Tag Archives: Cooking

Neither a salad or a pizza: Insalapizza! (no cheese)

July 26, 2013Dairy-free, High-fibre Food, Main Dishes, Pizza, Sourdough, Vegan, VegetarianBaking, Cooking, Flour, Food, Low-fat recipes, Mozzarella, Natural yeast, No cheese, Onion, Pizza, Seeds, Sourdough, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetables, wholegrains, WholemealSerena @ foodfulife

As refreshing as a summer salad and as tasty as a pizza! This is why I decided to call this dish insalapizza (salad-pizza). I often end up with no mozzarella cheese in my fridge, and this usually happens when I feel like having a pizza!…So one evening I came up with this nice and simple recipe. Since then I have had several occasions to try out and improve this dish. I hope you like it!

Pizza-salad recipe.

Ingredients

for 1 pizza

For the pizza dough

35 g (1.23 oz) wholemeal flour (whole wheat flour)

35 g (1.23 oz) whole spelt flour

20 g (0.70 oz) Manitoba flour

45 g (1.58 oz) plain flour sourdough (or you can use 5 g of yeast. In this case, you have to add 45 g of plain flour and more water to make the dough. the rising time will also vary)

1 or 2 tablespoons mixed grains (hulled oats, hulled barley, hulled spelt, wheat, rye, brown rice)

1/2 tablespoon flax seeds (linseeds), optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

a little bit of barley malt syrup (to increase leavening strenght, optional)

Pizza toppings and seasoning

1 big onion

3 plum tomatos

water as needed

some rocket (arugula) leaves, washed and dried

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons to grease the oven tray and 2 more to pour on the pizza toppings)

Method

1. Wash the seeds and soak them in water for 6-8 hours.

2. Mix the sourdough with the flours, some water and malt (or honey). Add the seeds and half a teaspoon of salt to the dough. Mix well and increase the amount of flour if necessary (the dough shouldn’t stick to your hands).

3. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume (3-6 hours, if you use sourdough).

If you use normal yeast (not sourdough) you have to increase the amount of flour and water ( in this case, add 45 g of plain flour) to the dough. Dissolve the yeast in a little bit of water with 1 tablespoon of flour. Then add the yeast to the mixture and let it rise for about an hour.

4. When the dough is ready, roll out the pizza base in a round baking tray (20-30 cm in diameter), greased with plenty of olive oil. Let the pizza base rise for another hour. Meanwhile, clean and cut the onion very finely and leave it to soak for an hour in water.

5. Wash, dry and cut the tomatoes into small cubes. Top your pizza base with the onion and the tomatoes. Season your pizza with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and bake at 200 ° C (392° F) for 30 minutes (until crispy).

Remove from the oven, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a few rocket leaves.

A few tips.

To shorten the preparation time, I usually make a lot of dough, I divide it into small quantities and store it in the freezer. In this way the dough is ready when I need it. Leave the seeds to soak at night, this also save some time.

Insalapizza.

Ingredienti per la base della pizza ai cereali.

Per 1 pizza

35 g di farina integrale

35 g di farina integrale di farro

20 g di manitoba

45 g di lievito madre (potete sostituire il lievito madre aggiungendo 45 g di farina 00 all’impasto con un po’ d’acqua e 5 g di lievito di birra da diluire con poca acqua e farina)

1 o 2 cucchiai di cereali misti (avena decorticata, orzo decorticato, farro decorticato, frumento, segale, riso integrale)

1/2 cucchiaio di semi di lino (facoltativo)

1/2 cucchiaino di sale

pochissimo malto d’orzo (per fare lievitare meglio l’impasto, ma è facoltativo)

un po’ di farina in più da aggiungere a fine impasto

acqua q b

Ingredienti per il condimento

3 pomodori perini maturi

1 cipolla dolce grande

un mazzetto di rucola, lavata e pulita

sale e pepe q b

Olio d’oliva abbondante (2 cucchiai per ungere la teglia e 2 in più per condire la pizza in superficie )

Preparazione.

