TUSCAN ORANGES/ARANCIO TUSCANO

These make a beautiful start to any celebratory dinner. These are served in my family at every holiday including birthdays.

                                                                                    

large shallow serving bowl or dish

3 to 5 oranges

brandy (use one that is of excellent quality)

 1 to 2 tsp. white sugar

 

Peel the oranges, removing all of the white pith. Slice the oranges into slices of  about ¼ inch thick,  Cover the bottom of a shallow serving dish with one layer of the slices without crowding them.  Lightly sprinkle with the sugar.  Pour the brandy over all of the oranges  until the brandy is about ¼ inch deep. The brandy should not completely cover the oranges. Let the oranges macerate in the sugar and brandy at room temperature for approximately 1 hour then turn over all the orange slices and let sit for another hour.

 

 Serve as a part of an antipasti course, and if there are any left, put them out after dinner, people will come back to these.

Leek and Potato Soup

 Minestra di porri e patate

The predominant flavor in this soup is the delicate taste of leeks/ This soup is a favorite in my family. 

2 cups russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks (3 medium potatoes)

4 cups sliced leeks including the light green part (6 medium sized leeks)  

6 cups water

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup whipping cream (optional)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Butter Crisped Leeks for garnish -  recipe follows

For the soup

Cut off the root ends and the dark green tops of the leeks.  Slice in half lengthwise and rinse under running water to remove any dirt or sand.  Cut the leeks into strips. Place the water in a large pot and bring to a boil, add the kosher salt, potato chunks and the cut up leeks. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.

While the potatoes and leeks are simmering prepare the Leek Garnish 

When the potatoes are tender enough to be easily pierced with a knife, remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly. Place the potatoes and leeks in a food processor and pulse on and off until pureed.  The soup is very good at this point and can be served as it is, or you can add the optional ¼ cup of cream, which gives the soup a luxurious creamy taste. It does not take much cream to achieve this.

For the Butter Crisped Leeks

While the soup is simmering, clean the leeks for the garnish as described in the previous paragraph. Cut the leek into thin discs.  Melt the butter and add the leeks when it is hot enough to sizzle when a piece of leek is added to it. Sauté until the leeks are tender, and starting to turn golden brown and crispy at the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes.  

To serve, place the soup bowls and place a few Butter Crisped Leeks  on top of each serving.

A slice of toasted Italian or French bread goes well with this.

Hope you enjoy this soup.

OLIVES BAKED INPASTRY/OLIVES CON PASTA

 

Olives Baked in Pastry/Olives con Pasta

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Hope you try these and enjoy them!  DeAnna 

Olives Baked in Pastry

25 olives pitted (pimento stuffed queen olives, black olives, kalamata olives or any variety that you like)

Pastry recipe follows*

butter for  coating a baking sheet

 *Pastry

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter

4 to 5 Tbsp. ice water

Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with 2 knives until the pieces are small enough to be cut in with a pastry blender. Blend until half the butter is the size of small peas and the rest resemble coarse meal. Add about 1/3 of the water and mix with a fork. Continue adding a little in the refrigerator overnight. dough can be left water at a time and mix together with your hands until the dough holds together and can be formed into a ball. Do not over mix, as this will give you tough dough. For the final blending, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Take 1/2 of the dough and with the heel of your hand rapidly press the dough down and away from you in a firm quick smear of about 6 inches, set aside and smear the other half of the dough. Form the dough into a flat rectangle, and wrap with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least an hour, 2 hours is preferable. The dough can be left in the refrigerator overnight.

Butter a baking sheet and set it aside.

Flour your work surface and your rolling pin lightly and flour your pastry lightly also. Flatten the dough by hitting a rolling pin onto the surface 3 times in one direction and then 3 times in the opposite direction. Roll the dough out and cut into strips 3/4 inch wide and 1 1/2 inches long. The strip should be just long enough to go around an olive. Place an olive crosswise on the end of an end of pastry dough and roll the dough around an olive. the pitted ends of the olives should be visible. 

