I love flavour, me!

Cottage Pie and Blogging on a budget

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:20:00 PDT

Hi everyone!

Oh my, it really has been a long while!

I really do appreciate your continuous loyalty and visits and I feel I need to explain the reason for my absence.

In the current financial climate, it's hard enough to sustain a living but, in our case, a mixture of health problems and changes in circumstances have seriously affected our income.

How does that relate to the blog, you may ask. You see a Food Blog is meant to be an adventure where the blogger talks about their experiences in cooking and trying new ingredients so that other people may share in that same experience and be able to experiment themselves.

So what happens when the blogger's life changes and they can longer live that adventure but instead are left to try and survive and provide their families with the best nourishing meals on a budget?
It doesn't sound so interesting anymore, does it?

So I struggled on a daily basis to cook dishes for my family that would be both nutritional and nourishing, I found myself thinking that there was no point in blogging those recipes.

In this day and age where Masterchef rules and even Jamie Oliver encourages people to buy expensive ingredients to cook a 15 minute meal, I didn't feel there was a place for me in the Food Blogging world anymore.
I fact, I even messaged Mr. Oliver on Facebook to ask him why he couldn't make a programme about under £15 budget meals. Needless to say I never got a reply.

Anyway, I returned to the blog today and was surprised to see how many of you out there still keep an interest in my posts. So I decided to take a chance and post the recipe for this very humble but very nourishing and healthy Traditional British Pie that actually costs just a mere£1.50 a head (feeds 4-6)

I hope you try it. It is really delicious and comforting and I do hope to see you back here again!

Cottage Pie

Ingredients

4-5 medium to large potatoes or 2Kg

1 large onion-chopped

2 large cloves or garlic-finely chopped

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 beef stock cube

1 tbsp ketchup

2lbs of beef mince

1tsp of Worcestershire sauce

Mixed frozen veg to taste

1 handful of mature cheddar or any other strongish cheese

2 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste

1tbsp of butter
Fresh steamed veg to serve with it

Method

Cut the potatoes until very soft. Drain. Add the butter, mash and set them aside.

In a large pan and over a medium to low heat, cook the onions until softened and add the garlic. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the onions start to caramelise. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Add the mince with the crumbled stock cube and seasoning. Stir well until all the mince is browned.

Add the chopped tin tomatoes and water and let it cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.

Then add your veg, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir well. cover and allow it to cook for a further 20 minutes on a low heat or until all the liquid has reduced right down.

Spoon evenly into a baking dish.

Cover with mixture evenly with the mashed potato. Run a fork through the Mashed potato a few times.

Top it all up with the cheese and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve with your fresh steamed veg.

Chicken and Prawns Paella and a great Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:27:00 PDT

I have to admit this wasn't one of my most successful recipes.
Don't get me wrong, taste-wise it was spot on and brought many good memories of sunny Spain back, but the texture of the rice wasn't as good as it should have been.

2 key factors made it an 8 out of 10: the wrong type of rice and too much stock.

You see, I had to make it before hand and reheat with extra stock as I wouldn't have time to make it fresh and serve it there and then-mistake number one.
I went to the supermarket to get some paellla rice. They were fresh out and because I was short of time, I decided to use Arborio rice-mistake number two.

I've tweaked the recipe I'm sharing with you here and I can assure you that it will be a 10 out of 10 if you follow the steps to the letter.
However, this made me think about how overconfident we can get in the kitchen at times.

I've made paella hundreds of times before, and each time it came out tasting amazingly. I tried to be resourceful on this occasion only to realise that I could actually do with some cookery lessons.
Just to learn how to be able to adapt flavours and ingredients, be creative and successful under pressure.
Yep, I could do with some cookery lessons.

So that brings me to the competition.
I heard through the grapevine about this competition which sounds like an amazing opportunity to get lessons from an excellent pro. I know the chances of winning are slim but someone needs to be the winner, right?

I've entered the competition and I suggest you do too. It's really simple. All you have to do is watch the recipes, which we all enjoy doing anyway, and answer the questions.

Here's the link http://goo.gl/TEqea.
The deadline is the 17th of October and all the terms and conditions are on the site.

To participate in the competition, you have to answer a simple questions. The answer will be in one of these 3 videos:

So on with the recipe:

Chicken and Seafood Paella

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

300gs of paella rice

600mls of chicken stock

150mls of white wine

1/2tsp of saffron

2tsp of smoked paprika

2tsps of tomato puree

100gs of chopped smoked chorizo

2 medium sized chicken breasts chopped into chunks

200gs of cooked king prawns/shrimp-if uncooked ou need to add them 10 mins earlier in the coooking process

100gs of shelled, cooked mussels-if live you need to add them when you add the raw shelled prawns

6-8 king sized raw shelled prawns

3 chopped banana shallots or 1 large onion

2 sliced red peppers

3 chopped cloves of garlic

2tbsps of olive oil

Chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper and add 1tsp of smoked paprika. Mix it all well, making sure every chunk is covered in the paprika.

Fry the chorizo in a non stick frying pan until all the oils start runnning out. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the sliced peppers and fry gently for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken chunks and fry until opaque.

Add the tomato puree and stir well. Push the meat and veg to the side in order to make a well and add the rice.

Combine the rice well with the vegetables and meat for 2 minutes and add the wine.

Once the wine has reduced, add the stock, 1tsp of smoked paprika and the saffron.

Stir well, cover and allow it to simmer for 10-12 minutes. If you're using raw seafood, you should add it to the dish, 5 minutes into cooking.

Once the rice has softened, add our cooked seafood.

Mix it all well,place the raw king prawns on top of the rice, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time I removed the heads of the prawns as m guests were a bit squeamish.

Sprinkle with lots of freshly chopped parsle and garnish with lemon wedges.

Serve with a nice fresh side salad,

Spanish Bean and Chorizo Stew-Fabada Asturiana

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:41:00 PDT

As the cold weather approaches, I start thinking of comfort food.

Food that warms the body and the soul. Food that you can eat with your slippers on. Food that you can dip your bread into.

This is one of those dishes. Spanish, Meditteranean flavours combined to bring a mixture of smokiness, spice, sweet velvety textures and it is, most of all a dish you want to have plenty of bread to dip into the juices..

Although this is a traditionally Spanish dish from the Asturian region, it is also made in Italy, France and Portugal with slight variations. This is my favourite version.

Fabada Asturiana

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 to 3 tins of cooked cannelini beans (if you're using uncooked beans just soak them overnight and then put them in with the meat at the beginning)

400gs of uncooked smoked ham or a ham hock

1 large black pudding sausage, sliced or whole

1 large uncooked smoked Spanish chorizo

1 tsp of saffron

1 tsp of smoked paprika

100 gs of butter

Water (enough to cover the meat)

2 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Lots of fresh bread

Directions

1.Place the chorizo, ham and black sausage in a large pan. Cover with water and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for one hour.

2. Add the beans, saffron and paprika.Stir well, cover and and cook for a further 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Remove the ham and black pudding sausage. Allow them to cool slightly and then slice into thick chunks. Add the butter to the stew for extra thickness and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste..

4. Remove the chorizo and slice into large chunks.

5. Pour the stew into thick rustic bowls. Add the slices of smoked pork, black pudding sausage and chorizo. Sprinkle with lots of fresh parsley and serve with the bread.

Baked Trout with Creamy Potatoes (Dauphinoise)

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:29:00 PDT

Hi there.
We're approaching the end of August and I still don't feel 100 per cent but I wanted to share this simple, easy recipe with you.

It's fairly quick to make and packed with flavour.

Baked Trout with Creamy Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes thinly sliced
2 large onions thinly sliced
2 chopped cloves of garlic
A pinch of nutmeg
2 fresh trouts
a pinch of dried parsley, oregano and thyme
1tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 pint of thick cream
salt and pepper to season
Fresh chopped parsley

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. Wash the trouts well, then pat them dry.
3.Season the cavity of the trouts with salt, pepper and the herbs.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.

5.Cover with aluminium/tin foil and place in the fridge to marinade while you prepare the potatoes.
6. Fry the onions until translucent and add the garlic and nutmeg. Fry for a further 3 minutes on a low heat. Cook your slices of potatoes in water until it comes to a boil. Switch the cooker off immediately, drain the potatoes and pat them dry. This will ensure the potatoes will cook all the way through later on.

7.Pour some oil into a baking dish, place one layer of the sliced potatoes on top of it and season them with salt and pepper.
8.Distribute half of your fried onions mixture over the potatoes.
9.Place another layer of potatoes on top and season.
10.Distribute the remaining onions over the potatoes and cover with the last layer of potatoes. Season.
11.Pour the cream all over the potatoes and onion layers.

12.Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
13.After 15 minutes remove the fish from the fridge and season the top of it.Set aside to allow it to come to room temperature.
14.After 5 minutes, place the fish in the oven over some aluminium/tin foil.

15.Cook the fish and potatoes for a further 15 minutes. You can check if the potatoes are done by piercing through them with a fork or knife. The fish will be done if it feels really firm when you press on it.
16.Remove the fish and potatoes. Set the potatoes aside.

You can then gently remove 2 fillets from each trout with a knife or spatula and remove the bones which should come off the flesh easily. Sprinkle them with the freshly chopped parsley.

17. Serve with some fresh seasonal steamed veg or a salad.

Tapas-Mediterranean Octopus Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:20:00 PDT

Hi everyone,

It's the last day of July and I almost didn't make it this month. It has been a rough month and I haven't been feeling well at all, but I wanted to keep my promise of writing one post a month, so here we are.

