Bread Baking Day #14 Coloured Breads

BBD #14 is hosted by Boaz from Grain Power and he chose a different point of view ! I think it was fun to decide what colour my bread was going to be; in the beginning I was going to go PINK in honour of Anita but then, as tomorrow is Andrea's birthday and he loved a similar bread (that came from Sigrid of Cavoletto di Bruxelles), I went dark green !
Now... I don't know if the kind of cabbage I used is known abroad, we call it cavolo nero( I just found out it is called Tuscan Kale) and of course, it is typical of Tuscany ( it's used in the famous Ribollita soup)


I've uset it along with walnuts and roasted garlic paste (whole garlic roasted in the oven and squeezed) I must say that the colour isn't fantastic but the flavor is ..trust me !

Pane con cavolo nero, crema di aglio al forno e noci

200 gr Tuscan Kale shredded and stir fried
2 tsp salt
250 gr water
250 gr durum wheat flour (fine semolina)
250 gr bread flour (I used type 0 and high gluten )
1 envelope of dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 roasted garlic's heads
150 gr walnuts

I must confess I made it in the bread machine and this is the order I put the ingredients in.
Buon Appetito !

Awards !!!!

And now I'll start to be vane !!
I've received three more awards (unbelievable !)
This first one is from Nancy from The Dogs eat the Crumbs



The second one from Mandorla e Pistacchio : it's a greedy hamster !


And the third one is from Marthe of Culinary Delights



I like very much their blogs and I'm honored they gave me these awards: Thank you !

Bread Baking Buddies Rosendal's Knackebrod

This time the BBB challenge was chosen by Gorel of Grain Doe who managed (finally)to have me cope with a sourdough ! Now (if it will survive ) I will try many different things I always wanted
to make !


Aside from making the starter the recipe was easy and fun I suggest you to try it but before go and check what all the BBB have done !

I like to cook (Sara), Living on Bread and Water (Monique), Notitie Van Lien (Lien), My Kitchen In Half-Cups (Tanna), Cookie Baker Lynn (Lynn), Bake my Day (Karen), A Fridge Full of Food (Glenna)

TWD Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

We are getting into holydays and the first to be baked is Twofer Pie ! The recipe was chosen by Vibi of La Casserole Carree and what could be more appropriate than this one! Few weeks ago getting ready for it I asked my dear husband to buy some pecans (and dried cranberries, you never know!) in a special drugstore near his work. I didn't have problems with the recipe, maybe I didn't have enough crust to make some decorations but I had read on the Q&A section of Tuesdays with Dorie that more than one of us had to much filling so I decided to roll what was supposed to become a 9 inch crust in an 11 inch pan and that was it (I made more neighbours happy). Please check the wonderful results on TWD blogroll and don't worry if you don't see them on tuesday as we are allowed a late (for Thanksgiving) posting.

Penne con broccoli alla cappuccina

Few years ago I was vegetarian but already a cookbook addict and found a very interesting book by Paola Gavin called "Italian vegetarian cooking" one of my favorite recipes from it is this pasta that should be made with cauliflower but I used what we call broccolo romanesco (it's green and pointy) .
350 gr cauliflowerbroken into florets
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 envelope saffron powder dissolved in 50 ml hot water
1/8 teaspoon cumin
40 gr pine nuts ( I like to toast them )
40 gr raisins (soaked)
350 gr short pasta
100 gr grated pecorino
red pepper to taste

Steam (I blanched it in the pasta to be water) the cauliflower until tender.
Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion (and pepper) add the cauliflower and cook until golden. Add saffron, cumin and raisins. Drain the pasta a bit early and sautee it in the cauliflower with some of its water. Out of the fire add pecorino and pine nuts.This should be a dish from Sicily .Buon Appetito !

My first prize

Ten days ago, just before my computer broke, Peggy from Pantry Revisited awarded me with my first award ever . I was shocked because I certainly don't think my blog earns it, but I took it as a commitment to grow (and right away my coworker broke !). I would like to thank Peggy very much for thinking of me and all of you that not only read my blog but even read my akward english ! GRAZIE !

TWD Arborio Rice Pudding

Dear friends, finally I'm back, thanks to Paolo who helped me so much I'm able to post my puddings... as you can see at home rice pudding is a hit



Actually I couln't check the Q & A so I ended up with too much milk, maybe next time I'll try with the new directions. This pudding gave me the desire to make a pastry I loved when I was a kid : it's a pudding enriched with eggs and encased ( ? ) in a pastry shell. I'll let you know about the results. This week we have to thank Isabelle from Les gourmandises d’Isa check all the other 's puddings on Tuesdays with Dorie

My dearest cat

My dearest cat Calvin died last week. He has been a very special cat for all of us and when the sun gets on my bed I still can't belive he is not there.

TWD Kugelhopf

Well, I finally got to use my mold for an appropriate use !!!!





