briciole

pane di mais fatto in casa in lievitazione

homemade maize bread leavening

The magic of bread

One of my favorite bread-making books is Dan Lepard's The Handmade Loaf. If you open my well-used copy, you'll probably be hit by a small cloud of flour coming out of the pages. It's a beautiful book, full of very nice recipes, photographs and stories. I wrote a review of it for the Daring Kitchen site. Here's the relevant excerpt:

Another interesting recipe is that for Maize bread (page 73), whose ingredients include polenta and corn flour. I had tried making bread with corn flour once before and was not successful. The photos of this bread made me decide to try Lepard's recipe. Besides being excellent, the result was of a beautiful yellow color. In the headnote, Lepard tells the story of how he got to taste pane di mais for the first time in Italy. Such personal connection with the breads and also with the people who shared their bread-making stories with him gives a particular human dimension to the book.

You can see a photo of slices of the baked loaf on the review page. In the photo above, I peek at the leavening dough in the brotform lined with a vintage napkin. I ♥ baking bread.

This is my submission to week #8 edition of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Savoring the weekly gallery is highly recommended: it's a very special mid-week treat.

The photo was shot in color and then converted to sepia.

This post contains the gallery of photos submitted to the event.

gelato di pesche arrosto

roasted peach ice cream

After roasting strawberries (and using them to make gelato and frittata), I turned my attention to peaches, which is easy since I get them in my weekly CSA box. The peaches from Neukom Family Farm are justly famous. Having a steady supply of them throughout the season means that I can carry out experiments like the following one.

I started with the idea that I would roast peaches and use them to make ice cream. The inspiration for the custard part came from the recipe for Peach or Nectarine Ice Cream in my beloved (and recommended) ice cream book: Frozen Dessert by Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir. I didn't want the peaches to be utterly soft: I wanted the resulting ice cream to have a bit of fruit texture. After a few tries, I settled on this version (which of course may be further changed in the future).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g) ripe and flavorful peaches (indifferent peaches make an indifferent gelato, so please look for tasty fruit)
• 1/2 cup (100 g) [ultra-fine] sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup (240 ml) non-fat milk (latte scremato)
• 1 large or extra-large pastured egg
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) vanilla extract of good quality
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream (panna da montare)

Heat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat that is wider and longer than the sheet, so no juice can escape from any side. Wash and cut in half the peaches — you'll most probably use two — then remove the stone (nocciolo). Place the peaches in the baking sheet cut side up. Take a tablespoon (15 ml) of the sugar and distribute it among the hollows left by the stones. Do the same with the lemon juice. Put the peaches in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let peaches cool.

As you can see in the photo, the hollow fills with juice while baking. Empty the juice in the food processor. Remove the skin, put peaches in the food processor and pulse a few times: you want small pieces of peach (pesca) to remain detectable. Pour in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat the milk in a saucepan until quite hot (but not boiling). In a bowl, whisk together egg and remaining sugar. Temper the egg with a bit of the hot milk, then slowly add the rest, while whisking. Put the saucepan on gentle heat, and stir the ice cream base almost constantly. You will notice a thickening. When a film forms over the back side of the stirring spoon (I use a wooden one), draw your finger across. If the line stays clear, the custard is ready. (If it overheats, it will curdle.) Remove the pan from the heat and place in a cold water bath, while stirring the custard. Once cool, cover and place in the fridge until thoroughly chilled.

When ready to churn, add vanilla extract and cream to the custard and stir well to incorporate, then add the peaches and stir some more. Churn in your ice cream maker until it reaches the consistency of gelato. Spoon into serving bowls, serve immediately and enjoy. After plating the ice cream, do not leave what is left over in the machine, but transfer it into a plastic container, cover the surface with wax paper, then put on the lid. Place in the freezer. Take out of the freezer half an hour or so before eating, so the gelato has time to soften.

This gelato has a delicate pastel color and a nice peach flavor. The first time I made it, I served it to six very obliging guests and the deep silence that fell around the table after I had finished passing the last bowl was a welcome signal of success. Are you wondering whether there is going to be also a roasted peach frittata? You bet!

This is my contribution to the event Veggie/Fruit a Month, the vegetarian event created by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes and hosted this month by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, who chose peaches as theme. 

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

gelato di pesche arrosto

or launch the gelato di pesche arrosto audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

gelato, ice cream, peach

insalata di pomodori, avocado, cetriolo limone e melone

tomato, avocado, lemon cucumber and cantaloupe salad

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

Remember the beautiful Blush tomatoes from my recent roasted corn salad? I didn't use the whole basket then, so I came up with another combination where the pretty pomodori could shine. The suggestion came from this week CSA box, where once again I found some lemon cucumbers (they are pretty too, aren't they?) and a perfectly ripe cantaloupe.

