|
 |
Proposal indecent! |
|
 |
Region Abruzzo |
| |
|
| Peas with streaky bacon |
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
• spring pearl onions: 4
• streaky bacon (made from pig's cheek): 3 ½ oz
• olive oil:
• pepper:
• peas: 2 lbs 4 oz
• salt |
| Pod the peas. Chop the onions finely and put them into a wide pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped up streaky bacon. Sauté for a moment and then add the washed and drained peas to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, mix up well and add a little water to prevent them from hardening; leave them to cook, stirring frequently. They should be ready after about 30 minutes. Serve them hot. |
|
|
|
| Rustic pizza |
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 6 people:
butter: 3 ½ oz
white flour: 11 oz
grated Parmesan cheese:
'mozzarella' cheese from the Abruzzo region: 2
cooked ham: 7 oz
salt:
eggs: 5 |
| Pour the flour onto the working surface, add a pinch of salt, the melted, cooled butter, two whole eggs and one yolk; work the pastry for a few minutes, just enough to mix the ingredients together, then take a large piece of the pastry, roll it out using the rolling pin and cut out a circle large enough to line the bottom and sides of a previously buttered flan dish 28 cm(11 inches) in diameter. Prick the pastry on the bottom of the dish well with a fork; slice up the mozzarellas and place them in the dish, then add the cooked ham, two whole eggs beaten up with one yolk (keeping a little to one side for brushing over the surface of the pastry on top) and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. With the remaining pastry, cut out another circle and use to cover the filling, sealing the edges of the two circles of pastry. Prick the pastry well with the prongs of a fork (to allow the pizza to ‘breath’ while cooking) or pierce a hole in the centre which will function like a ‘chimney’. Brush the pastry with the remaining egg left to one side and then put the pizza in the oven preheated to 220° C/425° F/Gas Mark 7, leaving it to cook for about 20 minutes. Serve warm. |
|
|
|
| Lamb ‘scannese’ style |
Cooking time: about 2 hours
Ingredients, amounts for a few people:
garlic:
lean lamb: as required
olive oil:
pepper:
rosemary:
salt:
dry white wine: |
| Wash the lamb, dry and cut into pieces. Sprinkle a good quantity of oil into an earthenware casserole dish, turning the dish so that the oil completely covers the inside. Place the pieces of lamb in the cold dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a few, whole cloves of garlic, some stalks of rosemary and white wine in proportion to the quantity of meat. Cover the dish and cook the lamb over a low heat; the meat should cook slowly. |
|
|
|
| Fiadoni or small cheese pies |
Cooking time: about 15 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
cinnamon powder:
white flour: 8 oz
olive leaves: 13
grated sheep's milk cheese (not very mature): 2 oz
salt:
rendered pork fat/lard: 2 ½ oz
eggs: 3
sugar: 2 oz |
| Put 180 g (6 oz) of flour onto the pastry board, mixing together with the sugar and a pinch of salt: form into a heap and place on the top of it 50 g (2 oz) of lard, 1 whole egg plus 1 yolk. Mix together quickly to obtain a smooth pastry; wrap in a sheet of greaseproof paper and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the meantime, grease a wide oven tray with lard and sprinkle with flour. Put the grated cheese into a small bowl with a pinch of cinnamon and the whole egg: beat with a wooden spoon until you obtain an evenly blended mixture. When the indicated time is up, roll out the pastry on the lightly floured pastry board into a layer about 3 mm (1/8”) thick; with a round, jagged pastry cutter of about 9 cm (3 ½”) in diameter, cut out 13 pastry circles. Place a little of the prepared mixture on one half of each of the circles and fold over the other half of the pastry on top of it and press down well around the edge to prevent the mixture from coming out while they are cooking. Place these 13 half-moons onto the baking tray and poke an olive leaf into each one of them. Cook the ‘fiadoni’ in the oven heated to 190° C/375° F/Gas Mark 5 for about 13 minutes, until they are golden on top and cooked inside. Allow them to cool on a wire rack and then serve. |
