Tomatoes stuffed with rice and roast potatoes

Hi there!!!
here I come with a real delicious recipe,a classic of our Roman cuisine:tomatoes stuffed with rice and roast potatoes.So easy to make and so good to eat just out from the oven,chilled or the day after:-)


ingredients:

8 ripe large tomatoes, washed and dried
320 gr rice,I used parboiled is just perfect for this preparation!
1 Kg potatoes
1 garlic clove
some basil leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and black pepper



method:

First of all roughly chop the basil and put it into a large bowl, do the same thing with parsley.
Now peel the garlic clove and put it into the bowl with basil and parsley.
Using a small knife, cut around the cups of the tomatoes,
carefully scoop out the pulp and the juice of the tomatoes with a spoon and put them into the bowl, then place the hollowed tomatoes in the baking dish.
Now peel the potatoes, cut them in fat cubes and arrange them around tomatoes.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor and pulse on high speed.
Once well mixed transfer the mixture to the large bowl then add the rice, season with salt, add black pepper and olive oil, toss well and stuff all tomatoes with the filling.
Cover each stuffed tomato with his cap, sprinkle with salt, black pepper and some olive oil.
Place the baking dish in preheated oven at 180 C (356 F)
and bake for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the baking dish from oven.
You can eat them hot but they are also delicious
served chilled.

Apricot and cinnamon cake

As I looked in the fridge I found some beautiful apricots and so I thought why not find a recipe that has among its ingredients apricots? here's a fantastic creation from Bill Granger's book Everyday ... it's a tempting recipe especially for the fact that there is cinnamon in the batter and in the crumbly topping..mmmmm I really like it! I can't wait to taste it, the smell that comes out of the oven is pretty amazing I'll tell you how it'll turn out!!;-)I swear lol

ingredients:
140g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
50g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tblsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
85g unsalted butter, melted
350g apricot halves

look at this stage....gorgeous beauties!!!

topping:
40g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
35g caster sugar
35g unsalted butter, chilled and diced


method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F).
2. Grease and line the base of a 20cm (8 inch) round baking tin.
3. Sift flour and cinnamon into a large bowl and stir in the sugar.
4. Make a well in the centre and pour in the egg, milk, vanilla and melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth, then spoon into the tin.
5. Arrange the apricots, cut-side up, evenly over the batter and then press gently down.
6. For the topping, put the flour, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Rub the butter with your fingertips until 'crumbs' form. Put the crumbly topping over the apricots.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is light golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing from the tin.


ready to taste it!!!!ok I'll wait until tomorrow morning..it'll be my fabulous breakfast and..it's made even with seasonal fruit yum

Stuffed cannelloni with aubergines and ricotta

Nothing beats a steaming dish of cannelloni dripping with tomato sauce and sprinkled with cheese..I know it's not winter weather but they are so delicious even in this period!!!Best served just warm indeed to taste better;-)
Cannelloni are easy to make and you can stuff them with all of family's favorite ingredients:chopped meat,cheese or veggies.Tonight I made a light version with veggies and cheese:aubergines and ricotta cheese.I used dried cannelloni just blanched in salted boiling water.


ingredients:

a box of dried cannelloni I stuffed 20 cannelloni
1 kilo of black aubergines
.1 bottle of tomato puree
1 little clove of garlic
a bunch of basil leaves
200 gr. of fresh ricotta
grated pecorino cheese
salt
extra virgin olive oil

method:

blanch cannelloni for 4 minutes in plenty salted boiling water, drain the pasta and cool under cold running water.Roast whole aubergines in the oven at 250 degreees when ready let them cool on one side.
Put the flesh of aubergines in a mixer with ricotta chees,garlic,salt and basil mix everything until you'll obtain a smooth puree.Add the grated pecorino cheese.
Heat a pan with some evoo and the clove of garlic add the tomato puree and a little pinch of salt let it cook for 10 minute.
Now you have to stuff your little beauties with your mix of aubergines and ricotta I use a little spoon to help me when finished pour half of tomato sauce in a casserole and neatly place cannelloni on top of the sauce pour the remaining sauce.Sprinkle some grated pecorino cheese on top.
Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes...ready!