A short detour. Since I heard the word cantaloupe for the first time, I have been curious about its origins. An online search returns a lot of pages, but a couple of sentences recur like a refrain, which always makes me a bit suspicious. This is one: "The cantaloupe was named after the commune Cantalupo in Sabina, in the Sabine Hills near Tivoli, Italy, a summer residence of the Pope." Cantalupo is indeed in the Sabine Hills, but is not near Tivoli. My father was born and grew up in Poggio Catino and my mother grew up in Casperia. As you can see from the map below, both villages are very close to the pin labeled A which represents Cantalupo. To find Tivoli, you have to go down and to the right, above the blue mark SS5. And why use Tivoli as a reference when Rome is equidistant?

Also, if Cantalupo had been "a summer residence of the Pope," I believe the fact would be mentioned on this page, which summarizes the history of the village, or on this page, which details the history of its palace (I consulted also another document on the same subject). It isn't and therefore I consider the claim unsubstantiated¹. Note that Cantalupo, like a good portion of central Italy, was part of the Papal State for several centuries, until the unification on Italy in 1861.

It is true that a group of melons (Cucumis melo) is called Cantaloupensis. However, according to this page and others, the European cantaloupe is different from the North American cantaloupe:

Taxonomically, Cucumis melo is further divided into different groups. Cantaloupensis is the true cantaloupe, which is medium sized, warty or scaly, common in Europe, but not grown commercially in America.

The Reticulatus group of melons—the most commonly grown—is easily identified by its netted skin and is called netted or summer melon. This group includes Galia and Charentais melons as well as what we call cantaloupe. In America, the terms "muskmelon" and "cantaloupe" are used interchangeably, yet "cantaloupe" is more common. When ripe, these melons are aromatic and the vine "slips" off from the fruit.

Back to Cantalupo, I am still wondering why I had never heard about the connection between the village and melons. After all, as a child and teenager, every summer I spent a month in my father's village, during melon season. We had melone e prosciutto quite often for dinner. Maybe the answer is simply that I don't remember. 

In the Tuscan Horticultural Society Bulletin of 1887, I have found a clue suggesting that maybe there is nothing wrong with my memory. In the paragraph titled Origin of the Cantaloup Melon, there is this sentence: Ora di questo popone, così ricercato in Francia, a Cantalupo non hanno neppure la memoria (Now, of this melon so sought after in France, in Cantalupo they have no memory). The paragraph that precedes this statement has at least one historical error, which casts a bit of a shadow on this source. So, I end up where I began: skeptical and wondering. In the meantime, Cantalupo seems to have remembered its connection with a prized fruit, and both last year and this year, at the end of August, a festival dedicated to the fruit was held in the village.

If you have information that can help shed some light on my quandary, let me know. End of the detour.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for insalata di pomodori, avocado, cetriolo limone e melone

Back to the salad, here are the ingredients I used:

• 10 Blush tomatoes
• an avocado
• a lemon cucumber
• 10 oz. cantaloupe — half of a small cantaloupe
  
• sea salt
• freshly squeezed lemon juice (succo di limone)
  
• basil chiffonade

In this salad, I paired tomatoes and cucumbers, a classic combination, though the varieties of both elements made it already "special." Cut each Blush tomato in half lengthwise and then cut each half into three pieces crosswise. Peel and dice avocado. Peel and slice lemon cucumber. Cut cantaloupe into slices, then remove the rind from each slice and cut into bite-sized pieces. Put all the ingredients in a bowl.

Because of the flavors involved and of the avocado, I decided that this salad needed no olive oil. A little sprinkling of salt, a nice squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of basil chiffonade is all that I added, then tossed. The result was refreshing and tasty to the palate and pleasant to the eye.

This is a simple dish that I share mostly as an invitation to be creative with available seasonal ingredients. Look at what you have in your CSA box or what is available at the farmers' market nearest to you and start experimenting with salad compositions. Have fun!

This post is my contribution to edition #298 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Rinku of Cooking in Westchester.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

¹ The current summer residence of the pope is Castel Gandolfo, in the area near Rome called Colli Albani. According to this page the first pope to use the palace as a summer residence was Urban VIII Barberini (1623-1649). Thanks to Frank for his note reminding me to add the information.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di pomodori, avocado, cetriolo limone e melone

or launch the insalata di pomodori, avocado, cetriolo limone e melone audio file [mp3].

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avocado, tomato, cucumber, melon, salad

Per i lettori italiani

Vi ricordate i bellissimi pomodori Blush che ho usato di recente in un'insalata di mais? Per prepararla non ho utilizzato tutto il cestino e quindi ho inventato un'altra combinazione per loro. Il suggerimento è venuto dalla mia cassettina dove ho trovato di nuovo alcuni cetrioli limone e un meloncino maturo.

Nella versione in inglese del post parlo un po' del nome del melone che ho usato, che qui si chiama cantaloupe. I vari tipi di melone sono divisi in tre gruppi, uno dei quali si chiama Cantaloupensis, nome derivato dal paese di Cantalupo in Sabina. Questa cosa mi ha sempre incuriosito un po' perché entrambi i miei genitori sono sabinesi e da ragazzina passavo il mese di Agosto a pochi chilometri da Cantalupo, ma non mi ricordo di aver mai sentito parlare del melone di Cantalupo. Il che naturalmente non vuol dire che non sia vero. Ho fatto un po' di ricerche su internet e ho scoperto che il melone di Cantalupo non viene coltivato commercialmente in America, per cui il nome cantaloupe non è applicato correttamente.

