Dolce Pomodoro - In Cucina con il Coure

I don't know what it is, but pretty much everyone I know here since I moved seems to appreciate great quality food. I'm not talking about those expensive restaurant critic-type people either. Quality of food is valued highly here whether you are at that rundown building that turned rustic restaurant serving fresh carne on the grill, or a nice seafood ristorante on the sea. Moving here has taught me so much about food and how much quality and freshness is absolutely number one no matter where you are. Using produce that is in season and that is organically grown makes a huge difference. That's what makes Italian cuisine so special.

One ingredient that is a staple in Italy is the tomato. Typically tomatoes, pomodori, are used like a vegetable even though they are technically considered a fruit. Well have you ever thought about making a dessert with tomatoes? (Do you think I've gone off the deep end?) I know it sounds crazy, but about two months ago E's mom told me about a local contest going on that her friend's company were involved with here in town. You must invent a dessert recipe using tomatoes. I was sold! Pretty much everyone loves tomatoes, right? Except for my grandma who will only eat tomatoes if they are cooked. (Grandma, you are missing out!) E's mom is good friends with a lady who her and her family own a business for jarred organic tomatoes, vegetables and sauces all made from raw materials . It is the most darling store. Antonella and her two sister's father started the business and they are carrying on the family name, Mediterranea Belfiore. The contest guideline is to use the tomatoes from Mediterranea Belfiore, write the recipe and send it in with a photo and Chef Loretta Fanella will pick five finalists to participate in the final where judges will then taste your creation.

Last week when E was in the United States for work, I spent some time at his mom's house. One day we decided we would try experimenting desserts with tomatoes. It was a lot of fun, but also quite difficult. E's mom made an amazing dessert, Master Chef worthy. She made a pureè with the tomatoes and tried three different spices to sweeten them; ginger, cinnamon and vanilla. We narrowed it down to the ginger and cinnamon as the best flavors. She made a gelatin with the puree and ginger spice. She then made thin almond waffle crisps and a fluffy whipping cream with cream cheese and heavy cream. Layered the three ingredients in a glass. It was delicious! 

I am not so experienced in the kitchen, especially when it comes to desserts. Since I needed to be thinking of tomatoes as the fruit they are, I tried to think of a fruit that is similar. Persimmons are pretty similar but aren't in season anymore. Oranges? Oranges would be a good idea to try, I thought. I also knew that I wanted to involve some kind of cream to the dish. Cheesecake! Cheesecake with a biscotti crust, layer of pureed tomato sweetened with sugar, orange and lemon and then the layer of cheesecake using fresh ricotta and cream cheese. E's mom helped me with the idea to become a reality and reminded me that we must use two products from Medierranea Belfiore. On top as s glaze I would put un vasetto di passatina which is a product from them, a light and sweet tomato and lemon sauce.

I sent out the recipe and three days later to my absolute surprise I was chosen to be a finalist! I am still in shock and I can't believe that my recipe was chosen by Chef Loretta Fanella! I am so grateful and excited to participate in this Friday's event. (Not to mention a little nervous seeing as it will all be in Italian.) Thankfully E's mom is very supportive and will help me out. Tomorrow I must make six small cheesecakes and two large ones for the contest. I will keep you posted on how it turns out tomorrow and will post the recipe as well. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY! 

Risotto zucchine e gamberetti

This morning I am sitting here with my cup of tea while E sleeps away his jet lag from his two week business trip to the United States. As I walked down the street to go get some fresh bread from the panificio it seemed as if it would be another beautiful Spring day again. I don't want to jinx it, but I think Spring is here to stay and I couldn't be happier. As my succulents and cactus sun bath outside I decided I should start to think about what I will prepare for lunch. First thought was risotto. Risotto! "Why on earth have I not yet posted a recipe for risotto on my blog yet?!", I thought. Risotto has a special place in my heart for many reasons, one being I love literally everything that has rice in it, and two because it was one of the first homemade Italian dishes I perfected without any prior disasters. It's so easy and you can add just about anything to it that your heart desires. I really like to get creative when it comes to risotto.

One thing I always like to keep in my freezer are shrimp. I buy a pound or so and keep them in a large freezer-safe bag for later use when I don't feel like heading to the store to buy them fresh. It's perfect for making risotto. Of course I am going to add some sort of green vegetable to the mix because I can't live well without a good veg. This recipe I will be sharing with you today is a delicious and creamy risotto using zucchini, yellow squash and medium shrimp. You will need some white wine for this recipe so go ahead and pop open a bottle now and pour yourself a glass. Cooking can be fun and relaxing if you make it that way. It doesn't always have to be a chore.

