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Fiori di Zucca Ripieni
Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

July 8, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

zucchini blossoms

As much as I like admiring summer flowers in the garden, I love to eat them even more! Not all flowers are edible, but squash flowers—better known as zucchini blossoms—are the highly anticipated golden gifts of summer in Italy and on my Italian table. These delicately flavored flowers are as delectable as they are beautiful, with bright yellow ochre petals that when splayed open resemble the sun itself. Italians revere fiori di zucca and prepare them in a myriad of ways: batter-coated and fried (watch my recipe video on Instagram here), filled with morsels of mozzarella and anchovy then batter-fried, adorning a frittata (recipe video for my Sunburst Frittata on Instagram here), in risotto or pasta, and stuffed with ricotta then baked in a tangy tomato sauce like my Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms.

stuffed zucchini blossoms

Harvesting and storing the blossoms couldn’t be simpler if you grow zucchini—an obligatory summer crop for Italian gardeners and farmers—but there are a few guidelines to follow (see my tutorial video on Instagram here. First, one must identify the male flowers to pick, leaving female flowers to produce zucchini. Male flowers have long thin stems while female flowers have short, bulbous stems close to the plant that grow into baby zucchini with blossoms attached. Leave the females to produce vegetables and pick only the males, shaking their pollen onto female flowers to cross-pollinate and ensure a bumper crop of zucchini. Pick blossoms in early morning when petals are open for easy access to fuzzy stamens, then pinch off the stamens and shake out pollen and occasional ants. Flower petals begin to close mid-morning, but by then the work is done and harvested flowers can be stored (without washing!) between sheets of paper towel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for days until enough are gathered to cook with.

baked stuffed zucchini blossoms

Visiting my son’s plentiful vegetable garden last week gave me the splendid gift of harvesting enough male flowers to make my Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms recipe to share with you. It’s a rare summer dish to savor, worth its weight in gold in presentation and flavor with minimal prep and cook time (something to treasure in hot months). As I made the filling—beating creamy ricotta with grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, egg, and chopped parsley—a concerto of birds chirping merrily outside the window serenaded me. While I gently pried open each blossom’s gossamer petals with my fingers and carefully spooned in filling, I felt the glow of sun shining into the kitchen illuminating the flowers’ golden color even more. Feeling blissfully one with nature, I twisted each stuffed blossom’s petal tips closed, creating what looked like plump yellow flower buds. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought that they are Mother Nature’s ravioli, made with flower petals instead of pasta sheets, which makes them even more precious.

baked stuffed zucchini blossoms plated

Nestled on a bed of fruity San Marzano tomato sauce and blanketed with more grated cheese, my stuffed zucchini blossoms baked to golden perfection, proving them to be a true testament to summer’s generous bounty and the beauty of seasonal produce transformed into a rustic yet elegant dish.

baked stuffed zucchini blossoms on fork

These stuffed zucchini blossoms out of the oven are as much a feast for the eyes as indulging in their delicate flavors is a treat for the taste buds. Each forkful of tender, baked flower petals reveals a soft, cheesy center cloaked in zingy tomato sauce that melts in the mouth like a bite of sunshine. One of the best dishes under the sun and deserving of a chef’s kiss, my Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms lets you admire your flowers and eat them too. Make them this summer and bask in their glow!


BAKED STUFFED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS
Fiori di Zucca Ripieni
{Recipe}
Copyright, 2024, Deborah Dal Fovo, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

Golden zucchini blossoms are a prized delicacy in Italian whether cooked batter fried, in a frittata, pasta, or risotto, or stuffed with ricotta then baked in a tangy tomato sauce like these. Harvest only male flowers with thin stems in early morning when petals are open, then pinch off stamens and shake out pollen.

Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
Sprig of basil or thyme leaves
14 ounces/400g canned San Marzano tomatoes, pureed

Filling:
1 cup/260g whole milk ricotta, drained of excess liquid
½ cup/33g freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more to garnish
½ cup/33g freshly grated Pecorino cheese
1 large egg
½ cup/8g Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Zucchini Blossoms:
12 large zucchini blossoms, stamens removed (see previous post for tutorial)
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into 12 small dice (optional)

Heat the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the garlic begins to sizzle around edges, add the sprig of basil or thyme. Pull pan off the heat for 30 seconds then carefully pour the tomatoes in the pan very close to oil to prevent splatter. Return to heat, season generously with salt and pepper then cook at lively simmer for 20 minutes until thickened and the tomato acidity mellows. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature then remove the herbs and discard. Tomato sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for 3 months.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.  

In a mixing bowl use a whisk to beat together the ricotta, grated Parmigiano and Pecorino, egg, and chopped parsley until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The filling can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated before using.

Using a piping bag fitted with wide tip or a tablespoon to fill the blossoms one-by-one with about 2 tablespoons filling. Twist the petal tips together to seal and set aside while you fill the rest.

Spread a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish large enough to fit the blossoms in one layer. Arrange the stuffed blossoms, alternating their directions, in snug rows on the tomato sauce. Dab tomato sauce on each blossom and use the back of a spoon to spread evenly along the row. Sprinkle grated Parmigiano Reggiano over the blossoms then pour a thin stream of olive oil over each row and dot each blossom with a piece of butter (optional).

Bake in the center of hot oven for 30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving with a light sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano or Pecorino over top. 

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Crostata di Frutta Estiva
Summer Fruit and Berry Tart

June 19, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

summer fruit and berry tart

Summer is finally here and time for all the sweet, juicy stone fruits that we long for all year. Not to mention the berries! I can never get enough of apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and often find it hard to decide which one to eat or bake with next (too much choice can be a dilemma ; ). Years ago I decided to forgo the quandary and gathered all the vibrant flavors and colors of sun-kissed fruits together in my Summer Fruit and Berry Tart. My recipe is a love letter to the season, mixing stone fruits and berries in a filling that captures the collective sweetness of summertime in a single dessert.

summer fruit and berry tart

The mixed fruit filling is heaped in the center of a buttery pastry dough round with edges pleated over it in a loving embrace to create a free-form tart also known as a galette. The pasty border, brushed with cream and sprinkled with sugar before popping in the oven, has extra crunch while dots of butter on the filling add a silky richness. Baked until golden, crisp, and jammy, my summer fruit and berry tart celebrates all the goodness of this sun-soaked season in every luscious bite. Have a sweet summer!

SUMMER FRUIT AND BERRY TART
Crostata di Frutta Estiva
{Recipe}
Copyright, 2007, Deborah Dal Fovo, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

My signature tart is a client favorite and one I make all summer long, adding or subtracting different fruits as they’re at their peak ripeness and availability. Make the pastry dough 1 to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate it twice: once after making for at least an hour, and once after rolling out until cold yet pliable. Choose ripe yet firm fruit for the filling and adjust the amount of added sugar depending on the fruit’s sweetness and your individual taste.

Makes one 9-inch tart

For the pastry dough:
1¼ cups/170g ‘00’ or unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons/85g cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch dice
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (or cold unsalted butter, diced)
1/3 cup/80g ice water

For the fruit filling:
2¼ pounds/1 kilo mixed ripe summer fruit, (peaches, plums, apricots, figs, mixed berries)
¼ cup/50g sugar (add more if fruit is tart), plus more to sprinkle on surface 
Juice of ½ small lemon
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
3 tablespoons/24g cornstarch
3 tablespoons heavy cream to brush on pastry border
1 tablespoon/15g unsalted butter
Powdered sugar to garnish
Thickened cream or vanilla gelato to serve (optional)

To make the pastry dough by hand: place the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cold butter pieces and chilled shortening and toss to coat with flour using your hands. Use a pastry cutter or fingers to crumble the butter and shortening in the flour to the size of peas. Add just enough ice water a little at a time, stirring, until dough comes together in a crumbly mass and holds together when pressed between pinched between two fingers.  

To make the pastry dough in a food processor: place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and shortening and pulse until crumbly and the butter pieces are the size of small peas. Add the ice water slowly while pulsing just until dough comes together in a crumbly mass and holds together when pressed between pinched between two fingers.  

Turn crumbly dough onto clean work surface or press together into a flat, round disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour before using. Can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 1 month.

Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.

On a lightly floured board, use a rolling pin to roll the pastry dough into a 15-inch circle. It can be free form with raggedy edges or neatly cut with a scalloped pastry wheel. Place the pastry round on a baking sheet and refrigerate until well chilled yet pliable. 

In the meantime, wash and pit the stone fruit then cut into slices and place in a mixing bowl. Add the berries and sprinkle with sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch then toss gently to coat.

Mound the fruit in the center of the pastry round leaving a 3-inch border around edges. Lift one edge of pastry and fold it over the fruit by an inch or two. Continue lifting each adjacent edge of pastry and pleating it to form an enclosed border of pastry around the fruit filling. Press lightly with hands to seal pleats. Brush the pastry border with cream using a pastry brush or your finger and sprinkle with sugar. Sprinkle more sugar over the fruit filling then dot evenly with bits of the butter. 

Place in lower half hot oven and bake for about 30 minutes until pastry is golden and crisp and filling is bubbly and jammy. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve tart warm or at room temperature cut into wedges and dusted with powdered sugar. Drizzle with thickened cream or top with a scoop of vanilla gelato for extra lusciousness.

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A Taste of Trentino-Alto Adige
Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake

January 12, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo 1 Comment

Nonna's Italian Apple Cake 1

My Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake recipe was inspired by my Italian grandmother. Though I was only 5 years old when Nonna Luigia left this world, memories of her are vivid and the influence she had on me everlasting. A sweet, loving woman with a warm smile and twinkle in her eyes, Nonna wore a permanent apron swathed around her ample body while she bustled around the kitchen preparing traditional Trentino-Alto Adige meals for her husband and three sons. Appreciation for Nonna’s excellent home cooking extended beyond her family to the numerous boarders hosted in her U.S. home, having immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 30 from a quaint town in the Dolomite mountains. 

Read about my Italian origins and culinary tours: A Slice of the Dolomites—The Return to my Italian Roots.

Nonna’s legendary cooking lived on through my mother—her daughter-in-law—and eventually through me. When my parents married, Nonna taught Mom how to make my father’s favorite regional Trentino dishes—but did so without recipes or verbal instruction—she showed her how it was done through her actions. My mother would sit at a large table in Nonna’s kitchen and avidly scribble notes as her mother-in-law cooked. There were no written recipes but rather a little of this, a pinch of that, how she did this, and when she did that. No words were exchanged and no explanations given. The room was silent without the constant chitchat I learned to know in Italian kitchens and only punctuated by chopping, pounding, and sizzle of the pan. This quiet was not due to respectful reverence but simply because the two women did not speak the same language. My Nonna never learned to speak English in the 44 years she lived in the U.S. and my mother didn’t understand the Italian dialect her mother-in-law spoke.

Nonna's Italian Apple Cake 2

After Nonna passed away, my mother carried on the tradition, gracing our dinner table with all the regional Trentino dishes my father loved. Polenta, risotto, potato cake and the like—this is where my love of food and passion for cooking was born: at our family table. When I decided to leave the comfort and security of home to live in Italy at age 24, it was to pursue the quality lifestyle inspired by Nonna. By choosing to live my adult life in Italy, I regained my family heritage and learned, not only how to be an Italian woman like Nonna, but also how to cook like her…and then some. Today, I owe my successful career as an Italian Chef and cooking instructor to the rich culture of food instilled in me as a child by Nonna and my parents.

Nonna's Italian Apple Cake 3

My apple cake recipe is a tribute to Nonna Luigia’s legacy. It’s a simple, homemade cake that every woman from her region knew how to make and had a family recipe for. Since I did not have a precise recipe from my Nonna, I perfected this cake in her honor using bits and pieces of information, recollections, and professional know-how. Now, every time I make it or share it with my students and followers, I’m reminded of the precious gift she gave me: the love of Italian culture and cooking <3 . 

 Read about my Italian origins and culinary tours: A Slice of the Dolomites—The Return to my Italian Roots.


NONNA’S ITALIAN APPLE CAKE
Torta di Mele della Nonna
{Recipe}
Copyright, 2008, Deborah Dal Fovo, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

Makes one 9-inch cake—serves 8 to 12 | Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 60 to 70 minutes

Nothing says casa dolce casa, or home-sweet-home, more than a homemade apple dessert. This simple cake is from my Nonna’s homeland of Trentino-Alto Adige in the Dolomite Mountains, where the finest apples grow. It’s a moist cake filled with succulent bits of apple and infused with fragrant lemon zest, then topped with a golden crown of apple slices that gives it a beautiful, professional look. A welcome treat at any hour as a sweet finale to a home-cooked meal or comforting afternoon snack, this delicious cake is a true slice of casa mia in the Dolomites.

