Italian food « Angelnina’s Cottage

Chocolate Orange Biscotti

December 9, 2010 at 9:29 pm | Posted in baking, Cookies, dessert, Food, Holiday cooking, Home Decorating, Italian food, my life, photography, Recipes | 5 Comments
Tags: angelnina, baking, biscotti, Bon Appetit, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, cookies, epicurious, Food, holiday, Italian American, Italian cookies, orange chocolate, orange chocolate biscotti, photography, recipe

Oh my goodness, it’s almost Christmas. I am not as prepared as I’d like to be, because Mother Nature decided this is as good a time as any to send the Mother of All Life Changes and give me the gift of, a somewhat early, menopause! (As if dealing with a spinal nerve cyst and surgery wasn’t enough in one year!)

I think the Universe gives me more credit than I deserve, by thinking I can handle so many changes at once. Oh well, it is what it is and life is too precious to whine and complain (not that I haven’t), so now you know why I’ve been absent for so long, and I thank those of you who have missed me and expressed it in email or by phone.

I haven’t been doing a whole lot of cooking or baking. My husband has been forced to learn to cook, and I must say, he is doing quite well. As a matter of fact, I’m feeling a bit threatened by his ability to make spaghetti sauce that tastes so much like mine. It’s a good thing I didn’t tell him how to make the cassata. That cassata recipe is going with me to my grave.

Life is a mystery, kind of like the box of chocolate Forrest Gump talked about. It’s also like trying a new recipe. Sometimes you get a prize winning dish, sometimes it’s mediocre, and other times it’s an absolute disaster. That pretty much sums up my year. The thing to remember, is when you get the disaster, you must never forget that a prize day is sure to follow. It always does. Always.

Speaking of a prize–I found an amazing recipe for biscotti, on Epicurious.com. I made a few changes, and now I have the best biscotti I’ve ever made in my life! I want to share the recipe, and the changes I made, with all of you.

Chocolate-Orange Biscotti RECIPE

Click on link above for recipe.

The following are my ingredient changes:

I added 2 Tbsp coarsely grated orange zest, instead of 1 Tbsp

3 Tbsp Orange Contreau- instead of 2 Tbsp Orange Liqueur

1/2 tsp orange extract

6 ounces Chocolate Chunks (60%), instead of bittersweet chocolate

Angelnina’s NOTES:

I do not like my biscotti rock hard. I baked the first baking for 20-25 minutes and the second baking about 15 minutes. My family prefers them lightly toasted on the outside, but still tender.

Bon Appetit hit the jackpot with this recipe!

Toasted pecans cooling

I love how pretty the dough looks with the orange zest, chocolate, and pecans!

Pre-shaped dough ready for first bake

After first bake

The flavors of this cookie take me back to when I was a child, visiting my Italian grandparents in upstate New York. Orange and chocolate in a cookie, is like a bit of heaven, or nirvana, or whatever blissful place you wish to visit!

Happy baking and Happy holidays!

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Sausages

May 6, 2010 at 8:24 pm | Posted in cooking, Flexitarian, Food, Italian food, Pasta Dishes, photography, Recipes, Weeknight Dinners | 17 Comments
Tags: cooking, designer pastas, farfalle, Food, garlic, Italian American, Italian cooking, Italian food, Italian sausage, main dish, mushrooms, Pasta, photography, pottery, recipe, Torino, Weeknight Dinners

Have you seen this beautiful Farfalle pasta by Torino? I was shopping at World Market’s Cost Plus, when this jumped out at me! Look at the beautiful colors.

It cost more than what I like to spend on pasta, but I couldn’t pass this up. They call it “designer” pasta. I’m not into designer fashion, but apparently I’m a sucker for designer pastas now.

The recipe on the back of the box made my final decision. It’s SO simple to make and it tastes so fresh and earthy!

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Sausages

Adapted from Torino pasta recipe

8.8 ounce farfalle pasta

6 ounce mushrooms (possibly porcini or 2 ounce dry porcini put in water to soften for 2-3 hours)- I used a package of wild Italian mushrooms I found at World Market

6 oz fresh sweet sausage-I used Italian sausage from Whole Foods

5 oz white wine

1/4 white onion

1/2 clove garlic- I used whole

1 oz extra virgin olive oil

2 oz light cream — I used whole milk

3 oz grated pecorino or parmesan cheese- I used both

pepper and salt to taste

In a skillet, sautee x-tra virgin olive oil with garlic and onion–finely chopped. Add the sausage without skin, and cook for 5 minutes to color. Add the mushrooms and cook slowly and add the white wine. When it looks ready, add the salt and pepper and light cream.

