The Sunny Kitchen - An Italian cook in Amsterdam

Risotto with pancetta, cardamom and mascarpone

Of the many exotic, non typically Italian spices cardamom is definitely my favourite one. I must be in a cardamom phase, I seem to be putting it everywhere, from my meat dishes to my fruit salads.  I really love its delicate and yet very specific taste.
And as far as pancetta is concerned, I'm ALWAYS in a pancetta phase.

I cooked this risotto for my French friend Pascal a few days ago, accompanied by a simple rucola-tomato salad and a glass (or two, three.. euh... don't remember exactly...) of Prosecco.

I first prepared a very simple vegetarian stock with some carrots, a few celery stalks, some fresh flat-leaf parsley, a couple of whole peeled onions, a bay leaf, some coarse sea salt and, of course, 5-6 cardamom pods. I use a lot of stock because I like my risotto all'onda, as we call it in Italy meaning quite moist. Rice keeps on absorbing moisture and releasing starch also after removing it from the flame and so it tends to become a bit more compact after serving. That's also why I always make it a bit more moist than needed: before it's on the table it's absolutely perfect!

For the rest I used some good Carnaroli risotto rice and a little bit of mascarpone cheese at the very end to add some extra creaminess to the dish.

To tell you the truth, the result was quite good...

Risotto con pancetta, cardamomo e mascarpone

Serves 2 (main dish)

Ingredients:
170 gr. Carnaroli rice
120 gr. pancetta, diced
2 liters of good self-made stock
8 cardamom pods
1 small onion
a few rosemary twigs
a glass of white wine
butter
2 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese at room temperature

Melt a good dollop of butter in a deep pan on a low fire. Finely chop the onion and the rosemary leaves and fry them in the butter with the cardamom pods until the onion is soft, glazy and slightly golden.

Add the diced pancetta and let it cook for a few minutes.

Add the rice and stir it in the pan for about one minute until well covered in fat and a bit translucent.

Pour the wine on the rice and let the alcohol evaporate on a medium flame while stirring regularly.

Add a couple of big ladles of stock (the rice has to be covered with stock) and keep on stirring gently until the rice absorbs almost all the stock.

The most important thing to do while preparing risotto is to add stock constantly. As soon as the rice gets drier you have to add some stock.

Cook the rice until “al dente” and season further with salt and pepper if you wish.

Remove the pan from the fire and add the mascarpone, stirring gently.

Leave the rice to rest for 3-4 minutes with the lid on the pan and serve with grated parmigiano.

Music to go with this risotto, inspired by one of ComidaDeMama's last posts.

Italian beauty

I'm not talking about her physical beauty, no.
Even if that is clearly evident, it's just a secondary thing.

Her voice, her voice...
That's what I'm talking about.

MAGIC.

************ Look. And, most of all, LISTEN.************

Newcomer Giusy Ferreri in all of her beauty.

They call her the Italian Amy Winehouse. Hopefully she doesn't have the same self-destructive characteristics and she's going to make lots and lots of music...

My favourite breakfast - Smoothie Nr. 1

A few years ago I totally changed my breakfast habits.
Not that it's so hard to do since the typical Italian breakfast isn't that exciting - most people have just an espresso or a cappuccino at the local bar, sometimes accompanied by a cornetto, the Italian version of the French croissant, or caffelatte e biscotti, cookies dipped in milk with coffee, at home.
I must admit that for a country of such food-obsessed people breakfast is definitely not a very representative meal but I guess it's because we prefer to concentrate our energy and appetite on more "substantial" things like il pranzo e la cena (lunch and dinner).

I don't eat a lot of fruit during the day because I prefer to do that the "Fit for life way" - meaning that at least three hours have to pass from eating fruit after other types of food like grains or meat. And let's face it, when do I have such long time lapses between meals and little snacks or culinary experiments if not when I'm sleeping? ;)
So for me the best moment for eating lots of fresh fruit is definitely breakfast time.

I first started with whole fruits but I got bored quite soon so I decided to make fruit salads, but that wasn't quite my thing either since I find it a time-consuming occupation. In the morning I'm usually pretty hungry and very much in the "No Time To Waste" mode because I want to take out the dog, check my email, read the latest news, blablabla. Life on the fast lane, you see (haha, NOT!). ;)
Though I love to spend lots of time cooking during the rest of the day - and I usually do - in the mornings I like being fast and furious. So I switched to making (and drinking) smoothies. And what a fantastic solution that is.
I usually prepare my smoothies with season's fruit and some good, ready-made - possibly organic - juice, often made from just apples or apples and cranberry.

