Homemade Pizza

I'm a big fan of pizza and I would eat it for breakfast, lunch and supper.  Since I moved to Oslo it's one of the few things I miss, and not wanting to become the usual Italian that complains about the quality of pizza in foreign countries I decided to try and prepare it myself. I'm no pizza maker and I never baked a pizza before, as usually in Italy pizzerias just deal in pizzas and restaurants take care of all the rest. Also in Italy there's not much need to learn how to do it since it's very easy to find good pizza for a cheap price. I anticipate that this pizza turned out pretty ugly, yet super-fluffy and tasty. I followed a recipe for "Pizza Napoletana", which is the version I enjoy the most because it's thick and soft. Sorry for the long introduction but pizza is a very serious business for Italians (and especially people from Naples!) and I wanted to put things in perspective: this is a homesick pizza baked in a simple electric oven. I chose not to include mozzarella because as all Italians I'm picky on its quality and I haven't been able to find one  that I like here in Oslo yet (if anybody has suggestions regarding this, please write me a  PM!). Here are the quantities for two pizzas:

Melt sugar and yeast in the water (yeast "eats" the sugar, thus helping the rising of the dough), then add the yeasted-water to flour and salt and knead until the dough is smooth and be careful not to overdo it. Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with a wet cloth napkin or plastic and let it rest for a couple of hours. Split the dough in two and put the two pieces in two separate bowls, then let them rest overnight (or at least for 4-6 hours more). When the time is right, prepare a flat surface by sprinkling it with flour and start to work the dough with circular movements of your palms. Focus on the central part of the dough and mind that the perimeter will have to be thicker in order to form a crust. Don't use the rolling pin since it's wrong to do it in this case. When the dough is flattened and ready, top with your ingredients of choice - in this case I used tomato sauce, anchovies and capers. Don't forget that pizza often needs also a hint of basil or oregano. Lay the pizza on a flat, oiled (use extra-virgin olive oil of course) surface and bake at 180 degrees for 7-8 minutes, depending on the oven and on the thickness of the dough.

A little postface: in Italy you're allowed to top your pizza with pretty much anything you want, except chicken and pineapple. Also, Prosciutto Crudo should never be cooked, but just added right after baking. Don't be scared by the picture, the pizza tasted great! Anyway, practice makes perfect. If you want to see some videos of pizza kneading as reference, I suggest to copy and paste these keywords on youtube: "come stendere la pizza".

Buon appetito!

Pink scampi, grapefruit and honey cocktail

This tiny fruit salad is a refreshing and juicy appetizer, it's healthy and light but still delicious. The grapefruit's bitter sourness is balanced by the honey dressing and the buttery texture of the beans. This salad is perfect for regular meals as well as cocktail parties also because it has its own natural bowl. In addition to being beautiful and yummy it's also pretty quick to make. Here's the ingredients for 1 appetizer:

Cut the grapefruit in two pieces one of which should take 3/4 of the whole fruit. Using a sharp and small knife take out the grapefruit's pulp with circular movements. Chop the pulp in fine pieces and set it aside. Quickly boil the shrimps keeping them in their own husks (it depends on size of the scampi but 1 minute should suffice), drain, let them cool down and peel them. In a cup whisk oil and honey until they blend together. Gently mix scampi, grapefruit's pulp and butter beans in a bowl and add the honey dressing. Pour the salad in the grapefruit's emptied skin. Dip the spring onion cut in thin stripes in ice-cold water so it curls up. Top with sea salt, pepper and spring onion. Serve possibly with a good chilled Prosecco wine.

Buon appetito!

Focaccia with onion and roasted olives

Focaccia is one of my many passions: I grew up with focaccia and mortadella as a daily snack (and you can tell from my silhouette). Today's entry is one of the hundreds of possible variations in focaccia. As I mentioned before in Italy everybody will complain and have their say if you give them a recipe, if you just give them the results they will still complain that it's not like their mother's but they will devour it and secretly enjoy it.

This version has a topping just to give you an idea of a possible combination but you can also pass on the olives, basil and onions and enjoy a simple basic focaccia (you have to use at least rock salt and rosemary) or pick some other ingredients instead. Feel free to experiment and try different things but remember that it has to be delicious. Here we go! 

