Ripieno :

800 gr. ricotta vaccina ( è essenziale usare della ricotta vaccina perché più soda, comprata in un caseificio)

2 o 3 uova intere (devono essere intere perché l’albume lega meglio); q.b. di parmigiano; q.b. di prezzemolo;q.b. di sale

Prepariamo la pasta, in una ciotola mettere la farina e nel centro aggiungere tutte le uova e sbatterle con una forchetta, e amalgamiamo la farina, quando l’impasto e è abbastanza compatto, passiamo tutto sulla spianatoia di legno, e se l’impasto è troppo asciutto aggiungiamo un po’ di acqua, fatto questo impastiamo bene per una ventina di minuti , l’impasto deve essere lucidi e elastico. Divedere l’impasto in tocchetti, e conservarli al fresco sotto, la ciotola.

Prepariamo il ripieno, in una ciotola, poniamo la ricotta, le uova, il parmigiano, e il prezzemolo tritato finemente (privato dei gambi, perché sono amari),  e il sale, e mescolare bene.

Riempire una tasca da pasticcere (io uso la spara biscotti con beccuccio a stella), con beccuccio piccolo.

Riprendere la pasta , stenderla un po’ con il matterello, e ripassarla nella sfogliatrice, (io non ripasso molte volte la pasta, a me piace una basta ruvida, quindi la stendo con il matterello e poi la ripasso con la macchinetta in uno spessore n. 5 ), con la siringa,  riporre dei ciuffi di ripieno, e chiudere la sfoglia, su se stessa, con le dita  eliminare l’aria in eccesso, e con un beccuccio di ferro definire la forma, e con il taglia biscotti infarinato, tagliare i ravioli, i ritagli di pasta, vanno riutilizzati.

Disporre i ravioli appena fatti su un vassoio, e metterli immediatamente nel congelatore,  appena i primi si sono iniziati a congelare unirli alla rinfusa in un  altro vassoio. Una volta congelati, perfettamente,  pesateli e metteteli in sacchetti secondo le vostre esigenze, e in fretta rimetterli  nel congelatore. In una pentola mettere qualche cucchiaio di olio di oliva, un po’ di burro chiarificato, e qualche bacca di mirto con relativi ramoscelli, lasciare fondere il burro e farlo insaporire con le spezie.

In abbondante acqua salata, immergere i ravioli congelati, una volta che affiorano in superficie, se sono proprio congelati bene, farli bollire anche 6 minuti, secondo i gusti, a me piacciono, al dente, scolarli e saltarli in padella.

The basket spend for the ingredients far outweighed the cost of buying ready made tortellini, for instance, but in the pursuit of making an affordable, memorable meal and enriching my culinary skills, the end result was far better value.

discuss ...

To justify the arrival of Donna Hay magazine, and all the others that lie in piles around our home, I decided to actually cook from it this week. It was suprisingly easy to find four recipes that could feed us and the baby and survive the double sitting system we have going on here. The baby eats at 5.30pm and we eat at 7.30pm after he's gone to bed, which means if we are to eat the same things either we have a warmed up version of his meal, or he has our left overs from the night before. This recipe was a winner - I cooked off some gnocchi for the baby at 5.30 then put the unrolled remains in the fridge until we were ready to eat at 7.30pm - and they were even more delicious than the first batch.

I remember making gnocchi with mashed potatoes and flour once a long time ago and being disappointed with the pasty, gluggy results. These little numbers however, were just delicious. Light, flavoursome, and with some  blitzed tomato sauce over the top they were just heaven for baby and for us.

Ingreditents

500g fresh ricotta
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup plain flour, sifted
Finely grated rind of a lemon
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
250g steamed, chopped spinach - squeeze as much water out as you can before choppiing
1 cup semolina (for rolling)

2 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
leaves off a large sprig of basil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, flour, lemon rind, mint leaves and spinach in a bowl and mix to combine.  If you have time, cover the mix and put it in the fridge for the flavours to combine.

Turn the mixture out onto a surface sprinkled with semolina and roll into 4 x 30 cm long ropes. Cut your rope into 2cm lengths and cook them in batches in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the surface. You'll know they're ready when they suddenly start bobbing to the top all at once.

Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm while you cook the rest.

The tomato sauce is a great trick I saw on TV and is one of the yummiest pasta sauces ever. Just blitz the tomotoes, garlic, basil and salt and pepper in your blender (or use a stick blender into a jug), then strain out the pips and skin over a small pot. Warm it gently (don't boil it or you loose the fresh flavour) then pour over your gnocchi. It's also fabulous with plain spaghetti.

More parmesan on top to serve.

Matched with a citrisy Pinot Grigio from McGuigan Wines- they have a great city vineyard in town at the moment with vines planted and a cellar door. Very cool concept.