1. Lavate e lasciate i semi a bagno in acqua per 6-8 ore. Nel frattempo, unite le farine e il malto al lievito madre, aggiungendo un po’ d’acqua, se necessario. Lavorate bene l’impasto. Aggiungete i semi, con mezzo cucchiaino di sale e aumentate la quantità di farina nel caso il composto risultasse troppo umido.

2. Fate lievitare fino a quando l’impasto sarà raddoppiato di volume (3-6 ore). Se usate il lievito di birra dovete aggiungere 45 g di farina 00 all’impasto, poi diluire il lievito di birra in un po’ d’acqua e impastare tutto. In questo caso, dovete lasciare lievitare per un’ ora circa.

3. Quando l’impasto sarà lievitato, stendetelo su una teglia rotonda (25-30 cm di diametro), ungendo la base con abbondante alio d’oliva. Lasciate lievitare per 1 oretta. Nel frattempo, tagliate la cipolla e lasciatela immersa in acqua per almeno 1 ora (per renderla più dolce). Lavate, asciugate e tagliate i pomodori a cubetti.

4. Disponete la cipolla e i pomodori sulla pizza e condite con abbondante olio d’oliva .Cuocete a 200 ° C per 30 minuti. Sfornate, condite con sale e pepe, aggiungendo qualche foglia di rucola per guarnire.

Consigli per la preparazione.

Per accorciare i tempi, generalmente preparo in anticipo una grossa quantità di pasta, la divido nelle giuste dosi e la scongelo in caso di bisogno. Questo procedimento facilità notevolmente le cose e funziona alla grande! Consiglio anche di lasciare i semi immersi nell’acqua tutta la notte, saranno più morbidi e i tempi di preparazione saranno più facili da gestire.

Delicious Plum Ice Cream With A Hint Of Cinnamon

July 22, 2013Desserts, Gluten-free, High-fibre Food, Low-fat RecipesBaking and Confections, Cinnamon, Cooking, Dessert, Desserts, Frozen, Gelato, Home, Ice cream, Mint, Photography, Plums, RecipeSerena @ foodfulife

In my parents’ garden there is a beautiful wild plum tree that every year gives us lots of fruit. These plums, however, are small, mushy and not very sweet. They not very good to eat but great for preparing jams, sauces and desserts. This week I’m going to prepare a really nice and delicate plum ice cream, enriched with a hint of cinnamon, a real treat!

Yellow plum ice cream with a hint of cinnamon.

Ingredients

Serves 4

500 g yellow plums, halved, pitted

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

the juice of 1/2 a lemon

150 g brown sugar

200 ml water

1 greek yogurt (170 g)

1 tablespoon honey

cinnamon to taste (optional)

Method.

1. Peel the plums carefully (the plums I’m using have a very thin skin, therefore I’m not going to peel them for this recipe).

2. Meanwhile, boil the water with sugar and let cool.

3. Puree the fruit in a food processor until smooth, then add the lemon juice, honey, corn starch, and finally the yogurt with cinnamon to the mixture.

4. Add the sugar syrup to the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

5. Place the mixture in the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

6. Store in freezer. Top with some fresh mint and serve.

Gelato di prugne gialle alla cannella.

Ingredienti

Per 4 persone

500 g di prugne gialle

1 cucchiaio abbondante di amido di mais

il succo di 1/2 limone

150 g di zucchero di canna

200 ml di acqua

1 yogurt greco (175 g)

1 cucchiaio di miele

cannella q b (facoltativo)

Preparazione.

1. Lavate e asciugate le prugne, quindi togliete la buccia e il nocciolo (qui io uso delle prugne con la buccia sottilissima e non la tolgo).

2. A parte, fate bollire l’acqua con lo zucchero e lasciate raffreddare.

3. Frullate la frutta fino ad ottenere una crema, poi aggiungete il limone, il miele, l’amido di mais e lo yogurt con le cannella.

4. Aggiungete anche lo sciroppo e mescolate bene.

5. Mettete il composto nella gelatiera e seguite le istruzioni.

6. Una volta fatto, potete conservare il gelato nel congelatore o servirlo direttamente nelle coppette con due foglie di menta.