Watch a tutorial video of this recipe on my Instagram feed.

1 untreated lemon, washed and dried
2 pounds/1 kilo Golden Delicious apples (4 to 5 apples)
8 tablespoons/113g unsalted butter, divided, plus more for greasing cake pan
1/3 cup/75ml milk
1 3⁄4 cups/210g all-purpose or Italian 00 flour, plus more for dusting pan
2 teaspoons/10g baking powder or Italian vanilla baking powder  
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup/200g granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling cake top
1 teaspoon/4g vanilla extract (omit if using Italian vanilla baking powder)
Confectioner’s sugar to garnish cake
Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan with removable bottom

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, positioning the rack in the center. Butter and flour the springform pan, then set it aside.

Zest the lemon using a fine grater and set aside. Cut the lemon in half.

Peel the apples and halve them lengthwise through the stem end. Carefully hollow out the cores with a melon ball tool: this ensures the same size hollow in each apple, creating a uniform look when sliced. Place apple halves flat side down on a cutting board and cut into half-moon slices approximately 3/16-inch thick. Transfer apple slices to a large mixing bowl, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over them, and gently toss to coat using your hands. 

Melt 7 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, pour in the milk, and set aside.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl or bowl of an electric mixer. Using a large whisk (or whisk attachment for the mixer), beat the eggs while gradually adding the sugar. Beat until the mixture is pale yellow, creamy, and sugar grains are not felt when rubbed between two fingers, (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and whisk to incorporate.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, whisking gently between additions, until just incorporated, without overworking. Pour in the butter and milk, whisking until a smooth cake batter forms.

Gently fold half of the apple slices into the batter until evenly distributed, reserving the remaining half to decorate the top of the cake. Don’t worry if the apples break up while folding; they will evenly distribute moisture and flavor throughout the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface.

Adorn the cake surface by arranging the remaining apple slices in circular rows over the batter, fanning them out with edges slightly overlapping. Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over the apples, then dot the surface here and there with bits of the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. 

Place the cake pan on a baking sheet and position it in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs attached. 

Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before running a knife around the sides and removing the sides of the springform pan. Let the cake cool before dusting it with confectioner’s sugar and slicing into portions. Serve Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake on its own or accompanied by a dollop of whipped cream.

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A Slice of the Dolomites
The Return to my Italian Roots

January 10, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Italian Chef Deborah Dal Fovo in the Dolomite mountains

One of the greatest joys of my career has been organizing my Taste Trentino Culinary Tour in the Dolomites to the place of my Italian family roots in Trentino-Alto Adige. Words can’t convey the excitement of sharing this hidden gem in the majestic Dolomite mountains where my ancestors settled in the 1400s—it’s surreal! When I take my guests to the top of the mountain and admire the breathtaking views, I feel an enormous sense pride for the place of my origins. And, treating my guests to the regional food and wine I enjoyed at my family table and that form the foundation of my Italian cooking career is delicious beyond words.

When I first visited my tiny ancestral village in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy 44 years ago, emotions surged as high as the towering spires of the Dolomite mountain peaks surrounding me. The sheer beauty of the place my Nonni (grandparents) left 60 years earlier, when they immigrated to the United States, left me breathless. Discovering that my ancestor was a founding father of our village nestled in these majestic Dolomites five centuries earlier sent a shiver down my spine. The heartwarming reunion with my father’s native family felt like a generational homecoming that changed my life path forever. That first visit to return to my Italian roots rewove the threads of my heritage tapestry and inspired my immigration to Italy less than two years later when I reclaimed my Italian citizenship and lived in la bella Italia for the next 20 years.

Taste Trentino Culinary Tour in the Dolomites

During the time I lived in Italy (and beyond), my love affair with Trentino-Alto Adige grew passionately. I was awestruck by the spectacular natural wonders of the Dolomites surrounding my family homestead and fascinated by the region’s unique Italian-Austrian history, alpine culture, and distinctive food and wine. From polenta, canederli, and gnocchi to sausage, sauerkraut, and strudel, I explored the traditional dishes—many of which had graced my childhood table far from its enchanting land of origin.

Trentino alpine cuisine

To express my newfound love for this magical place and spread the word about my family homeland and cuisine, I presented my Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake recipe (Trentino is famous for its apple production and desserts) on a national television show in 2009. I watched with excitement as viewers became curious about the region and raved about the recipe (see video here). Then, in 2017, after years of exploring mountaintops and cultivating connections with local chefs, food producers, and winemakers, I proudly began hosting annual week-long culinary tours in Trentino-Alto Adige to share my insider’s view of this hidden gem in the Dolomites that is my family homeland.

Taste Trentino Culinary Tour in the Dolomites

Perhaps the best part of the culinary tours in my ancestral homeland is introducing the charming local people who proudly produce and prepare the quality alpine food and wine we taste along our travels. Chefs, winemakers, beekeepers, dairy farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, salumi makers, mountain herb-product makers, and the shining staff at our cooking classes, hotel, and restaurant dining room that warmly welcome us at every visit, tasting, and meal. I also get to expand my knowledge of the region right along with my guests during cultural excursions to local castles, museums, and cathedrals.

Taste Trentino Culinary Tour in the Dolomites

I hope you’ll join me for my 2024 Taste Trentino Culinary Tour—a food and wine adventure in the Dolomites! You can get all the details by visiting my website here. These are small group tours and space is limited, so reserve your spot soon : ).

In the meantime, enjoy making and eating my Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake recipe and savor an authentic slice of the Dolomites!

Nonna's Italian Apple Cake

With love from my kitchen to yours,

Deborah 

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The Best of Both Worlds
Rhubarb Berry Balsamic Crisp {GF}

June 7, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

rhubarb berry balsamic crisp 3

I’m a firm believer in enjoying the best of both worlds. Why choose one thing over another when you can have it all? As a multicultural, bilingual, dual citizen of both Italy and the U.S., I’ve lived by this mantra my entire adult life. Blending diverse cultures makes life more interesting…and definitely more delicious. Take my new Rhubarb Berry Balsamic Crisp for example. I gave an Italian accent to a classic American dessert and made it gluten-free to boot. It starts with rhubarb, the elusive spring vegetable that thinks it’s a fruit since mainly made into sweet dishes. Known as rabarbaro in Italy, it’s revered on the other side of the pond to make the popular digestive liqueur amaro, whose name means bitter. Rhubarb’s ruby-red rootstocks are bitingly tart and they are often married with strawberries—their springtime lover—whose delicate sweetness tames their harsh bitterness when cooked. I spotted some gorgeous rhubarb stalks at my market and took advantage of its fleeting season to make this luscious [gluten-free] crisp for a friend’s weekend gathering to feed a crowd and please everyone.

rhubarb berry balsamic crisp 2

Fruit crisp is a quintessential American baked dessert of jammy filling covered by a thick blanket of crunchy, streusel-like topping made of flour, sugar, oats, and butter crumbled together. Every bite is a sensorial duet of soft sultry fruit and crunchy oat topping. The difference between crisps and crumbles (a similar dessert) is the addition of oats in crisps—a favorite ingredient in wheat-free diets. And, by substituting almond flour for wheat flour, my topping is gluten-free and spiced up with a pinch of ground ginger (cinnamon or cardamom work well too). I jazzed up the fruit filling by adding blueberries for vibrant color and flavor, but any berry will do. In fact, if you make my recipe after rhubarb season has come and gone, you can substitute it with blackberries and raspberries for a mixed berry crisp. And, since baked fruit fillings need sugar and a thickener—like flour—to turn runny juices into a silky glaze that binds every morsel, I use cornstarch instead to keep my crisp gluten-free.

(Get my gluten-free breakfast cookie recipe here)

rhubarb berry balsamic crisp 3

While making a traditionally gluten-laden dessert gluten-free could be considered having the best of both worlds, I didn’t stop there. I added a secret Italian ingredient—aged balsamic vinegar from Modena—to my fruit filling (well it’s no secret now) to enhance the flavors with a rich dolcezza and elevate this dessert to another level! Aceto balsamico di Modena is the gastronomic jewel in Italy’s culinary crown with its syrupy consistency and complex taste created by aging grape must in barrels made of different woods. A spoonful of 12-year aged balsamic in the filling goes a long way (to Italy) to make a big flavor impact. The crisp comes out of the oven in golden glory with a crunchy crust bubbling around the edges with jammy fruit hiding underneath. Served warm or at room temperature and spooned into bowls with a scoop of vanilla gelato on top, my Rhubarb Berry Balsamic Crisp is a luscious dessert that’s the best of both worlds—a classic American with a sexy Italian accent—and satisfying baked treat that’s gluten (and guilt) free. That’s a win-win-win-win in my ‘have it all’ recipe book!

Watch the video tutorial of how to make my Rhubarb Berry Balsamic Crisp and get the recipe below:


RHUBARB BERRY BALSAMIC CRISP (GF)
{Recipe}
Copyright, 2023, Deborah Dal Fovo, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

I gave this American baked fruit dessert a sexy Italian accent with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena to infuse the rhubarb, strawberry, and blueberry filling with a rich, complex flavor from wood barrel aging. The crisp topping is made with almond flour (instead of the typical wheat flour) and oats, making it gluten-free and guilt free. With its golden, crunchy crust and jammy fruit, this crisp feeds a crowd and pleases everyone. Use the best authentic balsamic vinegar from Modena you can afford and enjoy it warm or at room temperature spooned into bowls and topped with vanilla gelato. Buonissimo!

View this tutorial video on my Instagram feed

Serves 10 to 12

Fruit Filling:
1 pound/453g fresh rhubarb, washed and cut crosswise into ½ inch pieces
1¼ pounds/566g ripe strawberries, washed, hulled, and cut into quarters 
1 cup/170g blueberries, washed
Juice of ½ lemon
1 cup/200g cane sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon aged Balsamic vinegar from Modena
1 tablespoon butter to grease baking dish

Topping:
1½ cups/150g almond flour
¾ cup/150g packed light brown sugar
1½ cups/127g rolled oats
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger (cardamom or cinnamon can be substituted)
8 tablespoons/113g unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch dice

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and balsamic vinegar. 

Generously butter a 2-quart/2-liter baking dish. Arrange the fruit filling in an even, single layer in the baking dish and set aside while you make the topping.

In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, salt, and ground ginger. Add the diced butter and toss in the dry ingredients, crumbling it between your fingertips. It will seem dry at first but keep rubbing the butter until it softens slightly (but doesn’t melt) and adheres to the dry ingredients to form soft, moist clumps. Scatter the topping evenly over the fruit filling to cover the entire surface. 

Loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake on the center rack of oven for 30 minutes then remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for another 30 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden brown and the fruit filling bubbles around the edges.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, spooned into bowls and topped with a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream for dessert. Store leftover crisp in the refrigerator and enjoy with a spoonful of yogurt for a luxurious breakfast.

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Cookies for Breakfast
Italian Wholegrain Breakfast Cookies {GF}

March 24, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

Italian wholegrain breakfast cookies on table

Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please, or rather, si’ grazie! And that’s exactly what I eat in Italy, where a light breakfast of Italian croissant (called cornetto or brioche) or a few cookies dipped into frothy cappuccino or caffe’ latte is customary. No eggs and bacon for breakfast here, which are reserved for spaghetti alla carbonara at lunch or dinner. My favorite Italian wholegrain breakfast cookies are called ‘Gran Cereale’ biscotti by Mulino Bianco, a fiber and flavor rich healthy biscuit whose name literally means ‘big grain’. I’ve been dipping these barely sweet, wholesome oat cookies into morning coffee for decades and often crumble them into yogurt with fresh fruit for extra nutrition and variety.

Italian wholegrain breakfast cookies ingredients

While store bought Gran Cereale cookies are now available online and in Italian shops in the U.S. at a premium, developed my homemade dupe recipe in an even healthier gluten-free version with oat flour and plant-based milk. Using simple, natural ingredients that are readily available, the dough comes together quickly and easily in a food processor. Then, instead of scooping cookies or rolling out and cutting shapes, the dough is shaped into a compact cylindrical log and refrigerated until firm before neatly slicing into thin rounds with no muss, no fuss. And, since there are no eggs in the dough, the log can be refrigerated for days or frozen for months before slicing and baking.

Italian wholegrain breakfast cookie dough

When slicing the dough log into rounds, my technique works beautifully to make slices cookie-cutter precise…without a cookie cutter. Roll the log forward on the cutting board with one hand while using a sawing motion with a sharp knife in the other to partially cut through the slice. Then keep rolling and cutting until you reach the other side of the log and the cookie slice falls to the board. This technique prevents the dough from crumbling and creates neat, round slices to lightly nudge with a fingertip to perfect the shape if needed. Once all the slices are uniformly cut and arranged on a lined cookie sheet, they bake until golden brown and crisp before cooling and storing in round jars or cookie tins to preserve their crunchy, crumbly texture.

