Italian Food Recipes

Today I want to tell you the story about the birth of Panettone. In particular there are 3 famous legend that narrate its birth: the first one is a love legend: in the XV century at the court of Ludovico il Moro there is Ugo, falconer of the duke, who loves the studies and solitude but in particular he falls in love with Adalgisa the beautiful daughter of the baker. Unfortunately the Ugo family’s impeded their love, so Ugo and Adalgisa can meet only by night when Adalgisa worked at the baker’s shop of her father Toni. However one day happens that a new baker’s shop opens near the baker’s shop of Adalgisa father’s, this provokes the loss of customers besides the baker’s boy becomes ill and so Adalgisa must work much more. In this situation Ugo has a wonderful idea: he hires himself out as new baker’s boy. Therefore he thinks to improve the bread adding to the normal dough some butter. But there is a problem: there isn’t enough money to buy it, so Ugo decides to sell its two hawks in order to obtain the money to buy the butter. Immediately the bread becomes better so Ugo decides to add also some sugar to its own recipe. The customers begin to love much more the new recipe of Ugo bread’s and this makes happier Adalgisa. Then Ugo thinks to add to the bread recipe pieces of candied citron and eggs, this improves much more the taste of the bread and finally in occasion of the Christmas Day Ugo adds also some raisins: in this way the bread recipe becomes so popular that in every baker’s shop this yummy recipe diffuses and Ugo and Adalgisa get married. The recipe of bread becomes famous with the name of Panettone that comes from “pangrande” (big bread) or “ Pan del Toni” (bread of Toni).
The second legend tells that the inventor of Panettone is a Nun called Ughetta, who invents the recipe of sweet bread in order to satisfy the gluttony of her monks during the Christmas Day. In particular Nun Ughetta makes a cross on the surface of the bread, so during the cooking the surface right by the cross opens and make the typical relieves that are also today on Panettone.
The third legend tells that at the court of Ludovico il Moro in occasion of Christmas Eve a splendid lunch is organized. For this occasion the cook prepares a special dessert that unfortunately burns: this is a tragedy for the cook but Toni, who is the kitchen porter of the cook, has an idea. He preserved a small quantity of the dough of the dessert for himself and he added to it eggs, sugar, butter, candied citron and raisins, so he decided to give this sweet dough to the cook. The cook prepares the new dessert on a golden platter and served it. All the people liked the dessert who becomes famous as “ pan del Toni” or Panettone.
Panettone is the traditional dessert of Milan always present on the Italian table during the Christmas period, it is the most famous Christmas sweet diffused in all Italy and in all the world where every people loves its sweetness and excellent taste. Panettone is the symbol of Milan and traditionally people changes Panettone as gift with their parents and friends the Christmas Day. Panettone is a sort of bread with a cupola and cylindrical shape high 30 cm, it is obtain with a dough composed of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, candied orange, candied citron and raisins. Its preparation is long and a bit difficult but the result is exquisite. In the Italian cooking traditionally at the end of the Christmas menu Eve and Day Panettone is served as dessert accompanied with sweet white wine like Sparkling or Muscat, but it is ideal also for breakfast with hot milk or with hot coffee and chocolate.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

If I said Trentino Alto Adige and traditional Italian recipe immediately I think to Canederli: canederli with speck in broth or with butter and sage, canederli with spinach or cheese and much more type of canederli; these are all delicious Italian recipes traditional of Trentino and typical of the winter period in particular of the Christmas feast. Traditionally the menu of the Christmas lunch in Trentino is characterized by the presence of a based canederli first course especially the recipe of canederli with speck in broth, it is a simple recipe to realize whose main ingredients are bread and speck, it is a very filling and hot Italian dish that result ideal for the cold winter.

Primo
Canederli with Speck


This excellent first course can be preceded by a delicious appetizer constituted of rolling of speck stuffed with ricotta cheese and sprinkle with Vezzana cheese that is a typical cheese of Trentino and followed by a meat based second course. The types of meat most used in Trentino are these of red and roe but also the meat of pork and lamb. The traditional way to prepare them are roasted or in oven with mushrooms, but also with blueberry, with thyme and others aromatic herbs. To conclude this tasteful menu of Christmas a traditional dessert of Trentino that can be consider a sort of Panettone is Zelten. Zelten is a sort of bread that contains any type of dried fruits from pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, dates, candied citron and raisins that traditionally is prepared by all the members of the family.