 Place on your buttered baking sheet about ½ inch apart.

Place in a pre-heat 375 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and a light golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve while still warm. 

BLUEBERRY PIE

 Blueberry Pie 

This is a favorite at the holidays . Hope you enjoy this pie!!

Pastry for a Two Crust Pie recipe follows*

4 cups fresh blueberries (preferably organic) or a 15 oz. can blueberries (preferably organic) drained

1 recipe for pastry for a Twi Crust Pie (recipe follows)

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. butter

whole milk or cream for brushing on top of pie

sugar for sprinkling on top of pie crust

Prepare Pastry for a Two Crust Pie Instructions follow*

Mix the sugar and flour together. If you are using fresh blueberries rinse them and pick over the berries to remove any stem pieces. Place the berries into the sugar and flour mixture and mix together until all the berries are coated well with theit cool  sugar and flour mixture. Pour the coated blueberries into a pastry lined  pie plate or tart pan. Cut the butter into several pieces and dot the blueberries with it. Cover the filling with the top pastry and seal the edges of the pie. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of the pie with whole milk or cream. Sprinkle s400ome sugar over the top of the pie, and with a knife make a few slits in the top crust  to let steam escape. Place the pie in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. heck on the pie after the first 15 minutes of baking to make sure it is not browning too fast, and if it is, the heat can be turned down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for the remainder of the baking time. The pie should turn a beautiful golden color on both the top and bottom crusts. Carefully remove the pie from the oven, and let it cool until the pie is just warm. 

Pastry For A Two Crust Pie

Pasta Per Torta 

This pie pastry is delicious with its all butter fat content, and very tender because 1/3 of the flour is cake flour.

Tip:   A glass pie plate is best to use, so that you can see color of the bottom crust and judge when the pie is done.

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

½ tsp. salt

1 cup butter

8 to 10 Tbsp. ice water

Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with 2 knives until the pieces are small enough to be cut in with a pastry blender. Blend until half the butter is the size of small peas and the rest resembles coarse meal.  Add about 1/3 of the water and mix with a fork. Continue adding a little water at a time and mix with your hands until the dough holds together and can be formed into a ball. Do not over mix as this will give you tough dough. For the final blending, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Take ½ of the dough and with the heal of your hand rapidly press the dough down and away from you  in a firm quick smear of about 6 inches, set aside and smear the other half of the dough. Form the dough into 2 flat round discs and wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour, 2 hours is preferable. The dough can be left in the refrigerator overnight. 

Flour your work surface and your rolling pin lightly and flour the disc of pastry lightly also. Flatten a disc by hitting a rolling pin onto the surface 3 times in one direction and then 3 times in the opposite direction.  Roll the dough out from the center until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick and large enough to fit into a pie plate or tart pan with overlap. Fold the dough in half and fit into a pie plate or tart pan. Repeat the rolling procedure with the second disc and fold it in half and lift over the pie that you have filled with your desired filling  and follow directions for baking as recommended.  

Serve with Sweetened Whipped cream recipe follows** 

Sweetened Chantilly Whipped Cream**

Panna Montata

1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. to 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. vanilla extract (to taste)

The cream should be well chilled just from the refrigerator (under 40 degrees F.)  Beat with an electric hand mixer if you have one, otherwise a stand mixer or a whisk.  Start beating slowly so that the cream does not spray out of the bowl.  Beat until the cream is thickened, then add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add the Tbsp. of vanilla extract and stir until it is mixed in thoroughly. Taste and add more if needed.  The cream should form soft peaks when the beater is slowly lifted up.  Place in the refrigerator and let it sit for at least an hour before serving to let the flavors meld. 

                                         

Tip:  Beating the cream before adding the flavorings lets maximum air to be incorporated into the cream.

LASAGNE W ITH MARINARA SAUCE / LASAGNE CON SUGO DI POMODORO

Lasagne with Marinara Sauce - Lasagne con Sugo di Pomodoro

Your family and friends will love you for making this classic Italian pasta.  If any is left, it will be even better on the second and third day, once the flavors have melded together.

