Orange Semifreddo

I was watching Italian TV the other day, and i saw a recipe for a simple orange semifreddo. The program is ‘La Prova del Cuoco’, which is the equivalent of ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’, and the recipe is from Susanna Badii. I am usually not particularly fond of fruit desserts - I rather prefer high calorie ones - argh! But I had plenty of oranges so I decided to give it a try. Here you go...

Per leggere la ricetta in Italiano andare al fondo del Post


Ingredients

• Egg yolks, 4
• Egg whites, 4
• White sugar, 7 Tbs
• Oranges, juice and grated zest of 3 medium organic oranges
• Lemon, juice and grated zest of 1 organic lemon
• Gelatin leaves, 8g
• Whipping Cream, 400 g
• Orange slices to decorate

Method

Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water and set aside.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and whip the whites until stiff peaks. Set aside (preferably in the fridge).

Whip the cream until thick and set aside (preferably in the fridge).

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, until the mixture is pale and thick (I used an electric whisk). While whisking, gradually incorporate the zest and the juice of three oranges and one lemon.

Remove from the heat and let cool down a bit.

Squeeze the gelatin leaves and stir into the egg mixture until dissolved. Transfer to the fridge until cold.

When cold, gently fold in the whipped cream and the whipped egg whites (with upwards movements).

Pour the mixture into a mould or into single sized ones, and transfer into the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

Decorate with orange slices.


Spumone alle Arance

Adattato da una ricetta di Susanna Badii.

Ingredienti

• Uova intere, 4
• Zucchero, 7 cucchiai
• Arance, succo e scorza grattugiata di 3 arance
• Limone, succo e scorza grattugiata di 1 limone
• Gelatina in fogli, 8g
• Panna da montare, 400 g
• Fette di arancia per decorare

Procedimento

Mettere a bagno la gelatina in una ciotola con acqua molto fredda.

In una ciotola a bagno maria montare i tuorli con lo zucchero, accertandosi che la ciotola non sia a contatto con la pentola che contiene acqua calda. Incorporare a poco a poco il succo e le scorze grattugiate di tre arance e di un limone. Far gonfiare per almeno 10 minuti.

Far raffreddare.

Strizzare bene la gelatina, aggiungerla al composto e mescolare con cura in modo che la gelatina si sciolga completamente. Riporre in frigo di nuovo e far raffreddare.

In due ciotole diverse montare la panna e gli albumi.

Prendere il composto lavorato precedentemente dal frigo ed incorporarvi prima la panna montata e poi gli albumi, sempre con movimenti dall’alto verso il basso.

Versare in uno stampo di metallo e trasferire in freezer per almeno 4 ore prima di servire.

Decorare con fette d’arancia.

Tozzetti (Hazelnut Biscotti) - Tozzetti alle Nocciole della Tuscia

These hazelnut biscuits come from Tuscia - the Italian historical region that comprised the southern territories under Etruscan influence.
Today Tuscia coincides with the province of Viterbo - the place I come from and the place I still belong to.
My family is from Montefiascone, the beautiful town famous for the production of the ‘Est! Est!! Est!!’ wine.
Despite having lived in London for nearly 13 years, sometimes, when I think about my childhood or my teen years spent in Montefiascone, I can still smell the ‘ragù’ lingering through the streets of the old town, and nostalgia overwhelms me...
This recipe is from my mum.

Per leggere la ricetta in Italiano andare al fondo del Post

Ingredients

• Flour, approx. 400g
• Sugar, 250g
• Butter, 80g
• Eggs, 2 (plus 1 for brushing)
• Hazelnuts, 250g
• Chopped dark chocolate, 130g
• Sambuca liqueur, 1 small shot glass
• Baking powder, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Grated zest of a lemon
• A pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Arrange the shelled nuts on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown (about 8-10 minutes). Let cool down and set aside.

Gently melt the butter in a small sauce pan, let cool down and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs for a few minutes. Combine the eggs with 350g of flour, sugar, butter, sambuca, lemon zest and a pinch of salt.

Finally add the roasted hazelnuts, the chocolate and the baking powder. Beat with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.

