Cherry blossom cookies!!!

For the Italian version click here!!!
Here I am....finally back home after 10 long days!!! But spring is back and the sun is shining in Rome. I love this season, the flowering trees...the mild temperatures cheer me up!!! In Japan also is the best time of the year for me with the spectacular show of the cherry blossom...but I let you read a bit more about the "Hanami" in the april's issue of Open Kitchen Magazine...where you can read my article!
Here is a very easy cookies recipe, made with cherry blossom syrup and powdered cherry blossoms.  I have to say thank you to my colleague Michiko san for getting these ingredients for me!!!

Cherry blossom cookies

Difficulty: easy

Preparation time:30 minutes

Rest time: 30 minutes

Ingredients for approximately 100 mini cookies

250g flour

150g butter

1 egg

50g sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon cherry blossom powder

4 tablespoon cherry blossom syrup

Reduce the sugar to a fine powder (alternatively you can use icing sugar). With a food processor mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, cherry blossom powder and butter until you get a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs. At this point add the egg and syrup to bind together the dough. Mix quickly.

Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry to a 5mm thickness and cut the biscuits. 

To make the pinwheel cookies, simply prepare a plain pastry without the cherry blossom powder and syrup.

Roll out the pink and plain pastry dough to a 3 mm thickness. Brush the top of the plain dough with an egg white then place the pink dough on top of the plain one. Brush the top again with egg white and beginning on one edge, roll the doughs to make a log so the two colours spiral inside each other.

Wrap the log in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Slice the log into rounds about 5 mm thick.

Place cookies in a parchment lined tray and bake in a warm oven at 140ºC  for 15/20 minutes. 

Note: 

If you don’t find the cherry blossom essence you could use other flowers, such as rose petals. For the pinwheel cookies you can simply use  cocoa powder. 

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Pasta with broccoli and Italian-style pork sausage!!!

For the Italian version click here!!!
Pasta for all the Italians, but especially for me, is the perfect comfort food....we could have it every single day! I'm on a diet, or at least I should be on a diet, and I didn't eat pasta for more than two weeks...I was craving for it...and this dish was so the perfect one after so long!
I'e tried to be careful anyway and I used dietetic pasta from FiberPasta.


Pasta with broccoli and Italian style pork sausage
Difficulty: easy
Cooking time: 10 minutes + pasta cooking time


INGREDIENT for 2:
180g pasta
300g broccoli
2 small Italian style pork sausages
Extra virgin olive oil (I used Dante 100% Italian)


In a large frying pan cook the crushed sausage with a drizzle of olive oil, until golden brown and cooked through. In the meantime cook the pasta in salted boiling water with some broccoli. Steam the rest of the broccoli for a few minutes, then add them to the sausage. Drain the pasta when nearly al dente, mush with a fork the broccoli and tip everything,with some cooking water, in the frying pan with the rest of the broccoli and the sausage. Toss for a few minutes. Serve hot with grated parmesan cheese. 

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Open Kitchen Magazine!!!!

For the Italian version click here!!!

For those people that still didn't get the chance to read the last Open Kitchen Magazine issue please check it out... You will find amazing articles and delicious recipe. You won't be disappointed!!!

You can read it via our website and download it for free, just follow the instructions  www.openkitchenmagazine.com

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Chocolate Easter bread!!!

For the Italian version click here!!!

Finally I get the time to translate this traditional  Italian Easter cake. We call it colomba (dove) for its shape and the symbol of peace at Easter time. 

Is not a very easy to make it, it takes time...but it was my goal for this year and I'm really proud of the result. For sure I would have had the same result without my Clatronic KM 3323.

CHOCOLATE EASTER BREAD

Difficulty: Elaborate 

Baking time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Starter:

150g manitoba flour

70g water

2g dehydrated sour dough starter

1st dough:

270g strong flour ( I used canadian flour from Molino Rosignoli)

80g sugar

4 egg yokes

85g butter

120g water

100g starter

2nd dough:

195g strong flour

100g sugar

4 egg yokes

1 large egg

35g water

85g butter

2g salt

Vanilla essence

200g chunks of chocolate

Glaze:

100g egg whites

1tbs cocoa powder

30g corn starch

100g almond flour

1 handful almond to decorate

Sugar grains

Icing sugar

Start to prepare the starter by mixing by hand all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover with cling film, and leave to rise about 20 hours.

First dough: In the kneading machine bowl mix the starter with a tbs of sugar and the water. Add the flour necessary to have a smooth dough that rolls around the beater. Add one egg yolk, 1 tbs of sugar and enough flour to obtain the previous dough consistency. 

