1.27.2017

Filled pastas

Ravioli filled with Asiago, served with baked cherry tomatoes sauce
Parsley and cheese ravioli


Ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach served with vodka sauce

Tortellini di Valeggio

Ravioli with pear and gorgonzola


Green sausage ravioli

Buckwheat ravioli



Beets ravioli



Pumpkin Capelacci with tomatoes and sausage sauce

Pumpkin Fagotini

Pumpkin ravioli with butter sage and pine nuts 



Ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach

For the dough

  • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or “00” flour, or a combination
    You can also close the ravioli using a fork.
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

    Dump the flour in a pile on a work surface. Make a deep, wide well in the center and pour in the eggs, olive oil, and salt. Begin mixing the eggs with a fork, staying in the center and being careful that the eggs don’t breach the wall. Little by little, mix in flour from the sides until the dough starts to move as a unit and is too stiff to mix with a fork. Continue mixing by hand, incorporating more flour to stiffen the dough. When it doesn’t easily absorb more flour (one signal is floury, dried bits of dough flaking off the mass), set the dough aside; scrape up all the remaining flour and pass it through a sieve to sift out any dried-up bits. Discard the bits and keep the cup or two of sifted flour on the work surface to use during kneading if necessary.

    Wash and dry your hands. Knead the dough on the lightly floured surface until it’s a smooth, homogenous ball of dough, firm but resilient, neither too dry nor too soft, about 5 minutes; it should no longer stick to the surface. Poke it and it should spring right back; press your finger into the center and it should feel just a bit tacky. If it’s very sticky, knead in more flour.
    When the dough is sufficiently kneaded, a finger dent will bounce back.

    Wrap the dough loosely in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

    for the stuffing:
    • 8 oz (225 gr) ricotta cheese 
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 cup (25 gr) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg grated
    • salt
    • 10 oz (280 gr) of cooked spinach
      Chop the spinach and add to a large bowl, with the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg and a bit of salt. Mix well.

      Cut ravioli sheets with a ravioli cutter. Using a brush, brush with egg yolk around each ravioli. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the center, close to expelling the air, sealing the edges properly.





Ravioli filled with Asiago served with cherry tomatoes sauce

For the dough

  • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or “00” flour, or a combination
    You can also close the ravioli using a fork.
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

    Dump the flour in a pile on a work surface. Make a deep, wide well in the center and pour in the eggs, olive oil, and salt. Begin mixing the eggs with a fork, staying in the center and being careful that the eggs don’t breach the wall. Little by little, mix in flour from the sides until the dough starts to move as a unit and is too stiff to mix with a fork. Continue mixing by hand, incorporating more flour to stiffen the dough. When it doesn’t easily absorb more flour (one signal is floury, dried bits of dough flaking off the mass), set the dough aside; scrape up all the remaining flour and pass it through a sieve to sift out any dried-up bits. Discard the bits and keep the cup or two of sifted flour on the work surface to use during kneading if necessary.

    Wash and dry your hands. Knead the dough on the lightly floured surface until it’s a smooth, homogenous ball of dough, firm but resilient, neither too dry nor too soft, about 5 minutes; it should no longer stick to the surface. Poke it and it should spring right back; press your finger into the center and it should feel just a bit tacky. If it’s very sticky, knead in more flour.
    When the dough is sufficiently kneaded, a finger dent will bounce back.
    Wrap the dough loosely in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

    For the Filling

    1 cup ricotta


    1 cup asiago mezzano (grated)
    1 pinch nutmeg
    1 pinch black pepper
    Salt to taste

    Mix with a fork the ricotta and the grated Asiago. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
    In a ramekin, mix egg yolk with a little water. Cut ravioli sheets with a ravioli cutter. Using a brush, brush with egg yolk around each ravioli. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the center, close to expelling the air, sealing the edges properly. 

  • Cherry tomato sauce Recipe

    500g / 1lb cherry tomatoes, cut in half
    1 cup chopped raw almonds
    4 garlic cloves chopped
    A bunch of basil leafs
    Oregano
    Salt & Pepper
    A good pouring of olive oil
    1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

    In a baking tray, add all the ingredients together except the basil. Bake everything for about 25 minutes in the convection oven on for 180C or 360F.
    When the raviolis are cooked, mix the sauce and add the fresh basil. Serve with your favorite cheese on the top. My favourite for this recipe is smoked ricotta.