Italian wholegrain breakfast cookies on plate

Dip a few of these healthy, homemade, honey-kissed Italian wholegrain breakfast cookies into your morning cappuccino and experience the taste of Italian breakfast wherever you live!


ITALIAN WHOLEGRAIN BREAKFAST COOKIES (GF)
Biscotti ‘Gran Cereale’ Classico

{Recipe}

Copyright, 2023, Deborah Dal Fovo, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

These healthy oat cookies are my homemade dupe of the popular wholegrain Italian breakfast cookie, ‘Gran Cereale’ (meaning big cereal) biscotti by Mulino Bianco. Crunchy and barely sweet, they’re high in fiber and flavor with a satisfying texture and taste. These cookies are my go-to breakfast in Italy and I developed this recipe to replicate at home, making them gluten-free and super digestible with oat flour and plant based milk for an even healthier cookie (although you can use whole wheat flour and cow’s milk for the OG biscotti). Dip these crisp, honey-kissed cookies into a frothy cappuccino and pretend you’re in Italy! 

View a tutorial video of this recipe on my Instagram feed

Makes about two dozen 2¼-inch cookies

1 cup/111g rolled oats
¼ cup/57g cane sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup/115g oat flour
1 teaspoon/4g baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons/100g cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch dice
1 tablespoon/21g honey
3 tablespoons oat or almond milk
Dash of ground cinnamon (optional but recommended)

Place the rolled oats, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to partially break up the oat grains. Add the oat flour, baking powder, and baking soda then pulse again a couple times to combine.

Add the diced butter and pulse a few times until broken up into pieces the size of small lentils. Pour in the honey and milk then pulse the again until a crumbly dough forms that holds together when pressed between fingers.

Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and gather into a ball with your hands, pressing together to create a compact mass. Shape the dough into a smooth, tight cylinder 6-inches long by 2-inches in diameter by rolling against the work surface with the palms of your hands and patting the ends in. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper and twist the ends candy-roll style then tap each end upright against the work surface to flatten. Place the dough log in the refrigerator until well chilled and very firm, about 4 hours (or overnight), or in freezer for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and position rack in center.   

Remove dough log from wrapping and place on a cutting board. Slice the dough into ¼-inch rounds using a sawing motion with the blade of a sharp knife while contemporarily rolling the log forward on the board to prevent crumbling. Adjust the shape of each cookie round by pressing edges with fingers.

Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet with 1-inch space between. Bake in center of hot oven for 25 to 27 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.  Store cookies in a glass jar or cookie tin to maintain crispness. Enjoy a few cookies dipped into a frothy cappuccino for an Italian style breakfast.

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spiced Brown Butter
Gnocchi di Patate Dolci al Burro Nocciola Speziato

January 29, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

sweet potato gnocchi in bowl

Sometimes, inspiration strikes just when you need it and that’s exactly how this recipe was born. It was a cold, grey winter day and I craved potato gnocchi for comfort. Only I didn’t have any russet potatoes on hand. What I did have, however, was a nice big Jewel sweet potato. Pear shaped with dark orange skin, Jewel is labeled a sweet potato, although technically a yam…or not (it’s complicated lol). Anyway, they have orange pulp. Great, I thought, let’s make orange sweet potato gnocchi to brighten this dreary day.

jewel sweet potatoes on brown bag

For classic potato gnocchi, I use Russet potatoes because the flesh is dry and starchy, so less flour is needed to hold them together—meaning lighter, fluffier gnocchi. I either boil or bake them in their jackets until soft. Sweet potato or yam flesh has more moisture, so I decided to let the microwave do the cooking on the ‘baked potato’ setting in a fraction of the time. This did the trick to cook the potato perfectly and reduce the amount of moisture in its flesh. Inspired thought #1 worked like a charm!

sweet potato gnocchi ingredients

The essential tool to use in gnocchi making is a potato ricer to pass cooked potato flesh through fine holes and produce an airy base to work with, instead of a compressed base that mashing produces. ‘Light’ and ‘fluffy’ are key goals when making gnocchi, like the comforting little pillows they are meant to be. The secret to achieve this is twofold: 1) add as little flour as needed to hold the gnocchi together; and 2) work the dough as little as possible to prevent glutens developing that make gnocchi tough. How did I do this, you ask? First I cut in just enough flour to the warm, riced potato with a bench scraper (the less handling the better) until well absorbed and a soft, crumbly mass formed. Then, for lack of a better word, I kneaded the dough oh-so delicately by gathering the moist crumbs with both hands and using a gentle squeezing, rocking, and rolling motion to create a soft, fairly compact dough that is a bit sticky inside. To be sure the dough has enough flour, I did a quick test by boiling a pinch of dough in a small pan of boiling water. It floated to the surface without disintegrating, so I knew there is was need to add more flour to the dough. What’s the saying…an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? In the case of gnocchi, it’s all about the ratio of flour to potatoes.

rolling sweet potato gnocchi

The finished dough was a beautiful melon color that cheered me up already. Once cool, I rolled portions with both hands into long ropes and cut them with the blade of my bench scraper (such a handy tool) into 1-inch little pillows. Now came the the big decision…do I cook the gnocchi as little pillows (perfectly acceptable) or dimple them? They would taste good either way, but I wanted them to catch as much of the sauce as possible, so dimpling it was. I used the back of a cheese grater to gently roll each gnocco down while lightly pressing with my thumb. This created a dimple on one side and decorative dots on the other. 

dimpling sweet potato gnocchi

My work was done and all I needed to do was decide on a sauce to dress these gorgeous gnocchi once cooked. This is where divine intervention came in. I wanted something special to compliment the sweet, earthy flavor of the yam but what could it be? That’s when my inner cooking goddess whispered softly to me: “brown butter with the warm spices of sweet potato pie”. And so, as I always do…I listened to her and created the perfect sauce with brown butter, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Once I tossed the cooked gnocchi in this creamy, spice-flecked emulsion, they glistened like shiny orange jewels. The only thing better than admiring my gnocchi was eating them and when I did…the sun shone brightly from my plate. I hope you enjoy them too!

sweet potato gnocchi close up


SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH SPICED BROWN BUTTER
Gnocchi di Patate Dolci al Burro Nocciola Speziato

{Recipe}
Copyright, 2023, Deborah Dal Fovo, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

These bright orange gnocchi were an inspired creation on a grey winter day. Cooking the sweet potato in a microwave reduces some of its moisture, so less flour can be used, which is the key to light and fluffy gnocchi. Choose Jewel or Garnet sweet potatoes for their vivid orange pulp and rice immediately after cooking to work in the flour while still warm. I paired these colorful gnocchi gems with a brown butter and warm spice sauce created to compliment their flavor in a nod to sweet potato pie. This recipe can be doubled for more servings.

View a tutorial video of this recipe on my Instagram feed.

Serves 4

Sweet Potato Gnocchi: (makes about 45 gnocchi)
– 1½ pounds/580g Jewel or Garnet sweet potatoes (1 large potato), with skins
– 1 cup/120g Italian 00-flour or unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
– Whole nutmeg to grate
– Kosher or fine sea salt

Warm Spice Brown Butter Sauce:
– 5 tablespoons/70g unsalted butter
– 1/16 teaspoon each of: ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger
– 1/4 cup/48g freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more to garnish
– Kosher or sea salt
– Freshly ground black pepper

Special Equipment:
– Potato ricer and bench scraper

Wash the potato under cold, running water to remove any soil then dry with a paper towel. Pierce the skin of the potato all around with the point of a paring knife. Place in a microwave and cook on the baked potato setting for 2 or 3 cycles, turning over between cycles, until cooked through and the center is easily pierced with the blade of a knife (about 12 minutes). If you don’t have a potato setting on your microwave, use the normal cook setting. And, if you don’t have a microwave, bake the potato on a bed of salt at 400°F/200°C for 45 to 50 minutes until it tests done as described above.

Cut the hot sweet potato vertically and open to reveal its bright orange flesh. Scoop out the soft center, scraping all flesh from the skin (about 12 ounces/340g), and place in a potato ricer. Press potato through ricer onto a clean work surface (preferably wood) and sprinkle with 1½ teaspoons salt and a grating of nutmeg to taste. Cut the spices into the potato with a bench scraper.

Sprinkle 3/4 of the flour over the potato, reserving the rest near workspace to use later. While the potato is still warm, use the bench scraper to cut the flour into it. Once a crumbly mass forms, gather it together with your hands and knead lightly by pressing together and rolling away from you, turning and folding dough over itself as needed. If the dough surface is too sticky to handle, dust it with a little reserved flour. The dough should be soft, compact, and slightly sticky inside. Knead dough as little as possible with just enough flour so the gnocchi hold together when cooked, without overworking (which develops glutens that make them tough). Perform a test by dropping a 1-inch ball of dough into a small pan of boiling water. If it rises to the surface intact, the dough is perfect. If it disintegrates in the water while cooking, add a little more flour to the dough and knead again.

Roll the finished ball of dough into a cylinder shape and move to one side of work surface then cut crosswise into 4 thick slices, separating slightly, and let cool. While dough is cooling, use the bench scraper to clean the work surface of all caked on dough then wash and dry your hands and the bench scraper. 

Dust the work surface and your hands lightly with some of the reserved flour. Roll each piece of dough on the surface with the palms of your hands in a back and forth motion to form long, uniform ropes the thickness of your thumb. Use the bench scraper, dusted with flour, to cut the ropes into 1-inch/2.5mm gnocchi. Sprinkle lightly with reserved flour then use the bench scraper to lift and toss the gnocchi to coat and separate.

Once all the gnocchi are cut, cook as is or create the classic dimple on one side using either the tines of a fork, a ridged gnocchi board, or the backside of a flat cheese grater dusted with flour. To dimple, hold a gnocco between floured thumb and forefinger at the top of your tool then roll it down while pressing very lightly with thumb to form an indentation. Once you reach the bottom of the tool, release the gnocco and let it fall onto the work surface. When all gnocchi are dimpled, arrange them without touching on a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel that has been lightly dusted with flour. Cook the gnocchi immediately or refrigerate uncovered for several hours.     

To cook the gnocchi, fill a large, wide pot with 5 quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 2-tablespoons salt and, once water returns to a boil, drop about 2 dozen gnocchi into the boiling water, adjusting heat to a gentle, rolling boil. Cook gnocchi, stirring once, until they float to the surface, about 3 to 4 minutes.

While the gnocchi cook, prepare the sauce by melting butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spices and cook until the butter turns a nutty brown color, swirling the pan to prevent burning. Add ½ cup gnocchi cooking water to the skillet and swirl the pan to create a creamy emulsion. Use a skimmer to lift cooked gnocchi from water and place in skillet while you cook the rest. Toss all the cooked gnocchi in the sauce to coat evenly then remove from heat, sprinkle with grated cheese and toss again, adding more cooking water if needed. Spoon the gnocchi onto warm plates and garnish with a light sprinkling of grated cheese. 

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Busiate with Trapanese Pesto
Busiate al Pesto Trapanese

September 7, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

busiate pasta the trapanese pesto

Nothing says summer like sun kissed tomatoes—ripe, juicy, and bursting with flavor. And, nothing says summer pasta like Busiate with Trapanese Pesto (Busiate al Pesto Trapanese) starring those peak-season, sun saturated tomatoes. Yes, tomatoes in pesto. It’s the “other” pesto—a sultry, seductive southern Italian version of the Genovese classic. This ethereal pasta dish comes from Trapani in western Sicily, where its name, shape, and eponymous pesto were created in worship of the intense Sicilian sun and its delicious local bounty. Finely ground almonds and garlic give the pesto a poetic richness and aromatic finish while fruity tomatoes and fragrant basil fleck the pasta with vivid colors and flavors. Late season tomatoes make this dish even sweeter, so now is the best time to make Busiate Pasta with Trapanese Pesto and enjoy the last lingering taste of sunny summer.

durum wheat flour, water, ferretto

Busiate are distinctive long spiral pasta shapes reminiscent of romantic tendrils. Made with handmade pasta dough of fine durum (hard) wheat semolina flour (semola rimacinata) and water, they hold their shape well and have a tasty chewiness once cooked. Busiate are named after a local wild reed, busa, that is traditionally used to form the shape by rolling thin ropes of pasta dough around it into a flat coil. Today, a special brass pasta rod from southern Italy called ferro or ferretto is used to form busiate and other pasta shapes as well. I happily acquired my brass pasta rod from online Italian-made pasta tool shop Q.B. Cucina , but a wooden skewer, knitting needle, or even umbrella spoke has been known to work as well.

busiate pasta shapes

Like most hand-formed southern Italian pasta, making busiate can seem like child’s play at first. The first step of rolling dough into long ropes with your hands is familiar to most people who did the same with Play-Doh as children. However, the next step to form the ropes into spiral shapes requires a little practice to perfect. Rolling the rod set at a 45-degree angle down a strand of dough while winding it around is simple enough, but the trick is to use just enough pressure—and not too much—so the finished shape releases from the rod and doesn’t stick to it. Dusting the rod with a little semolina flour can help but making the dough correctly in the first place—firm but not soft and sticky—is key. It takes a little patience and practice but, once you get the feel for it, you’ll be amply rewarded with beautiful pasta to proudly serve your family and friends.