Cook the pasta al dente in plenty of salted water. Drain pasta and place in the sauce skillet mix on top of stove for 2 minutes and then serve with cheese.

The mushrooms are SO earthy!

I served it with chardonnay

ENJOY!

Simple enough for a weeknight meal, and flavorful enough to impress company.

Pollo con Cipolle e Aceto (Chicken with Onions and Vinegar)

October 9, 2009 at 10:59 am | Posted in cooking, Food, Italian food, Recipes, Uncategorized, Weeknight Dinners | 13 Comments
Tags: chicken, chicken with vinegar and onions, cooking, dinner, Food, fried chicken, Italian chicken, Italian cooking, Recipes, weekday meals

chickvinegardone

This is my new favorite chicken dish. I’ve raved over the years about my favorite cookbook in the entire world, “Cooking with Grace” by Grace Pilato, and once again I’ve found a treasure hidden in this wonderful book.

I think the name of the dish turned me off, and I was a bit frightened by the amount of vinegar. One day I was thinking about a chicken dish I had been served by my Italian grandmother, and suddenly it occurred to me that it had a bit of vinegar. I decided to go for Grace’s recipe, and am I ever happy I did. It was different and– dare I say—better than the chicken I had remembered–this is good old Italian fried chicken with a huge kick!

I’ve made it twice now, and I’ll be making it again very soon. I have served it with potatoes and with rice, I like it both ways.

Click below for recipe and more…

Continue Reading Pollo con Cipolle e Aceto (Chicken with Onions and Vinegar)…

Seattle Italian Festival 2009

September 28, 2009 at 7:35 pm | Posted in cooking, Family Fun, Food, Italian food, My Dysfunctional family, my life, photography, Uncategorized | 12 Comments
Tags: Fortissimo, Guanciale, Italian, Italian American, Italian Festival, la familia, Nick Stellino, Salami, Salumi, Salumi's Artisan Meats, Seattle, Seattle Italian Festival 2009, Tony La Stella & the Goombas

Another year at the Italian Festival in Seattle!

There is something about a gathering of Italians–and “wanna-be ” Italians–that makes me look forward to fall in Seattle. Mother Nature was certainly smiling down upon us–the sun was shining and the weather was perfect!

spaceneedle

My two very favorite things about the festival are the celebrity chef and, of course, the music. I wait patiently to see our version of the Three Tenors–Fortissimo!

tenors

Above: Seattle’s Version of the Three Tenors!

Continue Reading Seattle Italian Festival 2009…

Italian Cookies ~ Pignoli Amaretti (Pine Nut Cookies)

September 22, 2009 at 9:23 pm | Posted in baking, Cookies, Desserts, Food, friends, Italian food, Recipes | 7 Comments
Tags: baking, cookies, dessert, Food, Italian cookies, pignoli amaretti, pignoli cookies, pignolis, recipe

As much as I enjoy cooking and baking, you can only imagine how excited I was to find out that the son of one of my good friends was going to school to become a pastry chef!

Over the years, I had noticed Ket’s interest in baking and cooking when he and his family would join us for dinner at my house. I noticed he might be looking over my shoulder asking questions and talking food. He liked to peek in at my cookbook collection too. I have also had the pleasure of eating a few slices of his famous cheesecakes!

Not long ago I gave him an open invitation to come to my kitchen and bake with me. Well, Ket has now graduated and I was more than happy when he asked if I’d like to bake some Italian cookies together. He chose Pignolis–a cookie neither of us had ever baked before. Perfect.

Allow me to start by saying, almond paste and pine nuts are expensive. Shop around for a good deal. We opted to split the cost of a 7 pound can of almond paste from Cash and Carry. We have enough almond paste leftover to make plenty more desserts. Pine nuts were purchased at Costco.

paste

It wasn’t easy removing the almond paste–at first. We discovered that using an ice cream scoop made it a lot easier.