Put the yeast with water and honey in a cup and set aside. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees and oil a flat oven pan. In the kneader's bowl mix together the flours and start the machine at low intensity and slowly add the water (by now the yeast should have dissolved in it). When you're done with water add salt and oil. When the dough becomes homogeneous put in a bowl and cover with a wet cloth napkin. After 30 minutes move the dough to the oven pan and flatten it gently with your fingertips, cover again and wait other 20 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop the onions and take off the kernels from the olives. Press with all your fingertips the surface of your focaccia in order to create tiny craters (not too deep). Pour a dash of oil on the dough and spread all over then add the onions, the torn basil leaves and the olives. Bake for 25/30 minutes then put on some kind of grate in order to let the bottom part of your focaccia dry up evenly as well as the top.

Cut in slices or rhombuses and serve.

As you can see I used black roasted olives instead of the green ones because I prefer the latter in my martini and not on my focaccia. Also I took off the kernels myself because when you buy cleaned olives they always taste too much of brine.

Buon appetito!

Camilla's Special Banana Bread

This yummy and fluffy nibble is perfect for kids and grown up gluttons alike, you can have it for breakfast with a glass of milk or as a snack with a cup of tea (I had this while drinking a cinnamon chai latte and it was great). It's a shame that cameras can't capture the softness of this sweet loaf: the crumb is moist and delicious with a delicate banana scent. I recently used these three magical ingredients for another treat but I can assure you that the difference between the results is huge. I added some peanut butter to increase the fragrance of the bananas and probably if you tasted this bread without knowing it you wouldn't be able to tell. The chocolate warms up the overall flavour and also in combination with brown sugar, it gives an inviting caramel colour to this bread. Here we go!

 Ingredients for a medium loaf pan:

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees and grease a loaf pan. In a medium bowl mix together sugar, oil and eggs until smooth. Slowly add bananas and peanut butter while whisking energetically. Sift in flour, baking soda and baking powder, keep on mixing and add the last two ingredients: chocolate and sour cream. Now pour the dough in the loaf pan and bake for an hour. Let it cool down before slicing it.

Buon appetito!

Aromatic Salt (Salamoia Bolognese)

Today I'll write about Salamoia, a precious and very common ingredient for many Italian dishes. Used with measure it adds a lot of richness to even the simplest preparations. It can make the difference between a good meal and a yummy feast. You'll need:

Preheat the oven at 50 degrees

After you washed them dry the herbs with a clean cloth napkin and mix them with the salt in a flat baking pan covered with a layer of baking paper. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes so the herbs release their essential oils. Pour the aromatic salt in a sterile jar so you can keep it for as long as you want. This recipe is for the basic Salamoia, but there are countless variations (you can use lemon zest, thyme, chili peppers, estrogen and so on).

This powerful flavour enhancer can be used on meat, fish, cooked vegetables and pretty much all savory things that need a new kind of kick.

As you can see I didn't upload any picture this time because the ones I took turned out too crappy.

Buon appetito! 

Penne with pears, walnuts and Bleu d'Auvergne

Usually I combine pear and cheese in risotto but this time I wanted to do something quick and easy so I opted for pasta. I know that the solid marriage between pear and cheese will make some noses wrinkle but I think that in this dish it becomes enjoyable also for picky palates.

Bleu d'Auvergne is a very particular blue cheese, extremely buttery and "grassy", easily finding its place in a hot sauce with soft and juicy pears and crunchy walnuts. I picked the Bishop pear for this recipe because of its fragrancy and the fresh notes in its taste but of course you're free to use your own favourite variety of pear. Allons courage!

  Ingredients for 2:

Boil some water (I suggest to salt the water after it boils). Finely chop the shallot and stir-fry it in some oil. When it becomes gold add the pears and let them cook for more or less 7 minutes at medium/low fire. When the water is ready add the pasta - mind to keep on stirring it and don't let the penne stick to one another. When the pears soften up add the cheese while keeping some for topping. You'll notice that it will quickly dissolve and the sauce will become creamier (and of course tastier!). After draining the pasta quickly stir everything together and dish it up. Garnish with additional cheese, the walnuts and freshly crushed black pepper.