My husband has discovered recently that he doesn't care for eggplants (ah! my heart!) and so when I plan to cook with them I have to make sure he has an alternative dinner option.  Since last night was burrito night (his one food passion-and talent!) he had leftovers tonight, which left me free to make a solo eggplant dish.  I was looking to make some sort of eggplant parmesan, but really wanted to avoid the frying, when I found this recipe on the Martha site!  Martha and her people are BRILLIANT!  I halved the recipe and baked it in an individual ramekin.  It was awesome and overflowing!  I think next time I will bake it in 2 ramekins and have leftovers, wink!

Un po' di giorni fa nel blog di Eliana, ho visto questi ravioli dolci e mi sono ricordata che la mia nonna materna li preparava così. Noi siamo vissuti insieme a lei e questo è uno dei piatti che cucinava sempre. Da quando mi sono sposata non ho più mangiato questi ravioli, perché a mio marito non piacciono ed io per accontentarlo ho sempre fatto quelli salati. Domenica ho voluto farmi un regalo e li ho preparati, può sembrare strano il gusto del ripieno dolce in un piatto salato, invece sono buonissimi e mi ricordano tanto la mia cara nonna.

Per il ripieno:
500 gr. di ricotta Vaccina
300 gr. di caciotta dolce di mucca un po' appassita
3 uova
2-3 cucchiai di parmigiano
sale e pepe q.b.
prezzemolo
zucchero q. b.

noce moscata

Con la forchetta ho schiacciato bene la ricotta, grattugiato la caciotta con 3 uova sbattute, parmigiano, sale, pepe e lo zucchero (io ne ho messo 2 cucchia: non mi piace troppo dolce ma un po' si deve sentire); ho poi unito  il prezzemolo tagliato sottile ed ho amalgamato bene, per ultimo una grattatina di noce moscata

Per la pasta:
4 uova
250 gr. di farina di grano duro (uso la "3 Mulini" di Eurospin)
250 gr. di farina 00
acqua q.b.

Ho impastato tutto nel Bimby e poi ho fatto riposare per una mezz'ora; poi con la macchinetta per la pasta ho ricavato delle sfoglie sottili e ho confezionato dei ravioli, questa volta li ho tagliati quadrati.
Li ho cotti nell'acqua salata per pochi minuti, li ho scolati per bene e li ho conditi con una salsa di pomodoro semplice e parmigiano.

Con questo piatto partecipo alla bella  iniziativa di Laura "Le ricette del cuore":

Well this was a treat. Friend Stripey gave me an issue of Saveur magazine which had this recipe featured on the cover. Gave it a whirl and it turned out very well! Quite rich -- only had a third of it tonight -- but we'll see how well it keeps for the next couple of days!

The recipe follows, copy/pasted from the link to Saveur's archives above -- and thanks to Lynne Curry for creating it!

---

New Zealander Lynne Curry, who provided this recipe, serves this tart by the slice from her stand at the Matakana farmers' market.

1 10" × 13" sheet frozen puff pastry,
thawed and chilled
12 small zucchini (about 2 1⁄2 lbs.), trimmed
Salt
3 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped, strained in
a sieve, excess moisture pressed out
1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled feta cheese
1⁄2 cup ricotta
2 tbsp. chopped basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Fit pastry into a 9" × 12" baking sheet, pressing it against sides. Score around bottom inner edge of pastry (beside crease where bottom meets sides), being careful to not cut all the way through, with a paring knife. Prick bottom of pastry all over with a fork, line with a sheet of parchment paper that fits in bottom only, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake until edge of crust begins to puff and color, about 25 minutes. Remove weights and paper. Bake until bottom is golden, 6–8 minutes more. Let crust cool.

2. Grate 4 of the zucchini on large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp. of salt, toss well, and set aside to let weep for 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and wring throughly to remove moisture.

3. Meanwhile, slice remaining zucchini into 1⁄4"-thick rounds. Working in batches, blanch rounds in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain and spread out on a paper towel–lined sheet pan; set aside.

4. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. (Spoon out 1 tbsp. and reserve.) Add onions and cook until soft, 5–6 minutes. Add grated zucchini and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool.

5. Stir tomatoes, half of the feta, ricotta, basil, and salt and pepper to taste into zucchini mixture. Stir in egg and spread mixture evenly in crust. Arrange zucchini rounds, slightly overlapping in rows, like tiles, on top. Bake for 15 minutes, then brush top with reserved butter. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden, 10 minutes more. Let cool to room temperature, then sprinkle remaining feta over top. Cut tart into squares.

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #93

Why I love being able to make homemade ricotta? You can make it savory (lasagna, cannelloni, stuffed shells etc) or make it sweet (top it with berries and honey, make cannolis, ricotta cheesecake, etc). It's so versatile. You should make it just so you have bragging rights to tell your friends that you are a 'cheese maker'! :) There's a similar recipe but it's for a cheese called paneer that I found on Angry Chicken's blog . . .