The recipe says to use almond paste broken into pebble sized pieces. Good thing Ket was helping because my great idea was to use my KitchenAid mixer, but he suggested using the food processor and adding the sugars to it. It worked like a charm.

ket

Pignoli Amaretti Cookies (Pine Nut Cookies)

Adapted from Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray

1 1/2 lbs almond paste (broken into pebble sized pieces)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

4 egg whites

2 cups pine nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine almond paste with sugars in food processor and pulse till size of pebbles.

Add mixture to mixer and add egg whites, mix on low till blended, then medium speed for a few minutes. This will make a sticky dough.

Roll dough into 1″ balls. Roll in pine nuts, or roll tops and sides in pine nuts. Place on lined (parchment or silicon) cookie sheet 2″ apart. Using your fingers, slightly flatten tops of cookies.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or till golden brown. Remove cookie sheets from oven. Allow cookies to cool on parchment for easier removal. When cookies are cool use a metal spatula to loosen from parchment.

Store in an airtight container.

Approx 50 cookies

cookiebefore We shaped some into balls and some into crescents–I happen to be addicted to the crescent shape.

I highly suggest using the silicon mats or parchment–these are sticky little buggers!

Wet your hands with water while forming the cookies–it really helps!

cookie We made two batches– close to 100 cookies!

Pignolis have a moist center and a wonderful almond flavor. Perfect with coffee and tea or a glass of milk.

After baking, Ket helped me dig potatoes from the garden. We had a lovely dinner of roasted chicken, chicken with vinegar and onions, and swiss chard from the gardens, and mashed pototoes–albeit the mashed taters were farmed out to my husband who lost track of the timer–no worries, we had enough to feed a small army.

Thanks Ket!

Homemade Cannolis? Fuhgeddaboudit

July 15, 2009 at 4:02 pm | Posted in cooking, Food, Italian food, Recipes | 11 Comments
Tags: cannoli filling, cannolis, chicken salad, cobb salad, cooking, deep frying, dessert, dinner salad, Food, homemade cannolis, Italian cooking, Italian food, quick dinner, Recipes, Sicilian cannoli, summer dinner, weeknight dinner

I have found a fool proof way to enjoy a fried dessert–guilt free! How? Serve a salad for dinner! No, I’m serious.

So what if you and I both know that salad dressings can be just as fattening as a juicy steak. I don’t know how it happens, but anything mixed with lettuce tricks my brain into thinking it is a low fat healthy meal.

Hey, whatever works–works!

I call this a Cobb Salad, but It isn’t exactly a true Cobb Salad. It’s something we love to eat for dinner when the weather is hot.

We grill some boneless, skinless chicken breasts

fry some bacon

hard boil eggs

chop up romaine and iceberg lettuce

Bake some homemade croutons

slice and dice, hard boiled eggs, avacado, feta cheese, bacon, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, cucumbers, radish, and just about anything you love to eat–and mix it all together. Top it off with Ranch or Ceasar Salad dressing.

Very tasty!

Now for the cannolis!

This is the first time I’ve ever made the shells–I usually buy them at the Italian deli and make my own filling. Rolling these in the pasta roller proved to be a bit challenging at first, then I realized if I roll them myself and then flatten them further in the pasta roller, things went smoother.

In the end, they turned out great, so I’m happy with the results. Mark said they were the best cannolis he had ever eaten. Who knew he didn’t care for the boxed shells?

Wish to see more of the process? Click below…

Continue Reading Homemade Cannolis? Fuhgeddaboudit…

Ricotta Puffs or “Sfingi di Ricotta”

April 17, 2009 at 5:27 pm | Posted in cooking, Food, Holiday cooking, Italian food, photography, Recipes | 5 Comments
Tags: cooking, dessert, doughnuts, Food, fried food, Italian American recipe, italian donuts, Italian doughnuts, ricotta puffs, sfingi di ricotta

doughnut

Another adapted recipe, from “Cooking with Grace” by Grace Pilato. I’ve been singing her praises for years now.

Sfingi are deep-fried doughnut like puffs that are made throughout Italy—especially in Sicily. They are made for as a devotion to Saint Joseph.

There are a variety of recipes for sfingi throughout Italy, and this is Grace’s.

Ricotta Puffs

Sfingi di Ricotta

Adapted from Grace Pilato’s “Cooking with Grace” recipe.

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

4 lare eggs

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 pound fresh homemade ricotta

1 qt oil for frying- I use canola (may need more depending on size of your pan or deep fryer)

Glaze:

1 cup honey

2 Tbsp water

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon into a medium bowl. In another bowl, beat eggs and vanilla with a fork or electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add ricotta and continue to beat on medium till well blended–about 2 minutes.

