Cannoli Pound Cake – Ricotta / Pistachios

Who doesn’t love the tastes of traditional Cannoli & now we can enjoy all of its glory in a Pound cake! It’s perfectly moist and slightly dense but still light and packed pull of flavors !

Ingredients

• 1 Orange
• 3 Large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups of All Purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of Baking powder
• 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (plus a little more for topping just before you bake)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh or dried nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of organic sugar
• 1/2 cup of pistachios lightly chopped
• 3/4 cup salted good quality & softened butter
• Approx 15 oz of Ricotta cheese

What to do:

• First preheat your oven to 350 & grease your 9 x 5” loaf pan. Then line the on with parchment paper (perfect for lifting out this heavier pound cake) you can also use a Bundt pan if you’d rather but make note of the reduced baking time.
• In a large bowl add your softened butter and sugar (I used a stand mixer but you can also use a hand mixer if you don’t have one) and mix on high to cream the mixture. Approx 3-4 mins
• Now add in the ricotta and mix until it looks light and fluffy about 5 mins!
• now add in the the eggs 1 at a time and beat until incorporated
• in a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients and whisk together. (Flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg) now add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and beat on med slow just until it’s incorporated, don’t over mix.
• Now fold in the chocolate chips & pistachios and orange rind lightly just until mixed through.
• Now transfer into your loaf pan (or Bundt pan) and smooth out then a tap or 3 on the counter to even out. Put in the oven for between 1 hr and 5 mins to 1 1/4 hours depending on your oven (or 40 to 50 mins if you are using a Bundt pan) then teste for doneness by inserting a tooth pick into the center and if it comes out clean your set to take out (remember it still continues to bake a little after taken out.
• Cool in the lot pan for approx 15 mins & then gently lift out of the pan my the parchment paper & cool completely on a cooling rack.

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Now find a perfect plate once cooled and here is where you can add your final touch to enhance that cannoli experience. Simple touch of dusting with inching sugar is just perfect but up next for me is a simple ricotta, orange & icing sugar drizzle which I will add photos of when I try it!

Prep time: approx 10 mins

Bake time: approx 1.05 to 110 mins

Calories: approx 385 and approx 24 servings depending on your slice size

Focaccia Please

One of the most beautiful things to make is homemade bread and the satisfaction of the perfect bite brings you back again and again. Focaccia it is today !

What you need:

• 3 cups 00 Italian Flour + 2 cups all purpose (a little extra in case.
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon organic sugar
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

What you will do:

• Put the sugar & yeast into the warm water. Stir gently and let sit to activate in a warm area for at least 15 mins.
• Meanwhile add your flour, salt, 1/2 cup olive oil into a mixing bowl (I used a stand mixer with a bread hook). Now add in your yeast mixture and put on medium speed to incorporate all the ingredients (approx 5-6 mins)
• Now pull the dough out into a clean floured surface and knead approx 2 more times. Sprinkle with a little more flour if your dough is to sticky. Coat your mixing bowl with olive oil and put your dough back in the bow and cover with plastic wrap- now set aside in a warm dry area to let your dough rise for at least 1 hour or u til the size has almost doubled.
• Now get a hello roll Pan / cookie sheet and pour the second half cup into the pan. Put the risen dough into the pan and stretch out to fit the pan, now turn it over to coat the other side. Now super important! Take both panda and poke your fingers across the whole sheet right through, yes right through, this is what creates the scraggly bits or texture.
• Now put to the side and let rise again till it doubles and set the oven to 425 F

• Now liberally sprinkle coarse salt or Malden salt across the whole dough sheet and add any her you wish (I used fresh rosemary and drizzle with some more olive oil.
• Put in the oven fro between 25-30 minutes

• Now when it looks golden brown pull out and cool – cut with scissors & enjoy!

This will be heaven on earth and should t last long! If you need to you can always reheat to crisp up! Sever with olive oil and your favorite vinegar or just by itself. Buon Appetite ! You will make this again!