1.26.2017

Bigoli with walnuts and gorgonzola

100g/2oz walnuts 
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
150ml/5fl oz double cream 
50g/2oz Gorgonzola (preferably dolce, the softer milder variety) 
300g/10oz Bigoli

 Crack the walnuts, remove the nuts from their shells and pound with a pestle and mortar until they are in small pieces. Sprinkle over the Parmesan and add the garlic. Season with plenty of black pepper and a small amount of salt. Pour in the cream and stir well to combine.
While the pasta is cooking, gently warm the sauce in a small saucepan. Add the Gorgonzola and stir continuously while the cheese melts. Now drain the pasta and dress with a generous knob of butter, spoon over the sauce and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Bigoli alla Montanara

Bigoli alla Montanara


500g / 1lb Italian sausages (in Italy, Salsiccia sfusa that means 'Regular Sausage')
1 chopped onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup  Kale/Swiss chard chopped on big pieces
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup red wine
1 cup tomato pure
1 tbsp oregano
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
500 grams Bigoli
Smoked ricotta

Start with a good pouring of olive oil on the pan, fry the onions and garlic. Add the sausages, when the sausages are
brown add the wine and let reduce in half. Add the tomato sauce and oregano and let cook for 10 minutes. Add Salt and Pepper.
Turn off the fire and add the Swiss chard or Kale.
Sauté the pasta with the sauce and add walnuts and smoked ricotta to serve.

Bigoli in Squid Ink Sauce


Bigoli in Squid Ink Sauce
4 squids 
2 bags of squid ink 
4 ripe tomatoes or 1 can chopped tomatoes1 cup white wine
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
500gr Bigoli
1 Lemon
A bunch of parsley 
Quality flaked red peppers
Squids are members of the baggy animal kingdom. Their whole body is organised in bags, which the cook needs to extract one by one by putting his fingers into the beast and remove them. Then you have to find the transparent 'bone' that keeps the bag straight and remove it too. You can then cut 0.5''/1cm rings and set them aside. 

In a big frying pan, fry the onions and garlic until brown. Add the squid and fry for not more than 2 minutes than add wine and let evaporate, then add tomato sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes in medium heat. After the 10 minutes passed add the squid ink and the peppers and cook for more 5 minutes in medium high. Just before mixing the bigoli, squeeze the lemons and add the parsley.











Bigoli recipes

Bigoli dough

 Duck Sauce
Duck Sauce
                                   

Squid Ink Sauce

Bigoli alla Montanara

Walnuts and Gorgonzola sauce


Bigoli served with lemony meatballs

Bigoli alla Carbonara



1.11.2017

Spiced ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper tea



 Here are the tea benefits:
*Anti-inflamatory
*Anti-depressant
*Helps Arthritis
*Pain Killer
*Anti-coagulant *High anti-oxidant
*Helps your hearth
*Helps with stop craving for sweets
*Helps your brain
*Reduces chances of cancer
*Fight infections and virus
*Fresh your breath
*Can help to prevent Candida infection
*Helps your skin
*Improves your metabolism
*Higher immunity system
*Prevent diabetes
*Fresh your breath and kill bad bacteria in your mouth

Recipe for the Turmeric tea


Spiced ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper tea

1/2 cup powder ginger1/2 cup cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup turmeric
1/3 cup black pepper
30 caffeine pills

 Using a mixer or pesto mortar, just add caffeine pills, cinnamon and the black pepper and transform them into a powder. Mix very well all the ingredients with the ginger and the turmeric.
 For making the tea, just add half tea spoon of this tea with hot water and if you like to drink tea with a little bit of milk like me add a little bit of milk with it.