I wanted to bring more Portuguese and Spanish flavours to the blog and a few weeks back I decided to have a Tapas night.

I was craving many different flavours and in particular that of salt cod, which I hadn't had for a while.
You see, it's very difficult to find Salt Cod in the UK and, unless you live in a big cosmopolitan city, then the Internet is really the only option available.

While I was scouring the Internet for my beloved salt cod, I came across this Cornish Fishmongers Wing of St Mawes.
Now, I feel I have to add that they didn't ask me to mention, recommend or advertise them. In fact, they don't even know that I am mentioning them here, or that my blog even exists for that matter, but I did think their service and products were so excellent, that I would most definitely recommend them to anyone buying fresh fish in the UK online. They're quite reasonable too.

Anyway, so I came across their website and noticed they sold fresh octopus, again a rare find in local fishmongers or supermarkets here.
I felt a sudden craving and pang for the flavour and texture of the octopus so I ordered some.
I also bought fresh squid, sardines and tiger prawns. It all came on time, packaged beautifully, surrounded by ice and all lovely and fresh.
A couple of days later, I received a phone call from them asking if I was happy with the order. I said I was ecstatic with it, the freshness of the fish and the way it was delivered.

As a first time customer, I had also received a complimentary pack of Oak Smoked Salmon and I have to say it was the best I'd ever tasted. I complimented them over the phone on the quality of the products and had a lovely chat with Anne, who mentioned she'd been a restaurateur for many years and swore by the quality of the ingredients.

Anyway, to cut a very long story short, I was a very happy customer indeed.
The octopus itself was just so deliciously fresh and juicy!

So on with the tapas menu. I really wanted it to be a marriage of Spanish and Portuguese flavours with a Scottish touch added in through the addition of the delicious Smoked Salmon.

Here goes:

Gambas a la Plancha-Prawns cooked over coarse sea salt with a dressing of olive oil, fresh chilli, parsley and lemon.

Oak Smoked Salmon with a dressing of Lemon and parsley and sprinkled with sliced spring onions.

Garlic Infused Breaded Calamari

And finally the Octopus Salad

It all went down really well.

My partner, who wasn't too sure about the Octopus salad, said it was his favourite and as for I love flavour me Jr, he couldn't have enough of the Octopus and Calamari.

I loved it all.

I do hope you try this recipe. If you're a bit squeamish or have never tried Octopus before, don't let that put you off. It's really easy to cook and the creamy juicy texture will leave you wanting more.

So for the recipe:

Mediterranean Octopus Salad

Ingredients:

For the Octopus

1kg of fresh/frozen then thawed Octopus

1 large chopped chilli

The juice of a large lemon

2 chopped cloves of garlic

a generous serving of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp of salt.

For the Salad

1tsp of red wine vinegar

1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Chopped parsley to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sliced/Quartered tomatoes (optional)

Chopped Shallots (optional)

Directions:

Wash your octopus thoroughly. Place in a large pan and cover with water. Cook for 1 1/2 hours to tenderise it. Once cooked, allow it to coll and then remove the skin.Make sure that you also remove the eyes and 'beek' which are located between the head and the tentacles.

Chop the head and tentacles into to mouthful sized pieces ad place in a large bowl.

Drizzle with the olive oil, at least 2 tbsps. Then the lemon, garlic, chilli and finally the salt. Mix it all very well and ensure that every piece of octopus is covered in the marinade and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours but no longer than that or the lemon will start to recook the octopus.

After 2 hours, drain the marinade from the octopus pieces and pat dry them with a kitchen towel or paper.

Heat a skillet/pan on very high heat and cook the octopus for 2 to 5 minutes until it starts to crispen up.

In the meantime, slice/cut your tomatoes and chop your shallots finely, if using them.
Remove the Octopus from the heat and place in the serving bowl. Mix the red wine vinegar with the olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste.
Add your tomatoes to the octopus and sprinkle with the chopped shallots and parsley.
Add your dressing and mix it all in really well.

So there you go, simple and delicious. Hope you give it a go!

Traditional Luxury Fish Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:18:00 PDT

I've been thinking a lot about the blog lately, now I have finished writing about my foodie experiences in Italy.
I've been mostly thinking about what inspires me to cook.
The answer, I'm afraid, is Seafood.

Seafood has always been my passion in so many ways.
The smell of freshly barbecued fish evokes memories of Summer holidays spent by the seaside in Portugal.

The aromas of seafood and shellfish take me back to my childhood memories of Christmas and New Year Celebrations

.You see, in countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy, fish and seafood are forever present in moments of relaxation, luxury and celebrations.
Even in the UK, not so long ago, families would treat themselves to a Fish and Chips dinner-fondly known as a Fish supper-on a Friday night after a long hard week.
So to me, fish and seafood have and, will always be my ultimate passion, indulgence and comfort food.
My biggest food hero is Rick Stein and that says it all :)

My blog could have so easily been solely about seafood.

But that would not be a true reflection of me or my life.
I don't eat fresh fish or seafood on a daily basis, or sometimes even on a weekly basis. We all know seafood is not the most affordable of foods, especially in the UK.

However, when I do eat it, or rather, cook it, I treat it with respect, love and even gratitude.

So for me, this is a recipe that incorporates all that I love about Seafood and Fish
It's comforting, satisfying and amazingly delicious.

As for the blog, seafood will always play a huge part in it but I also have plans to surprise you with some new truly amazing flavours, new themes, and new recipes!

Hope you come back for more :)

TRADITIONAL LUXURY FISH PIE

Serves 4

Ingredients

A selection of fish and seafood of your choice. I used 1 large trout fillet, 1 large Whiting fillet, a large salmon steak and 200gs of mixed seafood (prawns, scallops and squid)

2 large bay leaves

4 eggs

4 very large potatoes

1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 large sliced leeks

2 large sliced cloves of garlic

1 cup of white wine

150gs of butter

150gs of flour

400mls of milk

50mls of thick cream

1 cup of freshly cut parsley

2 tbs of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees.

Slice the potatoes and boil them with the eggs in salted water.

Once the potatoes are cooked and very soft , drain and set the eggs and potatoes aside.

Mash the potatoes with 50gs of butter and season to taste. Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters.

In a separate pan, poach the fish in 400mls of milk with 2 bay leaves. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste.

Set the fish aside to cool and once cooled, remove all the bones and shred into bite size pieces. Reserve the milk for the sauce and discard the bay leaves.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Place the leeks in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until soften and then add the garlic and cook until soft.

Add the wine, reduce, and then the rest of the butter flour and cook for one minute, stirring very well, to make a roux.

Gradually add the milk you poached the fish in and keep stirring. Then the cream, stir constantly and allow it to cook for 2 minutes or until the consistency of the sauce is thick enough to coat your spoon.

Then add your seafood and freshly cut parsley.

Fold it all in gently-so as not to spoil the texture of the poached seafood.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top it up with your quartered boiled eggs.

and then the buttery mashed potatoes sprinkled with the Parmesan cheese.

Your final mixture should look like this:

Cook in the oven for 30 mins and serve with your favourite veg.

Love the fluffiness of the mash!

The best surprise is always the egg!

So creamy and delicious.

Proper comfort food! Enjoy!

Earthquake in Italy and Thinking of all of you

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:48:00 PDT

As I wrote my last post on my Foodie Experiences in Italy on the 5th of May, I never thougth that only a couple of weeks later, the lives of the people that made my experience so truly memorable and who I hold so dear in my heart, would be in danger.

Some of you may be aware of the fact that there was an earthquake in the North of Italy on Sunday.
It covered the area between Modena-where I lived-and Ferrara.

You can find the full story here.

Not only did it have a terrible impact on people's lives-7 dead and many injured or homeless-but it also destroyed many historical buildings.

Buildings that had stood the test of time and that I will always hold dear in my memory of visiting the places. Places like Mantova.
The building that looked like this:

Now looks like this:

Such an incredible loss!

Still, my main concern lies with the people. The friends that shaped my life and experiences in Italy.
I've been in touch with most of them and so far the news has been good, everyone seems to be safe and well.

Still it's been a shock and scary for all of them, to say the least.

But, to quote a friend's true words ' The Emiliani people are very strong and the country will rise from the ashes!'

I don't doubt it for a second!
My thoughts are with you all!x

Italian Foodie Experience-Sicillian strawberry and Cream Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:49:00 PDT

One of my most memorable Foodie Experiences in Italy was receiving a phone call from a British TV channel representative that had read my blog.

He was looking for someone who could develop a recipe for an unusual, yet delicious dessert, in a TV programme named 'Britain's Best Dishes'.
The programme focus is on representatives from different regions in the UK showcasing their best recipes.

I did explain, at the time, that I was no longer living in the North East of England but rather in the North of Italy.

Nevertheless, he asked me to send him a detailed, step by step recipe, with pictures, that he would put forward to the judges. If the recipe demonstrated enough skill, creativity and flavour, then they would ask me to participate in the programme.

I have to admit it felt bit weird at the time. I was excited at the prospect of cooking on National television but apprehensive at the idea of knowing that, because I wasn't living in the UK at the time, things would not be as transparent and honest as they should be. Something didn't feel right.
How would they justify the fact that one of Britain's Best Dishes was made by someone not residing in Britain at the time.

