Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Bread Bowl...

Comfort food...

I came across one recipe which would make sense if it was comfort food. Remember that this recipe is only for one bread bowl!

The ingredients:

~Bread bowl
~Cheese, as needed
~Butter
~Tomato soup

Preparation:

1. Remove the top of the roll. Using a small knife cut around the inside of the bread (being careful not to cut through the sides) and scoop out the center of the roll- save this for later.

2. Butter the inside of the roll and place 3-4 cheese slices around the inner edge of the bread bowl. Bake in a preheated over at 375 F (190C) until the cheese has melted.

3. Cut the saved center of the roll in half. Butter both sides and create a cheese sandwich.

4. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat and fry the sandwich until both sides are browned and the inner cheese has melted. 

5. Remove the bread bowl from the oven. Fill with tomato soup and serve with the grilled cheese. 

6. Enjoy!

An under 30-minute preparation and it's a delicious little comfort food... 

"Eating is a necessity but cooking is an art."

~Bella

Asparagi al cartoccio...

Asparagi al cartoccio

Asparagus in parchment

Ingredients:

2 1/4 pounds aparagus, trimmed

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole milk, heated to a simmer

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Fine sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 ounces Emmental cheese, thinly sliced

3 1/2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds. Cut 8 pieces of parchment paper into rectangles measuring 12 by 14 inches.

2. Steam the asparagus, covered, in a steamer set over boiling water or using an asparagus pot until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the stalks with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat them dry. 

3. Put one-quarter of the asparagus in the center of piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining asparagus, using 4 of the 8 pieces of parchment all together. Reserve the remaining paper.

4. To make a béchamel, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until melted, then add the flour and cook over low heat, whisking, for 3 minutes. Add the hot milk little by little, whisking to incorporate between additions, then bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, whisking, until the béchamel is thickened, 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

5. Spoon the béchamel over the asparagus, then top with the Emmental and prosciutto; cut the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces and scatter them over the asparagus; sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano over all. Top each portion with one of the reserved parchment pieces, then crimp the edges to form sealed packets. Put the packets on baking sheets and bake until heated through, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the packets to plates, cut them open, and serve immediately. 

Serve 4   Cooking Time: 20 minutes

~Bella

Crespelle di ceci...

Crespelle di ceci

Chickpea flour crespelle

Ingredients:

Crespelle:

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chickpea flour

3/4 cup whole milk, plus more if needed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup heavy cream

Fine sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Filling and sauce:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 to 4 small zucchini, sliced into thin rounds

3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, and marjoram, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup diced mozzarella cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

Fine sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes

Yellow bell pepper strips for garnish

A few leaves of butter lettuce for garnish

Directions:

1. To make the crespelle, sift together the all-purpose flour and the chickpea flour into a large bowl. Whisk in the milk until smooth, then whisk in the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper. (The mixture should have a pourable consistency. If not, whisk in a little additional milk until it does.) Cover and set aside to rest for 1 hour, then whisk in the oil. 

2. Heat a 10-inche nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet and coat it very lightly with oil by rubbing a dab of oil over the surface with a paper towel, wiping away any excess. Pour in a sixth of the batter, about 1/2 cup. Roll the pan in all directions to cat the surface, and then place it over medium heat until the batter has cooked into a thin crepe. Use a spatula to remove it from the pan and repeat the process, very lightly oiling the pan with the piece of paper towel each time. Set the crepes aside: do not stack them.

3. For the filling, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook the zucchini until tender, then sprinkle on the minced herbs.

4. Combine the zucchini mixture with the mozzarella and ricotta, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Make a tomato sauce by first peeling the tomatoes (see page 205), then seeding and pureeing them in a blender or through a food mill with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Distribute the cheese filling equally onto the centers of the crespelle, then roll them up jelly roll style and cut them into 1 1/4- inch pinwheel slices. Serve them at room temperature with the tomato sauce and garnish them with additional minced herbs, bell pepper strips, and a few lettuce leaves.

Serve 6   Cooking Time: 1 hour

~Bella


Ps: I won't be posting Friday, or next week as I'm in a moving process. I don't think I'll be able to post anything. 

Sformato di ceci con la zucca...

Sformato di ceci con la zucca

chickpea tart with a winter squash crust

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

3 sage leaves, lightly crushed

Leaves of 1 sprig rosemary

1 small winter squash, quartered,

or 1 wedge of a large winter squash, peel

left on, seeds and strings removed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 (15-ounces) cans chickpeas

2 large eggs

About 1/2 cup whole milk

Fine sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated aged cheese such as

Parmigiano Reggiano, grated on the 

large holes of a box grater. 

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Combine the olive oil with the garlic, sage, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Cook gently over low heat to infuse the oil, then set the mixture aside.

2. Cut the whole squash or large wedge of squash into slices, wrap them in aluminum foil, and roast them until soft, about 40 minutes. Leave the oven on when the squash is cooked. 

3. Butter a round or oval springform pan. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper as well. Cut the cooked squash into thin slices and use them to line the bottom and sides of the pan, bending them slightly to fit and overlapping them. 

4. Drain the chickpeas, rinse, drain again, and puree in a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in a blender, along with the eggs and enough milk to make a thick puree. (Gradually drizzle the milk in through the feed tube with the machine running.) Season with salt and pepper.

5. Pour the olive oil through a small sieve to remove the garlic, sage, and rosemary. Pour the flavored oil into the chickpea mixture and puree or blend to combine.