Trapanese pesto ingredients

The traditional sauce pairing for busiate is Trapanese Pesto (Pesto Trapanese) and vice versa. This pesto with tomatoes is unique to Sicily—and more specifically to Trapani—where it was created specifically for this pasta shape. Trapanese Pesto is made by grinding almonds, garlic, and basil (in mortar and pestle for best results) into a paste, then blending with fruity extra virgin olive oil and ripe, raw tomatoes into a sumptuous sauce that is the definition of Sicily’s sunny, vibrant personality. Using best quality ingredients is key, making mid to late summer the best time to enjoy this dish with peak-season tomatoes, fragrant basil, and excellent extra virgin olive oil. No cheese is needed since this pesto is already rich and creamy but, if the temptation to embellish with something extra strikes, you can sprinkle the finished pasta with finely chopped almonds. Oh, and, don’t let making homemade pasta stop you from enjoying this exquisite summer pesto with other quality, store-bought durum wheat pasta like bucatini, strozzapreti or casarecce…it’s too delicious to save for next year ; ).

busiate pasta with trapanese pesto

BUSIATE WITH TRAPANESE PESTO – Busiate al Pesto Trapanese
{Recipe}

This sun-kissed pasta from Trapani in Sicily is its namesake summer dish. Handmade durum wheat pasta dough is shaped into delicate tendrils around a local reed or bronze rod and tossed with a Sicilian summer pesto of ground almonds, garlic, basil and ripe tomatoes. Rich and bursting with sunny Southern Italian colors and flavors, this dish will soon be your new favorite summer pasta.

View a video of the pasta and pesto making technique on my Instagram feed.

Serves 4 to 5

PASTA DOUGH: (makes 1 pound/445g dough)
2 cups/300g durum wheat semolina flour (Italian semola rimacinata)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/145ml warm water
NOTE: if semolina flour is unavailable, substitute with 2 cups/240g “00” or all-purpose flour and ½ cup/120ml warm water
Special equipment: 12-inch/30cm pasta rod (ferro or ferretto) or wooden skewer

TRAPANESE PESTO: (makes 1 cup/240ml pesto)
2 large garlic cloves or 4 small, peeled
2 ounces/55g blanched peeled almonds (about 1/3 cup)
6 tablespoons/85ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed 
½ pound/250g very ripe plum tomatoes (2 or 3 tomatoes) 
1/3 ounce/10g fresh basil leaves (1 loose cup cup loosely packed)
Pinch of hot chili pepper flakes or chopped peperoncino, optional
Kosher or fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To make the pasta dough: place the flour in a wide, heavy bowl. Insert the fingertips of one hand into the flour and use the other hand to pour a thin stream of water over your fingers. Mix the water into the flour by rotating your fingertips in a circular motion until all the water has been added and a crumbly dough forms. Gather the crumbs together and squeeze them to form a shaggy dough. Knead the dough in the bowl by folding and squeezing with one hand (anchoring the bowl with the other hand), for a few minutes until it hydrates enough to clean the flour from the sides of the bowl. The dough will seem very stiff and dry at first, but resist the urge to add more water since it softens as you work it. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface (preferably unvarnished wood) and knead vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes until firm, smooth, and not sticky. Form dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic, and let rest for 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, prepare the pesto: fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Use a paring knife to score a shallow X through the skin at the bottom of each tomato. Plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute until skins loosen (but not longer or the tomatoes will cook), then remove them from the water and place on a cutting board for 2 minutes. Peel the tomatoes, starting at the scored end, pulling off the loose skin and discarding it. Cut the tomato flesh into quarters lengthwise and remove cores and seeds then cut the flesh into small dice. Set aside.

Place the garlic and almonds in the bowl of a mortar and pestle or small food processor fitted with blade and pound or pulse until finely ground. Tear the basil into the bowl and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of ground black pepper or hot chili flakes then grind into a paste. If using a food processor, pulse the machine and scrape down bowl frequently. Pour the extra virgin olive oil in a thin, steady stream while stirring or pulsing until a thick pesto forms. Add the chopped tomatoes and grind/pulse to break up the pieces then pour in a little more olive oil, if needed, to create a creamy, medium consistency pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning then transfer the pesto to a large, non-metallic mixing bowl and set aside while you hand form the busiate pasta shapes.

To form the busiate: unwrap the ball of pasta dough and roll beneath the palm of one hand to form a cylinder. Cut a strip of dough about the thickness of your finger from the long side, then wrap the remaining dough in plastic and set aside until needed. Using the palms of both hands in a back and forth motion—beginning with hands together and working them outward to thin the dough—roll the strip of dough into a long, thin rope about 3/16-inch/.5cm thick. Break the rope into 5 to 6-inch long strands then set aside all but one of the strands. Place a strand vertically on the board in front of you and set the ferretto pasta rod or skewer at a 45-degree angle about ¼-inch from the top tip of dough. Curl the tip over the rod then gently roll the rod down the strand using fingertips at opposite ends of the rod (without pressing) so the dough wraps around it like a coil. Once the rod reaches the end of the strand and the dough is entirely coiled, place the palm of your hand over the coiled pasta and, pressing lightly, roll it forward on the board to flatten slightly. Then release the busiata (singular) you just made by cradling it gently in one hand while twisting and pulling the other end of rod out with the other hand. Form the busiate, one by one using all the dough, setting them on a tray that has been lightly dusted with semolina flour to dry slightly and set the shape.   

To cook the busiate: bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Once the water boils, add 4 tablespoons/35g salt then wait for it to boil again. Add the pasta and cook at a steady boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente (firm to the bite), 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer to the bowl with pesto. Toss the busiate in the pesto to coat evenly with pesto then transfer to a warm serving platter and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. Serve immediately.

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Apricot Almond Cake
Torta di Mandorle e Albicocche

July 22, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo 3 Comments

apricot almond cake

Funny how what goes around comes around…even in cake making! This Apricot Almond Cake has its origins decades ago when I was living in the countryside of Tuscany and the fruit trees on our property had an unexpected bumper crop one year and I found myself with bushels of apricots to make use of. Some were preserved in vanilla syrup, like I shared on my previous post. Others were transformed into shiny jams, luscious tarts, a lovely liqueur and more. But lastly, I decided to make this apricot and almond cake which, at the time, was baked in a loaf pan for a breakfast cake that could be easily frozen for the autumn months. Apricots and almonds make one of my favorite flavor combinations, so it was a no brainer that a cake-like almond bread filled with bits of sweet, intensely flavored apricots would be a welcome treat. It was a good call and, after a little experimentation, this recipe was created and was a great success. So, I filed away my hand-scribbled recipe and it came with me when we moved from Italy to California but was never used again…until now. 

apricot almond cake on cake server

Call it déjà vu but, this year, I had the opportunity to pick my own apricots at a fruit farm in California and found myself, again, with too many apricots (a lucky problem) and the same dilemma as decades earlier of what to do with them (must be my apricot karma : ). I dug out my decades-old recipe, reworked it into this glorious cake version and am thrilled with the results. It’s now a regal looking apricot almond cake with golden crown of slivered almonds outside and surprise inside of moist almond cake studded with bright, jewel-like pieces of apricots. The combination of flavors is irresistible in a not-too-sweet cake that can double for a breakfast loaf pan cake like my original version.  

Inside view of apricot almond cake studded with fruit

This cake recipe works well with other fruits too. The important thing is to cut the ripe-yet-firm fruit into small dice so the cake is studded with little bits of lovely fruit that don’t sink to the bottom during baking. A light toss in flour helps suspend the fruit in the batter too. Peaches and plums are lovely summer substitutes, as are figs, and berries. Again, any fruit that pairs well with the aromatic, sensual flavor of almonds (most fruits do). The making of the cake is rather simple and a one-bowl process (or two if you count the one to mix the flour with leavening agents). I usually warm the milk and add the butter to it while I measure out other ingredients so the butter starts to melt and mellow in the milk. This time around I use almond milk that adds to the nutty flavor of the cake, but whole milk works well too. The addition of either almond extract (for more almond flavor) or vanilla is up to you and my instinctive go-to sugar is cane sugar instead of white, but you can use either with success. Cane sugar is less refined and adds a caramel flavor to the cake but needs more time and patience to melt in the liquids.

Apricot almond cake slice on plate

A word about almond flour, a very important ingredient in this recipe. Use best-quality store bought or make your own like I do. I blanch raw almonds in boiling water for a minute then drain and slip the skins off using my fingers before spreading on a baking sheet and drying in a 350F/180C oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Once the almonds are cool, I toss them in a food processor with a couple tablespoons of the sugar from the recipe and pulse until finely ground to my desired consistency without over processing that would draw out unwanted nut oils. Voila’…almond flour! This is added to the liquid ingredients without fear of over mixing since there are no glutens to overdevelop. Adding the all-purpose flour is another story and should be added by folding gently into the batter until just incorporated but without over working the glutens that results in a tough, rubbery cake. For a gluten-free cake, simply substitute gluten-free flour for the all-purpose or make you own with a combination of oat flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour.

Close up of apricot almond cake on plate

The moral of this post is that some things in life are worth keeping to make even better in time, and I think this cake is one of those! I hope you make it and think of me under apricot trees in both Tuscany and California…after all, it seems to be my destiny.

APRICOT ALMOND CAKE – Torta di Mandorle e Albicocche
{recipe}

This regal looking apricot almond cake boasts a golden crown of slivered almonds outside and surprise inside of moist crumb studded with bright jewel-like bits of ripe apricots. Though simple to make in one bowl, the results are show-stopping and satisfying in a delectable cake recipe that is a keeper for endless summers to come.  

Cake Batter:
2 cups/200g/7 ounces almond flour (or 200g/7ounces blanched almonds ground finely with 2 tablespoons of the sugar)
2 cups/240g unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more to flour pan if needed
1 teaspoon/4g baking powder
¼ teaspoon/1.2g baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 cup/240g almond milk (or whole milk), warm
4 tablespoons/57g softened unsalted butter, plus more to grease pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup/200g cane sugar (or granulated)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup/200 diced apricots
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour to toss apricots

Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons/20g slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and position rack in center. 

Butter an 8-inch/20cm x 3-inch/7.6cm round cake pan then line sides and bottom with parchment paper or dust with flour, tapping out excess. Alternatively, you can use an 11 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan instead.  

Measure the almond flour (if store bought) or pulse the blanched almonds in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the sugar until finely ground. In a separate bowl, blend together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a wire whisk. Set flours aside.

Place the warm milk, softened butter, and extract in a mixing bowl and whisk until butter is melted. Add the sugar gradually while whisking then beat well until sugar has melted. Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating until thick and creamy. Sprinkle the almond flour into the batter and stir well to combine.

Add the all-purpose flour mixture to the batter, folding in gently with a spatula just until smoothly incorporated but without overworking. 

Toss the diced apricots with 2 tablespoons flour to coat uniformly. This will ­prevent the apricots from sinking to the bottom of the cake when baked. Fold the apricots into the batter until evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and level surface. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over top then scatter the slivered almonds around the edge to form a decorative border.   

Place the cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in center of hot oven for 55 to 60 minutes until golden and tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cake cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Serve cut into slices as a breakfast cake, teatime cake or dessert.

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Apricots in Vanilla Syrup
Albicocche Sciroppate

June 17, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Apricots in Vanilla Syrup

Carpe diem! That’s the Latin phrase meaning “seize the day” and it was exactly what I did when I spotted the first apricots of the year at my farmers’ market. While I always prepare jam with summer apricots, this fruit was so small and perfect that I decided to make my Apricots in Vanilla Syrup and capture their whole natural goodness in a jar. Since apricots are the first sweet taste of stone fruit in late spring/early summer but have an all-too-brief season, I make their enjoyment last a little longer by preserving them in simple syrup in shelf-stable jars.

