CINNAMON APPLE PIE - MY WAY

Photo:  Copyright 2011, Jacapo Pandolfini

I cook this quick version of an apple pie quite often, and it’s always a success. You see, I love apples - in cakes, pies and pastries.  This recipe is perfect for many occasions - as a sweet and light dessert after lunch or dinner, for breakfast, or during a relaxing coffee or tea break.

I made it as a dinner dessert this evening, hoping for two tiny leftover slices for breakfast, but my dinner guests devoured it!  Oh well, it makes me happy, and I can’t blame them – it was delicious!  Tomorrow we'll go out for breakfast!

 CINNAMON APPLE  PIE - MY WAY

Pasta frolla:

2/3 cup flour

3 tablespoons sugar

A pinch of salt

7 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 egg

A pinch of grated lemon zest

Combine flour and sugar in a bowl, making a hole in the center like a volcano.  Add the egg to the center.  Add butter, and mix 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 an half an hour.  The, work the dough with a rolling pin until flat.  Shape it  into a circle, and place the dough on a buttered baking tin.

Preheat oven to 350º.

For the topping:

2 Golden Delicious apples, cut into thin slices

A pinch of cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

A half lemon, squeezed

4 tablespoons apricot jam (or your favorite jam)

A handful of raisins

A handful of pine nuts

Spread jam on the pasta frolla. Place a layer of apples over the jam.  Drizzle with lemon juice to avoid oxidation.  Add raisins and pine nuts.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes and serve.  If you like, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

LEMON FLAVORED MEATBALLS (Polpette al Limone)

Photo:  Copyright 2011 Jacapo Pandolfini

There are so many ways to cook meatballs.  Everyone has their own secret family recipe.  Meatballs were born to recycle mixed leftovers.  So, feel free to create your own personal recipe, adding vegetables, potatoes,  tomato sauce - whatever you like. 

I always improvise with this recipe.  I adore these little tasty, cute meatballs made with a spoon of ricotta cheese.  The ricotta gives the dish a softness, and the lemon rind and ginger make it fresh and light.  It will be the first of many meatballs recipes I'll post in this blog, because there are infinite variations.   I must confess that it is one of my favorite dishes, so I cook them often.

2 bread slices

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup ground beef and pork, mixed

1 tablespoon ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon chopped basil

1 egg

Lemon rind from half a lemon

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of ginger

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Flour (for rolling the meatballs)

Soak bread in milk until soft.  Mix all ingredients together with a fork until well blended. 

Roll meatballs into small balls, and roll them though the flour.

Heat oil in a sautè pan, and cook meatballs for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with greens or mashed potatoes.

Serves 4

GRANDMA MARIA FRANCESCA'S SFINCIONE

Photo:  Copyright 2011, Jacapo Pandolfini

* Here is the recipe that was just posted on http://www.our-food-recipes.com/italian-food-recipes.html.  

This recipe of  ‘sfincione’ is my Grandmother's creation. She was a fantastic Sicilian lady full of humor and creativity, and her house was always crowded with the usual last minute guests.  In the kitchen she was my bright star.  Not only did I learn many delicious recipes from her, I also learned the joy of hosting and laughing with my dear friends and family around the dining table.

This recipe is absolutely Sicilian. It is a savory, easy and cheap dish. 

If you prepare the dish a day ahead, it will taste even better!

4 potatoes, sliced

6 tomatoes, sliced

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 Mozzarella, sliced

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoons oregano

Salt, pepper, basil

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large casserole, alternate layers of potatoes, onion, mozzarella and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and add oregano and basil.  Bake for 2 hours.

Serves 4

Check out this site!

I just found out that another one my recipes has been posted on www.our--food-recipes.com

Check it out!

http://www.our-food-recipes.com/italian-food-recipes.html

Ciao!
Ippo

Carpaccio di Zucchini

Photo:  Copyright 2011, Jacapo Pandolfini

This morning, at the farmer's market, I picked up the first zucchini of the season -  so young and tender!  The best way to enhance their freshness is to eat them raw in a wonderful, healthy and tasty Carpaccio di Zucchini.

     In Italy, we usually use the word  ‘Carpaccio’ for meat, but it can be any thinly sliced, raw vegetable or meat, seasoned with olive oil and Parmesan.  The creator of this recipe was Cipriani, owner of Harry's Bar in beautiful Venice.  He prepared this light dish (for a noble lady who was on a diet) as a tribute to the famous painter, Vittore Carpaccio.

     There something about this recipe I really love.  Maybe it’s the fresh, crunchy, raw zucchini, or maybe it’s the pine nuts and Parmesan.  It has a very peculiar and enjoyable taste, and it's so easy to make!

Carpaccio di Zucchini

4 young  crunchy zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup thinly sliced Parmesan

4 whole mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pine nuts

1 bunch Arugula

Place uncooked zucchini on a tray.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with lemon juice and oil. Cover with Parmesan slices, mint leaves and pine nuts.  Serve cold, garnishing with arugula.

A LONELY EGGPLANT

Photo:  Copyright 2011, Jacapo Pandolfini

Yesterday I had a lonely eggplant in my fridge.  It was a long, beautiful, purple one.  Instead of turning it into a pasta sauce as usual, or into a side dish, I wanted to experiment with something new.  I had an idea: my eggplant was perfect for an Italian version of my favorite middle eastern dish, the babaganoush - an eggplant cream with a delicious spicy flavor.