Food Photography_ Portfolio

Cake Design Tutorial: Silk Clutch Bag (advanced).

July 5, 2013Cake DesignArticles, Bag, Baking and Confections, Buttercream, Cake, Cake design, Cooking, Food, food colouring, Food photography, Home, How to, Ivory, Pearls, Photography, Silk, Sponge Cake, Sugar paste, Technique, TutorialSerena @ foodfulife

Some time ago I helped a friend make a cake design tutorial. Although it’s definitely not a simple one, actually quite complicated, we decided to put it online anyway. Laura made a very sleek silk clutch bag cake design and it took several pictures and steps to be able to partially explain the process. We did our best, we hope you enjoy it. Feel free to comment on this post.

If you wish to see more of Laura Barcellonio’s cake design visit her facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cake-Deluxe/265825503502411?fref=ts

Silk Clutch Bag Cake

Designed by Laura Barcellonio

The material used:
A chopping board and a wide, pointed knife (small size)
A pizza or pastry cutting wheel (with a straight blade)
A metal working board to use as a cut mat and a cutting knife (a scalpel)
paper, pencil and scissors
Basic kitchen tools, a silicone spatula and a food brush
Few toothpick and straws
A base for cakes (a thick cardboard coated ) and a white ribbon

For the cake:

1 kg white sugar paste for the cake, plus 500 g for the base

ivory and black food colouring, (and edible pearl food dust optional)

vanilla buttercream

A sponge or a madeira cake ( quite thick)

A few raw pieces of spaghetti

Coloring the sugar paste:

Take 1 kg of white sugar paste. Using a toothpick, start mixing some ivory food colouring with a small amount of white sugar paste. Increase the amount of white sugar paste until you get the desired colour. Take a small piece of ivory paste and add the black color (just a little) , to create a uniform grey paste.

Preparation of the pieces to dry:

With the ivory paste shape and cut the handle of the bag. Make 6 grey pearls (1 cm in diameter each) and insert them, three at a time, into two small pieces of spaghetti.

Then shape two grey drops, just a little bit bigger than the pearls. Let all the pieces dry for about an hour.

Cake shaping technique.

Using tracing paper, draw and cut the outlines of your clutch bag. Draw the base of the bag (22 x 12 cm, considering the widest points) , and the side ( 22 x 18 cm, considering the maximum width and height),then cut out your sketches. Take the sponge cake, mark the base and cut out two equal pieces in order to overlap them.

You can use part of the buttercream to make the filling. Following the outline of your drawings, cut the cake until you obtain the desired shape.

Coat crumb with plenty of butter cream and put the cake to cool in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Roll out some ivory paste with a rolling pin, until you have a thin sheet, then cut out a rectangular shape and place it gently over the cake.

Cut a trapeze out of the sugar paste sheet and use the straws to calculate 9 folds. Now shape the folds with your fingers and cut out any excess paste. Brush one side of the cake with water and cover it with the sugar paste layer. Repeat this procedure to cover both sides.

Cut another two smaller trapezoids and calculate 6 folds for each piece. Shape the folds, brush the surface, and apply the trapezoids to the small sides.

For the handle:

Roll out the grey sugar paste, shape a small thick sheet and cut out two narrow strips, equal in size. Moisten the part on top of the cake with water, then place and mould the strips.

Take the two pieces of spaghetti with the pearls, pierce the grey stripes and place the handle on top of the cake. Using two pieces of spaghetti place the two drops in the center (see the final picture).

For roses:

Roll out a thin sheet of ivory sugar paste ( 25 cm x 10 cm). Fold the sheet in half and roll it up to shape a rose. Remove any excess paste. Pierce the back of the rose with a small piece of spaghetti and place the rose on the cake.

For the base:

Roll out a large chunk of ivory paste and cover the entire base of the cake. Roll out some thin stripes of white sugar paste, then fold them to create a fabric-like effect on the base of the cake.

Use a white ribbon to cover the edges. Place the cake on top of the base and brush the surface of the clutch bag with a pearl food colour powder, diluted in a little bit of alcohol (this step is optional).

Some tips to keep your sourdough in good shape!

