Archive for the 'Ricette in Italiano' Category

Parmesan straws

Published by Lucina, on 4 settembre 2018 in Antipasti, sfizi, finger food... and English Recipes. 1 Comment
parmesan straws

parmesan straws

When was the last time I blogged? I know, I know….a very long time ago. A lot has happened since last time I was here. Anyway,  here I am, still alive and about to  post the recipe of these delicious parmesan straws. As this blog has become my online recipe book I must keep a record of it. I made it for a group of friends who came to dinner to have with our prosecco at the start. Delicious! Then again how can anything made with parmesan not be delicious? They were so light and melt in the mouth. Simply to die for. My husband said it was his favourite part of the meal.  The recipe comes from Jamie Oliver, slightly adapted. Here we go then…

Continue reading ‘Parmesan straws’

Crostata lavanda e frangipane profumata all’arancia

Published by Candida, on 20 gennaio 2018 in cakes, Dolci and Ricette in Italiano. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

IMG-20180114-WA0002

D’accordo, il frangipane è territorio di Lucina. Ce ne sono di ricettine frangipane nel nostro sito! Ecco la mia allora. Mi sono ispirata a una vecchia ricetta di Colazione da Jo, cambiandola secondo le mie esigenze e usando questa variante di pasta frolla leggera, con metà dose di burro che io amo molto e mettendoci la mia amata lavanda..

Ecco fatto! Continue reading ‘Crostata lavanda e frangipane profumata all’arancia’

Braised Cauliflower and Puy Lentil Tabouleh

Published by Lucina, on 3 settembre 2017 in Cucina regionale, English Recipes, healthy eating, salad, vegetables, vegetarian and Verdure. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .
braised cauliflower and puy lentils tabouleh

braised cauliflower and puy lentil tabouleh

Calling all vegetarians and vegans out there. This is an AMAZING tabouleh which I have made twice already in the last couple of weeks. Packed full of wholesome ingredients and really bursting with flavour. I know it might sound like a bit of a faff, by looking at all the ingredients, but it is so much worth it. Don’t be scared and have a go. You won’t regret it. It comes from the vegan recipe book Peace and Parsnips  by Lee Watson. I will have to check out his other recipes, considering how good this one is. If you want to cook something healthy today or vary your salads repertoire look no further. Continue reading ‘Braised Cauliflower and Puy Lentil Tabouleh’

Gnocchi di patate

Published by Lucina, on 13 agosto 2017 in English Recipes and Primi. 0 Comments
gnocchi di patate

gnocchi di patate

These little potato dumplings are a classic in Italian cuisine. You cook them by dropping into a pan of salted, boiling water. Then when they raise to the surface (which means they are ready) you drain them and dress them with any sauce you like. I made a cream and gorgonzola sauce, tossed the gnocchi in it and then blasted them under a hot grill to achieve an au gratin effect. You can buy these ready made in supermarkets (and by the way, English people never know how to pronounce the word right) but they are not a patch on the homemade variety, which are light and fluffy. I used the recipe from the “Cucchiaio d’argento” recipe book. It worked really well. I still remember the first time I made gnocchi many many years ago when I ended up with a mixture that resembled wallpaper paste. It ended up in the bin, of course. But not these little babies which I will make again for sure as they were gorgeous! Continue reading ‘Gnocchi di patate’

Asparagus and smoked salmon tartlets

Published by Lucina, on 12 dicembre 2016 in English Recipes and Torte salate, pizze. 0 Comments
asparagus and smoked salmon tartlets

asparagus and smoked salmon tartlets

Months and months ago I purchased in Lakeland a mini quiches perforated silicon baking tray. Guess who never used it until last week? That’s right! Yours truly! I don’t really know why I got out of the swing of baking quiches as I love them, particularly if the pastry is light and crispy. Anyway, I decided the time had come to resurrect the humble quiche and christen the tray so it so I plumped for these smoked salmon and asparagus tarts which I had never made before. You’ll be glad to know the baking tray was a resounding success. The pastry was cooked to perfection with no soggy bottoms. Of course you can make a whole quiche rather than 6 individual ones. But I thought the individual ones looked more professional. I shall definitely make them again, that’s for sure. Continue reading ‘Asparagus and smoked salmon tartlets’

La “torta appiccicosa” ai lamponi: ovvero un fondant alla svedese (Kladdkaka)

Published by Candida, on 20 agosto 2016 in Cucina regionale, desserts, Dolci, Ricette in Italiano and teatime. 3 Comments Tags: , , , .

