and vinegar (the soured milk) in a bowl and set aside. Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl.

Whisk the soured milk, egg and melted butter (or Greek yogurt) together. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until most of the lumps are gone.

Let the batter sit for 10/15 min than do not stir again but gently dip a ladle and place the spoonful on a buttered hot skillet.  It will be time to turn your pancake when the top surface begins to form small craters.

Enjoy these tall and fluffy pancakes.



Confettura di cipolle rosse

This is not a jam, this is a Mrs. Jam. Sweet, savoury and of an intense taste, It definitely belongs to strong people.

 

This condiment is perfect on grilled meats, especially burgers or on crostini as an appetizer. I think that the perfect pairing is with cheese, chiefly with repined one as pecorino, parmesan or smoked cheese.

 

I used the red onion from Tropea (a small city of Calabria in Southern Italy), naturally sweet and very digestible. I know that abroad their prices could be really expensive or It could be quite hard to find them so I guess that this wonderful recipe will be successful with all other red onions too.

 

This is a very easy preparation with a really satisfying result. Please be prepared to cut the onions, even If I put them in the fridge before...a kilo has been quite hard for my poor eyes...unless you have a diver's mask! :)

  

1kg red onions

250 gr brown sugar

150 gr white  sugar

100 ml white wine

2 spoons of brandy

a bay leaf

 

Peel, wash and slice the onions finely (I've used a mandoline slicer).

 

In a large bowl put the onions with the white and brown sugar, the wine, the brandy and the bay leaf and let them marinate for 5-6 hours. Cover and blend from time to time.

 

Discard the bay leaf and simmer in a saucepan for 40/45 minutes (It is ready when It is really sticky and compact on the dish).

 

Save the jam in a sterilized jar once cold in the fridge.

 



Mr. Tiramisù

I do not know if I am a good lawyer but my tiramisù is definitely a masterpiece!

I want to dedicate this dessert to a very good friend of mine, Antonio, to celebrate his 30th birthday!

400 gr mascarpone

4 yolks

2 egg whites

80 gr sugar

Savoiardi (ladyfingers in English, boudoirs in French)

Coffee (preferably espresso)

Cocoa powder, unsweetened

In a large bowl beat yolks and sugar with electric beaters until pale, foamy and thick. In a different bowl beat the egg whites till soft peak form.

Using a spatula or a big wooden spoon add the mascarpone at room temperature and 2/3 tbs of cold coffee then gently fold the whipped egg whites in.

Dip the ladyfingers into the cold coffee and start the first layer into your serving dish (25x18cm) then add the cream another ladyfingers layer, topping with the cream. Put into the fridge at least 4 hours,  preferably overnight.

Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving.

  

A special thanks to Veronika Knobova who took the pictures.

Biscotti di mandorle ed arancia

It's sugar time!!!

I love savory but sometimes crunching a cookie or nibbling a piece of cake is a priceless and deep moment of pure pleasure!

Let's start with these cookies that are a good breakfast or tea option.

150 gr almond powder
150 gr powdered sugar
a little pinch of baking powder
2 egg whites
orange zest

Begin whisking the egg whites, when foamy, begin slowly adding the sugar to the mixture till glossy medium-hard peaks.

Use a spatula to gently fold in the almond powder, the pinch of baking powder then the orange zest.

Set a pot on the low-medium stove with the cookie mixture and stir for 10/ 12 till It is more yellow and sticky.

Using two tablespoons, gently dollop the cookie mixture into a wax paper-lined pan, leaving space around the individual cookies on all sides (about 12/15 cookies ).

Bake in a 160° C preheated oven for 10/12 min. Remove from the oven and let cool down.

Sprinkle powdered sugar and orange zest on cookies and keep them in a tin.