I Heart Cooking Clubs : Chocolate Pavlova

Well this is not my usual midnight snack as you might imagine but for a special midnight... why not ? The recipe you find here makes a BIG pavlova ! My guests (mostly children) had different views about the toppings so I sliced it and 'topped' each slice.

Visit the blog for more appropriate snacks !!!

TWD All Spice Crumb Muffins

Kayte from Grandma's Kitchen Table had the wonderful idea to choose these delicious muffins.

I really enjoied the nice all spice flavour ! The muffins came together in a few moments and, being very busy in these days, I appreciated them even more !!

Go and check the others' creations !

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Mughlai Chicken

This week's theme was 'One Pot Wonders' and here is mine : Mughlai Chicken obviously by Nigella ! This chicken is very nice and special even if it doesn't take a tremendous amount of time: I started it very late and made it in time for dinner. I'll definitely keep the recipe on hand !!

Please visit I heart cooking clubs for more wonders !

TWD Split Level Pudding

We had it all this time, for all tastes ! I liked this pudding as it was even if I had to eat most of the chocolate because it was 'too bitter' for the kids.

This week it was Garrett of Flavor of Vanilla who chose the recipe ( and you can find the recipe on his site).

TFF: Fried Mozzarella and Zucchini and Spaghetti with Summer Squash and Tomatoes

As you know I 'use Tyler's recipe with what I have at home and this time even in a hurry with an unexpected and most welcome guest. in fact Andrea told me an hour before that our dear friend Maite from Bilbao was coming for lunch so I headed to my computer and sent him to get some mozzarella and here we are with a warm appetizer and a colorful pasta !!

I suggest you to eat the mozzarella bites when they are hot they are so good !! Tyler fries other items too but I didn't have them on hand !

As for the pasta I used zucchini and pumpkin we don't get summer squash in Italy and I really can't understand why, when I lived in Santa Barbara I ate them quite often , I shoul get some seeds and plant them !!

You will find the recipes here and here. Please visit the blog for much more !!

Recipes to Rival: Beef Bourguignonne

I'm running to Greccio at the Franciscan Convent to give a (short) lecture on textile conservation and showing a Franciscan habit dating from the 1300, Cristina and I restaured in the summer, but I wanted to share these pictures in time ! I'll add more tomorrow !!

I used these cipolline for the recipe, sometimes you can find peeled ones ( but not the frozen ones), luckily I remembered to boil them a couple of minutes before peeling !

Boeuf Bourguignon

Yield: For 6 people

Ingredients
A 6-ounce chunk of bacon
1 Tb olive oil or cooking oil
3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes (see Notes)
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 Tb flour
3 cups of a full-bodied, young red wine such as one of those suggested for serving, or a Chianti
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 Tb tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
½ tsp thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
The blanched bacon rind
18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock
1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter
Parsley sprigs

Directions
Remove bacon rind and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, ¼ inch thick and 1½ inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1½ quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2½ to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2½ cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

FOR IMMEDIATE SERVING: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

FOR LATER SERVING: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About I5 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Sweet and Simple Bakes: St Clement's Drizzle Muffins

I'm a bit ashamed of showing you the disaster muffins I made for Sweet and Simple Bakes this month but I intended to make them again but time was gone.... They tasted very good and I'm sure will taste even better with the new oranges, so please don't look at my monsters and go visit the blog for the real one !

Here you will find the recipe.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Mini Pavlovas

This week for I Heart Cooking Clubs the theme is Baker's Delight and I chose these Mini Pavlovas which I knew would please everybody ! I found the recipe in How to be a Domestic Goddess and used pomegranate seeds and strawberries for the toppings.

Mini Pavlovas
(Makes 18)

8 egg whites

a pinch of salt
500g caster sugar
4 tsp corn flour
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.

Beat the egg whites and salt until the miixture form satiny peaks. Keep beating the egg whites while adding sugar little at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the corn flour, vinegar and vanilla extract. Fold in gently.

Form round meringues on the trays lined with baking paper, around 10 cm a cross and 1.5 cm high. Make an indentation in the middle of every pavlova with the back of a spoon. Put in the trays in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 150°C. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the Pavlovas inside for 1.5-2 hours.

Serve the Pavlovas with whipped cream, fresh fruit .

(Makes 18)

TWD Chocolate Crunched Caramel Tart

Well my dear friends I must admit Dorie did it again ! I was not too conviced by this tart ( also because I didn't want to over eat it ) because of the peanuts but now I'm deeply in love with it ! I confess I used some leftovers of 'my' puff pastry as base and (thanks God) halved the recipe, but for the rest I was faithful to the recipe. This tarte could be the last wish of a prisoner !

Thanks to Carla of Chocolate Moosey who chose the recipe and don't forget to visit the others TWDers !

