Recipes

Caldarroste. Roasted chestnuts.

~ Alessandra

Castagne, chestnuts: another one of fall’s delicious gifts! Here is one of nonna‘s (grandmother’s) mouthwatering recipe to enjoy them to the fullest in the simplest of ways.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of chestnuts

What to do:

Make a small cut on the skin of the chestnuts then place them on their special perforated pan. Originally caldarroste were cooked on an open fire, but a gas or electric hob will do as well.

After about 20 minutes, when the chestnuts’ skin is browned, remove them from the heat. Serve hot, peel and enjoy!

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To peal the hot chestnuts easily and add more zest cook them over coarse salt.

What to do:

For 2 pounds of fruits spread about 1 pound of coarse salt evenly on a regular pan and lay the chestnuts on top of it.

Cook for about 30 minutes until slightly burned for a greater flavor, turning the fruits to cook on all sides.

Wrap the hot chestnuts in a kitchen towel and let cool down a bit, then serve.

Caldarroste are great with red wine or grappa!

Frittelle di mele. Apple fritters.

~ Alessandra

The month of October spoils us with so many of Nature’s best harvests! Amongst other things, it is apple picking time. If, like me, you have been collecting a bunch of these fruits form their trees, here is my personal extra light and simple short cut recipe for delicious frittelle di mele, apple fritters.

Ingredients for 4 people:

4 apples, usually Renette, but any other variety can be used

3.5 ounces of rice flour (much lighter and more digestible than wheat flour)

3.5 ounces of brown sugar

confectioner sugar

extra light olive oil or sunflower oil for frying

What to do:

Wash the apples. With a corer remove the core and cut them horizontally into slices of about 2/5 of an inch thick.

Mix the rice flower evenly with the brown sugar and dip the apple slices into the mix making sure both sides are covered with a layer of it.

In a frying pan heat the oil at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and deep fry the apples, turning them around, until both sides become golden.

Place the frittelle on a kitchen paper to absorb the oil in excess and sprinkle with abundant confectioner’s sugar. Serve while still hot. What a treat!

Typical Tuscan castagnaccio.

~ Alessandra

Ottobre e’ tempo di castagne (October is chestnuts’ time).

Here is a typical ancient recipe originated in the Tuscan country side; like most, as simple as it is delicious! Leave it to the Tuscan people to maximize enjoyment from the humblest of ingredients joined together in the simplest, fastest and most no-fuss way!

Ingredients for a 12.5 inches diameter baking tin:

1 pound chestnut flour*

3.5 ounces pine nuts

3.5 ounces walnut kernels

1/3 cup raisins

23 ounces water

1 fresh rosemary sprig

extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

What to do:

Soak the raisins for about 10 minutes to rehydrate them.

Mince the walnut kernels and leaf the rosemary.

In a large bowl sieve the chestnut flour adding the water little at a time while blending with a hand whisk. When the mix is smooth add the minced walnuts and whole pine nuts, keeping aside a small quantity to scatter on the top of the castagnaccio before you put it into the oven.

After about 10 minutes squeeze and dry the raisins and, leaving a few aside, add them to the mixture, blending well and adding the salt.

Brush with olive oil a shallow** round baking tin and pour the mix into it leveling with a wooden spatula. Scatter evenly on top the saved aside pine nuts, walnuts and raisins.

Top with fresh rosemary needles, drops of olive oil and cook in the oven preheat at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes, until the surface will show cracks and the raisins will look golden.

Take out of the oven and let cool dow. Serve and enjoy your Tuscan castagnaccio!

*The chestnut flour should be of top quality and very fine to better release its sweetness; in fact, there is no sugar amongst the recipe’s ingredients.

**As for the antique recipe, to obtain the best castagnaccio the baking tin should be shallow.

Fun fact:

According to an old legend the fresh rosemary needles used to flavor the castagnaccio were thought to be a love elixir and have the power of making a young man who ate it fall in love with and ask in marriage the girl who had offered the cake to him.

Schiacciata con l’uva.

~ Alessandra ~ 3 Comments

This is the yearly grape harvest time in Tuscany, and the recipe below, a Florentine’s specialty, is also called the merenda del vendemmiatore, the vintager’s snack. As most things that originated ages ago in the Tuscan country side, this is a very basic recipe that requires the simplest of ingredients and preparations while providing great delight.

Ingredients for six people:

2 pounds black grapes with seeds (as from the original recipe; their bitterish taste balances the sweetness of the fruit and sugar and give some crunch to the schiaccia)

1 pound leavened dough

1 cup brown sugar

extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

Knead the leavened dough with four tbs of oil and 1/4 cup of sugar.

On a baking tin brushed with olive oil stretch the dough to obtain a thin layer, cover with about 2/3 of the washed and gently dried grapes and sprinkle with two tbs of sugar and two tbs of oil.

Stretch on top another thin layer with the remaining dough, top it with the remaining grapes and make sure to seal the edges of your schiacciata.

Brush it with some more olive oil before putting into the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for about 40 minutes.

For a richer flavor, while you knead the dough add a few leaves of rosemary.

Enjoy la merenda del vendemmiatore!

Tuscan kale and Cannellini beans Crostoni.

~ Alessandra ~ 4 Comments

I am about to leave to Italy for a two weeks visit home; while getting ready nostalgic feelings and recollections come to mind. Florence, Tuscany, ready or not, here I come! This recipe of quintessential Tuscan ingredients for a delightfully hearty dinner dish instinctively came to mind: some things run in your blood.

