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Christmas tree in Rome
Bruschetta o Fettunta with new olive oil
Finally I had my first taste of new olive oil. I came back from Pitigliano this morning and brought back the Tuscan bread, that to me is the only bread to taste the new oil on. It is unsalted, light and when toasted is full of air to absorb the olive oil. A rub with garlic, dribble of oil and salt … to die and go to HEAVEN!!!
In Maremma they call it bruschetta and in Florence fettunta (a play on words ‘fetta’ (slice) ‘unta’ (oiled) . Anyway you like it, it is my favourite ritual for the beginning of winter, together with the novello wine, soup of chick peas to dribble the new oil on and finally staying home and enjoying the new season. The summer seems never to end in Rome!
Posted by Ren on Novembre 21st, 2008 under Italy we love | Comment now »Sacred music in Rome - Festival musica sacra
CLICK ON www.festivalmusicaeartesacra.net to see program for NOVEMBER 20008
Posted by Ren on Novembre 19th, 2008 under Italy we love | Comment now »Christmas Souk
Suq di Natale
22 nd November from 14.00 to 20 hours and 23rd November from 10-20 at the Hotel Polo in Piazza B. Gastaldi 4,Rome
AIDOS ( Associazione Italiana donne per lo sviluppo) is holding a Christmas Souk with handcrafts made by the women of Nepal and other countries from the South of the world.
Posted by Ren on Novembre 19th, 2008 under not only cooking | Comment now »100 Presepi in Rome
From 27th November - 6th January entrance €4.50
Sala del Bramante, Piazza del Popolo
Posted by Ren on Novembre 19th, 2008 under Italy we love | Comment now »
Sorano autumn sunset
Nougat
3 sheets rice paper
2 cups white sugar
1 cup glucose syrup
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 tspn vanilla essence
2 egg whites
75gr soft butter
1 cup mixed nuts/and or cherries
- Place sheets of rice paper in a rectangular pan. Combine sugar, syrups and essence and stir over low heat, not boiliing, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil rapidly for about 6′ without stirring (try the test by dropping a teaspoon into cold water and it should allready crack. Remove from heat.
- Beat the egg whites until peakform. Pour the hot syrup slowly and beat with the beater for 3′ until thick and holds its shape. Add butter, beat 1′, stir in the fruit and nuts and spread onto the rice paper in the pan and cover with some greased tin foil. Smooth and flattenwith a spatula and remove the foil. Trim the rice paper and fit onto the nougat. Cool for 6 hours and turn out of the pan using a well oiled knife and cut into shapes.
Croccantino praline with almonds
1,1/3 cups sugar, 1 tspn water melted on medium heat.
Add 2 tbspn unsalted butter , 1tspn vanilla extract and cook slowly until it turns to caramel and becomes a lovely brown colour.
Stir in broken almond pieces and pour on greased oven paper. Flatten & spread with a spoon. Take care because this is very hot. When it is cool you can break it into pieces.
Pine nuts or chocolate chips can be used instead of almonds.
Posted by Ren on Novembre 19th, 2008 under recipes | Comment now »Festa del Torrone e del Croccantino nel Sannio
FROM 28TH TO 29TH NOVEMBER IN THE VILLAGE OF BENEVENTO
AND
Saturday 6th,to 8th December-Friday 12th to 14th December-Thursday 18th December to 21s December in San Marco dei Cavoti
By Car: From Rome A1 EXIT Caianello until SS 372/Telesina-direction Fragneto/Monteforte SP 161-Pescosannita SP 36-carry on for 7km in the direction San Marco dei Cavoti SP
Posted by Ren on Novembre 19th, 2008 under Italy we love | Comment now »
Extravirgin olive oil Festival
Le Feste dell’Olio nella Tuscia
From 24th November to 23rd December the area of Tuscia celebrates the new extravirgin olive oil in all the medieval Borghi and Piazze with tasting and fun.
Blera, 24th 25th November
Canino, 24th 25th Noveber, 1-2,7-9,15-16 December
Montefiascone,7th 9th December
Soriano nel Cimino,8th 9th December
Vetralla,7-9th , 15-16, 22-13 December
Truffle recipes
Anchovies and Black Truffles
INGREDENTS: for 6 people:200 gr. salted anchovies, 1 truffle, vinegar, parsley, olive oil.
Wash the anchovies with water and vinegar, remove the spine and divide into strips. Place them all on a large plat, cover with olive oil and grate the truffle finely with a truffle grater on the anchovies. Leave aside for 30′ and before serving sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
Tagliatelle with White truffle
INGREDENTS: for 6 people: 600 gr. fresh taglietelle olive oil, garlic, 100gr salty anchovies, 60gr butter, grated parmesan, 1 white truffle.
