La torta di Ricotta di Mamma~Mom's italian cheesecake

With Easter right around the corner, I wanted to remind everyone of this lovely Italian Cheese cake.  This is an older post.  Enjoy!

I came across a variation of this wonderful cake made by many Italian Mom's in the 1960's.   My mother's version was baked and enough for an army of relatives.  It was traditonally served after dinner/lunch  during Easter and 4th of July celebrations.    This version is a no-bake version.  The light, flufffy texture of ricotta in combination with the cream cheese adds a whole new dimension to this cake. Any fresh  fruit topping will do.  Buon Appetito~

Ingredients
1 pound Whole Milk Ricotta cheese
11 0z of Cream cheese
3 tablespoons of vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
One 9 inch springform pan
1 pint Heavy Whipping cream
3 packages of lady fingers ( more or less to line the springform pan and enough to layer your ricotta cake)
For the glaze:
Use any fresh fruit in Season
I used Raspberries as it makes for a pretty presentation~
2 pints fresh Rasberries carefully rinsed and dried 2
2-3  tablespoons corn starch
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup good rasberry liquor
1/4 cup crushed rasberries
3/4 cup sugar
Carefully line your springform pan with lady fingers. All lady fingers should be flat side facing the interior of the pan. Line the bottom of the pan with lady fingers. If you springform is nonstick, it is not necessary to line anything with paper.
It is extremely important that your cheeses be room temperature for a creamier texture and no lumps. Carefully combine Ricotta, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until all your ingredients are combined.
In a seperate chilled bowl carefully whip your whipping cream until good stiff peaks form
Carefully fold your whipped cream into your cheese mixture a litte at a time. You should see a nice fluffy consistency.
Pour your batter carefully into your springform pan halfway~Carefully place lady fingers across the top of the batter, creating another layer.
Pour your remaining batter into your pan.
Cover and refrigerate immediately
Needs 24 hours in the refrigerator to set and rest. Must be done one day ahead
For the Glaze.

Into a pan on low, heat  sugar, liquor, water. Slowly wisk in a handful of crushed raspberries. Let the sugar melt and dissolve until clear.  You will see your glaze almost bubble. Turn off heat and Whisk in 2-3  tablespoons of corn starch.  Back on low heat  until your glaze turns brighter red color and your glaze is gel like.. Should take about 4-5 minutes on low.  Set aside, cool, refrigerate.

about 1 hour before serving carefully place fresh rasberries across the top of your cake. Pour your cool glaze over your cake. Refrigerate for one hour.

Slice and serve~
Thank you to all of my friends who got to be the official taste testers of these 3 cakes~ hehe.. I am not the only one who has gained weight this week~ lol
Enjoy~Buon Appetito

Tomato Baguettes

Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached flour plus 1/2 cup extra flour for your counter
1 teaspoon plus a half of active, dry yeast
1 cup plus 1/2 cup of warm (to the touch), water
One tablespoon olive oil
One teaspoon salt

This basic bread dough is something I use all the time.  Whether for focaccia or pizza dough, simple baguettes or Panella bread, you will never forget such a great combination of ingredients.  The Italian kitchen is quite versatile, that is all you need to remember. The secret to successful breads is always in the rise.  The length of time the dough is resting and working to create a tasty end result.
The night before you plan on making these baguettes, combine your yeast and 1/2 cup water. This is a "no Knead method" that requires very little work.  Don't be alarmed.  Just follow these directions. I have been around bread making all of my life, and there is nothing complicated about it.  Just takes patience.  You will be glad you made some in the end and will be making it often.
If you are using a food processor, or by hand, this takes minimal effort.  After about 10 minutes, add your remaining water, flour olive oil and salt and pulse until you have a sticky combination of ingredients.  I did this by hand.  Using your hand, combine your ingredients.  Lets rest in an oiled bowl for 10-12 hours in a warm place.  Preferably inside a dark cabinet, covered, until the morning.

After about 10-12 hours, you will notice a sticky, risen dough.  Remove with your hands onto the counter and knead just once or twice into a ball.

Let rest another hour covered with plastic wrap.  It will look somewhat sticky.

Remove from bowl and cut in half with a pastry cutter or knife.  Shape carefully into a log and loosely cover with plastic. 

Shape into your pan.  They will continue to rise. 