BBA Slow and Steady: Cornbread

I apologize for being particularly Slow this time !! We baked the Cornbread and I really have no clue about the whole point here ! I'm not aware of how cornbread usually tastes in the North or in the South so I'll judge it simply on my taste : I liked it even if I wouldn't know what to pair it with( mostly I ate it plain for breakfast). How do you usually eat it ? is it traditionally baked for Thanks Giving ?

Please visit the BBA to know more about this group baking through the Bread Bakers' Apprentice.

Daring Baker's Challenge : Puff Pastry

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

This month we were challenged in making Puff Pastry and for me it was the first time making it so it was a real challenge !! Obviously I made many mistakes (like rolling the pastry too thin, not cooking the layers together,not having the oven hot enough and so on) but certainly got over the puff pastry terror and will make it again !

The savory vol au vent were filled with shrimps and salsa rosa (simply mayo and ketchup)

The sweet ones were filled with zabaione and a simple raspberries' compote on a raspberries' coulis

And with the shrimps' leftovers ?? Shrimp Bisque ! With the vol au vent flowers as croutons !

Thank you very much Steph !!

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon

The theme of the new group I heart cooking clubs for this week is Family Favourites and I can't really say I have made these Potato Cakes many many times before, but Anita loves very peculiar and special eating (sushi or smoked salmon, for instance) which compared to Carlo's taste (white pasta and frittata) sounds more challenging for a cooking freak. So, looking for something that would surprise her in these sad first days of the real school, I found this very fast and easy recipe (you can find it here) . I must say it will become a family favorite: plain for Carlo and with loads of salmon for Anita.

The salmon I used was smoked in a thick slice, different but very good !

TFF Teriyaki_Glazed Pork Spare Ribs

Another week and another great 'supper saver' by our friend Tyler !!

As you have noticed all my Tyler's horrible photos are made in the kitchen at dinner time just before the dishes are assaulted by my beloved family ! Sorry !

I loved the recipe and it was faster than the one you find here because I used already divided ribs (here it is very uncommon to find a whole piece) .

Please check the blog !

TWD Cottage Cheese Pufflets

I confess I was late again (I've just finished baking the pufflets) and this morning as I was reading the posts about them I thought maybe not to try them because there were more than one baker who didn't enjoy the little things... But I did ! And even the nauseated (pregnant) Cristina did ! It was not easy to roll the dough but when it was cold it was much easier. I filled them with rasperries preserve and some with nutella.

Thanks to Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes for choosing such a nice recipe and don't forget to visit the others !!

The Cake Slice : Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

This is my first time baking with The Cake Slice group and I got to try the last recipe from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes, next month we'll move on to a new book but I got a sample of the spectacular cakes the others bakers created in the past year.

This chocolate cake is peculiar because it uses mayonaise instead of butter and the resulta are a wonder, I halved the recipe and made two minicakes and some hearts out of the scraps (the one I didn't eat !). The only change I made was using less sugar but for the rest I 'obeyed' to the recipe with great results ! (not in looks I know....)

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Nigella's Supper Onion Pie

I guess you knew it already ! But I really love being part of a (or, better, many) cooking clubs ! It's part of my life but also most of the people I see every day don't even know I blog or what a cooking club is. It's like being a secret agent (I'm not drunk at all !). But let's move on to Nigella !

This week in 'I Heart Cooking Clubs' we are having a party and I though to bring a savory dish.

The recipe comes from 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' and it's very easy and fast.

Weekend Cat Blogging #224

This week Samantha, Mr Tigger and Maverick from Life from a Cat's Perspective are hosting the WCB. Please partecipate and visit !

TFF Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage

Each week I really try to make one of Tyler Florence's recipes (mostly with the ingredents I have on hand) because we always love them so much !!

This week's choice (due to the huge eggplant amount) was Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage , here you will find the recipe, which was very easy and tasty, I had lot of goat ricotta too so I used it instead of the mozzarella.

Please visit the blog for a lot of interesting recipes.

TWD Apple Flaky Turnovers

This week's recipe was chosen by Jules of Someone's in the kitchen and it really was delicious ! I halved the recipe and filled the turnovers with peaches and apples (I didn't use butter in the filling) and I must say we eat them while still warm and were really good !!!

Please visit others TWDers !

Daring Cook's Challenge : Indian Dosas

This month's challenge was chosen by Debyi and it's a very healthy and delicious indian vegan recipe ! The only dificult part for me was cooking the dosas without oil ..after some monsters I decided to use some olive oil and all was solved. I substituted peppers with zucchini and added some fresh tomatoes to the chickpeas filling.

RECIPE

Indian Dosas
This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).

Serves 4

Equipment needed:
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula
vegetable peeler &/or knife
large saucepan
food processor or bean masher

Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.

5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
Happy eating!