9.23.2018

Zuccamisu - Tiramisu with pumpkin

2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
230g (1/2 pound) mascarpone
1/2 cup puree pumpkin or butternut squash
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin spice
Lady finger cookies
Coffee mixed with Amaretto liqueur
Amaretti cookies
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the white eggs until peaks. In another bowl mix the heavy cream until is firm, when is firm fool gently the Pumpkin and the pumpkin spice. Then fold all the creams. In a small shallow dish, add espresso and Amaretto. Dip each ladyfinger into espresso for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. 

Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a dish. Spread the cream mixture over ladyfingers, the break apart the amaretti cookies and mix with the cinnamon and sprinkle on the top!





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9.22.2018

Ravioli di Zucca

For the filling
    • 450g/1lb piece of squash
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 150g parmiggiano cheese, grated, plus extra to serve
    • 1 tbs of freshly grated nutmeg 
    • 4 Amaretti biscuits, crushed
    • Salt
    • freshly ground white pepper
    For the fresh egg pasta

    • 300g 00 flour/ 3 cups (cake flour)
      3 medium eggs
    For the sage butter sauce
    • 75g/3oz unsalted butter
    • 30 small sage leaves
    • White pepper & Salt





  • For the filling
    Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Put into the oven the whole squash. Roast for 30 minutes until tender. Leave until cool enough to handle and then take the seeds and skins off.

    Put the flesh in a bowl and mash to a smooth purée with a fork. Stir in parmesan, nutmeg, amaretti biscuits and seasoning to taste.

    For the dough

    Using a fork begging mixing in the egg with the flour.  Once egg has been mixed in enough, begin using your hands to work the dough.  Continues until reaches a smooth consistency, adding a light dust of flour if necessary.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap to protect from drying.  For best results, let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes.



  • 



If you are not going to eat the ravioli immediately, drop them into the boiling water as you make each batch and cook for just one minute, then lift out with a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of cold water.  Drain and lay out on lightly oiled trays, cover with cling film and chill/frozen until needed. Then drop back into boiling salted water just before serving and cook for three minutes.’

      

Alternatively cook them all at once for a total of four minutes. Drain well and tip into the large frying pan. 

    For the sauce 

    

For the sage butter, melt the butter in a large frying pan until foaming, throw in the sage and fry for a few seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add some salt and pepper to taste.  Sautè the ravioli with the butter and sage.  
Serve immediately.

9.20.2018

Day trip from Verona to Vicenza

Would you like to have a real Italian experience in a not touristy (but very pretty), Italian town!?
Vicenza is just 50 minutes away from Verona by train or car. Is a very easy city to reach from Verona to a day trip.
Bigoli, the typical pasta from Vicenza.

A day tour/experience in Vicenza will include:

-Cooking class in the old Vicenza castle (you will learn how to make fresh pasta or risotto, a focaccia bread, a sauce);

-Learn how to make a spritz (Aperol, Campari and Cynar)


-City of Vicenza walking tour;

-Wine tasting / Bar hopping (three regional wines);

-Seven deadly sins Cheese tasting (taste of seven cheeses); 

-Eat the best gelato in town;

-Visiting the coffee shop that got a prize of top 10 in Italy.

Hows that work?

 The train from Venice to Vicenza departs at 10:50am, you will get in Vicenza at 11:30am. We meet at the train station and we walk to the city centre for the cooking class.



Location of the Cooking Class
 After lunch we will have one of the best coffee you will ever taste in your life. Then we go have a gelato for dessert and we will go in three bars to have three different wines in each bar and talk about the wines we had.
This is a day in Italy not to miss or forget.

You can also check some reviews of the activities on Trip Advisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187872-d4359065-Reviews-Cooking_with_Lucas-Vicenza_Province_of_Vicenza_Veneto.html

If you don't want to take the train we can also arrange a private transfer to pick your group in Verona by car.

Minimum group is two people and maximum is eight.

If you would like more information and the cost of this tour send us an email to:
lucas@cookingwithlucas.com

Day trip from Venice to Vicenza

Bigoli, the typical pasta from Vicenza.
Would you like to have a real Italian experience in a not touristy (but very pretty), Italian town!?
Vicenza is just 50 minutes away from Venice by train or car. Is a very easy city to reach from Venice to a day trip.

A day tour/experience in Vicenza will include:

-Cooking class in the old Vicenza castle (you will learn how to make fresh pasta or risotto, a focaccia bread, a sauce);

-Learn how to make a spritz (Aperol, Campari and Cynar)

-City of Vicenza walking tour;

-Wine tasting / Bar hopping (three regional wines);

-Seven deadly sins Cheese tasting (taste of seven cheeses);

-Eat the best gelato in town;

-Visiting the coffee shop that got a prize of top 10 in Italy.

