Monthly Archives: June 2007

Daring Bakers: Real Honest Jewish Purist’s Bagels

Posted on by

bagel 1.jpg

Wow! Always challenging our daring bakers contests!!! I made bagels just once in my life, few month ago, and I was ready to try a new recipe and give it another chance to improve!
And this recipe, even if in mammoth proportions, is wonderful! Luckily I made them for friends coming over, so they were just enough!
How did it go?
First of all, as the rules weren’t allowing the use of a mixer, I knead by hand the dough.
So, let’s think, since how many years I haven’t knead by hand??? To many for sure! Kneading is a wonderful exercise, for mind, muscle and soul. When I’m stressed, or sad, or I don’t fill all my self, I make something yeasty and fluffy, but I don’t knead any more… Mainly because three years a go I kneaded so hard a bread that my wrists began to hurt, so I began to use the mixer. But now, years later and old stress free, I knead again, and I’m so happy!!!
Remember, when life is hard and you don’t know what to do, KNEAD AND BAKE!!! (this could be the opening line of the Daring Bakers hymn, what you think???)…
The rest of the execution when smooth as a sailing boat on a sunny, light wind day! I enjoyed every single step, every single ironic line written by our hosts…
I had just one tiny problem: they are so ugly, but so so so ugly that I’m a bit ashamed to let you see pictures of them, but they tasted much much better then Nigella’s…
But, you know, life too isn’t always beautiful! But always tasty, that’ a given!!! ;-)
Bagels for ever and ever!

Daring bakers rock, rule and we are cool!!! (Does it work enough as a rhyme? Maybe no…)

Bagel 2.jpg

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

Posted on by

Feta and courgette quiche.jpg

It wasn’t a period of civil war, but a period of great heat, and the less I’m near the oven/fires, the better I feel!
And this quiche is cooked in the oven for 25 minutes without looking after it, prepared in 5 minutes top and could be eat either cold or warm…

2 courgettes
200 g of feta cheese
2 egg whites and 1 egg
200 ml of milk
Mint and basil leaves
Salt and pepper

1 roll of fresh puff pastry

Roll out the puff pastry inside a cake mould. Wash and trim the courgettes, then grate them with the biggest grater directly inside the cake mould.
Chopped mint and basil leaves.
Mix egg whites and egg (but if you prefer, you can use 2 entire eggs: I just had some white standing in the fridge since yesterday), milk, salt and pepper and the chopped herbs.
Pour it over the raw courgette, then crumble over it the feta.

Cooked in a preheated oven (180° C) for 25 minutes.

While we were eating it I thought that even adding grated lemon zest could do very well indeed!

EBBP#7: Childhood sweets

Posted on by

As a little girl I wasn’t very keen on sweets: never ate many caramelle (sugar sweets), but I ate loads of chocolate!
When I saw two months ago the theme for this year Euro Blogging By Post I though that maybe I wasn’t really fitting in, but then I found some stuff to send!
When Saturday morning I received my parcel I was completely with out words!!! So many sweets, and all looking exotic to me!!! Well, they are all English, so not from so far away… My husband was the happiest looking at them!!! He loves sweets!
The only way I know to thank Johanna for hosting and sweet Freya for sending me so many wonderfully amazing sweet stuff!!! I will soon have a bite of everything! :-)

Posted in Uncategorized

Opportunities

Posted on by

For my work with San Lorenzo I have, among other stuff, to organize events, both in Italy and England. Should I express the happiness that surround me since I have to do this kind of job, or is a given??? :-D
For the next week-end, the last of June, we are launching a new monthly event: Il Vino Lo Portiamo Noi (we bring the wine)!
We give to 10 lucky drawn people the possibility to eat in a Michelin starred restaurant with a special tasting menu matched with the wines we produce. The lunch, or dinner, is completely free, and altogether we will give you the opportunity to visit the kitchen, the cellar and speak with the chef, asking him all the question you have in mind! A special day to remember!!!
This month, friday 29th, we are attending a lunch to the astonishingly good, well known and wonderfully positioned Don Alfonso 1890, near Naples and facing the island of Capri! Not only the food, but even the setting will be outstanding!
So, if you are interested, why not try to push your luck and enter the competition??? The enrolments will close tonight at midnight, CET (Central European Time) and the lucky picked by the Fortune goddess will be announced!
Hurry! I’ll keep my finger crossed for you!

P.S. We offer the lunch, but transportation and accommodation are at your expense.

Disclaimer: this post is about the company I work for. They do not pay me to write this on my blog, but I thought you could be interested as I think this is a wonderful opportunity for everybody.

Salted twists

Posted on by
Twist a la fleur de sel.jpg

Lately I’m more on simple, quick and not so complicated stuff then anything else… It’s hot here in Italy, and the hotter it is, the sleepier I am…
So, simple, quick, even for friends coming over to dinner!
This twists are wonderful with a sparkle of fleur de sel or some parmigiano or other grated cheese or some tapennade…
All you have to do is to buy a nice and good quality puff pastry (but if you are so brave to make it, KUDOS! Just the thought of all that turns make me yawing!), lay it on the table, sparkle it with cheese of olive paté, fold it in half, cut long thin stripes, then, with each end between the thumb and the index finger of each hand.
If you are using the fleur de sel, twist them and then sparkle with salt.

Cooked in a pre-heated oven until golden

Serve with aperitifs.

Related Posts with Thumbnails