An experiment with sourdough (part 4)

Published by Lucina, on 24 aprile 2013 in bread and English Recipes. 1 Comment

the sourdough experiment rocks on!

Dear readers, I bet you are all waiting with bated breath for the latest sourdough instalment. After all it’s exactly ten days (EEEKK!) since I embarked on this crazy experiment. SOOOOO…..Is it still alive? I hear you ask. Am I still nurturing it? Or have I thrown it in desperation down the toilet? Well….I am glad to report that all is well with Tomik. It (he?) is definitely a happy, contented little sourdough now that I have given him some rye flour to eat and started storing it in the much warmer airing cupboard (my kitchen was too cold). This morning I had proof that it is very much alive and behaving like a good, little sourdough should as, once I fed it, it doubled in size. OH YEAH! And in less than an hour! Continue reading ‘An experiment with sourdough (part 4)’

Pea and fennel soup

Published by Lucina, on 22 aprile 2013 in English Recipes and Soup. 3 Comments

pea and fennel soup

This recipe is for all the soup fans out there. As you know I like a good soup and I often experiment with them. It couldn’t be simpler and quicker. Let’s face it, you don’t need any sophisticated culinary skills to achieve a decent one. However, although easy to produce not all soups are equal. Some are a cut above the rest and the combination of vegetables used works particularly well, like in the case of this pea and fennel soup I invented last night, for example. Ok, I’ll come clean : I  had a fennel in the fridge which was beginning to look a bit sad and had to be used pronto and I had just bought a bag of frozen peas in the supermarket. Continue reading ‘Pea and fennel soup’

Piadina mediorientale

Published by Candida, on 21 aprile 2013 in Antipasti, sfizi, finger food..., carne, Chiacchiere/Chatting, Ricette in Italiano and Torte salate, pizze. 3 Comments

  Oh gli orrori della fusion! Anatema sui miscugli che se ne infischiano della filologia gastronomica!! Eppure, qualche volta girellare per il mondo culinario può darci idee e suggerire qualcosa di nuovo che poi nelle nostre cucine nostrane lieviterà e prenderà forme tra l’usuale e l’insolito. A me piace molto curiosare in un bellissimo sito di cucina libanese che mi aperto un mondo di profumi, colori e ricette accurate. E così lì ho rubato un modo per fare le polpette, il delizioso sapore acidulo della melassa di melograno (che mi compravo sempre a Mosca, la narsharab azera e che adesso ho scoperto poter trovare in qualsiasi minimarket arabo o di prodotti mediorientali), mille usi per il pistacchio e tante altre cose buone. Questa mia contaminazione parte dalle pie di carne Damascus style, la cui ricetta originaria (fatta con l’agnello) trovate qui. Ed ecco una libera interpretazione da mamma lombarda. Continue reading ‘Piadina mediorientale’

An experiment with sourdough (part 3)

Published by Lucina, on 19 aprile 2013 in bread and English Recipes. 2 Comments

Welcome back! I honestly thought I would have to announce the demise of my sourdough today and blog it as a misdemeanour (misfatto) but no! The sourdough is still alive and kicking (see photo)! By the way: I read that ,apparently, there is a tradition amongst sourdough hardcore makers to name their sourdough. That’s right! Just like what you would do with a pet. Bizarre,eh? So in line with this tradition I have decided to call mine after the little cat I brought back from Hungary. So Tomik it is! Anyway, let’s rewind a bit and I’ll tell you exactly why I thought Tomik had met his maker (Ha ha…ok, the metaphor doesn’t quite work in this case, but you know what I mean). The reason was that after the first feeding took place (part 2 of the experiment) I noticed that shortly afterwards all bubbles had disappeared and the mixture had gone flat and separated into a top layer of acetone smelling liquid and a bottom layer of oily, gungy looking dough! What on earth was THAT??? Continue reading ‘An experiment with sourdough (part 3)’

An experiment with sourdough (part 2)

Published by Lucina, on 17 aprile 2013 in Chiacchiere/Chatting. 3 Comments

 

sourdough (part 2)

 

Well readers…. it’s Wednesday and here I am as promised to update you on the sourdough experiment. As you can see from the vile brownish colour and bubbles on the surface of the dough it would seem the mixture is active allright! In fact perhaps too active! And by the way the dark top layer is what should happen. As for the smell: I can’t convey it in writing but I can tell you it ain’t all that pleasant! Again this is perfectly within the norm, hence the name “sour”. So far the experiment would seem to have worked. Anyway, for the records: after the initial three days you are supposed to give it its first feed. This process is called “refreshing”. To do this discard half of the mixture and add another 100 gr. of strong white flour and 100 ml. of water . I actually added a little bit less water as the dough was very watery  (I hope this is normal and it doesn’t mean it has gone bad already!). Now I have to wait another 24 hours and then, IN THEORY, I could make my first bread loaf….I’ll keep you paged…well, blogged.