When I saw the sea of beautiful Gold Kist apricots piled on the market stand, I had a delicious déjà vu of my life in Tuscany decades earlier when our fruit trees produced a bumper crop of tiny, sweet apricots like these…all at once! The harvest was so bountiful that we didn’t know where to put them, so every flat surface of my home was covered in blushing little orbs that gave the rooms a warm glow and a magical scent. The delicate apricots ripened quickly and I soon realized that we couldn’t possible eat all the fruit au naturel, so I needed to find ways to cook them presto or they’d spoil. I quickly got to work preparing everything I could think of with apricots—jams, preserves, cakes, tarts, breads…even a lovely liqueur. But perhaps the purest and most natural way I captured the essence of that special summer was by making these albicocche sciroppate, apricots in vanilla syrup, that I jarred for the winter.

Making them is incredibly easy and well worth the little time it takes. First, I halve the apricots, reserving their hard pits to crack open and extract the precious kernels inside—called mandorle amare or bitter almonds—to give the syrup a hint of almond flavor. In fact, bitter almonds are often finely ground and added to Italian baked goods—in particular almond biscotti from Tuscany known as cantucci—to give them a lingering aromatic quintessence that almonds alone can’t provide. Next, I make a simple syrup—an appropriate name for the equal parts sugar and water mixture that, when boiled, become a sweet, silky base in which to preserve the apricots—adding vanilla bean for extra sensual flavor (spices like cardamom seeds or cinnamon stick are lovely too). Then, I pack the apricot halves tightly in sterilized canning jars and pour over the molten syrup before sealing and processing in a hot water bath.

Once cool, I store the jars of jewel-like Apricots in Vanilla Syrup in my pantry to savor during the cold, dark winter months when I crave a ray of summer sunshine and a taste of summer fruit. I spoon the shiny, golden apricots over gelato, on cake, or eat on their own…in a pool of luscious syrup.

I hope that you seize the apricot-moment and preserve some to enjoy all year long. Just follow my recipe and video!


APRICOTS IN VANILLA SYRUP – Albicocche Sciroppate
{recipe}

Makes three 1-cup jars

  • 1 pound/454g ripe yet firm apricots, preferably small and unblemished
  • ½ cup/120g water
  • ½ cup/100g sugar (preferably organic cane sugar
  • 3 two-inch/4cm pieces of vanilla bean, scored
  • 12 apricot kernels (removed from apricot pits)
    Special equipment:
  • 3 half-pint/240ml canning jars with new lids
  • Canning pot with rack or large pot with lid and clean towel; tongs

Note: before beginning recipe, wash and sterilize jars as directed in “Hot water bath canning method” below.

Wash the apricots under cold, running water and pat dry. Divide each apricot in half lengthwise by using a sharp knife to cut along the natural crease of the fruit starting from the stem dimple and continuing around its circumference. Separate apricot halves by gently twisting apart then remove the pits and reserve.

Crack open 12 apricot pits and extract the kernels. To do this, place the pits in a clean cloth or towel and tap with a hammer until the shell cracks. Remove inner kernels (that look like almonds) and discard pit shards. The apricot kernels—called bitter almonds—will add a delicate almond flavor to the syrup.

Prepare a simple syrup by placing water, sugar, and vanilla beans in a small saucepan and bringing to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 or 2 minutes until sugar has melted completely and a medium consistency syrup is created. Keep the syrup hot over low heat without boiling further.

Arrange the apricots—cut side down—in warm sterilized jars, fitting their curves snugly against each other. Gently press down to pack as many apricot halves as possible in the jar (without bruising the fruit) to 1/2-inch below rim. Insert 4 apricot kernels in each jar. 

Remove the vanilla beans from syrup and place one in each jar. Pour hot syrup over the apricots to cover, leaving about 1/2-inch headspace below jar rims. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel to remove any traces of syrup then screw on lids and twist until just fingertip tight. 

Process the jars in boiling water using the water bath canning method (see method below) for 15 to 20 minutes for half-pint jars (10 minutes for 1/2-cup/120ml jars) then store in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

Hot water bath canning method:

1. Wash jars, lids and bands in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Let the lids and bands air dry on clean towel. Sterilize the jars in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes then drip dry overturned on a clean towel. Alternatively, sterilize jars by placing upright on a baking sheet and heating in a 250°F/121°C oven for 20 minutes before filling. Sterilize jars just before filling and keep hot so they are the same temperature (or close to it) as hot ingredients.

2. Carefully fill hot jars (preferably using a wide-mouth funnel) with hot ingredients leaving 1/2-inch headspace below rim of jar for half-pint jars or larger (for smaller jars leave 1/4-inch headspace below rims). Wipe rims with a clean, damp paper towel and allow to dry briefly. Place new lids and bands on jars, then twist just until fingertip tight, without over tightening. 

3. Use a canning pot with rack or arrange a cotton napkin or kitchen towel in the bottom of a pot large enough to hold jars without touching and tall enough to allow 2 to 3 inches headspace over jars. Carefully place filled jars in pot and cover with hot water by at least 2 inches. Place over high heat and bring water to a boil then adjust heat to steady simmer. Cover pot and boil the jars at a constant simmer for the time specified in recipe or according to instructions for specific size jar, adjusted for altitude if needed.

4. Turn off heat and let jars stand in hot water for 5 minutes then remove using tongs and place on wire rack or kitchen towel to cool undisturbed for 12 hours. When jars are completely cool, check that each lid has sealed properly by pressing down in center. Lid center should remain down if properly vacuum sealed and not pop up or down when pressed. Tighten lid bands if loosened. Store in cool, dry place for up to 1 year.

Filed Under: Desserts - Dolci, Fruit, Uncategorized

SAVORY EASTER TART
TORTA SALATA PASQUALE

April 18, 2019 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

savory-easter-tart

Easter is a time of new beginnings. Of transformation and rebirth. So, why not give a traditional dish new life with a modern update? That’s precisely what I was thinking when I did a riff on the classic Italian Easter pie, Torta Pasqualina, to create my Savory Easter Tart. Don’t get me wrong—I love Torta Pasqualina with its layer-upon-layer olive oil pastry crust and whole cooked eggs nestled in thick swaths of ricotta and greens filling. But let’s be honest—the dish can be a bit weighty both on the stomach and the work load—so I decided to revamp it for contemporary tastes and cooks that don’t have time to preapre elaborate dishes into this lighter and more elegant appetizer for Easter lunch.

savory-easter-tart-cut

I set about deconstructing and redesigning the original pie using (more or less) the same ingredients for their magical flavor combination—only elaborated and arranged differently. Since my memory was still vivid of first spying a rarified version of torta pasqualina in an upscale Milan gastronomic shop and marveling at the carefully arranged ribbons of green, white, and pink ingredients framing whole cooked eggs inside—I wanted to achieve a pastel-colored ribbon effect in a low profile, tidy tart. So, instead of mixing all the elements together and breaking whole eggs into divets in the filling, I divide my Savory Easter Tart into stratas and beat the eggs in a creamy custard to pour over separate layers of spinach and ricotta filling, diced ham, and fontina cheese. The result is an open face, multi-layer tart that in Italy is called torta salata—or savory tart similar to French quiche.

savory-easter-tart-slice-side

Then, in lieu of the anywhere from six to thirty-three layers of olive oil pastry layers with top and bottom crusts in the classic version, I line my tart pan with a single sheet of rich butter and egg pastry dough that is super flaky yet sturdy enough to hold a fancy border. Once the pastry shell is filled, I roll the overhanging dough inward to create a fat cord edge then cut it diagonally with scissors to form pointy “beaks”. This border is inspired by the savory tarts of Lucca that are customarily adorned with a golden crown of pastry becchi. During baking, the pastry puffs up (thanks to the butter and eggs) into fine, golden layers, creating a satisfyingly crisp base for the creamy, tender filling.

savory-easter-tart-2

So, there you have it—a behind the scenes look at creating a modern twist on a traditional holiday dish! I hope you like my Savory Easter Tart and will make it for your friends and family. Let me know in the comments below.

This Easter, I’m celebrating new beginnings, transformation and rebirth in cooking and beyond and wish you Happy Easter, Buona Pasqua, and buon appetito!

From my kitchen to your family table,

Deborah

SAVORY EASTER TART
Torta Salata Pasquale

Created by Deborah Dal Fovo on April 15, 2019

This savory tart is my riff on the traditional Torta Pasqualina, an elaborate Italian Easter pie made with multiple layers of pastry dough and filled with whole eggs. My modern version uses the same ingredients and rearranges them in elegant, colorful layers to capture the same magical flavors with less fuss. ©2019 Deborah Dal Fovo.  All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 45m
  • Cook Time: 40m
  • Serves: 8
  • Yield: One 9-inch tart
  • Category: Antipasti - Appetizers, Baked Goods, Eggs, First Courses - Primi, Recipes, Tarts, Verdure - Vegetables

Ingredients

For the pastry dough:

  • 1¾ cups/250g unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons/113g unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 large eggs

For the tart filling:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons/29g butter, plus more to grease tart pan
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 pound/455g spinach in bunch (or 8 ounces/227g spinach leaves)
  • ½ cup/125g ricotta cheese, strained of excess moisture if needed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves, finely chopped
  • 3½ ounces/100g sliced cooked ham, cut into small dice
  • 3½ ounces/100g fontina cheese, cut into small dice
  • 1 cup/250ml heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon for egg wash
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¼ cup/38g freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground white or black pepper
  • Freshly ground nutmeg (optional)
  • Special equipment: 9-inch round tart or pie pan

Instructions

  1. Make the pastry dough by placing flour and salt in a large bowl and whisking to sift together. Add the cold butter pieces and toss in the flour to to coat. Rub the butter between your fingers until a crumbly mixture forms. Add the eggs and stir with a fork to combine then work the dough lightly with your hands until it holds together. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth (without overworking) then shape into a round, flat disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  2. Trim off the stems from the spinach bunch and discard. Rinse the leaves well in several changes of cold water and drain. Place the spinach with water clinging in a large skillet or sauté pan with a tight fitting lid. Sprinkle with salt then cover and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until leaves are tender, stirring occasionally and adding a small amount of water if needed to prevent scorching. The spinach will reduce in mass considerably as it cooks. Lift the cooked spinach out of the pan and transfer to an ice water bath for a couple of minutes then drain well (this will preserve its green color). Gather the spinach into a ball with your hands and squeeze well to eliminate all excess moisture, then place of a cutting board and chop finely.
  3. Heat the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the butter, minced shallots, pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons water in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until softened and all water has evaporated without browning,, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes, stirring to coat spinach with the cooking oils. Remove from heat, transfer to a mixing bowl and cool completely. When cool, add the ricotta and chopped marjoram and mix well.
  4. Using a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry dough into a 15-inch circle. Transfer the sheet of pastry to a buttered tart tin, centering it in the pan, and smoothly line the sides and bottom with dough. Roll the overhanging dough into a border then pinch, cut or mark to create a decorative edge (I roll it toward the center then make diagonal cuts to form beaks). Place tart shell on a baking sheet in the refrigerator until needed.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
  6. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan but without boiling. In a medium bowl, beat 2 of the eggs well together with grated cheese then slowly add the warm cream, a little at a time, while whisking continuously. Season the egg mixture with ½ teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper, and nutmeg if desired.
  7. Spread the spinach ricotta mixture evenly over bottom of the tart crust. Sprinkle with a layer of chopped ham then with a layer of chopped fontina cheese. Carefully pour the egg mixture over top. Prepare an egg wash by beating the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon cream then brush the pastry border with the wash.
  8. Place the tart in lower half of the hot oven and bake for about 40 minutes until the custard is set and the pastry is deep golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Source: Deborah Dal Fovo
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Filed Under: Appetizers - Antipasti, Baking, Holiday Dishes, Main Course - Secondo Piatto, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Valentine’s Day Dinner:
Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

February 13, 2017 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

How do I love thee? Let me count the ravioli. Seriously, there’s no better way to say “I love you” than with a plate of handmade pasta lovingly crafted and offered as a token of your affection. After all, you put a little bit of yourself into every bite by kneading, rolling and shaping the pasta even before it is cooked. The act in itself is a delicious labor of love. Then why not take it to the next level with colored pasta and make a real statement? Those were my thoughts last year when I created these Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling for Valentine’s Day. Yes, I make other colored pasta, like these green tagliatelle colored with spinach that I did here. But these Valentine’s ravioli were begging to be red—really, really red—the color of love, of passion, of beets. In fact, for these ravioli the pasta dough is stained deep magenta-red with beets before it lovingly envelopes a creamy ricotta and radicchio filling to form pretty half-moon shaped ravioli. They look stunning on the plate, dressed in a rosy sauce of beet-tinted melted butter and scattered with toasted pine nuts and delicate wisps of shaved Parmigiano. A romantic meal never looked or tasted so good!