P.S. A little note about pasta: fortunately the right way to do it is getting more and more common, but maybe some still ignore the fact that you're not supposed to cook pasta for too long. I'm no pasta-nazi but if you eat your pasta al dente it will be more digestible and closer to the original Italian Food Experience™. The cooking times on pasta boxes are not always correct so I suggest to taste it while it's boiling. Remember that if you intend to stir the pasta with its sauce in a pan or gratin it in the oven you should boil it for an even shorter time. I don't want to advertise products but if you find it I suggest buying Garofalo pasta (their radiatori are amazing).

Buon appetito!   

Marvellous (and ultra easy) Vegan Friendly Valentine Recipe

I'm not a big fan of Vegan desserts and being an omnivore I'm a bit skeptic about this kind of recipe. 

A good part of my working experience has been in Vegetarian/Vegan restaurants though, so I can come up with good ideas ideas in this field sometimes. Once again hearts and chocolate, in a healthier version this time but still yummy. This is also very easy and quick. Let's start!

Ingredients for two (if you're in a non-conventional relationship just double the ingredients and adjust to your taste):

  In a big glass blend all the ingredients except for the hazelnuts and the pear, and stop when you feel it's creamy enough. Pour in a cup and decorate.

  I also used little sugar hearts as topping but of course if you do it on any other time of the year is not that necessary. You can also add coconut, raisins, almonds, banana bites and so on. Use your imagination! Don't be scared by presence of avocado in a dessert: it's still a fruit and its buttery texture and versatile flavour combine really well with sweet things. 

As you can see this is simplest recipe ever, so is adapt as a last minute resort. 

Buon appetito!

Mrs. Pony's soft chocolate cake

This is supposed to be my Valentine entry so of course is full of chocolate and heart shapes. I didn't want to do anything complicated because I'd also like cooking impaired people to be able to prepare something for their loved one. I'm posting this with a day in advance so you'll have some time to cook it. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients for a 1.5cm thick cake:

Preheat the oven at 180°. In a medium bowl whip the yolks with the sugars until creamy and frothy. Melt the chocolate au bain marie, mix it with the butter and stir all together with the sugar and the yolks. Now beat the albumen until stiff and pour in the chocolate mixture. Put the "dough" in a cake pan and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes. When it's lukewarm put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Then you can shape it anyway you like.

  As you see this cake has no flour so it's gluten free, if your Valentine is lactose intolerant you can use cocoa butter instead of butter. Simple, soft and delicious this cake is not exactly appropriate if you're on a diet but it will surely make a good impression.

This recipe come from my friend Pony's mother, so I must thank her to have let me in on this delicious secret.

Stay tuned for a Marvellous Vegan Friendly Valentine Recipe™. 

  Buon appetito! 

Broccoli and anchovies pasta

This extremely quick and easy dish includes some of the most meaningful flavours of Italian tradition. It's a good way of arranging a last minute pasta dish without making it seem like a botch. This dish is also open to some variations and additions, such as using capers instead of anchovies (the results are not the same but it's a good vegetarian alternative), toasted breadcrumbs or a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano. I'll keep the introduction short because this recipe is pretty self-explanatory, here's the recipe!

For two people:

  Boil a large casserole of salted water and put the broccoli tops in as soon as bubbles come up. The addition of broccoli with momentarily stop the boiling process. The water will start to boil again in less then a minute, when it does add the pasta. This is crucial for the success of this dish because boiling pasta with the broccoli will enrich its flavour. 

In the meantime warm up some oil in a large frying pan at low fire. When the oil is hot enough add the anchovies. I suggest to finely crush them with a wooden spoon so they blend with warm oil. Then add garlic and the chili pepper and stir. Pasta and broccoli should be ready by now, so drain them quickly (don't let them drain too much because this dish is more tasty if you keep them a bit wet). Put pasta and broccoli in the frying pan and stir everything on medium fire foe a minute. Dish up and serve.

This time I used some dried bell peppers as an additional topping. They're not that easy to find but if you do don't hesitate to buy them because they're a great snack as well as a good topping for pasta.

Buon appetito!