|
|
|
| Cassata Abruzzi style |
Ingredients, amounts for 6/8 people:
• butter: 11 oz
• unsweetened cocoa: 2 oz
• almond-caramel crunch: 2 oz
• Abruzzi liquor ('Centerbe' made by the distillation of various herbs): 7 oz
• round trifle sponge cake: 1 weighing 14 oz
• chocolate bar: 2 oz
• nougat candy made of honey, sugar, egg whites and hazelnuts, from Piedmont: 3 ½ oz
• eggs: 6
• icing sugar/powdered sugar: 7 oz |
| Separately from each other, chop up the torrone, the croccante and the chocolate. Put the slightly softened butter into a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until it becomes light and creamy. Then add, alternating one with the other, 6 egg yolks and the sieved icing sugar, not adding the next ingredient until the previous one is well blended in. Having completed this operation, divide the cream into three parts and to one of these add the cocoa; into the second part, mix in the finely chopped torrone and chocolate, and to the third part, add the well chopped croccante. Mix the ingredients and then put a spoonful of the three separately prepared creams into a small bowl, mixing them together. Now divide the trifle sponge into 4 equally thick circles, put one of them onto a serving plate, brush with a little liqueur and then pour over the cream with the cocoa, spreading it evenly with a spatula; place another circle of trifle sponge on top of the previous one, sprinkle with liqueur and cover with the cream with the croccante; on this, place a third circle of sponge, sprinkle with liqueur and spread over the cream of chocolate and torrone. Finally, add the last circle of sponge, sprinkle with the remaining liqueur and spread with the mixture of the three creams blended together, covering the whole of the surface and the edges of the “cassata”. Place in the fridge for a few hours or even over night. At the moment of serving, the cake may be decorated with glacé cherries and icing sugar. Covered with aluminium foil or with cling film, this dessert may be kept in the fridge for three days. |
|
|
|
| Fettuccine pasta Abruzzi style |
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
• basil: 4
• onion: 1
• 'fettucine' pasta: 12 ½ oz
• grated Pecorino cheese: 2 oz
• olive oil:
• pancetta (Italian spiced bacon): 3 oz
• pepper:
• parsley:
• salt |
| Chop up finely the pancetta and the onion; put this mixture into a small casserole dish together with three tablespoons of oil, sauté and then add the finely chopped parsley and basil. Season with salt and pepper. While cooking, from time to time add a little water or broth to the sauce (keeping in mind, however, that it should remain quite concentrated). Cook the fettuccine pasta in boiling water, drain, place in a serving bowl, sprinkle with pecorino cheese, pour over the prepared sauce, mix well and serve. |
|
|
|
| Lentil soup |
Cooking time: about 1 hour
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
garlic: 1 clove
toasted canapes:
lentils: 7 oz
olive oil:
salt: |
| Put the lentils in plenty of warm water to soften over night, then remove the ones which float to the top, drain the others and put into a casserole dish. Add the olive oil and the clove of garlic; cover with 2 litres (3 ½ pints) of water and cook the lentils over moderate heat. When they are cooked, season with salt and serve the soup with croutons of bread toasted in the oven or fried in oil. |
|
|
|
| Dried codfish Abruzzi style |
Cooking time: 4 and a half hours
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
garlic:
bay leaf: 2
broth/stock: a little
cinnamon powder:
clove: 5
onion: 1
dried mushrooms: 2 oz
olive oil:
purée of tomatoes: 2 oz
