Archive for the 'marmellate' Category

Pistacchiella

 Dopo i buonissimi biscotti di Lucina, se deve essere pistacchio, che pistacchio sia! Vi manca qualche regalino? Si potrebbe rimediare con un vasetto di questa specie di Nutella di pistacchio a base di cioccolata bianca. La dose per tre vasetti medi (quello che vedete nella brutta foto è il rimasuglio). La cosa importante è non essere appena andati a farsi le unghie, visto che ve le distruggerete a forza di pelare pistacchi.

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Blueberry preserve

blueberry preserve

Let me introduce you to another wonderful  jam to add to the collection of those already blogged. I have actually called it “preserve” to make it sound grander and better. In truth I didn’t have a clue until a few days ago what the difference was between jams and preserves. I thought it had something to do with the sugar/fruit ratio but in actual fact, following an extensive research on Google (and where would I be without it?), I learnt that it’s got more to do with how mashed up the fruit is. Apparently a preserve contains chunkier (if not whole) pieces of fruit. As you can definitely see whole blueberries inside mine let’s go for the posh name. You will be impressed to know that the blueberries I used were actually wild and handpicked by yours truly (with the help of her long suffering husband :-) ). It can’t get more wholesome than this! It’s really satisfying to forage and cook with stuff you have found growing in the wild. Continue reading ‘Blueberry preserve’

Marmellata di mandarini e semimisfatto di cedri

Quest’anno ho fatto due marmellate con due agrumi diversi dai soliti aranci. Mandarini e cedri. Quella di mandarini è venuta perfetta. Quella di cedri che ho un po’ improvvisato, senza scegliere e seguire un metodo rigoroso, è rimasta un po’ liquida. Ben mi sta. Il profumo però dei cedri si è conservato e credo che tra qualche mese non ci dispiacerà poi tanto impiastricciarci le mani per farci una bella fetta di pane e marmellata.

Quindi posto quella di mandarini, l’anno prossimo, o il prossimo invio di cedri dalla Sicilia, riproverò con più diligenza. 😉 (tra parentesi, non lo sapevo ma i cedri si mangiano in insalata e sono deliziosi.  Tagliati sottili con un avocado, olio e sale  sono molto piaciuti). Continue reading ‘Marmellata di mandarini e semimisfatto di cedri’

Apricot jam

apricot jam

I am becoming quite the domesticated woman now, making my own jam and chutney, and this is my latest “baby”. By the way in Italian it is called marmellata di albicocche. Sounds good,eh? I had never made it before but got the inspiration while I was in Corsica (sorry to bang on about my holiday) where I ate some really gorgeous apricot jam. I read somewhere that the kernels add an interesting flavour to it so I didn’t throw them away but added them at the end. I put less sugar than other recipes state as I like a bit of tartness. It’s really simple  to make (MUCH simpler than the Seville orange I made last which was a right old faff ) and it tastes fabulous. It also goes very well as an accompaniment to strong cheeses. I must make some more soon before apricots disappear off the shelves. Plus my good friend Janet gave me a gorgeous (and massive) preserving pan for my birthday which I  MUST christen. Continue reading ‘Apricot jam’

Seville orange marmalade

Seville orange marmalade

Hands up who has ever had a Seville orange? Well, I had never bought or seen one before but I decided to get myself some as I had decided to try my hand at making home made marmalade ( as you know I’m very much into jam/chutney making now). I had tasted Candi’s excellent one in the past but never tried making it myself beforehand, despite the fact I LOVE it. So I dutifully ordered a bag of organic Seville oranges from the Riverford people, who supply my weekly organic veggies. In fact it was described as a marmalade kit, as it was complete with recipe. So what could be more convenient than that? Well, when they arrived I must confess I was a bit disappointed….ok, a LOT disappointed. They didn’t look a patch on the beautiful waxed, shiny ones you can buy in my local supermarket. They were smallish and deformed. Definitely ugly looking. Oh well, I assumed they would taste delicious all the same. Sometimes you can’t judge the book by its cover, right?  So on Saturday I decided that the day had come to have a go and gathered all the necessary ingredients. But when I started cutting the oranges in half in order to squeeze them…LO AND BEHOLD….they were full of pips! AND they tasted incredibly bitter. So: ugly AND foul tasting. Had I been robbed? Continue reading ‘Seville orange marmalade’

Crema di cioccolato e nocciole. Homemade dark chocolate Nutella by Stefania (English recipe too).


Sarà arrivato l’autunno? Lunghe colazioni domenicali al calduccio mentre fuori è un po’ grigio? Mah… Per ora qualche fogliolina appena giallina occhieggia tra la verzura che resiste. Solo l’edera spicca rossiccia. Ma noi facciamo finta che sia venuto il tempo delle nocciole e delle conserve autunnali, anche perché lassù in Inghilterra, almeno, il tempo farà il suo corso, suppongo.

Lungi da voler entrare in concorrenza con la spalmabile per antonomasia! La sua azienda è un pezzo di storia italiana e si è sempre caratterizzata per correttezza anche come immagine e come scelte pubblicitarie (a parte recenti scivoloni). Ma homemade è homemade e non ho potuto resistere a questa ricetta di Stefania, fortunata proprietaria di un nocciolo. Non è difficile, si può scegliere il cioccolato che più aggrada, insomma, va semplicemente fatta.

As we all love chocolate, I guess, I’ll try to give the recipe in English too, for our English friends. Be mercifull or Lucina just correct my language monsters.

E grazie a Stefania Merlo che ha fatto il lavoro, foto compresa!

And thank to Stefania Merlo who did the job, picture included!

Continue reading ‘Crema di cioccolato e nocciole. Homemade dark chocolate Nutella by Stefania (English recipe too).’

Marmellata di pere e cioccolato fondente

L’abbinamento di pere e cioccolato è classico e siccome ho in giardino un alberello di pere che a casa non sono molto ambite ho pensato di fare questa marmellata. Il giudizio dei famigliari è che il risultato sapeva troppo di cioccolato e poco di pera. Così ho corretto il tiro. Ho usato il 3:1 di Cameo ormai sdoganato anche da Cavoletto. In fondo è solo pectina. Che male c’è? E poi serve a cuocere la pera il meno possibile, farla meno dolce e non togliere l’amaro del cioccolato. Ecco qua dunque: Continue reading ‘Marmellata di pere e cioccolato fondente’

Rhubarb jam

rhubarb jam

I LOVE jam, particularly the home made variety so it’s baffling that I don’t make my own on a regular basis. Because, let’s be honest, it’s not that  complicated. How difficult is it to boil some fruit with some sugar and put it in jars? Ok, you need to get the quantities right but still! So I thought the time had come to have a go and decided to make some rhubarb jam. I love rhubarb (sorry Candi. I have never seen it on sale in Italy. Another idea for import /export? Already you have to start growing parnsnips, remember?) so last time I was shopping I bought two bags (on offer, as it happens)  and some jam sugar and when I came home I put the lot in a big pan and started boiling away. Just like a witch with her cauldron. Well….. it didn’t take me long to produce the finished result. And it is amazingly good: it tastes divine and the consistency is JUST right. WHY haven’t I done it before? It’s so simple! Honest! Next time I might even add some grated ginger . Sorry to be bragging about it but I have to share with you this cookery success, right? Next session is going to be with my friend Carmelita who also wants to try her hand at jam making (she has always been scared of it. But WHY? I really don’t know..). We are going to make some blackberry jam, to be precise. She knows a secret spot where loads of them are growing (mind you: they are not ripe yet!). What better than that? But for now let’s see how I made my fabulous rhubarb jam. Continue reading ‘Rhubarb jam’