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Simple Tiramisu

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:28:00 +0000

Simple Tiramisu

First, start by assembling the ingredients. We'll need

1 lb mascarpone cheese

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons rum (brandy also works well)

~20 lady's fingers (a light, oblong italian cookie with powdered sugar on one side)

cocoa powder

a double shot (about 2 to 3 ounces) of espresso

1/2 cup of prepared coffee

shavings of unsweetened dark chocolate to top (1 oz. should do).

Chill whipping cream and bowl. Mix coffee and espresso and chill.

Whisk the whipping cream until it reaches stiff peaks. This can be accomplished in a few minutes with an electric mixer or by hand (times will vary depending on arm strength and stamina).

Put the cheese, sugar, and brandy into a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Add more sugar or alcohol as desired.

Fold in the whipped cream to create the cheese mixture.

Soak lady fingers in espresso for a couple seconds, rotating to coat all sides. Place lady fingers side by side on bottom of a 8x8-in. pan.

Put half the cheese mixture on lady fingers in pan. Smooth with a spatula or spoon.

Sift cocoa powder liberally on surface of layer.

Apply second layer of lady fingers and remaining cheese.

Sift cocoa powder and half of chocolate shavings.

Cover in plastic wrap and chill.

To serve, use the remaining chocolate shavings by sprinkling a bit onto eight plates. Cut tiramisu into eight rectangles and serve on plates (or simply spoon them out).

Source: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/26/Simple-Tiramisu

Summer Vegetable Cianfotta

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:26:00 +0000

Summer Vegetable Cianfotta Recipe

Fiorelli are the flower buds that eventually grow into squash blossoms - if you can’t find them don’t let it stump you, just leave them out or use squash blossoms which are more readily available. Shelley recommends pairing this stew with Frappato/Nero d’Avola Blend (Sicily). The also include instruction for making this stew with a prosciutto broth, but I opted for the vegetarian version.

1 globe eggplant, trimmed and diced (about 4 cups)
4 summer zucchini or squashes, trimmed and diced (about 4 cups)
Kosher salt
1 fennel bulb
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
4 sprigs (fresh) marjoram
1 bay leaf
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed (about 2 cups)
2 cups water
1 cup fiorelli or thinly sliced squash blossoms
1 cup cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
Block of aged pecorino for shaving

Preheat the oven to 300˚F.

Evenly distribute the eggplant and zucchini on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut off the stalks and feathery tops (reserve for another use) from the fennel bulb, halve lengthwise, and then cut away the core. Cut the halves lengthwise into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices. You should have about 2 cups.

In a 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot, combine the olive oil, garlic, marjoram, and bay leaf over medium heat and sweat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until the garlic begins to soften. Stir in the fennel and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook gently for about 2 minutes, or until the fennel begins to soften. Stir in the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes more.

Pat the zucchini and eggplant pieces dry and add them to the pot. Stir the vegetables to ensure they are coated evenly and generously with the oil. Cover the pot, place in the oven, and cook, stirring gently every 10 to 15 minutes, for about 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but not falling apart.

Remove from the oven and drain off most of the olive oil from the vegetables (you can reserve the oil in the refrigerator for a future batch of cianfotta). Add the water to the vegetables, place over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the fiorelli and tomatoes and simmer for a minute or two more. Check for seasoning and season.

Divide the soup among warmed bowls. Using a vegetable peeler, shave a few pecorino curls over the top of each serving. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 as a first course, or 4 to 6 as a main course.

Reprinted with permission from A16: Food + Wine by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren, copyright © 2008. Published by Ten Speed Press.
Source: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/summer-vegetable-cianfotta-recipe.html

Panzanella - Italian Bread Salad

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:20:00 +0000

Panzanella - Italian Bread Salad

Makes:4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS

2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces with your hands
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar, plus more as needed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 slices thick stale country style Italian bread, torn into bite-size pieces (sourdough is also good but not something you use here in Italy)

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and basil. Drizzle with the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 3 tbsp vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl. If the bread is quite stale and dry, you should first spoon a few tbsp of water over the bread and let it soak some of the water up, then with your hands squeeze all of the water out and place bread in a different bowl before proceeding. If it isn’t too stale or didn’t have any, then you can skip this step.
Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread. Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or until serving time. Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. At this point the bread should have absorbed the water from the tomatoes and be all moist. If the bread seems dry for some reason, add a little bit of olive oil and toss well. Serve immediately.