Pute a finger deep olive oil in a casserol and roll around the garlic until it becomes golden and then remove it.Take the pan off the fire and add the anchovies (cleaned and backbone removed), and melt in the warm oil. When they are melted add the butter and cook slowly for 2′. Meanwhile cook the tagliatelle in boiling salty water. Drain and add to the pan juices, stirring in the parmesan. Sauté on the fire a minute or two and serve with the grated truffle on top.
Escalopes with white truffle
INGREDENTS: For 4 people: 8 veal escalopes, 1 white truffle, 1/2 glass marsala wine, olive oil, s & p, lititle flour
Put the flour on a plate and coat the escalopes on each side and fry in the olive oil on medium heat. Salt and put aside. Scrape the floury remains in the pan and put in the marsala and grate the white truffle. Place the escalopes back in the pan and slowly turn them in the mixture on medium heat. Serve hot.
Black Truffle, potatoes and ham
INGREDENTS: for 4 people. 4 black fresh truffles, 600 gr potatoes, 2 slivers of prosciutto cut slightly thick, a nob of butter,1 small glass of thin cream, 1 clove garlic, laurel leaf, s & p.
Cook the potatoes in their skins, in salty water adding the laurel leaf and garlic in its skin. Clean the truffles and cut each slice of ham in two, sprinkle with pepper and wrap around each truffle. Cut some pieces of oven paper, butter and then wrap the little parcels up. Heat the oven to 200° and cook for 12′.Remove the skin of the potatoes and cut in slices. Take the truffles out of their paper and cut in two or three pieces. Add to the potatoes . Heat a glass dish slightly and mix everything together with the cream. Serve luke warm.
Novello Latino-Vino novello in Via Frattina
The 15th November , Via Frattina will be hosting Wine tasting of the Vino Novello of the Lazio Region. On the 15th and 16th in Via Nazionale, many stands will be set up for tasting and buying of what has been predicted a very good year!i
Posted by Ren on Novembre 13th, 2008 under not only cooking | Comment now »Truffles in Campoli Appennino
Hugging the slopes of the Apennines , in the territory of the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo. Of medieval origins, the town developed on the edge of a natural chasm, the “tomolo” - a funnel shaped carsic dolina. Campoli has preserved traces of its past. The typical produce of this area is the truffle which grows in abundance within the surrounding forests and their seasonal picking is by now an ancient tradition for the Campolesi: truffles are a delicacy, which have made this town world famous.
In autostrada:
From Rome A1 (Rome-Napoli) EXIT Frosinone SS. “dei Monti Lepini” direction Sora.Superstrada Frosinone-Sora,exit Sora SS.Sora-Pescasseroli- bivio per Campoli Appennino
Chicken curry with vegetables & coconut milk
It is pouring with rain in Rome and as none of us can go to where we should be going, I decided to make a chicken curry to leave at home for the weekend so my daughter can have some friends over, and take some with me to the country. Curry is always nicer made the day before to absorb all the lovely juicy tastes and then warmed in a slow oven.
2k chicken thighs (each one of these becomes three pieces)
1 pckt frozen peas
2 cups white mushrooms cut in slices
3 large carrots cut alla juliene
14 medium sized peeled round potatoes
1 sq inch fresh ginger cut in small pieces
3 cloves garlic cut in small pieces
3 firm yellow onions cut in rings
1 pckt coconut milk (to mix with 1,½ cup hot water)
Olive oil, 2tbspn lemon juice,2tbspn yogurt
½ fresh chilli, s & p
For the curry mixture: Most Indian or Chinese food stores have different mixtures of ready to use dry curry. This needs a mixture of coriander, cumin,fennel,4 cardamom pods, pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. If you want to make it yourself, prepare the mixture in a bowl and put aside. Mix the coconut with the hot water.
Prepare the chicken thighs by taking off all the skin and fat & cut into three. Put aside. Heat some olive oil in a large deep pan and sauté the ginger and garlic. Add the fresh chilli and the onion, stir. Add the mushrooms, stir. Add the potatoes, peas and carrots. Check for the oil, if necessary add more. Then put in the curry mixture, stir. Add the chicken bits and stir gently, for about 10’ stiring all the time,s & p. Add 2 cups hot water and after bringing to the boil, cook on medium heat for 10’, turn down the heat & simmer for 20’. Add the yogurt, coconut and lemon juice and keep cooking covered & slowly until the chicken is cooked. Check that it is nice and hot, and if you want more heat, add some more chilli. ( I always keep some dried chillie brought to me from Calbria, in olive oil and as it sits on the shelf the oil gets very hot and just a few drops added at the end should do the trick). Refrigerate. This curry is good made the day before and kept in the fridge to be warmed in a slow oven the next day as it becomes more flavourable.
