Beet and Pea Risotto

Ingredients:

For the Stock:

You can make this ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days

8 cups of water

3 medium Beets

1 Onion

1 Carrot

1 celery stalk

Chicken Bones

Salt, pepper and herbs

Just bring to boil and gently simmer for a couple of hours, it would be a dark red color

For the Risotto:

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, or shallot chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 and Half cup Italian rice (like arborio, vialone nano, carnaroli)

Half cup dry white wine

freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

parsley

Almond Chocolate Madeleine's

Almond Chocolate Madeleine’s

Ingredients

125g of almond flour
75g of sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150g of butter
175g of Dark Chocolate

These are so easy and yummy. The only problem with this recipe is that they are going to disappear in a matter of minutes.

In a double boiler melt The chocolate and butter.  Whisk adding almond flour, sugar and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes then add the eggs. Pour into buttered Madeleine pan molds and bake at 350 f for 12-15 minutes depending on your oven.

That’s it! Super easy and super delicious!

Almond Pear Tart

Squid Ink Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Ingredients for 2:

2 Tablespoon of Olive oil
About 10 Kalamata olives and 1 tablespoon of their juice
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of capers
2 or 3 anchovy fillet
fresh parsley
salt and chili pepper to taste
150g spaghetti

This is what I call a fancy fast food dinner.

In a skillet with olive oil saute anchovies and garlic on medium heat.  Add the tomato sauce, white wine, chopped olives and capers and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in boiling water for the recommended time on the package.   Drain and transfer spaghetti to skillet and and toss with the sauce and cook for another minute. Top with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy.

Potato Bacon Tart

1 tart crust

4 Eggs

4 - 5 medium potatoes, sliced

1 cup Gruyère cheese, or cheddar cheese

2 Slices of Bacon

Half a cup of heavy cream

salt, pepper and nutmeg

Potato bacon tart

This tart is delicious and not difficult at all.  You can make the crust ahead and keep it in the fridge for 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.   Prebake the crust with parchment or aluminum and fill it with beans rice or pie weights (if you don’t have pie weights you can find them here) for 10 minutes at 375 F.  When finished take out the weights and cook for another 5 minutes until the bottom is dry.  Fill a large pot with water and a couple of teaspoons of salt and heat on the stove. Meanwhile slice 4 or 5 medium potatoes using a mandolin slicer if you like.  Blanch the potatoes in the hot water until they are soft but not falling apart.  In a mixing bowl mix eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg until combined.  Grate cheese and put in the bottom of prebaked tart shell.  Arrange the blanched potatoes on top of the cheese in the tart shell.  If you like you could add some precooked and chopped bacon on top of the potatoes. Pour the egg mixture in and grate some more cheese on top.  
Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 f or until eggs are set. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes before unmolding.

Onion Soup

Onion Soup

Ingredients:

4 Onions, 

2 TBS butter, 

3 TBS of flout (or 1 TBS Potato starch)

4 Cups of Stock
Half a cup red wine

Cheese to taste and good artisan bread

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ONION SOUP

Onion soup must be the easiest recipe I can think of, but is also so tasty and yummy that you can’t go wrong with it. 

Just remember to use fresh quality ingredients.

Chop 4 cups of onions and put in a heavy bottom pan with butter and a little bit of olive oil.

Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Turn the heat to high and brown with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.  Keep stirring until brown and add a couple of spoonfuls of flour while stirring for about 3 minutes. You could omit the flour, or replace with a spoon of potato starch or corn starch.

Add 4 cups of good quality stock. 

Pour in half a cup of red wine and herbs, let simmer for 20 minutes add salt and pepper to taste.  

Transfer to ovenproof ramekins or cocottes. 

Grate an abundance of Gruyère cheese and broil until melted and bubbling.  

Serve hot with a baguette and Enjoy!

Omelet, the humble king of breakfast.

A couple of eggs, salt and white pepper and some cheese is all you need to make a breakfast fit for a king, and it is also so versatile that you can just add a few veggies and a little salad and you will have a perfect  light lunch.

Cooking an omelet is an easy job, but it does require some practice. Making an omelet was also used as a test for aspirant cooks in France.

How to make a basic Omelet

To make a basic omelet beat 2 eggs with a little bit of salt and white pepper, pour in a buttered hot skillet pan and move the eggs around with a spatula, pull liquid into the center of the pan as the egg cooks, maintaining the round shape.

Pour the cheese over and start rolling it from one side, if the pan gets too hot move it on the side of the stove, do not overcook the eggs as it will become rubbery, but do not lower the flame.

Once rolled grab the pan with your left hand and flip over your serving plate and enjoy.

Traditionally you cook omelet in a well-seasoned carbon steel pan, but if you’re just starting feel free to use a good non-stick pan.

Mini Kiwi Tartellette with Lemon Cream

Pizza!!!!

Italian pizza has been a basic staple of my life.

Pizza is easy, yummy, good for every occasion and loved by everyone!

When it is made right it tastes just like doughy heaven, but even if you don’t reach perfection it is forgiving enough that it will taste very good even with a few mistakes.

There are only a few rules that you should absolutely respect. Great pizza starts with quality ingredients. Good tomatoes are a must, San Marzano are the traditional tomatoes used for pizza and are my first choice, but a can of good quality crushed tomatoes will do. Oregano and extra virgin olive oil are also  key ingredients. And last but not least mozzarella; this has to be real mozzarella, in water. Please avoid anything pre-grated, because the process to preserve pre-grated cheese includes a coating of corn flour to prevent “caking” (sticking) and often mixed with cellulose (basically sawdust), as a result this process effects the way the cheese melts and not in a good way. Mozzarella should not be grated at all, but broken into chunks and dispersed over the pizza.

I often get requests to make pizza at someone else’s home or for a party and every oven cooks in a very different way.

For this reason, out of necessity I have come up with this recipe through trial and error. You won’t need mixers, or starters, and it can be done in a pinch when you are at your in-laws or friends party and you want pizza within 3 or 4 hours. All personal experiences of mine:)

Just get a big bowl, pour the water in, add the yeast, the salt, olive oil and let the flour hydrate for 10 minutes (autolyse). Then get a fork and start mixing it. It will be sticky but don’t add any flour to it. Use your right hand to mix the dough while keeping your left hand clean and mix until pretty smooth, use your left hand to clean up the stickiness from your other hand and cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm place for at least 2.5 hours.

You can also make it ahead and let it rise in the fridge overnight.

The easiest way to make pizza with method is in a cold cast iron skillet, you will need one that is 12" or larger.

When your dough is ready flour a surface and divide into two balls, flatten with your hands and spread with a rolling pin almost as wide as the pan. Transfer the rolled pizza dough into the skillet. Top with crushed tomato, mozzarella, olive oil, oregano and few ingredients of choice like mushroom, sausages, salami, cheeses or whatever you want. You can also top it with ingredients once it comes out of the oven, like prosciutto, pesto, fresh tomatoes, arugula or whatever you like.

This dough is specifically made to work in every oven, the best oven would be a wood fired oven, but if your oven gets hot enough you could try with a pizza stone. you may also choose to grill it, or my favorite at home, sear the bottom in a hot cast iron skillet and broil the top. With some practice you could come up the best pizza you have ever tasted.

Enjoy!!

Also if you need a Cast iron Skillet those are my favorites: Lodge Cast Iron Skillet