A very special recipe… Actually, a MAMMA-MIA kind of recipe!!! :-)))
Tag Archives: Almonds
How To Make Almond Milk ( Step By Step )
Rich in calcium, antioxidants and vitamin E, almond milk is a wonderful healthy drink, widely used in vegan recipes… And today we are going to make it from scratch!
This recipe is very easy to prepare, it doesn’t require any fancy equipment and is quite quick to make! As you’ll see in the recipe method, we are basically going to separate the almond pulp from the juice, in order to extract the milk.
Almond milk is another incredibly versatile ingredient, as it can be used in the preparation of smoothies and can replace dairy products in many recipes, both sweet and savoury; while the almond paste, obtained during the process, can be used in cake and biscuit recipes.
Almond milk (basic recipe).
Soaking: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
for 1 bottle (1 l.)
100 g of raw shelled almonds (better unpeeled)
1 l. of water
a few ice cubes
a pinch of salt
You need
1 blender
1 bowl
1 funnel
1 glass bottle
1 strainer
a cloth (like a cotton napkin)
Note.
To make a slightly sweeter almond milk you can add 3 boneless dry dates and blend them with the almonds, then sift everything, as described in the recipe.
Method.
1. Place the almonds in a bowl and fill with 200 ml of hot water. Soak the almonds in the water for 30 minutes, then drain (keep the soaking water, you’ll need it later!) and remove the skin from the almonds.
2. In a blender, blend the almonds with a few ice cubes and then gradually add the soaking water (this will preserve part of the substances contained in the almond skin). Blend everything, until you have a creamy mixture.
3. Pour in 800 ml of water, add a pinch of salt and blend for a few more minutes.
4. Using a funnel and a strainer, sift the mixture and pour the milk into a bottle. Use a cloth (or a cotton napkin) to squeeze all the juice out of the almond paste.
5. Put the lid on the bottle and place the milk in the fridge. Use within three days.
Method variation.
In the method described above, we soak the almonds in hot water, in order to soften the pulp and remove the skin (this method is particularly useful if you want to use the pulp in another recipe). However, you can soak the almonds for 30 minutes in cold water, instead, and then blend them with the skin. Then you have to strain the almonds with a strainer through a cloth, pressing the mixture with a spatula. This process might take a little longer, but it’s better if you want to make sure you use raw almonds.
You can flavour your almond milk with honey, maple or agave syrup, vanilla extract, cocoa powder…You choose!
Latte di mandorla (ricetta base)
tempo di riposo: 30 minuti
tempo di preparazione: 20 minuti
Ingredienti
Per una bottiglia (da 1 litro)
100 g di mandorle sgusciate (meglio non pelate)
1 l. d’acqua
qualche cubetto di ghiaccio
un pizzico di sale
cosa serve
1 frullatore
1 ciotola
1 imbuto
1 bottiglia di vetro (da un litro)
1 colino a maglie fitte
un tovagliolo di cotone (oppure un canovaccio)
Nota.
Per rendere più dolce il latte di mandorla potete aggiungere 3-4 datteri (senza seme) e frullarli insieme alle mandorle, poi filtrate tutto, come descritto nella ricetta.
Preparazione.
1. Mettete le mandorle in una ciotola e ricoprite con 200 ml d’acqua bollente. Fate riposare per 30 minuti circa, poi scolate (mettete il liquido d’ammollo da parte) e spellate le mandorle.
2. Mettete le mandorle con qualche cubetto di ghiaccio nel frullatore e incominciate a frullare, versando a filo l’acqua dell’ammollo (questo per dare sapore e conservare parte delle sostanze contenute nella buccia). Continuate a frullare fino ad ottenere una cremina senza grumi.
3. Versate nel composto cremoso 800 ml di acqua con un pizzico di sale e frullate ancora per qualche minuto.
4. Utilizzando un imbuto e un colino, filtrate il composto e versate il liquido in una bottiglia. Dopo aver filtrato tutto il liquido, strizzate bene la polpa di mandorle con un tovagliolo.
5. Mettete la bottiglia con il latte di mandorla in frigorifero e consumate la bevanda entro tre giorni.
Una variante della preparazione.