Ho anche trovato una nota in un paragrafo dedicato alle origini del "popone Cantaloup" nel Bulletino della Società toscana di orticultura del 1887 che dice: Ora di questo popone, così ricercato in Francia, a Cantalupo non hanno neppure la memoria. Il paragrafo precedente contiene almeno un errore storico, quindi prendo l'affermazione con un po' di beneficio d'inventario. Certamente mi piacerebbe andare a fondo nella mia ricerca e se avete notizie da contribuire, fatemelo sapere.

Questi sono gli ingredienti che ho usato per l'insalata:

• 10 pomodori varietà Blush
• un avocado
• 1 cetriolo limone
• 280 g melone — metà di un piccolo melone
  
• sale
• succo di limone
• basilico tagliato a chiffonade

In questa insalata ho sposato pomodori e cetrioli una coppia classica, ma le varietà particolari che ho usato la rendono speciale. Tagliare ciascun pomodoro Blush a metà per lungo e poi tagliare ogni metà in tre pezzi per largo. Sbucciare e tagliare a dadi l'avocado. Sbucciare e tagliare a pezzi il cetriolo limone. Affettare il melone, rimuovere la buccia e tagliarlo a pezzi. Mettere tutti gli ingredienti in un'insalatiera.

In base ai sapori e alla presenza dell'avocado, ho deciso che questa insalata può fare a meno dell'olio. Un pochino di sale, una bella spruzzata di succo di limone e del basilico è tutto cio che suggerisco di aggiungere come condimento, poi mescolare. Il risultato è rinfrescante e gustoso per il palato e piacevole alla vista.

Questo è un piatto semplice e lo descrivo più che altro come invito ad essere creativi con gli ingredienti stagionali che sono a vostra disposizione. Fate esperimenti nella preparazione di belle insalate e buon divertimento!

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 298 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Kris di Tutto a occhio.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

insalata di fagiolini viola e pomodori

purple wax bean and tomato salad

Last Saturday at the farmers' market, I made a number of nice purchases. I have already talked about the beautiful Blush tomatoes. I also got pretty purple wax beans. Unfortunately, the photo, taken before I washed the beans, does not really do them justice: the color, described here as "dark mauve," is brilliant and intense. And, as you can see, the inside is bright green. When I plunged the beans into the boiling water, however, the original color disappeared almost immediately and the beans turned green. 

I contemplated a traditional combination with potatoes (albeit ones with red flesh), when the tomatoes in the CSA box made me change my mind. I selected a yellow one and one that is red and green, with a nice layout of the two colors. I then decided that toasted sesame seeds would provide the right note of flavor and a bit of texture contrast. Finally, a hint of basil rounded off the simple vinaigrette of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (I am aware that not everybody likes the idea of vinegar on tomatoes, but I do. I grew up eating panzanella and various types of tomato salads all including vinegar.)

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for insalata di fagiolini viola e pomodori

Ingredients:

• 1 lb purple wax beans
• heirloom tomatoes of your choice, the number depending on their size
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (semi di sesamo), toasted in a dry skillet until golden and fragrant
• sea salt, to taste
• olive oil (olio d'oliva) of good quality
• balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico) of good quality
• basil chiffonade, to taste

Trim the beans (I topped and tailed them) and wash them. Cut them into approx. 2-inch pieces. (I did this after cooking them, but it is better to do it before.) Plunge them into a pot of boiling salted water, bring back water to a boil and cook until desired tenderness. Drain, place in a salad bowl and let cool thoroughly. 

Wash and slice the tomatoes, and add to the beans. In a small jar, measure oilve oil, balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. Screw on the lid and shake well. Distribute on the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and toss again, then serve.

There was quite a bit of juice released by the tomatoes in the bowl, so we used pieces of my homemade challah to fare la scarpetta. We had also another salad for dinner, but that is a story for another post.

This is my submission for My Legume Love Affair 38, the current edition of the popular, legume-centered event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, and hosted this month by Preeti of Relishing Recipes.

This post contains the first part of the roundup of the event, and this post contains the second part.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

insalata di fagiolini viola e pomodori

or launch the insalata di fagiolini viola e pomodori audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

wax bean, tomato, salad

neufchâtel fatto in casa (in bianco e nero)

homemade French Neufchâtel

The magic of cheese

A few days ago, I made a batch of French Neufchâtel while the previous one was still ripening. Each batch resulted in three cheeses, one of which is heart-shaped as a result of using the traditional mold (see this post for details). The age difference between the two cheeses is 13 days. When I took the photo, the cheese on the right had been ripening for only two days, while the one on the left had been ripening for 15 days.