After much thought, I decided to accept the invitation.
I had just managed to cater a full birthday weekend for 30 that had been very successful, so I felt confident enough to produce a reasonable dessert on national television.
The cooking challenge appealled to me and I assumed they would explain my circumstances to the audience once on air.

The key, according to the ITV representative, was to demonstrate a knowledge of different cooking skills. Something complex yet incredibly tasty.
I searched for inspiration in the many amazing coffee shops in the centre of Modena.

The delicious pastries filled with cream custard,

the chocolate moist sponges topped with glaced fresh fruit and then, the one sweet that always intrigued me the most-cannolli.

You see, for me, this sweet meant more than just a crusty pastry filled with ricotta infused with vanilla pods.
It evoked many discussions with Northern Italians about the difference between the North and South of Italy.
Still, writing this post, nearly 2 years on, places me all the way back there...

A warm evening...
I'm sat surrounded by the people that one hour ago I was standing in front of, in a classroom, teaching them English. But it is them, now, who teach me.

We talk about how the Southern Italians are moving to the north for financial reasons. How that has affected the culture and economy in the whole of Italy. W discuss the history of Italy, such a young nation.
There is passion in their voices. One nation on paper and yet many nations in reality.

We eat pizza. Freshly made in a Neapolitan restaurant. It's delicious.

And suddenly the borders between the North and South are gone, all thanks to the food.

I miss the food in Italy. Not because of the food itself but because it was a ritual that brought everyone together, crossed borders and any cultural divides.

As I searched for inspiration for my dessert, I thought of how popular cannoli is in the North of Italy, in spite of the fact that it is a Sicillian dessert.

It crossed all borders and I wished to honour it by taking it one step further, and giving it a British twist.
.I thought of the Summer in Britain and of Strawberries and Cream. If Cannoli can cross the borders in Italy, it can certainly cross the borders into the UK.

My recipe did end up impressing the TV judges and I did go on on the show but, to be honest with you, I hated the whole experience, and vowed never to go back. It felt too hypocritical.
They never even mentioned the fact I was living in Italy!

But looking back now, as I write this post-my last about my experiences in Italy-I have to say that, 2 years down the line, I will always miss the political discussions I had in Italy with my students.
The banter, the post-lesson pizza ritual and how they made me feel so welcomed.
I have learned so much from them and have taken so much with me that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

For me, there will always be One Italy. A nation of honest folk with dreams, ideals and a true passionate love for food.

So here is my homage to Italy and Britain, two nations united in one and my thanks to all the people in Italy who made the experience help me become the person I am today.

Buon Apettito e Grazie a Tutti!

Sicillian Strawberry and Cream Tart

Ingredients

250gs of plain flour

2 eggs

750gs of fresh strawberries

250gs of Italian Sheep’s Ricotta

250gs of fresh Mascarpone

275gs of sugar

15ml of Italian Dry Marsala Wine

2.50ml of fresh lemon juice

2.5gs of cinnamon

5gs of unsweetened cocoa powder

5gs of salt

125gs of unsalted butter

1 litre of vegetable oil

Method

Add the butter to the flour.

Crumble the butter into the flour, until it's all incorporated

Add the cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt and ½ a tablespoon of sugar and mix well.

Next, add your liquids. The Marsala wine, 1.25 mls of lemon juice and one egg.

Mix it all very well and knead it to form a dough ball. Wrap it up in cling film and place it in the fridge for 2 hours.

In the meantime, prepare your filling. Slice 500gs of strawberries and measure 250gs of sugar.

Dissolve the sugar with half a cup of water in a pan over a medium heat.

Add the strawberries and 1.25mls of lemon juice to the sugar and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes until the mixture become sirupy.

Set the mixture aside and allow it to cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

Then place the mixture, in a bowl, reserving a little of the juice aside, and add your ricotta and mascarpone to the strawberries.

Fold it all in very well-be careful not to mix too vigurously or th chees will split- until the cheeses have fully incorporated the strawberry syrup. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. It should taste like a very sweet version of strawberries and cream.

When the dough has rested in the fridge for 2 hours, remove it and roll it out until fairly thin.

Cut the dough into saucer size circles .Use some muffin ramekins to shape your dough, making sure that you brush some eggwash on the edges first. Wrap the dough around the outside of the ramekin.

It should look like this:

Heat your oil in a deep frying pan and when it has reached a high temperature, place your ramekin (wrapped in dough) in the oil-dough side down- and press it down with a spoon. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes.

Remove, allow it to cool slightly and remove the pastry from the ramekin. It should look golden and crispy.

Allow it to cool completely, pour some of your strawberry and cheeses mixture into it and drizzle with your strawberry syrup juice.

Garnish with some fresh strawberries and get stuck in!

Enjoy!!

Grazie a tutti!

Italian Foodie Experience#5 King Prawn/Shrimp Ravioli with a Portuguese Twist

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:42:00 PDT

My welcoming gift when I moved to Italy was a Pasta machine.
It couldn't have been more apt.

I was surprised at how easy it was to make homemade pasta. No wonder so many Italian people make their own fresh pasta at home.
It's a truly satisfying experience, to get the right texture and thickness. I would truly recommend it.

I spent ages trying to think of a dish worthy of christening my new shiny pasta machine.
Being the seafood addict that I am, I knew it had to be something truly seafoody and special.

So I thought of one of my favourite Portuguese treats: King Prawn Rissol-Rissol de Camarao.
A light pastry covered in breadcrumbs and filled with a rich, creamy sauce and chunks of juicy king prawns.

It was the filling that really inspired me. That rich creamy sauce full of prawn flavour and the delightful chunks of juicy prawns!
I decided to take this Portuguese traditional snack one step further and turn it into an Italian elegant delicacy.

Making the fresh pasta was great fun.
I placed the flour on a large wooden board, made a well and pour the eggs into it.
I then mixed it all in and worked it until nice and soft.

Next, it was a matter of christening the Pasta Machine and I have to say I had a little help with that...

Once the pasta was made, I kept it moist by sprinkling some water on it and keeping it covered with a damp cloth.

I then moved on to the filling.

I have to say that it was amazing. Really creamy and so very delicious.
Even my students, Italian through and through and amazing foodies, absolutely loved it.

But don't take my word for it. I will leave you with the recipe and I do hope you give it a go.

If don't have a pasta machine or enough time to make your own pasta, you could always use fresh lasagna sheets.
Just moistened them slightly so that they're pliable and you can cut them to shape.

I served the ravioli with with a lemony parsley sauce and I've included the recipe for this right at the end, or, alternatively, you could serve it with some sage butter or just melted butter and lemon.

For all my American friends out there, let me just add that King Prawns are large Shrimps :)

King Prawn Ravioli with a Portuguese Twist

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the Prawn Stock

All chopped finely

1 large onion

2 medium carrots

2 stalks of celery

Shells from King Prawns

1 large bay leaf

For the Ravioli

500gs of shelled King Prawns

3 cloves of garlic-minced

100gs of unsalted butter

50gs of plain flour

50gs of finely chopped parsley

Fresh pasta-as much as you think you may need

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce (depending on how much you would like)

1 to 2 cups of double cream

1 to 2 cups of freshly chopped parsley

1/2 cup of lemon juice-freshly squeezed

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Make your stock at least 1 1/2 hours before your ravioli.

De-shell the prawns and add the chopped onion, carrot, and bay leaf to the shells and put in a large pot. Cover with water. Let it come to a boil and then simmer on a low heat for at least 1 hour.

When the stock is ready put it through a sieve it until it runs nice and clear.

Then melt 50gs of butter in a pan and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. Don't let the garlic turn brown or burn.
Add the Prawns/shrimps and cook for 3 minutes, until they turn pink.

Chop the prawns into large chunks and set them aside.

I saved a few of my prawns to use as garnish too.

In the same pan, add the remaining butter and let it melt.Then add the flour and mix it well.

Then add gradually add 3 to 4 large spoons of the prawn stock to make a creamy yet thicker than usual roux/sauce.

Add the prawns and parsley and season to taste.

You should end up with a nice, chunky mixture, that sticks really well to the spoon.

Cut the pasta into round shapes. the size is up to you, depending on how big you would like your ravioli to be. Mine were quite large.

Place spoonfuls of the mixture in the middle of the disks. Make sure that the edges are clear.

Moisten the edges with warm water and cover the disk with another disk and seal them together.

It should look something like this:

Set the ravioli aside and cover them with a slightly dampened cloth while you prepare your sauce.
Fill a pan with boiling water-for the ravioli and season it with salt.

Place your cream in a pan with the parsley and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the cream starts to thicken.

Place the ravioli in the pan with boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the pan with the cream from the heat and add the lemon.

Place the ravioli in individual dishes, pour over the creamy sauce and garnish with some prawns and parsley.

Buon Apettito!!

Italian Foodie experience # 4-Pasta al Forno (Baked Creamy Pasta with Ragu) and of Nonna

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:30:00 PST

So I said I would post once a month. Somehow February crept up on me, came and went and I ran out of days :).
Still this post is a celebration in many ways-of my Italian foodie experiences and also of the fact that this is my 100th post!

Today I recreated one of my favourite pasta foodie experiences in Italy, so to speak-Pasta al Forno.
The reason why I call it a pasta experience as such, is because it was a way of experiencing the role of the nonna or grandmother in the Italian family culture.

I was aware of the stereotype of the typical Italian Mamma or Nonna but it wasn't until I moved there that I understood the real importance of the Nonna in bringing and keeping the family together.