Ingredients for four people:

2 small bunches of Tuscan kale, about 8 full cups

1 can of Cannellini beans

2 finely chopped cloves of garlic

1 cup of vegetable broth

1 and 1/2 to 2 tsp of crushed Cayenne pepper, to taste

3 to 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

8 slices of Italian bread about 3/4 of an inch thick

What to do:

Wash and chop the kale.

In a pan pour the olive oil on medium heat, add the garlic cooking for about one minute, until yellow-brownish, stirring.

Add the kale to the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until wilted, stirring often. Add the vegetable broth, Cannellini beans (drained and rinsed) and the Cayenne pepper.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes on reduced heat to soften the kale, still occasionally stirring.

Toast the bread well and put two slices on four bowls. Pour the Tuscan kale and Cannellini with their broth on top of the bread crostoni (they will soak up the flavorful broth) and serve, with Chianti wine. It will be easy to pretend to be enjoying a deliciously clever peasant meal in the Tuscan country side. Alla Salute!

Apricot nutty boats.

~ Alessandra

Summer is lingering on; here is a delicious aestival fruit treat fast and easy to make.

Ingredients:

8 apricots

1/2 cup of shelled hazelnuts

1.8 ounces of butter

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 lemon

3-4 drops of liquid honey per half

What to do:

Soften the butter at room temperature; mix it with the finely chopped hazelnuts, brown sugar, liquid honey and the grated rind of the half lemon.

While warming the oven up at 350 degrees, wash and split the apricots into two halves, lightly dry them and remove the kernels. Fill all halves with the above mix of ingredients and spread them on a baking tray.

Cook for 10 minutes and serve.

Pizzaiola scrambled eggs.

~ Alessandra

It is too late to make or get pizza for dinner but you want to treat your kids? A delicious and fast alternative is Pizzaiola scrambled eggs; it is a quick dinner fix with a pizza-ish (a new, cool word was just added to the English vocabulary) taste and the added bonus of eggs’ proteins.

Ingredients for three children or two adults:

4 large eggs

1 yellow onion thinly sliced

2 cups of canned Passata di Pomodoro (tomato puree)

an abundant pinch of dried oregano

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Pour the olive oil, tomato puree, the sliced onion, a hefty pinch of dried oregano and a pinch of salt into an anti-adherent pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

While the ingredients cook beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the eggs into the pan with the other ingredients scrambling everything together and cook to reach your desired density.

Serve your Pizzaiola scrambled eggs with, or on top of grilled or toasted slices of pane Toscano (Tuscan peasant bread), Italian Ciabatta, Sourdough bread, and it will almost feel like eating pizza Magherita. Add a simple side of salad and in no time you have a deliciously healthy and complete meal on your table.

ENJOY!

Trendy Goat cheese and Turkey Burger

~ Alessandra

The smell of grilling in the air during the summer evenings is mouthwatering! Here is a deliciously cooler and healthier burger everybody will enjoy; the Trendy Goat cheese and Turkey Burger.

Ingredients for one Burger:

A whole grain bun, grilled (best) or toasted.

2 to 3 ounces of lean ground turkey

1 tablespoon of herb goat cheese

1 1/4 inch thick slice from a ripe, not mushy, tomato

1 leaf from the heart of a romaine lettuce

a couple of rings of thinly sliced yellow or white onion, to taste

Dijon mustard to taste

a pinch of salt and fresh pepper to taste

From Celery Charles and Pals, Burger Bernice.

What to do:

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Wash the tomato and cut a 1/4 inc slice.

Wash and dry the lettuce leaf.

Combine the ground turkey with the goat cheese, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands and form a burger about 3/4 of an inch thick.

Grill the burger until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

On one half of the grilled (or toasted) bun place the lettuce leaf, the tomato slice and onion rings, then the grilled burger.

Spread the mustard on the burger and cover with the other bun’s half.

Enjoy this trendylicious treat!

Asparagus spears, yellow onion and lemon frittata.

~ Alessandra ~ 1 Comment

Here is a no fuss one-dish meal frittata (omelette) everybody will love.

Ingredients for 2-3 adults or 4-5 children :

6 eggs

2 cups of asparagus tips about 3 inches long.

1/2 half small yellow onion thinly sliced

1/2-1 ripe lemon depending on side

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Wash the asparagus tips and dice them in small pieces.

In a pan warm up the olive oil and sauté the spears with the thinly sliced onion over medium-high heat until lightly browned and tender, for 3 to 5 minutes.

While the two ingredients are sautéing beat the eggs in a bowl.

Pour the eggs in the pan with the sautéed asparagus and onion and cook to your desired softness.

Transfer the frittata into a serving plate, dress it with salt, pepper and the squeezed lemon juice for a refreshing enhanced zest; we like ours with a generous lemon’s squeeze!

Enjoy your frittata with a simple salad and a couple of toasted ciabatta bread slices.

Cooking asparagus and onion frittata.

Nutty tomato, cucumber, and fresh herbs summer salad.

~ Alessandra

Speaking of easy and fast here is a deliciously refreshing summer salad.

Ingredients for two grown ups, or four to five children:

about 2 cups of diced ripe, not mushy, tomatoes, you choose the kind you prefer

between 1/2 and 2/3 of a cup of thinly sliced cucumber, to taste

a handful of pine nuts (even yummier if roasted) or walnuts*

a handful of chopped fresh basil or, for added zest, cilantro

extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (optional) to taste

*In case of allergies substitute the nuts with pumpkin or sunflower seeds (also yummier when roasted)

What to do:

Simply wash all ingredients. Dice the tomatoes, skin and thinly slice the cucumber, chop your fresh herb of choice and add the nuts.

Mix gently together.

Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper and, if you choose to, with balsamic vinegar.

Add hard boiled eggs for a satisfying complete meal.