Vanilla with roses (Cantuccini-Biscotti )

She never made cakes or sweets, except for her almond cakes, cartellate, at Christmas, and "biscotti tagliati" as she called them (cantuccini to everybody else.)

Mamma's biscuit making was a kind of a rare ritual. She very quickly made the soft dough... so quickly you just had time to smell the fragrance of the fresh lemon rind and the vanilla.

There was something magical about her hands: they could do five things at once! Unlike mine, her fingers were short, her nails slightly long and thick. Those hands are embedded right here: in my memory and in my heart: the hands of the person who gave me life and my first kiss. And how I wish I could hold them now... I can smell a scent of roses...





As the biscotti were baked in oven, the house filled with the fragrance  of "good things to eat"  If you could eat love, that's what my mum's biscuits tasted of! So much love... so much love, it still follows me everywhere. And happiness... that's what I must remember, most of all.

While I was in Italy, in my pursuit to capture time and put it inside a capsule, I made biscotti, just like she used to make. Even the "bottom" was burnt! And I heard myself say:" It's not my fault! It's the oven!"  When did I hear that before? We have an old fashioned oven in our place in Cilento, good for roasting, but terrible for baking, as you have to regulate the emission  of gas, yourself! And cakes and biscuits, unfortunately, do tend to come out with a black "bottom!"

I took some photos, as I went along. Here is the recipe I would like to share.

My wonderful lemons from Sorrento

Biscotti Tagliati (Cantuccini)

Ingredients:

(makes about 60)

325 g (12 oz) plain flour

300 g (11 oz) caster sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

finely grated rind of 1 lemon

few drops vanilla extract

325 g (12 oz) almonds

Sugar balls or almonds to decorate

  

Before you start, put your almonds in a bag, and crush them, but only slightly.

Place flour, sugar salt, lemon peel  and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Combine, then add your almonds , roughly chopped.

Now, in another bowl,  mix your "wet" ingredients,  by whisking the eggs with the vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, till you get a stiff, soft dough.

Turn your dough onto a floured surface, then divide it in half. Prepare a baking tray, by greasing with butter and dusting with flour. You can now roll your delicious dough to make two big "sausages", which you will flatten slightly. Place the cylinders onto the greased baking tray, leaving a space between the two, as they will expand, and decorate.



I used some egg wash and these pretty little sugar balls ( diavolini) for one lot and whole almonds for the second.

My cantuccini looked very pretty!

Bake your biscotti in a preheated oven (180 C, 350 F, Gas 4) for about 25 minutes. Take your baked dough out of the oven and leave to cool down. Once cool, you can cut the dough into small, diagonal slices which you will place onto the baking tray, upside down, and bake, once more for a further 15 minutes. This explains the meaning of the word "biscotti": literally "twice baked!"

Eat your biscotti cold. They will be fragrant, crunchy, almondy and will bring a bit of Mediterranean sunshine to your home!

Cantuccini are truly delicious! We enjoy them at Christmas time, with a glass of Prosecco and nostalgia. 

 

Linguine con pesto e pomodori secchi (Linguine with pesto and sundried tomoatoes)

My sun dried tomatoes

This Summer I wanted to try and do some the old fashioned things my mum used to do. I wasn't brought up to do this kind of thing and I never thought I would have done, but suddenly I find myself wanting to "capture" the past and "revive" traditions.

Just like the Odyssey, the recipe for sun dried tomatoes was never written, but "sang" in the most musical language on Earth, and preserved for future generations.

Drying tomatoes in Italy

I had never had the urgency to dry tomatoes, but lately I've been wanting to experiment, do things my mum used to do... and make, maybe in an attempt to keep alive those few little "bits" of her I am able to reproduce, maybe copy, in an attempt to keep a little bit of her alive. I don't want her to fade away...

Whatever made me do it, I am trying to work out, as you can see, but... yes, it was a labour of love! Those tomatoes had to be cut in half, sea salt had to be generously sprinkled all over them and I had to make sure they were constantly kept in full sun light (front of the house in the morning, terrace in the afternoon.)

They took a whole month! After two weeks of shifting, turning over and contemplating tomatoes spread out onto an ancient wash board, the cat started giving me funny looks and my husband said he thought I must be mad: "Why are you doing this? You can buy them at the shops, you know?" I knew...

 This is Audrey, the cat

But my tomatoes did dry in the hot Italian sun. It took well over a month. I actually could have named each one of those tomatoes, I got to know them so well! And, wrapped in a brown paper bag, I brought the little pockets of sunshine home, with me.