My friend's mum fascinated me in every way.
A small, petite lady in her 80's who cycled every day to the shops to get the best and freshest produce. What fascinated me the most though was that, in spite of the fact that she spent all day and most days cooking, she hardly ate herself.
For health reasons she was unable to eat pasta dishes or rich foods and instead lived on a diet of fruit, the odd bowl of tortellini and the occasional chocolate.
But, oh my, could she cook!!
She made the best tortellini I have ever tasted-all homemade.

She made it in huge batches, usually once a week, which she would then freeze.
She also made several lasagnas and quite a few portions of this baked pasta dish.
Her ragu was amazing. Being originally from the Emilia-Romagna region, she really knew how to make a ragu.
Once her freezers were full of these amazing dishes, she would then distribute them between the different members of the family who were more than pleased and grateful for it-especially the kids.

She spent the rest of her time looking after the grandchildren, running errands for her children and having the odd cup of coffee and chat with a neighbour, which would inevitably result in her getting a new recipe for a cake.

I truly admire this woman.
Whenever we went there for a Sunday visit, she always looked immaculate-full make up, her Sunday best on and a huge welcoming smile.
Her children never took her for granted and her grandchildren adored her.
She bound the family together and brought them closer through her love of cooking for them.

I feel really lucky to have met such a woman and to realise that the nonna stereotype is actually true-Thank God!

So, in her honour I decided to recreate her dish.
Can't say it was as good as hers but it was really tasty and very creamy.
I've added the links to her ragu sauce and a bechamel sauce. The rest is all down to assembling the ingredients.

Hope you give it a go.

Pasta al Forno

Serves 4

Ingredients

4-6 cups of Ragu sauce

3/4ls Bechamel sauce

100gs grated mozarella

100gs grated parmigiano

500gs of dried penne or pasta of your choice.

A few fresh basil leaves

Directions

Make the Ragu and Bechamel sauces a few hours in advance.

I didn't use any veal meat this time because I couldn't get hold of any but do try it if you can. It gives the ragu another dimension.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Cook the pasta and mix the ragu sauce in with the pasta. Let it rest for 1 to 2 minutes so that the pasta can really absorb the flavours.

Place half of the pasta in a baking dish and spread evenly.

Cover with half of the bechamel sauce and half of the cheeses.

Then repeat the same process-the remaining pasta, bechamel sauce and cheeses.

Cook in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until it's golden brown.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with some chopped fresh basil.

E pronto!!

Buon Apettito!

Of Haggis, Burns' Night and New Year's Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:00:00 PST

A very happy New Year to all of you!!
I have to admit to having shed more than one tear on the New Year's Eve, as 2011 was a truly special year to me and I didn't want to let go of it.

However, as for as blogging is concerned, I have to admit to having done incredibly poorly over the last year, but there were reasons for that, which I will share with you over this year, bit by bit.
I did a lot of cooking in 2011 but none of it was worth blogging about.
Most of it was about sourcing the best and most affordable local ingredients and, I have to say, Scotland has been surprisingly remarkable in that sense.

Having moved here from Italy, a country that prides itself in cooking with only local and seasonal ingredients, I expected to find no more than the typical tasteless supermarket meat and veg but I was surprisingly impressed.
The Scots pride themselves,not only in their cultural heritage and the good dram of whisky, but also in their local farm reared meat and homegrown veg.

Not to mention their love for fishing!!
I developed a love of my own for local fishmongers that stock up on crayfish

and razor clams or, as they are known here, 'spoots'- a name so fitting due to the difficulty involved in 'spooting' them out.

But there is nothing that could appeal more to a Scot than the mention of Robbie Burns.
A national poet that built a sense of pride, nationality and tradition through his literary accomplishments.
The Scots relate to that as they have for so many centuries, and what other way to celebrate a nation that has fought for individuality and independence but by celebrating the one night in the year, dedicated to Robbie Burns?
The way to do it? By having Scotland's national dish-Haggis, Neeps and Tatties on that night-25th January.
To you and me, that means, Haggis, Mashed Swede and Mashed Potato.

But let's look at Haggis.
I could tell you that Haggis is made from the wild animal thriving in the Scottish woods as displayed in the the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow

But the truth is that Haggis is no more than a kind of savoury pudding containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for approximately three hours. '
The animal is fictional!

Doesn't sound appetising but I have to tell you that it is.
I'm a huge fan! Serve it with mashed swede with seasoning and plenty of butter, alongside some creamy mashed potato and it's really hard to resist.
The contrast between the spiciness of the Haggis, the sweetness of the swede and the coolness of the mashed potato is just out of this world.
Top it up with some light gravy for moisture and you're in heaven.
Trust me, it's so worth trying!.

As for my New Year resolutions...to be honest, I miss reading other people's blog posts more than anything. So I have decided to promise myself that I will endeavour to keep up with my fellow bloggers posts and to post on here at least once a month.
There is still so very much I want to share with you!!

Looking forward to a New Year!

Still alive and...cooking! Oh, and my ideal breakfast!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sun, 29 May 2011 15:03:00 PDT

Hmm, how many months has it been??

Yep, I'm still here, alive and kicking and cooking.

Some of my absence has been down to work, some of it to kids but I will have to admit that some of it has been due to sheer laziness.

The weeks have been long, hectic-all in a good way! Come the weekend, you just want to put your feet up and watch a good movie with your loved ones. Well at least I have for the last...4 months.

Not that I've stopped cooking mind you. I've had the odd birthday party, dinner party, packed lunch and even packed dinner, not to mention what has now become a ritual in our household-The Sunday Roast.

I do intend on catching up, now that I have the odd quiet evening all to myself. Hmm pure indulgence considering the last few months.

I will catch up on my fellow bloggers' posts, finish my Italian Foodie Experiences and even share some of the happenings in my life with you-I will try to stick to the interesting ones when and if they do occur. :-)

And speaking of indulgences, let me just leave you with my ultimate breakfast treat:

Scrambled eggs with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

Serves 2

4-5 slices of good quality Oak Smoked Salmon, cut into bite size pieces

4 good quality fresh eggs

120 mls of double cream

Some chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

125 gs of salted butter

50gs of Philadelphia Cheese

2 slices of toasted ciabatta or your favourite bread

Method

Melt the butter in a frying pan.

Add a small piece of smoked salmon-to flavour the butter.

In a bowl mix the eggs with cream and season.

Pour the mixture into a frying pan and stir until almost cooked but still creamy.

Switch the heat off, add the smoked salmon and fold into the eggs.

Spread the Philadelphia onto the toast, top with the scrambled egg and sprinkle the chopped parsley all over it.

Enjoy...drooling just thinking about it!! :)

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Italian Foodie Experience #3 Cooking for Mini Italians and Pseudo-Italian Meatballs

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:31:00 PST

One of my most traumatic foodie experiences in Italy was cooking for my friends' Italian children.

Don't get me wrong, they were lovely boys, but just like their Italian adult counterparts, they knew what they liked and how it should be cooked.

It took me many failed attempts to be able to cook to their standard.
I mean, the adults could always tell you what a wonderful cook you were in such a courteous and loving manner, that you would actually believe them, albeit for not too long!
The children, however, still polite, would just, merely refuse to eat your food by stating that they were full.

I have to say that I admired this. It's part of the Italian culture, always to be loving, complimentary...any other child would have frown and stated purely and simply that they did not like it!
Italian children were far too aware of your feelings and how they would hurt you by saying such a thing.

And so the food was played with, pushed to the side of the plate, twirled about for a bit, and after half an hour, a happy exclamation of supposed satisfaction.
The Italian Children then exclaiming they were full, albeit that their plates, themselves were still full of food.

So I asked around, tweaked a few recipes or so, tried what I thought all children would like and still nothing.
Until one day I asked one of the boys if he liked Meatballs.

There was a silence.
I repeated the question:' Do you like spaghetti with meatballs?'
The reply came: 'Don't know, never tried it...'

That made me think that I hadn't actually come across any Spaghetti and Meatballs in any Italian residence or restaurant, for that matter!

I googled the fact and this is what I found:

'No peasant in Italy had eaten spaghetti with meatballs or milanese alla napoletana prior to migration. Such dishes used ingredients that had originated in the Americas but by 1920 those ingredients were typically imported from Italy before being combined by immigrant cooks in America with the meats that had originated in Europe but were mass produced in the new world.'
From History in Focus

Not implying that the people or the area I lived in were peasants, but Spaghetti with Meatballs was just not part of their culture. It was an American idea!

What better challenge then? To cook this pseudo-Italian Dish and to have it tried and tested by genuine Italian children!

And so I did. I replaced the Spaghetti with Linguine as I thought it would hold the sauce better.

The result was surprising. The boys loved it!

I was so moved I even asked Luca if I could take a picture of him eating my meatballs so that it could go down in Blog History!

He, being the true Italian gentleman he is, agreed to it!

How I miss the Italian boys, they taught me so very much indeed!

Linguine with Pseudo-Italian Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

For the meatballs:

250gs of Veal Mince (optional)

250gs of Pork Mince

500gs of Beef mince or 750gs if not using veal Mince

1tsp of dried onion

1tsp of mixed Italian herbs (or herbs of your choice)

1 cup of breadcrumbs

2 small minced cloves of garlic

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

1tbsp of fresh chopped parsley

1tbsp of olive oil

For the tomato sauce:

1tbsp of olive oil

1 large chopped onion

2 minced cloves of garlic

1tbsp of chopped salami (optional)

300gs of passata or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1tsp of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Linguine or Spaghetti

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, mix the meat with the dried ingredients (herbs, dried onion, breadcrumbs and garlic)

Add the parsley,egg and and mix well together

Shape into meatballs the size of a golf ball. If possible, get tiny hands to do it for you, like so:

Pour the olive oil into a medium heat frying pan and sear on all sides

Set aside and start working on your sauce.

