Four cheese sauce

Four cheese sauce

2 1/2 cups milk

½ cube of vegetable stock

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup white flour

1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese

1/2 cup grated fontina cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated smoked provola cheese

1/8 teaspoon salt, to taste

2 Tbsp of mascarpone

Nutmeg
Walnut (optional)

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until steaming, but don't let it boil or form a skin.

While the milk heats, melt the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan on low heat.

Add the flour and whisk to form a smooth roux.

Continue to cook and whisk for 3 to 4 minutes to thoroughly cook the flour.

Increase heat to medium, and whisk the hot milk into the roux in a thin, steady stream.

Continue to cook until the sauce is smooth and thickened slightly.

Don't stop whisking, since white sauces can burn in an instant.

Lower the heat, add the cheeses and the vegetable stock cube and whisk until the cheeses melt.

Using a double boiler or a heat diffuser, gently cook on very low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add mascarpone, the nutmeg and salt to taste.
Serve with crushed walnuts! 

Ravioli Caprese

Ravioli Caprese (Four servings)

3 Pasta dough recipe
Roasted Cherry tomatoes
Mozzarela di bufala
Basil

Serve with Almonds and basil sauce

(I Will be posting step by step pictures soon to come)!!

Almonds and Basil sauce

Almonds and Basil sauce

20 almonds
3 cloves of garlic
Basil
1 Can of crushed Roma tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

In a pestle and mortar, crush the almonds and the basil.
In a pan, sautè the garlic, almonds and the basil, add the chooped tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.  Add water if necessary.

Serve with green tagliatelle and you can use Ricotta affumicata (smoked) with this dish.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients
Cherry tomatoes
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Any fresh basil/thyme/origano leaves, chopped or julienned
Sea salt


Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the tomatoes lightly with olive oil on a sheet pan. Spread them out into one layer and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft.

Transfer the tomatoes to a serving platter and sprinkle with basil leaves and sea salt. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Lasagna with Butter nut Squash, Radicchio and Provola Cheese

Lasagna with Butter nut Squash, Radicchio and Provola Cheese

3 heads of Treviso red Radicchio
200g of Smoked Provola
1 pinch of nutmeg
75g of flour
450g of Pumpkin (Clean)
1 White Onion
1,3 l of whole milk
Parmiggiano cheese
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Walnuts

1- Prepare the roux, the starting point to make the béchamel sauce, which is made by stirring butter and flour in a skilet until the mixture does not detach itself from the sides of a pan.   Make sure it does not stick.  To make the béchamel, then add the hot milk,  a pinch of nutmeg and salt, bring to boil, stirring to prevent lumps from forming.

2-Dice the squash into small cubes, cut the onion into thin slices and coarsely chop the Radicchio.  Sauté the vegetables in a non stick skillet with some olive oil.  When they wilt, remove from heat, season with salt and pepper.

3-Spread a ladle of béchamel and sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, then place two sheets of lasagna over it, cover them with the sauce and the béchamel, also adding the nuts, Parmiggiano and the provola cheese. Repeat the operation five times.  Bake it in a hot oven (180C) for 20 minutes.

Pumpikin Coconut shrimp

Pumpikin Coconut shrimp

2 pounds of Shrimps
1 yellow onion (sliced)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 red pepper (in strips)
1 yellow pepper (in strips)
4 tomatoes in big cubes
1 can of coconut cream
½ cup of water
5 tbls of tomatoes extract
5 tbls of cream cheese
1 big pumpkim
Parsley or cilantro
Ginger
Hot Spices
3 bayleafs
Cachaça to sauté the shrimps
Palm tree oil and vegetable oil

Bake a pumpkim until get soft to cut and open a hole at the top.
Open the hole and take the seeds of and some small pieces of the pumpkim.

In a big pan, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, peppers and tomatoes with the palm tree oil and canola oil in a medium heat. After 10 minutes in a medium heat add the water, tomato extract, coconut cream and some pieces of the pumpkim. Cook for another 10/15 minutes in a low heat. Add the spices and the herbs and cook for another 5 minutes.
In a frying pan, sauté the shrimps with Cachaça (Very fast, don’t let the shrimps to over cook)!

Add the shrimps, then the sauce inside the pumpkin. At the top of the pumpkin add the cream cheese and broil for 10/15 minutes.

Focaccia with tomatoes

Focaccia with Tomatoes

What is focaccia bread??

The name of this bread is taken from the Roman phrase "panis focacius," which refers to flatbread cooked over an open fire. 

Often baked with herbs, cheese, or other seasonal ingredients, many view focaccia as the forefather of the modern-day pizza.

Ingredients for Focaccia with Tomatoes:
4 cups of '0' flour (bread flour)
1/2 cup mashed potato 

1 Tbsp of dried yeast or one tablet of fresh yeast (25g)
1 Tbsp of Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp of sugar
2 Tbsp of salt
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 cup of water (warm temperature)
Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half)
Kosher/Sea salt (or large coarse salt)
Ground pepper

Recipe for Focaccia with Tomatoes:
In large bowl, add the warm water.  Slowly stir in dry yeast and sugar.  Continue to stir until yeast is dissolved.