Risotto zucchine e gamberetti 

2 tablespoon butter 

2 tablespoon olive oil 

2 cup Arborio rice 

half of white onion finely chopped

1 green zucchini chopped 

1 yellow zucchini squash chopped 

2 handful of medium shrimp cut in pieces 

7 cups vegetable broth 

white wine 

salt & pepper 

chili powder 

First things first and that is the vegetable broth. It is so easy to make your own vegetable broth, I  really can't stress that enough. You know what you are putting in it and you save money, win-win situation, right? Okay, so quarter of an onion, let's chop up some stalks of celery and carrots, throw a tomato in there and season as you wish. The more salt you add to the broth the less you have to add later to your risotto. Cover with water and a lid over medium heat for about 30 minutes. BAM! Your own vegetable broth. You can't tell me that was not easy. 

Alright, now you have your vegetable broth in a pot next to your large saucepan that you will now take out on the stove that you will add a good swirl of olive oil and start sauteing your chopped onions until they are translucent, not brown, over medium heat. By the way, you are going to want to use a wooden spoon for this. Time to add your rice and mix it with the onion and oil mix. (I add a few more drizzles of olive oil to make sure the rice is all covered and looks shiny) 

After a minute of stirring, add a good splash of that white wine you are sipping on. It makes such a beautiful sizzle sound. Wine aromas are the best. Once most of the wine is reduced then it is time to start ladling your vegetable broth one at a time and stirring it frequently, once the broth is absorbed it is time to add another ladle of broth. Keep doing this process for the next 12-15 minutes. You will begin to see the rice puff up a little but when you taste it the rice will not be fully cooked yet. Add your chopped zucchini and squash. At this point I add the spices also, salt, pepper and a little sprinkle of chili powder. The kick from the chili powder is very much appreciated, trust me. 

Shrimp time! I used my frozen ones in this recipe so I defrosted them prior to starting the broth. De-vain and cut the shrimps 1/2 inch pieces. Sautè them in a separate pan until they are opaque in the center. You are still stirring the rice often so as not to make it stick to the pan. I like to think of it as a good arm workout. At this point you want your rice to not be crunchy at all anymore. 

Add the shrimp LAST. The warmth of the bed of rice will gently finish to cook them and they will be so delicious and tender it will blow your mind. Taste-test time, does it have enough salt and pepper? Total time for the risotto all really depends, that is why taste-testing is key. Average time altogether is about 20-25 minutes. Take your butter and stir it in to make it creamy. I learned here in Italy that you know you made a great risotto if there is no liquid residue when you spoon it out from the bowl. 

Any good excuse to open a good bottle of wine, right? We paired this meal with a Vermentino from Aia Vecchia.  

Buon appetito a tutti!

Marmellata di kumquat

Isn't spring time just wonderful? It's as if the world wakes up again. Flowers begin to bloom, the temperature begins to rise and of course the spring produce. I was a little too excited when I saw that asparagus was making an appearance in the grocery stores again. Believe it or not, I would pick some green veggies over a dessert any day. I'm crazy, I know.

One thing I do love almost as equally as vegetables is citrus. I love the way it looks, I love the way it smells and obviously I love the taste. We were over at E's grandparents house for a special Sunday lunch where she made a delicious shrimp pasta and I had noticed a gorgeous kumquat tree in her front yard. I just go crazy when I spot a citrus tree, I am absolutely obsessed, maybe it's because I grew up in Portland where it would literally be impossible to grow any form of citrus tree there. Anyway, I managed to tell her how beautiful I thought the tree was (in Italian, mind you) and two days later she came knocking on my door with a huge bag full of them. Oh happy day!

Kumquats are a little different than other types of citrus because you pop the whole thing in your mouth. (peel and all!) No, this is not a joke. The peel is surprisingly the sweetest part. I had to convince E to try at least one. It's a pet peeve of mine when someone doesn't try something at least once to know if you like it or not. Well okay, hand me a plate of cow brains and I will tell you no, but you get the point. Since I knew I would be the only one in the household to eat them I decided I would try to make a marmalade. Thinking about a piece of whole grain toast with kumquat marmalade and a cup of tea was enough to convince myself.

