Category: Italian Recipes and Food

Italian Christmas recipes: taste the best

christmas recipesFor many Italians, indulging in  regional dishes on holiday it is a must during the Christmas holidays. Discovering the various specialities at the table is discovering traditional dishes inside a fantastic seasonal menus. Let’s start this simple yet intriguing culinary journey inside the heart of Italian celebration for winter.

Typical Italian Christmas dishes are simple food such as  baccalà (salted dried cod fish), baked pasta such as lasagne, capon or turkey. Traditional Christmas Eve Dinner, prescribes fish during  La Vigilia in southern towns. You need to eat  Christmas Broccoli, fried eel and “caponata di pesce” (a sort of fish salad) as main course.

Traditional desserts are also importantfor the Menù di Natale (Christmas menu). Many of them were born in….convents: believe it or not the nuns made special types of dessert and pudding to celebrate major religious holidays such as Christmas. Those were gifts to prelates and to the noble families from which their mothers superior came. These desserts are for example the struffoli (Neapolitan honey pastry), dried figs, candied almonds, chestnuts, and marzipan desserts.
Lovely are indeed also the sweet breads such as panforte coming from Siena, the pandolce coming from Genoa, and panettone, the famous and Milanese Christmas bread.

How was the first panettone made? The legend tells us that panettone was born in the sixteenth century from a baker named Antonio, who fell in love with a princess. He baked a gold-like, butter and egg bread to conquer her heart. In the nineteenth century, the bread was enriched with candied red cherries and green citron, in order  to suggest the Italian flag.

And for New Year’s Day and the Feast of the Epiphany? Again we have special meals: on New Year’s Eve there is the feast of San Silvestro, and to complete the culinary largesse is La Befana Dinner, or Feast of the Epiphany.

Try in winter time the Spinach Balls with Ricotta and OrangeSauce

Are you looking for a great and simple “antipasto” or a light, vegetarian main course? The Italian recipes are full of this kind of delicious dishes, and what are we about to present today is indeed a wealthy example of  Italian cuisine. If you are rushing away, you can use frozen spinach, but if you got time please consider to use fresh spinach! And a little mozzarella into each spinach ball before being fried will help too.
INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound frozen spinach
  • 1 egg
  • 5 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
  • A sprig of marjoram
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) breadcrumbs
  • A pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • 3 cups oil for frying
  • A little pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
  • The juice and the zest of an orange, grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • A pinch of salt

HOW TO MAKE THE BALLS:

  1. Grate the orange peel and squeeze afterwards the orange. Put some ricotta in a bowl and add some milk to make it more creamy. Slowly work half of the juice into the ricotta. Work the orange zest and Tabasco sauce into the mixture, salt the sauce and taste it, and chill the sauce in the fridge.
  2. Use fresh spinach, wash it well, cut away any roots, and put it into a pot. Add the  salt, and cook over high heat  for 5 minutes. Drain the spinach in a sip. Once the spinach are cooled enough, squeeze out most of the moisture. With frozen spinach, thaw it out completely.
  3. Mince the marjoram with the spinach. Transfer all to a bowl, add the egg, beaten. Next, put in the cheese and a third of the breadcrumbs. Mix all well until stiff.
  4. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Put the remaining breadcrumbs in a  bowl. Take the spinach mixture with a tablespoon, scoop it and shape it into small balls. Rolling them between the palms of your hands.
  5. Heat the oil and when ready fry the spinach balls, turning them and pressing them down.
  6. Spread about 3/4 of the ricotta based orange sauce over the bottom of a serving dish, put the spinach balls over it, and finishing with decorations made of the remaining sauce and some strips of zest.

Serve with white wine, like Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

The Chocolate Mousse: the tasty calling for Christmas

To help you celebrate Christmas but all Italian style, today we go deeper and deeper in the Italian Christmas tradition and we discovered this tremendous recipe, perusing the web. This triple joyful Chocolate Mousse will bring fun and calories to all of you as all the other spoon desserts that we have already presented to you. We will need the following ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

for the white Chocolate Mousse

  • 1 lb double cream
  • 11 oz white chocolate
  • ½ oz gelatin sheet

for the milk Chocolate Mousse

  • 1 lb Double cream
  • ½ lb milk chocolate
  • ½ oz gelatin sheet

for the dark Chocolate Mousse

  • 1 ½ lb double cream
  • 1 lb dark chocolate
  • ½ oz gelatin sheet

To garnish remember to have close 10 oz. of dark chocolate to spread over

PREPARATION

for the White Chocolate Mousse:

  • Soften the gelatin sheets in the hot water for a minute or two.
  • Melt the chocolate in a bain marie and after add the gelatin to the chocolate. In the meanwhile, bring ¾ cup of cream to a boil, then  remove it quickly from the stoves.
  • Stir in the chocolate together with the gelatin mixture, which you have kept at a temperature.
  • With a whisk, beat the remaining ¾ cup cream. Cool the chocolate mixture, then add the whipped cream. If the chocolate is still too hot, wait, otherwise the whipped cream will melt.
  • Put the mouse in a mold and let cool in the refrigerator for an hour and a half.

For the Milk Chocolate Mousse follow the same procedure.When finished, pour the second mousse into the mold containing the previous mousse. Put all into the fridge for and hour and a half and let the second mousse set.

Prepare the third mousse, meaning the Dark Chocolate Mousse, in the same way and at the very end pour the dark chocolate mousse into the mold containing the other two mousses. Return to the fridge and let everything set for three hours. Before serving, melt ¾ cups of dark chocolate in a bain marie and pour it over the mousse layers.

Struffoli: the true essence of Naples’ Christmas

STRUFFOLI NAPLES RECIPEStruffoli are an incredible dessert coming from the essence of Naples. Those tiny honey balls are in fact tiny fried pieces of dough. The recipe is ancient and simple: you can make it simply mixing up flour, sugar, eggs, lemon and rum.

After, once you fried the dough and having obtained a lot of little balls, they will be coated with honey and coloured “confettini”. The size of the pieces here matters: the more they are small, the more they can absorb all the honey you will sprinkle on them. Prepared for the occasion of Christmas in all Campania region, the Stuffoli are an easy recipe and a monumental piece of tradition to taste during Noel!

INGREDIENTS (servings for 10 people):

  • 300 g of flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of Sugar
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoon of rum or anisette
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 25 g of butter
  • 4 – 5 tablespoons of honey
  • Some coloured confettini
  • Extra virgin olive oil (to fry)

PREPARATION

  1. Put the flour on a table or over a wooden piece and pit an hole;  in the middle of it add the sugar, the butter, the eggs, the rum, the salt and the grated peel of the lemon.
  2. Knead to obtain a nice, smooth and solid dough. Let it stand for ca. 30 minutes.
  3. Knead again the dough and cut it in small pieces. Knead each part again, this time try to roll it until you have 10 loafs thin and long.
  4. Cut the loafs into small squared pieces (struffoli).
  5. Preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fry in it the struffoli ca. 5 minutes, until they become golden.
  6. Drain them on a kitchen paper, put an overturned glass in the middle of a dish and place the struffoli around it.
  7. In a pan melt the honey and then pour it all over the struffoli. Let the little mountain rest,  remove the glass and sprinkle with colored confections.

TOTAL COOKING TIME: 1 hour and 10 mins.

Panettone classico alla Milanese: a sweet Christmas for all

Panettone is a Christmas cake coming from Milan that keeps quite well along the weeks: if you bake or buy over Christmas you will spare a slice for San Biagio’s day, on February 3.

Panettone is one of the most Italian cakes to bake, but try it with this pretty easy home recipe. And do not forget to let us know how it was it!

Total Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups less 2 tablespoons (350 g) flour
  • 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons (125 g) unsalted butter
  • The grated zest of an organically grown lemon
  • 1/4 pound (100 g) sultana raisins, plumped in warm water and drained well
  • 4/5 cup (80 g) sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 2 ounces (60 g) baker’s yeast (live yeast cakes)
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 2 ounces (60 g, or about 3/4 cup) candied fruit peel, diced
  • A pinch of salt

HOW TO BAKE IT:

1. First, dissolve the yeast in a little warm water, and mix it with 7/8 cup flour.
2. Then, knead well, make from the dough a loaf, make an X in the top of the loaf and wrap it in a cloth,. Let it rise in a warm place for about 25 minutes.
3. Mix the loaf with 1 1/8 cups flour and the milk. Knead until the dough is smooth,  make a loaf, and wrap it in the cloth. Put it to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
4. Put the sugar in a bowl with a little hot water, thus having a syrup. Beat in the yolks, one at a time, and about half an egg white. Keep the mixture always warm over a double boiler, but don’t let it cook. Melt aside 1/2 cup of butter.

