Renaissance Cooking

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Almond Polenta Cake

Serves 6

For the cake:
8 oz Butter, softened
2 Lemon rinds finely grated
1 cup Caster Sugar (fine sugar)
3 Eggs, separated
¼ cup Lemon juice
1 - ½ cups ground Almonds
1 cup fine Polenta (cornmeal)

For the syrup:
¼ cup Lemon juice
¼ cup Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a bowl, beat the butter, rind, and sugar, until light and fluffy. Slowly add the egg yolks, beating well. Stir in the juice, ground almonds, and polenta.

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Carefully fold into the batter mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make the syrup, boil the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Spoon the syrup over the hot cake wedges.

It's cold outside but warm inside in our Cooking Vacations kitchen!

Crostata Di Frutta ~ Fresh Fruit Tart

From Chef Raffaele

Makes 2 tarts of about 25-cm each (10-inches)


Pasta Frolla ~ Short Crust Pastry:
500 g Flour
250 g Butter, at room temperature
250 g Sugar
4 Egg Yolks
Zest of 1 Lemon Crema Pasticciera ~ Pastry Cream:
4 Egg Yolks
150 g Sugar
50 g Flour
½ L Whole Milk
Lemon Liquor/Limoncello
Assembly:
Apricot Marmalade, as needed
1 kg Fresh Fruit such as strawberry, kiwi, melon, fig, rinsed & sliced
200 g Whipped Cream

Prepare the pastry dough by mixing flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest together. Mix until just combined and be careful not to overwork. Form into a ball and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Next, prepare the pastry cream. In a bowl, mix egg yolks with 100 grams of sugar. Slowly add in flour and blend. In a separate pot, heat milk with 50 grams of sugar (lemon zest, chocolate, vanilla beans, coffee beans all optional depending on the flavor that you would like the cream to have). Once the milk comes just to a boil, remove from heat and add to the egg-sugar-flour mixture. Cook over low heat for another 2-3 minutes until the cream has thickened and starts to bubble. Remove from heat, add a splash of Limoncello, cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming and allow mixture to cool completely before using (2-3 hours).

Roll out the dough into disks large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the baking pan. Spread the bottom with a little marmalade and fill with pastry cream. Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (160°C) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Allow to cool completely then top with the whipped cream and sliced fresh fruit.

Variation: Fruit such as apples, pears, peaches, or cherries can be baked with the crust. Fill the bottom shell with the pastry cream, then the fruit (sautéed with a little sugar), the cover with another layer of dough and bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (160°C) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.

RECIPE: Pasta With Pesto

Courtesy of Le Tre Sorelle, Positano 

2 cloves Garlic

60 g Pine nuts

1 Bunch Fresh Basil, leaves only, not stems

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

100 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

100 g Pecorino, grated

Salt, to taste

400 g Fresine, or other thin long pasta 

Prepare the pesto either with a mortar and pestle or in a blender/food processor.  First blend together the garlic and pine nuts.  Add the washed basil little by little and a bit of olive oil.  Next, add the grated cheeses and blend.  With the blender on, add the remaining olive oil slowly. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.  Add the pasta with the pesto sauce and toss together for a moment to combine, then serve. 

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Happy Ferragosto, to Everyone from Cooking Vacations!

Ferragosto! Non si tocca! ~ Ferragosto! Don't touch it!

Ferragosto is THE Summer holiday in Italy and it's a day that is sacredly observed from the florist to the butcher.

Originally a holiday for Emperor Augustus, along with most of the month, Feriae Augusti commemorated the gods and the hard work of the harvest season. August 15 also holds a special meaning in the Catholic Church, reserved to honor the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Often times the date even coincides with the Perseid meteor shower.

With so many reasons to celebrate there area also many ways. Each town has its own events such as a parade, concert, or firework show. Many Italians chose to leave the city all together to enjoy a big family meal al fresco in the countryside or spend a day sunbathing on the beach.

While not everyone is lucky to be off Ferragosto most can take a little time to raise a glass to the last weeks of summer and perhaps catch a glimpse of a lucky shooting star.

Try those peak-of-the-summer peaches in this perfectly peachy sweet in honor of Ferragosto!


Semifreddo Alla Pesca E Menta ~ Peach & Mint Semifreddo

3 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1 1/4 cups Mascarpone Cheese
2 1/2 cups  Whipped Cream, soft peaks
2 large Peaches, peeled and remove pit
10 Mint leaves
1/2 cup Vodka (optional)
Honey

Separate egg whites from the yolks. Reserve egg whites for later use. Whip the yolks with 1/3 cup of sugar. When creamy and light in color, add the mascarpone and beat for 10 seconds or until combined.

