12.30.2021

Escondidinho (Yuca and chicken pie)

For the mashed cassava/yuca:


2.2 pounds cassava or yuca frozen or fresh (if you prefer, use potatoes instead), 1 kg
2 tablespoons butter softened or melted
1 to 1-1/4 heavy cream warm, or whole milk or coconut milk
1 cube chicken bouillon
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of any shredded melting cheese of your preference (e.g. Gruyère, white cheddar, fontina, gouda, etc)

For the chicken:
1/2 large yellow onion small diced
garlic cloves minced
4 tbsp butter
1 red pepper, julliened 
1-1/2 pounds chicken breats shredded, about 700 g
1/2 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 cups tomato pure
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

  • To prepare the mashed cassava/yuca: If using fresh cassava or yuca, peel it first (frozen cassava, such as Goya brand, is already peeled). Then, place peeled cassava in a pot filled with cold water and let boil over high heat for about 15-20 minutes or until fork-soft. Remove from the heat, reserve about 1 cup of the water, and drain. Place cooked cassava on a cutting board and while cassava is still warm but can be handle without burning, remove the woody fiber from the center. Place warm cassava back into the pot, pour the reserved warm water on top, and mash very well using a masher. Stir in the butter, heavy cream, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Cheese will be used later in the assembling of the dish.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter or spray (with non stick cooking spray) a 13 x 9-inch (about 33 x 23 cm) baking dish and set aside.
  • To prepare the chicken: In a medium to large non stick dutch oven, sweat the onion with butter medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the minced garlic and let cook for about 1 minute over medium heat. Add the shredded chicken and sauté over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the greens and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the wine and let almost evaporate. Stir in the tomato pure and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook uncovered over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the cooked corn, and the chopped parsley or cilantro. Set aside.
  • To assemble the escondidinho de frango (chicken pie): Spoon chicken mixture in one single layer into the greased baking dish. Then add thin sliced peppers on top. Layer mashed cassava/yuca on top of the chicken layer. Finish by sprinkling shredded cheese on top of the mashed cassava/yuca, distributing uniformly. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve escondidinho de frango warm by itself or accompanied by a fresh salad or steamed vegetables.

Coconut, cashew and lime soup

 

  • 8 oz 1/2 lb (250g) or about 6 strips bacon, diced
  • 1 medium oniondiced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 garlic clovesminced
  • 2 lbs 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 can coconut milk
    1 cup roasted cashews 
    1/3 cup lime juice
  • 2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp ground black pepperor to taste


  • 1. In a large pot, over medium heat, cook bacon in it's own fat until crisp (8-10 min). Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave 3 Tbsp oil in the pot; discard excess or leave it in there for a more flavorful soup.
  • 2. Add chopped onion and cook 4 min or until soft, stirring occasionally, then add 2 pressed garlic cloves and saute another minute.
  • 3. Stir in diced sweet potatoes and 2 tsp salt. Now pour in 4 cups chicken broth, partially cover and simmer 20 min or until sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Combine cashews.
  • 4. Puree soup until smooth. Return soup to pot and stir in the coconut milk and lime juice. Serve in warm bowls. Sprinkle the tops with bacon.


Cajuzinho

1 Can Condensed Milk, 14oz
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
4 tablespoons Toasted an Unsalted Peanuts
1 tablespoon Chocolate Powder
Granulated Sugar for coating
Toasted Peanuts for decoration (optional)


1. Mix all the ingredients in a sauce pan Over medium heat. Stir constantly until the ingredients are all incorporated and the mixture starts to thicken and comes out of the sides and bottom of the pan.
2. Put into a glass bowl and put in the refrigerator until cool.
3. Take out of the refrigerator. Coat your hands with butter, take about one teaspoon full and roll out. Coat with granulated sugar.
4. Place a peanut on top Put in individual liners. Will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days.



12.01.2021

Ginger, carrot and turmeric soup



3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp turmeric
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced
4 cups chopped and peeled carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups orange juice
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

    1. In a large pot, sauté onions and ginger in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

    2. Add carrots, turmeric and vegetable broth and reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer for about 40 minutes, or until carrots are soft.
    3. Add orange juice and stir well.
    4. Working in small batches and using a food processor or blender/mixer, process soup until smooth.
    5. Return to pot or serving bowl and add nutmeg, salt and pepper, stirring well. Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream if desired and enjoy!



5.05.2021

Cooking classes in Vicenza, Italy.

Looking for cooking classes in Italy!?



  A chance for you and your friends to get together and create a private cooking class.  You reserve the day, decide the menu, and together you discover new recipes or how to make your favourite dish.
 For information on how to book a class, send en email to lucas@cookingwithlucas.com
 
The classes are hands on, includes wine, ingredients for the menu, and finished with Italian coffee, all while having a lot of fun!
 
All the recipes will be available on the website for free for everyone that wants to replicate the recipes wherever you are in the world!

The class is located in Vicenza just 30 min from Venice and 30 min from Verona.