The text below comes from the website: http://www.turmericforhealth.com



Health Benefits Of Black Pepper And Turmeric

Health benefits of any food or herb is based on its key active ingredients.
Piperine is the key chemical in black pepper. It is similar to capsaicin a chemical in chili and offers many health benefits. Curcumin which is a polyphenol plays the same role in turmeric.
Both these compounds have been studied to examine the potential health benefits they can offer individually or together.   Here are some of their benefits:

1. Black pepper enhances bioavailability of Turmeric

One important question which must be popping in your mind right now would be why among so many spices are we talking about black pepper?
The answer is really interesting too. One problem with curcumin is its low levels of bioavailability.
Most of the curcumin that is ingested gets metabolized before it can get absorbed. Piperine is said to help make curcumin more bioavailable.
This could be because it could inhibit certain intestinal digestive enzymes. This increases the amount of any drug or supplement that can be absorbed by the body. They also do not get degraded quickly.
Hence, there are studies to test if co-administering curcumin with piperine could improve the bioavailability of the former.
These studies have been conducted on humans and laboratory animals.
One study found that when even 2g of curcumin was ingested, its serum levels were very low. However, when 20mg piperine was added to curcumin the bioavailability increased by 2000%.
The bioavailability, serum levels and levels of absorption of curcumin all improved dramatically.
What it means: Thus, if one takes turmeric, most of it is unutilized unless supplemented by addons such as black pepper.

2. Help in reducing pain

Piperine in black pepper can trigger TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1) in the body. This triggering can reduce pain.
Piperine is also used as an analgesic cream that can be applied topically on the skin to relieve pain.
Some studies have focused on using piperine as a new way to kill chronic pain – especially neuropathic pain which is untreatable.

3. Is Anti-inflammatory

Curcumin has been studied for its anti-inflammatory capabilities especially in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory conditions.
Laboratory studies were conducted on the way curcumin can be used as an anti-arthritic agent. An animal model of rheumatoid arthritis was used and 3 curcuminoids were studied.
The curcuminoids were administered before and not after inflammation set in. It was found that oil-depleted turmeric fraction was not as effective as a commercial composition that contained 94% combination of the 3 curcuminoids in combating inflammatory conditions.
Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually used to treat all inflammatory conditions.
However, long term use can cause serious side effects. Hence, safer alternatives like curcumin are being studied for their potential anti-inflammatory benefits that can be used long term without any side effects.

4. Cancer benefits

Dietary polyphenols like piperine and curcumin have been studied for their effect on prevention of breast cancer. Mammosphere formation, which is a marker of breast stem cells were studied.
Early progenitor cells, normal stem cells and healthy breast epithelial cells were examined after control, piperine and curcumin treatment was administered.
Turmeric and black pepper compounds both inhibited mammosphere formation. They also did not cause any toxicity, therefore showing that they could be possible cancer preventive agents.
Current breast cancer treatments are often ineffective and very often even after chemotherapy and other treatment, the cancer cells reappear. According to new studies, this could be because cancer stem cells still remain and could cause tumors to recur after a period.
Hence, new research is trying to find possible ways to target stem cells. Studies have found that turmeric and black pepper combined could target breast stem cells.
In a University of Michigan study, cancer cells were injected with a potent solution of piperine and curcumin that was at least 20 times stronger that what is normally consumed through food.
Breast stem cell markers were studied. The self-renewal process of breast stem cells that is the hallmark of initiating cancer was interrupted.
This is considered a significant development. Further both compounds did not affect normal breast tissue. Sometimes women who are susceptible to breast cancer maybe advised to take medications like tamoxifen. However, these can be toxic.
Natural compounds, which offer similar benefits and are non-toxic, could be a safe alternative therapy. Another benefit is that piperine and curcumin target self-renewal of all stem cells and not just those that are estrogen sensitive like tamoxifen.
This theory offers hope to all women who develop breast cancer not just the estrogen driven kind.

5. Controlling Obesity

Turmeric and black pepper could be combined to fight high cholesterol levels, obesity and diabetes. Diet induced bodily changes to blood glucose, body weight, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol and triglyceride could be affected by CPQ. CPQ is an acronym for the combination of curcumin, piperine and quercetin (got from onion skin).
Presence of flavonoids in CPQ is possibly responsible for many of the reactions like decrease in glucose transport. These studies were conducted on laboratory rats.

6. Other benefits:

When combined together, turmeric and black pepper could help relieve gastric mucosal damage caused by peptic ulcers.
This is due to the capacity of curcumin to prevent growth of Helicobacter pylori bacteria which causes peptic ulcers and the protective capability of piperine.
Both also have antioxidant benefits.
Hence, they can benefit in improving memory loss and protect people from cognitive impairment from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Curcumin has anti-amyloid ability that can reduce amyloid pathway in Alzheimer’s. Both low and high doses of curcumin fed to laboratory mice seemed to reduce age-related memory loss.