Pour the olive oil into a large pot and set to a medium heat. Fry your salami for one minute-to flavour the oil.Add your onion and cook for 10 minutes, until translucent, soft and sweet.

Add your garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add your passata or tomatoes, sugar and salt and pepper.Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add your meatballs, cover and cook for a further 45 minutes.

Boil your pasta 10 to 15 minutes before the meatballs are ready-depending on the recommended cooking time.

Pour the pasta into the meatballs and stir well. Allow it to rest for 2 minutes so that the pasta can absorb some of the sauce.

Serve with lots of freshly grated parmesan!

YUM!

Happy 2011, Everyone!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:36:00 PST

And what better way to celebrate but with a rich, juicy platter of Seafood Spaghetti!!

May you all have a fantastic 2011!!! xx

Foodie Experience#2 Italian Breakfasts/Nutella and a Chocolatey Heaven Guest Post

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 11:49:00 PST

The best intentions...

So I promised I would post every Sunday, then work came along and 'bam wang', my Sundays got taken up somehow over the last few weeks.

Don't get me wrong, I was pleased. A promotion, more money and more challenges. But at the back of my mind, the niggling feeling that I had failed my promise yet again on this blog!

*Sigh* Still this is my passion and I will to juggle and try to keep my promises. After all, it is through the blog that I can grow and learn and communicate with all of you!
That will never change nor will the friendships so dear to me I have made through this outlet.

But enough of me.

On with Italian breakfasts and the Italian's love of Nutella.

This is a typical Italian breakfast, served with a glass of milk or coffee:

A selection of various 'breakfast biscuits' as they call them.

Now, this did come as a shock to me.
I expected fresh croissants, jams or freshly baked breads, yogurts, etc. Your typical Continental Breakfasts.
But living in an Italian household, I saw both children and grown-ups topping up on their energy levels on an array of biscuits before heading off to work/school.

There are other options.
If you haven't had time to sit down for your biscuits and coffee, you can always stop at the nearest bar-read cafe,more of that to come on a later post- and have a lovely coffee and a pastry, such as these:

or the favourite of every Italian household:

Now, as a Brit, I had encountered the odd jar of Nutella in the supermarket.
I saw it as a cross between the sin of all sins-highly calorific-and a very occasional children's treat.

It wasn't until I arrived in Italy that I realised how much they embraced and adored this chocolate heavenly mixture.
I discovered, through my Italian friends, that Nutella had been created by Mr. Pietro Ferrero in the 1940's due to the shortness of Cocoa. He had decided to create a spread that used what cocoa he could find mixed in with hazelnuts which were plentiful in the region of Piedmont (Northwest of Italy).

Since then, most Italians had developed a love for this spread that became deeply engraved in their culture.
Not only do they spread it on bread but they also bake with it:

They even top their pizza with it:

They have stalls in the street dedicated only to Nutella pancakes and in supermarkets you can buy giant Kilo jars of the stuff:

Not having a very sweet tooth, I never really converted to the same love and devotion the Italians have for Nutella. I did however find it as the perfect example of the Italians passion for flavours and all things indulgent.

Just like their breakfasts, no boring cereals, no tasteless, healthy drinks, just pure delicious indulgence.

My fascination for their love of Nutella led me to find many recipes online. I was not surprised to see how that chocolaty passion had managed to travel across the pond.

The Italian-Americans embraced that love just as passionately and managed to create some of the most outstanding recipes with this ingredient.
My very favourites are Claudia's from Whats Cooking Italian Style.
She has developed a huge variety of recipes using Nutella and I asked her if she could Guest Post one of them on the blog.

I do love reading her blog. She's a true Italian at heart and her post reflects as much.
Not only does she cook wonders with Nutella but all her recipes are incredibly full of flavour an d her family orientated style of blog writing do reflect what Italian food is really all about.
The way she describes it in this post pretty much sums it all up for me!!
Thank you so much Claudia and I do hope you all enjoy the post, try the recipes out and have a good old read of her blog!!

I was so honored when Ruth Martins from I love Flavour me asked me to guest post.

Her culinary expertise has been astounding in the blogging world, I just love her versatility, as she can cook all kinds of fabulous foods.

Being she is part Portuguese and part English, her culinary expertise is simply amazing. Thank you so much for asking me to do this guest post! I could never say no to you!

So a little about me. I absolutely have a very tight bond with family that starts and ends with cooking.

A family that cooks together, has a strong bond together in mastering a universal love to create, eat and please others.

That's what we Italians do. We love to cook, we love to eat, and much more please many of of friends and family by feeding them.

You have to know if you leave without eating in an Italian household table, that's a sin!

So with that, I would like to present two creations of my own. Nutella is a favorite in our family.

Being my grandmother was a Ferraro, we often joked that this hazelnut creamy sensation was related somewhere.

Just joking of course, but we just can't get enough of it.

So, here are two ingredients to share in one recipe, made by the same company.

Buon Natale to you and yours from Claudia @What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine...

Thanks so much Ruth for having me here!

No Name Nutella Cupcakes

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces good grade bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dutch style processed cocoa
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream

heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan.
Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Microwave till melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool, to luke warm.
Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
Beat eggs in bowl. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt,beat till fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture and beat until well combined. Add flour and sour cream beat till everything is well combined.

Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Cut centers out, fill with filling below. Top with ganache frosting. Crumble Ferarro Rocher Candy on top of ganache.
Filling:
4 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts and 1/2 cup whole ones for the top of the cupcakes 1/2 cup of Nutella
1 1/2 cups of rice krispies crushed or put in food processor 30 to 40 seconds
2 to 3 tablespoon of heavy cream
1 cup of confectionery sugar
Mix butter and Nutella together until well blended. Add confectionery sugar rice krispies, mix together and add the heavy cream until a smooth filling not running but thick and spoonable. Fill hollowed out cupcakes with the filling.

Ganache Topping
2 cups of semi sweet good grade chocolate
3/4 cup of heavy cream
Heat cream in microwave till boiling, remove add chips keep stirring until chips are all melted. If you want this to be a more like just frosting, cool for 20 minutes before spreading, otherwise I put this on while hot and let it drip down the sides.
Add crushed Ferarro Rocher candies on the top of the cupcakes after you have put the ganache on them.

Nutella Hot Chocolate/Cocoa Recipe:

1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons Nutella
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Whipped creme in a can for garnish, chocolate shavings, chocolate syrup. Optional: 1 shot of Frangelico or Kahlua (Adult version only, smile !)
Ferrero Rocher Candy
In a high quality heavy pan, whisk together the milk, Nutella, cocoa powder. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve with a shot of Frangelico or Kaluha (if your an adult), top with whipped creme, crushed Ferrero Rocher candy, chocolate syrup drizzle.
I have to tell you it's so confusing is it Hot Cocoa or do you call it Hot Chocolate? Everyone is different....I just know it's delicious! Cheers :)

Nutella Cookies on Foodista" href="http://www.foodista.com/recipe/R5C2TVK4/nutella-cookies" style="display: block; padding: 5px; border: 5px solid #C44F50; -moz-border-radius: 2px; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; background-color: #fff; width: 100px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0;"><img alt="Nutella Cookies on Foodista" src="http://cf.foodista.com/static/images/widget_logo_md.png" style="border: none; width: 84px; height: 18px; padding: 0; margin: 0;" /><img src="http://dyn.foodista.com/content/embed/z1.png?foodista_widget_R5C2TVK4_V2CPSHCH" style="display: none;" />

Foodie Experience#1: There's no such Thing as Italian Food and Ragu Alla Nonna!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 10:47:00 PST

First of all, thanks to everyone for the lovely comments.
I do intend on going back to Italy over and over again, and the experience will always stay with me.

On the plus side, Iloveflavourme Jr has never been so happy and that in itself made the move well worth it.

Before I start sharing my foodie experiences in Italy, allow me to add a small disclaimer:
These are the accounts of my experiences. They are totally subjective and are solely a reflection of what I experienced while living in Modena, from a Brit's point of view.
You might agree or disagree and any comments are most welcome as I would like to know about your views and experiences too!

Also I will endevour to post on my Italian Foodie Experiences every Sunday so I do hope you come back for more!

Now on with my First Foodie experience in Italy or to be more precise, a lesson that changed my perspective on Italian Food for life.

Picture this, here's me an amateur foodie about to board the plane to Modena, Italy. Daydreaming about luscious seafood dishes, pasta covered in sumptuous vegetable sauces and a whole array of Mediterranean dishes to taste over and over again to my heart's content!

Having experienced the Mediterranean Diet, first hand, after living in Spain and Portugal, I expected something similar from the Italian cuisine.
Little did I know what I was about to experience.

You see, for those of you who are not familiar with Italian history-I wasn't!-you would be right to assume that Italy has always been one nation.
In fact, Italy is a very young nation! 149 years old to be more precise!

Italy was, up until 1861 divided into many regions that were ruled independently. It was also under the domination of the Austrians, amongst many others, in the North and of the Spanish in the south.

