Panelle (Chick-pea Chips)

Hello Everyone! I know that it has been a while! School has been keeping me busy, busy, busy! Here is another delicious recipe that I hope you'll enjoy making!

 Ingredients

3 1/4 cups water

1/2 pound chick-pea flour

2 teaspoons salt

Black pepper

 Oil, for frying

Instructions

Pour the water into a saucepan and add the chick-pea flour, whisking to prevent lumps. Season with the salt and add pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat. Working quickly with a flexible spatula, thinly spread the dough 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on a flat surface, like the back of a dinner plate or baking sheet. Allow the dough to cool. When the dough has cooled, loosen the edges with a knife and peel it off. Cut it into triangles or squares. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large saute` pan or deep fryer, not too hot. Fry the pieces a batch at a time, turning them to cook evenly. They should be golden brown and slightly puffed. Drain the Panelle on paper towels. This makes enough to serve 6.

 

 

Insalata Di Mare (Seafood Salad)

Hello Everyone! I hope that you're enjoying the nice weather that we've been having. I know that it has been a while since I've posted a blog. I hope that you give this recipe a try!

Ingredients:

1 to 11/2 pounds of fresh squid, cleaned and cut into 1.2 inch pieces

1 pound small shrimp shelled and cleaned

3 pounds mussels bearded and scrubbed

2 cups cut-up leftover fish

salt

1 small hot pepper cut into 1/4 inch pieces

juice of 2 lemons

1/3  to 1/2 cup olive oil

1 small red onion thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preparation:

Cook the squid in boiling salted water for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook the shrimp in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes, until pink. Put the mussels in a medium saute pan, cover, and cook over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. If the mussels have opened, they are done. Discard any that remain closed. Drain and remove the mussels from their shells. Put the squid, shrimp, mussels, and left over fish in a large serving bowl. Season with salt and the hot pepper to taste. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, onion, and chopped parsley. Toss to combine. This serves 8.

Pasta con Carne Macinata (Pasta with chopped meat)

 

So, the following recipe is a variation of the above mentioned pasta dish. I actually made this yesterday afternoon with my sister. I hope that you will give this dish a try. 

Ingredients:
Pasta (rice or whole wheat)
Chopped turkey meat (or beef or pork)
Vidalia Onions
Peas (frozen or fresh)
* You may also add carrots, celery, or any vegetable of your choice
Salt
Spices (This is optional. For this dish my sister and I added Curry and garlic)

Preparation:
In a medium, or large, or small (it all depends on how many people your cooking for) cooking pot bring water to a boil and add liberal amounts of salt. While you wait for the water to start boiling, In a medium sized skillet add the chopped meat and cook thoroughly (when the meat is no longer pink). Remove the chopped meat from the skillet and place in a separate serving bowl. Add some extra virgin olive oil to the skillet along with some spice and the onions; stir these ingredients until fully incorporated. Remember to add your pasta as soon as the water begins boiling (if you are using rice pasta you will have to stir the pasta every few minutes to keep it from sticking together). The final step is to once again add the chopped meat to the skillet; this helps the meat to absorb all the flavors of the spices and vegetables. When your pasta has finished cooking you should drain all the water thoroughly. Once you have combined the pasta with all the other ingredients you may garnish with cheese.Enjoy!

Giada De Laurentis on the Food Network Website

Giada De Laurentis has some excellent food recipes. Check them out!

Gelo Di Melone (Watermelon Pudding)

Gelo Di Melone is a refreshing summer desert that I'm sure will become a favorite in your home. 

Ingredients:
One six pound watermelon

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup cornstarch

Jasmine flowers, candied fruit, or chopped unsalted pistachios for garnish

Preparation:

Cut the watermelon in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon, removing as many seeds as possible in the process. Put the pulp through a food mill or beat it with a mixer, using the paddle attachment.  Drain the pureed flesh through a colander into a bowl, pushing the pulp against the sides of the colander to extract as much juice as possible. Measure out 41/2 cups of juice and discard the pulp. Put the watermelon juice and the sugar in a saucepan, over medium heat. Use a strainer to sift in the cornstarch, whisking to blend. Cook over medium heat, using a wooden spoon or flexible spatula to stir and scrape the sides and bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring, for about two minutes after it boils. Pour into a five-cup serving bowl and let it cool. Refrigerate the gelo until set, about three hours, or overnight. Just before serving, decorate the pudding with Jasmine flowers, candied fruit, or chopped unsalted pistachios. This dish serves eight.

 

Enjoying a cup of Espresso

In addition to posting a blog I've also decided to post a video

Making a hot cup of Italian Espresso

One of the many pleasures I enjoyed while visiting Palermo (the capital of Sicily) was a hot cup of espresso at a bar. Thankfully, if you own an espresso maker, or if you live near an Italian bar, you don't have to travel to Italy to enjoy a fresh cup of espresso :) Here we go:

Preparation: 
Pour bottled water in the bottom chamber of the espresso maker, up to the fill line
Attach the strainer. Make sure that the water level isn't too high otherwise the water will seep through (this happens to me a lot). 
Fill the strainer with Italian coffee (in my house one of the brands we use is Cafè Bustelo) and press down lightly. Try not to pack the coffee too hard because it might create too much pressure. Screw the top of the espresso maker into the strainer.
Place the coffee maker on the stove over low heat
When the coffee is ready you'll hear a bubbling sound. Remove off heat to avoid burning the coffee (burnt coffee is never pleasant!) Enjoy!

An example of an espresso stove top coffee maker