Nel metodo descritto qui sopra, utilizziamo l’acqua calda per rimuovere con facilità la pellicina e ammorbidire le mandorle (questo metodo è particolarmente indicato se si vuole riutilizzare la polpa ottenuta dalle mandorle in altre ricette). Come variante, potete immergere le mandorle in acqua fredda per 30 minuti e poi frullarle con la loro pellicina. In questo caso, dovrete filtrare bene il composto attraverso un panno e un colino, premendo con una spatola per accelerare il processo. Questo metodo richiederà un po’ più di tempo, ma è meglio, se volete essere sicuri di utilizzare mandorle crude.
Coming soon…
…a recipe with lots of almonds!
Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes With A Kick! (Gluten-Free)
Decadent, hot and velvety creamy inside, this dessert is to die for!
It took me several days to get this recipe right! It is quite difficult to achieve the right consistency, when you make this kind of dessert without flour or caster sugar. However, the result it is simply superb!!
Yes, these wonderful lava cakes are gluten and refined sugar free (I added a little icing sugar on top, in order to take better pictures, but you don’t have to)… No one will know they are secretly healthy!
…But be careful, because the chocolate-chilli combination can be very addictive!
Dark chocolate lava cakes with a kick (gluten and refined sugar free)
Cooking time: 18-19 minutes
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
for 4 small cakes (4 servings)
80 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
40 g almonds (with skin)
2 medium eggs, plus 1 yolk
1 pinch of salt
10 g unsweetened cocoa powder (plus a little more to dust the cake moulds)
80 g butter
100 g acacia honey (or the honey of your choice)
2 small dried chilli peppers (or a pinch of chilli powder)
icing sugar to decorate (optional, don’t use it if you don’t want refined sugar in the cakes)
4 small disposable aluminium cake moulds
Method.
1. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. When the chocolate is completely melted, add the butter, let it melt and mix well; then remove from the heat.
2. Lightly toast the almonds in the oven at 170° C / 338° F (just for a few minutes). Let cool, then, using a food processor, grind the almonds with the cocoa powder and the dried chillies.
3. Separately, beat the eggs with honey with an electric beater, until the mixture is soft and fluffy.
4. Incorporate the melted chocolate and butter with egg mixture. Beat for a few more minutes, then add the cocoa with the ground almonds and chillies.
5. Grease 4 small cake moulds with butter, then dust with a little cocoa powder.
6. Bake at 160 ° C/ 320° F for 18-19 minutes.
7. Garnish with icing sugar (optional) and serve hot.
Note. The cakes should be cooked on the outside and slightly soft in the centre, make sure you don’t overcook them…One more minute can make a huge difference!
Tortini con cuore fondente al peperoncino (senza glutine)
80 g di cioccolato fondente al 70 %
40 g di mandorle (con la buccia)
2 uova medie, più un tuorlo
1 pizzico di sale
10 g di cacao amaro
80 g di burro
100 g di miele di acacia (oppure il miele che preferite)
due peperoncini secchi (oppure un po’ di peperoncino in polvere)
zucchero a velo per decorare (facoltativo, non usatelo se non volete lo zucchero nella ricetta)
4 stampini di alluminio (usa e getta)
Preparazione.
1. Fate sciogliere il cioccolato a bagnomaria. Quando il cioccolato sarà completamente sciolto, aggiungete il burro e mescolate bene.
2. Tostate leggermente le mandorle nel forno caldo per qualche minuti. Lasciate raffreddare, poi tritate molto finemente insieme al cacao e i peperoncini con un tritatutto (fate qualche pausa per non riscaldare troppo le lame).
3. A parte, sbattete le uova con il miele, fino ad ottenere un composto soffice e spumoso.
4. Incorporate il burro e il cioccolato sciolto alle uova. Sbattete ancora per qualche minuto, poi aggiungete il cacao con la farina di mandorle e il peperoncino. Mescolate bene.
5. Imburrate gli stampini in alluminio e ricoprite con una spolverata di cacao amaro.
6. Infornate a 160° C per 18-19 minuti (non di più perché i tortini rischiano di solidificarsi troppo, mentre al centro devono restare cremosi).