5. Make a mound of the rest of flour in a bowl and form a well into it. Put the risen dough in the well, together with the melted butter, the grated lemon zest, a pinch of salt, and the warm syrup mixture you have made.

6. Mix  for 15 minutes, adding a little warm water; the dough should result firm and elastic.

7. Incorporate the raisins and the candied fruit into the dough. Shape the dough into a ball and put it in a bowl, in a warm place. Let it rise until it doubled in volume.

8. Preheat your oven to 440 F (220 C). Melt the rest of the butter.

9. Put the dough into a high-sided mold lined, make an X in the top of it, and bake it for about an hour. After 10 minutes, carefully pour the melted butter into the X on top of the panettone and continue to bake it until it is done. Gradually lower the oven temperature as the top browns.

When the cold bites: Rice and Aubergine Soup Recipe (Minestra di Melanzane e Riso pugliese)

Aubergine is one of the most classic south Italian vegetables, often you can find it into pasta sauces, but not in soups. This  aubergine and rice soup has originated from Puglia, a beautiful Italian South area and the mother of very exquisite Mediterranean and “cucina povera” recipes. The rice introduced to Italy by the Arabs are the other star in our very simple but super-tasty recipe perfect to prevent cold and coughs.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cup (150 g) rice
  • 3 medium eggplants, stemmed and cubed
  • A medium onion
  • An egg
  • A small bunch parsley, minced
  • A dozen fresh basil leaves, shredded
  • A quart (1 liter) of vegetable broth
  • 1 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmigiano or mild Romano cheese
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:

  1. Put the cubed aubergine in a sieve, sprinkle it abundantly with salt, and let it set for a couple of hours to get rid of the bitter taste the aubergine brings. While it’s setting, chop the onion together with the herbs.
  2. Heat the broth to a simmer.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and sauté the onions and the herbs already chopped up. Rinse the aubergine well and drain it.
  4. When the onions begin to soften, add the diced aubergine and keep on cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring fairly often.
  5. Add in the simmering broth and the rice. Cook all together, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the rice is soften. In the while, beat the egg and mix the cheese into it.
  6. When the rice is ready, remove the pot from the fire, add a cup of broth into the egg mixture, and then stir the egg mixture into the aubergine and rice soup.
  7. A little more olive oil and serve.

Total Time: 60 minutes

From Sardinia enjoy Bean, Wild Fennel and Potato Soup (Minestra di Fagioli, Finocchetto e Patate)

Today we want to offer a Sardinian recipe, an authentic dish coming from the “cucina povera“: a magnificent soup, really tasty and of course very filling. Soups in winter time are really spread in Italy and the main ingredients are beans or legumes such as lentils, peas and green beans, and if you think they are boring, just have a look to the exciting result you can have fom such a simpl mixture of ingredients!!!! Here for example the twist in the flavour is given by the wild fennel, the “secret” ingredients: you need to serve the fronds and the tasty leaves, not the bulb fennel.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 300 g beans
  • 300 g wild fennel fronds
  • 250 g potatoes
  • 225 g plum tomatoes
  • 150 g dry short pasta like cannellini or ditalini
  • 100 g slice of pig rind
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Freshly grated Pecorino Sardo or a mixture of Pecorino Romano and Parmisan
  • Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

  1. Rinse the fennel fronds, pad them with a clean cloth until dry, and chop them in little pieces.
  2. Peel and dice the potatoes.
  3. In the while blanch, peel, seed, chop, and drain the tomatoes.
  4. Heat the oil in a soup pot, stir-fry the tomatoes for a minute. When they begin to wilt, add straight away the beans, the fennel fronds, the potatoes pieces, and pig rind. Add from 2 up to 2.5 l. of water.
  5. Cover and simmer the soup for at least two hours.
  6. Remove the pig rind, season, and  stir in the pasta.
  7. Continue to simmer, mixing  occasionally to avoid the pasta stick and burn.
  8. Serve with grated cheese you have chosen.

A variation: iyou can also use 100 g. dried tomatoes. Put it in warm water and then finely chopped before adding it to the soup.