AIUTO !!! My computer broke and I didn't know what to do so I came to visit my dear friends Paolo and Cristina (bringing some homemade supplì and crocchette) and asked for five minutes on their pc ! I loved the kugelhopf because I like to make and eat yeasted things I'd love to use lievito madre (sourdough ?) but I don't own it yet I 'll write more when Polo will take care of my computer ! thanks to Yolanda of All purpose girl for chosing the recipe and visit all the other tuesdays with Dorie's addicts !

TWD Rugelach

Ciao ! I should have called this post "The Vanished Rugelach" because I couldn't find one left a few hours after they came out of the oven ! Even the kids liked them (I trusted bittersweet chocolate but it didn't work !), maybe even my cats ate them ... they've disappeared !
I made mine with a mixerd berries jam, dark sugar and cinnamon, sultanas, pine nuts and bittersweet chocolate, and eggwash and dark sugar on top.
The recipe was chosen from "Baking from my home to yours" by Dorie Greenspan by Piggy of Piggy's Cooking Journal and it certainly was a good choice ! I never tasted Rugelach before, it is not in the Roman Jewish tradition at all !!! (Roman Jews arrived in Rome from 63 B.C. so we say they are the real romans and of course their cooking isn't either sepharditic nor askenazitic (?) but their own).
To see more wonders please visit any of Tuesdays with Dorie 's blogroll !

Voglia di Kitchen Aid ?

Volevo avvertire tutti gli interessati all'acquisto di un KA che si è formato un gruppo di acquisto, se volete potete contattarli a gruppoka@gmail.com

SSB Spooktacular - Halloween Cupcakes

Here comes a vessel full of spooky ghosts (and a princess) !!!
This month we had lots of fun with the Sweet and Simple Bakes ! We started from a simple and delicious recipe for cupcakes ( I added some chocolate chips) you can find the recipe and then freely decorated them. We made the decorations with sugarpaste and marshmellow paste, I'm very curious to go and check all the others creations ! Happy baking !

Daring bakers Pizza & toppings

(I'm sorry I don't know how to turn it !)
This month thanks to Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums we baked pizza ! I was very curious to try a new recipe and we all liked it, the only problem is that you should plan a day earlier to have pizza. Rosa asked us to toss pizza like a real pizzaiolo (here in Rome I've never seen one doing it !!!) The kids and I had lots of fun watching the videos (they really believed I was going to be that good!).
But they were disappointed.
For the toppings we were very traditional :


tomato sauce and mozzarella,



potatoes and mozzarella,



anchovies and onions,



eggplants paste and cheese



and not traditional at all: pinapple muscovado sugar and caramel sauce !


Please visit the Daring Bakers blogroll for many wonderful creations !

TWD Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

This week's recipe was chosen by Clara of I Heart Food 4 Thought I enjoied the cupcakes a lot , having read that they could have been dry (and I had this problem with other TWD recipes) I took them out of the oven sooner and I think it worked out fine. We could decorate them for Halloween but I made them for my mum's birthday... I'll decorate later ! To check the wonderful creations of the other bakers please visit Tuesdays With Dorie.

Bread Baking Babes Challah (the siamese twins)

I found this great group of bread baking and I hope i'll manage to bake with them all of their breads ! This must be the braided period for me ! I' m braiding also Anita's hair (and her doll's as well !). This recipe was very easy and great tasting (it is the first of my breads that even finnicky Carlo enjoied !) Actually I'm going to prepare it again as soon as I finish tis post ! The recipe was chosen by Sarah of I like to cook and not having read well enough her instructions I made her mistake covering the loaves with cling film durung proofing but they were beautiful even so ! Thank you Sarah !

Challah
from The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook

Makes two loaves

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups flour, unsifted
3 TB sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 package dry active yeast
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
pinch powdered saffron
1 cup warm water (120-130'F)
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp cold water
1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Combine 1 1/4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in the softened butter. Stir the saffron into the warm water until it dissolves. Add a little at a time to the flour mixture and blend thoroughly. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer and medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally. Separate the yolk and white of one egg. Blend the single egg white and the other 3 whole eggs into the batter. Reserve the single egg yolk. Stir 1/2 cup of flour into the batter and beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Blend in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board about 8 to 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it once to grease the top. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft free place until double in bulk (approximately one hour).

Flour a pastry board lightly and set the dough on it. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Divide each portion into 2 pieces, using 1/3 of the dough for one piece, and 2/3 of the dough for the other. Divide the large piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 12 inch ropes. Braid the ropes together tightly, using your fingers to press the dough together at the ends. Divide the smaller piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 10 inch ropes and braid tightly. Place the smaller braid on top of the larger one and seal the ends. Repeat this process to form the second loaf.

Place both braided loaves on a greased baking sheet. Mix the reserved single egg yolk with the 1 tsp of cold water and brush the top of the loaves with the mixture. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, and let the loaves rise until double in bulk in a warm draft free place (approximately one hour). Bake in a 400' over for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.

Happy unbirthday to us all ! (in italiano a seguire)

Few days ago Lori of Luscious food had a very nice idea : a big party for all the November babies crowded with cakes made also by cooks born in other months. I was born in February but my husband and brother were born in November, I love baking so here we go with a Rustic Bouquet to celebrate ! Happy Birthday !!!