Penicillum candidum and Geotrichium candidum are the molds responsible for creating the velvety layer that makes this cheese pretty. And part of the fun of making a bloomy-rind cheese is to see their surface "bloom."

This is my submission to week #7 edition of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event, recently launched by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

The photo was shot in color and then converted to black and white. (I actually took a few photos of the ripening cheese using the black and white setting, but was not happy with the results.)

This post contains the gallery of photos submitted to the event.

P.S. As of this writing, we have eaten one of the smaller cheeses from the earlier batch and it was excellent. There was again a basket of strawberries in my CSA box, so I will soon make this frittata.

prima variazione sul tema insalata di mais arrosto

variation I on a theme of roasted corn salad

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

This week, I received four ears of corn in my CSA box. I bought two more from the same producer (Neukom Family Farm) at the farmers' market yesterday and then roasted all six of them (I call this being energy-efficient). I used the kernels (chicchi) from two ears to make a second batch of the salad I wrote about recently (the rest will be turned into a soup: more on that in an upcoming post). Of course, I didn't make the salad exactly the same way.

First change: instead of Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, I used some beautiful Blush tomatoes. I had never seen them before setting eyes on them at the Green Fire Farm's stall: They are excellent and, as you can see, quite photogenic. If you see them at a market near you, give them a try. On this page you can read:

The 2" long 'julienne cherries' have an unforgettable tropical sweet flavor reminiscent of pineapple and are ready to pick when the pink blush starts to appear over the yellow background.

For the record, some of the tomatoes in the basket I got were 2.5-inch long. If you read the whole description and wonder what "indeterminate" mean, you can find an explanation on this page.

Second change: instead of dill (aneto), I used shiso (Japanese name of perilla), which I have been growing in my garden. I bought a seedling at the beginning of the summer from Flying Blue Dog Farm & Nursery, which has always interesting plants. This one caught my attention because of the beautiful shape of the textured leaves and their pretty color, green on one side and purplish red on the other. A bit surprisingly, the plant likes to be in my garden, even though it ended up being in the shadow of a tall sunflower. There are several varieties of shiso and I am growing the one called Britton. (Other varieties are green and red shiso.)

Shiso has a pleasant flavor of delicate mint with a hint of basil. As you can read on this page, it is used not only in the kitchen, but also for its medicinal qualities. I like having it in my herb garden because it is a really pretty plant.

 The leaves grow in pairs, each pair orthogonal to the one above and below. I let the plant grow a bit before starting to harvest the tender leaves at the top of each branch, which I have used in green salads. Yesterday I added it to the corn salad and I am glad I did.

In summary, the list of ingredients for the first variation of my roasted corn salad is as follows:

• 2 ears of corn (pannocchie di granturco¹), still wrapped in the husks (if they aren't, wrap them in foil before roasting them)
• 2 hearts of palm (I used canned)
• 8 yellow Blush tomatoes
• 1 lemon cucumber
• sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons drained yogurt (see below)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (senape di Digione), or to taste
• shiso (perilla) Britton chiffonade, to taste (use tender leaves at the top of a branch)
  

The instructions to prepare the ingredients and assemble the salad are the same as described in this post (which includes instructions to make drained yogurt), with the following changes pertaining the two different ingredients:

• Cut each Blush tomato in half lengthwise and then cut each half into three pieces crosswise.
• Sprinkle shiso on the salad and toss well.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for insalata di mais arrosto (original and variation I)

We liked this version of the salad as well. The roasted corn was excellent, and so were the Blush tomatoes (I still have half of the basket, but I wish I had bought more!). The shiso complemented well the ensamble of flavors. A winner in our houshold and a recipe I recommend, in either variation.

This post, Blush tomatoes, shiso Britton and all, is my contribution to edition #297 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Chris of Mele Cotte.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

prima variazione sul tema insalata di mais arrosto

or launch the prima variazione sul tema insalata di mais arrosto audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

¹ Both mais and granturco mean corn in Italian.

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corn, tomato, cucumber, salad

Per i lettori italiani

Questa settimana ho trovato quattro pannocchie nella mia cassettina, poi ieri al mercato ne ho comprate altre due dallo stesso produttore (Neukon Family Farm) e le ho cotte al forno tutte e sei. Ho usato i chicchi di due di esse per preparare una seconda volta l'insalata che ho descritto recentemente (col resto ci farò una zuppa: poi vi racconterò). Naturalmente, l'insalata non l'ho fatta proprio uguale.

Per prima cosa, invece dei pomodorini Sun Gold ho usato dei bellissimi Blush. Non avevo mai visto questa qualità prima di imbattermi negli esemplari della foto al banco di Green Fire Farm: sono lunghi 5-6,5 cm, sono buonissimi e come potete notare, anche fotogenici. Su questa pagina potete leggere che questi pomodori "hanno un dolce sapore tropicale che ricorda l'ananas e sono maturi quando un leggero arrossamento comincia ad apparire sullo sfondo giallo."