Source: http://www.tuscanrecipes.com/recipes/panzanella.html

Marinara Sauce

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:09:00 +0000

2 oz. olive oil
1 cup onion, small diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 c. diced or ground tomatoes (canned)
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
salt, pepper, sugar to taste

Sweat onions in olive oil in a saucepan. Add garlic, sweat until aromatic. Add oregano, sweat 1 minute. Add tomatoes, simmer 15-20 minutes. Check consistency. Add basil, season to taste.

Source: Chef S. Culp, PA Culinary Institute, Vegetarian Enthusiast course, 2/16/08

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:02:00 +0000

1 onion, diced
1/2 lb. wild mushrooms (or butternut squash, carrots (some pureed, some in chunks), whatever.)
4 tbsp butter or olive oil
5 c. vegetable stock
2 c. Arborio rice
salt and pepper
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Melt the butter over medium heat, add onion and mushrooms, stir and cook until onion is soft and translucent (do not brown).
Meanwhile, in a different pan, bring stock to a simmer, and maintain at a simmer.
Once the onion is soft, add rice, cook on medium, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Adjust heat as necessary. Do not brown the rice.
Ladle in the stock, 1/2-3/4 c. at a time. Stir constantly. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks. There should be little bubbles from time to time; if there are more than that, reduce heat to medium-low.
When most of the liquid is absorbed, add a little more, keep stirring, as before. It’ll take about 20 minutes to add everything. Taste it to see if it’s done. If you need more stock, heat some more up, or use water.
Add salt and pepper, stir, add cheese and stir, serve immediately in warm bowls with extra Parmesan on hand.

Source: Chef S. Culp, PA Culinary Institute, Vegetarian Enthusiast course, 2/16/08

Eggplant Parmesan

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:07:00 +0000

2 cups flour
2 oz. milk
4 eggs
4 cups panko bread crumbs
2 eggplants
1 c. marinara sauce
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese
2 oz. parmesan cheese
1 oz. chopped parsley
oil as needed

Peel and slice eggplant, lightly salt each slice.
Mix egg and milk.
Bread each slice: flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, place on a parchment-lined sheet.
Heat oil in skillet, pan fry eggplant until golden brown on each side. (a few minutes on each side, a lot of oil)
Top with marinara and mozzarella, bake at 350 until cheese is melted, garnish with parmesan and parsley.

Source: Chef S. Culp, PA Culinary Institute, Vegetarian Enthusiast course, 2/16/08

Lasagna

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:02:00 +0000

Lasagna

1 lb bulk italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp basil
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 oz water
1 15oz can tomatoes
2 6oz cans tomato paste
10 oz lasagna
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups (24oz) cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb mozzarella, sliced

Saute sausage and garlic over medium heat. Drain fat, if any. Add basil, salt, water, tomatoes, tomato paste.
Boil, drain, rinse lasagna.
Mix eggs, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper in a bowl.
Layer in a 13x9 pan: 1/2 noodles, cheese mix, cheese slices, sauce. Repeat. Bake at 375 for 30 min.

Source: Mom

Marinara sauce

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:44:00 +0000

Marinara sauce

2 oz olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped finely
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 cups tomatoes, processed (canned)
1 tbsp fresh basil
salt, pepper, sugar to taste

“Sweat” onions in olive oil (cook over low heat). Don’t brown them, just “sweat” them. Add garlic and sweat until aroma- again, don’t brown. Add oregano, sweat 1 minute. Add tomatoes, simmer 15-20 minutes. Add fresh basil (you can add fresh basil anytime because it’s a quick sauce), salt, pepper, sugar to taste.