Recipe for Homemade Ricotta

I'm not going to waste time justifying that claim, nor the culinary glory represented by the above picture. If you believe me (and you should), I'll show you how I did it after the jump.

Where to start? I guess the recipe would be a good place. It's another from the Bon Appetit files, and although I had to make some significant adjustments, the finished product was nothing short of phenomenal.

Above are some of the main ingredients. Personally, I would have rather had a better grade ricotta (I used to see about eight different kinds in Philly supermarkets), but I think the Sorrento turned out just fine.

In keeping with the recipe, I drained the 1 cup of ricotta for 2 hours. Because it was a more commercial brand of cheese (or at least I think that's the reason), it didn't produce too much in the way of liquid runoff. If I were to do it again with the same brand, I probably wouldn't waste time draining it.

Here's where the problems started. After microwaving and skinning the two yams, I was left with a paltry amount of orange flesh. The recipe makes reference to 3 cups worth, but I only barely scratched out 1.5 cups. I decided to carry on by halving all the remaining ingredients. Since I was only making this for me and my wife, I didn't think the smaller output would be too disappointing.

After combining the sweet potato flesh with the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, brown sugar and salt (I didn't have nutmeg), I went about adding the flour and "doughifying" the mixture. Even though I initially halved the flour, I found that I needed to add quite a bit more to make things workable. I continued adding flour as I formed the six balls and snaked them out as shown above.

This was the most difficult part of the procedure. Making anything near a uniform shaped snake was nearly impossible. I don't know if it was the consistency or my lack of practice, but this was semi-embarrassing for a former Play Doh rolling champion like myself. I ended up cutting the bigger snakes into smaller snakes and rolling them even thinner. The other problem was that every time I cut the darn things, they would pinch at the ends. It looked like I was making wrapped taffy candy.

At right is what some of the cut gnocchi looked like before cooking. This was after rolling them over fork prongs in an attempt to achieve the same ridged style portrayed in the magazine. As you can see, except for a few of the blobs, this method did not work out. But as my great aunt would say, "whadayagonnadoo?"

After boiling and cooling the gnocchi, I had to taste them. I was more than pleasantly surprised that they were of a good, slightly chewy consistency; neither gummy nor falling apart. After browning the butter, achieving the "toasty aroma" that the recipe describes, I added rosemary, salt and pepper. I know the recipe calls for sage, but I didn't have any and I think the rosemary actually worked out just as well.

Here's the finished deal, right before sprinkling with a bit more of Parmesan. The simple butter sauce added a nice richness to the gnocchi without overpowering their already delectable flavor.

I'm not kidding when I said that this was the best thing I've ever made. Though the preparation takes a lot of time, there's nothing more comforting than a plate of these sweet potato gnocchi on a cold winter's day.

I guarantee it.

]]> http://ouritaliantable.wordpress.com/?p=267 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:44:09 +0000 Michele http://ouritaliantable.fr.wordpress.com/2008/09/27/crostini-with-fresh-figs-ricotta-and-balsamic-reduction/ [/caption]

The ancient fig. It is reported that figs first appeared some 11,400 years ago thereby making it the earliest domesticated crop. One bite of the heavenly sweet taste of a fresh fig and one immediately understands why.

Given that I have been on a homemade ricotta kick lately (see recipe in earlier blog under 'Recipes' page), I have been scooping my fresh ricotta on any and everything I can think of. And nothing compares to the wonderful fresh creamy taste of homemade ricotta paired with figs, picked fresh from the tree.  I have been patiently growing a little fig tree in a pot for the past 3 years.  My climate does not allow me to keep this beautiful tree outside year around without some rather heroic measures to keep it safe (wrapping and covering for the winter). So each year, I lug my fig tree out and then back in as the climate cools.  I was so excited to see little baby figs sprout in only its second year and promptly scheduled una festa to celebrate my "fig harvest" in the fall. Although my harvest amounted to little more than 8 figs :o), my rather patient family savoured a heavenly taste of fig (albeit rather tiny taste) direct from my little tree.  There is so much to do with these little treasures - below is one of my favorite antipasti.  You can also halve the figs, stuff with a small bit of gorgonzola (or other cheese like goat), and wrap in small piece of prosciutto. Arrange on a platter of decorative lettuce (or fresh fig leaves if you are lucky enough to own a fig tree) and wala - simple, fast yet elegant.

This yummy crostini recipe is very quick to pull together and never fails to elicit sighs of pleasure with every bite.  The fresh figs are an absolute must but if you have neither the time nor the inclination, store bought ricotta works just fine.  Enjoy!

