Zeppole - La Vita Toscana Blog

La Festa di San Giovanni was this past week (19 March) and to celebrate, I made some delicious zeppole and posted the recipe on my other blog, La Vita Toscana.

Zeppole are not typically Tuscan - they are found more in the southern part of Italy.  However, they are delicious and rather easy to whip together.

Try it for yourself.  You can find the recipe and instructions at http://tuscanlife.blogspot.com

Buon appetito!

Tiramisu for You!

Without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite Italian desserts is tiramisu.  Translated, tiramisu means "pick-me-up", which is an apt description of this delightful dessert!  I'm sure you may have had it before at Italian restaurants.  I know it used to be my "go-to" dessert whenever I was out with friends, but it wasn't until I was in Italy that I found out that it is REALLY easy to make!

There are multiple recipes for tiramisu, but this is one that is considered the most traditional.  It only has 6 ingredients and requires no cooking whatsoever, which makes it great for the summertime when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or the stove!

Yes, it has eggs in it.  Yes, they aren't cooked.  If you're scared of raw eggs, don't be.  Make sure they're fresh and you should be fine.  I haven't gotten sick from using raw eggs yet.

Knock on wood.

Seriously though, you should be fine.  If you are still wigged out over it, look for pasteurized eggs and go with them.

Now, on with the show!

You'll need these:

Plus unsweetened cocoa powder, which I completely forgot to include in the picture.  (oops!)

So, the list of ingredients is:
3 fresh eggs
250 grams mascarpone 
50 grams white sugar
savoiardi (ladyfingers) - I use about 18-20 of them
strong coffee - you can brew it or use instant like I did because I didn't feel like pulling out the moka pot.  Just make sure it's fairly strong and you'll need about 1 1/2 cups worth, maybe a bit more.  I didn't measure, but if you use instant, it's easy to make more quickly!  Oh, and it needs to be tepid or cool when you use it.
unsweetened cocoa powder - enough for dusting.  Maybe a few tablespoons worth.

First thing you are going to want to do is to separate the eggs.

Beautiful bright orange yolks!  I love super-fresh eggs!

Then measure out your mascarpone...

The package I had was 500 grams, so half.  Which means I can make tiramisu TWICE!

...and your sugar.

So, you'll end up with this:

There's the cocoa!!  :)

Ok, so let's get started.

With a fork, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until it's light and fluffy.

Then, add the mascarpone and do the same until it's a nice creamy consistency, like this:

Next, beat the egg whites until they're fairly stiff.  If you have an electric mixer or hand beater, I suggest using it.  It takes a lot of elbow grease to use a whisk!

Is the coffee ready?  Good.  Add a little sugar to it and get ready to dunk some savoiardi (ladyfingers)!

Coffee, coffee, coffee!!!

Now as far as dishes are concerned, you can use a small baking dish or you could use a bowl...completely up to you.  I happened to have a disposable aluminum pan that was the perfect size, so I used that.

Ok, back to the recipe.

QUICKLY dip the cookies into the coffee.  You don't want to let them soak because they will get too mushy.  As long as they are quickly submerged and pulled out, you'll be fine.  Savoiardi are a bit drier than the ladyfingers that I've had in the US and they really soaked up the coffee fast, so just see how things go with the ones that you use.  I just quickly dunk them and put them in the pan in a layer.

Once you have a layer of the dipped cookies, place half of the mascarpone/egg mixture on top.

Starting to layer the mascarpone!

Once you have the cookies covered with a layer of the mascarpone mixture, sprinkle a little cocoa powder on top.

Place another layer of the cookies dipped in the coffee, and another layer of the mascarpone mixture.  Then give it a good sprinkling of cocoa powder, making sure that you get it all nicely and evenly covered.

Stick it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. I know, it's hard to wait that long.  Try making it before you have to go somewhere so that you aren't tempted.  That's what I did.

Cut into pieces to serve.

Try not to eat the entire pan in one sitting!

Here's the recipe in standard format:

Tiramisu
(serves 6)

6 eggs, divided
50 grams white sugar
250 grams mascarpone
strong coffee, cooled and sweetened with a little sugar (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
18 - 20 savoiardi or ladyfinger cookies
unsweetened cocoa powder

Beat the sugar into the egg yolks with a fork until light and fluffy.  Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth and creamy.  Beat the egg whites until they are fairly stiff, then mix in with the mascarpone mixture.

Quickly dip the savoiardi into the coffee and layer into the bottom of a pan.  Top with half of the mascarpone mixture and lightly sprinkle with cocoa powder.  Make another layer of dipped savoiardi, and finish with the rest of the mascarpone.  Sprinkle evenly on top with cocoa powder.  Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

World Nutella Day 2013 - Nutella with Bananas

It's that time of year again!  Time to break out your big jar of tasty chocolate-hazelnut spread, a big spoon and smile, because it's WORLD NUTELLA DAY!

