Pesto bread

3 cups 0 flour (Bread flour in USA)
1 cup warm water
1 cube of fresh yeast or 1 tbsp dried yeast
3 tbsp pesto genovese
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar or honey
Olive oil

To start, add the yeast a bowl and mix with the sugar or honey until is liquid.  Add the warm water and mix it with the spoon. Add the sifted flour and the pesto and keep mixing with the spoon until is all together. When is hard to mix with the spoon, add some olive oil on your hands and kneed the bread. Divide the bread in 16 little balls. Leave the bread to raise for 2 hours. Bake for about 25 minutes on 180C on convect oven or a little more time on non convect ones. If you want you can brush some milk at the top of the bread and add poppy seeds on it!

Pollo alla Romana

Recipe:

8 boneless, skinless chicken pieces

Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil, as needed

2 red bell peppers, sliced

2 yellow peppers, sliced

1/2 cup prosciutto, sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup, white wine

1/2 tbsp. dried thyme

1 cup chicken broth

Capers, drained, as needed

Parsley, for topping

Directions:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides, about 12-15 minutes total. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Secondi piatti

Pollo All'ancia e limone

Pollo Alla cacciatora

Arrosto misto delle Marche

Saltimbocca alla Romana

Chicken breast served with gorgonzola, walnuts and pear sauce wrapped in prosciutto di Parma

Branzino al Cartoccio

Peposo

Pollo alla San Patrizio

Pollo alla Valdostana

Pollo alla Romana

Nonna's Summer Pork Roast

Best places to bring family and friends in Italy while they are visiting.

Primi piatti

Pasticcio di radicchio

Spaghetti al Cartoccio

Risotto with Porcini and Mascarpone

Tagliatelli with Pumkin and Pancetta

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

Pizzoccheri

Casunziei 

Paccheri alla Napoli

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Pumpkin and radicchio lasagna

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Bigoli al'Anatra

Ravioli Caprese

Asparagus risotto

Risotto with Saffron

Capelacci with pumpkin and ragu di salsiccia

Gnocchi filled with cheese and baked in red creamy sauce

Pasta Al Forno

Fagottini alla Zucca

Bigoli alla Montanara

Risotto with squid and zaffron

Tartiflette

Pane al latte con semi

3 cups 00 flour
1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp salt
1 cube of fresh yeast
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1/2 cup melted butter

In a big bowl, add the cube of yeast and the sugar. Mix them very well, until the yeast melts. Add the milk, and slowly add the flour and salt mixing with a spoon. When is to hard to mix with the spoon, add the butter in your hands and start to mixing with your hands. Let the dough to rise for at list 1 hour. After rising, make the little balls and with a brush, brush milk on the top of the bread and sprinkle some poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds. Let rise again for at list one hour.
Bake for 20 minutes in 180C, or until is baked.
Each oven can have a different time of cooking.

Tips: Fill the bread will ham, cheese and oregano!
You can also use half whole grain flour on the recipe...

Chicken with Leeks

For a better result, marinade chicken in the herbs and balsamic vinegar overnight.

1 Whole Chicken organic and free range (2 lbs) Cut legs, wings, and breasts off and line the pan with these pieces. (Save excess chicken bones to make chicken stock, if desired) 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey pinch of crushed red pepper pinch of salt
1 tbsp oregano 3 bay leaves 1 whole leek
1 cup cream or mascarpone
Parmiggiano cheese

Chop one normal sized leek up and toss on top of chicken. Really mix and massage the olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic, honey, red peppers, leek and bay leaves into the chicken.

Cook at 180C (or 350F) for 20-30 minutes. After taking the chicken out of the oven:

Mix the mascarpone and parmiggiano cheese on the baking tray with the chicken.

Place back in oven for 5 minutes to broil if you want it.

Tapenade

1kg pitted black olives
6 sundried tomatoes- chopped
1/2 cup chopped almonds
2-4 teaspoons capers rinsed and dried
2 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon oregano (fresh pref. But dried is OK at a pinch)
1 teaspoon thyme (as always, fresh is best)
1/2 lemon juiced
1 generous teaspoon sweet chilli
olive oil

Method:
Whiz all (but olive oil) in a food processor. We prefer to leave a bit of texture- it's up to you. Stir in olive oil until the taste and consistency is right for you. Place in covered container and refrigerate. Needs approx'  3 days to 'mature' before using.

Fall menu

Antipasti

Brusccheta con crema di Zucca e noci 
Brusccheta with mushrooms

Primi

Ravioli di zucca with butter and sage
Fagottini di zucca with pinenuts
Capelacci di zucca with sausage ragu sauce
Tortelli di zucca al sugo
Chestnut gnocchi filled with ham and cheese with four cheese sauce baked
Gnocchi al ragu
Gnocchi alla Vodka
Gnocchi with four cheeses sauce
Gnocchi filled with ham and cheese with vodka sauce
Ravioli filled with pears seved with four cheeses sauce and walnuts
Tagliatelli with chestnut flour served with pumpkin
Tagliatelli with radicchio and pancetta
Tagliatelli with sausage and wine sauce
Tagliatelli al ragu Bolognese
Tagliatelli with mushrooms
Bigoli with duck sauce
Bigoli alla Montanara
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Pasticcio alla Bolognese
Pasticcio di Zucca
Risotto alla zucca