Why is this relevant, you may ask. Well this would explain the reason why, upon arriving in Modena, I realised for the first time in my life, that there is no such thing as Italian food!

Because these regions had been independent for so long and had had so many foreign influences, they developed their own cuisine and style of cooking independently too.
You can say there is Bolognese food, Parma food, Venetian food, Sicilian food, Caprese food...the list is as long as the number of regions.
In fact, variations in the recipes even change within the region, from town to town, village to village and even family to family.

There are of course some common threads. Most pasta dishes start with a soffritto base-finely chopped garlic, carrots, onions and celery-but even this can change and many people choose to omit one or two of the basic ingredients according to taste.

Another interesting fact is that most of the dishes adapted in the States, are based in the cuisine from the South of Italy rather than the North.
You see the cuisine in the South of Italy was inspired by their Spanish influence and is the Italian adaptation of the Mediterranean Diet.

And this is precisely what I expected upon arriving in Modena. Little did I know that Modena was in fact the land of Pork and Cheese.
Yes, hardly any fish or vegetables...

Pork is the meat of choice and cured in many different ways. Such as the famous Parma Ham
and Mortadella

And of course the cheese, no Grana Padano here, only the best Parmigiano Reggiano is allowed.

These are all local products of course.
The Italians are fiercely proud of their regional products and base all of their local cuisine on these.
I rarely came across a Chinese takeaway, and there was only one Indian restaurant in the whole of Modena.
Their fast food of choice (and they would hang me for calling it fast food) is Pizza-almost as thin as paper-and Tigelle.

Over the 9 months I spent in Modena, I learned a lot about the regional food-Emilia-Romagna-and how to make delicious ragu and pasta dishes.
I learnt very little about Italian food but learned to appreciate the love they have for all that is local and regional and how to make the most of it.

Guess I will just have to go back and learn some more abut the other regions! Any excuse!!!

Now on with the most controversial dish of the region: Ragu Bolognese.
There are so many variations from family to family it is hard to pin down the one recipe!

After having tried many different versions, I found the one, I share here with you as the most delicious!!

The recipe was given to me by my friend's mother and although it is takes some time and effort I can assure you it's incredibly creamy and flavourful.
My friend's mum also gave me a few tips I shall share with you.

Use only Pork mince-it really does give it another dimension of flavour.
The sauce is ready when you can stand your spoon in it.
And most importantly, do not use too many tomatoes. It's supposed to be a meat sauce not a Tomato sauce.

Since this is her version of Ragu Bolognese, I decided to call it Ragu alla Nonna, because, after all the one thing I learned is that there is no such thing as Italian food, there is food that the Italian Family makes!

Thank you Nonna Bosi!!

RAGU ALLA NONNA

Ingredients

500 gs of minced pork

100mls of extra virgin olive oil

1 finely chopped celery stick

1 finely chopped medium onion

1 finely chopped carrot

3 minced cloves of garlic

(you could use a food processor to chop all of the above)

1 or 2 bay leaves

250gs of chopped pancetta or smoked bacon

100mls of full fat milk

200mls of white wine (I prefer it to red as its lighter)

200mls of passata or one tin of chopped tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

100 gs of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Pasta of your choice (Linguine holds the sauce better than spaghetti. It's traditionally served with taglietelle))

Freshly grated parmigiano to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a Large Pot or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and fry gently until slightly crisp.

Add your chopped onion, celery and carrot and fry for another 3 minutes until soft.

Add your garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.

2-Add your Pork mince and break apart with your spoon whilst browning it. Fry until all the mince has browned.

Add your glass of milk-it softens the meat and adds creaminess.

Cook on a low heat until all the milk has disappeared-15 to 20 minutes

Add your wine and bay leaf and cook until all the wine has evaporated-about 20 mins.

3.Add your passata, 100gs of grated Parmigiano and season to taste.

4.Lower the heat, cover the pot/frying pan and cook for 2 hours or until you can stand your spoon in the sauce.

It should look like this:

Cook your pasta for 2 minutes under the recommended time. Reserve some of the pasta water aside.

Pour the pasta into the sauce, mix it well, add the water, cover and cook on a very low heat for 3 minutes.

This will allow the pasta to absorb all the sauce.

Serve immediately with Lots of Parmigiano.

Buono Appetito!!

Chocolate and Strawberry Cake Teaser and Memoirs of a Foodie living in Italy

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 08:43:00 PST

After my incredible experience in Italy during last year, I was forced to make a decision last Summer.

You see, as much as I had fallen in love with the country, I was terribly disillusioned with their educational system.
Iloveflavour Jr had not had a good experience of the Italian educational system.

I knew, that against my own personal emotions, it would be better for him that we returned to the UK for the new school year.

And so we did.
It was incredibly hard as both of us had to leave many dear friends behind, but they will always been in our hearts.

As for Iloveflavour Jr, he is now blooming in his new school, has made many new friends and is incredibly happy.

So we've been so busy relocating, I am guilty of having severly neglected the blog in turn.

My dear friend Rebecca from Chow and Chatter suggested that in honour of my experience in Italy and of the lovely people we met there, I should write a kind of diary of memoirs, expressing all the little foodie quirks and curiosities I experienced in the time I lived there.

So folks, that is what I propose to do over the next few months.

So why the chocolate cake, I hear you ask. Well for two reasons.

Firstly, because I found that Italian people in general have a very sweet tooth and most of their cakes and sweets have a much higher sugar content than the ones in the UK.

Secondly because the cake you see her was the one I made for my Italian students to celebrate one of their birthdays. It has, therefore, a very special meaning to me.

As for the cake itself, I couldn't give you the recipe as it couldn't be simpler.
Here's an idea.

Make two circular sponge cakes.
Place a layer of sweetened single cream and sliced strawberries on one of them.
Place the second sponge cake on top.
Cover with chocolate icing (melted milk chocolate and icing sugar)

There you go.

Hope you come back soon to read more about what I learned.
Indeed an experience I will never forget!!

Garlic Tiger Prawns/Shrimp and my First Italian Feast

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:45:00 PDT

.If you recall, on my last post I mentioned I had been asked to cook for30 plus guests over a weekend-long birthday party.

This involved cooking a Saturday Lunch of 5 Italian Courses, a Pizza Dinner and a Sunday Lunch of numerous fish courses and dessert.

But let me tell you more, for this was no ordinary weekend!

It was Maggie's 70th Birthday party.
Maggie is my lovely boss.
A tower of strength, an inspiration and a true pleasure to have worked for.

Me and Maggie on the day! Just look at her smile!!

Now what makes Maggie even more special is the fact that, apart from being able to smoothly run the school, she also manages to run-so to speak- the most beautiful Country house in the heart of the mountains in Emila-Romagna, I have ever seen!

And although I do not have a picture of the house I do, however, have a picture of the view from the kitchen window and you can just imagine what an experience it was to cook looking out to this view.

So on with the party.
All the guests were family or life long friends of Maggie's and what a truly lovely, warm and welcoming bunch they were!
They had a wonderful time and were very keen to tell me how much they'd enjoyed the food.
All in all they made the experience truly memorable.

Still, what made it all the more special for me, was seeing Maggie, walking into the kitchen, when it was all over, with such a warm and genuine smile of happiness and contentment.

Only then did I feel I had done a good job!

And in true Foodie Blogger style, lets talk menu.
I have to say I started cooking on the Friday night and literally did not stop until Sunday afternoon. No lunch breaks, no rests, short sleeps.
Was I shattered? Very much so! Did I love it? Every second of it, and would definitely do it all over again!

I have to say I couldn't have done it too, without my assistant's help who did all the washing up and clearing up!!
You know who you are and how grateful I will always be for your undeniable support.

But I digress! Yes, the food!

For Saturday Lunch we agreed the guests should have a full-on Italian experience.

And such was the MENU:

Campari Fruit Punch

With Antipasti

Parma Ham and Honeydew Melon

THE STARTERS

Risotto Alla Milanese

Lasagna Al Ragu

Tortellini

Creamy Baked Spinach and Potato Pasta

MAIN COURSE

Barbecued Chicken

With Mediterranean Salad

And Homemade Bread (Baked in a Real Pizza Oven)

For DESSERT

Fresh Fruit Salad

And the Birthday Cake!!

VIGNOLA CHERRIES AND CREAM CAKE

On With Saturday night!
And we wanted to make full use of that gorgeous pizza oven in the garden, so what better way to celebrate a Saturday night than with Homemade Pizza!!!

And to round it all off, Fresh Fruit dipped in Chocolate Fondue

And Sunday was my biggest challenge yet, a variety of fish courses!

It was a buffet style meal. The food placed on a big table and the guests just helped themselves.

For the STARTERS

Fresh Tuna Kebabs

Calamari

Seafood Kebabs

And Today's RECIPE

Garlic King Prawns

For the Main Course

Fresh Grilled Tuna

Barbecued Fish

All served with a variety of salads and homemade breads, pictures of which, unfortunately I have none.
But on with the dessert which was a huge success.

Baked Bananas in a Cinnamon Syrup with Fresh Cream

Now, if you have managed to get this far on the post, after so many words and pictures, it's because you really want this recipe, so I think you more than deserve by now!
But before I get on to it, in order to prevent any boredom, if you would like the recipe for any of those meals, just drop me a line or I might even post one of them here and there, every now and again!

So, just for you, loyal reader, here is the recipe for those yummy Garlicky King Prawns!