If I really crave for the tropical taste I add some creamy coconut milk and I ALWAYS use the juice of a  lime, freshly squeezed and blended with the rest. I just LOVE limes.
I use whole fruits - meaning with their skin - because of the fibers. For the same reason I do not use a fruit centrifuge because all those precious fibers would be lost and just blend my fruit into the ready-made juice.
This morning's version has a summery Italian taste thanks to the fresh basil and the nectarines plus a tropical twist due to the fresh pineapple and the coconut cream.
I prefer fruit at room temperature but I love blending some ice cubes in it on hotter days.
Salute!

Pineapple, nectarine, banana, basil and coconut smoothie

Serves 2

3 dl apple juice
1 banana
2 slices of fresh pineapple
2 ripe nectarines
1 lime, squeezed
1 tablespoon of coconut cream/milk
2-3 basil leaves

Blend everything together and serve immediately.

                                                Tropical-fruity music (real vintage!) :)

The best panna cotta ever with raspberry-lime coulis and a spiritual flavour :)

When my friends Claudia and Cristina gave me these for my birthday last year I had to smile my biggest smile. What a wonderful idea! Little pudding molds in the shape of a laughing Buddha as a symbol of earthly pleasures, happiness and abundance. Absolutely perfect to represent the joys of cooking and of sharing the food you prepare with your loved ones!

And what about the name? Buddino in Italian means 'little Buddha' but it also recalls "budino", the Italian word for pudding. If the copywriter who invented it is not a genius I don't know who is! :)

After forgetting the little Buddhas in a closet - still unused - for too long I rediscovered them while "space clearing" my kitchen - a very necessary operation seen the limited room in my cupboards and drawers and the huge quantity of culinary attributes and gadgets I own - too many!

Seeing the four happy little fellas smiling at me inspired me to experiment with cream and other ingredients so that I would find the great panna cotta recipe that I was looking for since a couple of years but was too lazy to concoct. Up to now I used a relatively satisfactory recipe with cornstarch instead of gelatin as thickening agent (I never liked gelatin since it's made with bones, skins, cartilage and other by-products of the meat industry) but I wasn't completely convinced about the fact that this combination of ingredients was the "final" one. I decided to substitute cornstarch with agar agar, made with tiny seaweed and thus perfectly suitable for my vegetarian clients and friends. Yes, this is a vegetarian panna cotta and now it's simply divine!

To tell you the truth, my first experiment was NOT a success. I used too much agar agar and the panna cotta had a pleasant taste but was too hard, not as nice and wobbly as it's supposed to be and with that lovely, smooth texture this dessert HAS to have.
A second try with a lot less agar agar (a little sachet goes a long way!) gave far better results and now I can definitely say I've found the panna cotta of my life.
Eating the little Buddha's head made me feel a little guilty (just a little!) but then I found THE perfect excuse for keeping on gobbling down the dessert: I thought that with every bite I would take in a tiny bit of the great Buddha's wisdom. Clever, huh? ;)

So here's the recipe. The combination of honey-sweet - but not too sweet - panna cotta and luscious, slightly tart and verrrry sexy raspberry-lime coulis is definitely a winning one. Try it and then you tell me.

Panna cotta with raspberry-lime coulis

For 4 big or 6 small portions

Ingredients for the panna cotta:
6 dl. whipping cream
40 gr. granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of powdered agar agar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 little pinch of vanilla powder or 1 tablespoons of vanilla essence

Ingredients for the coulis:
250 gr. raspberries
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of lime juice
blueberries and raspberries to garnish


Pour cream and sugar in a medium-size saucepan and mix well with a whip or a wooden spoon.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and keep on stirring without letting it boil. The cream has to simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the flame and add the powdered agar agar stirring well until it's completely incorporated into the cream. Leave to rest for about 5 minutes.
Reheat the cream once again and let it gently simmer for a few more minutes stirring from time to time. Make sure the cream does not reach a boil.

Turn off the heat and wait until the cream is lukewarm. At this point you can add honey and vanilla powder and mix well.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve using a wooden spoon to push down the agar agar that didn’t dissolve properly and mix again. If you use powdered agar agar instead of flakes you'll have less to sieve. I have tried both types and can definitely recommend the powdered version.

Pour the cream into four-six wet panna cotta molds (they have to be really wet so that the pudding will not stick to the mold), cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Serve with the coulis prepared blending together raspberries, sugar and lime juice and then passing this mixture through a fine sieve to smoothen it.
Garnish with a few fresh, plump berries.

************** ************** Music for cool little Buddhas (click) ************** **************




Isn't he cute?