April 27, 2013How to, SourdoughAcidity, Articles, Baking, Bread, Cooking, Flour, Food, Food photography, Home, How to, leavening, Lievito madre, lievito naturale, Maintenance, Mantenimento, Natural yeast, Sourdough, Technique, Temperature, TipsSerena @ foodfulife

My sourdough is one year old! I keep it strong and healthy in a nice big jar in the fridge. I usually feed it once a week (or refresh it, as we say) , but the refreshment time varies depending on my needs. I’ve never had any problems with my natural yeast, however, at times, it’s possible that the yeast becomes sourer, or less responsive to leavening, therefore less active. These elements depend on many factors. There are some steps you can take to keep your sourdough in the best shape and correct any of problems. Of course, if you want a sour product, in order to let the bacteria produce acidity you have to do the opposite of what is indicated below.

To increase the leavening strength:

⁃ increase the temperature during leavening

⁃ decrease the ratio refreshments / flour

⁃ increase the ratio water / flour

⁃ increase humidity

In case of over-acidity:

⁃ change the type of flour (change microflora)

⁃ decrease the rising time

⁃ decrease ratio refreshments / flour

⁃ decrease the amount of water with the flour (to make a harder dough)

⁃ lower the temperature of the dough

Some of this information belongs to the teaching material of the Cereal Technology Course at Parma University (Italy), courtesy of Prof. Franco Antoniazzi.

Come mantenere il lievito madre al meglio.

Il mio lievito madre ha un anno di vita! Lo tengo in un vasetto di vetro nel frigorifero e lo rinfresco generalmente una volta a settimana, ma a volte anche più spesso se ne uso in grandi quantità. Non ho mai avuto grossi problemi, ma è possibile che il lievito naturale a volte diventi più acido, oppure sia meno reattivo alla lievitazione, questo dipende da molti fattori. Ci sono comunque degli accorgimenti che si possono adottare per mantenere il lievito madre al meglio e correggere eventuali anomalie.

Interventi sui rinfreschi del lievito naturale.

Per aumentare la forza lievitante:

aumentare la temperatura di lievitazione
diminuire il rapporto rinfreschi/farina
aumentare il rapporto acqua/farina
aumentare l’umidità

Interventi in caso di acidità eccessiva:

cambiare tipo di farina (microflora diversa)
diminuire i tempi di lievitazione
diminuire i rapporti rinfreschi/farina
diminuire la quantità di acqua rispetto alla farina (impasto più duro)
abbassare le temperature degli impasti

Alcune delle informazioni riportate in questo articolo, fanno parte del materiale didattico del corso di Tecnologia dei Cereali dell’Univeristà di Parma, per gentile concessione del Prof. Franco Antoniazzi.

Gluten-Free Apple And Chocolate Chip Cookies

March 7, 2013Cookies, Gluten-freeApple, Biscotti, Celiac, Chocolate, Cioccolato, Cookies, Cooking, Corn flour, Diet, Food, Gluten-free, Health, Photography, Recipe, Rise Flour, Senza glutineSerena @ foodfulife

I made this recipe for a celiac friend. I used gluten-free flours, trying to create a smooth and homogeneous dough. The result is excellent! These soft and delicate cookies melt nicely in the mouth, slowly releasing an intense dark chocolate flavour.

If you prepare this recipe for a gluten-intolerant friend , use only flour, potato starch and corn starch specific for celiac people, and make sure that the absence of gluten is clearly indicated on the packaging.

Apple and chocolate chip cookies (gluten-free).

Ingredients

for about 25 cookies

70 g ( 2.4 oz) corn flour

70 g (2.4 oz) rice flour

70 g (2.4 oz) corn starch

70 g (2.4 oz) potato starch

150 g (5.29 oz) butter

130 g (4.5 oz) brown sugar

150 g (5.29 oz) dark chocolate for cooking

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 whole egg

1 large golden sweet apple

2 tablespoons yogurt

2 drops vanilla essence

a pinch of salt

Method.