Poi, invece dell'aneto ho usato dello shiso, nome giapponese di una pianta che si chiama perilla, che ho piantato all'inizio dell'estate nel mio giardino. L'ho comprata perché la forma, la superficie e il colore delle foglie (verdi da un lato e rosso bordeaux dall'altra) mi avevano colpito. La pianta si è adattata bene, anche se è finita all'ombra di un alto girasole. Ci sono diverse varietà di shiso e quella che ho io si chiama Britton.

Le foglie hanno un sapore delicato di menta con accenni di basilico. Come potete leggere su questa pagina, shiso è utilizzato non solo in cucina ma anche per le sue proprietà medicinali.

   

Le foglie crescono a coppia, ciascuna coppia in posizione ortogonale rispetto a quella sopra e sotto. Ho lasciato crescere un po' la piantina prima di cominciare a raccogliere le foglioline tenere in cima ai rametti. Ieri, ne ho aggiunte alcune all'insalata di mais e sono soddisfatta della scelta.

In totale, la lista degli ingredienti della prima variazione sul tema insalata di mais arrosto è la seguente:

• 2 pannochie di granturco ancora con le foglie (se non ci sono, prima di infornarle avvolgere le pannocchie nella pellicola di alluminio)
• 2 cuori di palma (io ho usato quelli in scatola)
• 8 pomodori varietà Blush
  
• 1 cetriolo limone
• sale e pepe macinato fresco, a seconda del gusto
• 2 cucchiai (30 ml) di yogurt drenato (vedi Nota sotto)
• 1/2 cucchiaino (2,5 ml) senape di Digione, o a seconda del gusto
• foglioline di shiso (perilla) varietà Britton tagliate a chiffonade, a seconda del gusto

Le istruzioni per preparare gli ingredienti e comporre l'insalata sono le stesse descritte in questo post (che comprende istruzioni per drenare lo yogurt), con i sequenti cambiamenti relativi ai due ingredienti diversi:

• Tagliare ciascun pomodoro Blush a metà per lungo e poi tagliare ogni metà in tre pezzi per largo.
• Distribuire la chiffonade di shiso sull'insalata e mescolare bene.

Anche questa versione dell'insalata e molto buona. Il mais arrosto è eccellente e altrettanto lo sono i pomodorini Blush (avrei dovuto comprarne un altro cestino!). Lo shiso complementa bene l'insieme dei sapori. Una ricetta estiva che vi raccomando, sia l'originale che questa prima variazione.

Questo post sul mais, lo shiso e i pomodorini Blush è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 297 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana dalla stessa Brii.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

insalata di mais arrosto con cuori di palma, pomodori ciliegia e cetriolo limone

roasted corn salad with hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes and lemon cucumber

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

As a child, I ate corn at most once a year, if we happened to visit a family of friends, who grew some in their garden, on harvest day. They would build a fire and we had roasted corn for dinner. I was an adult the first time I had a salad made of corn; the other ingredients were hearts of palm and diced Emmenthal cheese. So, in today's recipe, I pair the two memories I just described: roasted corn and a corn salad that includes hearts of palm.

The center of attention of the salad is roasted corn. Fresh, sweet corn is available at the farmers' market and this week, I got some in my CSA box. Roasting corn still wrapped in the husks is a great way of obtaining a flavorful ingredient not only for salad, but also for soup.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for insalata di mais arrosto

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of corn (pannocchie di granturco¹), still wrapped in the husks (if they aren't, wrap them in foil before roasting them)
• 2 hearts of palm (I used canned)
• 2 dozens cherry tomatoes (I used Sun Gold)
• 1 lemon cucumber
• sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons drained yogurt (see Note below)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (senape di Digione), or to taste
• fresh dill (aneto), to taste

Note: I used non-fat yogurt, but you can also use low-fat and full-fat plain yogurt. Line a small colander with a piece of cotton cloth and spoon some yogurt of choice in it. Place colander on a bowl to catch the whey. Let drain in the fridge overnight, then store in a container. Use as a base for spread or dressing.

Roast corn in the oven at 450 F for 20 minutes. Let cool briefly, then remove the husks. Working on a shallow bowl or pyrex dish, use a knife to separate kernels and scrapings from the cob. This page from bon appetít describes precisely the way I do this with the knife. (Save the empty cobs to make stock or broth.) Let corn cool thoroughly.

Rinse hearts of palm and slice crosswise. Cut cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. Peel and dice lemon cucumber. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, add salt and pepper and toss gently.

In a ramekin, mix together drained yogurt and Dijon mustard, then spoon on the salad. Snip dill on the surface of the salad and toss well. Serve and enjoy.

You may want to use more or less of this or that ingredient. But make this salad: it is really nice, refreshing, filling and cheerful (yes, there is such a thing as a sad salad: this one is the polar opposite).

Update: in this post, I describe a variation on this salad.

In the photo, I put a couple of tomatoes of odd shapes. The one in the right was actually a case of Siamese twins (gemelli siamesi). The mini-shears are part of a gift I received recently and are very handy to snip herbs. On this page you can read information about the sustainable cultivation and harvesting of the hearts of palm I bought.²

This is my submission for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. This post contains the roundup of the event.