Oven-baked peaches with almonds, macaroons and grappa

I have written before about Fairfood on my Dutch weblog. Fairfood is a Dutch organisation that supports and promotes "good" products, and that means ingredients which production causes less hunger and poverty in the developing countries than "standard" products, as they explain on the Fairfood website.

The recipe I developed for their site is a lovely summer dessert also called "pesche scaligere" in Veneto, the region my grandparents - from my mom's side - come from. In our family we make this dessert a lot. It can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and a glass of sweet Moscato dessert wine. Or a small glass of grappa, why not!

Tip: listening to Sergio Cammariere while you eat this improves the sweetness of the peaches ...

Pesche ripiene al forno (oven-baked peaches with almond, macaroons and grappa filling)

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 2 ripe middle-sized peaches
• 35 gr. brown almonds
• 4 amaretti (Italian macaroons)
• 1 egg yolk
  
• 25 gr. honey
• 25 gr. brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon grappa
• butter
• vanilla ice-cream

 

Wash and halve the peaches. Remove the pits and a bit of the flesh around the hole to make some more space for the filling. Keep the removed fruit flesh for the filling.

Roast the almonds in a dry Teflon pan until they start to smell nice and let them cool off.

Pulverize the almonds with the sugar in the kitchen robot. Add the amaretti (macaroons), a bit of fruit flesh, the egg yolk, the honey and the grappa. Make sure that the mixture is not too thin and liquid. If that happens, add a bit more crumbled amaretti to absorb the excess liquid.

Fill the peaches with the mixture and lay them in a buttered oven dish.

Place the dish in the pre-heated oven (180°C) for about 15-20 minutes or until the filling is golden brown and looks crunchy.

Serve lukewarm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Click here for the Dutch recipe on the Fairdfood site

Crunchy red peppers strips au gratin

I love "eating colours" - lots of colourful vegetables and fruit - especially in the dark winter months.
I really believe that bright, shiny colours can enhance our mood not only when around us but also when "inside" of us.

Chromotherapy uses coloured lights to bring more balance in our personal energy and I think that brightly coloured food can do that too. After all, we are what we eat.

Think of lovely deep orange pumpkin, beautiful yellow and red bell peppers, sweet carrots and sunshiny oranges and youl'll understand what I mean. I get a happy feeling inside just looking at them. :)

One of my personal "chromotherapy recipes" is this very simple one including just a few ingredients: red (or yellow) bell peppers, made crunchy and savoury through the use of bread crumbs and good olive oil, plus a few capers in vinegar to contrast the sweetness of the peppers with their lovely tart taste.
Simple, fast and perfect as an appetizer or as a side dish!

Today's music comes from one of my favourite Italian singers, Ivan Segreto.

Peperoni gratinati con i capperi

Serves 4-6

4 red or yellow bell peppers
bread crumbs
olive oil extravergine
3 tablespoons of capers in vinegar, drained
salt
black pepper

Wash the peppers and cut them in halves.

Remove the stems and the seeds. Cut the pepper flesh in thin strips.

Lay the pepper strips, internal side up, on an oven dish covered with baking parchment.

Drizzle with olive oil and dust with abundant bread crumbs.

Season with salt and black pepper to taste and garnish with the capers, drained and rinsed with cold water.

Cook the peppers in the pre-heated oven (200°C) for about 20 minutes or until golden and crunchy.

Vegetarian lasagne with ricotta and spinach for Mackenson

Oh man, have I been away for a long time. Far too long (seven months).
Lots of things have happened that needed my energy and my attention and blogging went to the background for a while.

Now I'm back to stay with renewed energy and lots of things to write about. For example one of the yummiest vegetarian dishes I know, the lasagne with ricotta cheese and spinach. :)

I've recently made them with "la famiglia", my little chosen family here in The Netherlands (if your real family is away you can always create a new one which includes your friends, their children, cats, dogs, rabbits and cavias, don't you think?) :D.

My chosen family is very important to me. That's why I try to be available every time I'm needed even if it's just driving them somewhere with my Ferrari red... Panda. :D
And if "helping" equals "cooking something nice" then I'm twice as happy to help. :)

Recently Claudia, an Italian friend of mine and beloved member of la famiglia, promised to cook something typically Italian for her son's school to be sold for a benefit during their yearly Open Day celebration.
Mackenson goes to the most fabulous school that I know, the European School in Bergen, The Netherlands, where children from all over the world learn that dealing with different languages, religions, skin colours and cultures is a very positive and exciting experience.