An experiment with sourdough (part 1)

Published by Lucina, on 14 aprile 2013 in bread and English Recipes. 12 Comments

sourdough ingredients

Hello everyone,  making sourdough is something I’ve never tried before and I want to share with you my step by step experiment at attempting to produce my very first batch. Forget the English saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. In my book you are most definitely never too old to try new things (see this blog)!!! Of course, like all experiments, there is no guarantee this is going to succeed. In fact it may very well turn into a disaster, but what the hell! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  As you know I’m into bread making at the moment. Sourdough bread is something I often buy at my local artesan bakery. It has a taste and texture which sets it apart from “normal”, or should I say traditional, bread. When I recently went to my bread making course I asked about it and discovered some very interesting things. Continue reading ‘An experiment with sourdough (part 1)’

Cavolo capuccio in pasta fillo con composta di cipolle rosse

Published by Candida, on 10 aprile 2013 in Chiacchiere/Chatting. 0 Comments

Riconosciamolo, suvvia, la foto non è per niente invitante. L’involtino di pasta fillo sembra una oloturia. Per non parlare poi della composta di cipolle rosse che così nera sembra un ammasso di alghe nori. Ma va be’, la sostanza è quel che conta. E l’effetto finale non è poi così male, con buona pace della rima. Soprattutto la composta di cipolle che se avete la macchina del pane la potete fare lì, nel programma marmellate e allora è una cosa davvero veloce e senza impegno. Ed è davvero buonissima, dura parecchio in frigo, accompagna degnamente buoni formaggi o carni.

Continue reading ‘Cavolo capuccio in pasta fillo con composta di cipolle rosse’

Dutch apple cake

Published by Lucina, on 5 aprile 2013 in cakes and English Recipes. 7 Comments

dutch apple cake

Stefi, this is for you! I have been promising to put this recipe on line for ages but kept on blogging other things instead. Sorry! Anyway, here it is at long last! I don’t know why I haven’t thought of blogging this before as I’ve made it many times in the past and always with excellent results. Definitely one to be shared, then!  One of the things I LOVED about Amsterdam when I went there was……no! Not the Van Gogh’s paintings but indeed the apple cakes I had the pleasure of eating in its various cafes. Amongst the best I have ever had! Apple cakes are one of my favourites, particularly if they have a high content of fruit in them, like in this case. What I also like about this recipe is its streuseul and nutty topping. Crunchy and delicious! When I got back from Holland I tried to recreate the best one I had eaten over there by getting inspiration from different recipes found on line. There are so many versions out there! By the way this cake is great eaten warm accompanied by some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Or both. Throroughly indulgent! Continue reading ‘Dutch apple cake’

Hot cross buns

Published by Lucina, on 31 marzo 2013 in bread, cakes and English Recipes. 4 Comments

hot cross buns

I went on my second bread making course yesterday (the first one was back in November. See here) courtesy of my husband, who gave it to me as a Christmas present. (The clever man that he is! Although I suspect a bit of self interest here :-)) This time the level was advanced -I’ll have you know- and one of the things we made was hot cross buns. These are spiced sweet buns, made with dried fruit , which are traditionally eaten at Easter time here in England (hence the cross over the top, referring to the death of Jesus). They are finished off with a nice sweet, sticky glaze. You find them in all supermarkets at this time of the year but of course the home made ones are by far superior. And contain none of the rubbish (such as colourings, preservatives, etc.) of the bought variety. Continue reading ‘Hot cross buns’

Marmellata di mandarini e semimisfatto di cedri

Published by Candida, on 28 marzo 2013 in Chiacchiere/Chatting, marmellate and Ricette in Italiano. 3 Comments

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’