Grape & Tamarind Chutney (sweet & sour)
2 cups of seedless green grapes cut in half
Two large pieces of tamarind
½ tspn each mustard seeds,cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds
Oil, 2tbspns brown sugar,½ tspn ground ginger
1 pinch cayenne pepper, salt
Tamarind is bought at the Asian stores in a sort of brick. You keep it in the fridge and when needed cut off large pieces. Here you prepare a sieve, glass bowl and boil 1 cup water. Put the tamirind in the hot water until you can break it down and sieve it with the water, pressing down with a wooden spoon to get out the pulp. Spoon beneath the sieve to get all the tamarind in the bowl and start the process over again. Put aside.
Keeping the mustard seeds aside. Mix all the spices, sugar, cayenne and salt with 1/2 cup of hot water and set aside
In a wok or small pan heat 1 tbspn oil and when hot put in the mustard seeds. They will start to pop immediately and then you add the liquid and spices , taking the pan off the heat for a minute so as not to burn yourself. Simmer to reduce for 10‘, put in the grapes and simmer stirring all the time for about 6‘. When the grapes are softened and reduced, squash them with a fork. Add the tamarind and keep cooking. Taste after ten minutes and if necessary add some more brown sugar.This should have the consistency of runny jam. Cover and refrigerate…
Parks of the Roman Castelli
www.cose-mai-viste.it a new site dedicated to the programs offered by the Parks of the Castelli Romani. Urban trekking, visits to the archeological museums of Lanuvio and Albano, outdoor painting, birdwatching, nature walks and night walks under the stars.
The visits are free but entrances to museums and archeological areas are paid for. 20 associations collaborate to bring the Roman Parks of the Castelli alive to visitors.
Posted by Ren on Novembre 11th, 2008 under Italy we love | Comment now »Zenzile Miriam Makeba, thank you
1964
“She was South Africa’s first lady of song,” said Mandela, “and so richly deserved the title of ‘Mama Africa.’ She was a mother to our struggle and to the young nation of ours.”
Posted by Ren on Novembre 10th, 2008 under things we like out in the world! | Comment now »Platted Pastry Roll
A friend gave me some dried ‘finferli’ (chanterelles) mushrooms from the Dolomites and I decided to turn them into a pastry roll. A new way of preparing the usual rustic vegetable quiche. Try this for a change, looks prettier if you want to have friends to dinner, and as you can see you don’t have to be perfect with the platting, it comes out just the same!
1 packet of pastry,Handful of dried mushrooms, diced white onion, 2 zucchini grated, 1 large carrot grated, herbs, olive oil, s & p, 2 large Tbsns light cream cheese, 2 tbspns grated cheese.1 egg for basting
Put the dried mushrooms in some water to soften. Sauté the onion in olive oil and add the grated carrot and zucchini and herbs. Cook slightly for about 6′ then add the mushrooms without the liquid, sauté further, then add the water and sauté till the water has absorbed. Add the cream cheese and mix thoroughly, salt and pepper.Roll out your pastry in a round or oblong shape and cut strips down the side to form the platting.Place your mixture on the top and sprinkle with the grated cheese and paint with the egg.
Bake in a hot oven 290° for about 40′, until golden brown
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Sofia’s flowers
Saffron cake
Negin Sargol Saffron, Persian saffron:- It is brighter coloured than Italian saffron.
300gr ricotta cheese (or half cream cheese,half ricotta)
300gr white flour
250gr white sugar
3 whole eggs
zest of bio orange and bio lemoon
juice of the orange
cream of tartar raising agent for 500gr weight
Heat the oven to 190°
Warmthe orange juice to dissolve the saffron petals in. Mash the cheese with sugar, zest, eggs and about half the orange juice. Seive the flour with the raising agent into the mixture and fold through. Put the mixture in a round cake tin with the removable bottom. Flatten the mixture and through a very tiny meshed sieve press out the juice mixed with the petals of saffron and drip on the cake spreading with your finger. This gives a lovely golden colour to the finished cake. Sprinkle with a little white sugar. Bake for 40°.. Remove from tin. This is not a very sweet cake, but has a lovely colour and delicate taste of saffron. It can also accompany an Indian dinner, or ending a meal with a little fruit coulis served on the side with a spoon.
Tiffany
Posted by Ren on Novembre 7th, 2008 under not only cooking | Comment now »
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- Christmas tree in Rome
- Bruschetta o Fettunta with new olive oil
- Sacred music in Rome - Festival musica sacra
- Christmas Souk
- 100 Presepi in Rome
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