I'm going to tell you the truth because that's what we do here, and the truth of the matter is the first time I experimented this marmalade it turned out very bitter and not what I was expecting. (There goes my morning toast and tea party idea), I was pretty disappointed but I didn't lose hope. The next time I saw E's mom I told her what had happened and the wise woman that she is told me that with her experiences it was best to soak the citrus a few times in water to help the acidity disappear. And so the love story continued... It turned out bounissimo and ready for the toast. Party time.

Kumquat Marmalade 

Makes; three petite jars 

1 pound of kumquats 

2 cups of granulated sugar 

1 cup water

Wash your kumquats well with water through a strainer. Now for the tedious task of cutting up the kumquats in thin slices and picking out all the seeds. SEEDS, SEEDS, SEEDS EVERYWHERE! It's worth it in the end, you have to trust me. Fill a large bowl of water and place the kumquat slices inside and cover with a tea towel, making sure the water is covering all of them. You will need to leave them in their "bath" for 8 hours before you change the water and then leave them again overnight. 

Next day strain the kumquats and put them in a large pot. Add one cup of new water in the pot along with the sugar. Cook over medium to low heat for about an hour stirring every once in a while and skimming the top if there is foam. A great tip to make sure your marmalade is ready is putting a plate in the freezer for 15 minutes and when you take it out add a little spoonful of marmalade on the plate and it will be set if it starts to become wrinkly and doesn't run.

Take your jars (sterilized of course) and spoon the hot marmalade inside until full and screw on the cap. Now you must turn the jar upside down until it is completely cool to seal it. I learned this tip from my grandma who makes the world's most amazing raspberry jam. (Oh how I miss it) 

 Now you have your own natural marmalade without added preservatives. How fantastic is that? Other ideas to use this marmalade if you (somehow) don't enjoy toast as much as I do..

Add a little dish of this next time you do a cheese platter to spice things up, on top of a cheesecake or even make a bruschetta platter with a mild cheese such as brie. Kumquat crepes anyone? The options are endless. 

Buon appetito 

Canazei & chicken pot pie

Living near the sea is a dream come true of mine. But we do lack snow topped mountains and sometimes you need a good dose of snow. Fortunately we are able to drive up North a few hours and enter a winter wonderland. Our friend's family member has a cabin up at Canazei, Italy and we were lucky enough to be invited to join him and his girlfriend in a wintery weekend up in the Italian Alps. We had a late start driving so when we arrived I wasn't able to see anything except black shadows caused by the moon's brightness. I didn't know what to except but I never doubt Italy's ability to constantly surprise me with it's beauty.

I woke the next morning, quickly opened the drapes and my jaw dropped... Buongiorno!

I still pinch myself when I think of how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful country and experience all these places. Canazei is located in the upper part of the Val Di Fassa in Trentino region of Italy. The houses resembled those European christmas cottages inside a snow globe. It was incredible! I could just imagine all the plaid dressed people inside sitting near a fire eating pretzels and drinking hot cider. Because thats obviously what people in the mountains do all day, right?

The thing I was probably most anticipating was to go skiing. I, unlike the others, have never skied before. They all had lessons before and started when they were young. (Yet again, the American is the inexpert) After an hour lesson with my Italian maestro though and I felt confident to go down twice with everyone else. I'm ready to go again! 

All four of us went out to dinner Saturday night to a quaint little spot. Typical cuisine for the mountains, which is what E and I both wanted. I had zuppa di gulasch (goulash) which is basically the same exact thing my mom made me growing up. (Though she called it beef stew) And for my second course I had tagliatelle with deer meat. E had spinach spatzle with a cream sauce and speck. Spatzle is a type of thin potato dumpling. Speck is a smoked prosciutto. (mouth watering) It was served in a cast iron skillet and I just gushed, I mean how cute is that? Not to mention all the waitresses were dressed to the part resembling a Swiss maiden. 

We parted ways on Monday, E and I went back home while the other two stayed for another week. Spiraling down the mountain on the drive back and I kept spotting little apple stands selling fresh local apples. I pleaded that we make a stop and came back with a bag full of five different types of apples, fresh apple juice and a smile on my face. The following day I was starting to feel the after affects of some one's first time skiing. Yeah, sore muscles. I was craving some comfort food, and surprisingly I was craving American comfort food. Chicken pot pie! What a perfect dish to warm the soul and fill the stomach. 

Here is my recipe for four of the cutest mini chicken pot pies you have ever seen.