Gently lift and place your risen baguettes into the pan.  Slice your Roma Tomato thin.  Let rest in the baguette pan another 30 minutes. Press your tomato slices directly into your bread.  Press down firmly.  (I did not and my tomato slices are somewhat elevated). 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees/bake

When your oven is heated (15 minutes later), your baguettes should be plump and ready for the oven.  If you like, brush them with olive oil.  Do not worry if your dough looks like it's bubbly in places.  It is still rising.  Place in your oven for 45 minutes.  Your baguettes should be golden and slightly browned.  Remove them from the oven and let cool.  You will here the crackling noises of a freshly baked loaf of bread.  Buon appetito. It will be hard to resist.  Serve some sliced along with a salad.  A perfect light lunch.

Risotto con Carciofi e Frutta di mare (Risotto with artichoke and various seafood)

                                         

 With fresh Artichokes showing up at many local markets, I found it appropriate to re post this recipe. I hope you enjoy it. 
 Many people find it so intimidating to make risotto at home.  Once you have mastered the technique,  it's easy to do.  I am sure you will be looking for an excuse to make risotto again.  I made lots of mistakes in the beginning.   You should never rush risotto and please don't keep your flame up high.  This is a slow process that can't be rushed.  You need to give the flavors time to combine and your rice time to cook and rest before taking it to the table.

As you all know, I live in an area where fresh fish in non existent.     This was a great excuse to use it up what I had saved in the freezer.    I had handful of some shrimp along with some squid frozen from a another recipe. I cooked my  baby artichokes before my New York trip and placed them with their liquid in the freezer. The artichokes and their liquid give this risotto a wonderful creaminess without any addition of butter.  The delicate flavors combined make this dish the star of the show~ Had a few Calamari left to fry.  Just couldn't resist decorating with a few.  Had a hard time keeping my husband away from the kitchen

Ingredients for 6 people

1pound of Arborio rice / imported from Italy

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1/2  medium Spanish onion/ or white onion diced

1 cup of white wine

approx. 1 cup artichokes cooked.  (They will be soft and fallen apart from having  been previously cooked in water).

3 cups of artichoke liquid

1/2 pound of large shrimp tails/shells removed/ cut up in small pieces.

1/2 pound squid/cut up

1/4 cup frying oil (for the fried squid tentacles) 

Parsley for garnish

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a pan large enough to accommodate the risotto.  When Your oil is hot add your onion and saute until fragrant.   At this point add your shrimp and squid and saute.   When your fish is opaque which should take just a few minutes,  remove it from the pan.  Do not worry that your onion might not remain in your pan.  The important part here is that your olive oil is now enormously flavored.  Set aside your fish to cool.    Add your drained artichokes to the pan.  Reserve your cooking liquid from your artichokes.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add your rice and mix.  Add your white wine and reduce.  After a few minutes, you will notice that your rice is dryer and sticking to the pan slightly. Keep mixing in steady round motion.   Begin adding your liquid, a cup at a time, stirring contstantly.  The stirring will cause the starch from the rice to release and the rice will cook.  Continue adding your liquid. Use This  process with the remaining liquid for about 20 minutes total. Keep you heat low.  Taste your rice.  It should be cooked and firm at al dente, your liquid evaporated and you should notice a creamy texture to the risotto. It is not necessary to use up all your liquid.  Or you may even need a little extra liquid.  You may use some reserved chicken broth or even water. if necessary.   Let rest about 10-15 minutes. Set your rice aside and add your fish to the top, mix and serve with crispy calamari on top (not typically done for decoration, but does look pretty). ~Buon appetito!

Special Note:  Save some extra calamari cut up and  add to some flour.  Shake off excess.   Fry in vegetable oil to cover until golden.  You will here them begin to pop some while they are cooking.  Drain, salt, a squeeze of lemon and serve as appetizer or sprinkle some on top of your risotto for decoration. 

Spaghetti di Magro

"I Pomodorini freschi ci cantano,"  translation, little, fresh tomatoes  are singing.   On a night that we just didn't know what to cook, being Italian came in handy.  A usual Friday night recipe, during this season of Lent, this recipe is delicious and easy to prepare.  My husband recalls his best friends mom,  used to make this and add mushrooms (Caldarelle) fresh from the country, outside Ascoli Piceno.  They are similar to chiodini or oyster mushrooms here in the States.  You can even make them without mushrooms, as we did this evening.
Ingredients for 4 people
1 pound  of spaghetti
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic (I use elephant garlic, as it is milder in taste). chopped fine.  Or you can leave them large and remove them before serving. 
1 /12 oz can of tuna
1 can of black olives drained
2 tablespoons salted capers
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups of sweet 100 tomatoes, rinsed and split
1/ 2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon of salt for pasta water
No salt necessary for the sauce as the capers are salted.
1/4 cup chopped basil and more for garnish