Since April 1st I have my very own professional kitchen (Kookstudio Oud-Zuid in Amsterdam) in which to give my cooking courses and prepare my caterings (finally a big space!) we decided to cook together - Mackenson, Camilla, Claudia, Simonetta and myself, and of course my little dog Mirtilla that came into the kitchen to check our work regularly - to prepare some lasagne vegetariane (vegetarian lasagna).
Twenty medium-sized and six smaller trays, to be precise, that were sold during the Open Day on Sunday the 3rd of June.
Ahum, not only sold, to be completely sincere, since we kept the smaller trays for ourselves and ate them on the evening of our cooking get-together at Simonetta's on her beautiful roof terrace with a view on the Amsterdam panorama (see pictures). A few more friends that received a last-minute invitation joined us and shared the pleasure.

What a fabulous way to end a fantastic day: eating lasagne and lots of other great stuff with your friends while enjoying the beautiful sunset and sipping a nice glass of wine.
La vita è davvero bellissima. :):):)

Here the recipe for lots and lots of lasagne. Of course you can wait until it's time to organize a big dinner, put part of the lasagne in the freezer for later use, halve the quantities or call the local homeless organisation to ask if they want to come to your place and pick up some. Lots of karma points, right? :)

Lasagne ricotta e spinaci

Ingredients:

1 box dry lasagne sheets, 500 gr/1,1 lb (we used the Barilla ones) that don't have to be pre-cooked

Filling:
1 kg/2,2 lb ricotta cheese
1 kg/2,2 lb frozen spinach, thawed
200 gr/0.44 lb grated Parmesan or Grana cheese
nutmeg
salt
black pepper

Béchamel sauce:
2 l/33.8 fl. oz. milk at room temperature
400 gr/0.88 lb plain flour
280 gr/0.61 lb butter
nutmeg
salt
black pepper

Tomato sauce:
2 kg/4,4 lb sieved tomatoes (passata di pomodoro)
4 garlic cloves
2 big onions
a handful basil leaves
extravergine olive oil
salt
black pepper

Plus:
A lot of extra grated Parmesan or Grana cheese

Preparation:
First prepare the tomato sauce and the béchamel because they're quite labour-intensive and need time.

For the tomato sauce: peel and finely chop the garlic. Fry it gently in with the chopped onions in 12 tablespoons of olive oil until soft and glazy. Add the sieved tomatoes and 5 dl/16.9 fl. oz. of water. Mix well.

Bring the sauce to a boil and let it thicken for about 10 minutes on a low flame (longer if the passata isn't very thick and concentrated).
Season with salt (optional if the passata is already salted).
Remove from the flame and add the hand shredded basil leaves and some freshly ground black pepper.

For the béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a pan, add the flour (through a fine sieve, to avoid lumps) and fry gently for about 1 minute. Add the milk (better if at room temperature) and slowly bring to a boil. Lower the flame and keep on mixing until the sauce gets a bit thicker (not too thick because béchamel, just like tomato sauce, has to be quite fluid so that the dry lasagna sheets have enough moisture to cook properly). Season with salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg.

Leave the béchamel to cool off a bit.

Prepare the filling mixing ricotta, spinach (first remove the excess water squeezing the cooked spinach very well), a pinch of salt, the grated Parmesan of Grana cheese, a pinch of ground nutmeg and some black pepper in a big bowl. Of course you can also use fresh leaves instead of frozen ones (preferably wild spinach), the only thing is that you need a lot more than 1 kg. (2,2 lb) fresh leaves to obtain the right amount of cooked greens (about 2/3rds more).
Leave the filling to rest for a while and then mix half of it with the béchamel sauce. Put the other half aside.

Pour enough tomato sauce in a big oven dish so that you abundantly cover its surface. Lay enough lasagna sheets to cover the sauce - just one layer - and cover further with a good amount of ricotta-spinach filling. Sprinkle with grated cheese and lay one more layer of lasagna sheets over the filling. Cover with another layer of filling and some cheese.

Make a last layer of pasta sheets, tomato sauce and béchamel. Let the two sauces mix with one another and complete the dish with some grated cheese on top.

Put the oven dish in the pre-heated oven (180°C-356° F) for about 30 minutes or until the lasagne have a nice little crust.

Serve the lasagne only after they've been out of the oven for a while so that they can become nice and compact and are not too hot and fluid.

TIP: Lasagne taste even better if you make them one day in advance. You only need to warm them up very well before serving them!

LINGUISTIC TIP: the singular "lasagna" indicates just one sheet of pasta, while the plural "lasagne" indicates the complete dish.

Beautiful music for a wonderful lasagne-sunset

Fry onions and garlic...
  ...to prepare a delicious tomato sauce. Mackenson and Camilla make the filling


Mixing the filling with some béchamel Filling the oven dishes... ...and some more filling.

Future food blogger in action. :) Enjoying food, wine and company The beautiful sunset on the Amsterdam rooftops