Something Sweet

Crunchy almond caramel brittle

 

Ingredients

250 g flaked almonds

250 g sugar

Toast the flaked almonds by placing them in a heavy pan over medium heat until golden brown, stirring often. In another pan, pour the sugar and let it caramelize over low heat, without stirring. When the caramel is golden brown add the almonds and stir quickly. Spread the mixture quickly on a sheet of parchment paper (be careful because the mixture is very hot), cover with another sheet and roll with a rolling pin about half a centimeter thick. Let it cool down and break it into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Fresh pasta

Twisted Cavatelli (my version) 

Ingredients - serves 4

300 g double-zero flour

60 g  semolina

Sift flours together and form a mound. Make a well in the middle and pour ½ cup of warm salted water. At first use a fork to combine and then use your hands until the dough begins to form. Add water by the tablespoon until dough comes together and knead for about 10 minutes until soft and  elastic. Form a ball and let set for about half an hour, covered with a kitchen cloth. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece to ½ inch thick rope, working from the center to the edges to maintain an even thickness. Cut the rope into ¼ inch wide pieces and wrap each piece around a knitting needle until it slightly curls. 

For this version of "cavatelli" I twisted the dough a few times around the knitting needle. Arrange on a floured tray and leave to dry. Cooking pasta takes only a few minutes.

Beverages

Spiced coffee - serves 4

Ingredients:

4 cups of hot coffee

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 small glass of grappa

4 teaspoons of sugar

40 g of grated dark chocolate

Gather all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over a low flame until the chocolate has melted. Pour into 4 glasses and decorated, if you wish, with semi whipped cream and cocoa powder.

Rice dishes 

Pumpkin risotto – serves 4 

Ingredients:

1 shallot

4/5 tablespoons of olive oil

A splash of white wine

400 g (about 2 ½ cups) of “vialone nano” rice  (round shaped medium length grain rice)

300 g diced pumpkin

A sprig of rosemary

About 1 ½ lt vegetable stock

1 teaspoon vegetable stock granules

100 g taleggio cheese (soft rind cheese) or any other tasty meltable cheese

50 g grated parmesan cheese

Prepare the vegetable stock with a large white onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, a bunch of parsley, a zucchini and a big potato. Chop the vegetables and place them in a large pot and cover with about 2 lt water. Bring to a boil, add some kitchen salt, reduce the heat and simmer for at least and hour until the vegetables are tender. Strain out the vegetables, season with the vegetable stock granules and keep the stock warm over low heat. 

Peel the shallot, chop it finely and put it in a pan with some olive oil over low heat for a few minutes, then add the diced pumpkin and the rosemary finely chopped, salt, pepper and some water and let simmer until the liquid has evaporated and the ingredients have blended in well.  Turn off and set aside. Prepare the rice and discard any impurity. Do not soak or rinse the rice before cooking. Put a little oil in a pan and toast the rice on high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Pour in the wine, let it evaporate and then lower the heat to medium and continue to cook the risotto by adding two ladles of  warm vegetable stock. Stir in the pumpkin and shallot mixture, add another couple of ladles of stock, stir and let evaporate before adding more stock. The rice will take about 18 minutes or more to cook (according to one’s taste), you must keep checking to know if the rice is cooked to your liking and you may not need all the stock that you’ve prepared. Risotto should have body, but not be mushy or starchy,  the texture has to be loose and creamy.  When the risotto is almost done turn off the heat, blend in the diced taleggio and the grated parmesan cheese and stir well until the taleggio has melted. Let the risotto stand for about a minute or two before serving. The best pot for risotto is a low and wide copper pot because this metal conducts heat quickly and evenly, otherwise a stainless steel pot will be fine.   

Seafood

Prawn sauce - serves 4

Ingredients:

350 g prawns
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4/6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
pepper

Wash the prawns under running water, remove their head and carapace. With a toothpick or sharp knife make a small incision on the upper part of the body to remove the intestines, or black thread, which contains sand and makes the crustacean bitter. Once cleaned dry the prawns with kitchen paper. Meanwhile in a non-stick pan heat the oil with the garlic clove, add the prawns, salt, pepper and the chopped parsley. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes and then discard the garlic. This sauce is ideal for coating long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine.

Tuna sauce - serves 4

Ingredients

100 g oil-packed tuna 

1 tablespooon capers

½ shallot

3 tablespoons tomato puree

4/5 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Chop the shallot and the capers, add the oil and fry gently over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the shredded tuna and a pinch of salt. Mix well to blend. Pour in the tomato puree and ½ a cup of water and stir. Let cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens and all the water has evaporated. Taste and add salt in necessary.     

Scallop sauce – serves 4

Ingredients:

4 large scallops

2 cloves of garlic

½ cup of olive oil

A splash of dry white wine

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

Wash and cut in small pieces the scallops and set aside (I usually buy the scallops without the shells).  Saute in a large non-stick pan, the garlic with the oil. Add the scallops, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Mix, add the wine and let evaporate. Cook over a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, discard the garlic and set aside.

Appetizers/snacks

Puff pastry twists

Ingredients:

1 sheet of ready-made puff pastry

100 g cooked ham

100 g grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Finely chop the ham in a food processor and set aside. Roll out the pastry on its baking paper. Beat the egg and brush thoroughly half of the puff pastry. Sprinkle this half with the grated cheese, then add the chopped ham. Close with the other half of pastry, make the ingredients stick to the pastry and seal the edges. Cut the pastry into strips, twist them gently, place them on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining beaten egg. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° C for about 20 minutes.

Puff pastry sticks with Parmesan

250 g fresh ready-made puff pastry

1 egg

100 g grated Parmesan cheese

Roll out the pastry on a work surface and roll it with a rolling pin. Beat one egg with a fork and brush it on the dough, then sprinkle over the Parmesan, covering it all. Pass the rolling pin over the cheese so as to make it adhere to the pastry and cut into sticks. Line up the pastry sticks on one or two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Put them in the oven at 190 degrees C for about ten minutes.

Mini hot dogs

Ingredients:

Rectangular ready-made puff pastry

Mini hot dog sausages 

1 egg yolk

Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry until it is a little thinner and cut it into strips about 1 inch by 3 inches. Place the hot dog on the narrow end of the puff pastry and roll it up, pressing on the puff pastry so that it seals itself. Brush with the egg yolk and arrange the mini hot dogs, seam-side down,  on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 200 degrees C for about 10-15 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Pasta dishes

Pasta with peppers

Serves 4

350 pasta rigatoni or sedani rigati

400 g  tomato puree

1 clove garlic

2 large yellow bell peppers

8 basil leaves

150 g provola cheese

30 g grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

salt

Put in a saucepan the tomato puree, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and half a glass of water and let simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat, add the Parmesan and stir well until it is blended into the sauce. Meanwhile, wash and dry the peppers and roast them under the grill, or on the fire; peel them and free them of the stalks and seeds. Then cut them into strips. Heat the remaining oil in a pan with the peeled garlic and the chopped basil ; add the peppers and let them cook for a few minutes on high heat; add the salt and remove from heat, discarding the garlic. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, drain it very  “al dente” and toss with the tomato sauce. In a baking dish make a layer of pasta; cover with a layer of grated provola and half of the peppers; make a second layer of pasta and cover with the remaining peppers and provola. Pour over the cooking oil of the peppers and place under the oven grill for 5 minutes. Serve immediately