10.10.2018

Lucas Ragu

Lucas Ragu

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 carrot, finely, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
500g veal, ground
500g pork, ground
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, ground
1 tube tomato paste
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dry white wine
1 table spoon chopped rosemary
3 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating



1. In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.
2. Add the carrots, almonds and a tablespoon of salt and wait for the carrots to be brown. Add the pancetta and cook for another five minutes.
3. Add the onions, celery, rosemary, bay leaves and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned (about 10 to 15 minutes).
4. Add the veal and pork and stir into the vegetables.
5. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned.
6. Add the wine and mix very well, the wine will deglaze the pan, cook for half hour in medium heat.
7. Add the tomato paste and the stock, cook for another 5 minutes then and milk; simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1½ hours.
8. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat. 

9.29.2018

Some of the best cheeses of Italy


                                             

Mozzarella:
Mozzarella is developed from the cultured and fermented solids that result from the first step in the cheese making process: the separation of the curd (clumps of solidified milk protein also known as farmer’s cheese) from warm liquid whey using an acidifier such as rennet, citric acid or yogurt.






Mozzarella di Bufala: Made with rich Italian buffalo milk from Campania instead of domestic cow’s milk, mozzarella di bufala has twice the fat content as its conventional counterpart and packs in twice the flavor. About twice as expensive as regular mozzarella, bufala’s sweeter, milkier nuances and fluffy, buttery texture are widely prized and famously used alongside important Italian San Marzano tomatoes and fresh basil for authentic pizza Napoletana and heirloom caprese salads, and serve as a natural pairing for ripe fruit. Mozzarella made in this style but from the freshest, highest-quality cow’s milk is known as fior di latte. Both should be consumed as soon as possible after making.





Burrata:
This succulent treat is essentially a mozzarella shell encasing “cream of mozzarella,” or a mixture of the soft scraps from mozzarella-making process soaked in
cream and boasting a butterfat percentage that will at once thrill and intimidate you. With a name like burrata — literally translated as “buttered” — you’ll need at least one partner to finish a standard eight- to ten-ounce portion. Break the outer shell and watch the creamy center creep out, then scoop up with a piece of crusty Italian bread and drizzle with olive oil (just forget the fat content at this point) or let the goodness cascade over ripe tomatoes, roasted beets, stone fruit or grilled squash. Serving sweet potatoes during the holidays? Turn your back on marshmallows forever and usher in a glorious era of burrata. Once broken open, burrata doesn’t stay fresh, so make sure you finish it all. Good news: You won’t have any trouble there.

Caciotta:
Describes a wide range of simple, rural cheeses from central Italy that can be made with either ewe's, cow's, goat's, or buffalo's milk. The cheese is aged for a brief period.Beneath the soft, yellow rind is a white or yellowish body which has a soft texture and mild flavour. Both artisanal and industrial produces of Caciotta are available.







Asiago: Is a cow's milk cheese, produced only on the Asiago plateau in the Veneto foothills in Italy. The cheese-making tradition in the provinces of  Vicenza and Trento dates back to more than thousand years. Traditionally, it was made from sheep's milk but today it is produced from unpasteurised cow's milk.

Texture wise, Asiago goes through many changes, assuming different textures, according to its aging. There are two types of Asiago - fresh Asiago (Asiago Pressato) has a smooth texture while the aged Asiago (Asiago d'allevo) has a crumbly texture. Asiago d’allevo is matured for different time periods; Mezzano for 4-6 months, Vecchio for more than ten months and Stravecchio for two years. On the other hand, Asiago Pressato made with whole milk is matured for a month and sold fresh as a softer, milder cheese.
Depending on age, the rinds of Asiago can be straw coloured and elastic to brownish gray and hard. The paste can be white to dark yellow, with small to medium irregular holes. Based on the aging, Asiago can be used for grating, melting, slicing on a variety of salads, sandwiches, soups, pastas, and sauces.

Gorgonzola: Is one of the world's oldest blue-veined cheeses. The Cheese is mainly produced in the northern Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, Gorgonzola. Unskimmed cow's milk is used while preparing the cheese. Generally it takes three to four months to attain full
ripeness.
This cheese has crumbly and soft texture with nutty aroma. It can have a mild to sharp taste depending on its age. Gorgonzola Dolce (also called Sweet Gorgonzola) and Gorgonzola Piccante (also called Gorgonzola Naturale, Gorgonzola Montagna, or Mountain Gorgonzola) are its two varieties, which vary in their age.
Gorgonzola can be consumed in many ways. It is served with wines like Bordeaux Blend (Red), Zinfandel and Sauternes.



                                   8 Differences between Parmiggiano and Grana Padano


1.    Grana Padano is made over a much larger area – partly because of this the price tends to be lower. About 4,800,000 wheels of Grana Padano are produced each year (compared to about  3,400,000 wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano), making this Italy’s most  produced cheese.

2.    The cows are grazing on different pastures, different soil. This translates into the cheeses to produce slightly different tastes. The flavor also changes according to the age of the cheese and the time of year in which the cheese is made.

3.    Parmigiano-Reggiano cows must only feed off grass and cereals grown in the area – they are not given silage (a fermented, high-moisture fodder).

4.    The cows providing the milk for Parmigiano Reggiano must be milked twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening – and the milk is not allowed to reach a temperature less than 18°C. The milk for Parmigiano-Reggiano must be delivered to the dairy within two hours of the completion of milking. Ensuring that the temperature of the milk does not fall below 18°C is important for the mesophilic lactic bacteria which is responsible for the ripening of the cheese. The cows providing milk for Grana Padano production are also milked twice a day, but the milk only needs to arrive at the cheesery 24 hours after milking and therefore it has to be cooled (although not below 8°C).

5.    Preservatives are not allowed in the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano, whereas in the production of Grana Padano they are allowed – the preservative usually used is lysozyme.

6.    Grana Padano (made entirely from partially skimmed milk) has a lower fat content than Parmigiano-Reggiano (made from a mix of whole and skimmed milk).

7.    Grana Padano, therefore, matures more quickly. It’s made to three stages of maturity:
a)    9-16 months – when it has a delicate, milky taste and a soft texture, it hasn’t yet developed the graininess for which it’s knownb) 1
b)    6-20 months – at this stage the cheese tastes of ‘an aroma of hay and dried fruit’. It has developed the grainy texture but the crystals are still not much in evidencec)
c)    20-24 months – the cheese now has a rich buttery flavour and crystals are also there. Parmigiano Reggiano on the other hand takes a minimum of 12 months to mature, and the older varieties take up to 36 months. Any cheese older than two years is known as ‘Stravecchio’. This is another reason why Parmigiano Reggiano is more expensive than Grana Padano. It also results in cash flow problems for the 350 or so Parmigiano Reggiano producers, so sometimes they leave their cheese with their bankers as collateral – the banks have special vaults for storing the cheese.


8.        Obviously there are flavor variations within the individual types of cheese so comparing them directly is not straightforward. The fresh and rainy climate of the high-altitude pastures produces a softer, cleaner flavored cheese than that produced in the valleys.  But overall the consensus seems to be that Parmigiano Reggiano has a stronger, more complex, perhaps nuttier and saltier taste –  while Grana Padano has a softer, subtler taste. For this reason Grana Padano is more usually used in cooking, while Parmesan is more often grated on top of a dish…. and eaten in chunks with prosecco.



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