Dosage

The dosage of turmeric varies depending on the medical condition. As with most herbal supplements turmeric has no specific dosage guidelines.
The usually dosage dried  turmeric powder is 1-3 gms per day. For supplements – 400 – 600 mg, thrice daily .
As I keep saying again and again, I am not in favor of turmeric supplements and support using turmeric in your diet. Use supplements only in cases when you cannot do so.
My detailed article on turmeric dosage can be read here.
Black pepper too can be easily added in your diet in curries, salads and dressing.
A great way to have turmeric and black pepper together is Golden paste. Get its recipe here.

Precautions

Black pepper must not be consumed in excess of 1 tsp a day when certain medications like digoxin or phenytoin are being taken.
The rate at which these medications are cleared by the liver could slow down when black pepper is consumed in excess.
Turmeric as spice is considered to be very safe. Turmeric supplements must not be consumed in excess and for long periods. This could cause indigestion, dizziness, nausea or diarrhea.
Those who are pregnant and breastfeeding are advised to avoid all types of herbal supplements. Diabetic patients, those due for surgery and those with gallbladder problems must also stop using turmeric supplements.
While both turmeric and black pepper are considered very safe and have been used since thousands of years, if you suffer from some specific medical problems and are not sure about using them, please consult your doctor.

Bigoli


Bigoli - The Bigoli is a long, fat pasta (solid in the middle), like a big spaghetti of Venetian origin.  It is spread throughout the region and is also found in East Lombardy.
The recipe for bigoli is traditionally prepared with wheat flour, water, and salt.
Bigoli Al'anatra
Italian's describe the main feature of this pasta as, "Pasta Forte" which refers to it's "roughness" that allows it to hold sauces.  Bigoli has a peculiar and time consuming method of preparation.  The traditional pasta press is a hand operated die press, with two handles that screw down, compressing the dough through the holes at the bottom (this is attached to a small bench).  The cylinder is loaded with dough and screwed down, the pasta comes out the bottom giving you roughly one portion per cylinder.
There are different recipe variations of bigoli that are obtained by varying the type of flour used.  Saracen flour is black and is used to make darker (brown) bigoli.  Some recipes also call for duck eggs to be used instead of water.
There are so many traditional sauces with bigoli, however, the most common is from the mountainous areas of Veneto, "Bigoli All'Anatra" - bigoli with duck sauce.  Other common recipes are: Bigoli al Baccala - from Vicenza; or Bigoli con Sardele - from Venice.

Every year, on the last week of April, the so-called "party of the bigoi Torcio" is held in Limena (Padova province).  Every Saturday and Sunday in May is "The Feast of Bigoli in Rovolon" (also in Padova) in the vicinity of Carbonara.  There is another festival held in May on the third weekend, also held in Abano Terme in Monterosso.

Bigoli dough recipe

Bigoli dough

Bigoli for four people:
400g (3cups) of flour ("00" or cake flour)
3 eggs (you can also use duck eggs, however their eggs a slightly bigger and modifies the recipe)
Water (small amount, appx 2-Tbsp)
Salt - 1 Tsp


In a bowl mix the flour and eggs with a fork until it has formed clumps in the flour.  Switch to using your hand(s) and mix rigorously.  When the dough has become one large ball, move to tabletop (preferably a wood surface) and continue to work and mix the dough with your hands just like any other pasta dough.  Bigoli is traditionally made using a torchio, make sure you load your pasta with it floured into the cylinder.  Begin to twist and cut twice for one cylinder load of dough.  flour liberally and ensure the pasta is not sticking while coming out. 









Duck Sauce 


Servings 4

500g Bigoli 
400 duck meat minced
1 tbsp butter
2tbsp Olive oil
1 cup  broth
onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
1 cup oz red wine
4 tbs of heavy cream 
thyme to taste
marjoram to taste
1 bay leaf
Grana Padano to taste
parsley to taste

    In a pan containing some butter, brown the onions, garlic and carrot, add the duck meat. Mix thoroughly.
    Pour the red wine over the mixture, allow to evaporate, and then salt to taste.
    Add the herbs, the bay leaves and finally the cream. In the meantime, cook the pasta in abundant boiling and salted water.
    When the pasta is cooked, when it is still “al dente”, drain it, put it in the pan with the sauce and toss it. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with grated Parmesan, finely chopped parsley and arrange on the serving dish.