potatoes: 1 lb 2 oz
pepper:
red chilli pepper: a little
parsley:
salt:
soaked air-dried small cod: 1 lb 12 ½ oz |
| Wash the mushrooms and leave to soften in warm water. Cut the fish into 4 cm (1½ inch) long pieces: wash them and dry them. Pour the oil into an earthenware dish, add the sliced onion and sauté: when it is almost golden, add the pieces of fish and cook over a moderate heat for 10 minutes. In the meantime, chop up the parsley finely, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and the small piece of chilli pepper: cover the fish with the mixture, then add the bay leaves, a pinch of cinnamon, the cloves and the tomato sauce diluted with a little broth. As soon as the liquid comes to the boil, add the dried mushrooms and their water, taking care not to disturb any sediment which has been deposited in the bottom of the cup. Cover the dish and cook the fish over low heat for about 3 and a half hours. Then add the peeled potatoes cut into pieces, taste and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over a low heat until the potatoes are cooked. |
|
|
|
| Cooking time: 2 hours and 15 minutes |
Cooking time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 6 people:
• carrots: 2
• onion: 1
• leg of castrated lamb: 2 lbs 11 oz
• olive oil:
• oregano:
• pancetta (Italian spiced bacon): 3 ½ oz
• pepper:
• ripe tomatoes: 14 oz
• parsley:
• salt:
• celery: a few stalks
• dry white wine: 1 glass |
| Finely chop the pancetta, put it into a wide casserole dish and add the leg of lamb. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with oil, add the sliced onion, a few stalks of celery and the 2 small carrots cut into small pieces. Cook slowly and when the lamb is well browned, splash with white wine, allowing it to evaporate and then add the tomatoes chopped into small pieces, the finely chopped parsley and a pinch of oregano. Cover with the lid and finish cooking over a very slow heat, mixing frequently; once cooked, remove the dish from the heat and arrange the leg of lamb on a warm serving plate. Pass the vegetables and the cooking sauce through a sieve, put this mixture back into the dish and boil down over high heat. Pour this sauce over the leg of lamb and serve. |
|
|
|
| Chicory, pecorino cheese and eggs |
Cooking time: about 1 hour and 10 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
broth/stock: 2 pints
carrots: 2
wild chickory: 1 lb 2 oz
onion: 2
grated Pecorino cheese: 2 oz
lard: 2 oz
olive oil:
parsley:
salt:
celery:
eggs: 2 |
| Wash the chicory well and boil in plenty of boiling water; once cooked, drain and then leave to soak in cold water for about 2 hours, allowing it to lose its bitterness. Pour the broth into an earthenware pan, add the carrots, 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery and a few sprigs of parsley, all finely chopped. Put the pan on the stove and cook the vegetables over moderate heat. Prepare a mixture of finely chopped bacon fat and 1 onion, put into a saucepan, add 2 or 3 spoonfuls of oil and sauté. Drain the chicory, squeeze it well between your hands and then chop it up finely and add to the ingredients being sautéed. A little before serving, beat the whole eggs in the serving bowl along with the grated pecorino cheese, add the sautéed chicory and pour over the boiling hot broth. Mix and serve immediately. |
|
|
|
|
Last Minute Italien Sponsor Hotels |
| |
|
|
B&B Apartment Casa Diletta
Massa Cozzile
|
|
|
|
|
Rosada Camere
Porto Recanati
|
|
|
|
|
Hotel Tenuta di Ricavo ****
Castellina in Chianti
|
|
|
|
|
B&B Fiorentini residence ****
Napoli
|
|
|
|
|
Hotel Chris ***
Bellaria Igea Marina
|
|
|
|
|
Hotel Saraceno ****
Milano Marittima
|
|
|
|
|
B&B Burlamacco Gold ****
Viareggio
|
|
|
|
|
Hotel Richard ***
Agliana
|
|
|
|
|
Affittacamere I Giardini del Quirinale ***
Roma
|
|
|
|
|
Hotel Vannucci ***
Città della Pieve
|
|
|
|
|
B&B Soggiorno Paradiso ***
Napoli
|
|
|
|
|
Agriturismo La Collina delle Streghe ***
Castelbellino
|
|
|
|
|