In a skillet, enough to accommodate the finished dish, saute your garlic until fragrant.  This should take a minute or two.   Then, add your olives, capers, cut up tomatoes.  Add your white wine and reduce.  Mash with the back of a spoon for 5 minutes while mixing.  Turn off heat.  Add your Italian tuna.  If you can not get Italian tuna, drain white albacore in water  and mix in your sauce.  Cook your pasta as directed.  Serve with basil for garnish. Buon Appetito~

Flan (Tortino)

If you live in the United States, the ingredients in this classic flan are probably in your pantry right now.  I must admit, they were not in mine as I avoid anything having to do with a can as much as possible.  Sweetened condensed milk is nothing but milk and sugar that is thickened.   It should be illegal but I must admit, so delicious. I hope you can find it to give it a try.    I think my husband's Flan is a close second.  (We won't tell him).  This version,  I had never tried.  My husband's mother used to shop at Castroni in Rome begging them to carry the product with no such luck.  These days it has magically appeared on the shelf.   I figured it had been tested long before I was born, so why not try.  It just can't be any easier.  I must also admit that I burned the sugar and had to start over.  If this happens to you, don't pour it down the drain, as your pipes will harden and you will be calling the plumber.  I took my burned sugar outside and poured it out in the street.   The look on my neighbors face was priceless.  You see, it happens to everyone, so don't get discouraged by a little mishap in the kitchen. 

One can of Sweetened condensed milk/ 14oz

One can of evaporated milk / 12oz

3 large eggs

one cup of sugar plus 1/3 cup water

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

6 ramekins / 6 oz

One baking dish that will fit all 6 ramekins.

About 6 cups of hot water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the sugar and water over low heat.  Be very patient.  This will take a good 10 minutes or so.  When your sugar is melted, golden and clear, carefully pour caramel into the bottom of your ramekins.  Swirl the sugar  around your ramekin.  Carefully set them in your baking dish and set aside.

In a bowl, combine your eggs, Sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and gently mix by hand until everything is incorporated.  Do not over beat.  Pour gently into your ramekins, about 3/4 full.   Pour your hot water gently into your baking dish until the water is about 1/3 high.  Your ramekins should be surrounded by water.  This will keep your mixture from burning.  Place in your preheated oven for 55- 60  minutes, loosely covered.  Cool completely and set in your refrigerator.  They will need at least 2 hours to cool in your refrigerator before you can serve.

To serve, cut around your flan with a sharp knife.  Set your base of your ramekin in hot water for 10 seconds.  Invert on a plate.  Your flan will come out onto the plate with a little pat.  Pour the remaining sugar (that has been loosened up by the heat of the water), over your Flan and serve.   You can also add fresh fruit across the top for a pretty presentation.

Buon Appetito!

Pasta con le Melanzane (Eggplant sauce)

Since our cooking class was all about Eggplants, I thought it appropriate to show everyone how easy it is to make a great sauce with eggplants. If using small, Japanese eggplants or any smaller sweet, variety, they can be sliced and cooked. If using larger varieties, like Black Beauty, you may want to place them under salt for an hour or two to help extract the bitterness away from the eggplant.  You can oven roast them as we discussed in class by salting them, brushing them with olive oil and placing them into a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Oven roasting intensifies flavor. Whichever way, it's all delicious. 
What a great idea for a pasta sauce.  My mother could always make a meal for us out of very little and very few ingredients, life's simple pleasures.  It doesn't take much to make a fantastic pasta sauce. 

INGREDIENTS: 4 People
2 medium Japanese eggplants, (peeled if store bought, cut up and diced, skin on if out of the garden)
3 tablespoons red onion
1 tablespoon garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for garnish)
1 handful of fresh basil
12 oz of tubular pasta (this form will hold the sauce well)
1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes and there juice
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine (optional, but adds fabulous flavor, your alcohol will evaporate away).
1/4 cup milk (to cut the acidity of both the eggplants and tomatoes)

In a pan, heat your oil on medium/low
Add your diced onion, garlic and eggplants and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Cover your pan.  After about 5 minutes check your vegetables are cooking but not sticking.  Give them a mix.   Continuing cooking until fragrant and your eggplants have become shiny and wilted.  Then add your tomatoes, wine, milk and stir.  Add some fresh basil and stir again.  Let sauce reduce by more than half.  This should take about 12-15 minutes on medium/low.   You will notice your sauce will thicken.   Set aside to cool.  In Meantime add your dry pasta to your boiling water.  Drain, mix with sauce.  Add Parmigiano Reggiano cheese if you like~ A great glass of Chianti goes well with this dish.   Buon Appetito~