Crostini with Fresh Figs, Ricotta and Balsamic Reduction

Fresh baguette

Fresh figs

Whole milk ricotta (homemade -see 'Recipes' page; or store-bought)

1 cup balsamic vinegar (does not have to be high end; just be sure no additives or colorings)

˜

Make crostini: Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette into thin, diagonal slices. Spread slices on ungreased baking sheet and toast until lightly brown, turning once. (5-10 minutes)

Make balsamic reduction:  Place balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Put over low heat and simmer. Reduce until slightly syrupy - do not over-reduce as it will thicken further as it cools. Be careful not to put over high heat or it will taste scorched.  You can place any extra in a squeeze bottle and store in refigerator for use later. Note: You will need to let it come back to room temperature before using.

Assemble:  Slice figs in half. Take one crostini, slather with ricotta. Tuck fresh fig half in ricotta. Arrange on platter. Drizzle balsamic reduction over crostini and serve!

Who in the world would have thought it was this easy to make fresh ricotta??? I will never buy store bought ricotta again! I remember being in Sicilia one Easter with my friend, Danielle.  Danielle lived with his parents (of course) in the apartamento above. On Easter morning, the doorbell rang and there stood his friend, who had driven down from his village near Mount Etna, to deliver a freshly killed baby goat for roasting, warm, fresh ricotta and a loaf of freshly baked bread wrapped in simple brown paper.  The minute his amico was out the door, I lunged for the ricotta and bread. (I quickly forgot about the poor baby goat which he promptly, and thankfully, delivered to his parents.)  We happily sat at his kitchen table slathering fresh, warm ricotta on the bread. How I still remember the taste of that ricotta - warm and wonderfully creamy. So you can imagine my excitement when I recently learned just how simple fresh ricotta is to make! The result is an incredibly creamy, fresh cloud that is incomparable in taste to its store bought relatives. The uses for this delicious treat are endless - slathered on bread alone, with a drizzle of honey, with warm roasted tomatoes, in ravioli, with fresh figs, in desserts and on and on and on.  We will be making quite a few of these in the upcoming blogs but for now,  lets get down to making this heavenly treat!

Homemade Ricotta

1 gallon of whole milk

1 quart of low-fat buttermilk

Salt (optional)

Cheesecloth

Candy thermometer

Rinse cheesecloth and fold into layers. Line a colander with the cheesecloth in the sink.

Pick a large stockpot that will hold the milk and buttermilk. (I used my stainless steel pot as I read that aluminum or copper will react with the acid in the milk.) Pour the milk and buttermilk into the pot. Add a touch of salt if using for a savory dish.  Attach a candy thermometer.

Warm the milk over medium heat. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot to ensure the milk does not burn. Once the milk is warm, stop stirring and let it continue to heat.

You will start to see the curds separating and forming lumps as it heats. When the milk reaches 175 degrees, the curds and whey will separate.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Using a ladle with holes, gently transfer the curds to the cheesecloth.  Let drain for approximately 15 minutes. 

Bundle up the sides to the cheesecloth gently and tie. Using a rubber band or the knot in the cheesecloth, hang bag from faucet to allow to drain until the dripping has stopped and the cheese has cooled. 

Remove cheese from cheesecloth and refrigerate. (Best if used within a few days.)

Once chilled, enjoy!!

- pennoni funghi, prosciutto e ricotta

Dopo il riuscitissimo post sulle brioche, riproviamo l’esperienza della foto-ricetta di un'altra preparazione che definire tipica e’ abbastanza eufemistico;

Il Cannolo Siciliano!

Certo, e’ vero che di ricette per la preparazione del cannolo, sparse per la nostra bella isola se n’e’ trovano a migliaia, ma quest’oggi, prenderemo in considerazione la ricetta Menenina (proveniente dal piccolo paesino di Mineo).

Sempre in compagnia della brava Concetta Costa e gia’ in possesso di tutti gli ingredienti ci mettiamo al lavoro di buon ora per iniziare la nostra preparazione; partiamo dalla ricetta:

250g di farina 00

1 tuorlo d’uovo

1 cucchiaio di zucchero

1 cucchiaio di olio

1 bicchiere di vino bianco

Disponiamo la farina a fontana e versiamo al centro l’olio, lo zucchero ed il tuorlo;

impastando velocemente, aggiungiamo il vino bianco e continuiamo fino ad ottenere la giusta consistenza.

Ottenuta la nostra “palla” di impasto, la lasciamo riposare per circa mezz’ora.

Dopodicche’ , eccoci alla fase piu’ importante della preparazione, stiriamo la sfoglia, ricavando dei quadrati di circa 10cm;

ma e’ in questo momento che Concetta gioca il suo asso nella manica, infatti, con mia grande sorpresa, tira fuori da una borsa le VERE canne per i cannoli, appositamente portate da Mineo per l’occasione ed appartenute a chissa’ quale parente lontano.

Questa si che e’ pura tradizione.

Ad ogni modo, procediamo; appoggiamo su ogni quadrato la canna, nel senso della diagonale, ed avvolgiamo attorno ad esso le due punte del quadrato.

Una piccola pressione col dito per chiudere ed il gioco e’ fatto.