Pasta for Italians only!

Happy Monday great foodie friends!

It has been far too long since my last blog post!

This dish is a classic and tasty flavor pow for all who like a little kick of spice.

This dish is one that I have loved for years from a favorite restaurant of mine. Quattro’s or Gusto Di Quattro now.

The dish is known as Spaghetti for Italians only. I used fresh linguine but either Will work.

What you need:

1/2 cup of good olive oil

1 lb Ground Chicken (I like dark meat- so much more flavor!)

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp of chili peppers

Salt to taste

4 oz Black beans or black turtle beans

1 tsp of Italian parsley funky chopped

1 cup of tomato sauce – ours was chicken based.

Parmigiano cheese to serve with

What you will do:

Heat up the oil on medium high heat & then add the chicken and start to brown.

At the same time heat up your pasta water and make sure to salt the water! The fresh pasta cools quickly, approx 6-8 mins.

Add in the salt, garlic, parsley and chili flakes and stir to incorporate

Then add in the tomato sauce & stir. Cook for another 5 mins on medium low to blend all the flavors.

Now top with your fresh grated parmigiano cheese (to love cheese is to love life for me!)

This pasta is also great to make your own- you can adjust your spice level or garlic to your liking.

You gotta try this!

Dutch oven No Knead bread. Staub

No Knead Dutch oven Italian 00 Flour bread!

Happy Sunday great long lost foodie friends! It’s been far too long since my last post!

Ever since we got our new Staub Cocotte I have been literally been dreaming about making bread.

I did have some criteria that were a must and 00 flour from Italy was the “Must Have” in the recipe!

I have loved everything we have used this Cocotte pot for and expect it to perform equally in every way making perfecto italiano no knead bread.

I used Molino Favero 00

Why 00 flour? I’m looking for a similar feel to the bread that any Italian would have grown up eating and expect. Typically 00 is best for pasta and cakes.

To better explain:

The names 00 and 0 Flour refer to specifically Italian milled flour that is used for pasta making. You will find that this is also called Doppio Zero just meaning double zero. The grading system is 2, 1, 0 or 00 and indicates to how finely ground the flour is and how much of the bran and germ has been removed.  2 for instance is a wholemeal flour while 00 is the most refined of the three and has the lowest level of bran. It is similar to unbleached all purpose/plain flour, which is a mix of hard and soft wheat, and though while finer, it creates a dough that is silkier and maintains a chewiness when the pasta is cooked.

If you are looking for pasta, bread flour or baking flour, 00 will work for all and you can substitute 00 flour if you run out mid way through pasta making with just plain old high-grade flour. Again this has been refined more so than standard flour making it higher in protein. Pizza dough is perfect with single 0 flour but again it is interchangeable.

Grading systems for flour are used elsewhere in the world as well so the Italian system is not unique. The French have a grading system that is similar but it seems most recipes will call for the Italian 0’s.

To make life more confusing the terms hard and soft get used to also explain flours so to try and put it simply:

Low Protein + Low Starch + Low Gluten = soft flour – 00 flour or high grade flour – use this for pasta, pizza and cakes as you would any high grade flour

High Protein +High Starch + High Gluten = hard flour – semolina flour or standard flour – perfect for bread doughs and most other uses.

In basic the 00 will likely make my loaf not quite as tall and a little more silky and chewier.

I have no doubt that the taste and texture will be good but I may experiment with a few different Italian flours until we find that “just right bite”

What you will need:

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 tsp organic sugar

1/4 to 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast

1 to 1 1/4 tsp of sea salt

3 cups 00 (Doppio zero) Italian flour or 01 or 02 semolina flour

1 cup warm water

What you will do:

Stir yeast and sugar into the 1/2 cup warm water & let sit 5-10 mins or so or until you see a foamy cream start to form.

In your favorite mixing bowl add the flour and salt and stir to mix up.

Add the yeast mixture and the cup of warm water and mix well to ensure that all of the ingredients are mixed together – this is “no knead” so we want to make sure all of the ingredients are well integrated.

