I'm so excited!

One of my favorite recipes - Ribolitta- was just published on the site, Our Food Recipes.
This terrific site showcases family recipes, history and food lore.  I hope you'll check it out:
http://www.our-food-recipes.com/european-medieval-food-recipes.html

Grazie!
Ippo

I Love Ricotta!

Photo:  Copyright 2011, Jacapo Pandolfini

I love to bake cakes, pies and cookies.  It's relaxing, and  the house smells good!  Today I've found an exquisite fresh ‘ricotta,’ a soft cheese made with sheep milk.  Ricotta is a very light and versatile cheese.  It can be used for both sweet and salty recipes. 

I’m giving you the recipe I improvised, with chocolate chips  and candied orange slices.

The basic ingredients are pasta frolla (a dough made with flour, butter, eggs and sugar) and soft cheese.  Use your imagination to create your own version, adding fresh fruit, raisins, nuts . . . whatever you like.

TORTA DI RICOTTA

Pasta frolla:

 1 cup flour

 3 tablespoons sugar

A pinch of salt

7 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 egg, beaten

A pinch of grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a bowl, combine flour and sugar.  Make a hole, like a volcano, in the mixture.  Add the egg to the center.  Add butter, and stir with a wooden spoon.  Add salt and lemon zest. Working with your hands, make a dough.

     Cover the dough with a linen towel, and wait 30 minutes. Then, work the dough with a rolling pin until flat.  Shape it and place the dough on a buttered baking tin.

 For the top:

1 cup fresh ricotta or soft cheese, not salted

3 tabespoons sugar

Some chocolate chips

Orange jam

Candied oranges to garnish

 Preheat oven to 350°

Combine sugar, ricotta and chocolate chips.  Pour the mixture on the pasta frolla shell.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Garnish the torta with a thin layer of orange jam and candied slices.

Sweet wines like Porto, Passito or Moscato are perfect with this pie.

A Trip to Genoa

Photo:  Copyright 2011, Jacapo Pandolfini

This weekend, my boyfriend ( an antiques' dealer) and I went to Genoa.  There was an oriental antique art auction, and we indulged, tasting the traditional dishes of this beautiful town. Pasta with pesto is the most popular dish.

Genoa is a place full of life with an important port and a long history.  The soil and the sea breeze in this area create a basil crop  with a stunning aroma.  It gives this famous pesto sauce a genuine and full-bodied flavor.

 Linguine with Pesto

1 pound linguine pasta

A bunch of fresh basil

Pine nuts

2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated

1 tablespoons Pecorino Romano, grated

1 clove garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 medium potato, large dice

Green beans, cleaned, tips removed.

Cook potato and green beans in boiling, salted water until tender. Save the water.

Combine pine nuts, garlic and basil in a mortar or food processor, adding oil, cheese and pepper.  Cook pasta in the pot of water used for the vegetables.  When the pasta is ready, gently mix in the pesto, and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Serves 4

Beautiful Siena

I've just got back from Siena, a beautiful, Tuscan town full of history.  The gorgeous surrounding hills are full of iron, giving the ground the typical red-brown color ‘terra di Siena’  (Siena soil).

I'm not here to talk about the amazing architecture of this town, but if you to travel around Tuscany; a stop in Siena is obligatory.  You must not miss Piazza del Campo where, every year, they hold the traditional horse race called the, ‘Palio’ or ‘Torre del Mangia.’

The traditional specialties of this territory are exquisite.  As a tribute to this town, I'm going to share with you one of the most famous recipes of Siena -  Pici all'Aglione.

Pici is a particular kind of pasta, similar to spaghetti, but with a larger diameter.  If you can't find it or don't have time to make your own, you can dress spaghetti with this tasty tomato garlic sauce.

The recipe is easy and its flavor is enhanced by adding a lot of garlic (aglio).  So, if you're going to invite a vampire for dinner, please pick another recipe from this blog! (and watch your neck!)

Pici all'Aglione

1 pound pici or spaghetti

1 can tomato sauce or 8 fresh tomatoes,

    peeled and diced

4 garlic cloves, slivered

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

A pinch of hot pepper

Basil leaves

Pecorino di Siena, thinly sliced

While the pasta water is boiling, sauté garlic in oil – pay attention- do not let it brown or burn!  Add the tomatoes, basil, salt, and hot pepper.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick.

Cook pasta al dente and drain.  Add the pici directly to the sauce, and mix well. 

Serve with Pecorino slices on top. 

The perfect wine for this dish is a hearty Chianti Colli Senesi.

PICI ALL'AGLIONE
Photo:  Copyright 2011 Jacapo Pandolfini