I am also sending this post to Tin Can Recipes, a monthly event that will run until the end of this year. The organizers are Ale, Fra, Sere and Paola of Il Giardino degli Aromi and Brii of briggishome. The rules for participating are detailed on this page. This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di mais arrosto

or launch the insalata di mais arrosto audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

¹ Both mais and granturco mean corn in Italian.

² The can of hearts of palm in the photo is for information only: it is not an advertisement. I do not have a business relationship with the product's company.

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corn, tomato, cucumber, salad

Per i lettori italiani

Il centro dell'attenzione in questa insalata è il mais cotto al forno. Al mercato in questo periodo si trovano pannocchie di granturco appena colte e questa settimana ne ho trovate alcune anche nella mia cassettina. Il mais cotto al forno è un ingrediente ottimo non solo per insalate ma anche per zuppe.

Ingredienti:

• 2 pannochie di granturco ancora con le foglie (se non ci sono, prima di infornarle avvolgere le pannocchie nella pellicola di alluminio)
• 2 cuori di palma (io ho usato quelli in scatola)
• 2 dozzine di pomodori ciliegia (io ho usato la varieta Sun Gold, dalla mia cassettina)
• 1 cetriolo limone
• sale e pepe macinato fresco, a seconda del gusto
• 2 cucchiai (30 ml) di yogurt drenato (vedi Nota sotto)
• 1/2 cucchiaino (2,5 ml) senape di Digione, o a seconda del gusto
• aneto fresco, a seconda del gusto

Nota: io ho usato yogurt magro, ma si possono usare anche altri tipi di yogurt bianco. Coprire con un pezzo di cotone un colino di dimensioni adeguate e versateci dello yogurt. Mettere il colino su una ciotola per raccogliere il siero che drena. Lasciare drenare una notte nel frigo e poi mettere in un contenitore. Usare come base per creme da spalmare e/o condimento per insalata.

Cuocere le pannocchie in forno a 230 C per 20 minuti. Farle intiepidire un po' poi rimuovere le foglie. Appoggiandosi all'interno di una ciotola bassa o di una teglie di pyrex, usate un coltello per separare i chicchi dal tutolo.¹ Questa pagina dalla rivista bon appetít (in inglese) descrive il procedimento che uso anche io per sgranare il mais col coltello. (Mettere da parte i tutoli e utilizzarli come ingrediente per fare il brodo vegetale o di carne.) Sciacquare i cuori di palma e tagliare a fettine. Tagliare i pomodorini a metà per lungo. Sbucciare il cetriolo limone e tagliarlo a dadi. Mettere tutti gli ingredienti preparati in un'insalatiera, salare e pepare a piacere e mescolare delicatamente.

In una ciotolina, mescolare yogurt drenato e senape e poi versare sull'insalata. Sminuzzare l'aneto, spargerlo sulla superficie e mescolare bene, poi servire.

Potete usare più o meno di ognuno degli ingredienti, a seconda dei vostri gusti. Ma vi consiglio di preparare questa insalata: è davvero buona, rinfrescante, saziante e allegra (esistono insalate tristi e questa è l'opposto).

Update: in this post, you can see a first variation on the salad.

Nella foto, ho messo un paio di pomodorini di forma buffa. Quello sulla destra di fatto è un caso di gemelli siamesi. Le forbicine piccole sono parte di un regalo ricevuto di recente e sono molto comode per sminuzzare le erbe aromatiche, come aneto ed erba cipollina. Su questa pagina (in inglese) potete leggere informazioni riguardanti la coltivazione e il raccolto sostenibili dei cuori di palma che ho acquistato.²

Con questo post contribuisco all'evento Tin Can Recipes dedicato alla celebrazione dei 200 anni del cibo in scatola. L'organizzazione dell'evento è di Ale, Fra, Sere e Paola del blog Il Giardino degli Aromi e di Brii che scrive briggishome. Le regole per partecipare le trovate su questa pagina. Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell'evento.

Contribuisco anche all'edizione di questa settimana dell'evento Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, creato Deb di Kahakai Kitchen. Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell'evento.

¹ Ho appena scoperto che questo è il nome del torsolo della pannocchia.

² La scatola di cuori di palma nella foto è solo a titolo informativo: non è una pubblicità. Non ho alcun rapporto commerciale con l'azienda produttrice.

 

 

 

semi di papavero

poppy seeds

Three years ago, I bought some poppy seedlings and I have had red and purple poppies in my garden every year ever since. Of course, after the first time, they sprout in surprise locations, but in the context of my serendipitous garden, that is perfectly fine.

The best part of having poppies in the garden is to see them bloom in real time (in this album, you can see some of such an occurrence). Harvesting the seeds is the second best part. In the photo above, you can see the pores beneath the stigma disk from which the seeds come out (the capsule is dehiscent by pores beneath the stigma). I let one of the capsules fall on a napkin and got the trail of seeds to photograph.