Dopo aver ripetuto l’operazione piu’ volte, siamo pronti per la frittura; in pentola, l’abbondante olio e’ gia’ fumante.

Iniziamo ad immergere i cannoli nell’olio, facendo ben attenzione che restino totalmente sommersi, in modo da avere una cottura uniforme.

Sotto il nostro sguardo incredule, la tradizione prende forma, colore, eleganza….maestosita’.

Non ho mai sottovalutato Concetta, ma non mi aspettavo un cosi’ bel risultato estetico…

Appena le sfoglie prendono la giusta doratura, le tiriamo fuori dalla pentola e le lasciamo riposare su carta assorbente.

Nell’attesa prepariamo il ripieno….si lo so…e’ fin troppo scontato…come li riempiremo?...ovviamente con la ricotta penserete voi….nooooooooooo,

va bene la tradizione, ma non a tutti i costi, ad Agosto niente ricotta, questo per me e’ un punto d’onore, anzi mi permetto di fare un appunto ai grandi chef che nei loro menu’ non fanno mai mancare questo prelibato formaggio, anche in estate, quando i produttori seri, interrompono la loro produzione; si , e’ vero che i turisti vogliono le cose tipiche, ma…ogni cosa ha i suoi tempi.

Chiuso il piccolo appunto, iniziamo la preparazione della crema, sulla quale non mi dilunghero’, limitandomi a dare gli ingredienti:

500g di latte – 100g di zucchero – 2 uova – 2 cucchiai di farina – scorza di limone grattugiata.

Pronta la crema, ci prepariamo per il riempimento, altra fase cruciale, estraiamo le forme di legno dalle sfoglie e con una “sacca da pasticcere”(un po’ artigianale) inseriamo la crema all’interno della cialda.

Per completare il tutto…sempre seguendo la ricetta di Mineo, Consetta bagna le due estremita’ del cannolo in un trito di mandorla, con e senza buccia (niente pistacchi come si usa a Catania o frutta candita che si usa invece a Palermo).

Una spolverata di zucchero a velo e...

come si usa dire…il piatto e’ pronto….

la nostra “guantera di Cannola” e’ bella e fatta e pronta per soddisfare la golosita’ di grandi e bambini.

Quale miglior dolce per festeggiare un evento, una ricorrenza o piu’ semplicemente per concludere un pranzo domenicale…

insomma per un buon Cannolo Siciliano, …ogni occasione e’ quella giusta!!!.....OHPSSSS…..non proprio ogni occasione!!!!!!!

Pop quiz! This is what happens to a pizza when:

A. I use the whole mozzarella ball

B. I happen to have extra ricotta laying around

C. Nobody stops me

I think you know the answer.

]]> http://documentthiseat.wordpress.com/?p=9 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:31:59 +0000 anon http://documentthiseat.fr.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/orecchiette-with-salsa-cruda-and-ricotta/ 1 medium shallot, minced

2 small garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 1b tomatoes, chopped

1/4 tsp hot red-pepper flakes

1/3 cup coarsely chopped basil

1lb dried orecchiette

3/4 cup ricotta (preferably fresh)

Or at least so goes the recipe. Good luck finding orecchiette in this town. I had to settle with campanelle which look like little ruffled sleeves (orecchiette means little ears). I used a bin of cherry tomatoes and tons of basil, both of which I picked up from my favorite farmers market stall. Next time I'll either halve the garlic or sautee it -- it was too pungent for me. But paired with this odd $5 pinot gris I've been grooving on at Trader Joes this wasn't bad for late night grub. And it was almost even better when I had it for lunch today cold.

Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again.  Just kidding.  I was watching the Food Network and a woman made crostata. I laughed thinking of what my grandmother used to make with leftover pie crust: it was just the same as crostata but without a fancy name.

I have scoured the recipe archive at www.foodtv.com but cannot see if this recipe is truly something they should have credit for.  Maybe it was a dream . . .

Here is what I made today, and my husband rather enjoyed it:

Strawberry Crostata

1 raw pie crust

¾ jar strawberry preserves

6 oz ricotta cheese

9 grapes, halved

Egg wash

Roll out the pie crust into a circle and place on floured cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 375.

Spread jam over crust leaving a 3 inch bias.

Add thin dollops of cheese on top of jam.

Fold outer crust inward 8 times to create a circular crust.

Push grape halves, cut side down, into outer crust.

Spread crust with egg wash

Bake 30 minutes.

I think mother would have loved this dessert. She had a palate attuned to the nuances of cheese.