The dough should now be ready to be shaped into 2 long sausage shapes. If the dough is too sticky, add some more flour. The amount of flour required may vary depending on flour type and humidity.

Arrange the two sausage shapes onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, not to close to each other.

Lightly brush with egg wash.

Place in the oven and bake for about 20/25 minutes. Remove from the oven and insert a toothpick in the center of the logs. If it shows too many moist crumbs, return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 30-40 minutes.

Transfer the two logs onto a cutting board. Using a bread knife cut them into 1.5 cm slices.

Arrange these onto the baking sheet and return to the oven until dry (approx. 10-15 minutes).

Let cool down store in an air tight bag or container.




Tozzetti della Tuscia

Ingredienti

• Farina, circa 400g
• Zucchero, 250g
• Burro, 80g
• Uova, 2 (+1 per spennellare)
• Nocciole intere sgusciate, 250g
• Cioccolato fondente a pezzetti, 130g
• Sambuca, 1 bicchierino
• Lievito per dolci, 1 cucchiaino e mezzo
• Scorza grattugiata di un limone
• Un pizzico di sale

Procedimento

Pre-riscaldare il forno a 180ºC.

Tostare le nocciole per una decina di minuti. A me personalmente non piacciono troppo tostate, quindi le lascio in forno massimo dieci minuti. Far raffreddare e mettere da parte.

Sciogliere il burro in un tegamino a fuoco moderato. Far raffreddare e mettere da parte.

In un recipiente abbastanza capiente battere le uova per qualche minuto. Aggiungere 350 grammi di farina, lo zucchero, il burro, la sambuca, il limone ed un pizzico di sale. Lavorare il composto con un mestolo di legno.

Aggiungere le nocciole, il cioccolato ed il lievito per dolci. Lavorare fino a che tutti gli ingredienti saranno perfettamente amalgamati.

A questo punto, aiutandovi con un po’ di farina, dividete il composto in due salsicciotti, e disponeteli su una teglia sulla quale avrete disposto della carta da forno, un po’ distanti l’uno dall’altro. Se formando i salsicciotti pensate che il composto sia troppo molle, aggiungete altra farina al composto e poi procedete a formare i due salsicciotti.

Spennellare con un uovo sbattuto e trasferire in forno per 20/25 minuti.

Passato questo tempo, togliere dal forno ed inserire uno stecchino per controllare che la pasta sia abbasta cotta all’interno. Non dovra’ essere completamente asciutta, ma neanche troppo molle. Se necessario far cuocere per altri 5-10 minuti.

Togliere dal forno e lasciare raffreddare per 30-40 minuti.

Tagliare a strisce diagonali dello spessore di circa 1,5 cm e rimettere in forno per altri 10-15 minuti per farli biscottare.

Chiacchiere, Italian Carnival Fried Pastries (or Frappe, Cenci, Bugie)

These fried pastries are a traditional italian dessert served during Carnival. Each regions has his own version and go under different names according to the place they come from: Chiacchiere, Frappe, Cenci and Bugie, to name just a few.
Be careful, they are quite addictive, so if you try one you won’t be able to stop eating them...
This recipe is from the Italian chef Anna Moroni.

Ingredients

• Pain Flour, 500g
• Softened Butter, 50g
• Eggs, 2
• Sugar, 2 Tbsp
• Anisette Liqueur (or Sambuca or Grappa), 50g
• Grated Zest of a Lemon
• White Wine, as required (approx. 100g)
• Pinch of Salt

You will also need:

• Peanut Oil for frying
• Icing Sugar for dusting

Step 1

On a surface or board, make a well in the flour and pour the eggs into it. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the wine) and mix together, adding the wine gradually. Stop adding the wine when the dough is firm but elastic, and doesn’t stick to the surface. Knead for about 15-20 minutes.
Wrap in cling film and transfer to the fridge to rest for at least an hour.

Step 2

Flour the surface and the rolling pin, and roll out the dough to a very thin sheet, flouring the surface if required. It is important that the sheet is very, very thin.



