briciole

insalata di arance / orange salad

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] simple and refreshing The menu of Christmas Eve's dinner with my family in Italy included, besides spaghetti col tonno (spaghetti with tuna sauce), a simple, palate-refreshing orange salad. As was the case with the spaghetti, my mother prepared the salad also in other occasions, during citrus season (la stagione degli agrumi). This simple, refreshing salad takes just a few minutes to prepare, is light and tasty and can easily be made for one person or 10. Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Orange salad Ingredients: Black olives (olive nere), oil-cured or kalamata,... Read more →

pesche a colazione / a peachy breakfast

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] rye berries Rye berries (chicchi di segale) are pretty. I discovered that a while ago, when I got a package of them as part of my monthly grain CSA share. I cooked them as I usually do hulled barley (dry toasting then boiling), then used them in this dish, and we liked the result. A friend lent me her grain flaker while she was away and I enjoyed using it with various grains. You put the grains into the hopper and turn the handle which makes the rollers turn and flatten the... Read more →

salsa di mele arrosto / roasted applesauce

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] A little while ago, a friend of mine gave me a case of apples she had harvested from her tree. In the past, I have used apples with other fruit to make preserves and I was planning to follow the same path, but the amount of apples called for additional ideas. From a corner of my memory, the title of a recipe (ricetta) floated to the foreground and since I remembered also where I had seen it, I was able to retrieve it. The recipe in question is Judy Rodgers' Roasted Applesauce... Read more →

frittata con pesche arrosto e caciotta fatta in casa / frittata with roasted peaches and homemade caciotta

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] After the success of my gelato with roasted peaches, it was natural to try to use the same fruitful concept in a frittata, like I had done with strawberries (fragole). The result was just as excellent. The first couple of times I made it, I used the same cheese as before, my homemade French Neufchâtel cheese, a bloomy-rind cheese (formaggio a crosta fiorita). But then I tasted my homemade caciotta and I thought it would work great in the frittata: I was right. I am planning to write more about caciotta: for... Read more →

gelato di pesche arrosto / roasted peach ice cream

After roasting strawberries (and using them to make gelato and frittata), I turned my attention to peaches, which is easy since I get them in my weekly CSA box. The peaches from Neukom Family Farm are justly famous. Having a steady supply of them throughout the season means that I can carry out experiments like the following one. I started with the idea that I would roast peaches and use them to make ice cream. The inspiration for the custard part came from the recipe for Peach or Nectarine Ice Cream in my beloved (and recommended) ice cream book: Frozen Dessert... Read more →

frittata con fragole arrosto e neufchâtel fatto in casa / frittata with roasted strawberries and homemade French Neufchâtel cheese

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] Yes, you read correctly and, yes, it sounds quite strange. It sounded strange to me too, when the idea formed in my mind. In fact, I resisted it: I tried to come up with reasons why it would not work. Then, I yielded: I suspended my disbelief, ready to resume it, if necessary, after tasting the result. You see, after the success of my gelato with roasted strawberries, I became obsessed with the idea of using roasted strawberries in a savory combination. My first attempt (a pairing with roasted new potatoes) was... Read more →

gelato di fragole arrosto all'aceto balsamico / roasted strawberry ice cream flavored with balsamic vinegar

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] a lovely summer dessert Strawberry season is in full swing and one of the recipes in which the beloved berries shine is Strawberry ice cream flavored with balsamic vinegar from my one and only ice cream book Frozen Dessert by Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir. My version, which I have been making for a while, includes a few small adjustments to the original recipe. However, when I read a recent post by Val of More Than Burnt Toast about using roasted strawberry to make ice cream, I knew the time had come... Read more →

zuppa di zucca e pere arrosto / roasted pumpkin-pear soup

Both last year and this year, a few days before Halloween, my husband and I visited a pumpkin patch in search of the pumpkins that would fit his carving plans. This year, it was raining, so here is a photo of the expedition from last year. Besides the pumpkin patch, Warren Creek Farms creates a corn maze (every year with a different design), a big attraction for my husband. After successfully exiting the maze, he chose two pumpkins for carving, while I selected two small for cooking (plus a few other winter squashes from the great selection offered at the farm).... Read more →

burro di mele alle more / blackberry apple butter

The September 2010 Daring Cooks' challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John's source for food preservation information was The National Center for Home Food Preservation. You can find the information on food preservation that John had compiled on this page. Out of the options John offered us, I chose to make Reduced Sugar Apple Butter from The National Center for Home Food Preservation, roughly halving the recipe. Apple butter is... Read more →

mousse di fragole fresche con yogurt / fresh strawberry mousse with yogurt

As I mentioned recently, "I have a relatively small number of cookbooks and treasure all of them." Mollie Katzen's The Enchanted Broccoli Forest is part of my collection and it shows unmistakable signs of repeated use. One recipe from the book that I have been making for a number of years and that is a favorite with my husband and anybody who's ever tasted it is the fresh strawberry mousse. The word mousse, imported into Italian from the French language, refers to a dessert usually containing cream or eggs. The mousse under consideration here contains no eggs. It may be made... Read more →