]]> http://lillabla.wordpress.com/?p=2131 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:32:41 +0000 Lilla Blå http://lillabla.fr.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/fredagsmiddag-och-lite-visdomsord/ Jobbet avklarat, fyra maskiner tvätt avklarat. Fotjäkeln har fått för sig att börja knorra igen, så jag blir hemma i stugvärmen ikväll, inget snack. Förbereder som bäst middagen; spagetti och tomatsås med ricotta, svamp och svarta oliver. Känner jag mig själv rätt kommer det att regna ett tjockt lager "mjäll" av parmesan över tallriken likaså. Ost på ost. Bra grejer. Får man snygga bröst av. Precis som av grädde. Hör min sång, girls!

Sedan blir det väl foten på rumsbordet, antar jag. Egentligen borde det följas av smutt på sedvanlig fredagswhisky: Kapten Haddock hälsar på. Gårdagens konjak var ett avsteg från schemat, men vad vore livet utan avsteg då och då? Alltför raka linjer i tillvaron och man kan bli rent randig i skallen. Men ärligt talat är jag inte sugen på nån virre i kväll. Har dock införskaffat min traditionsmedicin såhär års: en pava av den salta och jodbeska Laphroaig. Kanske den bästa vännen en liten flicka kan ha efter en dag av höststormar vid havet och fuktig rå dimma. De dagar då iskalla vindar går genom märg och ben och man känner allehanda virus ligga i lömskt bakhåll. Sådana dagar är Laffe (ja, vi är Laffe och LB med varann numera) den perfekte kompanjonen. En oljig kille som gör sig bäst i små doser. En pigg satan som saknar allt vad kontemplativt filosoferande heter, snarare är det en virre som får en att morska upp sig, spotta i nävarna och slå förkylningar på käften utan pardon.

Jag svävar ut, känner jag. Spagettin på spisen kokar över. Ja, ja. Dags att äta. Kom nu ihåg vad jag sa om ost.

If you want to try the dish (and if you like vegetables in any way, shape or form, I highly recommend doing so) I shall give you the rough recipe.  (This is what I used because it's what I had on hand; feel free to add to, omit from, or otherwise mess with the following list based on your preferences, available ingredients and preferred quantities/proportions.)  It turned out to be a lovely hearty dish that was extremely satisfying, full of great flavour and didn't taste at all like health food, though it was quite low in calories.

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant

1 each red, orange, yellow and green Bell Peppers

1 yellow Onion

2 Roma Tomatoes

2 jars of Tomato Sauce

2-3 cloves of Garlic

Olive Oil

Fresh Basil

Ricotta Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

So I sliced the Eggplant lengthwise in 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick strips (they thin considerably when you grille them, so don't be shy with the thickness), and if you've never worked with Eggplant before you need to know that you have to treat them before cooking them to rid them of their natural bitter flavour.  Just unroll a couple of cookie-sheet sized pieces of Aluminium Foil and lay the slices of Eggplant out in a single layer and sprinkle generously on both sides with Salt.  Let them sit for a several minutes until moisture starts to bead on the flesh of the Eggplant.  Then rinse them under the tap, pat dry with a paper towel, brush lightly with Olive Oil and stick 'em on the grille!  I used a griddle/grille dealie for my cook top because I didn't feel like starting up the grille outside.

Grille the Eggplant for several minutes until done (see the photo gallery below for what they look like when they're done if you aren't sure what "done" looks like.)  It's pretty easy to get awesome-looking grille marks on Eggplants...and while such aesthetic features aren't quite necessary in a dish like this since it's all covered with sauce and cheese in the end, the caramellisation adds infinite amounts of lovely flavour.  So be patient; it's worth it!

While grilling the Eggplant I smashed a few cloves of Garlic and threw them on the griddle as well until they were lovely and brown and aromatic (and cooked all the way through).  After they were done grilling, I chopped the cloves roughly and set them aside.

Once all the Eggplant was grilled I began the layering process, beginning with a thin coating of Olive Oil on the sides and bottom of my small rectangular baking dish.  Then a thin layer of the Tomato Sauce (mine was jarred from Whole Foods and turned out to actually be very tasty, which made up for me not having the time to make a home made sauce) and then a layer of the Eggplant.

On top of that I put the Bell Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes-- all sliced and all uncooked.  I was worried I should have grilled these ingredients as well, but couldn't do so because of a time crunch, and just kinda hoped for the best with the raw-ness... It actually turned out very well texturally.  So I'd say leave 'em raw!

On top of that I layered slices of Mozzarella (I actually used Vegan Mozzarella which... despite my wariness when it comes to Vegan products in general... was actually extremely scrumptious!) and Ricotta (low Fat) and then sprinkled half of the Garlic and chiffonaded Basil on top.  (whew!)

On top of all that came a generous layer of Tomato Sauce, followed by another layer of Eggplant, then Ricotta and Mozzarella, the rest of the Garlic and Basil and Roma Tomatoes and then another layer of Sauce, on top of which I grated more Mozzarella.

I popped that baby in the oven on 350° for about 45 minutes or until the sauce started bubbling (ok that was definitely an estimate on time... I wasn't actually paying attention to the time at all that night... just look for the bubbling sauce!), then broiled it for several minutes just until the tips of the Mozzarella bits began to brown, and then took it out to let it sit to set up a bit for about 10 minutes.