IMG-20160820-WA0002Ecco qua a cosa serve mandare i figli a studiare all’estero. Una tortina svedese di Laura: la Kladdkaka. Continue reading ‘La “torta appiccicosa” ai lamponi: ovvero un fondant alla svedese (Kladdkaka)’

Taralli with fennel seeds (take 3)

Published by Lucina, on 28 luglio 2016 in Antipasti, sfizi, finger food..., Cucina regionale, English Recipes and Torte salate, pizze. 2 Comments Tags: , .
taralli with fennel seeds

taralli with fennel seeds

First of all let me explain what taralli are. They are basically gorgeous little snacks which have a similar consistency to crackers/grissini (bread sticks). They come from the Puglia region, which is the heel of Italy, and they are made with an unleavened dough of flour and flavoured in many different ways (with crack black pepper, chillies, fennel seeds etc.). The main ingredients are: flour, olive oil and white wine. The ones I have made are the most common ones. There are many recipes out there and in theory you are supposed to boil them first before you bake them. HOWEVER I tried twice to boil them first and I had to chuck them in the bin. GRRRRR! They were hard as rock and basically unedible. Mind you: it might have something to do with the fact  I later discovered I had used the wrong flour (strong instead of plain). :-( So I must try boiling them again using the right flour and see what happens. In the meantime let me share this recipe with you for which I’ve used my trusted sourdough (yes! Still alive after all these years!), as suggested by my sister in law Stefania (who apparently has been making them successfully in this way for a while). I have used the recipe she sent me on line which comes from the issuu.com website. Continue reading ‘Taralli with fennel seeds (take 3)’

Strawberry tiramisu

Published by Lucina, on 26 giugno 2016 in cakes, Cucina regionale, Dolci and English Recipes. 0 Comments Tags: , .
strawberry tiramisu

strawberry tiramisu

Dear friends, I am still reeling after the results of the Brexit referendum. I can’t help feeling extremely sad and disappointed at the result. So to cheer myself up I’ve experimented in the kitchen with a summer version of the classic tiramisu. This dessert couldn’t be more appropriate as  “tirami su” in Italian means: pull me up, which is exactly what I need right now!  I  already blogged the classic recipe over two years ago ( see here). Yes, two years! Incredible how times fly. As strawberries are now in season, and you can hope to buy some that will actually TASTE of strawberries, I recommend you try this recipe. It’s simple, it’s light (albeit not from a calories point of view :-( ), it’s different. I’ve already made it three times in the past few weeks and each time it met with 100% approval from my guests. I found the recipe on line on an Italian blog called Le ricette della nonna (= grandma’s recipes). There are several versions floating in cyberspace, a few involving making some sort of custard. But not this one. What are you waiting for? Get your mascarpone and your savoiardi and have a go! Your friends will thank you for it… Continue reading ‘Strawberry tiramisu’

Polenta and ricotta cake with dates and pecans

Published by Lucina, on 1 giugno 2016 in cakes, Dolci, English Recipes and teatime. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
polenta and ricotta cake with dates and pecans

polenta and ricotta cake with dates and pecans

I’ll start by confessing I didn’t make this cake. Technically my husband made it, although, to be fair, he was largely executing orders with me standing over his shoulder. The reason why we made this cake together was that he had promised his colleagues at work he would bring a cake in made with his own fair hands. We had ricotta in the fridge as well as the most gorgeous Palestinians dates. Bingo! I found this recipe on the Delia Smith’s blog.  I wasn’t sure about it at first as it has no eggs in it. Also when it first came out of the oven after the recommended 1 hour and three quarters I thought I had overcooked it. However I needn’t have worried. I really liked it, and so, apparently, did my husband’s colleagues. So success all around. And in truth: how could Delia be wrong? Impossible! This is a cake I’ll definitely make again. Continue reading ‘Polenta and ricotta cake with dates and pecans’

Thai red prawn curry

Published by Lucina, on 7 maggio 2016 in Cucina regionale, English Recipes, fish and rice. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
Thai red prawn curry

Thai red prawn curry

Hello hello hello and welcome back to me (and to messing about in the kitchen). I confess that not much experimentation has been going on in the last month or so.  What a lazy so and so. In my defence this is mainly due to the fact that I was in Italy for 2 weeks. When I get back from my holidays I am always out of the swing for a little while. This doesn’t mean I am not doing any cooking, you understand, but I tend to opt for the tried and tested. Anyway, enough trying to justify myself. And what’s wrong with being a bit lazy in the kitchen, now and again?. 😉 This recipe comes from the Jamie Oliver’s 30 minutes meals recipe book which I must admit, I haven’t used all that much. Anyway I was astounded by how good this curry tasted and how easy it was to make. I thoroughly recommend it. I slightly adapted it. For example in the original recipe Jamie uses two different types of prawns: the bog standard ready cooked ones and some raw ones. Well, bollocks to that. Too complicated! I went for the easy ready cooked option and ignored the raw ones, which incidentally made the recipe even easier. Also Jamie cooks sugar snap peas in the curry. I chose to serve them separately, hence they are omitted from the recipe. Continue reading ‘Thai red prawn curry’