Rustic bouquet

500 gr flour
100 gr sugar
80 gr peeled almonds chopped
140 gr butter, softened
1 envelope instant yeast
1 large egg
150 gr jam
1 lemon
milk
salt

Mix together 450 gr of flour with the yeast, sugar, salt, grated lemon rind , 100 gr butter, 1 egg and 6 Tbs scalded milk. Knead for a while until you get an elastic and soft dough. Let it raise for about an hour until doubled in size.
Turn on the oven at 400°.
Divide the dough in 50 gr pieces and roll them in thin rectangles then spread them with jam and almonds. Roll them and put them standing in a prepared round baking pan (10 inches).
Cover with a loose foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and keep cooking for 30 more minutes.

Ho voluto partecipare all'iniziativa di Lori per festeggiare i nati in Novembre con una ricetta di un dolce semplice come quello che piacerebbe ad Andrea ( del 27 nov).

500 gr farina
100 gr zucchero
80 gr mandorle tritate
140 gr burro a temperatura ambiente
1 bustina di lievito di birra
1 uovo grande
150 gr confettura
scorza di un limone
latte
sale

Unire 450 gr di farina con il lievito lo zucchero il sale la scorza, 100 gr di burro 1 uovo e 6 cucchiai di latte tiepido.Impastare fino ad ottenere una pasta soffice ed elastica.Far lievitare circa un ora fino al raddoppio.
Accendere il forno a 200°.
Dividere la pasta in pezzi da 50 gr e stenderli in sottili rettangoli, cospargerli di marmellata e mandorle, arrotolarli e metterli in piedi in una teglia rotonda imburrata.
Coprire con un foglio di alluminio e cuocere per 30 min, levarlo e far cuocere altri 30 min.

TWD Pumpkin Muffins

This week's recipe was chosen by Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp .They have been really enjoyed ( even in other apartments !) The only problem I had was too much baking's powder's aftertaste, maybe it's a problem with the italian b. p., I 'll have to try them with less because for the rest they were great ! Enjoy more Pumpkin Muffins on Tuesdays With Dorie.

Speachless (almost)

Grazie Andrea !!!

Ecco i gatti ! ( & co.)

Calvin:



Cagliostro:


As stated in my profile I am what in Rome is called a gattara, (usually an old lady feeding cats in the streets) well it's not really true, I've done it, but mostly I picked up many kittens from the street and then kept them with me. Now we have four cats (two black and shy).
Calvin is the patriarch : he is fifteen years old and I found it on top of a garbage mound and he has been a great cat since that day ( he was the best baby sitter for my kids ).
Cagliostro is the youngest of the group he is still two years old and of course very playful ! Not to mention that he loves to sit in front of the pc screen while I write, like now !

Carlo saw this post and said: why is Anita in your blog and not me ? So ...
Carlo:



Anita :



Next question: why is Anita there twice ?........

World Bread Day : Tassajara Braided Bread

Today is the 3 rd World Bread Day and I decided to join the baker's group led by Zorra on her site 1x umruhren bitte
I 'met' Edward Espe Brown thanks to 'The Green's cookbook' and soon got his 'Tassajara Bread Book' , I really love his style of baking so when I started to think about a bread I got his book out and found this festive recipe ( it is intended for Christmas) . I hope you enjoy it as we've done in the last breakfasts !



BRAIDED CHRISTMAS BREAD (The Tassajara Bread Book page 61)

1/4 cup lukewarm water
3 packages yeast ( next time I'll put less)
1/2 cup sugar or honey
2 cups milk saclded
1/4 cup butter
3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds
1/2- 1 cup candied fruit peel or cherries (optional)
4 cups wheat flour



Dissolve the yeast in the water with a little sugar added.
Combine the remaining sugar with the milk and the butter. When this mixture is cool enough add it to the yeast mixture.
Add the 3 1/2 cups of white flour to make a soft sponge, stirring well with a wooden spoon. Set aside to rise.
While the dough is raising, separate the eggs, and beat the yolks and the whites separately. Fold the yolks into the sponge and then the whites. Let it raise until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes.
Fold in the salt, mace, vanilla, raisins, nuts, and optional candied fruit. Fold in the wheat flor until a dough is formed, and knead well.
Place in a buttered bowl and let rise until doubled in size- about 50 minutes.
Place the dough on a floured board. Work it into a ball or cylinder and divide into 9 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a lenght of 14 inches. Pinch four lenghts together at one end and intertwine them. Place this braid on a well-greased baking sheet. Then braid three lengths and place them on top of the bottom layer. Finally twist together two lengths and place them on top of the second layer. Press the braided lengths together well, since they tend to topple over.
Straighten befor baking, and perhaps while baking.
Now beat up an extra egg, add a little coolish water, and brush the top of the braids all over. Let raise for about 20 minutes, while the oven is preheating at 300°.
Bake for an hour or a little longer until well browned.
Happy baking!