Combine the flour, mash potatoes, salt, olive oil and vinegar in the  bowl. Mix thoroughly, and then use your hands in order to blend all of the ingredients together.

Allow the Bread Dough to Rise
Flour your work space, and knead the dough by hand until smooth.  Make a large ball with the dough and flatten it out with your hands.  Place your halved tomatoes, add salt, pepper and if you'd like to add some dried oregano.

You can use a baking sheet or pizza stone for the next part; shape the bread either in a circle or rectangle, depending on your preference. 

Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle with coarse salt, add the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until it reaches a golden color.

Antipasto Caprese

Antipasto Caprese

Capri, where the salad was created!

Mozzarela di bufala
Cherry tomatos
Basil
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Cocktail Americano

Cocktail Americano

The cocktail Americano is a gentle introduction to the unusual, bitter taste of Campari. A true classic cocktail, it was first served in the 1860's at Garspare Campari's bar in Milan, Italy. The Americano was originally name the Milano-Torino because of the origins of it's ingredients, but was later renamed because of its popularity amongst American tourists during prohibition. This cocktail with it's acquired taste, was also the first cocktail ordered by James Bond in the first novel (or the manner in which it was ordered) overshadowed the Americano in the books and movies.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Vermouth
• Club soda
• Lemon twist or orange slice for garnish

Preparation:

1. Fill a glass with ice cubes.
2. Build with the Campari and vermouth.
3. Top off with club soda.
4. Garnish with the lemon twist or Orange sliced.

Strawberry Caipiroska

Strawberry Caipiroska

1. Ice
2. 2 ounces vodka
3. 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam
4. 1 heaping cup strawberries, hulled
5. 1 tablespoon sugar
6. In a cocktail shaker, muddle all but 1 of the strawberries with the sugar until juicy, add the jam. Add enough ice to fill a rocks glass and top with the vodka. Shake briefly to chill, then pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with the reserved strawberry.

Polenta with cheese and sausage antipasto

Polenta with cheese and sausage antipasto 

One package of pre cooked polenta
Emmental cheese
Your favorite sausage
Nutmeg

Slice the polenta in small squares.  At the top of the polenta squares add the sausage, cheese and then the nutmeg.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Cherry Thyme Prosecco Cocktail

Cherry Thyme Prosecco Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of Prosecco or sparkling white wine
• 1 (10-ounce) can of whole cherries (not pie filling, but canned/jar cherries)
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• lemon

Instructions

1. Drain the cherry juice into a saucepan. Put the cherries in a jar for later.
2. Simmer the juice and thyme over low heat for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool.
3. Pour the cooled juice over the cherries.
4. Put about 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the cherry juice in the bottom of a champagne glass. Add one cherry to the glass. Pour the Prosecco over the cherries. Garnish with a small sprig of thyme. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice in each glass. Someone told me once, that lemon is to cocktails as salt is to food. It enhances the flavor. It really makes a difference here.

Caponatina Siciliana

Caponatina Siciliana

Ingredients:

* 1 eggplant (in small cubes)

* 1 onion, chopped

* 3 cloves of garlic, sliced

* ½ yellow bell pepper (in small cubes)

* ½ red bell pepper (in small cubes)

* 4 sticks of celery (in small cubes)

* 2 tomatoes, chopped (in small cubes)

* 1 cup of olives (pitted, in half)

* 2 Tbsp of capers

* ½ cup of balsamic vinegar

* Fresh mint or parsley - a few sprigs

* 2 Tbsp of raw (brown) sugar

* Olive oil (apprx ½ cup)

* Salt & Pepper to taste

Recipe of Caponatina Siciliana:

In a big (heavy bottom) saucepan, heat a few spoons of olive oil and lightly brown the onions and the garlic over medium-high heat.  Add the eggplant, peppers, celery, and capers reducing to a medium temperature (add olive oil if dry).  After 10 minutes add the tomatoes and turn the heating on high (the tomatoes will help "clean" the bottom of the pan).  After 5 minutes add the balsamic vinegar and capers.  Turn the heating off and add the mint, raw sugar, salt and pepper.  You can also add some chilli pepper flakes if you like spice.  Add remainder of olive oil to pan.

Storage of Caponatina Siciliana:
Jar in a sterol mason jam-jar (best for longer shelf-life), or any cleaned and sterilized jar.  Remember to add the caponata slowly to reduce the amount of trapped air and add olive oil to the top, refrigerate.  For the longest shelf-life, follow proper jarring procedures and heat-sealing.  **Prior to serving, remove from refrigerator and spoon into serving bowl, drizzle a little olive oil on top and a little fresh parsley.

Suggestions of use of Caponatina Siciliana:
As a dip with crackers
As a pasta sauce, adding a little tomato sauce
Pasta salad sauce (farfalle, penne, fusilli, any short pasta)