    Bigoli alla Montanara

    1lb Italian sausages (in Italy, Salsiccia sfusa that means 'Regular Sausage')
    1 chopped onion
    4 cloves of garlic
    1 cup  Swiss chard chopped on big pieces or Radicchio di Treviso.
    1/2 cup walnuts
    1 cup red wine
    1 cup tomato pure
    1 tbsp oregano
    Olive oil
    Salt & Pepper
    500 grams Bigoli, Tagliatelli, Pappardelle or any long pasta that is not Spaghetti! 
    Smoked ricotta

    Start with a good pouring of olive oil on the pan, fry the onions and garlic. Add the sausages, when the sausages are brown add the wine and let reduce in half. Add the tomato sauce and oregano and let cook for 10 minutes. Turn of the fire and add the greens. 
    Sauté the pasta with the sauce and add walnuts and smoked ricotta to serve.

    Baked Zuchinni flowers

    10 zuchini flowers
    1 eggplant
    1/4 cup Parmiggiano Raggiano
    1 cup ricotta
    10 leaves of fresh basil
    10 Kalamata olives
    Olive Oil
    Salt & Pepper

    Cut the blossom lengthwise then gently open it up and remove the pistil. The flower is very delicate, so take care not to break it.
    Cut the eggplant in small cubes and sauté with olive oil and a little bit of balsamic vinegar.
    Mix all the ingredients together to create the flower stuffing. Stuff the flowers and drizzle some olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes in 350F or 180C.

    11.02.2016

    Sugestion for Fall classes

    Menu Suggestion for fall classes
    All the classes includes wine as coffee

    Classic meal
    -Focaccia with rosemary
    -Fresh pasta with sauce (Bolognese, Carbonara, Amatriciana, Putanesca, Pesto Genovese)
    -Baked chicken with vegetables, olives and sausages
    -Tiramisu

    Menu del Castello
    -Pesto bread filled with asiago cheese and walnuts
    -The best bruschetta will you ever had!
    -Bigoli with duck sauce
    -Apple strudel served with gelato or poached pears with red wine served with gelato

    Lasagna class
    -Salad with pears, walnuts, truffle oil and cheese
    -Traditional lasagna with homemade spinach pasta
    -Pannacotta with berries
    -Homemade limoncello (you will bring home what we prepare)

    The tower menu
    -Sage bread
    -Lentil soup with chestnuts
    -Ravioli filled with pears, served in cheese and walnuts sauce
    -Amaretti and chocolate mousse

    Menu Zucca
    -Zucca Focaccia
    -Zucca Ravioli with butter and sage
    -Zucca Cappellacci with Sausage ragu
    -Zucca Tiramisu

    Sicilian menu
    -Deep fried calzone with ham, cheese, oregano, olives and tomato sauce
    -Arancini (risotto balls made with saffron, filled with meat and cheese deep fried)
    -Cannoli

    Menu del Sud
    -Garlic, cheese and oregano grissini
    -Deep fried Pizza
    -Pizza
    -Homemade Amaretti and chocolate Semifreddo (the grandma of gelato)

    Fall in Europe
    -Homemade grissini with Parmiggiano cheese and walnuts
    -Zucca ravioli with butter and sage or sausage ragu
    -Pork fillet mignon served with mushroom sauce and healthy veggi mash
    -Tarte Tatin (French Apple pie)

    Brazilian fall
    -Empanadas with cheese, meat and sqash
    -Coconut shrimp served inside a pumpkin (Cooked with cilantro, ginger, lime, tomato, peppers, coconut milk)
    -Rice
    -Fried Cassava
    -Brazilian carrot cake with chocolate served with vanilla ice cream or Lime dessert

    East European
    -Poppy seeds bread
    -Slovakian soup (Kapustnica)
    -Homemade pierogi (Polish Style)
    -Cheese Blintz 


    Greek Party
    -Spanakopita
    -Skordalia with shrimps
    -Stifado with potatoes
    -Loukomades