GARLIC TIGER PRAWNS/SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2 generously

4 cloves of garlic

250mls of good quality white whine

200 gs of butter

500gs of raw shelled prawns -or de-shelled, depending on taste but they should be raw as they will absorb more flavour

2 whole lemons

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat until it starts to foam

2. Peel the garlic and place the garlic clove-whole- in the butter and fry gently for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the garlic when golden.

3. Pour the wine into the butter and turn the heat to medium-high.

4. Add the King prawns/shrimp and cook for 4 to 6 minutes until they turn a nice deep pink.

5. Remove from the heat and squeeze a whole lemon over them

6. Slice your other lemon and serve the Prawns/Shrimp with the lemon slices.

I can't begin to tell you how popular this dish was with the crowd so I do hope you give it a try.

Just before I go, I would like to say a Very BIG THANK YOU to Mitchy for taking all the pics here. There's no way I would have been able to, otherwise!

So thank you, Mitchy, so very much, for taking the time and trouble to shoot all the food!!

                       Garlic Grilled Shrimp

Egg and Vegetables Bruschetta and Cream Cakes in Lake Como

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:09:00 PDT

So I am waaaaaayyyyyy behind with my posts! I know I am really sorry but I do have several good reasons, you see...

Final Exams at the school.

Doing the Catering for a Weekend long Birthday Party of 30 people....It's my boss' 70th Birthday and she's having a great big birthday bash and I am cooking for all of then!! I was so flattered!
I have to say that, and I do mean it, I can assure you this is not a cheap publicity stunt, but they are one of the best employers and schools I have ever worked in.
A lovely family run business and if you do know of anyone who needs English lessons in Italy I would highly recommend the Cambridge Centre of English.

And finally an upcoming TV appearance in a British Cookery Programme
Yes, you read it correctly, yours truly is going to be cooking on British television. More of that to come on later posts, I can assure you.

So all this thinking about appearing on Television and all that entails, reminded me of my trip, a few weeks back to Lake Como. You see the connection comes from the fact that, whilst there, I saw a tourist board explaining all the interesting sights around the lake, including-wait for it-George Clooney's house on the lake!!!

Just stroke me as so funny that they had made his house into a valuable tourist attraction.

But I have to say the place looked magical even on a cloudy day.
Just look at this

And this...

So worth visiting! Couldn't recommend it more!

So while walking around the town of Lecco we came across the most amazing Cream Cakes in a tiny pasticceria! The selection seemed endless and we just had to stop and try a few.

Hmm don't they look divine??

And look at the creamy filling,. This one was filled with a vanilla and pistachio custard!

Alex was so fascinated by his creamy and,oh so chocolatey one!

So after such a huge indulgence and to make myself feel a bit better, I decided to share the recipe for one of the quickiest, tastiest any yet really healthiest brunches, with you!

EGG AND VEGETABLES BRUSCHETTA

INGREDIENTS -SERVES 4

200gs of smoked pancetta-optional, omit if you want to make this a vegetarian meal

1 large chopped onion

2 large chopped cloves of garlic

1 large aubergine

4 medium sized courgettes/zuchinni

1 medium red pepper, 1 medium yellow pepper, 1 medium green pepper

1 tablespoon of dried italian herbs or 1/2 a tsp of oregano, basil and rosemary

1 cup of white wine

250mls of passata or tinned tomatoes

2 bay leaves

4 large eggs

1 large sliced ciabatta loaf

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Couldn't be easier!!

Fry your pancetta, if using it, until golden brown.

In the meantime chop all your vegetables into chuncky bitesize portions, apart from the onion and garlic which should be chopped finely.

Gently fry the onion and the garlic until translucent.

Add your chopped veg and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add your herbs and wine. Cook until the wine has reduced completely.

Add your passata/tomatoes, bay leaves and season well. Bring it to a boiling point and then cook on a low heat for 15 to 20 mins. Remove the bay leaves.

Make 4 wells in the vegetable sauce, and crack your eggs into them. Cover them with some of the sauce, cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

In the meantime, toast your ciabatta bread and place it on individual plates.

Place the vegetables and egg straight onto the ciabatta slice, sit down and tuck ito it.

Enjoy!!

                       Bruschetta

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:52:00 PDT

Well I was planning for my next post, a yummy bruschetta covered in saucy vegetables and topped with a fried egg,

when I came across the pics for this incredible lasagna I made a while ago.

This recipe is similar to the one I published way back in July last year, Baked Chicken and Spinach Bechamel Pasta.

I thought this would be a very good follow up from the previous post as you could use your roast chicken leftovers for the filling. Also if you have some cooked or frozen spinach at hand, you could have this wonderful meal on the table in less than an hour.

I used some nice chicken breasts that were half price in the local butcher's for this recipe, but I think it's better with leftover roast chicken as it adds more flavour.

The contrast of textures and flavours between the bechamel, the chicken and the spinach really made for a truly delicious yet light lasagna, perfect for the hot weather!

Enjoy!!

CREAMY SPINACH AND CHICKEN LASAGNA

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 large chicken breasts or 500gs of cooked chicken

1 large chopped onion

3 medium chopped cloves of garlic

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 to 3 cups of cooked spinach (boiled or steamed)

500mls of Bechamel sauce-recipe for which can be found here

100 gs of freshly grated parmigiano/parmesan

100gs of fresh mozarella, sliced

Some fresh basil leaves

500gs of fresh or dried lasagna sheets

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees

If you're using uncooked chicken, fry the breasts in some olive oil until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Make your bechamel sauce.

Gently fry your onions until soft and add your garlic. Fry for a couple of more minutes on a low heat.

Tear the chicken into bitesize pieces.

Add your chicken and spinach to the onion and garlic mixture in the frying pan.

Add your bechamel sauce and parmigiano cheese and mix it all well.

Spread some of the mixture on the bottom of your oven dish.

Place your lasagna sheets on top of it.

Spread some of the chicken and spinach mix on the pasta, then top it up with some slices of the mozarella, chopped basil and parmagiano cheese.

Thats your first layer. Repeat the process until you have used your mixture up.

Cook in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until nice and golden.

Serve with some warm crusty bread.

P.S. You could omit the chicken and have this as fully vegetarian Cheese and Spinach Lasagna. Just as delicious!!

                       Lasagna

Roast Chicken and Italian Herbs

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:17:00 PDT

.Most of us have used Italian Herbs at some point, but it wasn't until I got a lovely Email from Saverio Lo Presti from Ariosto that I really began my journey into Italian herbs.

You see, he contacted me, asking if I had ever heard of Ariosto.
I had come accross these gorgeous little pots of Italian herbs in the supermarket but never really given them a second thought.
Never really stopped to consider what would be the best herb combination for a roast or a simple tomato sauce.
Still Salverio susrprised me with a wonderful email stating he had read my blog and could they please send me some samples.

My immediate reaction was of 'yes, please'. Shortly after, this cute little box arrived.

I opened the box to find these delights inside

With these

And these

Where to start? I decided to focus on the Meat Roast herb mix.

I used it on Steak

The result was delicious

And on Roast chicken.

As you can see from the post picture the result was pretty amazing.
I served it with Roman Peas, the recipe for which can be found here in Frank Fariello's wonderful blog,.
I replaced the Parma Ham with some smoked pancetta since that's what I had at the time.

I also used the tomato herb mix

on a creamy tuna tomato sauce

So my veredict on Italian herbs made from scratch and from Italy is that you so have to check this website and try them out.
They give sauces a whole new depth of flavour!

I will continue to experiment and keep you updated.
Thank you Salverio!!

Corned Beef and Potato Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:59:00 PDT

Well, the anniversary of the blog was very well celebrated thanks to all of you!

Initially it was about experimenting with two very different types of cuisine, British and Meditteranean , but as time went on, it became more of an experiment with food and cooking in general.
I started asking myself what kind of British foods had I been missing the most since moving to Italy.
The answer was more than obvious, pies!!

Us Brits really do know how to make pies, if I say so myself!

One of my favourite pies is this one.
Traditionally from the North of England rather than the South, it is probably one of the easiest and tastiest pies you could ever make.
The saltiness of the beef, the sweetness of the onions and the moist soft potatoes make it truly irrisistible!

I recommend you use tinned corned beef as the flavour tends to be stronger but any old corned beef will do.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Tinned Corned Beef in the supermarket here, but it was great to realise that even the Italians appreciate these gorgeous flavours.

I made this one a few weekends ago for a picnic and really went down a treat with the Italian folk.
Hope you try it too!

So on with the recipe.

Corned Beef and Potato Pie

Ingredients

2 large sheets of ready made pastry (best quality possible)

500 gs or more depending on your taste of floury potatoes, peeled and cut into smallish pieces

2 medium onions

One 500 gs or more tin of corned beef

1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Eggwash for the pastry

Directions

Boil your potatoes until very soft and mash when done.

In the meantime, chop your onions and boil them until extremely soft and sweet.

Line your baking dish with a sheet of pastry, cover with beans/cereals etc and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Place your corned beef, mashed potatoes and cooked onions in a bowl and mix them all in very well.

Add your Worcestershire Sauce and season to taste.

Remove your pastry from the oven and pour the corned beef mixture into it.

Cover with the second sheet of pastry, use a fork to make some incisions and spread the eggwash all over it.

Bake in the oven on 180 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown!

Enjoy!!

Sweet Paprika Seafood Stew and my First Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:46:00 PDT

Ladies and Gents, 'I love Flavour, me!' is officially ONE year old!