Dessert
Zelten


The Christmas period in Trentino is particular beautiful because in all the town are organised the typical “Market of Christmas” that heat the flavour of this so cold period.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Some days ago I show you the Christmas Eve Menu that is traditionally prepared in my family for the Christmas Eve dinner, now I want to present you the typical Italian recipes that in my family are prepared for the Christmas Lunch. Whereas the Christmas Eve Menu is composed of fish based Italian recipes the Christmas lunch menu is a meat based menu whose recipes comes from Salerno. The appetizer is constituted of a variety of Italian salumi in particular raw ham, salami, coppa (seasoned pork shoulder) and ham. The first course is constituted of typical big Christmas ravioli stuffed with meat of veal and pork, ricotta and provolone cheese ( a traditional Italian cheeses) and seasoned with a delicious tomato sauce. The second course is a tasteful stuffed capon accompanied with peas and ham and to conclude a dessert composed of sweet Christmas biscuits stuffed with chestnut, chocolate and coffee. These recipes are not hard but they need some times to be prepared with them the result will be surely excellent! The lunch can be accompanied with a delicious red wine Costa D’Amalfi and a sweet Moscato for the dessert! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I show here the Italian recipe for Zelten that is the traditional dessert prepared in Trentino Alto Adige during the Christmas feast. It is a sort of bread stuffed with fruits; in particular it contains raisins, pine nuts, almonds, patty cedar, dates and walnuts with the addition of some cinnamon and clove. According to the tradition all the members of a family should be participate to the preparation of zelten and it has been eaten only after the Christmas mass of midnight as a symbol of thanksgiving. Zelten can have different shape, a heart shape, an oval shape or a rectangular shape and this variety indicates the great fantasy that you can use for the preparation of this delicious recipe. It can be assimilate to the typical Panettone of Milan, but the difference is that its preparation is more brief and simple.

INGREDIENTS (for 8 – 10 people):
150 g of Butter
4 Eggs
450 g of Flour
200 g of icing sugar
16 g of Yeast for sweet
50 g Raisins
50 g of Pine nuts
50 g of Almonds without peel
100 g of Patty cedar
50 of Dates
50 g of Kernels of Walnuts
1 dl of Grappa
Cinnamon
Some clove
3 Tablespoons of milk
1 dl of Water

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour and 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 - 40 minutes

WINE: Trentino DOC Vino Santo (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
In a bowl place the raisins and the patty cedar with grappa and let them marinate for about 1 hour.

In the meantime prepare the other ingredients: stone the dates and cut them in thin strips;in a saucepan let water boil and melt in it the butter stirring with a wood-spoon

then mix in a bowl the beaten eggs with the icing sugar

until you obtain an homogenous mixture. Now add the flour little by little

and the yeast, mix with a wood-spoon,


add the mixture of water and butter and continue to stir in order to obtain a well amalgamated mixture.


Drain the raisins and the cedar form grappa; add them to the dough together with the pine nuts, the almonds, the dates, and the kernels of walnuts, some cinnamon, some clove and mix until all the ingredients will be combined.



Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place a sheet of baking paper on the surface of a baking pan of 24 cm of diameter, pour on it the dough and brush on the surface the milk.


Bake for about 30 minutes or until the surface become golden. To be sure that zelten is ready put on it a spaghetto and if it is dry when you remove it, zelten is ready.
Serve it when it becomes cool.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

There are many Italian Christmas Menu that you can realize in order to eat something delicious during the Christmas feast and so today I decide to suggest you a menu constituted by typical recipe of Mantua. Pumpkin is the Italian traditional ingredient always present in the cuisine of Mantua and with it, as you have already seen in my previous recipe you can prepare any types of tasteful dishes. Here I decide to combine an appetizer and a first course pumpkin-based with a meat second course and a cake that is one of the most typical desserts of Mantua. In particular, the appetizer, that is easy and fast to prepare, is made of slices of fried pumpkin seasoned with rosemary;

Appetizers
Fried Pumpkin

the first course is constituted of the traditionally Tortelli of Pumpkin stuffed with pumpkin, macaroons and mustard of Mantua: this Italian dish is the traditional first course that is prepared in the most family of Mantua for the Christmas Eve because according to the tradition the dinner of Christmas Eve it is usually to abstain from meat.

Primo
Tortelli of Pumpkin


Instead as second course I decide to show you a meat based dish that can be prepared for the Christmas lunch: it is Brasato of veal meat more laborious but easy to prepare

Secondo
Brasato


and to conclude the excellent dessert typical of Mantua called Sbrisolona and made with yellow flour and walnuts.