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

It took a little love on my part to get this beet pasta recipe the way I wanted it. You see, beets stain but they also bleed. That means when red pasta cooks, the color can leach into the boiling water and fade —taking the pasta from bright magenta to drab pink. But that wasn’t good enough for me and I was determined to get an intense red pasta that held up to cooking. And I did…here’s how. I use more beets than most but it works because of a few tricks I’ll share with you. First, I roast the beets so they don’t get watery like they can if you boil them. Then I puree the beets using a fine blade in my food mill, but you can also process in a food processor. Next—and most importantly—I squeeze all the liquid out of the beet puree (saving it for the sauce) in a cotton napkin I don’t mind staining until it’s dry like play dough. This creates a concentrated pigmentation agent to add to the egg before incorporating flour, so less flour is needed and the pasta dough is darker. After kneading the dough until smooth and soft, it is dark magenta and almost purplish in color. But don’t worry because some of the color will fade during boiling and the cooked ravioli will be a lovely shade of red.

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

You should know that while red beets color pasta dough beautifully, they can stain your hands and counter tops if you’re not careful. To avoid this, I work on washable cutting boards and wear disposable latex gloves when making the pasta dough. Once the dough is made, roll it thin—either with a rolling pin or using a pasta machine. Cut the pasta sheet into circles, dab each with a spoonful of ricotta and radicchio filling, then fold and seal the edges well to form half moon shaped ravioli. This filling comes together quickly with a mixture of ricotta cheese, egg, Parmigiano and caramelized radicchio. Radicchio is red chicory with a bittersweet peppery flavor that adds spice to the mild ricotta and compliments the beet infused pasta. I like to use Treviso radicchio, but if you can’t find it, the Chioggia variety works well too.

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

Once the ravioli are made the work is done leaving plenty of time to get dressed and light the candles on the table. Then, just a few minutes before serving, the pasta cooks while a quick yet sumptuous sauce is made from reserved beet juice and butter to toss the ravioli in and coat them with even more color and flavor. Arranged on plates with a smattering of toasted pine nuts and Parmigiano shavings over top, they make quite an entrance and are sure to set the mood for your romantic meal. Happy Valentine’s Day…or should I say…beet mine?

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

 

BEET PASTA RAVIOLI WITH RICOTTA & RADICCHIO FILLING
Ravioli di Barbabietola con Ricotta e Radicchio

Created by Deborah Dal Fovo on February 8, 2017

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling The pasta for these half-moon shaped ravioli is tinted deep magenta red by pureed beets then filled with creamy ricotta and caramelized radicchio. They look stunning arranged on a plate dressed in rosy beet-infused melted butter and scattered with toasted pine nuts and Parmigiano shavings.    © 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 2h
  • Cook Time: 10m
  • Yield: 24 ravioli
  • Category: First Courses - Primi Piatti, Pasta, Recipes

Ingredients

Beet Pasta Dough:

  • 6 ounces /160g red beets, trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup/120g all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  • 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
  • Kosher or fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Ravioli Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon/14g unsalted butter
  • ½ small shallot, finely minced (2 tablespoons)
  • 2 ½ ounces/70g radicchio (preferably Treviso variety), cut into thin strips and rinsed
  • 4 ounces/113g ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons/6g freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup reserved beet juice (see instructions)
  • 8 tablespoons/113g unsalted butter, cut into dice
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 tablespoons Shaved Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C degrees.
  2. NOTE: When working with red beets, wear disposable latex gloves and use cutting boards and glass bowls to avoid staining skin and work surfaces.
  3. Wash the beets well under cold water then place in center of a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil over the beets and crimp ends together to form a leak-proof packet then set on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until beets are tender when pierced with the point of a knife then remove from oven and cool. Peel the beets, cut into pieces and puree through a food mill or in a food processor until smooth. Place the beet pulp in the center of a clean, cotton napkin (that you don’t mind staining) and squeeze out all excess liquid into a bowl (about ¼ cup) until the pulp is dry like play dough. Set beet juice aside for later use.
  4. To make pasta dough, mound the flour on a cutting board (or in bowl) and form a well in the center. Place the egg yolk, beet pulp and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the well and beat with a fork, gradually dragging in the flour, a little at a time, until a crumbly mass forms. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands and knead on a floured board for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and smooth, adding more flour as needed if sticky. Form dough into a ball then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set aside to rest.
  5. For the filling, place olive oil, butter, and shallots with 1 tablespoon water in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook until shallots are soft and moisture has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the radicchio, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted and lightly caramelized, stirring, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
  6. Mix the ricotta, egg yolk and grated cheese together in a bowl until smooth then add the radicchio and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  7. Divide the pasta dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time (keeping the rest wrapped in plastic until needed). Using a pasta machine or rolling pin on floured surface, roll the dough into a thin sheet about 1mm thick (you should see your hand in transparency through the pasta). If using a pasta machine, pass the dough repeatedly through the rollers increasing the setting each time to reduce roller thickness and thin dough.
  8. Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured board and cut six 3-inch circles using a floured pasta cutter or wine glass. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle then fold one side over the filling to form a half-moon shape. Press the dough around the filling with your fingers to expel air pockets and seal edges. If the dough doesn't stick together, brush it very lightly with water before sealing. If desired, use a zig-zagged pasta cutter to make a decorative edge. Arrange the ravioli in a single layer, without touching, on a floured parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat process with remaining dough and filling. (Ravioli can be refrigerated, uncovered, for a few hours.)
  9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat then add a generous handful of kosher or sea salt. When the water returns to a boil, add the ravioli and stir gently to prevent sticking. Cook the ravioli until ‘al dente’, tender yet firm to bite, 2 to 3 minutes.
  10. While the ravioli cook, boil the reserved beet juice in a large skillet over medium-high heat until thick. Add the butter and melt, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Scoop the ravioli from water using a slotted spoon and place in the sauce. Toss ravioli in the sauce over heat for less than a minute until well coated, adding a little pasta cooking water if needed.
  11. Arrange six ravioli on each plate and drizzle with sauce. Scatter toasted pine nuts over top and sprinkle with cheese shavings. Serve immediately.
Source: Deborah Dal Fovo
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Filed Under: First Course - Primo Piatto, Pasta, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Patience and persimmons
Persimmon and Pecan Bread

January 27, 2017 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmon pulp is the star ingredient in this irresistibly fragrant fruit and nut bread.

It’s often said that patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait. This is especially true when it comes to Hachiya persimmons, an obscure and misunderstood winter fruit known as kaki to the Japanese and cachi to Italians. These persimmons are often confused with the flatter Fuyu variety that is eaten firm like an apple early in the season. But Hachiya persimmons—whose inviting shiny orange, pointed forms make them tempting to enjoy when they are young—must mature and soften for weeks on end before they are edible. It makes January the perfect month to make this Persimmon and Pecan Bread when fruit that has been slowly ripening on the window sill is very soft and ready for use. Hachiya persimmon’s delicate sweetness and alluring fragrance give this simple bread an air of aristocracy that makes it ideal for afternoon tea or a luxurious breakfast in bed…and well worth waiting for.

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmons in a wooden bowl create a colorful decorative display while they ripen to perfect softness.

A seasonal fruit with oriental origins, Hachiya persimmons first appear on leafy trees in late autumn. But their beauty is not fully evident until winter when the tree sheds its leaves to reveal bare branches hung with brightly colored, heart-shaped fruit—making it look like a timely Charlie Brown Christmas tree strung with shiny ornaments. The fruit is firm and immature at this point and must ripen further to allow harsh tannins to mellow and sweetness to develop. Take them home and place on your counter or window sill and watch the change that occurs as they mature. I fill an antique wooden bowl with vibrant orange persimmons and use as a cheerful decorative item in my home while they ripen.

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmons in a row at diverse stages of ripening.

As they ripen, persimmons slowly soften and become darker in color until finally—after two to four weeks—they are mature enough to eat or cook with. You can see the change happening in stages as they go from hard, yellow-orange pointed fruit to red-orange slouchy orbs with loose, wrinkled skin. At the perfect point of ripeness, they look like water balloons—heavy, jiggly and ready to burst. Don’t be tempted to eat them before this time or you’ll experience a very unpleasant astringent aftertaste in your mouth. To speed up the ripening process, some people freeze partially ripe persimmons for 24 hours then thaw before cooking. In a pinch, this can help soften the fruit and reduce tannins, but they won’t be as sweet or mellow as naturally ripened persimmons. Be patient with persimmons and you will be rewarded!

persimmon-on-spoon

Food memories are precious things and I still recall the first time I tasted a persimmon. It was at Torre di Pisa restaurant in Milan, where I was dining with my then-boyfriend in the dead of winter. “I took the liberty of ordering you dessert since they have a very special fruit that is only available for a very short time”, said Maurizio as the waiter slid a plate in front of me. Expecting to see colorful tropical fruit, I looked down to find a wrinkly, burnt-orange blob on my plate that looked less than appealing. Slightly puzzled I asked, “What do I do with it?” Maurizio laughed, “Make a cross cut in the center and open it like a flower, then eat the inside with a spoon…like pudding.” I followed instructions and slid my knife through the paper-thin skin then repeated the motion crosswise. The persimmon fell open like four petals in a sensual display of glistening, jelly-like pulp that beckoned a taste. I dipped my spoon in and scooped some out. It was shiny and syrupy—more like soft jelly than raw fruit—and very much what in Italy we call dolci da cucchiaio or spoon desserts like creme caramel and panna cotta. When I lifted the spoon to my mouth, a delicate floral scent filled my senses like fine perfume. The taste in my mouth was…well, luscious. Silky and sweet with a hypnotic exotic fruit flavor and lingering vanilla finish. I was mesmerized and fell in love immediately (with the persimmon, not with Maurizio).

inside-persimmon

Over the years, I continued my love affair with persimmons and searched them out each winter at my neighborhood fruttivendoli in Milan. But it was only after moving to California—and once I was teaching Italian cooking and developing my own recipes—that I became intrigued with the idea of a persimmon bread. I began experimenting to get the right balance of sweetness, wet to dry ingredients, and leavening to make a moist yet light fruit bread that showcased persimmon’s delicate flavor and fragrance. The decision to add pecans, with their subtle buttery nuttiness, was the natural choice to quietly complement persimmon’s ethereal qualities without overpowering them.

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Bright hachiya persimmon pulp is strained smooth through a sieve before adding to sweet bread batter.

The batter for Persimmon and Pecan Bread is simple and easy to prepare. Cut open ripe persimmons and scoop out the pudding-like pulp then strain it through a sieve so it’s silky smooth and free of unwanted seeds or fibers. Measure out the amount that you need for the recipe but don’t waste any leftover puree! Persimmon puree freezes well and keeps for up to 6 months. Just thaw and use like fresh to make persimmon and pecan bread well into the spring.

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Colorful and fragrant hachiya persimmon pulp adds an exotic note to this sweet bread batter.

The secret to a light, airy bread is to mix the dry ingredients together first then add them to the wet ingredients with a few quick folding motions until just combined. Don’t overwork the batter or the baked bread will be heavy and rubbery. Then, stir in the toasted pecans and pour the thick batter into a loaf pan. Bake until you can smell a sweet, flowery fragrance wafting out of your oven and the bread is golden orangey-brown on top and set in the center.

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmons add beautiful color, fragrance and flavor to this sweet bread batter.

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmons add beautiful color, fragrance and flavor to this sweet bread batter. Some things are well worth waiting for and perfectly ripened Hachiya persimmons are one of those. Now, I look forward to winter just to patiently watch these gorgeous persimmons ripen to perfection so I can enjoy this Persimmon and Pecan Bread. I hope you will too!

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmon pulp is the star ingredient in this irresistibly fragrant fruit and nut bread.