Today, remembering what my mum used to do, I washed my tomatoes in water and white wine vinegar, to get rid of the salt, patted them dry and... preserved them in jars, alternately layering tomatoes, with garlic, parsley and deliciously hot chilly pepper slices and then totally covering them in olive oil.

Ingredients I used to preserve my "sunny" tomatoes

I bet my mum would have laughed, if she could have seen me, and my attempts, but would I know she have been proud of me. And so am I. I am exploring the past and almost lost traditions...

The past preserved in a jar

I had time, today, and wanted to have some fun, so I experimented with a new recipe, which turned out to be absolutely delicious! One of the ingredient is, guesss... sun dried tomatoes!

Here it is:

Linguine con pomodori secchi e

pesto

Four servings:

400g (14 oz) linguine

5-6 sun dried tomatoes

in oilve oil

2 tbs capers

50g (2 oz) black olives, pitted

4 tbs pesto

1 clove garlic

salt

pepper

1/2 hot chili pepper
4tbs pesto

This is how I made my pesto:

Basil Pesto

2 handfuls fresh basil

2 tbs mixed chopped nuts

or pine nuts

1/2 clove garlic

small piece chili pepper

handful parmesan or

pecorino cheese

4 tbs olive oil

For this recipe, you can buy a jar of pesto, or make your own. I don't like the look of bought pesto, nor I like the flavour: artificial and nasty, so I make my own, very easily, by placing all the ingredients in my baby whisker and just whizzing them all together. Easy! When it looks kind of creamy, it's done! The addition of hot chili pepper makes my pesto incredible!

Making my pesto

Having made or bought your pesto, chop the clove of garlic mentioned in the recipe for the sauce, and reserve. Slice the pitted olives and the sun dried tomatoes (I cut mine into strips)

Heat the oil in a pan and when hot (NOT before, otherwise your sauce will taste bland) add the garlic, fry until golden, then add olives, capers and tomatoes, stir for a minute and... it's done! The smell of this simple sauce is so unbelievable!

the sauce

Cook your linguine al dente, drain and reserve a small cup of water from the pasta pot.

Next, "throw" your pasta in with the sauce, add your pesto, more cheese and black pepper and some of the pasta water, if it appears to be too dry!

This dish is so easy to make and just delicious and very fresh.

FELICE AUTUNNO! Pumpkin and Prosciutto Savoury Cake (Torta Salata alla Zucca)

FELICE AUTUNNO!

It's Autumn harvest time: in Italy the vineyards have already been stripped of all their jewels of alabaster, though Summer is still there, alive and beautiful, dancing round the fields and along the seashore.

The grapes have been harvested... the new wine is probably already bubbling up. The olive trees are laden with green and black olives, fleshy and beautiful in their plump evening gowns.

 

Autumn is fast approaching, bringing new colours, smells and flavours. In my garden, the vegetables are beginning to fade away, as the nights get colder... This is when I really, really wish I could be in Italy. The beaches are empty, though the sea is still warm and the temperatures as high as in August. The world is back at work, in the busy cities and towns. Everything is so beautiful! And the city has come back to LIFE!

Oh, I am so nostalgic! How I wish I could relive an Italian Autumn! Maybe I will, soon...

In my garden, a tiny, little pumpkin is telling me we are into a new season. In Italy, by the way, they were selling pumpkins everywhere. What do people do with pumpkins in Southern Italy? Who knows...

In a recent copy of Vero Cucina, an Italian Food Magazine I buy when I'm there,  I found a recipe: Torta Salata Con Zucca e Prosciutto Crudo, Savoury pumpkin and Parma Ham Cake. It is, in fact, a kind of savoury plum cake, which I made today and... Is it delicious, or is it delicious? And... apparently a "Torta Salata" (Savoury cake) is a MUST when you have a party!

So, here it is:

Torta Salata con Zucca e Prosciutto Crudo

( Savoury Pumpkin and Parma Ham Cake)

Ingredients

(makes 7 or 8 servings)

150 g ( 5 oz) plain (all purpose) flour

300 g (10 oz) pumpkin

3 small eggs

100 g (4 oz) butter

80 g (3 1/2 oz) Parma Ham

80 g ( 3 1/2 oz) Parmesan cheese

1 tbs dried yeast

pepper

poppy seeds

Before you start, place your butter in a mixing bowl and let it soften at room temperature. In the meantime, peel your pumpkin, de seed, cut into largish chunks and grate.

