Lemon poppy seeds muffins

Thinking about holidays? So, do I. I'm dreaming of white sand, blue sea and marvelous blazing sunsets...Summer is time of adventures and journeys. When preparing yours, don't forget to pack your favorite recipes and treats to delight your travelling experience. Here's what I suggest, bring these delicious lemon poppy seeds muffins with you! 

Lemon poppy seeds muffins

(the recipe is taken from Muffin and cupcakes, a book from Cucina Moderna, Italy. Makes 12 muffins)

150 g self raising flour

50 g white flour type "00"

salt

30 g finely chopped almonds

30 g poppy seeds

125 g softened butter

140 g sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 big eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons filtered lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 170 ˚C (centigrade). Line muffin pans with paper liners. Sift the two types of flour with a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add almonds and poppy seeds. In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and lemon peel on medium – high speed until a cream is obtained. Add eggs, one by one, stirring a bit. Lower speed at minimum and mix the dry ingredients, add  milk and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into the paper liners until 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins reach the right consistency. Let them cool completely. Ready to go!

Cherry Clafoutis

Cherries are a beauty and health elixir. They are low in calories and have plenty of substances, above all quercetin and ellagic acid,  that help fight inflammation and cancer. They also have antiviral and antibacterial properties and are full of anthocyanins (what gives their bright red color), that are credited to lower the uric acid level in the blood, thus reducing a common cause of gout, and are also precious to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Moreover, cherries help lower risk of heart attack and stroke, and with their high iron content are also used as a remedy for anemia. When they are in season, they should be eaten daily, added to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal or used to prepare wonderful jams and cakes, like the one I made, a classic French dessert from the Limousin region, the cherry clafoutis.  This time I used frozen cherries which retain 100 percent of their nutritional value and are already pre-pitted. However, in the traditional French version cherries are left unpitted, because pits are said to give a very nice almond flavor. Without pits the flavor is milder, but still delicious (and easier to eat). This cake leaves a wonderful cherry scent while baking. Enjoy it when still lukewarm with a sprinkle of icing sugar. Here the recipe.

Cherry Clafoutis

(the recipe is taken from the book Dessert (McRae Books), Italian edition 2008, makes 5 servings)

500 g pitted cherries

0,6 dl kirsch or dark rum

75 g white flour

75 g sugar 

2 big eggs

3dl milk

4 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 tablespoons icing sugar

Place cherries in a bowl, add two tablespoons kirsch (cherry brandy) and let them rest for an hour. Mix flour with sugar, add two egg yolks, milk and three tablespoons melted butter, stirring carefully. Drain cherries and add the juice with kirsch to the batter. Beat the egg whites and mix them in the batter. Preheat the oven to 190 C. Butter a 24 cm oven dish (or small single portions) with the remaining melted butter. Place cherries on the bottom and cover wi the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake is puffy, golden brown and firm in the middle. When ready, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the two remaining tablespoons of kirsch. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately. 

Make cous cous, not war...Fish cous cous

I copied this nice slogan from the Cous Cous Fest, the international festival of cultural integration featuring cous cous recipes  from all over the world, which will be held from 20th to 25th September 2011 in San Vito Lo Capo (province of Trapani, Sicily). For the 14th year, a panel of expert judges will declare the "best cous cous 2011" among a multitude of cous cous dishes from Algeria, the Ivory Coast, France, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, Tunisia, etc., all those countries where cous cous is considered part of the culinary tradition. Cous cous (kind of steamed granules of semolina) is  native of North Africa, the name deriving from Berber seksu, meaning "well rolled", "well formed", "rounded". In most African countries, like Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, it is traditionally served with a meat or vegetable stew, while in Italy is a staple  food particularly of the western Sicily's province of Trapani where it is served with a mixed fish soup (usually poor fish of the area, like hogfish, grouper, etc. with some shrimps and scampi).  The "Cuscusu di pisci al Siciliano", so called in the dialect language from Sicily,  distinguishes itself also for the use of cinnamon and almonds and for the long traditional cooking method of the semola, which is incocciata, that means worked in a terracotta recipient, called mafaradda, and then steamed. I would really love to attend the Cous Cous Fest to learn everything about this delicious dish, which can be prepared in so many different ways, each way telling a story of different colors, people, places, cultures. I like that food can bring people together in a peaceful competition full of values...Yes, make cous cous, not war! 