PERSIMMON AND PECAN BREAD
Plumcake di Cachi

Created by Deborah Dal Fovo on January 19, 2017

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmon pulp is the star ingredient in this irresistibly fragrant fruit and nut bread. This persimmon and pecan bread has a delicate, exotic sweetness and fragrance that is a pure joy during grey winter months. Use Hachiya persimmons that are fully ripened and super soft like squishy water balloons to ensure that the pulp inside is sweet and astringent tannins have mellowed.  © 2017 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 30m
  • Cook Time: 55m
  • Yield: Makes one 9-inch/23cm loaf
  • Category: Breads, Desserts - Dolci, Fruit Desserts, Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup/100g raw pecans
  • 1 pound/454g very soft, ripe Hachiya persimmons (about 2 or 3), or 1 cup of strained pulp
  • 2 cups/240g unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup/150g granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup/113g unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C and place oven rack in the middle position. Butter and flour the inside of a 9-inch/23cm loaf pan.
  2. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and cool completely then run a knife through the nuts once or twice to chop coarsely.
  3. Place the persimmons stem side down on a cutting board and make a cross cut in the center of each down to the stem. Open the fruit like a flower and scoop out the pulp with a spoon, scraping it off the skin and eliminating any black seeds and white fibers. Transfer the persimmon pulp to a mesh sieve set over a bowl then press it through the sieve with the back of a spoon. Scrape bottom of the sieve to capture all strained pulp and measure to obtain about 1 cup. Alternately, you can puree the pulp until smooth in a food processor. Excess persimmon puree can be frozen for future use.
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  5. Place the melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the persimmon pulp and mix until well combined.
  6. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined and batter is smooth. Do not over mix the batter or the bread will have a rubbery consistency. Add the pecans and fold in until well distributed.
  7. Pour batter into the prepared pan then bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. If the bread browns too quickly before the inside is cooked, place an aluminum foil sheet over top to prevent burning.
  8. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then remove bread from pan and cool. Serve bread warm or at room temperature cut into thin or thick slices.
  9. Note: Persimmon bread can be stored, tightly wrapped. at room temperature for about a week and freezes well.
Source: Chef Deborah Dal Fovo
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Filed Under: Breads, Desserts - Dolci, Fruit, Recipes, Uncategorized

Sweet Italian Christmas:
Panettone Filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts

December 20, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 4 Comments

Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts - This easy recipe transforms classic Italian panettone into a festive, showstopping holiday dessert for elegant Christmas and New Years celebrations.

Most Italians would agree with me when I say that it wouldn’t be Christmas without Panettone. This golden dome-shaped sweet bread studded with raisins, candied orange peel and citron, that traditionally makes its appearance for Christmas and New Year, is a must to celebrate the holidays in Italy. You see them everywhere from artisan bakery windows to specialty stores and supermarkets, wrapped in colorful, decorative boxes that make them look like Christmas gifts perfect to bestow on family and friends for the holidays. In Italy, we often find ourselves with too many panettoni and don’t quite know what to do with them. I created this recipe for Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts as a way to dress up the cake-like bread and make it even more festive. Wrapped with a shiny ribbon and sliced at the table to reveal the surprise filling inside, it makes an elegant and joyous dessert for holiday dinners.

two-panettone-2

Panettone is a sweet, yeasted bread whose elaboration is considered a true accomplishment in the pastry world. Its rich, buttery dough somehow defies gravity as it rises three times in thirty-plus hours to form a light and airy texture scented by the sweet raisins and candied citrus fruits that dot its ethereal crumb. Baked in a decorative paper mold until deep burnished brown then hung upside down to maintain its distinctive rounded dome shape and impressive height, panettone is a holiday ritual and symbol of celebration in Italy. Invented in 15th century Milan, its legend has a few different versions and all of them reflect the labor of love that panettone is to prepare. The classic version containing raisins, candied orange peel, and citron is the original Panettone Milanese, and an obligatory slice is enjoyed as is or embellished with a dollop of mascarpone cream, crema di mascarpone, as a traditional holiday dessert or snack. While there are many commercial brands available, the best panettoni are made by the specialty bakeries of Milan. Since I’m not in Milan this Christmas, I enlisted the help of my Italian baker friend Gary Rulli for this post. Gary kindly offered me the authentic artisan panettoni Milanesi he makes at his Italian caffe’ and bakery, Emporio Rulli in Larkspur, California to use for my dessert.

Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts - The first step is to hollow out the panettone and sprinkle the bread crumb with Grand Marnier.

While this dessert is seemingly complex, it actually takes very little time and effort since the panettone is store bought. And that’s a very good thing during the holidays when time is precious. The first step to making it is to slice the dome top off the panettone and hollow out the cylindrical bread loaf to make room for the filling. I cut a circular shape in the panettone, leaving a sturdy bread border around the edges and along the bottom, then pull out the center crumb with my fingers to create the empty cavity where the filling will go. To add even more lovely citrus flavor to the dessert, I sprinkle the extracted crumb with Grand Marnier orange liqueur and let it soak in while the other ingredients for the filling are prepared.

Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts - Shaved dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts fill this holiday bread.

First, I toast hazelnuts in the oven and tuck them into a kitchen towel to steam before rubbing vigorously in the cloth to remove bitter skins before chopping. Then, I shave a dark chocolate bar (70% cacao preferred) into shards using the blade of my chef’s knife. Here, I also chopped some homemade candied orange peel into tiny dice to add more citrus flavor. Lastly, heavy cream is lightly sweetened with confectioners sugar and whipped until thick and billowy before the chopped ingredients and liqueur baptized panettone pieces are carefully folded in.

Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts - The panettone bread pieces, shaved chocolate and chopped hazelnuts are folded into sweetened whipped cream for the filling.

The filling is spooned into the empty hollow of the panettone and its dome bread lid placed on top before it goes into the refrigerator to set for a couple of hours. And that’s it! Dessert is made with plenty of time to spare for last minute shopping or gift wrapping. Before serving the panettone, I dust the top with a generous snowfall of powdered sugar and garnish with extra chocolate curls shaved from the bar. Then I tie a beautiful gold ribbon around the bread and serve it on a gilt platter.

Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts - This easy recipe transforms classic Italian panettone into a festive, showstopping holiday dessert for elegant Christmas and New Years celebrations.

Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts - This easy recipe transforms classic Italian panettone into a festive, showstopping holiday dessert for elegant Christmas and New Years celebrations.

At the table (once the oohs and aahs have subsided), I remove the ribbon and cut the panettone into wedge-shaped slices, complete with decorative paper border, and serve it with glasses of chilled Moscato d’Asti. My Panettone filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts is a festive, delicious and, above all, easy to prepare dessert that makes holiday entertaining effortless and enjoyable. Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo a tutti! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Panettone Filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts: A peek inside this festive Italian Christmas bread filled with whipped cream, chocolate and nuts. A sweet surprise!

PANETTONE FILLED WITH WHIPPED CREAM, CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUTS
Panettone Farcito

Created by Deborah Dal Fovo on December 20, 2016

Panettone Filled with Cream, Chocolate and Nuts: A peek inside this festive Italian Christmas bread filled with whipped cream, chocolate and nuts. A sweet surprise! Traditional Italian Christmas sweet bread is made even more festive with a filling of whipped cream, chocolate shavings, chopped hazelnuts and candied orange peel. © 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 40m
  • Serves: 12
  • Category: Desserts - Dolci, Recipes

Ingredients

  • Panettone Milanese weighing 2¼ pounds/1 kilo
  • 2 cups /500ml heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 4 tablespoons /25g confectioners sugar, plus more to garnish
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier (rum or cognac can be substituted)
  • 1 3/4 ounces /50g dark chocolate, shaved or chopped into small pieces, plus more to garnish
  • ½ cup hazelnuts (almonds can be substituted)
  • 1/4 cup candied orange peel, cut into small dice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180C°. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and place in center of hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove from oven then place the hot nuts in the center of a clean kitchen towel. Gather the edges of the towel together to form a pouch then let the nuts steam and cool for 5 minutes. Pick up the pouch by the gathered towel ends and rub the hazelnuts against each other in the towel with your other hand to remove papery skins. Chop the nuts roughly and set aside. (If using almonds just toast and chop without removing skins).
  2. Cut the rounded dome top off the panettone in one clean horizontal slice about 1-1/4 inches in thickness, and set aside.
  3. Using a long, thin knife held vertically, cut out the center of the panettone leaving a 1-inch border around sides and a 1½ inches on the bottom, without perforating the bottom or sides of the bread. Hollow out the bread crumb from the center of the panettone then tear it into pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle the panettone crumb pieces with Grand Marnier and toss to coat.
  4. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until thickened. Add the confectioners sugar and beat for another minute until light and fluffy but not dry.
  5. Fold the torn panettone pieces, chocolate, hazelnuts, and candied orange peel (if using) into the whipped cream. Fill the hollow of the panettone with the whipped cream mixture, pressing down slightly. Replace the bread dome top on the panettone and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
  6. Before serving, dust the top of the panettone with powdered sugar and decorate with chocolate shavings. Place on a round platter and wrap with a festive ribbon if desired. Serve cut into wedges using a serrated knife, taking care to cut through the paper wrapped base cleanly so each slice has a decorative border.
  7. Serve on individual dessert plates accompanied by a glass of moscato d'Asti or other dessert wine or liqueur.
Source: Deborah Dal Fovo
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Filed Under: Desserts - Dolci, Recipes, Uncategorized

Tuscany in California: Schiacciata con l’uva
Tuscan Grape Focaccia

November 5, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Tuscan Grape Focaccia - Schiacciata con l'uva: A sweet wine harvest flatbread from Tuscany made with layers of bread dough filled and topped with wine harvest grapes and sugar. When baked, the grapes and sugar meld together to create a jammy center. Simply deliziosa!

When I lived in Tuscany, autumn’s arrival each year was heralded by a sudden flurry of activity in the countryside. The spell of summer’s lazy lull was broken by a revived energy as locals awakened from their sleepy trance eager to return to normal routine. One of the first signs of this risveglio was the annual wine harvest called la vendemmia. As if beckoned by the waving of a flag at the starting line, workers suddenly appeared in the lush yet rarely visited vineyards carpeting the hillside below my home to pick perfectly ripened clusters of grapes hanging on row after row of endless vines. There was palpable excitement in the air since it meant that those grapes would soon become our cherished local wine. This joyous time of vendemmia is welcomed each year in Tuscany like a sacred ritual with celebrations and symbolic dishes made only during the grape harvest. The most beloved is Schiacciata con l’uva, a Tuscan grape focaccia whose annual presence in bakery windows signals the jubilant start to a month long harvest season. The word “schiacciata” (pronounced ski-ah-chah-tah) means pressed or flattened and is the Tuscan name for savory flatbread otherwise known as focaccia in other parts of Italy. This sweet version, made of bread dough filled inside and out with sugar and juicy grapes that dot its golden surface like precious jewels, is a special treat to look forward to every year as much as the harvest itself.

Italian Chef Deborah Dal Fovo does some grape stomping at Amador County wine crush in California.

This year, instead of Tuscany, I celebrated the wine harvest in Northern California. Like Italy, California is blessed with many wonderful wine producing areas and luscious grapes are in abundance. I take full advantage of these grapes to honor tradition by making this Tuscan grape focaccia and teaching it to my cooking students each year. Last month, I was invited to the “wine crush” in beautiful Amador County where my friend Paul has family owned vineyards that grow many different grape varietals to produce their excellent Sobon wines. There were wines to taste and bins of freshly picked grapes to admire. I even got to do some grape stomping and channel my inner Lucille Ball! But the best part of the weekend was receiving a bag full of grapes to use for my annual Tuscan grape focaccia.

Wine grapes from Amador County California

It felt like Christmas as I opened the bag and pulled out gorgeous bunches of grapes: tightly packed clusters of blue-black Petit Sirah, dangly Cabernet Sauvignon the color of Paul Newman’s eyes, huge purple Black Muscat and delicate, fragrant Orange Muscat. There were even some little clusters of raisins—grapes that had been naturally dried by the sun—to snack on while I reveled in my fortune. You see, using good grapes is important for this bread and in Tuscany those are rigorously freshly picked red wine grapes—with their seeds—to give this bread its intense berry flavor and distinctive crunchy texture. While schiacciata con l’uva was traditionally made with uva canaiola, a grape previously used in Chianti wine, it’s now being replaced with sweet uva fragola or strawberry grapes, known as Concord in the U.S. For my sweet focaccia, I chose the Petit Sirah grapes from my stash that were so small and round they looked like blueberries.

Tuscan Grape Focaccia (Schiacciata con l'uva) - A simple sweet made with flattened bread dough infused with rosemary scented olive oil and filled with wine or concord grapes and sugar.

Tuscan grape focaccia is a rustic snack traditionally made during wine harvest for farmer feasts called sagre contadine and the simplicity of its ingredients bear witness to modest origins: bread dough, olive oil, sugar and red wine grapes (uva nera). The yeasted bread dough recipe used for savory focaccia is enhanced with sugar and rosemary infused olive oil then let rise for an hour or so. It can be made the night before and refrigerated, which also improves the flavor and texture. Once the bread dough is ready, assembly is easy. The dough is divided and flattened or “schiacciata” (hence the name) into a baking pan like a pizza base, scattered with grapes and sugar then covered by another layer of dough and sealed around the edges.

Tuscan Grape Focaccia (Schiacciata con l'uva) - A simple sweet made with two layers of flattened bread dough infused with rosemary scented olive oil then filled and topped with wine or concord grapes and sugar and drizzled with olive oil and honey. Simply deliziosa!

