Zia Tata’s kitchen

This oven roasted cauliflower steak is easy, healthy and excellent, the best thing about this recipe is that you can customize the seasoning at your taste. Easy to prepare. Works perfect as a side dish and why not as a light healthy main course.

• Ingredients.
• 1 medium large cauliflower
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Chilli flakes
• Garlic
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Breadcrumbs
• Grated Parmesan cheese ( for the non vegetarian version)

– Wash your cauliflower and trim it.

– Cut it into thick slices ( 2 cm) do not worry it can fall apart you simply bake this florets with the rest of the slices.

– Next step prepare the oil with all your spices. If you prepare the oil a few hours earlier, the oil will pick up all those nice flavors.

– Now you brush the scented oil on the cauliflower. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the grated cheese on top of it and put it in a preheated oven (180°)

– Bake them until golden-brown and tender 30/35 minutes.

Done !

Buon appetito.

Perlina eggplant is a variety of eggplant with a compact pulp that absorbs little oil when fried. It is perfect for many preparations from pasta to risotto, simply sautéed and cooked in the oven. But today I prepare them pickled in oil, simply delicious

Ingredients.

• Eggplant
• Coarse salt
• Garlic
• Black pepper
• Thyme
• Bay leaves
• EVO
• 1l of white vinegar

– cut the aubergines into not too thin strips.

– put them in a colander sprinkle them with some coarse salt, so that they lose the bitter vegetation water.

– leave them covered for about 1 hour.

– rinse them under running water.

– bring the water with the vinegar to the boil.

– blanch them for 3 minutes, drain them.

– Arrange them on a cotton cloth or on some kitchen paper.

– leave them to dry for a few hours.

– put them in previously sterilized glass jars, together with the thym; Bay leaves; pepper; garlic.

– cover with EVO and close the jars and store them in a cool dry place.

– wait at least a month before tasting them. Once you open the jar pay attention that the aubergines are always covered by the oil.

Done !

Buon appetito.

Ingredients.

• Cherry tomatoes
• Basil leaves

This year we planted 6 little cherry tomato plants in our garden, a first for us but what a treat ! With the real hot summer and a lot of sunshine our pomodori are exquisite and sweet as candy, we stopped counting but we got around 30 kg ! So what a better way to capture the sun on your plate by making “pelati”peeled cherry tomatoes,

Peeled tomatoes are a very widely used preservation method in the Italian kitchen,they are prepared in high summer allowing them to be enjoyed year round.

Let’s start by washing carefully the pomodorini.

In a saucepan bring the water to the boil, dip the cherry tomatoes into the water and let them blanch for a couple of minutes

Now you can remove them from the pan put them on a sheet of absorbent paper,pat them dry and you can start to peel them

Place them in a sterilized glass container. Between layers put some basil leaves.

Close the lid, wrap the cans with clean tea towels.

Put the jars in a pan covering them with cold water.

Bring the jars to a boil and boil them for 45 minutes, turn the heat off and let them cool completely immersed in the water.

Once the jars are cold,check that the vacuum has been created ( the lid must not “click clack”

Done !

The ingredients list for this jam is short and sweet.

• 1kg rhubarb
• 1kg strawberries
• 1kg sugar ( I use special jam sugar whit pectin)

Have you ever tried making jam ? Homemade jam tastes so much better than the ones you find in your grocery store. You can create the flavor you like the most, controlling the amount of sugar.

Sterilize the lids and jars in boiling water for at least 10 minutes

Wash your strawberries and peel your rhubarb.

In a bowl combine your chopped strawberries, rhubarb and sugar. Mix well and let it rest for 1 hour. Doing so optimizes the flavor.

Now put the mix in a large pan over a medium heat until it’s gently boiling, while stirring . You will notice a white foam developing, no worries this doesn’t change the taste and will go away.

Keep cooking and stirring until the jam thickens, (stirring constantly preventing your jam to burn) you will need to cook the jam for 30 minutes or more. I pass the jam with my immersion blender for a minute .The jam is ready when you put a small spoonful on a cold plate, if the jam thickens on the plate it’s ready.

Pour the still hot jam into the sterilized glass jars, seal and leave them upside down until they are completely cool.

Done !

Buon appetito.

A reinterpretation of polenta one of the most traditional dishes. We are going to transform a rustic dish into a refined one. It will become your flagship dish for special occasions.

Ingredients:

• Polenta
• Coarse salt
• Eggs yolks
• Salt and pepper ( to taste )
• Parmigiano reggiano 250 gr
• Fresh liquid cream 300 ml
• Aluminum molds

For the polenta, bring water and salt to a boil, poor slowly the polenta flour into the boiling water whisking continuously until all the flour is stirred in and there are no lumps, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 35/40 minutes, whisking every 5/10 minutes.

Take your aluminum molds and grease them well with some EVO.

Fill each mold with a bit of polenta, with the help of a spoon or with your hands distribute the polenta well into the mold (on the bottom to the edge of each mold) leaving the middle hollow . In each mold insert the egg yolk add some salt and pepper ( at taste) and cover it up with a layer of polenta (seal them well) add a bit of grated Parmesan cheese on top, bake them in a preheated oven at 180° for 12/ 15 minutes ( you better try one because not every oven is the same )

Now we prepare the Parmesan sauce, poor the fresh cream in a pan, heat it over medium heat and then little by little add the grated Parmesan, whit a whisk mix well to melt the cheese and obtain a nice velvety sauce.