7. Decorate con zucchero a velo (facoltativo) e servite i tortini caldi.
Rice Flour Chocolate Cookies With Pomegranate (Gluten-Free, Low-Sugar)
To continue the series of recipes with pomegranate, this week I am publishing an easy cookie recipe, gluten-free and perfect for dark chocolate lovers! These cookies are garnished with a lot of pomegranate seeds, they are not very sweet and have a strong chocolate flavour ; I served them warm with plenty of honey on top! In this way, all the flavours and different textures really come together nicely!
Tips.
1. For the kids dip them in milk, because they have a strong dark chocolate flavour.
2. For a low-sugar recipe don’t add the honey on top of the cookies, just follow the recipe.
I hope you enjoy this autumn treat!
Rice flour dark chocolate cookies with pomegranate.
For two trays (16 cookies)
Preparation time: 20 minutes + the resting time
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Ingredients
100 g soft butter
100 g rice flour
150 g almonds, peeled
15 g cocoa powder (I use organic and fair trade)
60 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa (I use organic and fair trade )
50 g cornstarch
the seeds of a pomegranate
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons maple syrup
a pinch of salt
a pinch of cinnamon
Method.
1. Bake the almonds at 160 ° C (320° F) for 5-10 minutes. Let cool then grind with a food processor.
2. Melt the chocolate using a bain-marie.
3. In a bowl, work the butter with the maple syrup, the honey and the ground almonds.
4. Add the melted chocolate to the almond mixture and stir well. In another bowl, combine the rice flour, the cornstarch, the cocoa, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, then mix everything together with the almonds. Knead for a few minutes then put in the refrigerator to cool for about 30 minutes.
5. Line the base of two baking trays with some baking paper, then shape the cookies and garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
6. Bake at 180 ° C (356°F ) for 20-30 minutes.
7. Serve the cookies hot with a lot of honey on top!
Also see Light Sabayon With Pomegranate And Pistachios and Prawn Salad With Rocket And Pomegranate.
Biscotti di farina riso al cioccolato con melagrana.
Per due teglie (16 biscotti)
tempo di preparazione: 20 minuti + il riposo
tempo di cottura: 20-30 minuti
Ingredienti
100 g di burro morbido
100 g di farina di riso
150 g di mandorle, senza buccia
15 g di cacao amaro (uso il fair trade e bio)
60 g di cioccolato fondente al 70 % (uso il fair trade e bio)
50 g di amido di mais
i chicchi di una melagrana
1 cucchiaio di miele
3 cucchiai di sciroppo d’acero
un pizzico di sale
un pizzico di cannella
Preparazione.
1.Tostate le mandorle a 160 °C per 5-10 minuti. Lasciate raffreddare e tritate finemente con il tritatutto.
2. Fate sciogliere il cioccolato a bagnomaria.
3. Lavorate il burro con lo sciroppo d’acero, un cucchiaio di miele e la farina di mandorle.
4. Unite il cioccolato sciolto al composto di burro e farina di mandorle. A parte, mescolate la farina di riso con il cacao, l’amido di mais, la cannella e un pizzico di sale. Unite tutto e impastate bene per qualche minuto, poi mettete nel frigorifero a raffreddare per 30 minuti.
5. Distribuite i biscotti su due teglie rettangolari (ricoperte da carta da forno) e guarnite con dei chicchi di melagrana.
6. Infornate a 180°C per 20-30 minuti.
7. Servite i biscotti caldi con tanto miele sopra.
Traditional Recipe: Torta Caprese
As the name suggests, the Torta Caprese (Caprese cake) originally comes from Capri, a beautiful little island, near Naples.
Dark brown, a little bit crunchy on the outside but soft and moist in the centre, this delicious and decadent chocolate cake is widely appreciated all over Italy. It is also an amazing gluten-free cake, because it doesn’t contain any flour; although, in some recipes a little bit of flour might be used to dust the baking tin.
Tips.
1. The Torta Caprese is usually cooked in a large round baking tin (this is 26 cm wide) and shouldn’t be too thick.
2. This is a dark chocolate cake which suits better an adult taste, because it’s not very sweet. It is possible to adjust the recipe for the kids using a sweeter dark chocolate, adding 20 g of sugar to the ingredients and dusting with plenty of icing sugar.
Torta Caprese.