I had a big chunk of ‘pecorino di grotta’ -  a sheep cheese, aged in the darkness of the caves, and I needed something to enhance the beautiful flavor of this cheese.  I improvised this  recipe with what I had at home. I used three olives, forgotten in a little Chinese bowl (a leftover of an antipasto), a  lemon rind and some fresh mint leaves picked from one of my herb vases.  I made this mousse my way - with an authentic Italian flavor.  I served it in a bowl, ready to be spread with cheese slices or to use as grissini (bread sticks) for dipping.  Add a generous glass of hearty red wine, and my antipasto was perfecto!

 EGGPLANT MOUSSE

1 eggplant

Lemon zest to taste

Mint leaves

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½  garlic clover

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°

Cut the in eggplant in half and bake until tender (approximately 20 minutes).  Carefully peel the eggplant halves.  Dice the pieces, and place in the food processor.  Add garlic, oil, salt, pepper and some mint leaves and lemon zest.  Process until well blended.  Arrange the mousse into a nice circular shape, garnishing with mint leaves and olives.  Serve at room temperature with bread sticks and aged cheese.

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

Here in Florence, the winter is very chilly, and there's nothing better than a hot, spicy soup to warm your heart.  Tonight, for dinner,  I'm going to cook an ancient traditional peasant recipe from the beautiful town of Lucca.  A comforting bean soup full of genuine ingredients, proteins, and fiber -  with such a delicious taste! The recipe is easy and cheap. 

My day ahead is very busy, so I'm going to make the soup with canned beans, but if you have the time, you can use two cups dried beans, soaked overnight in water.  Cook them for 50 minutes in boiling water until tender.  Then, simply drain the beans and follow the recipe.

ZUPPA di FARRO

2 cans borlotti or cannellini beans

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 dried hot chili pepper

A few sage and rosemary leaves, minced

1 clove garlic

3 cups water

Salt and pepper

1 cup spelt

With a food processor or potato masher, mash the beans until creamy.  Set aside.

Sauté garlic in 1tablespoon olive oil over a low flame.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add mashed beans, rosemary, sage, hot chilly pepper, salt and 3 cups of water. 

Simmer gently, mixing constantly. If the water evaporates and the bean soup is too thick, add water until the texture is liquid-creamy.

Boil a cup of spelt, drain and add to the bean cream.  Sprinkle with pepper, drizzle with oil and enjoy this super traditional Tuscan recipe!

The taste is at its best with a glass of hearty red wine. Most things taste better this way!

Serves 4

ZUPPA DI FARRO
Photo:  Copyright 2011 Jacapo Pandolfini

Tuesday in Firenze

Living in the center of Florence has its privileges. Not only am I surrounded by beautiful ancient architecture, my home is close to the cutest little veggie market called the Sant'Ambrogio street market. I shop there almost every day, because I can always find really fresh vegetables, fruit, local cheese and herbs.

My favorite stall (bancarella, in Italian) is maybe not the most charming one, but it has organic products grown by an old farmer who cultivates them without using any pesticide. There, you can buy vegetables just picked from the garden. Today there were some gorgeous Brussels sprouts. I just had to take them home with me!

When the farmer gave me a bunch of fresh thyme as a gift, I started scheming on how I would combine these two beautiful ingredients. You see, I have dinner guests tonight, and I don't want to serve them boring, boiled Brussels sprouts.  Luckily, Inspiration hit when the aroma of fantastic smoked cheese (scamorza affumicata) lured me to the cheese stand.  All I needed were a few bacon (pancetta) slices for this super easy, tasty recipe.  I hope you enjoy it!  Ciao!

Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Cheese Gratin

1 pound Brussel Sprouts

5 thin slices smoked cheese

6 bacon slices

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

Clean the brussel sprouts, cutting away the first leaves and the tip of the little stalks.  Wash them, and steam until tender. In the meantime, pre-heat oven to medium heat (350°). Drizzle oil in a baking casserole.  Add the vegetables and cover with cheese slices.  Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.  Top with bacon slices . Bake until the cheese is melted and bacon is crispy.

Serves 4

Ippo’s secret: to neutralize the Brussels sprout’s nasty smell, add a half lemon or a few drops of vinegar to the boiling water. 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH SMOKED CHEESE GRATIN
Photo:  Copyright 2011 Jacapa Pandolfini

My name is Contessa Ippolita Douglas Scotti di Vigoleno - a  very long name, so please call me ‘Ippo.’  I am a modern day Contessa, and my castle is my kitchen - full of exotic spices, well-worn pans, fresh flowers, magic, music, love and happiness. 


It is a typical day in Florence, and I'm on my way to the San Lorenzo market to buy sumptuous fresh fruits and vegetables.  On my way, I usually  pass through the Piazza della Signoria  and sometimes stop for a strong cup of espresso and delicate pastry.

I never know exactly who will show up at my dinner table in the evenings, so I always stock up on whatever strikes my fancy from the market.  Maybe tonight I will create a tasty Pollo alla Cacciatora (Chicken with Black Olives) for my guests, followed by a Mousse di Cioccolata (Chocolate Mousse).  A good bottle (or two!) of Brunello di Montalcino will never be wasted, nor will a gorgeous bouquet of fresh flowers. 

I hope you enjoy my culinary diary.  I leave you with tonight’s delicious main course! 

Ciao! 

IPPO

Pollo alla Cacciatora

(Chicken with Black Olives)

Italians cook game with black olives and pancetta (bacon).  We call it “alla cacciatore’ (in the hunter way). The hunters cooked it this way to smooth the  strong flavor of  game. 

1 whole chicken

2 slices bacon

A handful of olives

Fresh sage and rosemary

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup red wine

Salt and pepper

Cut chicken into pieces. Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Fry chicken, olives, herbs, salt, bacon and pepper for approximately 15 minutes.  Add wine and cover the pan.

Cook for another 10 minutes.  Serve with green beans.

Serves 4