Step 3

Using a pastry wheel, cut the dough into strips (approx. 5x10 cm) and then make three vertical incisions on each strip.
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan. When hot (but not too much) fry the dough rectangles until lightly golden. It is important that you do not fry them for too long. As soon as you see the colour turning light golden, scoop them out and drain off the oil on kitchen paper. Sprinkle generously with icing sugar.
Serve warm or cold.






Chiacchiere (Frappe, Cenci, Bugie, etc.)

Ingredienti

• Farina 00, 500g
• Burro morbido, 50g
• Uova, 2
• Zuchero, 2 cucchiai
• Anisetta (o Sambuca or Grappa), 50g
• Scorza grattugiata di un limone
• Vino bianco, q.b.
• Un pizzico di sale
• Olio di semi di arachidi per friggere
• Zucchero a velo

Procedimento

Step 1

Versare la farina sul piano di lavoro, fare un buco nel centro, e versarvi le uova. Aggiungere tutti gli altri ingredienti iniziando ad amalgamare ed impastare il tutto. Attenzione a non aggiungere il vino tutto in una sola volta. Deve essere aggiunto all’impasto gradualmente, fino a quando si ottiene un impasto consistente ma elastico, e che non si attacchi alla superficie.
Impastare per 15-20 minuti.
Ricoprire con della pellicola alimentare e trasferire in frigo a riposare per almeno un’ora.

Step 2

Infarinare leggermente il piano di lavoro ed il mattarello, e stendere la pasta fino ad ottenere una sfoglia sottilissima.

Step 3

Tagliare la sfoglia in rettangoli di circa 5x10 cm, e fare due o tre tagli in senso verticale su ogni pezzo di pasta.
Friggere in olio caldo per poco tempo. Le chiacchiere si devono dorare leggermente, attenzione a non farle scurire troppo. Passarle su carta da cucina per rimuovere l’eccesso di olio.
Spolverizzare con abbondante zucchero a velo.

Fatti Fritti - Sardinian Carnival Doughnuts

Fatti-Fritti are a Sardinian Carnival speciality.
We do not celebrate Carnival here in the UK - except for the Notting Hill Carnival, but I decided to celebrate it anyway!
There are so many different ways to prepare Zippulas.
I decided to try this recipe from ‘I Dolci di Pinella’, one of my favourite Italian food blogs. The result was great. Enjoy, and Happy Carnival.

Ingredients

• Plain Flour, 500g (I mixed 300g of Italian Flour ‘OO’ type, with 200g of strong white bread flour)
• Sugar, 75g
• Lard (liquified), 75g
• Eggs, 2
• Dried Active Yeast,15g
• Whole Milk, 130g
• Juice of an orange
• Grated zest of an orange and a lemon
• Filu e Ferru Liquor (or grappa, or sambuca), 3 tbsp
• Pinch of salt

You will also need

• Peanut Oil for deep frying
• White Sugar to sprinkle over the doughnuts

Notes: You will end up with a very sticky dough. For this reason, I decided to use a kitchen mixer. If you don’t have one, you can work the dough by hand, but be aware that it will stick to your hands quite a lot.

Method

Step 1

Dissolve the yeast in 130g of warm milk. Leave it in a warm place until the surface is covered with approx. 2 cm of froth (10-15 minutes).
In a kitchen mixer - Beat the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt for 2-3 minutes. Start adding all of the remaining ingredients gradually and mix for 20-30 minutes.
You should obtain a very soft, sticky and elastic dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Step 2

Sprinkle some flour on the work surface.
Divide the dough into pieces, forming ring shapes (of the size of ring doughnuts).

Important: The dough is quite sticky, so use flour liberally to form the rings. Be aware that the rings will have to rise for another hour, so it is important that you flour them very well, but not too much.

Place the rings onto a well-floured surface, cover with a clean towel and let rise for about an hour.



Step 3

Preheat the oil in a pan to approx. 170 degrees C. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time, depending on the size of the pan. Cook for about 1 minute per side or until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle liberally with white sugar.

Fatti-Fritti- Ricetta di Pinella (http://idolcidipinella.blogspot.com/)

Per questi dolci ho seguito la ricetta di Pinella. L’unica differenza e’ che io ho dimezzato le dosi e usato il lievito secco, anziche’ quello fresco.