Strawberry clafoutis

According to Clotilde Dusoulier, a French food writer, “Clafoutis is the epitome of the French grandmotherly dessert: unpretentious, easy to make, and blissfully comforting. The fluffy custard, light as a cloud and studded with fruit, hails from the Limousin region in the heart of France, where each family has its own well-guarded recipe.” Nothing more true..
I really like this dessert especially with strawberries but it's also good with cherries,peaches,apricots....not to put an end to the imagination would be a real shame!

ingredients:

1/2 tbs of butter
8 ounces strawberries,please use the best you can have!hulled and halved lengthwise.
2 tsp of cornstarch
3 eggs
1 cup of milk
2/3 of flour 00
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
icing sugar to sprinkle


method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a baking or gratin dish with the butter. Toss strawberry halves with cornstarch until evenly coated, then arrange berries, cut side down, in bottom of dish and set aside.
2. In a blender, whirl eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt 15 seconds. Pour batter over strawberries.
3. Bake until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center, about 50 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Sometimes I substitute milk with double cream for a more creamy texture!

chocolate and pears cake

This is an extra idea for those with gluten intolerance,this cake is made with rice flour and it is really really moist and delicious..this is a fantastic combination to do again!!!!

Ingredients for a round baking pan of 20 cm in diameter


150 grams of whole eggs (3 eggs)
1 egg yolk
240 gr sugar
20 g honey
rice flour 200 gr
40 g cocoa powder
1 tsp of baking powder
60 grams extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
a pound of pears Abbot (about 2 large)
For finishing:
300 g canned pears
heated apricot jelly
icing sugar


method:

Put the eggs in a pot, egg yolk, sugar and honey, and always turning with a whisk, bring to medium heat (not low, so you should always turn) at a temperature of about 45 ° ( the heat regulator: the water of a hot bath is about 40 degrees!).This operation is usefull:eggs will swell and will incorporate more air! Bring the eggs to 45 °, insert them into the KA and to assemble a top speed for at least 3 or 4 minutes the mixture will almost triple and become almost white.
Then add by hand the dust (flour, cocoa and baking powder) in two or three times, stirring with a spatula from top to bottom so as not remove the egg mixture mounted. Add oil or butter and diced fresh pears not too small and mix again. Remember not to mix the powder well now, as then still need to blend the fat and fruit and the dough will be amalgamated at the end, if you already have everything mixed powders, mixing the oil again and pears, don't turn too much your dough, thus deflating the eggs mounted so carefully!
Put the mixture into a buttered and floured mold and place over the pears cut into slices with a 7 cm from the edge and press gently into the mixture. Bake at 180 degrees I used a round baking pan with a diameter of 20 cm, I left it in the oven about 45 minutes.
Cover the slices of pear with 7 pieces of cardboard cut the same shape (a leaf, that is) and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Remove the cards with tweezers and then polish the 7 slices with jelly or hot apricot jam.
The cake turned out very high but if you want you can use a 25 cm round pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Bounty cake for hubby's birthday!!!

Well, even I was taken by the Bounty cake so why not do it for my husband's birthday? I found this recipe easy and very good I must say it was much appreciated I'll do it again!
Here the recipe...

ingredients:

230 gr. of flour
165 gr. butter
165 gr sugar
50 grams of milk
4 eggs,
1 packet of baking powder
35 gr cocoa powder

for the coconut filling:

130 g desiccated coconut,
130 gr sugar
a lightly whipped egg white,
2 teaspoons cornstarch
40 g of double cream,I used coconut milk for more intense flavour.

to cover:

200 gr. of dark chocolate;
200 ml of double cream
coconut to taste


method:

As always, turn the oven to 180 degrees.
First you must prepare the filling ... in a bowl mix the coconut, double cream, sugar, cornstarch and egg white lightly whipped.
Beat eggs with sugar, add the soft butter and mix, then add flour, little by little, milk, cocoa and mix again ... and finally the baking powder.

Take the baking pan (I used one of 20 cm of diameter), pour half of mixture over this ... .. put the mixture of coconut ... and then pour the other half of dough.

Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 1 hour and to make sure the cake is fully baked use the usually skewer in the middle!!!

