Chocolate Truffles!

Okay, I must confess . . .  I'm a chocolate addict!   I am not ashamed of my secret, and I am willing to share the simple, secret recipe of my absolute favorite dessert: Chocolate Truffles!  


You can't resist these little yummy chocolate balls - they are so easy to make.  If you need something luscious just for yourself, or if you want to surprise your guests with a touch of sweetness, serve these truffles on a nice silver tray with a hot cup of coffee . . . or something stronger!

Tartufi di Cioccolato

Chocolate Truffles

8 cookies of your choice (to make it crunchy)   

½ cup butter

5 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon mixed walnuts and hazelnuts, finely chopped

1-2 tablespoons Rum

Crush cookies, and mix with walnuts and hazelnuts. Combine butter with cocoa, rum and sugar. Mix well. Stir the liquid into the crumble mixture. Roll into little balls. Roll balls in the cocoa powder until coated. Chill and serve!

Spatzle

              Photo:  Jacapo Pandolfini Copyright 2011

Today I'd love to share a recipe from Trentino - a charming place in northern Italy with beautiful mountains and a delicious way of cooking -  totally different from all other places of Italy.  The recipes have a strong influence from the bordering countries.  These cute, little (and tasty!) dumplings are called spatzle, which means ‘sparrow’ in German. You can eat them with butter, or you can add cheese and speck - a particular kind of smoked,  raw ham typical of this  part of Italy.

1 whole egg

1 cup water

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons minced, boiled spinach

2 tablespoons butter

1 pinch nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Boil spinach, and drain well, squeezing out the water with your hands. 
Once the spinach is as dry as possible, chop it well.

Beat egg with a whisk.  Place flour in a bowl.
Add egg, salt, nutmeg and pepper, and mix well.  Slowly add water, beating the mixture with 
a whisk until all the lumps are gone.  Add spinach and stir until smooth.  Set aside for 30 
minutes.

Get a metal colander with large holes and a spatula. 
Press the mixture through the colander, gathering the little dumplings on a tray.

Heat butter over a medium-high fire in a sauté pan.  Cook the spatzle for 3 minutes.

Serve hot with a good white wine like Riesling or Gewuztraminer.

Spatzle

              Photo:  Jacapo Pandolfini Copyright 2011

Today I'd love to share a recipe from Trentino - a charming place in northern Italy with beautiful mountains and a delicious way of cooking -  totally different from all other places of Italy.  The recipes have a strong influence from the bordering countries.  These cute, little (and tasty!) dumplings are called spatzle, which means ‘sparrow’ in German. You can eat them with butter, or you can add cheese and speck - a particular kind of smoked,  raw ham typical of this  part of Italy.

1 whole egg

1 cup water

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons minced, boiled spinach

2 tablespoons butter

1 pinch nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Boil spinach, and drain well, squeezing out the water with your hands.  Once the spinach is

as dry as possible, chop it well.

Beat egg with a whisk.  Place flour in a bowl.  Add egg, salt, nutmeg and pepper, and mix

well.  Slowly add water, beating the mixture with a whisk until all the lumps are gone.

Add spinach and stir until smooth. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Get a metal colander with large holes and a spatula. Press the mixture through the colander, gathering the little dumplings on a tray.

Heat butter over a medium-high fire in a sauté pan.  Cook the spatzle for 3 minutes.

Serve hot with a good white wine like Riesling or Gewuztraminer.

Dinner with a Dragon

I am about to prepare dinner for  friends - a lot of them! I want to surprise my guests with a recipe that takes me back to my childhood.  My mother used to prepare this Pesce Finto (mock fish) for me and my brother.  We are still big fans of this delicious dish made with tuna and potatoes.  My mother always served the dish in  funny shapes – just like I’m going to do tonight.

I'm proud to show you the picture of my tuna dragon!  I'm always pressing my boyfriend to shoot the pics for this blog (almost every day!), so I think he deserves a double dragon portion and a kiss!

The recipe is basic, easy and cheap.  The results are excellent.  If you like, you can add a boiled egg, or use it to garnish.  I must confess, I use readymade mayonnaise for this recipe.  The homemade version is too heavy, but you can taste this and create your own version.

You must always add your personal secret ingredient: your creativity! Always add a nice glass of sparkling white wine too.  Cheers to the dragons!

(PESCE FINTO/MOCK FISH)

2 kg (about 4 pounds) yellow potatoes

1 cup canned tuna in oil  (choose a brand that saves the dolphins)

1 cup mixed pickles

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

Salt and pepper

Olives and gherkins to garnish

Peel potatoes and boil them in a large pot.

When the potatoes are ready, drain, and cut into small pieces. To achieve the proper texture for this recipe, use cold potatoes.  Otherwise, it all goes to mush!  While the potatoes are cooling, get a large mixing bowl, and mix drained tuna, chopped pickles, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Now add cold chopped potatoes and 2 tablespoons of good olive oil.  Mix it all together with a fork, making sure you still see some of the potato chunks.

Work the mixture into your favourite shape (a fish, a heart, etc.) with your hands or a spatula.  Garnish as you like.