Dessert
Sbrisolona

If you prepare these delicious recipes you certainly will obtain an excellent result. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas draws near and so I begin to think about which delicious Italian recipes I can prepare the dinner of Christmas Eve and the lunch of Christmas Day. Every regions of Italy have its traditional Italian recipes and so I think to show you some of them in particular my favourite one. Each Italian recipe is prepared with traditional Italian ingredients such as the pumpkin of Mantua, the polenta taragna of Valtellina or the cod of Naples. The first Italian menu, that I describe here, is that in my family it is usually prepared the Christmas Eve: it is a fish based menu traditional of Campania whose main Italian ingredients used are baccalà (dried salt-cured cod) fried or stewed used for the preparation of appetizer together with lobsters, clams used for a tasteful first course made of spaghetti, sea basses for second course and a delicious dessert called struffoli that are small ball of dough covered with melted honey. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ELENA'S CHRISTMAS EVE MENU
Appetizers
Fried Baccalà

Baccalà Salad

Tails of Lobsters with Oil and Lemon


Primo
Spaghetti with Clams


Secondo
Sea Basses in Foil with Potatoes



Dessert
Struffoli


BUON APPETITO!

In a little bit it is Christmas and it is necessary to think about the Christmas Eve menu and the Christmas menu. In my family the Christmas Eve menu is traditionally a fish based menu and the Italian recipe presented below should be a delicious appetizer served on the Christmas Eve table. It is a simple recipe to realize, you need only fresh big lobsters and some tomato cherry and moreover it is also a fast dish to prepare ineede you need only 20 minutes: 10 minutes to prepare the skewers, 5 minutes to cook the lobsters and 5 minutes to cook the tomato cherries.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
8 Big Norway lobsters
10 Tomato Cherries
5 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 / 2 Juice lemon
Salt
Black pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

WINE: Verdicchio di Matelica Doc (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Clean and shell the lobsters,


conserve the claws to flavour the skewers of lobsters. Now spears 4 lobsters in 2 big toothpicks like in the picture presented below. Now place the skewer with the claws in a non-stick pan and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until it becomes brown on both surface.

In the meantime prepare a sauce with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.


Then clean and cut in half the tomato cherries. When the lobsters are cooked remove them from the pan and add the tomato cherry for about 2 – 3 minutes.

Serve hot. This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

This is the typical dessert that my grandmother prepares for the Christmas Eve and the Christmas Day. They are biscuits similar to ravioli and their filling is made with chestnuts, chocolate, coffee, milk, biscuits, raisins and candied fruits. This is the original recipe but if you want you can prepare a filling made only of chocolate, milk and biscuits.The preparation is a bit long but the result is delicious.
Merry Christmas








INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING (for 10 people)
1 Kg of Chestnuts
250 ml of Milk
125 ml of Coffee
100 g of Chocolate
25 g of Raisins
30 g of candied citron
1 Orange
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
6 - 8 Biscuit

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH (for 10 people)
500 g of Flour
4 Eggs
80 g Butter
150 g of Sugar
1 Glass of milk
1 Pinch of salt
Extra virgin olive oil to fry

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hours and 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 45 minutes

WINE: Moscato d’Asti (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Preparation of the filling: place the raisin in a bowl with water for about 15 minutes.

Peel the chestnuts, place them in a pan with some water and let them boil for about 30 minutes. In the meantime make the coffee. When the coffee is ready place it in a pan, add the milk and the chocolate and let it melt.

Crumble the biscuits and add them to the coffee.

Then mince the raisin, the candied citron and add them to the coffee together with the grated peel of the orange.

When the chestnuts are cooked, let them cool, peel, blend them and add them to the coffee.

Mix all together and blend all in a mixer until you obtain a homogeneous mixture as shown in the picture below.

Preparation of the dough: place the flour and the sugar as a fountain over a worktop.


Add in the middle the eggs, the butter, the milk and the salt.


Knead for about 10 minutes until you obtain homogenous dough.


Then with the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a worktop sprinkled with flour to a sheet of thin thick and with the help of a glass cut the pastry in discs.


Each biscuit is made of two discs of pastry one below and one over. Place the discs of the pastry on a worktop sprinkled with flour and put in the middle of them one teaspoons of the stuffing.


Then cover the stuffing with another disc and cut the border in triangles and raise one every two as shown in the following picture.


Place in a pan the extra virgin olive, lei it hot and fry in it he biscuits one at a time.

This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!