Add flour mixture to ricotta 1/4 cup at a time and continue to beat until all flour is incorporated into batter, being careful not to overbeat. Batter should be thick.

Heat oil to 375 degrees. Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls into oil–about 4 at a time. Fry until puffed to a golden brown. They will double in size. Remove when finished with a slotted spoon–you may have to check them–about 3-4 minutes each. They will usually flip over on their own.

Heat honey with the water in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir and heat again for 30 seconds. Pour into a shallow bowl and roll each puff to coat. Place on platter for serving and drizzle more honey over top and powdered sugar if you like. Approx. 2 1/2 dozen

Taste best eaten right after frying. Store letovers in the fridge and reheat in 350 oven to revive.

ricotta-puffs

Homemade Fresh Ricotta Cheese

April 16, 2009 at 2:56 pm | Posted in cooking, Food, Italian food, photography, Recipes | 7 Comments
Tags: cheese making, cooking, Food, fresh ricotta, homemade cheese, homemade ricotta cheese, Italian cooking, ricotta cheese

I’ve made this recipe several times, and I’ve never been disappointed.

Again, this recipe is from my favorite italian cookbook, “Cooking with Grace”.

Homemade Fresh Ricotta

Ricotta Fresca

1 gallon whole pasteurized milk, preferrably organic

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Rinse the inside of the pot you intend to use with cold water (this helps prevent the milk from scorching). Place 1 gallon milk in large, heavy non-reactive pot on medium heat. Add salt and stir briefly. Allow milk to heat up slowly, stirring occasionally. Soon you will notice steam start to form above the surface and tiny bubbles appearing on the milk. You want it to reach 180-185 degrees, near scalding temperature, just before it comes to a boil. Check the temperature with your thermometer.
When it reaches the correct temperature, take the pot off the burner, add the vinegar and stir gently for only one minute. You will notice curds forming immediately. Cover with a dry clean dish towel and allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for a couple of hours. You can also begin preparing your ricotta in the morning before going to work and let it sit until you come home.
When the ricotta has rested for 2 hours or more, take a piece of cheesecloth, dampen it and place it inside a colander. With a slotted spoon, ladle out the ricotta into the prepared colander. Place the colander with ricotta inside of a larger pan so it can drain freely. Let it drain for two hours or so depending on how creamy or dry you want your cheese to be.
Lift the cheesecloth up by the four corners and twist gently. If the liquid runs clear, squeeze a little more. If the liquid runs milky, there is no more need to squeeze. Place in a tight sealed container. Refrigerate. It will keep for up to 7 days. Ricotta does not freeze well.

NOTES: Grace advises against the use of low fat or part skim milk in making the ricotta. The flavor comes from the cream in the whole milk. For desserts, add 1 pint heavy whipping cream along with the milk. It is richer, creamier, and a bit more decadent.

However, I have used this recipe without adding the heavy cream, and it is perfect for the Italian doughnuts–Sfingi.

I’ve made Lasagnettes, Lasagna, and Sfingi (Ricotta Puffs) using this homemade ricotta, and there is nothing like it!

I’ll be making mozzarella and then using the whey to make ricotta. I’ll post my experience and let you know how it goes. I’m telling you, all I need now is a milk cow and and goat!

When Sorbet and Sorbato Marry Prosecco…Oh, That’s Amore!

April 15, 2009 at 5:56 pm | Posted in cooking, Flexitarian, Food, Italian food, photography, Recipes, thrift stuff, Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Tags: cocktails, cooking, cuisinart ice cream maker, dessert, desserts, Food, foodie, gelato, Ice Cream, ice cream machine, Italian dessert, Mandarin orange sorbet, mandarin oranges, orange sorbet, oranges, palate cleanser, prosecco, Recipes, recpe, sorbato, sorbet, sorbeto, sparklng wine, strawberries, wine

I love my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I love it so much, I own three. Two are secondhand. Obviously, the machines had never been used–one was still in its plastic packaging. I can’t help but wonder if the former owners simply didn’t realize how easy it is to make great ice cream, sorbet, and gelato from this simple little machine.