For 8 servings
easy
Cooking time: 1 hour
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
300 g (10.58 oz) almonds (without the skin)
170 g (5.99 oz) butter, softened
100 g (3.5 oz) brown sugar
45 g (1.5 oz) honey
200 g (7.05 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
4 eggs
icing sugar for garnish
cocoa powder to taste
a pinch of salt
Method
1. Toast the almonds in the oven for a few minutes at 180 ° C (356°F). Let cool then grind finely.
2. Cut and melt the chocolate in bain-marie for a few minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mix the butter with 4 egg yolks, honey, the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Then add the ground almonds with the chocolate and mix well.
4. Separately, whip all the egg whites until stiff, then gently mix with the rest of the ingredients.
5. Grease with butter and line the base and sides of a large cake tin (I am using a tin 26 cm wide) with baking paper (roughly cut down to size). Then fill with the mixture and bake at 150 ° C (302°F) for about 1 hour.
6. Take the cake out of the oven and let cool. Dust with some cocoa powder, decorate with icing sugar and serve.
Torta Caprese.
Per 8 persone
Facile
Tempo di cottura: 1 ora
Tempo di preparazione: 20 minuti
Ingredienti
300 g di mandorle sbucciate
170 g di burro morbido (e del burro in più per imburrare la teglia)
100 g di zucchero di canna
45 g di miele
200 g di cioccolato fondente al 70 %
4 uova
zucchero e velo q. b. per guarnire
un pizzico di sale
cacao amaro in polvere q. b.
Preparazione.
1. Tostate le mandorle nel forno per qualche minuto a 180° C. Lasciatele raffreddare e poi tritatele molto finemente.
2. Fate fondere il cioccolato a bagnomaria.
3. In una terrina grande, amalgamate il burro con i tuorli d’uova, il miele, lo zucchero e un pizzico di sale, fino ad ottenere una crema. Aggiungete anche le mandorle con il cioccolato fuso e mescolate bene.
4. A parte, montate gli albumi a neve e uniteli al resto degli ingredienti, mescolando delicatamente dal basso verso l’alto.
5. Imburrate la teglia (uso una teglia larga 26 cm) e ricopritela con della carta da forno (tagliata di misura). Versate il composto nella teglia e infornate a 150°C per circa 1 ora.
6. Sfornate la torta e lasciatela raffreddare. Spolverate con un po’ di cacao amaro, decorate con dello zucchero a velo e servite.
Super Tasty and Healthy Rocket Pesto
The most famous Italian pesto is made with fresh basil and is a traditional Genoese dish. In Italy, however many variations exist of this lovely condiment.
My mother, for example, prepares a delicious rocket pesto made with pine nuts and Parmesan, using the plants she has in the garden. Today I am going to share this lovely recipe, but instead of pine nuts I am using a few hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds.
Pesto is a very healthy condiment that you should definitely have in your fridge.
The rocket leaves are rich in vitamin C and also contain potassium, iron, calcium and phosphorus. They have a slightly bitter peppery flavour, which I love.
Tips.
1. Making pesto is very easy. Use an immersion blander and mix all the dry ingredients first and then add the extra virgin olive oil at the end. Add just a couple of tablespoons of iced water with the dry ingredients when you first use the blender, because this will cool the blades down and avoid ruining the leaves.
2. In the traditional Genoese pesto recipe we use Parmesan cheese and Pecorino Sardo. You can buy both cheeses nicely-aged, which is important because they have a distinctive strong taste. However, if you can’t find aged Pecorino Sardo you can replace it with Parmesan. Both these cheeses are quite salty, so it is very important to put just a pinch of salt in the recipe, then you can always add it at the end, if needed.
3. In order to get a creamier pesto, when you cook the pasta you can dilute your condiment with a couple of tablespoons of cooking water (the water in which the pasta is cooking), just before serving.
Rocket (Arugula) Pesto.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Easy
Ingredienti
For a cup of pesto
1/2 clove of garlic
60 g (2.11 oz) rocket (arugula), washed
30 g (1.05 oz) aged Parmesan cheese, cut into small pieces
30 g (1.05 oz) aged Pecorino Sardo cheese
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 walnuts, shelled
2 almonds, shelled
2 hazelnuts, shelled
a pinch of salt
pepper to taste
Method.
1. In a tall container, put all the ingredients, without the extra virgin olive oil.
2. Using an immersion blender, chop the ingredients for a few minutes, adding just a little bit of iced water to cool the blade in the process.
3. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil (a little at a time) and blend everything together, until you get a creamy mixture.
4. Serve with your favourite pasta.
Pesto di rucola.
Ingredienti
Preparazione: 10 minuti
Facile
Per un vasetto
1/2 spicchio d’aglio
60 g di rucola, lavata e asciugata
30 g di parmigiano reggiano (tagliato a pezzi piccoli)
30g di pecorino sardo stagionato (tagliato a pezzi piccoli)
6 cucchiai d’olio extra vergine d’oliva
2 noci, senza guscio
2 nocciole, senza guscio
2 mandorle, senza guscio
un pizzico di sale
pepe q.b.
Preparazione.
1. In un contenitore alto e stretto mettete tutti gli ingredienti, senza l’olio.
2. Usando un frullatore ad immersione, tritate per qualche minuto gli ingredienti, aggiungendo un po’ d’acqua molto fredda, per evitare che la lama si scaldi.
3. Versate anche l’olio extra vergine d’oliva nel composto (poco alla volta e continuando a tritare), fino ad ottenere una consistenza cremosa.
4. Condite la pasta e servite.
Biscotti As You Have Never Seen Them Before!
This is a chocolate version of Biscotti, or Cantucci cookies. Usually made with plain flour and almonds, I made these wholemeal cookies adding chocolate, hazelnuts and spelt flour to the traditional recipe. I also tried using less sugar, but they didn’t taste as good. These cookies go well with coffee and tea, and kept a tin box they last for a long time.
Chocolate spelt biscotti with hazelnuts and almonds.
Ingredients
for 2 large trays of biscotti
150 g (5.29 oz) plain flour (unbleached all-purpuse flour)
150 g (5.29 oz) whole spelt flour
70 g (2.46 oz) hazelnuts, whole and some crushed
70 g (2.46 oz) almonds, whole and some crushed
3 eggs
170 g (5.99 oz) sugar
2 drops sweet orange essential oil (or some grated orange zest)
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
80 g (2.82 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon acacia honey
4 g baking soda
marsala wine to taste (or milk )
a pinch of salt
Method.
1. Sift the flour with the baking soda and cocoa powder.
2. Add the chocolate, the hazelnuts, the almonds and a pinch of salt to the flour. Stir well.
3. Separately, mix two eggs, with the honey, the orange essential oil and sugar.
4. Combine all the ingredients together and mix well, adding some marsala wine (or milk) if the mixture is too dry.
5. Divide the dough into four equal pieces, roll into the shape of four ropes and then brush the dough with an egg.
6. Bake at 190 ° C (374 °F) for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut the cookies at a 45° angle, then bake for 5-10 minutes more at 190 ° C (374 °F).
7. Let the cookies completely cool and store in a sealed tin box.
Cantucci di farina di farro al cioccolato.
Ingredienti
per 2 teglie di biscotti
150 g di farina 00
150 g di farina integrale di farro
70 g di nocciole, intere e sbriciolate
70 g di mandorle, intere e sbriciolate
3 uova
170 g di zucchero
2 gocce di olio essenziale di arancio dolce (oppure un po’ di buccia d’arancia)
3 cucchiai di cacao amaro
80 g di cioccolato fondente al 70% tagliato a pezzetti
1/2 cucchiaio di miele d’acacia
4 g di bicarbonato
marsala q. b. (o latte, a scelta)
un pizzico di sale
Preparazione.
1. Setacciate la farina con il bicarbonato e il cacao.
2. Aggiungete alla farina il cioccolato, le nocciole, le mandorle e un pizzico di sale. Mescolate con cura.
3. A parte, amalgamate due uova con il miele, l’olio essenziale d’arancia e lo zucchero.
4. Unite tutti gli ingredienti, aggiungendo un po’ di marsala (o latte) nel caso il composto fosse troppo asciutto.
5. Formate quattro filoni della stessa misura e spennellate la superficie con un uovo. Infornate a 190° C per 15-20 minuti.
6. Sfornate e tagliate i biscotti in obliquo (per dare la forma dei cantucci), quindi infornate nuovamente per 5-10 minuti (sempre a 190° C).
7. Lasciate raffreddare e conservate in un contenitore di latta ben chiuso.
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