TORTA SBRISOLONA RICOTTA E PERE

A couple of years ago, while on vacation in Praiano, a typical fishermen village on the Amalfi Coast, we savored this wonderful  crumb cake during a town wide celebration: the women from the local church had cooked to feed the whole village, for a nominal fee. As soon as we tasted this creation, we fell in love with the delicate and sophisticated taste of ricotta with pears and chocolate, a classic dessert of the Amalfi Coast.

So here is the recipe. If you travel to the Amalfi Coast, make sure you taste the REAL thing, as the ricotta there is simply much more delicious.

For the Crumbs:

300 gr flour
100 gr melted butter
100 gr sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of baking powder


For the ricotta filling:

2 lbs of ricotta
2 eggs
6 ripe pears (or canned pears are fine too - but use a few more as they are smaller)
3 spoonfuls of flour
150 gr sugar
chocolate shavings (about 75 gr)

Powder Sugar to decorate

Start by making the crumbs: in a bowl,  mix all the ingredients with your hands. Set aside.

For the filling: mix the ricotta with the sugar - if you use a mixer, do this step at the lowest speed possible for just a minute. Add pears, pealed and diced, eggs flour and the chocolate shavings. Mix delicately - no mixer here.

Butter and flour a cake pan. Layer half of the crumbs on the bottom of the pan, then evenly and delicately spread the ricotta mix. Cover with the remaning half of the crumbs. Bake at 350 F for about  35 to 40 minutes, until top becomes golden. Let cool. Remove from pan and refrigerate. Sprinkle with powder sugar before serving.Enjoy!

BEETS TZATZIKI

This is a Middle Eastern side dish that I have come to love and that I order everytime I go to a local restaurant. It is one of my favorites on hot summer days. I make it to accompany grilled meat or to simply eat with a salad or as a dip with pita bread.
Some supermarkets sell beets already cooked, making this Tzatziki really easy to make.

For this dish you will need:

1 to 1/2 cups of shredded boiled beets
ground pepper
1 tbs of freshly chopped dill
1 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1 clove of finely chopped garlic
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of fresh lemon juice

Combine the lemon juice, garlic. salt, yogurt, olive oil, dill and pepper.
Shred the beets with a cheese grater and add to the yogurt mix.
Serve cold.

COTOLETTE DI POLLO ALLA MILANESE

In our family we call this dish Pollo Brown or Brown Chicken, as it was renamed by one of my boys when he was little. It is definitely one of the children's favorite dish.

For this recipe you will need:

3 or 4 chicken breasts

4 eggs

Salt

Bread crumbs

Vegetable frying oil

You need to marinate the chicken. Hence, start in the morning: thinly slice the chicken. Beat the eggs in a bowl, add some salt and let the chicken marinate in the eggs until dinner time. ( Obviously, refrigerate until then).

When you are ready to start dinner, remove the slices of chicken from the eggs, one at the time, letting drip well excess egg, and coat with bread crumbs. (I usually place the bread crumbs in a pyrex dish and with the palm of my hand lightly press the chicken in it).

Place vegetable oil in a frying pan, heat it up and fry the chicken on medium high until both sides become golden - make sure you flip sides half way through.

Let excess oil drip on paper towel. Serve warm, accompanied by freshly squeezed  lemon juice or even mayonnaise, if you prefer and a nice salad.

If you would like to avoid frying, you could cook the chicken in the oven: place it on a tray and sprinkle it with

a generous amount of olive oil. Bake at 375 F until golden brown. You may have to flip the chicken - in that case sprinkle the other sides with olive oil again. It won't be as crunchy as the fried version but it will still be good!

RECIPES FROM THE AMALFI COAST

Watch this video to savor the traditional flavors of the Amalfi coast, the warmth of the people and the enchanted views of the coast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=BjkT8S82lmc&feature=endscreen

CANNOLI SICILIANI by Fortunato Conte

If you are feeling daring and creative, follow the instructions on this video, featuring my talented brother.
Alternatively, buy the shells premade and just make the ricotta filling.

Enjoy!

http://food.bangordailynews.com/recipe-video/The-Classic-Cannoli.html

TORTA SALATA DI RICOTTA E SPINACI

Savory cake with spinach and ricotta


For this easy recipe you will need

one box of puff pastry sheets
2 lbs of spinach
1 lb of ricotta
grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs
salt
pepper
a pinch of nutmeg

Start by thawing puff pastry sheets according to package directions.
Rinse spinach and wilt in a large skillet. When done, remove from skillet and put in a plate or container until it cools down and you can easily handle it with your hands.

In a bowl mix the ricotta, cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

When the spinach is cool,  gently squeeze it in your hands to remove excess water and add to ricotta. Gently mix.

In an roound oven pan, carefully lay the first puff pastry sheet. Add the ricotta and spinach mix. Cover with the second puff pastry sheet, making sure edges are well sealed, even with the help of some cold water.

Bake at 400F until golden( or at 375F  in a convection oven).

When done, make sure the bottom is also well cooked and golden. Sometimes, if you use a pan which is too thick, the bottom does not cook well. If that happens, turn the cake upside down on a cookie sheet and continue baking until crust is golden and crisp.

PARMIGIANA DI ZUCCHINE

This is the first more elaborate dish.
A Parmigiana can be made with zucchini, as in this recipe, or more traditionally with eggplants.
It is a rather filling dish, which is best appreciated if made ahead of time and then eaten cold or warmed up. It is well accompanied by a green salad and fresh bread.

If you decide to make it with eggplants, buy Italian eggplants. Alternatively, you can buy the commonly found humongous eggplants.- just beware that the larger they are, the more seeds you are going to find inside. Seeds are sour and ideally you don't want to eat them. This means you may have to discard part of the eggplant to avoid seeds. Hence, small eggplants are best.