1. In a bowl, sift the flour with the corn and potato starch.

2. Separately, mix the butter with sugar.

3. Add an egg with two drops of vanilla essence to the butter. Mix well, then add two tablespoons of yogurt and a teaspoon of baking soda to the mixture. Knead the dough.

4. Peel and cut the apple into very small cubes, break the chocolate into pieces and add them with a pinch of salt to the mixture.

5. Put the dough to cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Grease two or three baking sheets (depending on the size), shape the dough into small balls (4.5 cm each) and place them on the baking sheets, quite far apart from one another.

6. Slightly flatten the dough balls to make the cookies.

7. Bake at 170 ° C (338°F) for 15-18 minutes. Place the cookies to cool on a rack.

Biscotti morbidi con cioccolato e mele (senza glutine).

Ingredienti

per 25 biscotti circa

70 g di farina di mais

70 g di farina di riso

70 g di amido di mais

70 g di fecola di patate

150 g di burro

130 g zucchero di canna

150 g di cioccolato fondente per cucinare

1 cucchiaino di bicarbonato

1 uovo intero

1 mela grossa golden

2 cucchiai di yogurt

2 gocce di essenza di vaniglia

un pizzico di sale

Preparazione.

1. In una terrina, setacciate le farine con l’amido di mais e la fecola di patate. A parte, lavorate il burro con lo zucchero.

2. Aggiungete l’uovo con le gocce di essenza di vaniglia al burro lavorato.

3. Amalgamate bene e unite alla farina, aggiungendo due cucchiai di yogurt e un cucchiaino di bicarbonato. Impastate tutto.

4. Sbucciate e tagliate la mela a cubetti molto piccoli, rompete il cioccolato in pezzi ed aggiungeteli, con un pizzico di sale, all’impasto.

5. Mettete l’impasto a riposare per 30 minuti nel frigorifero. Imburrate due o tre teglie (dipende dalla grandezza), formate delle palline di circa 4,5 cm e mettetele sulle teglie, abbastanza distanti l’una dall’altra.

6. Schiacciate l’impasto per dare la forma ai biscotti.

7. Infornate a 170 ° per 15-18 minuti, poi lasciate raffreddare i biscotti su una griglia.

My Favourite Oven-Baked Falafels.

February 3, 2013Appetisers, Side Dishes, Vegan, VegetarianAppetisers, Baked, Beans, Broad beans, Chickpea, Cooking, Falafel, Fava beans, Food, Olive oil, Oven-baked, Polpette, Protein, Recipe, Side dishes, Vegan, Vegano, Vegetable, Vegetarian, Vegetariane, VegetarianoSerena @ foodfulife

Falafel is delicious middle eastern food, usually prepared with dried chickpeas or dried broad beans (fava beans). Broad bean falafel is a traditional egyptian recipe. Being rich in vegetable protein, this food is an excellent alternative to meatballs in vegetarian diet. In this recipe, I changed a few steps in order to get a little lighter dish. Falafels can be served with a yogurt and cucumber sauce, or with fresh tomato salad.

Oven-cooked broad bean falafels.

Ingredients

Serves 2-4 (16 falafel)

preparation: 20 minutes + 12 hours to soak the beans in water + 30 minutes (minimum) refrigeration

cooking time: 30 minutes

150 g (5.2 oz) dried broad beans

1 large onion

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (ground)

1 teaspoon coriander seeds (ground)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (ground)

1 tablespoon wholemeal flour (or plain flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder or baking soda

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt (maybe a little less)

pepper to taste

Method.

1. Let the beans soak in a bowl overnight (12 hours, at least).. Lay a kitchen towel on a table and rub the broad beans to dry them up.

2. Put the beans in a food processor and chop finely with the onion, garlic and parsley. Add the seeds (already finely ground), flour , salt , pepper and baking powder. Mix well.

3. Place the mixture to cool for 30 minutes in the refrigerator (sometimes I leave it in the fridge for hours, I think my falafels taste even better afterwards). Form small balls with the mixture.

4. In a frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then fry the balls until they are golden on all sides. Place all the falafels in a greased baking tray and cook in the oven at 170 ° C (338° F) for about 20 minutes. Serve while still warm.

Falafel di fave cotti al forno.