In case you are wondering, there were more seeds in the capsule than what you see in the photo. Also, I use the poppy seeds I harvest mostly in the making of challah (see bottom photo of this post).

This is my submission to week #6 edition of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event, recently launched by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

The photo was shot in color and then converted to black and white (one of these days I will remember to try shooting in the black and white setting).

This post contains the gallery of photos submitted to the event.

libro di fotografie

photo book

It is a small book, but it is special to me as it is the first time I have had a set of my digital photographs printed on paper. Using the Kodak Gallery website to create an online archive of photos and then to design the book was very easy and enjoyable. I chose a set of photos from the last 16 months or so and loaded them into my account, organized into albums (album).

I then selected 20 photos for the book and the system created the first draft. The next step was rearranging the photos in a sequence and then choosing the various elements of the book (cover, background, corners, etc.). The website allows you to model the whole book or each page individually: you can work on multi-page or single-page view, which is very helpful.

True to my minimalist nature, I kept every element simple: a series of photos, one per page, connected by some association, black background with just a hint of a design, no frame and no captions (to maximize photo size). The final decision I made was the title: Fantasia is the Italian word for fantasy, chosen for itself and also because of the musical composition and the beloved Disney movie. Once satisfied with the look of the book, I had it printed and I received it within a couple of days.

I am pleased with the result. It was nice to page through the book and see my photos from a new perspective. As expected, my images on paper (carta) look different than on the computer screen. I am happy with my choices dictated by my love of simplicity. You can flip through the book by following this link. While most of the photos are of food and have been featured on this blog, some have other subjects, in particular, my beloved Pacific Ocean and the poppies (papaveri) that bloomed in my garden in late spring. Come to think about it, this book says a lot about me.

Many thanks to the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program and Kodak Gallery for offering me the opportunity to make the book. It was a very nice experience.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

libro di fotografie

or launch the libro di fotografie audio file [mp3].

Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

FTC discosure: as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Kodak Gallery, I received a medium hardcover photo book at no charge. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for discussing the book on my blog.

Kodak Gallery is providing an 40% discount on a medium hardcover (like the one I made) or a large Photo Book. If you are interested, follow this link. The offer is valid until 8/31/2011.

frittata con fragole arrosto e neufchâtel fatto in casa

frittata with roasted strawberries and homemade French Neufchâtel cheese

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

Yes, you read correctly and, yes, it sounds quite strange. It sounded strange to me too, when the idea formed in my mind. In fact, I resisted it: I tried to come up with reasons why it would not work. Then, I yielded: I suspended my disbelief, ready to resume it, if necessary, after tasting the result. You see, after the success of my gelato with roasted strawberries, I became obsessed with the idea of using roasted strawberries in a savory combination. My first attempt (a pairing with roasted new potatoes) was unsuccessful, but the strawberries were not wasted: eating them convinced me even more firmly of their potential as a savory ingredient.

Then, one morning, the thought hit me: frittata — which would allow me to encase the strawberries in a tender matrix and use the juice produced during roasting. The addition of some of my homemade French Neufchâtel cheese, a bloomy-rind cheese (formaggio a crosta fiorita) with the right level of tang, would provide a light contrast to the sweet strawberries.

The strange idea turned into an excellent dish. I offered the second rendition of the recipe to our dinner guests last Sunday evening. Our dear friends Christine of Christine Cooks and her husband are used to being served experiments, so they were fine with trying yet another one — even a really weird-sounding one. After a taste, they were convinced. (The dinner included another new dish: farfalle rosa)

I love this frittata. And so does my husband, head of my Quality Assurance department. From now on, all the strawberries that arrive in my kitchen will get roasted and then used to make either gelato or frittata.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for frittata con fragole arrosto e neufchâtel fatto in casa

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. strawberries
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico) of good quality
• olive oil
• 6 pastured eggs (uova)
• sea salt
• 1.5 oz. [homemade] French Neufchâtel cheese (a bloomy-rind cheese), or similar cheese
  

Wash strawberries and carve out stem. Place in a bowl, add  balsamic vinegar and toss gently. Heat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat that is wider and longer than the sheet, so no juice can escape from any side. Place strawberries on the sheet on a single layer. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let strawberries cool slightly while you prepare the eggs. Cut them in half lengthwise (quarter the very large ones, if any).

Oil a 10-inch skillet and warm up. Break the eggs in a bowl and whisk them lightly until just blended. Add a couple of pinches of salt and whisk briefly. Add the juice released by the strawberries during roasting: tilt the baking sheet and let the juice flow into the bowl, making sure the strawberries don't go the same way. Whisk lightly to incorporate.

Pour the eggs slowly into the skillet. Gently slide the strawberries in the pan and arrange them so they are evenly distributed. Cook over low heat until the eggs are set. In the meantime, turn on the broiler. (If your oven allows it, choose the "low" setting.)