Unfortunately, this year WND finds me several thousand miles from home.  I'm currently in the US for awhile, staying with friends, so I do not have my own kitchen in order to prepare a delicious Nutella concoction.

:(

Boo.

However, I am not going to let that fact stop me from doing something for WND!

I don't know too many people who don't like Nutella.  That includes kids.  I was thinking of finger foods that toddlers can eat.  They should be able to enjoy WND too!  Why not with...bananas!

Little kids, big kids and adults alike will enjoy this easy snack.  Plus...FRUIT!  So it's sort of healthy, right?

First, peel a banana and cut into slices.

Then, spoon on some Nutella.  About 1/2 teaspoon or so on each.  I went a little overboard on some, but then again, you can never have too much Nutella!

Then...enjoy!  These little guys could be easily served at a party too.  Stick a toothpick in each & you've got a great party snack!  You could try topping them with a mini marshmallow too and then dust them with some graham cracker crumbs for a deconstructed sort of s'more.

Or, do what I did to a few of them and make mini banana-Nutella sandwich bites!

I hope you will try this or my recipe from last year (Nutella Cupcakes) today or sometime soon.  Nutella is a wonderful treat and worth celebrating.  

Look for me next year!  I should be home then & better prepared to dazzle you with another great Nutella recipe! 

Buon appitito!

In case you are curious about World Nutella Day, it is a day devoted to eating and enjoying the delicious chocolate-hazelnut spread from Italy:  Nutella.  It was created in 2007 and has been getting bigger and better each year.  Thanks to the brilliant idea of Sara Rosso, an American living in Milan, Italy, we can lift our spoons in celebration.  You can check out her blog here: Ms. Adventures in Italy.  She posts some amazing recipes and photos about her adventures!


Also check out the blog of her co-host of World Nutella Day, Michelle Fabio, an American living in Calabria, Italy.  Here's the link: Bleeding Espresso.  She has some great recipes too, as well as inspirational posts.

For more information on World Nutella Day, check out the official site: Nutella Day.  There is a listing of tons of recipes from WNDs past and present!

Pasta con Zucca

Apologies for the lack of blog posts over the past month.  The internet has not been very reliable, but I think (maybe) it's fixed (for now)!

Happy New Year!  Buon Anno!

With the new year and a cold winter in some parts of the globe (we've had a wet one here in Tuscany), why not try a new recipe to help warm the bones?

We've had a lot of these rainy days lately!
(View from Ponte Vecchio)

This recipe is an adaptation of "Ziti alla Zucca" by Mario Batali.  I ran across it when Simone brought home a couple large slices of zucca from the supermarket one day.  I had NO clue how to fix it into something delicious.  Zucca is the Italian word for pumpkin or squash.  The only way I had ever had pumpkin before was in pie or roll form.  Both delicious, but I had no clue how to make either thing from the real thing.  Whenever I made a pumpkin pie in the US, I used the canned stuff.

So I searched the interwebs for a zucca recipe.  Thank you Mario.  You saved me.

I made a few tweaks to it to fit my purposes.  This is my version.  My Tuscan heartily approved...so much so that he brought home more zucca a week later!

You're going to need some olive oil, an onion, garlic, pumpkin, salt, parsley, pasta, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

First things first.  Cut up the zucca/pumpkin into little julienne strips.

Then chop up  your onion and your garlic clove.

Throw all three into a big pan with some olive oil and cook it for one minute over high heat.

Add a cup of water, season it with some salt (you can use some pepper too, if you'd like, but I don't), lower the heat and cover it.  Let it cook for about 8 or 10 minutes until the zucca is soft.  Then add the parsley.  And by the way, when I say parsley, I mean the flat-leaved, Italian kind.  Always!

Meanwhile, cook your pasta until it's al dente.  What kind of pasta, you ask?  Well, that's up to you.  I used pipe rigate shaped pasta because that's what I had in the cupboard.  Anything that will capture the sauce like rotini or penne...those would work.

Save about a half cup or so of the pasta water and drain the rest.  Add the pasta water and pasta to the zucca sauce and cook it for about a minute or two (until the water is absorbed) over high heat.

Serve it up topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano!  This is some good stuff!  You won't look at a pumpkin in the same way!

Pasta con Zucca (serves 4)

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 pound (approximately 0,5 kg) zucca (pumpkin), cut into julienne strips
1 cup water
salt
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
200 grams dried pasta
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

In a large pan, heat the oil over high heat and add onion, garlic and zucca and cook for 1 minute.  Add the water and salt to taste.  Lower the heat to medium and cover.  Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is soft, approximately 8-10 minutes.  Add chopped parsley and heep warm.

Cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain, reserving approximately 1/2 - 3/4 cup of pasta water.  Add pasta water and pasta to cooked sauce and toss over high heat for approximately 1-2 minutes over high heat, until the water is absorbed.

Serve topped with plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.