When you have finished mixing ensure all of the dough is together in the bottom of the bowl. No cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and place somewhere that is draft free.

When the dough has approx doubled in volume it should be ready to bake. I have learned that this is not the time to rush but instead patience is in order. It could take approx 5-6 hours BUT here’s a bonus, if your not ready to bake it then you can leave it proofing over night and bake the next day, the dreamy bread will be the same either way!

Place your Staub or le Creuset Dutch oven into the oven and pre-heat the oven to 450 F

Now place some parchment paper on your work surface, flour it AND your hands and gently work the dough into a large round ball, tuck in the sides if needed.

When the oven has come to 450, carefully remove the Staub from the oven and equally carefully take off the lid (Hot is an understatement)

Now carefully lift the parchment and place the loaf into the Staub pot and put the lid back on.

Place in the oven and bake for 30 mins.

After 30 minutes, take off the lid and bake for another 15 mins or so until the bread gets a nice golden brown.

Now remove the pot from the oven and the bread from the Cocotte Dutch oven and place your Golden magical loaf on a cooling rack.

Allow the loaf to cool (at least a little) now cut and enjoy anyway that you desire!

I like to cut fresh and dip in olive oil and balsamico or toast and have with butter and jam.

Feel the accomplishment of making something with so few ingredients and so tasty! You might never go back to store bought! Come to think of it, that’s why I love all things Italian… they make magic out of only a few perfect ingredients not to mention real food!

The Italian flour was truly a game changer! Use different Italian flours to receive different textures like more crisp or more chewy (00 makes it nice and chewy with). That said I am sure to try Italian Semolina flour next time to test out the difference.

The Staub Cocotte performed just as expected, Perfecto.

“You Gott Try This”

Everything we love about Italy !

Happy Sunday great foodie friends, 

This is a great short piece but long enough to make your mouth water and remind you how Italians influence (and beautifully by the way) the culinary world! 

Enjoy! 



Rustic Artichoke stuffed pasta shells

Happy Friday great foodie friends.

As fall arrives so does the memories of comfort foods & fall flavors. From savory soups, braised ribs and of course filled pastas. 

Today we look at a perfect heartwarming filled shell pasta! 

Makes 24 stuffed shells

  
Ingredients

1-16 oz box jumbo shell pasta

Your favorite tomato pasta sauce

2 – 15 oz containers ricotta cheese

14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and rustically chopped.

1/2 lb lean browned ground beef (I also love to use ground veal mixed in with my ground beef, it makes it extra rich and flavorful) 

1 cup diced red or sweet onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 oz shredded fresh mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons dry parsley flakes

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Parmigiana cheese

 Directions

Mix the ricotta, egg, salt, pepper and parsley in a large bowl.

Fold in the artichoke pieces and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

  
Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Boil the jumbo pasta shells following the directions on the box. Drain well and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

  
Add your olive oil to your favorite pan then add in your diced onion and soften. Brown the ground beef and the minced garlic and let cool once browned. 

Now mix the ricotta mixture with the cooled ground beef and set aside.

  
Warm up your tomato sauce in another pan and heat through. Then remove from the heat.

Spread 1 cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

  
Fill each jumbo shell with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta / ground beef mixture and place seam up into the baking dish.

Repeat until you run out of ricotta/beef mixture.

Spread the remaining sauce over the top of the stuffed pasta shells.

** A little added fun! Make your favorite garlic parm cream sauce and drizzle over the top as well for some added flavor! 

  
Now cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 40-45 minutes or until the ricotta filling is heated through and the sauce is bubbling.

Remove baking dish from the oven and sprinkle 1 to 1/2 cups of the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of the shells and dust with Parmigina cheese.

  
Recover with aluminum foil and return to the oven for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Serve this perfect fall dinner with your favorite garlic bread and salad and maybe even the perfect sip of vino.

Enjoy! 

You Gotta Try This!