Risotto with porcini mushrooms


Secondi

Chicken breast with pumkim sauce
http://www.buttalapasta.it/articolo/ricetta-del-pollo-con-zucca-per-un-secondo-piatto-squisito/43531/
Pollo al vino http://ricette.pourfemme.it/articolo/ricette-autunnali-pollo-al-vino/5023/
Spicy meatballs served with Polenta
Porkchops with pumpkim and cheese
Baked pumpkin with Capers https://saporiecucina.wordpress.com/category/antipasti/page/7/
Filled pumpkim  with Asiago, speck and mushrooms

http://www.gustoblog.it/post/7853/ricette-dautunno-la-zucca-ripiena

Dolci

Tarte Tatin

Street food

Arancini
Panzerotto
Cannoli

Gnocchi with four cheese sauce

Potato Gnocchi

This recipe is my grandma recipe. We used to make gnocchi on sundays and the kids would always help to cut while the nonna will be making the sauce. 

Ingredients

• Yellow Potatoes 2 pounds
• Flour 4 oz (aprox)
• Butter 1 Tblsp  
• Salt 1 Tblsp 

1. Put potatoes with the skin in a pot with cold salty water
2. Bring to boil and cooked until soft
3. Peel the potatoes
4. Mash the potatoes
5. Add the butter, flour and the salt , do not overwork...
6. Cut the dough in 3 pieces, roll each in order to form a string 1.5 cm thick
7. Cut the strings with a sharp knife to form dowels; you can choose the dimension of your gnocchi.

Tips:

-After cook the potatoes, let the potatoes to

cool down without add any water on top!

-Work with the potatoes while the potatoes are still warm.

-Use the best potatoes you can find.
-You can also fill the gnocchi with ham and cheese, make a tomato sauce and bake it with cheese on the top!

3 tbsp Gorgonzola dolce or your favorite blue cheese
3 tbsp Asiago mezzano
3tbsp parmigiano reggiano
3 tbsp fontina cheese
1 cup of mascarpone
3 tbsp of walnuts
Salt & Pepper

In a pan, melt the cheeses with Mascarpone. Add walnuts. If the sauce is to thick correct with vegetable stock, white wine or water.

Gnocchi alla Vodka

This recipe is my grandma recipe. We used to make gnocchi on sundays and the kids would always help to cut while the nonna will be making the sauce. 

Ingredients

• Yellow Potatoes 2 pounds
• Flour 4 oz (aprox)
• Butter 1 Tblsp  
• Salt 1 Tblsp 

1. Put potatoes with the skin in a pot with cold salty water
2. Bring to boil and cooked until soft
3. Peel the potatoes
4. Mash the potatoes
5. Add the butter, flour and the salt , do not overwork...
6. Cut the dough in 3 pieces, roll each in order to form a string 1.5 cm thick
7. Cut the strings with a sharp knife to form dowels; you can choose the dimension of your gnocchi.

Tips:

-After cook the potatoes, let the potatoes to

cool down without add any water on top!

-Work with the potatoes while the potatoes are still warm.

-Use the best potatoes you can find.
-You can also fill the gnocchi with ham and cheese, make a tomato sauce and bake it with cheese on the top!

Vodka Sauce

-1 finely chopped onion

-1/2 cup of vodka

-5 tablespoons of Tomato paste

-5 tablespoons of Double cream

-1/2 cup of Chopped parsley

-Salt & Pepper to taste

-Parmiggiano or Grana Padano

-Olive oil

1. In a saucepan (medium heat), sauté the onions (about 3 minutes).  

2. Pour the vodka and turn the fire on high until the vodka catches on fire.  Another option is to carefully ignite the vodka with a stove lighter, or simply don't ignite the vodka if you think your house will catch on fire to make this recipe.
  

3. When the fire is done, add the tomato paste and one cup of water, let cook for another 3 minutes on medium heat and then add the cream and the parsley.

4. When the pasta is cooked, turn the fire on maximum and mix the pasta in with the sauce.  If the sauce is too thick, you can always add small spoons of the water that cooked the gnocchi.

Gnocchi al ragu

Potato Gnocchi

This recipe is my grandma recipe. We used to make gnocchi on sundays and the kids would always help to cut while the nonna will be making the sauce. 

Ingredients

• Yellow Potatoes 2 pounds
• Flour 4 oz (aprox)
• Butter 1 Tblsp  
• Salt 1 Tblsp 

1. Put potatoes with the skin in a pot with cold salty water
2. Bring to boil and cooked until soft
3. Peel the potatoes
4. Mash the potatoes
5. Add the butter, flour and the salt , do not overwork...
6. Cut the dough in 3 pieces, roll each in order to form a string 1.5 cm thick
7. Cut the strings with a sharp knife to form dowels; you can choose the dimension of your gnocchi.

Tips:

-After cook the potatoes, let the potatoes to

cool down without add any water on top!

-Work with the potatoes while the potatoes are still warm.

-Use the best potatoes you can find.
-You can also fill the gnocchi with ham and cheese, make a tomato sauce and bake it with cheese on the top!

Ragu Alla Bolognese

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

1/2 tube tomato paste

1 cup milk

1 cup dry white wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and pancetta and stir into the vegetables. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add the tomato paste, milk, and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.