When the butter has softened, beat it with a wooden spoon or a hand wisk, till you obtain a creamy consistency, then add your eggs, flour, dried yeast.  Mix, and finally add your grated pumpkin, the Parmesan, (I used Pecorino Romano, instead) your ham, chopped into 1 inch squares and some pepper. I didn't put any salt in my torta, as I used salted butter and cheese which was quite salty. You can add some salt, if you like.

You can now mix your ingredients together, till they blend to form a lovely bright mixture. When all the ingredients are blended together, pour the stiff cake mixture into a plum cake (or loaf) tin, which you would have  previously buttered and floured.

 

In the tin, ready for the oven

Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake in a preheated oven at a temperature of 180 C, Gas 4, 350 F, for about 50 minutes. Take out of the oven and leave to cool for a good 20-25 minutes. It needs to rest, so the texture is just right.

I served individual portions with a lovely salad made using my "innocent" ( organic) baby Swiss chard, basil, parsley, olives and shavings of Pecorino cheese.

The peppers I used to top the bread were cooked in olive oil, garlic and capers (peperonata)

A slice of my Savoury Pumpkin cake

Main ingredients for peperonata

A delicious meal to brighten up an Autumnal day!

Bolognese Barese (my mamma's Bolognese recipe)

When I was in Italy, last week, I saw my big sister busy, in the kitchen, chopping celery, onions and carrots, in a food processor. I shut my eyes and saw myself, very young, in our kitchen, at home, in Italy, when I was a little girl. My mum always cut her vegetables by hand, on a wooden board and with love. She didn't need a food processor, as she had a very keen little girl whose job was to help and assist the chef! God knows how many celery stalks and carrots I must have chopped and how many tears I must have shed whilst peeling onions every time my mum made a Bolognese sauce!

1-2-3

When we make Bolognese, in my city, we make a healthier version as, together with minced beef, we use a lot of fresh vegetables (in this case grated or finely chopped celery, onions and carrots.) The end result is a much healthier and lighter version of this classic dish.

Contrary to what people in other countries believe, we usually have Bolognese with tagliatelle, not spaghetti!

I made Bolognese, today, as I was in a nostalgic mood... I needed to smell aromas which reminded me of a house, now empty, but still full of voices, songs and laughter, right here, in my heart...

Before I become too sentimental, here is the recipe. Try it: it's healthier than the traditional one and delicious!

Bolognese Barese

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

4-5 celery stalks

1 medium sized carrot

2 medium onions 

10 very generous glugs olive oil

(the amount of oil you use is up to you.

Use a quantity you are happy with)

600 g (1lb 6oz) very lean minced beef

glass of wine (optional)

700 mls ( just under 11/2 pt) passata

600 g (1 lb, 5 oz) tagliatelle

Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Before you start, peel the onions and the carrot, then break each celery stalk in half and get rid of the filaments.

Finely chop the three vegetables (you can use a mixer, for this task, or simply a chopping board and a sharp knife) and reserve.

My vegetables are ready

In a largish pan, heat the oil until really piping hot, then add your chopped onion. Stir and cook for about three minutes. When it's beginning to smell delicious, add the celery and the carrot. Again, stir and cook until all the vegetables begin to look translucent (about 5-6 minutes)

looking translucent and already smelling good

You are now ready to add your meat to the base (the fried vegetables.) Do that and keep stirring and cooking, until the meat begins to brown, then, if you have a glass of wine, add it to the mixture and then let evaporate.

The meat is browning in the pan

Finally, you need to add your passata, bring to the boil, turn down the heat and cook for a good 40-50 minutes! Remember that passata and tinned tomatoes are actually raw and therefore they need to be cooked.

All the ingredients are blending together

Keep checking your Bolognese to make sure that it doesn't burn and remember to keep the heat really low. Should your sauce look a bit too thick, add a small amount of water.

My mum always used to put a piece of Parmesan or Pecorino in her sauce... it smelled so good, made the sauce much more interesting and I always got to eat the delicious cheese.

When the sauce is ready, cook your tagliatelle in a large pan of boiling salted water, according to the instructions on the packet, then pour some of the sauce over each serving and top with a very generous sprinkling of Italian cheese. Try it... it's so... buonissima!

Looks beautiful, whichever way you look at it!

 

Ricotta all'arancia (Orange Ricotta sweet delight!)

Back from my time in my native Italy, here I am... Beautiful pictures, most of them in my head, memories, good and bad and... colours... Italy, my country, is blessed with "colour"... blue sky, blue sea, dark green olive leaves, lizards and geckos and yellow... lots of yellow, lots of sky... and sun!

I feel so inspired when I'm there. I see beauty in everything and I feel so lucky!