Vegan Mozzarella (don't write it off before trying it! It's really yummy and much lower in fat than regular cheese!) doesn't quite melt like regular Mozzarella.  It "melts"... just.... not quite like what you're used to.  So don't gauge the Lasagna's done-ness by the cheese.

I'll admit I kind of winged it with this dish, but Jellybean and I were SO pleased.  It's good, rib-sticking, hearty, satisfying food that you can pretty much eat all you want of because it's almost entirely vegetables.  It's vegetarian (though could easily be made otherwise, obviously), and I swear I wasn't making it up when I said it doesn't taste like I health food!

So as usual, I got too much of all of my ingredients... and when I needed to make dinner that Sunday, I thought I'd take advantage of the surplus of Eggplants lying around the kitchen!  I went with Eggplant Rollatini, which starts out essentially the same as the Lasagna;  grilled slices of Eggplant.  Same procedure.  Then in a bowl I mixed the leftover Ricotta and Mozzarella with a bit of Gruyere and Asiago, one Egg, choped Basil, a little salt, fresh ground Pepper and a dash of Nutmeg.  Slather the ol' rectangular baking dish up with a bit more Olive Oil and begin making your Rollatini by taking a slice of the Eggplant and putting about a tablespoon or so of the Cheese mixture in one end of the Eggplant and rolling it up width-wise and line the Rollatini up in the pan.  Cover with Tomato Sauce and grated Mozzarella and bake until the Sauce bubbles and voila.  Dinner in a flash!  Yum!!

So there you have it;  my Eggplant-filled weekend.  It was also a Devil's Food Cake-filled weekend, but I'll save that for the next post.

Bon Apetit!

INGREDIENTI

Per 4 persone

350g di spaghetti integrali
180g di ricotta
40g di parmiggiano reggiano a scaglie
80ml di olio extravergine d'oliva
1 mazzetto di erba cipollina
3 rametti di maggiorana
6 foglie di basilico
3 scalogni
1 mazzetto di prezzemolo
2 rametti di dragoncello
1 bustina di zafferano
150g di ceci in scatola
2 peperoncini secchi
sale

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Tritare gli scalogni, i peperoncini, l'erba cipollina, la maggiorana e il dragoncello e metà del basilico.
Poneteli con l'olio d'oliva, lo zafferano e il sale in un pentolino e fare cuocere a bagnomaria.
Cuocere per 15 minuti.
Raccogliete in una ciotola capiente la ricotta passata al colino a maglie non troppo sottili.
Aggiungete i ceci, il prezzemolo e il basilico tritati finemente e mescolate delicatamente.
Nel frattempo cuocere gli spaghetti integrali in abbondante acqua salata, scolatela al dente e unirla alla ricotta, girandola con cura in modo da far sciogliere la ricotta con il calore della pasta.
Versate l'olio aromatizzato ben caldo, aggiungete il parmiggiano, mescolate gli spaghetti e servire subito decorando con 1 ciuffo di basilico.

NOTA:
Rosolate lo scalogno, unite la ricotta e lavoraela con 1 cucchiaio di legno.
Fuori dal fuoco aggiungete 4 cucchiai di olio, le erbe aromatiche e la pasta.
Potete sostituire la ricotta con 1 formaggio caprino e 80g di emmental.

Per 4 persone

350g di pappardelle
200g di ricotta
120g di pancetta affumicata
2 peperoni gialli
1 cipolla
1 mazzetto di rosmarino
1 mazzetto di timo
1 mazzetto di maggiorana
60g di parmigiano reggiano grattugiato
4 cucchiai di olio d’oliva
pepe nero in grani
sale

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Imbiondire una piccola cipolla tritata in una padella con un po’ d’olio d’oliva; unire i peperoni
gialli tagliati a listelle e portare a cottura (eventualmente aggiungere un po’ di acqua se asciugano
troppo).
Passare i peperoni (tenerne qualcuno da parte per la decorazione del piatto) al mulinetto (disco medio).
Aggiungere la ricotta, 2 cucchiaiate di parmigiano, un po’ di sale e mescolare
bene, in modo che non rimangano grumi.
Nel frattempo far cuocere le pappardelle, che dovranno essere al dente.
In una padella rosolare in un po’ d’olio d’oliva la pancetta affumicata, tagliata a dadini.
Scolare le pappardelle, versarle nella padella con la pancetta e aggiungere la salsa di peperoni
ed eventualmente qualche cucchiaio di acqua della pasta.
Rimestare velocemente sul fuoco, aggiungendo ancora un po’ di parmigiano, del
pepe macinato al momento e un trito fine di rosmarino, timo, maggiorana.
Decorare con i filetti di peperone tenuti da parte e servire.