Vicenza is also a great city to visit if you are staying in Venice or Verona. I can give you some tips in where to go and what to do here! Cooking with Lucas is one of the best rated cooking classes in Italy according to Trip Advisor reviews!










Cooking with Lucas Recipe Book


Bread, pizzas and focaccias


Antipasti

Primi Piatti (First courses)
Secondi Piatti (Second courses)

Side dishes and Salads

Dolci

Brazilian Food


EASY ACESS FROM VERONA AND VENICE!




12.31.2020

Cooking with Lucas has changed and become virtual! 

Now you can participate for free to the cooking class from you own kitchen in any location of the world. 

To be part of the classes you just need to add Lucas Migliorelli on facebook and the schedule of the classes will come up every week.

We had classes streamed from Italy, France, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and for three months we will have Brazilian Cooking Classes streamed from Florianopolis, Brazil.



7.15.2020

The perfect Bruschetta


* 4 Fresh tomatoes, chopped and without seeds
* 1 table spoon oregano
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Pepper, to taste
* 4 table spoons olive oil
* Hard bread, made with semolina, sliced and toasted
* 2 Garlic, cloves
* ½ cup Olive paste (you can find in Italian grocery shops, is very similar to Tapenade. If you can find this, just buy your favorite olives and blend in a food processor).

1. In a bowl mix the chopped tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil;
2. Rub garlic on the toasted bread;
3. Spread the olive paste then add the tomatoes on the top of the bread;
4. It is best served immediately, while it is still hot. 






5.02.2020

Quinoa salad with zucchini and chickpeas



  • cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and minced (about 1 1/2 cups minced)
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 2 bunches fresh mint, stemmed and minced (about 1 cup minced)
  • 3 fresh tomatoes
  • 1 zucchine 
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions or onions
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 tsp salt, or more to taste

    1- 
    Rinse uncooked quinoa in cold water using a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Drain.

    2- Pour quinoa into saucepan along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover the pan.

    3- Cook quinoa for 10-12 minutes until tender, but not mushy. Stir and let cool to room temperature.

    4- Place minced fresh parsley and mint in a medium salad bowl.

    5- Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and salt.

    6- Seed the tomatoes by quartering them, then use your fingers or a paring knife to remove the seeds.

    7- Dice the tomatoes into small pieces.

    8- Add the finely chopped tomatoes to the green herbs along with the chopped scallions, cooked quinoa, chickpeas, and olive oil lemon juice dressing. Stir gently to combine. 

    9- Cut the zucchini in small cubes and brown them with olive oil and combine.

    10- Season with additional salt or lemon juice to taste, if desired. And served,

    11- Some people like to add garlic to their tabbouleh. If you want a garlicky flavor, add a well-minced raw clove to the salad. Enjoy!

4.25.2020

Lasagna


Ragu
* 5 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 carrot, finely diced
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 1 rib celery, finely diced
* 1 clove garlic, sliced
* 2 bay leafs
* 500g veal, ground
* 500g pork, ground
* ¼ lb. pancetta or slab of bacon, chopped
* 2/3 cup tomato paste
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup dry white wine
* Salt and black pepper
* Parmigiano, 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, pancetta, onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned (about 10-15 minutes).

 3. Add the bay leaf, veal, and pork; stir into the vegetables.

 4. On high heat, combine the wine, stir to keep the meat from sticking together until browned.

 5. Add the tomato paste and a cup of water, cook for 10 minutes, then add the milk, simmer over medium-low heat for 1-1 ½ hours.

 6. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.

Spinach Dough

 * 4 eggs

 * 2,5 oz / 170g cooked spinach

 * 4 cups 00 flour

 1. Using a blender , blend the eggs with the spinach;

 2. Mound 4 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board;

 3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the egg and spinach mixture;

 4. Using a fork, beat together the eggs, and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.

 5. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape (the dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated);

6. Start kneading the dough, more you knead, better it gets. Add more flour is the dough sticks on your hands;

 7. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits;

 8. Lightly re-flour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky;

 9. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature

 10. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and roll each out to the thinnest setting on a pasta rolling machine.

Béchamel
-1l or 4 1/4 cups milk
-1 onion, halved
-1 bayleaf
-2 cloves
-100g / 7 tablespoons butter
-100g / 11 tablespoons flour
-Salt & white pepper to taste
-1 tea spoon nutmeg
1 - Gently bring the milk to boil in a saucepan with the onion, bayleaf and the cloves. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 30 minutes;

2 - In another sauce pan, melt the butter, then add the flour. Stir until a paste forms (that's called roux), continue cooking for 2 minutes;

3 - Remove the onions, the bayleaf and the cloves out of the milk. Combine gradually the milk with the roux, stirring ad you go. Cook for another 20 minutes in low heat stirring until the sauce thickened. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
An ideal béchamel is a béchamel without lumps and without taste of flour. To avoid lumps stir and to avoid the taste of flour cook for minimum 20 minutes.

Directions for assembly

 1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F/190C.

