Asparagus quiche

To make the brisè dough:

250 g "0" flour

125 g butter, cold from the fridge

½ cup cold water

Salt

For the filling:

400 g green or white asparagus

1 shallot

30 g butter

1 egg

½ cup fresh cream

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Cut the cold butter into small pieces. Sift the flour into a bowl and form a fountain. Add the butter, a pinch of salt and ½ glass of cold water. Work quickly until mixture is firm and smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let stand in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and peel the asparagus, removing the woody end.  Then boil them in lightly salted water for a few minutes, until tender, drain and cut into small pieces. Gently fry the finely chopped shallot with the butter, salt and pepper. Add the  asparagus, stir to blend well and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. Beat the egg with the cream, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Divide the dough into two parts, roll both to form two discs, one bigger than the other. Use as little flour as possible on the work surface. Grease a round baking dish and line with the larger pastry disc. Prick the bottom with a fork, fill with the asparagus  and pour over the egg mixture. Cover with the second disc of dough. Press the edges with your fingers to seal well, make small incisions or prick the surface of the dough to allow steam to escape and bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° C for about 40 minutes.

Stuffed mussels

Ingredients:

500 g live mussels

400 g tomato puree

1 glove garlic

½ glass of dry white wine

100 g breadcrumbs

1 egg

20 g grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

3 sprigs parsley

1 piece of hot chili pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Remove the beard and brush the mussels thoroughly under running water, discarding any broken ones. Put them in a pan with the wine and the parsley sprigs. Close the lid and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until they open  up. Lift out the mussels from the pan, strain the cooking liquid and set aside.  Put the tomato puree in a wide pan with the peeled garlic, half a glass of water, a small piece of chili pepper, a pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Put the lid and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the mussels’ cooking liquid and cook for another 10 minutes and then discard the garlic and the pepper. Meanwhile, mix in a bowl, the breadcrumbs, the chopped parsley, the grated cheese, an egg and a pinch of salt. Fill the valve containg the mollusc with this mixture, keeping the other half-shell attached. Once they are filled, add them to the tomato sauce,  bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Before serving, stir a few times to flavor.

Baby spinach salad

Baby spinach salad with bacon and green apple

Ingredients:

200 g baby spinach

100 g bacon cut in two thick slices

1 green apple

The juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon mustard

4 tablespoons olive oil

pepper

Clean and wash the spinach thoroughly, dry them well dabbing them with a clean cloth or paper towels. Collect them in a bowl. Wash the apple, remove the core, cut into slices and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut the bacon into strips, brown it in a non-stick pan and then place on kitchen paper to lose the excess fat. Add the apple and bacon to the spinach.  In a bowl, dissolve the mustard with the oil and some freshly ground pepper. Emulsify the ingredients with a fork and season the salad with this sauce before serving. 

Panna cotta with strawberry sauce topping

Panna cotta

Ingredients:

75 g sugar

4 egg whites

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

200 g strawberries

500 ml fresh cream

125 ml whole milk

Butter

Lightly beat the egg whites with the sugar. Then pour the cream and milk and work the mixture with the aid of a hand whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Butter the ramekins and pour the cream into them. Place the ramekins into a baking dish and fill it with hot water (not boiling) up to 2/3 of their height. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes. Once ready, let cool and then remove the panna cotta from the ramekins, place on serving dishes and put in the fridge. In the meantime, wash the strawberries, dry well and whisk them with the icing sugar. Pour the strawberry sauce on the panna cotta and serve.

Easter Bunnies

Easter bunnies made with brioche dough

 

Ingredients: (about 6/7 bunnies)

150 g "00" flour

200 g  Manitoba flour or "0" flour

2 eggs

30 g butter, melted

1 packet of dry yeast (7 g)

60 g sugar

125 ml milk

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Salt

Some raisins for the eyes

Jam (jelly)  or Nutella for the filling

Dissolve the yeast in warm milk and add the sugar. Let stand for about half an hour. Mix and sift the flours and add to the yeast. Add the lemon zest, a pinch of salt, the melted butter and the eggs, one at a time. Mix all the ingredients well and leave to rise for a couple of hours. After this time, divide the dough into 6 or 7 pieces of equal weight (more or less 100 g of dough to form a bunny). The body is made with about 50 g of dough rolled up into a spiral; with 20 g form the tail (a little ball) and with the rest of the dough make the head which should be of oval form. Put a raisin on the left side of the head to form the eye and on the other side carve out the ears, cutting the dough with a knife.  Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and as you assemble the bunny (use some milk to seal the parts together) lay it on the tray. Leave to rise for another hour. Brush the surface of the bunnies with a little milk and bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for about 15-20 minutes, until they are puffed and golden. Once cooled, cut the bunnies in half and fill them with jam or Nutella, according to your taste; These bunnies are great for Easter breakfast or brunch.

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.