The fish cous cous I made was part of a "fast cooking" lesson I recently attended.  I used the precooked cous cous, very easy and quick to prepare. The recipe includes a mix of spices, which gives the cous cous  a wonderful exotic aroma. The wine to pair should be a dry, fruity, fresh white wine, with a mild structure, in order not to predominate over the delicacy of fish.  I would suggest a wine from Donnafugata, one of the most appreciated Sicilian wineries located in the province of Trapani, that it's a must to visit if you travel to that part of Sicily. My favorite Donnafugata whites are Lighea, a dry version of Zibibbo (Moscato d'Alessandria), and Vigna di Gabri, a blend with base Ansonica, both very elegant, fruity, with a nice mineral finish. This second wine was indeed suggested me as a perfect match for the Siciliano cous cous from Baldo Palermo, Marketing Manager at Donnafugata, whom I interviewed at the recent Vinitaly fair in Verona. Read the interview in Just a Good Little Wine...stay tuned!

Fish cous cous

(the recipe is taken by my class cookbook written by Roberta Molani, makes 6 servings)

1/2 chopped red onion

1 finely chopped clove or garlic plus one to flavor oil

hot pepper

ground cinnamon, cumin and coriander (I used a organic mixed of spices ready for cous cous)

250 g precook cous cous

30 g butter

vegetable (or fish) broth

mixed fish fillets (I used cod, salmon trout and bass)

a small sack of clams (to clean clams, put them in a terrine with salted water for at least 1 hour) 

1 lemon

extra-virgin olive oil

chopped parsley 

salt

pepper

Cook the cous cous as indicated on the package using vegetable (or better fish) broth. Stew the onion with hot pepper in a pan with two tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic. Add spices (pepper, cinnamon, cumin and coriander) and toast them. Add a knob of butter, the precooked cous cous and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Aside cook the fish fillets in a pan with some olive oil flavored with a clove of garlic for 3/4 minutes. Salt and pepper. To open the clams cook them in a covered pan. Place the cous cous on a big dish, lay over the fish fillets and the clams (I preferred to cut the fillets into little pieces and mix them in the cous cous). Dress with extra-virgin olive oil and some chopped parsley. 

Knocking on summer's door... Strawberry yogurt muffins

Here in Italy the weather is getting hotter with beautiful sunny days. People's pale skin is gradually revealing itself through shorter, lighter and brighter clothes. Summer is in the air, and marketplaces are "dressing" themselves too with  more colorful  fruits and vegetables. Shades of red, pink, orange, yellow...the colors of the sun. 

There's nothing more summery for me that a basket of fragrant ripe strawberries.  No doubt that, in a juicy summer fashion show, I would give my preference to those nice red pois dresses... That's why I could't resist buying the first strawberries of the season, even though they are not yet so tasty. I used them to make these muffins with a yogurt dressing. Indeed, red and white are a really good color combination...word-of "fruit" designer...

Strawberry yogurt muffins

(the recipe is adapted from Muffin and cupcakes, a book from Cucina Moderna, Italy. Makes 12 muffins)

180 g self raising flour

salt

125 g softened butter

100 g sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 big eggs, lightly beaten

125 g white yogurt (I used lemon yogurt)

250 g strawberries cut into little pieces

1 tablespoon honey

Preheat the oven to 170 ˚ (centigrade). Line muffin pans with paper liners. Sift flour with a pinch of salt in a bowl. Beat butter, sugar and lemon peel on medium – high speed until a cream is obtained. Add eggs, one by one, stirring a bit. Lower speed at minimum and mix the dry ingredients with 60 g yogurt. Add strawberries, then pour the mixture into the paper liners until 2/3 full. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes until they reach the right consistency. Let them cool completely.

Prepare the yogurt dressing by mixing the remaining yogurt with a tablespoon honey. Distribute the cream on the muffins and decorate with some strawberry.

Risotto with wild asparagus, pumpkin, speck and thyme

This is my second recipe with asparagus. This time I used the wild type, which is thinner and smaller than the cultivated one, but much more tasty. The taste of the wild asparagus is sharp and sometimes a little bitter,  what makes it particularly suitable for the preparation of omelettes and risotto. Here the pumpkin gives a smooth and sweet touch to the risotto, creating a very nice pulpy orange cream. Speck (the smoked ham typical of Tirolo, N Italy) enriches the taste with its salty and spicy character and thyme gives a wonderful scented flavor, perfectly matched with all the ingredients.

The ideal wine for this dish should be a smooth, fresh, fruity and aromatic white, with a good structure, like a Sauvignon blanc, a Ribolla gialla or a Gewürtztraminer. I tried a Sauvignon from the Collio Doc, which was perfect.