Serves 6 hungry friends

Photo:  Copyright 2011, Jacapo Pandolfini

PANINI

Mi dispiace!!  I haven't posted in quite some time.  I've been very busy with far too many things on my plate.  I'm out and about, traveling to beautiful Vulcano and will share my adventures and recipes as soon as I can.  In the meantime, I'll post a couple simple recipes to hold you over!

D'accordo - Today I want to talk about panini!  The panino is one of the most genial inventions in the world. It's perfect for a merenda (Italian afternoon snack), a pic-nic, or a light lunch.  All it takes are two slices of bread and a lot of imagination!

There are infinite ways to fill your panino, but the most important thing is the bread.  Italians prefer a rosetta bread with almost everything.  Slice it in half, dip the halves in roast beef sauce and fill it with slices of meat – amazing!  Or, fill it with prosciutto, ham and cheese, with mortadella, with salami or with an omelette. These are just a few ways to eat panini.  Choose your favorite – be creative!

Let's Talk About Ice Cream

If you're strolling under the sun in the streets of Florence and get a craving for ice cream, please don't stop by the ‘tourist traps’ that sell fake, handmade ice cream.  If you venture just a few steps off the tourist path, you’ll find my three favorite authentic handmade ‘gelato’ bars.

Vivoli

You must try Vivoli ice cream. I love their pear-caramel ice cream and the festinalente, a delicious cream with spicy ginger.  Since1930, Florentines have gone to this charming place.  It's so famous that the ice cream master, Silvana, was “kidnapped” by the owner of  Divino, an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, to make her beautiful desserts for the stars. It seems that Dustin Hoffman and Harrison Ford really appreciated her gelato!  

Caramel Gelato

Another historical ice cream parlor is Perchè No? (“Why Not?”).  Since 1939, they’ve made divine handmade ice cream. It's on a little street near Duomo, and it has the most fantastic dark chocolate sherbet of the planet. If you add a touch of cinnamon cream you are in heaven, but don't miss their pistache ice cream - it is the best in town.

Perchè No?

Near Santa Croce, in Via de'Neri, stop by Gelateria de' Neri and choose from their large selection of lovely of ice cream tastes. Personally, I adore the semifreddo al Gianduia or any of the fruit gelatos -  malaga, pineseeds, Mexican spicy chocolate ...well, almost everything! They also make ice-cream cakes to die for!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

I decided to open my cabinet of curiosities and give you some tips and information in case you ever want to visit Florence, my beautiful city. I'll give you some of the hidden details of my fascinating town and introduce you to my favorite places, my  family traditions and a lot of things you'll never find in the tourist guides. My recipe for a perfect visit comes with a pinch of history, a dash of culture, and a drizzle of tradition. Are you ready for an art- tradition- gastronomic tour?

Today we'll jump back to the 16^th century, to the beautiful Piazza Santa Croce and the ‘Calcio in Costume’ -  The Florentine Historical Football Game!

Every year, since early 1500s,  the most violent early form of football is played.  It all begins with a parade of Flag Throwers walking into the old town to the sound of ancient drums.  The ball is made from strips of leather and the goal is called ‘caccia.’ There are four (4) teams, because the town was divided in four parts: Santa Croce / Azzurri (Blues), Santa Maria Novella / Rossi (Reds), Santo Spirito / Bianchi (Whites), and my favorites -  San Giovanni / Verdi (Greens).

In the beginning, historical football was a game for aristocrats, and there is still a costume parade with the Florentine nobles.  You'll see counts, marquises and dukes, walking the streets in armor and ancient costumes.

It's such a beautiful experience, a living history.

I have a family coincidence to the ‘calcio storico.’ My father was the captain of the Greens aristocratic parade (I can remember him dressed up in such funny clothes!).  He was the first Count of ancient Scottish origins to be admitted in a very very exclusive Florentine parade.  Well, it just so happens that I recently found out that my boyfriend’s father was the captain of the same football team, the Greens…and was a hell of a player!  I found this out last week when I was tidying up the cellar of boyfriends’ father and found some old pics of Calcio Storico.  In three of the old photos I saw someone very familiar: my father dressed up like a knight! I got goose bumps holding the pics!  I loved  him so much and after 15 years from his death I still miss him terribly. This incredible coincidence could only be a sign of destiny.

If you want to see more photos, here is a link (I'm proud to tell you that the photographer is my boyfriend)

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/30410699@N07/ )

LE CANNELLE

Tonight, I'm cooking for my long-time friend, Sara.  We dine together quite often, and our dinners are always full of laughs, great wine and food.  I promise to post tonight's recipes very soon, but while I’m surrounded by the mouth-watering aroma of all the delicious dishes that are simmering away on a low fire,  I want to share a precious address with you - should you ever venture to my part of the world. 

You see, Sara owns a charming B&B in Fiesole -a beautiful 9^th century BC Etruscan town up in the hills - about ten minutes, by bus, from Florence.  It is called ‘Le Cannelle’ -  a magical place you must not miss.  

For my boyfriend’s last birthday, Sara gave us the most romantic suite in the B & B!  It's right in the center of the old town, but it is very quiet and relaxing and the view is astonishing.  It is absolutely the best accommodation, with convenient prices and perfect service.

For more information, go to:  http://www.lecannelle.com/home.htm.

That's all for now, I have to go to stir the sauce for crostini!