And what a year it has been too, so many changes, so many adventures!!!

To celebrate this event I would like to do two things.
First, to Thank all of you who took the time and patience, to visit, read, comment or simply pop in from time to time. I can't begin to tell you how much that has meant to me!!

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! MUITO OBRIGADO!!! GRAZIE MILLE!!!

Second of all, I would like to talk about the dish that inspired me to start a blog: Portuguese Fish Stew or better known as Caldeirada.

This dish is for me what Julia Child's Beef Borgouignon is for many!
My temptation, my craving, my indulgence, my luxury!!

Exactly one year ago, I was sat in my house in England, browsing through recipes and craving Caldeirada more than anything else.
I terribly missed Portuguese food and so wished to recreate it at home.
Only problem was, living in the UK it proved quite difficult to find similar ingredients. So what to do?

And this is how the idea of the blog came to be.
After reading many blogs I thought of writing one that combined delicious Mediterreanean (mainly Portuguese) flavours with British Recipes.

As the blog developed, I found that it went way beyond that.
It became a journey of self-discovery, of finding that bit by bit, by experimenting here and failing there, I could actually cook.

And trust me my friends, that was a major discovery!
I always saw myself as a great food lover but never ever, as someone who could cook.

So here I am, one year down the line, sitting in a warm Italian flat, and with your help, wonderful support and encouragement, feeling so humbly proud of 'I love flavour, me!'.

Once again, thank you for helping me grow and trust in myself but...most of all... thank you for believing in me!!!

But enough of soppiness, what better way to celebrate than by recreating Caleirada in an Italian kitchen and savouring it with the utmost pleasure!

Try it, trust me, you will get hooked like me! Hope you love the flavour too!!!

Sweet Paprika Seafood Stew

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 large chopped onion

2 finely chopped cloves of garlic

2 to 3 teaspoons of Sweet Paprika, depending on taste

1 medium Yellow Pepper, Sliced

1 medium Red Pepper, Sliced

1 large cup of good quality White Wine

1 large cup of Passata or Chopped tomatoes

1 cup of Fish Stock

A selection of seafood of your choice, I used raw large Prawn Tails, Cod, Salmon, Squid Rings and Mussels but any Seafood will work

Lots of chopped Parsley

Method

Get a selection of top quality seafood from your fishmonger's or market, something like this...

And this...

And finally this...

Fry your chopped onion until translucent in the olive oil, add your garlic and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes on a low heat.

Add your sweet paprika. Trust me, the more the better, I added 3 teaspoons and a bit after, it just gives it such a wonderful taste. Fry for one minute.

Add your slice peppers and gently fry until slightly soft.

Pour in your wine and allow it to reduce but not disappear altogether as it adds a touch of sweetness to the stew.

Add your passata or tomatoes, your fish stock and season to taste.

Leave it to simmer for 30 minutes, then add your fish and cook for 5 minutes.

Add your squid and prawns and cook for another 5 minutes.

Then your mussels. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until they are fully opened.

Sprinkle with your parsley and serve with warm crusty bread!

Enjoy and thanks so much for popping in!!!

Creamy Mushroom and Broccoli Risotto and of Mantovese Caviar Canapes and other Delights

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:32:00 PDT

A few weeks back, as the Italian Spring sunshine became stronger, the Italian Folk and I headed to one of the most beautiful towns in Lombardia, Mantova.

The old town grew within the castle's walls and I can't begin to tell you how beautiful it is!
Here a few tasters.

The Castle...

Inside the casle:

But probably the most stunning feature of this fantastic city, is the fact that the old town is surrounded by the most beautiful lake:

Once inside the castle, we walked up and down the cobbled streets and marvelled at the architecture. That is, until I came across these in a coffee shop window display...

And these

Not to mention these!

The Italian folk, realising that it had become a matter of the utmost urgency that I sample these beauties, kindly offered to interrupt our tour and we headed straight to the counter and ordered one of each.
We shared a few bites here and there, and the general veredict was that the second, simplest one was the best! Shredded lettuce, topped with some soft cheese, smoked salmon, caviar and a sprinkle of parsley.

I wanted to have seconds and thirds but I knew the Italian folk were keen to move on and show me the rest of this beautiful city. And so we did.

All was going well, until, well we came across these.

Delicious lemon tarts. Oh and these:

A delicious buttery, crumbly pie, very similar in taste to shortbread but filled and topped with nuts.
The typical Mantovese sweet!

So, as you probably have guessed it, we had to go in and get some of both.

There were so many more delicious things to drool over, not to mention the incredible architecture, atmosphere, lake, you name it!

I felt drawn to post about Mantova because, not only was it a truly delicious experience, but also not many people abroad know of the place, but I can assure you it's well worth visiting.
Many yummy flavours in many different ways.

So what's Mantova got to do with Mushrooms and Broccoli Risotto, I hear you say.
Where can I start?
Since I moved to Italy I have learned so much about cooking, but one lesson still stands out the most. Cook it simple with the best possible ingredients.

I come across so many recipes that add a bit of this and a bit of that, to enhance the flavour.
All I can say is, like with those delicious goodies I tasted in Mantova, if the ingredients are good and you keep it simple, you will feel every individual flavour on your first bite.
No need to complicate things, hide or enhance flavours.

One thing the Italians have taught me is to love my ingredients just as much, if not more, as you love the final product.

So there you go.
For this recipe, you will need a good Arborio Rice, good fatty bacon or pancetta, good quality fresh vegetables, real butter and a great wine!
Not to mention Parmigiano Regianno!
Just be a bit bold, forget the pre-grated stuff.
Get yourself a nice block of good parmesan and grate away. So worth it!!

Also don't overworry about having to constantly stir the risotto. Just make sure you keep an eye on it. The reason why you need to stirr it often, is so it the rice doesn't burn.
Go on, enjoy it, have some fun in the kitchen!!

Buono Apetito!

Creamy Mushroom and Broccoli Risotto

Ingredients

Serves 4 generously

1 large cup of Arborio Rice

1/2 litre of vegetable or chicken stock

A large knob of salted butter

Lots of broccoli forets (you know me, don't do exact measures, the more brocolli the better!!)

Again as many Mushrooms as you like, sliced.

Half a cup cup of diced pancetta or smoky bacon

4 large chopped shallots or one large onion

2 chopped large cloves of garlic

1 cup of good quality white wine, not too dry

Half a cup or more of freshly grated parmesan

Salt and pepper to season

Method

Blanch the broccoli forets in some boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain.

In the meantime bring your stock to a boiling point. Homemade stock is always better of course, but if you haven't any, just add your stock cubes/jelly/syrup into some water and bring it to a boiling point. Let it sit on the stove simmering.

Melt your butter on a medium heat in a large, deep frying pan.

Add your bacon/pancetta and fry until golden.

Add your chopped shallots and fry until translucent.

Add your chopped garlic.Gently fry for 2 minutes.

Add your arborio rice and fry for one minute or so until opaque. Keep stirring so the rice doesn't burn.

Add your broccoli and sliced mushrooms and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Stir it all well together.

Add your white wine and allow it to reduce until it's almost gone. Again, keep an eye on it and stir from time to time so the rice doesn't stick. Sorry if I keep repeating myself, there!

When the wine has evaporated, start adding your stock. Ladle by ladle. Whenever the stock evaporates you add another ladle until the rice is fully cooked. Keep stirring and tasting for texture as you may not need all of the stock, it depends on the quality of the rice.

Add your freshly parmesan cheese about 4 minutes before final cooking and stir it in well.

Top it up with some more parmesan when you serve if you like!

So there you go!!

A nice, yummy, full of veggies, Spring Risotto!

Enjoy!!

Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino and a trip to the Mercato Coperto

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Martins) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:32:00 PDT

It's springtime and I'm really into simple, flavourful dishes.

What could be simpler and more flavourful than this typically Italian dish???

But before we get cooking, I would like to take you on a trip into one of Modena's best features, the Mercato Coperto.
A beautiful Indoor Market where you could get lost in. Well, at least I always manage to!

All you have to do is head towards the main square in the old town, the Piazza Grande.

Turn Left and there it is, beckoning you in.

The seasonal vegetables

Not to mention the gorgeous artichokes!!

And roasted veggies

Homemade ready meals

Or Homemade fresh pasta. You take your pick!

Cheeses...

Yummy Stuffed Roasted Pork

And of course, my downfall

Just one more!! Drool, so much I could make with these little beauties!!

Ok, so on with the recipe.
Anyone who knows a thing or two about Italian Cooking knows this recipe or has their own take on it.
To me it is, without a doubt, the perfect example of how, by combining the simplest of ingredients you can achieve something truly flavourful and satisfying!!

Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Pepperoncino

Ingredients

No exact quantities, depends on your tastebuds

Spaghetti

Good quality extra virgin olive oil

Three crushed or finely chopped cloves of garlic

250gs of pancetta or smoked bacon, finely chopped

Crushed pepper flakes or chilli if you haven't any

Chopped parsley

Parmesan Cheese

Method

So here we go. Boil some salted water and place your spaghetti in the pan.

Reserve a cup of the pasta water aside.

In the meantime, gently fry your garlic in the olive oil until translucent.

Add your pancetta and fry until slightly crispy.

Add your pepper flakes.

2 minutes before the pasta has finished cooking, add it to the sauce in the frying pan, along with the pasta water you saved earlier.

Add your parmesan and parsley and mix it all in very well.

So there you go, simple and so yummy!

                       Spaghetti