Così ho deciso di sperimentare una nuova ricetta che avesse come ingrediente principale la ricotta e visto che era il complemese del mio Ale (3!!!), cosa meglio di una torta su cui accendere tre candeline??

Ecco a voi quindi le indicazioni:

Ingredienti:
- 300 gr. ricotta (meglio se freschissima)
- 300 gr. farina bianca 00
- 300 gr. zucchero semolato finissimo
- 3 uova
- scorza di 1/2 limone
- 1 bustina lievito per dolci
- zucchero a velo
- burro qb

Preparazione:

• Imburrate una tortiera del diametro di circa 26 cm e preriscaldate il forno (180°)Accendete il forno portandolo a 185°.
• Passate al setaccio la ricotta in una ciotola, aggiungete lo zucchero e mescolate bene fino ad ottenere un composto omogeneo, senza grumi
• Aggiungete la farina e mescolate
• Aggiungete i tuorli e la scorza grattugiata del limone
• Dopo aver montato a neve gli albumi amalgamateli al composto
• Versate il tutto nella tortiera e infornate lasciando cuocere la torta per 40 minuti circa
• Lasciar raffreddare e spolverate con zucchero a velo

Buon appetito!

Throughout every book, Jamie frequently boasts about his brilliant, 'simple' tomato sauce, but having tried it a couple of times it never ends up as great as the description. Either his recipe is wrong or we're missing something, so inspired by his 'bit of this, handful of that' approach we made the dish with our own instead. It's really yummy so I'll post it here sometime.

The dish starts with softening onions, then making a tomato sauce, sweetening it with a small amount of sugar, adding some balsamic vinegar and mixing with cooked tagliatelle. Finally, top with pieces of the ricotta, which had been baked in the oven with chilli, s&p and olive oil.

I've been burned (proverbially) by following some of Jamie's instructions to the letter, including making pizza dough when I created a well of flour and salt and poured the water in the middle - the barrier burst and I ended up covering the worktop and floor with yeasty water. This time, after baking the ricotta, he instructs you to 'crumble it' over the the pasta. Asbestos fingers perhaps, so I picked at it with a spoon to get lots of small-ish pieces. It still ended up looking presentable.

The good news is that both Kitty and I enjoyed it. Pasta and a simple tomato sauce is delicious as it is, but the ricotta added both texture and flavour to the dish and I'm sure we will cook it again.

1. 750 gr di Spinaci (benissimo quelli congelati, ma cazzo almeno biologici!)
2. 2 fogli di Pasta sfoglia (diciamoci la verità un vero sbattimento da fare in casa...prendiamo i rotoli del supermercato)
3. 25 gr di Burro
4. 500 gr di Ricotta fresca (fresca, al banco, costa meno che confezionata!)
5. 125 gr tra Parmigiano e Pecorino (grattuggiato)
6. 3/4 Uova (su queste non si transige...se non biologiche almeno da galline allevate all'aperto!!!)
7. 2/3 spicchi d'Aglio

Facciamo bollire gli spinaci per 3/4 minuti max, e, dopo averli scolati ben bene, li saltiamo in padella con burro e aglio e li mettiamo a raffreddare in parte. Stendiamo dunque la sfoglia in una tortiera, precedentemente imburrata uniformemente, dai bordi alti facendo in modo che sui bordi rimanga un eccesso di pasta che ci servirà poi per racchiudere l'impasto.

Togliamo l'aglio e una volta raffreddati mescoliamo gli spinaci, la ricotta,parmigiano e pecorino e 2 uova.Spacchiamo dunque il terzo uovo e mettiamo nell'impasto solo il bianco tenendo il rosso a parte magari in un bicchiere. impastiamo ben bene e versiamo il nostro impasto nella teglia, lo stendiamo in modo da essere orizzontalmente uniforme, e lo copriamo con il secondo foglio di sfoglia, a questo punto chiudiamo il tutto coprendo questa con i bordi della sfoglia sottostante. il grosso è fatto ora spalmiamo (se avete un pennellino sennò va bene un cucchiaio) il rosso del terzo uovo sulla superficie della torta, (gli dà colore e non la fà bruciare prima che il ripieno sia ben cotto) dunque ci rimane solo di bucherellare con una forchetta o tagliare con un coltello (potete incidere ciò che volete...che ne so un bel A.C.A.B. potrebbe andare benissimo) la superficie della torta per far uscire l'aria durante la cottura e infornare a forno già caldo 200° per una ventina di minuti abbondanti o comunque fino a che non si presenta come nella figura accanto.

Si mangia tiepida o fredda (consigliato) per dar modo ai sapori di prendersi per bene, si possono ovviamente aggiungere gli ingredienti preferiti (io amo il prosciutto cotto e i pinoli) o sostituire gli spinaci con carciofi, bietole o erbette.

CLASSICATA!

Scarica - Torta salata con Ricotta e Spinaci