This Summer, as every Summer, we visited a Dairy Farm called Tenuta Vannulo, in Campania. I managed to get very close to the buffaloes who seem to have a truly enviable lifestyle. They are so happy, plodding along in the hot sun, covered in mud. They turn round and look at you when you say "CIAO!"

Buffalo milk makes the most delicious ricotta cheese ever! I just love eating it as it comes... it's creamy, looks beautiful, smells of rich milk and it's just really yummy!

One afternoon I decided to make a sweet, using ricotta, oranges and some figs I just picked from one of our trees and... this is what I made!

RICOTTA ALL'ARANCIA

(Ricotta and orange

pudding)

Makes 4 delicate servings

Ingredients:

3 oranges

500g (1lb 2oz) ricotta

25mls (2 1/2 fl oz) honey

5tbsp sugar

2tbsp water

2tbsp orange liquor

( I used the BIG GM!)

or limoncello

To serve:

4 slices orange

fruit of your choice

This is a very easy and light sweet... small, but quite rich portions of Italian delight!

Before you start, cut two of your oranges in half, squeeze the juice and reserve in a bowl. When you have done this, peel the remaining third orange and cut the peel into thin strips .

Place the orange peel in a small saucepan with the sugar, water and the liquor. Cook on a low heat until the peel is tender and golden.

Place your delicious ricotta in a glass bowl with a tbsp of sugar, add the juice from the oranges and mix, until you obtain a soft, deliciously creamy mixture (I also added some grated orange rind to add texture and extra flavour!)

You are now ready to finish off your sweet. Divide your ricotta into four equal portions. Arrange each one onto a slice of orange placed on a plate. Pour some runny honey over each portion, followed by some of the juices in which the orange peel was softened.

Arrange some of the caramelized orange peel over each portion, so your pudding looks pretty, then add fruit of your choice. I had fresh figs with mine, because they added colour and looked very pretty.

My ricotta tasted delicious and was light, fruity and very Italian indeed!

The Sorrento Bridal Bouquet (don't know if this post will work! TESTING!)

Last Thursday, I went to a large market in a nearby city. I went to buy flowers for my garden and... to see if the old man who sold bunches of fresh Chilli peppers was still there! He has one of those old little  Vespa trucks which farmers used, to take their produce to market, in the olden days. He still has one.

The old man was there. As usual, his truck was laden with loads of goodies: little bunches of the freshest, hottest Chilli peppers, gralic, dried in hot Southern sun, origano, picked in the mountains, and  Amalfi lemons... a rainbow of smells and colours!

I wanted to "kidnap" everything, but I contained myself and bought garlic and three bunches of Chillies "Sono molto, molto piccanti!" "They are very hot" The man said to me (why did he think I was buying them?) I said:"Si, lo so... sono anche bellissimi!" "Yes, I know. They are gorgeous, too!" I replied. The man was so pleased I displayed so much enthusiasm, he said:" Did you know that in the city of Sorrento young brides carry Chilli peppers with flowers in their wedding bouquet?" I was kind of surprised and really delighted. "What a charming idea!" "And..." he carried on: "Churches and reception venues are often decorated with arches made using flowers, Chillies and... garlic! It's supposed to bring you luck!" Wow! Why didn't they tell Liz Taylor? Now I knew why she had to marry SEVEN times! She couldn't possibly have had garlic or Chilli peppers in her bridal bouquets!

Anyway! I got carried away and bought two pots of chilli peppers from a gardening stall, to add to my "collection" because they were very colourful, and some cacti.

 My chilli pots!

My garlic and cacti

I got in the car and drove home. The countryside was so beautiful. The ancient walls, with their crowns of cacti, were laden with sweet fruits. I felt happy to be there.

Once home, I got out of the car and opened the gate. A soft breeze brought the sweet honey laced scent of the oleander. I closed my eyes and let the scent take over my mind...

"I know!" I thought "I will make my own Sorrento bridal bouquet!" I picked some grape vine stems, fig leaves, oleander blossom, added my chilli peppers and... voilà!

 MY BOUQUET!

The scent of the oleander reminded me of another posy: my cousin's bouquet of gardenias, roses and orange blossom... a wedding "past" when Anna was a little four year old blond bridesmaid, in a white tutù. So... it would appear, Monsieur Baudelaire, that your "correspondance" thing was spot on. You were so right, and so were you, Marcel (Proust)... it is possible to make "A Storm in a Cup of Tea"... only one ingredient needed: a smell! A buon intenditor, poche parole!

Well... here comes the bride, all dressed in white and... she carries chilli peppers! Buona Fortuna!