Ingredients for 5 people:

8 medium sized zucchini (don't get the huge ones - too many seeds)
5 eggs
flour
grated parmesan cheese
diced mozzarella (I usually use the Galbani Brand that you can now find in the cheese section at most supermarkets)
3 cans of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt 
pepper
vegetable frying oil


Start by making the sauce:

In a medium size high pot, cover the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Warm up on medium low heath. (Don't let it become too hot or the tomatoes will make a mess on your stove). When warm, add the tomatoes and salt to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes start breaking up, on medium low heath.

Wash and dry the zucchini. Slice them length wise.

Beat eggs in a bowl. Add salt to taste.

Prepare some flour in a dish for dusting the zucchini.
Dust the sliced zucchini in the flour, one by one and set aside on a clean plate.

Pour vegetable oil in a frying pan or a  high skillet  ( you are going to deep fry).
When the oil is almost hot, start wetting the flour dusted zucchini in the eggs, again one by one.  Let drip well and carefully fry. Repeat the process until the pan is full.
Fry on both sides until golden. 
Remove and drip on paper towel to absorb excess oil.  

When all the zucchini are fried, alternate in an oven pan a layer of sauce, zucchini and sauce again (you don't need to entirely dip the zucchini in the sauce), sprinkle mozzarella, parmesan cheese, pepper and fresh basil. Add another layer of zucchini and sauce, and then mozzarella, grated cheese, pepper and basil until you end with zucchini covered by sauce.





Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes. Let rest for at least one hour before eating.

PASTA ALLA CARBONARA

Ingredients for five people:

6 eggs at room temperature
olive oil

150 gr. pancetta finely diced
one medium size yellow onion, chopped
Grated Parmigiano cheese
salt
pepper
1/4 cup of heavy cream


In a skillet sautée onion and pancetta, on medium /low heat, until the onion becomes translucent and the pancetta is crispy.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. In a bowl, beat together eggs, heavy cream, some grated parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

When the water in the pot comes to a boil, cook pasta, according to package directions.

When cooked, drain and toss in the skillet with the onion and pancetta on medium heath. Add eggs and keep tossing until the eggs cook a bit (you don't want to leave them  too liquid).

Sprinkle with freshly grated cheese.
Serve immediately.

PASTA ALLA PUTTANESCA

The crucial ingredients for this easy pasta sauce are good quality olives and capers. The olives I prefer are the green Cerignola olives or black Gaeta olives from Italy. You can also mix them.  I prefer capers in salt and not in vinegar.
Most supermarkets now carry these items. Just refrain from using canned olives, please! It is just not the same.
The quality of tomatoes is also crucial. While in Italy I would opt to make this dish even with fresh cherry tomatoes, here the American tomatoes just don't yeald the same juices and flavors. Hence I use canned cherry tomatoes - from Italy of course.
But you can also try the fresh ones to see if how you may like it. You will probably need about 1 lb.

In regards to pasta brands: try to chose pasta made in Italy or at least Barilla (which is actually made in the US).

Ingredients needed for 5 people:

About 10 /12 olives - pit removed and chopped (not too small)
A handful of capers - previously rinsed and dried
1 clove of garlic
1 can of cherry tomatoes (diced tomatoes will do as well if that is all you can find)
Salt to taste
Olive oil
hot pepper flakes (optional)

1lb of your choice of pasta - usually spaghetti are the preferred shape, but penne will do too.


In a skillet sautée the garlic, slightly smashed, hot peppers flakes and the capers. Make sure the garlic does not burn.
Add the tomatoes and the olives. Simmer for about 10 minutes - until the cherry tomatoes break open. Flavor with salt - but keep in mind that the capers are already salty.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and toss in with sauce. Immediately.

Usually no cheese on this dish but my children like it sometime with grated Pecorino Romano.

Enjoy!

Why PASTAttack

Benvenuti nel mio blog!

Welcome to my blog!  

The purpose of this blog is to provide humanity with simple and easy Italian, and more broadly Mediterranean cooking recipes. I am writing this primarily for my children: to leave them a culinary memory from mom, grandparents and great-grandparents in Italy, which I hope will turn into blessings to their little stomachs and to generations to come.

I also hope that friends, and friends of friends will avail themselves of these recipes to discover the joy that comes from cooking and tasting fresh ingredients ( at a moderate cost).

Most of my recipes will be typical of the Campania Region, in Italy, and more in particular of the city of Salerno and the Amalfi Coast.

I would love to invite my Italian friends to be guest bloggers and share their favorite recipe(s) from their native areas.  (Just email me if you would like to do that).

So, here we go!

Buon Appetito!

Typical Italian Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Shop on the island  of Capri

Briefly about me:

I am Carmen, mom of three wonderful children and wife to a wonderful husband, all with a healthy appetite. I am originally from Salerno, Italy, and have lived in the Boston area for about twenty years.
Cooking is a passion that runs deeply in our family: my brothers and  two cousins  are chefs and pastry chefs, here in Boston and in Salerno. Their creations are higly sophisticated. Mine are simple and down to earth but in full respect of our Southern Italian culinary rules and traditions.
My father was my guru. From him I have learned most of what I know. When I was in middle-school, he used to write down simple recipes for me to cook upon my return from school, before he would come home from work. He started me on salads and slowly worked my way up into quick and, most of all, creative pastas, second courses, and side dishes. From him I have also learned how to prepare fantastic fish dishes. 
My mother and grandmother are the more traditional cooks in the family and they have taught me the more elaborate dishes, like ragù, meat, parmigiane di melanzane e zucchini and more.
Hope you will enjoy what we eat!