Total Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes

 

Lamb Chops Stuffed With Artichokes: going meaty

A simple dish full of good meat and the unusual veggie: introducing the grilled lamb chop  called in Italian  “scottadito” (finger-burning). Why? It is said that the lamb in this way is such a delicious dish and it is so good that everyone burns their fingers while trying to take it out of the pan! Lamb chops are good also fried and stuffed too. Typical recipe of Lazio but also well-known in Italy, with a zest of invention given by the artichokes.
For four servings we will need:

INGREDIENTS

12 3/4-inch (1.5 cm) thick lamb chops
4 artichoke hearts, slivered (see link below for preparation instructions)
3 eggs
1/4 pound (100 g) fresh mild pecorino, in shavings
A slice of an onion, chopped
Breadcrumbs
Several fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
Olive oil
Salt

PREPARATION:

  1. Mince the onion and saute’ them  it in a spoon of oil until golden. Add the artichoke hearts you have already prepared and keep on  cooking all for a several more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Then stir in the mint leaves, add 2-3 tablespoons of water  and cook over a higher heat for a few minutes more.
  3. Make a cut parallel to the bone in the meat of each cutlet, and stuff them with a little of the artichoke mixture, a few shavings of cheese, and a mint leaf.
  4. Whisk the eggs. Dredge the lamb chops in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs.
  5. Heat the butter and 3 spoons of oil together and cook the lamb chops, turning them occasionally, until they are golden brown on both sides. Put them on paper and serve them truly hot.

 

For winter moments at home: Barley Soup (Minestrone di Orzo)

Barley Soup, or Minestrone di Orzo traces back to centuries ago. As we know, barley is an ancient grain, hardier than many others, and it  grows up to considerable heights, ca. 1700 meters, which is an altitude at which many  grains experience difficulty growing up. This is the reason why barley was used in mountain’s areas in Northen Italy and from this fact originated most of the deligthful recipes involving this noble grain.  Many farmers in the mountains around Vicenza grow nowadays a very good quality barley, and the following is one of their interesting barley-soup. Tradition said to use the broth obtained from boiling a “cotechino“, but if it is hard to find just substitute with some regular meat broth, also much easier to digest! For 4 servings we will need:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 1/2 quarts (2 1/2 liters) broth from meat
  • 4 ounces (100 g) pearled barley
  • 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • An egg yolk

PREPARATION:

  1. Rinse the barley well, meaning MANY times. Set the meat broth to heat in a pot, and when it reaches a boil, add the barley and stir it all.
  2. Cook the barley covered , over a very low flame. It will cook for ca. 4 hours, stirring  often to prevent the barley to stick to the bottom of the pot.
  3. When the barley is soften, remove the pot from the fire. Prepare some butter bits and melt it in the soup, together with the egg yolk and the cheese.
  4. Mix well and serve. If it results to dry because the liquid evaporated all as the soup cooked, add a bit more boiling water or broth.

 

Total Time: 4 hours, 20 minutes

Arancini di riso: gourmet street food

Arancini di riso are one of the best street food to have in Italy: delicious golden balls of fried rice with a filling always different. This dish is really popular throughout Sicily but nowadays you can find them in every single rosticceria along Italy! We want to present today a variation, called arancini di riso with ricotta, coming  from Trapani, a fab town in Sicily. To make 4 servings arancini di riso filled with ricotta for 4 persons, here we go with the recipe! .

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound (450 g) rice
  • 1 pound (450 g) spinach
  • 1/4 pound (110 g) freshly grated Parmigiano or Caciocavallo
  • 2/3 pound (300 g) ricotta, put through a wire mesh strainer
  • 5 eggs
  • A packet of saffron (optional), eventually mixed in hot water
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Oil for frying

HOW TO MAKE IT:

  1. Clean the spinach, after having washed it well, and blanch it quickly in the water; when it is well done remove it from the fire, and as soon as the spinach has cooled down, squeeze out most of the watery part and chop it in really small pieces. Mix it with the ricotta and a handful of the cheese (Parmisan or Caciocavallo).
  2. Boil the rice until it reaches the “al dente” stage in abundant salted water. Drain it and put it into a bowl. Season it with the rest of your cheese, two eggs lightly beaten, and the saffron (if you like it). Mix everything  well and let the mixture cool down.

To make the arancino:

  1.  Take a full tablespoon of rice and flatten it out against the palm of your hand. Cup your palm to make a hollow and fill it with a spoon full of the ricotta mixture.
  2. Cover the filling with a bit more rice, shaping the ball into a ball shape. Roll the arancino in flour and do it again, until all the rice is used up.
  3. Beat the remaining eggs, seasoning them with a pinch of salt, and put the the arancini in them. Then, roll them in breadcrumbs and fry them until golden. Drain them well and serve them. They are delicious both  hot and warm.