When there is nothing loose on the sides of the bowl and the dough is all around the beater, add the butter in three batches. When all is absorbed, change the beater with the hook and knead for a few minutes. Cover the bowl, and allow to rise for 9 to 12 hours (until tripled in size).

Second dough: with the hook knead the first dough for a few seconds, add all the water, 20g of sugar and a bit of flour (the quantity necessary to roll the dough around the hook). Add the large egg and a bit of flour and knead until well incorporated. Next add the egg yolks (one by one) followed by sugar and flour, same as you did for the first dough. 

With the last egg yolk add the vanilla essence. Add the butter in three batches and knead well until you have a smooth and sticky dough (see pictures for dough consistency). 

Cover the bowl and leave to rise for a few hours. 

Add the chocolate chunks in the dough and knead over low speed until well incorporated.  Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.Place the two parts on the wings and the other part on the rest of the mould, from the head to the tail. 

Cover with cling film, and allow to rise until it reaches the edges or doubles in size. Glaze: Blend the icing sugar, corn starch, cocoa powder and ground almonds and egg whites to obtain a creamy, fluid mixture. Brush the glaze over the dove, and sprinkle on the almonds and sugar grains. Bake in a moderate hot oven at 180ºC for 45 minutes. 

1st dough kneading process and after 10 hours 

2nd dough

last stage

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Veal rolls in tomato sauce with smoked ham and cheese!!!

For the Italian version click here!!!
Good morning everyone!!!  Most of you are already preparing Easter recipes....as usual I'm behind....but I'm thinking to make my Sweet Italian Easter bread between friday and saturday. I'm still studying the recipe... Fingers crossed!!!
Here for you a very easy recipe, for when you don't have much time to prepare your dinner....but still very delicious!

Veal rolls in tomato sauce with smoked ham and cheese!!!


Difficulty: Very easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes


Ingredients for two:
2 very large veal steaks or 4 small
8 slices of speck (Italian smoked ham)
4 slices of cheese
1/4 of a onion
1-2 garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil
White wine ( I used Fabula, vermentino of Tuscany, offered by Arte Toscana)
Chopped tomatoes (blended)


Pound the steaks with a meat mallet into a 3mm thickness. Cut steaks in 2 width-ways. 
Lay the ham slices over each steak, then the cheese slice. Roll up to enclose, then seal with another ham slice. Heat the oil with the onion and garlic clove over medium heat, cook the meat rolls until browned all over. Add the white wine and cook until reduced, turn the heat down, add the tomato sauce and season with salt. Cook for a few minutes over a low heat. 

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Delizie al limone (lemon mini cakes)

Plate and mug from GreenGate

For the Italian version click here!!!
INGREDIENTS for 4 mini cakes:
Sponge cake:
2 eggs 
50g sugar
40g flour
20g potato starch
A pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon
vanilla essence
Chantilly cream (filling): 
150 ml milk
100g sugar
2 egg yokes
25g flour
zest of 1 lemon (grated)
100g whipped cream
Soak:
100ml water
50ml limoncello
2tbs sugar
Final cream (icing):
250g double cream
100g lemon custard
50ml limoncello
Juice of 1 lemon
Lemon zest to decorate


Method:
In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and foamy (about 10/15 minutes) (I used my Clatronic km3323). Add the lemon zest, vanilla essence and a pinch of salt, and beat for a minute or two.
Add the sieved flour and potato starch and mix gently, from bottom to top, with a spatula. Pour in muffin cases and bake in a moderate hot oven , at 160ºC for 20/25 minutes.
For the cream (filling): Heat up the milk with the lemon zest. In a bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar and flour. Add the milk, mix well. Heat up the mixture until is lightly boiling, then reduce heat and continue mixing for a few more seconds until thick. Remove the lemon zest and allow to cool completely.
In a separate bowl whisk the cream until peaks form then mix it to the lemon custard cream. 
Soak: Combine all the ingredients and bring to the boil until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool completely.
Final cream (icing): Add to the lemon custard (follow recipe for the filling), the lemon juice and the limoncello, mix well the add the lightly whisked double cream. Mix until you obtain a light cream, consistency of icing. 

Assemblage: Slice the bottoms off of each cake and scoop some crumbs from inside the larger piece to create a cavity. Moisten the cavity of the cakes with the “soak” until well wet.
Fill the cavity of the cakes with the cream, then cover with the base.
Generously cover the cakes with the “final cream” and decorate with the zest of a lemon

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