Risotto with wild asparagus, pumpkin, speck and thyme

(the recipe is taken from the blog www.peccatidigolaediamicizia.com, makes 6 servings)

350 g  rice, Vialone nano type

1 bunch of wild asparagus

1 thick slice of speck, cut into little cubes

150 g pumpkin, cut into cubes

1/2 chopped onion

1 l vegetable stock

1/2 glass white wine

50 g grated Parmigiano cheese

extra virgin olive oil

a knob of butter

dried thyme

salt

pepper

Clean the wild asparagus, leaving out the woody ends of the stalks, cook with steam for a few minutes. Cut the stalks into little pieces, leave the heads entire. In a pan put a tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and brown the onion for a few minutes. Add the speck and the pumpkin and cook for a couple of minutes. Put salt and pepper (do not salt too much, because speck is very salty). Add rice and toast it till it gets shiny. Add wine and simmer until evaporated. Sprinkle with a touch of thyme. Cook rice adding vegetable stock little by little (the cooking time for Vialone nano is 16/18 minutes). At half cooking, add the pieces of wild asparagus, only the stalks. When the rice is cooked and slightly underdone, stir in a knob of butter and Parmigiano (if someone like it without cheese, just leave it on the table for self-serving).  Decorate with the asparagus heads and serve.

Mars cheesecake

I made this cheesecake to celebrate Mother's Day. It is dedicated to all the mothers in my family, the oldest, the youngest, and especially to my "Big one", "la mia mamma" as we say in Italy. She is not a queen in the kitchen (just a Master in lasagne), but she has always fed us with all the love she has. She is the most generous and supportive person in the world. Grazie mamma e auguri!

Mars cheesecake

(the recipe is taken from the Italian Guida Cucina magazine, year 2011, n.3. Makes 10 servings)

250 g chocolate shortbread cookies

150 g melted butter

2 tablespoons cane sugar

20 g butter

300 ml liquid cream

50 g milk chocolate 

3 teaspoons gelatin

60 ml water

500 g soft ricotta cheese

90 g sugar

180 g Mars bars cut into little pieces

Crumble the cookies to dust and mix with the melted butter. Pour the compound in a cake mold and press it to let it thick well. Cover and put in the fridge to cool for at least half an hour. Cook in a pan at low flame 20 g butter with 2 tablespoons cream and 2 tablespoons cane sugar till the sugar is melted. In another pan, still at low flame, melt milk chocolate with 2 tablespoons cream. Melt gelatin in a bain-marie, let it cool for 5 minutes. Work together ricotta and sugar with electric whips, in another bowl whip the remaining cream. Mix delicately the lukewarm gelatin with the ricotta cream, add Mars pieces and lastly, the whipped cream. Pour half compound in the cake mold, half butter cream and half melted chocolate, stir to create a variegated effect. Finish pouring another layer of the remaining ingredients, cover the cake with kitchen film and let it cool in the fridge for at least  three hours before serving. Decorate with chocolate curls, made with a potato peeler. 

Happy Birthday Little Sister! Lemon meringue pie

We have a lot to celebrate this week: my "little" sister's birthday, now 26, and  her degree in Economics (she discussed her graduation thesis last Friday). These "micro" celebrations come with  a "macro" feast,  the  beatification of Pope John Paul II in Rome yesterday, May 1st.

Since my sister loves the fresh scent and taste of lemon, I thought to prepare a lemon meringue pie for her birthday party. Auguri!

Lemon meringue pie

(the recipe is taken from the Italian magazine Confidenze, makes 8 servings)

130 g white flour "0"

2 g vanilla baking powder

80 g butter

10 g  leaves isinglass (gelatin) 

200 g sugar

1,2 dl lemon juice

4 eggs

1 egg white

2 organic lemons

240 whipped cream

salt

Mix flour with a pinch of salt, baking powder and cold butter cut into little cubes. When the compound gets sandy, add 35 g cold water and work everything quickly. Wrap the paste with film and let it rest for about half an hour. Roll it out  in a 24 cm cake mold. Brush the surface with a little egg white and riddle the bottom with a fork. Bake the cake at 180 C for 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 170 C and bake for another 10 minutes. In the meantime soak gelatin in cold water, squeeze it and leave it aside in a covered bowl. Separate the egg whites from the yolks; cook the yolks at low flame with 100 g sugar and lemon juice, stirring until the cream gets thick. Add 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel and the soaked gelatin. Let it cool. Cook the other 100 g sugar with a tablespoon of water, bring to boil and cook the syrup until you see bubbles. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, pour the hot syrup continuing to whip. Mix the meringue with the cold lemon cream and 240 g whipped cream,  pour into the brisée base. Let it cool in the fridge for two hours before serving. Decorate with additional whipped cream and lemon slices, or, as I did, with a sprinkling of crumbled Amaretto cookies and grated lemon peel.