My son, Sean, was visiting a few weeks ago and he asked me why I have more than one of several different kitchen gadgets. I told him I was hoping one day he would need one and I would have it! I gave him my extra Italian pasta maker, and now I have an ice cream maker with his name on it. I think he believes I am some kind of kitchenware hoarder, but no, I knew, one day, he would love to cook too. Moms just KNOW these things!

I like having at least two of these because I can make two different kinds of ice cream for one gathering. You actually only need two of the freezer bowls, but since I found them secondhand, the machine cost me less than buying extras bowls separately.

For my “Big Night” I wanted a special drink and the following recipe fit the bill. The sorbato recipe is considered a blend of sorbet and gelato. It is very good in this drink or on its own!

The second recipe is for a sorbet. I have read that in ancient Rome, Emperor Nero would have snow brought from the mountains and flavor it with fresh fruits to produce a dessert similar to what is now known as sorbet.

Strawberry Sorbato and Prosecco Floats

Adapted from Bon Appetit April 2009 issue

2 pounds ripe strawberries, sliced
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 750-ml bottle Prosecco, chilled

Mix strawberries, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Let stand until juicy, about 30 minutes. Puree mixture in batches in blender. Mix cream and lemon juice into puree. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions–I do it for 25-30 minutes. Transfer to container; cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. If it gets too hard–take it out of freezer and set on counter for about 10 minutes before serving.

Place 1 scoop sorbato in each of 8 glasses. Fill each glass with Prosecco (sorbato will float to top).

NOTE: Original recipe presses strawberry mixture through a fine strainer before processing in ice cream maker. I don’t mind the seeds or pulp and I skip this part.

mandarinsorbet

Hazan’s Mandarin Orange Sorbet is not a plain orange flavored sorbet. The flavor of the Prosecco and the lemon takes thisover the top! The perfect palate cleanser. Very refreshing in the summertime too.

Mandarin Orange Sorbet (Sorbetto al Mandarino)

Adapted from Giuliano Hazan’s recipe in “How to Cook Italian”

Makes about 1 qt

6 fresh whole mandarin oranges (or enough to squeeze out 1 1/2 cups juice)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup Prosecco (Sparkling Italian wine)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Peel the zest from two of the oranges (try to keep in long strips-using a potato peeler–just the zest)

Place the zest in a small pan with the water and sugar. Cover, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil. stir until sugar is completely dissolved and then remove from heat.

Squeeze all the oranges to make 1 1/2 cups juice.

Discard orange zest and put the sugar mixture in a medium bowl. Add the Prosecco, mandarin orange juice, and lemon juice. Mix well, refirgerate until cold.

Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. I let it run in my Cuisinart for 25-30 minutes. Transfer sorbet to a container. Cover and freeze for a few hours before serving.

A Long Day and a “Big Night”!

April 15, 2009 at 8:09 am | Posted in 4 course dinner menu, baking, Breads, cooking, Family Fun, Food, Italian food, my life, Pasta Dishes, photography, Recipes | 11 Comments
Tags: artisan bread in five minutes, baking, Big Night, bread baking, cooking, dessert, donuts, fried doughnuts, homemade bread, homemade ricotta, how to make ricotta, Ice Cream, Italian, Italian American cooking, Italian American menu, Italian American spaghetti and meatballs, Italian cooking, Italian doughnuts, La COnner, Mark, meat sauce, Montepulciano wine, Olivia, Pasta, Recipes, ricotta cheese, ricotta puffs, Sean, Sfingi, sorbato, sorbet, spaghetti and meatballs, strawberry gelato, strawberry sorbeto, washington

I just love the movie “Big Night”. It just makes me happy. I decided to have my own big night with the “kids”. Olivia had never seen the movie, so we started early, and made “A Long Day, and a Big Night” out of it!

The Menu:

Italian Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Homemade Rustic Artisan Bread

Spaghetti with Great Grandma DeFranco’s Meat Sauce

Strawberry Sorbato and Prosecco Floats- made with homemade Strawberry Sorbato

Sfingi ~ Ricotta Puffs- made with homemade ricotta cheese-and dipped in honey sauce

The kids arrived with a bouquet of daffodils! For me? Why, yes!

I started with my homemade ricotta cheese.

All you need is a gallon of whole organic milk, and 1/3 cup plus two Tbsp white vinegar

ABOVE: Curds and whey

We invited the kids to take a ride with us up to La Conner to see the Daffodil fields in bloom. I knew it would give the mixture some time to completely separate out the curds from the whey.