Now your polenta cakes are ready to be served, turn the mold upside down on your dish ( help yourself with a pair of scissors ) cover them with the silky Parmesan sauce.

Done ! Now sink in with a spoon to discover the tasty inner heart !

Buon appetito !

A cup of tea with this delicious cake in front of the fireplace ! A treat for family and friends. Just sit back and enjoy !

Ingredients.

• 1l red wine
• 50 g almond flour
• 50 g icing sugar
• 10/12 Martin sec pears
• 300g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 8 g corn starch
• Vanilla
• Some butter
• 7 g 00 flour
• Star anise
• Cinnamon

Core the pears from the base in order to leave the top intact with the stems .

In a saucepan (just large enough to hold the pears) heat the red wine with the granulated sugar, star anise, vanilla pod and a piece of cinnamon and cook them for 40 minutes.

Beat the eggs with the almond flour and the icing sugar to obtain an airy and light colored foam, mix the 00 flour with the cornstarch and fold it very gently into the mixture of the eggs.

Grease a springform (ø17cm) and powder with some flour.

Spread some batter on the bottom of the form, arrange the pears,fill them with some batter. Then add the rest of the batter, letting the pears emerge well.

Bake at 170 º C for about 40 minutes.

Let cool, sprinkle the cake with some icing sugar and wine reduction.

Done.

Buon appetito !

Easy, cheap and fast ! A timeless classic, this dish will save you when you don’t have time for cooking or doing your groceries, who doesn’t have a can of pealed tomatoes and a can of tuna in their pantry ?

Ingredients.

• 1 can of pealed tomatoes
• 1 can of tuna in olive oil
• Garlic
• Oregano
• 1 tbs capers
• 1 small chili pepper
• 2 Anchovies fillets
• EVO
• Salt

Brown the garlic in the oil, add the anchovies and the pealed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, now you can add your tuna. Also add the capers oregano and chili season with salt and pepper.

In the meanwhile that the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta too, drain al dente, add it to the sauce and mix .

You can garnish with a bit of freshly chopped parsley.

Done.

Buon appetito !

Chard might not be as popular as kale but it’s even tastier ! A typical autumn / winter vegetable often used in the Mediterranean cuisine, excellent as a side dish but is also widely used in the preparation of soups,omelette,pasta and savory pies. Cooking them directly in the pan without boiling them first, will conserve the vitamins and nutrients .

Ingredients.

• 800 gr Swiss chard
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 small red pepper
• EVO
• Salt

Wash the chard well, than separate the ribs from the leaves with the help of a sharp knife.

Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the garlic with the chopped chili add the chopped ribs and cook them over high heat for a few minutes, add the leaves and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Done !

Buon appetito.

Remember Cesare who baptized me to “ Zia Tata “ ? Well his school had a Christmas fair and there was some baking involved . So I took out my apron and baked him some cookies for his school. Quick and easy to prepare. Take care to prepare plenty of them as they will disappear in a flash !

Ingredients.

• 180 g 00 flour
• 70 g sugar
• 100 g butter ( room temperature )
• 2 egg yolks
• Jam
• Powdered sugar ( to decorate)

Let’s start to make the dough.

In a bowl, combine the flour,sugar and egg yolks.

Mix the ingredients with your fingers.

Add the butter in chunks and knead until the mixture is smooth, transfer the dough to a work surface and form a loaf ( more or less 30 cm) cover with plastic film and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 180° ( static).

Take the loaf of dough and cut it in 2 cm thick disks .

Line a dripping pan with parchment paper, work the disks between your palms to form little balls.

Place them on the dripping pan and press lightly with your thumb to form a little hole and add a teaspoon of jam.

Bake them in your preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve them sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Done !

Buon appetito.

During the Christmas period these are the perfect biscuits to give as a gift together with a nice bottle of vin Santo you can’t go wrong. You can prepare them well in advance . If you store them in a tin box or an well sealed container, they will remain nice and crunchy . Obviously you can use other nuts besides almonds like pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts or you can add some chocolate, and to make it even more Christmasy you can put some cinnamon in the dough.

Ingredients.

• 270g 00 flour
• 150g sugar
• 150g almonds
• 2 eggs
• 8 g baking powder
• grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven in static mode to 180 C

In a large bowl, shell the eggs, add the salt, vanilla extract and sugar,mix the ingredients with a whisk.

Add the flour, the sifted yeast and Lemmon zest, mix until the dough becomes homogeneous.

Add the almonds, knead the dough until the almonds are well distributed.

Put the dough in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough ( witch could be a bit sticky) into 2 parts and form loves on a baking tray lined with baking paper

Bake in a static oven for about 25 minutes, remove them and let them cool just a bit.

With a bread knife cut each loaf into slices, put them back in the oven for an other 10 minutes, (turning them half way trough) they are perfect when they are golden brown.

Cantucci can be kept in a tin box or hermetically sealed in a glass jar for up to one month.

Done !

Buon appetito.