 Serving size; 2

Pie dough

(This has been my favorite recipe for pie crust)

 http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/

Two chicken breasts

1 cup frozen peas 

1 cup chopped carrots 

1 cup chopped champignon mushrooms

quarter of chopped white onion 

1 whisked egg for glaze

For the Béchamel sauce;

40 grams of butter (5 tablespoons) 

40 grams flour (3 cups flour)

460 grams (1 1/2 cup milk)

I used four small ramekins. Butter all of your ramekins to prevent sticking. Lay one of your ramekins face down on the dough and cut a circle around it, slightly larger than the size of it. Cover the whole inside of each ramekin with pie dough. With the dough leftover cut out circle the same size of the top of the ramekin. This will be the "lid" of your pot pie. Set aside and preheat your oven to 375° F (190°C) 

In a medium size saute pan drizzle a little olive oil and add the chopped chicken pieces and saute until they are no longer pink inside. Set aside. Add a bit more olive oil back into the pan and saute the vegetables on medium low heat for about 8 minutes and add salt and pepper. For the Béchamel sauce add the butter in another medium saucepan on medium/low heat until melted and add the flour and mix well. The mixture will look like a clumpy mess but trust me, this is necessary for the creamy texture and i'm here to reassure you that you are doing it right. After a few minutes start drizzling your milk in and with your whisk vigorously mix until it becomes a creamy texture. I add a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. (it just doesn't feel right without a little sprinkle of nutmeg) Add the vegetables, mushrooms and chopped chicken to the sauce and mix until combined evenly. Take your ramekins with the pie crust inside and add a nice scoop of the mixture to each until they are bulging. Add the other pieces of dough to the top of each ramekin and press until both doughs are touching. Make two small slits on top of the dough to let the steam out when cooking. 

Brush the whisked egg on each top and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. 

Once done let rest for 10 minutes, my poor guy burned his mouth with my mistake of not letting them rest. (I guess I got a little excited to start eating)

DIG IN!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ― Augustine of Hippo

Two weeks ago we went to Bolzano, E had work meetings and I was able to tag along this time. Bolzano is a 5 hour drive away up into the Italian Alps and the capital of Sudtirol, in the Alto Adige region of Northeastern Italy. We went last year as well and I remember it fondly and loved it. The shops are amazing so of course I had a good time. There was a lot to see but I wasn't overwhelmed and it still felt familiar. I didn't mind roaming the streets all day by myself.

Bolzano is very close to Austria and Germany so there are many people who speak German here as well as Italian. Even when people spoke Italian I could hear an accent much different than at home in Tuscany. When I would go into the stores people would always assume I was German "Hallo" they would say, because I obviously don't have any Italian physical characteristics, and ask me a question in German. I would give a puzzled look and respond in Italian. I don't think anyone in Europe would assume I am American because America is such a melting pot. Oh the fun.

When we travel to different parts of Italy I'm always intrigued by the different way of lifestyle. Bolzano is very north compared to where we live and not located close to a sea. The style of food in each area of Italy would surprise you as to how diverse they really are. I think most people in America think that everyone in Italy eats spaghetti in a tomato sauce with those huge meatballs. Am I right? Well that is definitely far from the truth. In fact, my boyfriend has never even had spaghetti with meatballs and he has lived in Italy his whole entire life. I'll begin with sharing my knowledge of Bolzano cuisine.


Northern Italy is in close proximity to Austria, France and Germany. Strong focuses on cheese, buttery sauces, truffles and hearty meats. It becomes very cold in the winter months so it's common to serve a comforting bowl of hot polenta with ragù that will warm you from inside out. I noticed that Bolzano had a huge German and Austrian influence, I'd see pretzels in the windows next to loafs of Italian bread. I also saw a couple eating a plate of dried meats (common all throughout Italy), but this couple had miniature pickles to accompany the meats and cheeses. That is something you would never see in Tuscany and I assume that is definitely the German/Austrian influence. 

Another typical thing you will find in Bolzano is the strudel. Strudel is a type of layered pastry with a sweet filling, it can be filled with apples, pine nuts, cinnamon and sugar and is originated in Austria. Speaking of apples, red apples from the mountainous parts of Italy are supposedly the best in North Italy, our hotel had a large glass vase full of crisp red apples for the guests on each floor. Definitely came home with a dozen of my own, don't mind if I do!

Until next time Bolzano.