Prepare the cover ... in a water bath you melt chocolate with double cream. When the cake cools pour the ganache and sprinkle with coconut.:-P

Speculoos ice cream

I was tempted so I decided to make it tonight!!!the only bad thing is that I have to wait until tomorrow to have my scoop:-)
The recipe I choosen is from http://www.cavolettodibruxelles.it/2010/06/la-glace-au-speculoos,is English cream enriched with speculoos finely blended yum the smell is simply divineand as I told you I have to wait until tomorrow for my ratio
ingredients:
350 ml milk
150 ml double cream
110 gr. sugar
6 egg yolks
140 gr. speculoos

method:
Pour the milk and cream in a saucepan and add half the sugar. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with remaining sugar.
Pour the hot milk on the beaten egg yolks, stirring well, then pour all into the saucepan and heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, not quite boil (basically make a creme anglaise). Blend finely 40g speculoos and incorporate it into the final cream. Allow to cool and store in a cool place overnight. The next day, pour the custard into ice cream maker, turn it on, and when the cream starts to thicken, add the remaining 100g of speculoos, coarsely blended.
here the ice cream ready to be..devoured!!!!yum

Ciambelline al vino (wine donuts)

This is a classic italian biscuit with peasant origins,an old staple of our grandmothers. It has a donut shape and is flavoured with red wine.Ideal for after-meal to dunk in a good glass of red wine!Cheers.


Ingredients:

•250 gr. flour 00
•100gr. caster sugar
•100 ml.red wine
•100 gr. olive oil



Method:
1.Mix all the ingredients together to obtain a smooth and soft dough.
2.Let dough rest for 40 minutes.
3.Make small donuts out of it.
4.Bake for 20 min. at 180 degrees
5.Serve with a good bottle of red wine

Basic pesto sauce

What could be better than a good dish of pasta with pesto.This is the version I do without potatoes and green beans but it's always very tasty!!!


ingredients for my basic pesto:
a large bunch of basil
1 clove of garlic
salt
black pepper
1 tbs of pinenuts
2 0 3 tbs of grated parmesan cheese,also pecorino cheese is perfect with this sauce
a good amount of evoo

Method
so simple..put all ingredients in a mixer and reduce them to a puree,if the puree results too dry add more oil that's all!!!bon appetit

My apple cake

Today I want to introduce to you my apple cake recipe.I had this recipe from a dear friend:it is rich in apples,fragrant and really soft.I know there are many recipes for apple cake but this remains my favorite!!!







My apple cake
ingredients:
5 apples
2 eggs
130 gr. melted butter
100 gr.sugar
350 gr. flour 00
250 ml.milk
1 fat tsp lemon zest
1tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

Method:
I put eggs,melted butter,sugar in the KA bowl mix until pale and creamy.Add slowly sifted flour,salt,lemon zest,baking powder and milk.Pour the batter into a round baking pan 20 or 23 cm of diameter is perfect,then i cut apples into thick slices and I put them into the batter and on the top.Sprinkle demerara sugar all over the cake.bake for 40 minutesat 180 degrees.:-) enjoy!

Comfort food

Well today is a really strange weather,we had 32 degrees with high level of humidity...that's hell!!!
Now I'm in the kitchen,I'm very lucky I have a kitchen really cool,making something comforting:pasta with puttanesca sauce mmmm the smell is good and I can't wait to eat it.
Here my recipe for puttanesca sauce:

a good splash of evoo
3 anchovy fillets
crushed garlic
1 tbs of salted capers
2 tsp of black olive paste
tomato puree,passata di pomodoro

 



pasta alla puttanesca ready to eat :-P

 Method:

Put oil in a cold big pan then add garlic,anchovies and let warm up until anchovies melt then add tomato puree,olive paste and desalted capers  all chopped.Let cook for 15 min at medium heat.Bon appetit!!!

Chocolate and not only...

Yesterday I received from my Mil(She went to visit her doughter in Brussels!!!) and Sil some lovely sweet things:Belgian chocolate and Speculoos cream oh my God that stuff is ADDICTIVE!!!!!

a quick lunch..handmade piadina!

I wanted something different and today I decided to make some piadine,a flatbread typical of Romagna a region situated in the center/north of Italy.They are really easy to make here my ingredients:

500 gr. flour 00
10 gr. salt

2 gr. bicarbonate of soda
65 gr. lard,if you can't find lard you can use evoo.
165 ml. water at room temperature

Method:

I put all ingredients inside my KA bowl with the hook inserted I let knead for about 10 minutes that's all!!
Let the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
Take small pieces of dough and spread them thin 2/3 mm,to give them the round shape use a dish or a bowl upside down.
Heat a non-stick pan put the piadina and let cook for 2 minutes each side.
Ready to fill with EVERYTHING!!!

Hello there here I come with my new blog...

After such a long time I decided to create my own blog:I'm so proud of it because I made everything alone,it's not very easy for me I have a little knowledge of these things so I can't complain!!!Lux