Another of my hobbies is cooking, mostly Italian and French cuisine! I will post some of my recipes here as well as Susan’s and other friends.
Here are two Italian dishes I have had published! The first is complicated, the second simple. If there is an interest, I will continue adding them! The third on this posting is from Susan’s handed down from generation to generation recipes, a super dessert! Next is from our friend Jenny Croft’s Mum, They are from Australia, Next, The original St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. Then two recipes from our friend Laura, who is half Italian/half German, living in Germany. Another from moi, a seafood soup.
Roberto’s Dream Pasta Pie
Ingredients
1/2 8 oz. tub Ricotta cheese
1/2 Box Tiny pasta Acini de pepe
1 Pkg. shredded mozzarella
1 Small box Portabella Mushrooms
1 Pkg. Pancetta (Italian bacon)
6 large cloves garlic
1 pkg fresh basil
1 pkg pine nuts (Small)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 stick butter
3 eggs
1 ready-made pie dough (From the refridgerated section) or from scratch
1 Tablespoon Herbs de Provence
Pre heat oven to 425 (232 Celsius)
Boil 2 quarts water w/salt, then add pasta for 8 minutes or “al dente”
Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic until light brown.
Blend remainder of garlic, basil and pine nuts with olive oil in a food processor until smooth.
Wash and slice mushrooms and fry pancetta in a tablespoon of olive oil
when complete chop the pancetta. Then lay the dough in a 9 in. glass pie pan and prepare the pie shell as directed on the label.
Crimp pie shell edges and bake for about 7-8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and ricotta together until blended, then mix all ingredients together, except for the mozzarella.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake on center rack for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and cover with mozzarella, then bake another 5-8 minutes or until the cheese has browned.
Remove from oven and let set for at least 5 minutes. Serves 5-6
Calories- Can you say lunar trajectory! It is definitely for special occasions. Can be eaten either hot or cold, delicious both ways.
ENJOY!!!
Roberto’s Garganzola Pasta
12 ounces of wide egg noodles or very wide pappardelle.
1/8 pound butter
1 pint of heavy cream
2 pints of Garganzola cheese
3 tablespoons of milk
Salt & Pepper
Cook pasta as usual, melt the butter in a frying pan, when melted add the milk and garganzola, when it has melted, add the cream. simmer on low heat until pasta is ready, then drain pasta and toss with the sauce adding pepper and salt to taste
Enjoy!
Susan’s American lemon deluxe pie (From a very old family recipe)
1 vanilla wafer pie crust 8″ (200mm)
1/2 cup lemon juice (230ml)
1 Teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 can Borden Eagle Brand milk (1/3 cup size)
2 eggs, separated
1 Teaspoon cream of Tarter
4 Tablespoons of sugar
Combine lemon juice and grated lemon rind. Gradually stir into Eagle brand milk.
Add egg yolks and stir until well blended.
Pour into chilled wafer crust.
Add cream of tarter to egg whites and beat until stiff enough to hold a peak, then add sugar gradually, beating until stiff, but not dry.
Pile stiff egg whites onto pie filling, smooth, and bake in a 350 degree oven, (176 celsius), until lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
Enjoy
JENNY’S MUM’S LAMINGTON RECIPE (From Australia)
from our friend Jenny Croft
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of sea salt
• 2 large, free-range eggs
• 1/2 cup of room temperature butter
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 cups of icing sugar
• 1/3 cup of coco powder
• 3 tbs of butter
• 1/2 cup of milk
• Whipped cream for serving
PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Lightly butter an 8 inch square cake tin. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar mixture until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs on at a time to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat well after adding each egg.
6. Add the vanilla to the mixture and mix well.
7. Now, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, starting and finishing with the flour. Use a large spatula for mixing.
8. Spread the batter into the cake tin and make sure it is evenly spread.
9. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean.
10. Cool the cake in the tin for about 5 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack. Once the cake has cooled cut it into squares of a desired size and place them in an airtight container. Pop the container in the fridge for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
11. Now for the icing. Place the icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
12. Stir the mixture until it is smooth but still a bit thick. You don’t want the liquid to get too thin otherwise the sponge won’t absorb the coating.
13. Now it’s time to assemble the Lamingtons. Put out some newspaper under wire racks to catch any mess. Place the cake pieces on the racks and have your chocolate icing and coconut ready.
14. Quickly coat the sponge cake on all sides in the icing mixture and then gently roll the cake in the coconut. Repeat the process.
15. Once coated place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Optional but recommended, once cooled slice them in half & add either or both strawberry jam & freshly whipped cream.
ST. LOUIS ORIGINAL GOOEY BUTTER CAKE
Yield: 9 servings
for crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
For filling:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powered sugar
1. prepare the crust. preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cut in 1/3 cup of butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together. Pat into the bottom and sides of a greased 9″ X 9″ X 2″ pan.
2. Prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, beat 1 14 cups sugar and 3/4 cup butter until light and fluffy. Mix in egg until combined. A bit at a time, alternately add 1 cup of flour and the evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well blended.