1 lb. (16 oz.) dried lasagne noodles

1 Tbsp.kosher salt  for the pasta cooking water

3 ½ cups Marinara Sauce * recipe follows

8 oz. mozzarella (sliced)

½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (grated)

1 cup ricotta cheese

 

Bring a large pot of water (4 to 5 quarts) to a boil. When it reaches a boil add the kosher salt and the pasta, return to a boil and prepare the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.

 Place 1 cup of the marinara sauce into the baking dish.  Top with a layer of lasagna noodles.  Place ½ of the mozzarella slices over the noodles, and then sprinkle on ½ of the Parmigiano.  Top this with ½ of the ricotta. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the ricotta. Place another layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce.  Repeat the layering of the cheeses, and top this with 1 cup of sauce.  Place remaining noodles over dish and spread the remaining ½ cup sauce over the noodles.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 min. or until mixture is bubbling.  Remove from oven and let stand 10 min. to set.   Cut into squares to serve.

*Marinara Sauce - Sugo di pomodoro

 This sauce can be used on spaghetti or linguini or in Marinara Lasagna, Eggplant Lasagne or on polenta.

 Make this when you have some time to spend in the kitchen.  The aroma will fill your home, and bring your family and guests into the kitchen.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 head of garlic peeled and finely minced

2 medium onions or 1 large onion peeled and chopped into a small dice

2  packages (8 oz.) button mushrooms  (peeled* -optional),  rinsed and the ends of the stems removed if they are dry looking

3 cans 1lb. 12 oz. each plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)

 1 6  oz. tomato paste (optional if you want a little thicker sauce) 

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried onion powder

1/3 cup rinsed and chopped parsley leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tsp. sugar        

 Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot.  Add the garlic when the oil is hot enough to sizzle when a piece of minced garlic is dropped into it, and gently sauté for a minute, then add the chopped onion. Watch carefully to make sure that the garlic turns only a golden color and the onion only becomes translucent and does not turn brown. If using tomato paste add it now. Cut the mushrooms into quarters and place in a small pot, and place over medium heat.  The water contained in the mushrooms themselves should be sufficient to cook them.  Keep an eye on them as you are sautéing the garlic and onions and turn the heat off when the mushrooms are cooked.  Add the plum tomatoes to the pot with the onions and garlic and break them up with a potato masher or a wooden spoon.   You can break up the tomatoes in a large bowl before adding them to the pot if you wish.  A potato masher makes quick work of this. Stir over medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble, then lower the heat so that the sauce is barely at a simmer.  Add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano, the dried onion powder, and sautéed mushrooms, and continue to simmer very gently over very low heat for 1 ½  hours stirring every few minutes making sure that the sauce does not burn. Towards the end of the simmering time, add the salt and pepper, tasting to see how much to add, and the sugar and taste to see if a little more is needed.  Add the chopped parsley leaves, and stir. Simmer for a few additional minutes and remove from the heat.

** To peel mushrooms - use a paring knife to remove the outer skin and any impurities on the mushrooms.

Hope you and your family enjoy this classic Italian Lasagne

 

     

 

  

Sauteed Celery - Sadano Fritte

 

                                                             

 This a typical Tuscan Italian vegetable side dish for a holiday dinnner, or a vegetable treat for anyday of the week.

Celery  Sauteed in Olive Oil - Sadano fritte

 

5 or 6 celery stalks (organic if possible)

water for parboiling the celery

kosher salt for parboiling

 

1 Tbsp. sparkling water

1 cup of flour

salt and white pepper to taste

1 large egg

extra virgin olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of a large sauté pan or skillet to a depth of about  ¼ inch).

 

Cut off the bottom of the celery and cut off the tips of the celery by about ¼ of an inch, if the tips are dried out. Thoroughly rinse off the celery to remove any dirt   Remove any tough strings from the stalks by placing your knife under the strings and pulling them lengthwise down the celery stalk. Or remove the strings with a vegetable peeler by shaving a thin layer off.  Cut the stalks into pieces about 1 ½ inches long.