6. Transfer the chickpea mixture to the springform pan and spread it evenly over the squash. Sprinkle on the grated cheese and bake until the top is browned and crusty and the chickpea mixture is set, about 40 minutes. Allow the tart to cool slightly before un-molding it. Serve it warm or at room temperature. 

Serve 8     Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

~Bella

Spinach Tomato Tortellini...

A new Italian recipe....

Spinach Tomato Tortellini...

Ingredients: 

-1 package cheese tortellini (16 ounces)
-1 can of diced tomatoes with garlic and onions, but if you are like me and prefer to cut about 3 tomatoes, cut them in little cubes.
-1 cup chopped fresh spinach, again if you are like me add more than just a cup...
- 1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1 1/2  tsp dried basil
-1 tsp minced garlic
-2 tbsp all-purpose flour
-3/4 cup milk
-3/4 heavy cream
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until tender, about ten minutes. 

2. While you get the tortellini going combine the tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, pepper, garlic and basil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to bubble. 

3.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, and cream. Stir this mixture into the saucepan along with the parmesan cheese. Heat through, then reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, about two minutes. 

4. Drain the tortellini, but do not rinse, then pour them into the saucepan with the sauce. Stir to coat, and serve.

Best recipe for tortellini if you are in love with spinach! You should give it a try whenever you are bored and hungry! It's not that long, simple enough, and delicious! I might actually give the recipe to my mum... 

"Italian food is all about ingredients and it's not fussy and it's not fancy." - Wolfgang Puck

~Bella

Mozzarella in carozza ai carciofi...

Fried mozzarella stuffed with artichokes!

Ingredients: 

- 3 balls fresh mozzarella, about 
  7 ounces each
- 4 artichokes
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 shallots, minced
- 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
- Fine sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups fine dry bread crumbs
- 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Extra-virgin olive oil for frying

Directions:

1. Cut 16 equal slices out of the mozzarella balls and reserve the scraps for another use. Spread the slices in a single layer on a plate and set them aside so that the cheese can give off some of its liquid. Meanwhile, trim the artichokes and cut them into thin wedges. Place a pot over medium heat and add the olive oil, white wine, garlic, shallots, parsley, artichokes, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and the artichokes are beginning to brown. Remove all but 4 of the artichokes wedges and remove the parsley sprig; leave everything else in the pot. 

2. Pat the mozzarella slices dry (reserve the liquid they have given off) and dredge both sides in the flour. Sandwich 2 slices of the cheese around about 1 tablespoons of the cooked artichokes removed from the pot. 

3. Once you have prepared all 8 of these "sandwiches," press around their edges with floured hands to seal them. Return any leftovers artichokes filling to the cooking pot. 

4. Dredge the sealed sandwiches in the beaten eggs, then in the bread crumbs, then again in the eggs, and finally, in the breadcrumbs for a second time. They should be thoroughly coated. 

5. Return the pot with the artichokes in it to medium heat; add the anchovy fillets, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup water. Boil for 3 minutes, then transfer the mixture to a blender and puree it, incorporating the liquid given off by the mozzarella. 

6. Fry the mozzarella sandwiches in a generous amount of hot oil, then serve them with the artichokes and anchovy puree. 

"There's nothing more romantic than Italian food." - Elisa Cuthbert

~Bella

Farfalle con ragù vegetariano (Farfalle with vegetable ragù)

I love Italian food especially pasta, the farfalle ones, the ones that look like butterflies...
A year ago I bought this big Italian cookbook which is perfect! I don't really need a cooking book, but I was curious on what I was capable of doing, and trust me the recipes are beyond delicious! 





I wanted to share one recipe that I have tried once, and I'll make sure to remake them because they were delicious. 

"Make this sauce anytime from late spring to late summer, when eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini are at their peak. Of course, if you freeze summer vegetables, you can enjoy it all year long."

The vegetables:

Tomatoes:

 Scallions:

Zucchini:

Peas and fava beans:




















Eggplant:

Read and yellow bell peppers:












Celery: 

RECIPE:

1. Dice 1 medium zucchini, 1/2 seeded red bell pepper, 1/2 seeded yellow bell pepper, and 1 celery stalk; slice 2 scallions. 
2. Peel 1/2 pound eggplant in strips, so that some of the skin remains, then cut into dice. Place the diced eggplant in a colander set over a bowl and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon salt. 
3. Place a plate on top of the eggplant, set a large can or another heavy object on top, and left the eggplant drain under this weight, at room temperature, for an hour. Squeeze out the excess moisture and discard the liquid. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add 1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (from about 1 pound beans in pods) and cook for 2 minutes; immediately transfer the beans, using a slotted spoon, to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process; reserve the pot of cooking water. Drain the beans; gently peel and discard the skins.
4. Return the cooking water to a boil. Make an X at the base of each of 2 small tomatoes and immerse them in the water for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a colander to drain (again reserving the pot of water), then peel, seed, and finely shop them. Sauté the celery and scallions in a pot with 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and bell peppers and cook for an additional 8 minutes. Add the fava beans, 3/4 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas and the eggplant and cook for 6 additional minutes.
5. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and gently simmer for 1 minute.
6. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, and a generous pinch freshly ground black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Meanwhile, return to the pot of water to a boil and cook 1 pound of farfalle pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large serving bowl; add the ragù and toss to combine. Serve immediately. 

"La vita è una combinazione di magia e pasta." -Fellini

~Bella