Cut the cheese into thin slices and then each slice into pieces (1/2 inch or so). When the edge of the frittata is set, evenly distribute the cheese on the surface. Also, after the edge is set, run a spatula under it and shake the frittata gently to ensure the bottom does not stick to the pan.

When the eggs are set, place the skillet in the oven for a couple of minutes, leaving the door ajar. Take the skillet out of the oven (don't forget that the handle is hot) and let the frittata rest for of a few minutes, then slide it onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve. As as is usual with frittata, you can store leftovers in the fridge and enjoy them the following day, at room temperature.

This frittata has everything: the soft juiciness of strawberries, the slight tang of the mold-ripened cheese, the silkiness of eggs diluted with strawberry juice.

This is my contribution to edition #296 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

frittata con fragole arrosto

 or launch the frittata con fragole arrosto audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

strawberry, frittata, egg, cheese

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Per i lettori italiani

Avete letto giusto e lo so che suona piuttosto strano. Suonava strano anche a me, quando l'idea si è formata nella mia testa. Infatti, ho resistito, ho provato ad elencare i motivi per i quali non avrebbe funzionato. Poi ho ceduto e ho sospeso la mia incredulità, almeno fino al momento di assaggiare il risultato. Dopo il successo del mio gelato di fragole arrosto, ho deciso di provare a usare le fragole in un piatto salato. Il primo tentativo (un accoppiamento con patate novelle arrosto) non è riuscito, ma le fragole non sono andate perse, e infatti mangiarle mi ha convinto del loro potenziale come ingrediente nel salato.

Poi, una mattina, si è accesa la lampadina: una frittata — che mi avrebbe permesso di avere le fragole immerse in una matrice morbida e di utilizzare il succo prodotto durante la cottura in forno. L'aggiunta di un po'  del mio neufchâtel fatto in casa, un formaggio a crosta fiorita offre un leggero contrasto di sapore con le fragole dolci.

La strana idea si è trasformata in un piatto eccellente. Adoro questa frittata. E piace molto anche a mio marito, che è a capo del mio Dipartimento Controllo Qualità. D'ora in poi, tutte le fragole che compro verranno cotte al forno e utilizzate per preparare il gelato o questa frittata.

Ingredienti:

• 280 g di fragole
  
• mezzo cucchiaino (2,5 ml) aceto balsamico
• olio d'oliva
• 6 uova fresche codice 0 
• sale
• 40-45 g di neufchâtel a crosta fiorita [fatto in casa], o formaggio simile

Lavare le fragole e privarle del picciolo. Mettere le fragole in una ciotola e aggiungere l'aceto balsamico. Mescolare con delicatezza. Scaldare il forno a 175 C. Foderare una lastra da forno con un tappetino di silicone che sia più lungo e più largo della lastra, in modo che il succo prodotto durante la cottura in forno non finisca sotto il tappetino.

Mettere in forno e cuocere per 20 minuti. (La temperatura in gradi Fahrenheit che uso io, 350, è un po' al di sopra di 175 C e un po' al di sotto di 180 C. Ho deciso di specificare la temperatura più bassa poiché preferisco essere cauta. Potete lasciare le fragole in forno un paio di minuti in più.) Lasciar intiepidire leggermente le fragole. Tagliarle a metà per lungo (o in quarti, se sono molto grosse).

Oliare bene una padella (25 cm) e scaldare. Rompere le uova in una ciotola e sbatterle leggermente. Aggiungere un paio di pizzichi di sale e incorporare. Aggiungere il succo emesso dalle fragole durante la cottura in forno: inclinare la lastra da forno e far scorrere il succo nella ciotola, facendo attenzione a non far scivolar via le fragole. Mescolare per incorporare il succo nelle uova.

Versare lentamente le uova nella padella, poi far scivolare le fragole nella padella e distribuirle in modo uniforme. Cuocere a fuoco dolce fino a quando le uova sono rapprese. Nel frattempo, accendere la parte alta del forno. (Se il vostro forno lo permette, scegliere l'opzione a calore basso.)

Tagliare il formaggio a fettine sottili e poi a pezzetti (1-1,5 cm) Una volta che il bordo delle frittata si è rappreso, distribuire il formaggio sulla superficie. Poi, passare una spatolina sotto il bordo e scuotere la padella (delicatamente) per evitare che la frittata si attacchi.

Quando le uova si sono rapprese, mettere la padella nel forno, lasciando lo sportello socchiuso, per un paio minuti. (Se avete scelto l'opzione a calore basso, probabilmente ci vorranno 3 minuti.) Tirare fuori la padella (fare attenzione: il manico scotta) e far riposare un paio di minuti, poi mettere la frittata su un piatto, tagliare e servire. Come al solito con la frittata, potete conservare gli avanzi in frigo e mangiarli il giorno dopo a temperatura ambiente.

Questa frittata ha tutto: la tenera succosità delle fragole, la leggera acidità del formaggio a crosta fiorita, la sofficità delle uova diluite col succo delle fragole.

Questo è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 296 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana dalla stessa Brii.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.