Bring enough water to cover the celery in a pan deep enough to hold all of the celery at once.  When the water comes to a boil, add the kosher salt, then  add the celery pieces. Cover and let the water come back to a boil. Boil the celery for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the water and let the celery cool. While the celery is cooling, mix the flour with the salt and white pepper in a bowl large enough to hold the celery pieces. In a separate bowl of similar size beat the egg with the sparkling water.

When the celery is cool enough to handle place them into the seasoned flour mixture and coat on all sides, then dip into the beaten egg mixture.

Gently place the coated celery into a sauté pan with olive oil that has been heated to the point that it sizzles when a piece of celery is dropped into it. Turn the celery over with tongs or a fork when the bottom side turns a nice golden brown.  Remove from the oil when both sides are a beautiful golden brown. Place on a plate lined with paper toweling to remove excess oil, then place in an oven proof serving dish and place in a warm oven until ready to serve.  Serve as quickly as possible or keep warm in the oven.

 

Serves 4

Let me know if you make this Italian vegetable side dish. Would love to hear your comments. Boun Appetito!

ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO GRATIN - POMODORI GRATINATI

Zucchini and Tomato Gratin  Pomodori Gratinati

                                                                        

Zucchini and Tomato Gratin

Pomodori gratinati

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil (approximately) for oiling baking dish

4 medium zucchini

2 medium tomatoes directions for *peeling tomatoes follows

1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 leaves of fresh basil cut into a chiffonade (optional) directions for *chiffonade  follows

¼ cup finely chopped  curly leaf parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs directions follow for ***fresh breadcrumbs

ut 1 ½ to 2 ½  inchs) such as a pie plate or an ovenproof ceramic or porcelain baking dish. Cut the ends off of the zucchini. The zucchini may be used peeled or unpeeled whichever you wish. Cut into ¼ inch thick slices and place half of the slices in the baking dish. Salt and pepper the slices. Core the tomatoes and peel them. Slice the tomatoes into ¼ inch slices and place them over the zucchini slices. Salt and pepper the tomato slices and place the remainder of the zucchini slices on top of the tomato layer. Salt and pepper the last layer of zucchini slices.  If you are using the chiffonade of basil spread it over the zucchini slices. Sprinkle generously with the breadcrumbs. Place into a pre-heated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and tender and the top is golden and crisp.

*Peeling Tomatoes

1. Slow-roast and peel (place the tomatoes in a pre-heated 350 degree Fahrenheit  oven for 3 to 5 minutes or when the skins are starting to crack, then remove them from the oven).

 2. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water 1 or 2 at a time. Let them sit in the boiling water for a minute or two and then remove then them from the boiling water. 

With either of the above methods, you need to let them cool before peeling them. Either place in a bowl of ice water to cool them quickly or let them sit out until they are cool enough to handle.

3. Peel the tomatoes with a plastic serrated tomato knife, or other serrated plastic knife such as a disposable plastic flatware knife. Some of the local chefs employ this technique.

**Chiffonade (Thin Strips)

Stack several leaves one on top of each other all facing in the same direction and tightly roll up  lengthwise, and starting at the stem end  cut crosswise  into  thin strips. Unroll and separate the strips. 

at your disposal or you want to quickly have breadcrumbs this is a good method. The crumbs will be a little larger.  

***Fresh Breadcrumbs

Crusts are optional you may remove them or leave them on. Tear each slice of bread into 4 or 5 pieces and place in a food processor, and pulse on and off until the breadcrumbs are the size you desire.

1 slice of fresh bread equals about 1 cup of breadcrumbs.

Crumbled Fresh Breadcrumbs

Remove the crusts and crumble the bread slice between your fingers. This method is quick and easy, and if you do not have a food processor this method works very well. 

Hope you enjoy this Italian Zucchini Grarin