A second smattering of grapes and generous sprinkling of sugar covers the top layer of dough, then it’s drizzled with melted honey and olive oil and let proof while the oven heats. During proofing, the dough rises again, puffing up slightly so the grapes can be poked into the soft surface and create the dimpled effect so emblematic of focaccia. Then into a hot oven it goes where the bread crisps on the outside and the grapes and sugar melt into a jammy center on the inside that fills the focaccia with intense sweetness and flavor.

Tuscan Grape Focaccia - Schiacciata con l'uva: A sweet wine harvest flatbread from Tuscany made with layers of bread dough filled and topped with wine harvest grapes and sugar. When baked, the grapes and sugar meld together to create a jammy center with crunchy seeds. Simply deliziosa!

The result is a glorious flatbread crowned with soft, shiny grapes that adorn its golden surface like precious jewels. Once cool, (the sugary fruit center is molten!) the focaccia is cut into wedges or squares that show off its gooey filling and served as an afternoon snack or dessert. When biting into a slice, the crisp crust gives way to a chewy bread crumb laced with fruit preserves and punctuated by the surprise of grape seeds that give this bread its distinctive crunch. Tuscan grape focaccia epitomizes the simple pleasures in life and celebrates wine harvest in a uniquely delicious way. So, even if you didn’t go to Tuscany for the vendemmia, find some concord grapes at your local market and enjoy this special treat!

Tuscan Grape Focaccia - Schiacciata con l'uva: A sweet wine harvest flatbread from Tuscany made with layers of bread dough filled and topped with wine harvest grapes and sugar. When baked, the grapes and sugar meld together to create a jammy center with crunchy seeds. Simply deliziosa!

TUSCAN GRAPE FOCACCIA
Schiacciata con l’uva

Created by Deborah Dal Fovo on November 4, 2016

Grape Focaccia - Schiacciata con l'uva: A sweet wine harvest flatbread from Tuscany made with layers of bread dough filled and topped with wine harvest grapes and sugar. When baked, the grapes and sugar meld together to create a jammy center with crunchy seeds. Simply deliziosa! Schiacciata con l’uva is a sweet focaccia filled with grapes whose anual appearance in bakery windows signals the joyous start to Tuscany’s autumn wine harvest. It’s a simple treat made from layers of bread dough stuffed and topped with juicy wine grapes and sugar that, when baked, become a jammy filling with the surprise crunch of grape seeds.   © 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 2h 30m
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Total Time: 3h
  • Yield: Two 12-inch rounds or one 13 x 18 sheet pan
  • Category: Breads, Fruit, Fruit Desserts, Recipes

Ingredients

Bread dough:

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1½ cups/355ml warm water (100°F/40°C)
  • 1/4 ounce/7g packet dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 pound/454g unbleached, all-purpose or 00 flour (about 4½ cups), plus more for board
  • 4 tablespoons/56g granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Filling and topping:

  • 2 pounds/1 kilo Concord or red wine grapes (with seeds), stemmed, washed and dried
  • ¾ cup/170g granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey, melted
  • Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

Instructions

  1. Line two 12-inch round baking pans or one 13 x 18 sheet pan with parchment paper or grease well with olive oil.
  2. Heat the olive oil and rosemary until just warm. Cool to room temperature then remove and discard rosemary. In a small bowl dissolve the yeast and honey in ½ cup of the warm water. Let stand until foamy on surface, 5 to 10 minutes. If mixture does not foam, discard and begin again with fresh yeast.
  3. Sift together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl or mound on a work surface. Form a well in the center of flour and pour in the yeast mixture, rosemary infused olive oil and 1 cup warm water. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are incorporated and a dough forms. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes until soft, smooth and elastic or in a stand mixer fitted with dough hook for 6 minutes until dough winds up the hook like a cord, adding more flour if too sticky.
  4. Form the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl that has been rubbed with 1 tablespoon olive oil, turning once to coat both sides with oil. Place a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap over the bowl and set aside in a warm, draft free place to rise until dough doubles in volume, 1 to 2 hours. Dough can be made the night before and refrigerated then brought to room temperature before stretching.
  5. Punch down the dough then turn onto a floured work surface and divide into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other. Divide the larger ball in half equally then, using floured hands, flatten and stretch each piece into two 12-inch circles about 1/4-inch thick (or stretch the entire ball into a rectangle to fit the sheet pan). You can also use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Line bottom of baking pans evenly with the stretched dough then distribute 2/3 of the grapes over top in one layer, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle the grapes evenly with a little more than half of the sugar and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
  6. Stretch the remaining dough in the same manner and place over the grapes to form a top layer. Seal the edges well by pinching together then gently press down on the top layer with your hands to crush some of the underlying grapes. Scatter the remaining grapes over top, poking them lightly into dough. Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar then drizzle with melted honey and olive oil. Set aside to proof for 30 minutes before baking.
  7. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Bake in the center of hot oven for 30-35 minutes until golden and fragrant. Cool completely before serving cut into wedges or squares. Best eaten the same day but can be refrigerated and warmed the next day. Freezes well.
Source: Deborah Dal Fovo
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Filed Under: Breads, Desserts - Dolci, Recipes, Uncategorized

Love & Pasta
Spaghetti all’Amatriciana

August 27, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 5 Comments

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana - This world reknowned dish hails from the town of Amatrice and was adopted by Rome as one of its signature dishes. It's made with cured pork jowl bacon, tomatoes, chili pepper, pecorino cheese and - of course - spaghetti or bucatini. Simply deliziosa!

Everyone knows the world famous Pasta all’Amatriciana. You’ve most likely eaten it at your favorite Italian restaurant or (if you were lucky) during a trip to Rome, the city that adopted it as its own. But you probably didn’t know that this pasta dish—one of Italy’s greatest—originated in the ancient, hillside town of Amatrice located in central Italy 140 kilometers from Rome. This week, Amatrice was hit with a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake that destroyed the town and devastated its people. It came only days before Amatrice was to host the 50th-annual Spaghetti all’Amatriciana Festival to proudly celebrate its eponymous pasta dish. Now the town is in ruins and victims are being pulled from the rubble. So, in honor of Amatrice and its people, I dedicate this post and recipe to the pasta that carries their name in hopes that you make it at home and send your thoughts, prayers…and love their way.

amatrice-signThe city of spaghetti

If you’ve eaten Pasta all’Amatriciana in Rome, it was most likely made with bucatini, a type of fat spaghetti with a hole through the center. But the original recipe was born in Amatrice—not Rome—and strictly dictates that spaghetti—not bucatini—be used for this dish. In fact, municipal signs at the city’s entrance proudly read “Amatrice: City of Spaghetti all’Amatriciana” to distinguish the original dish from the version that was later modified by Roman cuisine.

amatriciana-ingredients

Pork cheek, pecorino, peperoncino and pomodoro

Authentic Amatriciana from Amatrice is made with four fundamental ingredients: guanciale (cured pork cheek), peperoncino (red chili pepper), San Marzano tomatoes, and pecorino (sheep’s milk) cheese. Originally, the dish didn’t have tomatoes and was known as Pasta alla Gricia, a simple pasta invented by shepherds using the few staples they could take on mountainside herding trips. Tomatoes were later added to this ancestor dish once they became available after the discovery of America and Spaghetti all’Amatriciana was born. Romans later discovered this savory, satisfying dish and made it part of their culinary culture, adding garlic or onion and other ingredients that were not originally included.

The protagonist of Amatriciana is guanciale, a cured pork cheek with sweet, flavorful characteristics that is a specialty of Amatrice. Its lard laced pork ribbons practically melt in the pan and give the sauce its distinctive taste. Often hard to find (even in other parts of Italy outside Lazio), guanciale can be substituted in a pinch with unsmoked bacon or pancetta…but the effect is not the same. Luckily, in the San Francisco Bay Area where I now live, guanciale can be found at a few places. I get good artisan guanciale from Belcampo Meat Company or Golden Gate Meat Company. The other key ingredient that gives Amatriciana its unique umami taste is pecorino sheep’s milk cheese.

before-and-after-Amatrice

The earthquake

A massive earthquake struck in the middle of the night while the people of central Italy slept. The hands of the clock tower in the town of Amatrice—one of the only buildings still standing—are frozen at the hour of 3:36 AM Italian time when the tremor occurred. Most of the town has been flattened by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks causing more havoc. While Amatrice has been the hardest hit, other towns in the area that have been partially or completely destroyed are Pescara del Tronto, Arquata del Tronto and Accumoli. Rescue efforts have been ongoing for days but more help is needed for the people who have lost everything to this brutal force of nature.

sagra-poster-and-spaghetti

What’s love got to do with it?

Why am I talking about earthquakes on a food blog? Because I wanted to put a “familiar face” on the name of a town you’ve been hearing a lot about on the news. Amatrice has proudly given the world so much pleasure at the dinner table that a little requited love is the least we can offer in return. A thought, prayer, or goodwill in the form of making or ordering their namesake dish can go a long way.

Italians bring people together with food. This time, people are coming together and using food to help Italy in a moment of crisis. Restaurants around the world are donating proceeds of every plate of pasta Amatriciana served to aid the earthquake victims. And it doesn’t stop there. Since the spaghetti sagra in Amatrice could not take place this weekend, an online Spaghetti all’Amatriciana festival called #virtualsagra has gone viral around the web with people posting photos of their Amatriciana pasta and donating money to the cause. I hope you will make the recipe shared below and enjoy it in the name of Amatrice.

P.S.: “Ama”, the first syllable of Amatrice, means ‘to love’ in Italian.

*If you don’t want to make this pasta for yourself, here are some of the restaurants that are donating part or all of the proceeds of Pasta all’Amatriciana sales to aid earthquake victims of Amatrice and central Italy:
San Francisco Bay Area: A16, Barbacco, Barzotto, La Ciccia, Delfina, Locanda, 54 Mint, ZeroZero, Montesacro Pinseria-Enoteca, Terun, iTalico, Tosca Cafe, ZeroZero, Riva Cucina Berkeley, Beach Chalet, Lake Chalet Oakland.
Napa: Bistro Don Giovanni
Los Angeles: Caffe Pinguini, La Bruschetta, Osteria La Buca, Osteria Mamma, Osteria Mozza, Pasta Sisters, Sotto Los Angeles, Anaheim White House
New York: Il Buco, Marta, Maialino, Eataly, Tarallucci e Vino, Ristorante Rafaele, Cafe Spiaggia, Lupa

**Those wishing to make a donation directly to the Croce Rosso Italiano (Italian Red Cross) can access their website here. 

SPAGHETTI ALL’AMATRICIANA
Spaghetti with Amatriciana Sauce

Created by Deborah Dal Fovo on August 25, 2016

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana - This world reknowned dish hails from the town of Amatrice and was adopted by Rome as one of its signature dishes. It's made with cured pork jowl bacon, tomatoes, garlic and - of course - spaghetti or bucatini. Simply deliziosa!

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 15m
  • Total Time: 25m
  • Serves: 5

Ingredients

  • 1 pound /455g spaghetti
  • 4 1/2 ounces /125g guanciale (cured pork cheek) cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (unsmoked bacon can be substituted)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes or 1 small peperoncino, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup /80ml dry white wine
  • 2 cups /500g canned whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, finely chopped with juices
  • 1 1/4 cups /100g freshly grated pecorino cheese
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Place 5 quarts of water in a tall pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add a generous handful of salt and keep water boiling until needed.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Cut the slices of guanciale into small, uniform pieces about 3/8-inch square. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet or sautepan large enough to eventually hold all the cooked pasta over medium-low heat. Add the guanciale and chili pepper and cook, stirring, until the fat turns translucent and the meat changes color without browning or crisping, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add the wine and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the guanciale is soft and glazed. Using a slotted spoon, remove guanciale from pan, place in bowl and keep warm.
  4. Place the tomatoes to to skillet and season with 1-teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes cook down to a medium consistency sauce, 7 to 8 minutes.
  5. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta. Add the spaghetti to the pot of vigorously boiling water and stir to prevent sticking. Cook the spaghetti until very "al dente", tender yet firm to the bite, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
  6. Add the guanciale pieces back into the simmering sauce and toss to coat. Lift the cooked spaghetti out of the water using tongs and place it directly in simmering sauce in skillet (reserving the pasta cooking water for later use).
  7. Increase heat under skillet to medium-high and toss spaghetti in the sauce until well coated, adding enough pasta cooking water to create a loose, juicy pasta, 1 to 2 minutes.
  8. Remove from heat and sprinkle 3/4 of the grated cheese over spaghetti. Toss well until the cheese is completely melted, adding more pasta cooking water if needed.
  9. Serve the spaghetti by lifting from pan with tongs and twirling into mounds on warm plates. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
Source: Deborah Dal Fovo
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Filed Under: Uncategorized

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