Hows that work?

 The train from Venice to Vicenza departs at 10:50am, you will get in Vicenza at 11:30am. We meet at the train station and we walk to the city centre for the cooking class.



Location of the Cooking Class
 After lunch we will have one of the best coffee you will ever taste in your life. Then we go have a gelato for dessert and we will go in three bars to have three different wines in each bar and talk about the wines we had.
This is a day in Italy not to miss or forget.

You can also check some reviews of the activities on Trip Advisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187872-d4359065-Reviews-Cooking_with_Lucas-Vicenza_Province_of_Vicenza_Veneto.html

If you don't want to take the train we can also arrange a private transfer to pick your group in Venice by car, meeting at the Porto Tronchetto.

Minimum group is two people and maximum is eight.

If you would like more information and the cost of this tour send us an email to:
lucas@cookingwithlucas.com

9.15.2018

Piccata di Pollo



8 chicken breast cutlets
2 shallots, chopped
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3 lemons
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup white wine
½ cup cappers, rinsed
Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh oregano or parsley to garnish

The first step is to marinate the chicken with one lemon (squeezed), oregano, pepper. Let marinate for one hour.

Place flour in shallow baking dish. Dip chicken into flour to coat; shake off excess.
Repeat two times for better result.

In a big frying pan, add the olive oil and the butter. Brown the chicken in both sides, when you turn the chicken the first time add the shallots.

 Then add the white wine and capers and cook for 3 minutes. Combine the stock and squeeze the other lemon and salt. Finalize cooking for another minute. Serve with fresh oregano or parsley to garnish and sliced lemons.







9.13.2018

Beer and onion focaccia



·      3 cups 0 Flour (in the USA this would be Bread flour), divided
·      1 cup beer

·      ¼ cup Olive oil
·      1 tablespoon Sugar
·      1 tablespoon Fine salt
·      ½ tablespoon Rock salt
·      1 cube Fresh yeast (or 1 Satchel of dry yeast)
·      1 sliced onion
·      Oregano, to taste
·      Pepper, to taste



1.     Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F.
2.     In a big bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast with the sugar.  Simply by moving it around with a fork and mixing a bit, the fresh yeast will turn to liquid.  If you're using dry yeast, it will dissolve in the beer... Add the beer water.
3.     Sift 1½ cups of flour into the bowl. Mix the beer into the flour with a strong wooden spoon. Add the salt and mix with the spoon for about 1-2 minutes.
4.     Add the other 1½ cups of flour and kneed the focaccia dough for about 3 minutes, mixing very well.  Add the dough into the bowl and add olive oil.  Using your hands, squeeze the olive oil into the dough for about a minute.  Simply mixing with your hands, do this for about one minute...there will be extra oil a the bottom of the bowl (this will be poured on top of the dough later).
5.     Make a ball with the dough, and put the dough in a pan with a sheet of baking paper.  Press the dough into the pan with your hands.  Then make dimples in the dough with your fingers.  Mix the onions with olive oil and oregano in a separate bowl, the spread the onions on top of the focaccia.
6.     Let the focaccia rise for approximately two hours.
7.     Bake at 350F/180C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Whole grain Parmiggiano focaccia



·      3 cups whole wheat flour 
·      1 cup Warm water
·      ¼ cup Olive oil
·      1 tablespoon Sugar
·      1 tablespoon Fine salt
·      ½ tablespoon Rock salt
·      1 cube Fresh yeast (or 1 Satchel of dry yeast)
·      1/3 cup parmiggiano
·      Oregano, to taste
·      Pepper, to taste



1.     Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F.
2.     In a big bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast with the sugar.  Simply by moving it around with a fork and mixing a bit, the fresh yeast will turn to liquid.  If you're using dry yeast, it will dissolve in the water... Add the warm water.
3.     Sift 1½ cups of flour into the bowl. Mix the water into the flour with a strong wooden spoon. Add the salt and mix with the spoon for about 1-2 minutes.
4.     Add the other 1½ cups of flour and kneed the focaccia dough for about 3 minutes, mixing very well.  Add the dough into the bowl and add olive oil.  Using your hands, squeeze the olive oil into the dough for about a minute.  Simply mixing with your hands, do this for about one minute...there will be extra oil a the bottom of the bowl (this will be poured on top of the dough later).
5.     Make a ball with the dough, and put the dough in a pan with a sheet of baking paper.  Press the dough into the pan with your hands.  Then make dimples in the dough with your fingers.  Add the rest of the olive oil on the top of dough, the oil will pool and fill the small holes.  Sprinkle the dough with Parmiggiano and oregano.
6.     Let the focaccia rise for approximately two hours.
7.     Bake at 350F/180C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.