3. Pour filling into crust lined pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until cake is nearly set. Do not over cook. Let cool in pan.
Per serving: 492 calories; 25.5 g fat (46 percent calories from fat); 92mg cholesterol; 5g protein; 62g carbohydrate; 1g fiber; 277mg sodium.
Laura’s Ossobucco* in gremolata (ossibuco with lemon and parsley) (Ossobucco = Veal shank)
From our friend Laura, who is half German and half Italian, living in Germany!
(serves: 6 persons)
6 ossibucchi of around 300 grams each
5 tablespoons (or around 50g) of flour
4 tablespoons (or around 40g) of butter
1 onion cut in thin slices (better two or three)
salt
½ litre of dry white wine (more would be better – just as a tip out of experience!)
grated paring of a lemon (three would fit better)
a chopped bunch of flat leaf parsley
cut the ossibucchi around the corners so that they won’t bend upwards while stewing and cord them with twine. Then slightly flour the ossobucchi and drain the surplus flour.
Heat the butter on low flame in a deep pan until liquid then add the onion slices and fry them until translucent for about three minutes. Add the ossibucchi and roast them gently for about five minutes from both sides each until they are brown. Now salt them and add half of the wine. Now cover the pan and let the ossibucchi slowly stew on low flame for about two hours until they are really soft. While stewing check the pan regularly and add wine from time to time – the ossibucchi should be half covered with fluid all the time (if you run out of wine you also can add small amounts of water)
when done arrange the ossibucchi on a hot plate and besprinkle them with the parsley and the lemon paring – serve instantly!
Dry white wine fits perfect as accompanying drink and as a side dish potatos fit fine!
*Slices from the leg of a calf
Laura’s Apple strudel:
ingredients:
for the dough:
300-350grams of flour (while doing the dough you may need to add more flour, start with 300 grams and carefully add more flour until the dough isn’t sticky anymore!)
65 grams of melted butter
1 big egg
1 generous pinch of salt
1/8l (125ml) water
for the filling:
1000grams apples of your choice (i prefer the green ones, the sour ones but it’s your choice!)
150grams of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
130grams of raisins
1 tablespoon of ground lemon peel (lemon zest)
50 grams of ground almonds
150 grams of breadcrumb
for baking:
butter and milk!
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sieve flour on a pastry board and make a recess in the middle. Mix lukewarm butter with the slightly beaten egg, salt and the water then pour that into the recess. Knead and beat the dough until you get an even consistency then let it rest for about 20 minutes. In the meantime prepare the filling. Peel the apples, quarter them and remove the seedsl, then cut the pieces in thin slices. Mix the slices with the sugar, cinnamon, raisins, lemon zest and the almonds. (you better prep the apples in advance as this is time consuming)
now roll out the dough! Do it well and even! Traditionalists say that you should be able to read a newspaper through the rolled out dough but i wouldn’t go that far … roll it down to about 1mm, that’s enough!!! here’s the trick: to be later able to roll the dough to a strudel you should not do this work on a big cloth (something that won’t let the dough stick to it … maybe a bis and flexible pastic board or teflon!)
now brush some melted butter on the dough and spread the breadcrumb over it. then spread the filling over the dough, fold the outer ends inside so that ther will be a pocket and then form the strudel. To do so lift the cloth on the side facing towards you and move it away from you so the strudel forms itself!
Now grease a baking pan with butter and put the strudel inside (i always have enough of dough and filling to make two strudel and place both side by side in the baking pan!). Brush gently with butter and place some slices of butter over the strudel(s), also pour in some milk!
Bake it for about 30 minutes (check it … top has to be brown and you should be able to knock on it with your knuckles!) - baking temperature is 220°C (428°F) … while checking the status carefully pour some further milk over the strudel!
Tastes delicious with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream! 
enjoy!
Roberto’s Light and tasty Seafood Soup.
1 pound of fresh Orange Roughy, cut into medium squares.
1/2 pound of fresh, larger, shrimp.
1/4 pound of sea scallops.
1 Small onion finely chopped.
2 Habanero peppers finely diced.
1/2 cup of dry white wine, preferably Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
2 1/2 cups of Chicken Broth.
1 tablespoon Olive Oil.
1/2 teaspoon each of Thyme, ground cloves, ground ginger and red Cayenne pepper.
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced.
A few sprigs of Italian parsley.
Black pepper and salt to taste.
Put some olive oil in a large pot. Saute salted and peppered Roughy and sea scallops for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until flaky. Set fish aside.
Add chopped onion and diced habaneros into the remaining oil in the pot. Add more oil if needed
Cook over medium heat stirring to avoid sticking for about 3-4 minutes.
Add chicken stock, remainder of the spices and the crushed garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add fish, scallops, shrimp and wine and cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve in soup bowls. Garnish with Italian parsley.
Low in calories and fat.
Enjoy!
To be continued!
