Easter cake

Fugazza Vicentina (Easter cake)

Ingredients

500 g Manitoba flour or "0" flour 
160 g sugar

150 g butter

25 g  fresh beer yeast

3 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon of salt

grated zest of two oranges

grated zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 egg white + pearl sugar + whole almonds

Melt 20 g of yeast with 80 ml of warm water and allow to ferment for about 10 minutes. Add 140 g of flour and mix together. Form a ball, put it in a large bowl, cross cut the top surface to allow the dough to expand, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for half an hour in a warm place away from drafts. 

Now, mix an egg with 50 g sugar, 50 g of soft butter and 120 g of flour and set aside. After half an hour add this mixture to the previous one and work until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour if necessary.

Form a ball, cross cut the surface, put it in the bowl and let rise for about 2 hours (it should double in volume).

Now, as before, mix an egg and a yolk with 50 g sugar, 50 g of soft butter and 120 g of flour and set aside.

After about 2 hours add this mixture to the previous leavened one and knead it for about ten minutes. Form a ball, cross cut the surface, put it in the bowl covered with plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours. It should double in volume.

Meanwhile, mix an egg with 60 g of sugar, citrus zest, vanilla, 50 g of soft butter and a teaspoon of salt. Melt the remaining yeast in a tablespoon or two of warm water and add about 120/130 g of flour. Mix everything very well and after 2 hours add this mixture to the previous leavened one. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes, adding the flour if the dough is too sticky. At this point, the result should be a smooth and homogeneous dough that you’ll cross cut once again. Place the dough in a disposable paper baking mould of about 1 kg. If you prefer, you can divide the dough in half and bake in two separate moulds of 500 g each. Cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and let rise until the mixture reaches the edge of the mould (about 2 hours). Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brush the surface of the cake with the egg white and sprinkle with the pearl sugar and almonds. Bake for about 40/45 minutes. Cover with foil if it gets too dark. Check the cooking with a long skewer.  Remove the cake from the oven and let cool 5 minutes, then put the cake on one side so that all the moisture can evaporate. 

Rabbit roll

Stuffed boned rabbit roll - Ask your butcher to do the deboning and reserve the livers for you.

1 boneless rabbit weighing about 1,2 kg + the rabbit’s liver

50 g prosciutto  crudo

50 g mortadella

50 g pancetta

½ cup white wine

Rosemary

Olive oil

Salt, pepper

Vegetable stock

Blend the prosciutto, pancetta and mortadella in a mixer. Heat in a pan 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the mixture together with the chopped liver for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a dozen chopped rosemary needles and mix well. Place  the rabbit on the cutting board and add some salt (very little) and pepper. Spread the mixture on the meat and roll the rabbit up lengthwise, taking care that the stuffing remains inside. Use needle and thread to sew the roll and seal the ends. Finally, tie the roll as tightly as possible with kitchen string. Put a sprig of rosemary between the string and the meat. Brown the roll on all sides in a pan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then pour the wine and let it evaporate. Add a few cups of vegetable stock, cover the pan with a lid and cook in the oven at 190°C for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pan and let the sauce thicken. Once cooled, remove the string and the stitching, cut the meat into slices and serve with some of its cooking sauce.

A taste of Summer

Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, capers and olives

Serves 4

300/320 g pasta (spaghetti, linguine or short curly pasta)

1 clove garlic

4/6 tablespoons olive oil

8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

5 pitted black olives

1 tablespoon pickled capers

Oregano

Hot chili pepper, or powder

4 tbsp tomato puree

Salt

Toasted breadcrumbs (optional)

Chop the garlic finely and fry it gently in a pan with the oil. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, olives and capers coarsely and add them to the mixture. Add the tomato puree, some chili pepper or chili powder, according to your taste and a pinch of oregano. Stir and let the sauce thicken over medium heat. Taste, adjust salt and then turn off the heat and  set aside. Cook the pasta in abundant boiling salted water, drain it “al dente”. Put the pan with the sauce on the fire, pour the pasta and toss for a few minutes so as to coat well. If you want, sprinkle with some toasted breadcrumbs and  serve immediately.

Soups

Onion soup au gratin

Serves 4

800 g yellow onions

2 dl dry white wine

1 bay leaf

½ liter of vegetable stock

1 tablespoon flour

100 g hard fontina cheese  or mild provolone

40 g butter

Salt, pepper

1 loaf of baquette bread

Peel the onions and cut them into thin slices. Put them in a saucepan with the butter and allow to simmer over very low heat for about 20 minutes. Add the bay leaf. Add the wine, let it evaporate, pour the broth (or hot water) and cook for about 40 minutes. Take a ladle of broth, mix it with the flour, then pour it back onto the onions. Add salt and abundant pepper and cook for another 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Cut the bread into slices about ½ cm thick, put them in a tray lined with baking paper and brown them under the oven grill on both sides. Put the slices of bread into 4 small ramekins, pour the soup, sprinkle with grated cheese and put in the oven at 220 degrees for about 15 minutes until golden-brown.

Side Dishes

Potatoes with artichokes

Serves 4

5 artichokes

4 medium potatoes

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 clove garlic

2 dl vegetable broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

A small onion

Salt, pepper

Juice of one lemon

Cut the stem of each artichoke so that only about 4 cm remains and peel it. Discard the tough outer leaves and cut about 3 cm off the top of each artichoke. Halve the artichoke and discard the choke, if any. Halve again and place the artichoke wedges in a bowl of cold water acidulated with the lemon juice.  Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Finely slice the onion and fry it gently in a pan with the oil. Add the potatoes and artichokes and stir to blend well. Season with salt, pepper, pour the broth and cook with the lid over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Finely chop the parsley with the garlic and add to the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue to cook until water evaporates.   

One-dish meal recipes

Sausage with carrots

Serves 4

6 carrots

4 sausages, casings removed

½ onion

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 dl dry white wine

2 dl vegetable broth

salt

Finely chop the onion and fry it gently in a pan with the oil along with the sausage cut into pieces of a cm or so, for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, peeled and cut into slices and the parsley. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate. Adjust with salt and add the broth (if you haven't any broth add some warm water). Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cream sauces

Zucchini and smoked salmon cream sauce

2 zucchini

½ shallot

4 tablespoons olive oil

150 g smoked salmon, sliced

100 ml fresh cream

Salt, pepper

In a large skillet heat the oil, add the finely chopped shallot and the zucchini thinly sliced. Cook over medium heat until the zucchini is cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the cream, stir well and cook for a minute or two, adjust salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add the salmon, cut into small pieces and stir to flavor. Combine to pasta and serve immediately.