 2. In a lasagna pan, assemble the lasagna, beginning with a layer of ragu, a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano, a layer of pasta, a layer of béchamel, a layer of ragu, a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano etc. until all of the sauce and pasta are used.

 3. The top layer should be pasta with béchamel mixed with ragu over it.

 4. Top the lasagna with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until the edges are browned, and the sauces are bubbling.

 5. Remove and allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Melanzana alla Parmigiana


-5 Eggplants
-1 cup flour
-5 cups basic tomato sauce
-Parmigiano cheese
-Smoked provolone
-1 large handful of basil
-Salt & Pepper

  • Slice the eggplants ¼ - ½ inch thick. Sprinkle the slices with the salt and let stand in a colander for 1 hour to drain some liquid;
  • When you are ready to cook the eggplant, heat about 1 inch of peanut or any other vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
  • Pat the eggplant slices dry to remove any excess moisture. Add the slices on flour, let the flour stick on the eggplant. Then start frying, a few at a time, to the hot oil. Fry on both sides until lightly golden
  • Remove the slices from the oil and drain on paper towels. Continue until all the slices have been fried, reducing the heat (and adding oil) as necessary.
  • Preheat your oven to 400F.
  • In a baking dish, start with a layer of sauce, then layer some eggplant slices, followed by a sprinkling of parmigiano cheese and smoked provolone. Continue the layers until all the ingredients have been used or the dish is full, ending with sauce.
  • Sprinkle the parmigiano cheese over top.
  • Bake the dish at 400F for 25-30 minutes, until nice and bubbly
  • Remove it from the oven and let the dish rest for 10 - 15 minutes for the juices to absorb before serving.

4.22.2020

Fresh pasta

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups of 00 flour
2 cups semolina
Water if necessary
STEP 1 - Preparing the dough by hand
Pour the flour into a bowl, then the eggs and water
in the middle.
Mix with a fork to thoroughly blend the eggs
with the flour. Do not add salt.
Knead the dough with your hands until it is completely
smooth and consistent. If the dough is too dry, add
some water; if it is too sticky, add some flour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a table, lightly dusted with flour.
If necessary, continue kneading the dough by hand and break it up into little pieces.
Dough should never stick to your fingers.
STEP 2 - Preparing pasta sheets
Set the adjustment knob of the machine to number 0, so that the two smooth rollers are fully open. Feed a piece of dough through the rollers while turning the crank.
Lightly dust both sides of the pasta sheet with flour and fold it in half. Feed the pasta sheet through the smooth rollers several times, until it is long and regular in shape.
Cut the pasta sheet in two and dust each piece lightly with flour on both sides.
Set the adjustment knob to 1 and pass the pasta sheet through just once; then, set the adjustment knob to 2 and pass the pasta sheet through once more; then, set the adjustment knob to 3, and so on until you reach the desired thickness (the recommended thickness setting is no. 6 for fettuccine and no. 7 for tagliolini).
Cut the pasta sheet crosswise, into pieces about 25cm long and dust them with flour.
STEP 3 - Cutting the pasta
Insert the crank in the cutting accessory and feed the pasta sheet through the rollers to cut it. Pick up the dough with the stick and transfer it to dry.
The pasta dries in about 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity and can then be stored in suitable kitchen containers.
Tips
* do not use cold eggs straight out of the refrigerator;
* Do not add salt to the dough;
* Preserve home-made dried pasta for no more than 1 month;
* You can freeze freshly cut pasta, but always consume it within 1 year;
* Cook the pasta in a large amount of hot water (4 litres for every ½ kg of pasta).

4.10.2020

Mint pesto

*1 clove of garlic 
*1 cup of fresh mint 
*10 cherry tomatoes 
*1 cup roasted pistachios or almonds 
*1 tsp coarse salt 
*1 cup olive oil 
*100g / 3,5oz feta cheese 

Using a pesto mortar: In the pesto mortar, crush the garlic with the coarse salt until is a paste, add the the pistacchio, mint and the tomatoes. Combine olive oil and cheese if desirable. 




Using a blender: Combine the garlic, mint, nuts and salt. Blend until is all just crushed. Combine the tomatoes, feta and blend not to become smooth, but an uneven texture.

Béchamel sauce

-1l or 4 1/4 cups milk
-1 onion, halved
-1 bayleaf
-2 cloves
-100g / 7 tablespoons butter
-100g / 11 tablespoons flour
-Salt & white pepper
-Nutmeg

1 - Gently bring the milk to boil in a saucepan with the onion, bayleaf and the cloves. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 30 minutes;

2 - In another sauce pan, melt the butter, then add the flour. Stir until a paste forms (that's called roux), continue cooking for 2 minutes;

3 - Remove the onions, the bayleaf and the cloves out of the milk. Combine gradually the milk with the roux, stirring ad you go. Cook for another 20 minutes in low heat stirring until the sauce thickened. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

An ideal béchamel is a béchamel without lumps and without taste of flour. To avoid lumps stir and to avoid the taste of flour cook for minimum 20 minutes.