Ingredienti

2-4 persone (16 falafel)

Preparazione: 20 minuti + 12 ore per fare ammorbidire le fave in acqua + 30 minuti (minimo) per far riposare l’impasto nel frigo.

Cottura: 30 minuti

150 g di fave secche

1 cipolla grande

1 spicchio d’aglio

2 cucchiai di prezzemolo fresco tritato

1 cucchiaino di semi di cumino tritati

1 cucchiaino di semi di coriandolo tritati

1 cucchiaio di semi di sesamo tritati

1 cucchiaio di farina integrale (o farina normale)

3 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva

1 cucchiaino di lievito in polvere o bicarbonato per uso alimentare

1 cucchiaino scarso di sale e pepe q. b.

Preparazione.

1. Lasciate le fave a bagno in una ciotola per tutta la notte. Stendete un panno sul tavolo e asciugate le fave strofinandole bene.

2. Mettete i legumi in un tritatutto e tritateli molto finemente con la cipolla, l’aglio e il prezzemolo. Aggiungete i semi ( già finemente tritati), la farina, il sale , il pepe e il lievito in polvere (o bicarbonato). Mescolate bene tutto.

3. Lasciate riposare l’impasto per almeno 30 minuti nel frigorifero ( lasciandolo riposare più a lungo, ho dei risultati anche migliori). Con l’impasto ottenuto, formate tante polpette di piccole dimensioni.

4. In una padella scaldate 3 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva, poi fate soffriggere le polpette facendole dorare su tutti i lati. Quando le polpette saranno completamente dorate, mettetele in una teglia leggermente unta e fatele cuocere a 170° per 20 minuti. Servite i falafel quando sono ancora caldi.

Spelt Chocolate Cake with Honey.

October 27, 2012Desserts, Low-fat RecipesBaking Powder, Break, Brown sugar, Cacao, Cake, Chocolate, cioccolata, Cocoa solids, Cooking, Desserts, Farina di farro, Farro, Flour, Home, Honey, Loaf, Low-fat recipes, Miele, Spelt, Zucchero di cannaSerena @ foodfulife

A great cake for breakfast or as a snack. This recipe has half the amount of sugar normally used for cakes and is rich in nutrients. It becomes a great dessert when served with whipped cream or vanilla cream.

Ingredients

100 g butter (3.5 oz)

60 g brown sugar (2.1 oz)

4 teaspoons of honey

1 cup of milk

1 bag of baking powder (or 1 tablespoon)

3 egg yolks

175 g plain white flour preferably organic ( 6.1 oz)

175 g wholemeal spelt flour (6.1 oz)

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Preparation Method

1. Preheat the oven at 160 ° C (320 °F). Beat the butter with the sugar and honey until is smooth.

2. Add the egg yolks, the cocoa powder and a little bit of milk. Mix well.

3. In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder.

4. Gradually add all the ingredients, stir carefully and pour a little bit of milk in the mixture, if the result is too solid.

5. Cover a tin with baking paper (or grease the tin with butter), pour the mixture into the tin (I use a 25cm long x10cm wide tin)and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the oven). Let cool and serve.

Torta al cacao con farro e miele.

Ingredienti:

100 g di burro

60 g di zucchero di canna

4 cucchiaini di miele

1 tazza di latte

1 busta di lievito per dolci

3 tuorli d’uovo

175 g di farina 00 (possibilmente bio)

175 g di farina di farro

3 cucchiai di cacao in polvere

Metodo di preparazione

1. Preriscaldate il forno a 160°C. Lavorate bene il burro con lo zucchero e il miele.

2. Aggiungete i tuorli d’uovo, il cacao e un po’ di latte, amalgamando bene.

3. In una terrina, unite le farine al lievito, poi aggiungete (poco alla volta) tutti gli ingredienti, mescolando con cura e allungando con un po’ di latte se l’impasto è troppo solido.

4. Versate il composto in una teglia (lunga 25cm x10 cm di larghezza) coperta con carta da forno (o imburrata) e infornate per 20-30 minuti (dipende dal forno) a 160° C. Lasciate raffreddare e servite.