With a food processor puree the peaches with the mint leaves and vodka until smooth.

Add peach and mint puree to the mascarpone mixture, then fold in the whipped cream carefully so to not deflate.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with the remaining sugar (2/3 cup) until stiff peaks. Add this to the mascarpone mixture, folding in gently so to not deflate.

Place in molds and chill in the freezer for a least 1 day. Unmold when ready to serve and drizzle with honey and garnish with a sliced peach.

Gelato for Lunch?

Sure, why not? Italians do it all the time! Gelato is the perfect cool treat to break the heat. Under the scorching midday sun it's very acceptable in Italy to trade in your fork for a spoon. It's not uncommon for Italians to have 2 sometimes 3 gelatos in a day. In the evening the ritual passegiata or stroll with a cono in hand is a must. Families, couples, and friends come together in the evening to just wonder up and down the main street on their way to the gelateria. Gelato and summer go hand in hand and with less fat and calories of regular ice cream you don't have to feel bad about that second...or third scoop!

Gelato is regularly eaten in a cone or cup but it's also found its way in other delicious treats. The simple espresso is revamped with a dollop of gelato called an affogato. In Sicily, take a bite into your gelato with a warm brioche typically eaten in the morning. Adds a whole new meaning to the breakfast sandwich!

Try making your own gelato treats with our recipe below or stop by our kitchens and we can teach you how La Dolce Vita, Dessert & Pastry Making in Positano. Call us today to learn more!

Gelato Alla Crema ~ Italian Creamy Ice Cream  

Serves 12

3 cups Milk

1 1/4 cup Sugar

1 Vanilla Bean

1 1/4 cup Heavy Cream

8 egg yolks

Blend eggs with sugar. In a pot, bring the milk, vanilla bean and heavy cream to a boil.  Add in the egg-sugar mixture and cook on the stove on a very low flame.  (Temperature of this mixture should not exceed 205 F or else the eggs will scramble). Place in ice cream machine.

Note:  This is the basic recipe for “gelato”.  The “flavor” of the ice cream is determined by what ingredient you add to the milk-cream mixture.  For instance, vanilla bean, chocolate, coffee, tiramisu should all be added when you bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil in order to get that particular flavor. 

Summer Zucchini with Pasta

If your farmer's market or garden is anything like ours - zucchini are everywhere! At the farmer's market they're piled high at every stand and in our gardens a new batch is coming in before we've had a chance to eat the first. Oh the stresses of summer!

One of our favorite ways to enjoy zucchini is Pasta with Zucchini, a Positano classic. It's a simple Mediterranean dish and you can always add your own twist, perhaps with a few quartered cherry tomatoes. For a more complete meal add some whole shrimp. Serve with a chilled bottle of Falanghina - compliments this dish perfectly on a warm summer evening.

Pasta e Zucchine ~ Pasta with Zucchini

Serves 4-6

4 zucchini, sliced into disks

Peanut (or olive) oil for frying

½ stick butter

Grated Parmesan cheese

Basil, ripped by hand 

Pasta, spaghetti or penne

Cut off ends of zucchini and slice into thin disks.  Heat a large pan with oil.  Test the oil with a piece of zucchini; it should rise to the top immediately when dropped in.  Add the zucchini until it covers the bottom of the pan and fry until golden on both sides (about 5 minutes). Drain on a paper towel and fry the rest of the zucchini in batches.  

The zucchini can be fried even the day before.  Then as you are boiling your pasta, prepare the final steps of the sauce.  In a frying pan, add butter and zucchini and heat.  Add several spoonfuls of grated Parmesan and rip basil leaves into zucchini mixture. 

Add cooked pasta to the zucchini and toss together for a minute over the heat before serving.  Serve sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese and a basil leaf garnish. 

Email us anytime for more zucchini recipes...we've got plenty! info@cooking-vacations.com

Celebrating Sant'Antonio

Once Upon A Time At The Villa San Michele di Axel Munthe…

On Friday, June 9, Annarita, our friend, talented guide to Capri, and local Anacaprese, invited us to a special event at the Villa San Michele.  Axel Munthe constructed this villa on the former site where Tiberio once had his villa.  And each spring for the festival of Saint Anthony, Munthe opened up his garden and villa to all the Anacaprese.  There would be wine, desserts and dancing.  Annarita and the small art partons at CapriInArt, a cultural association, hosted an elegant party that recreated what Munthe has done many years ago.  Pacchianelle, traditional women dressed in Neapolitan custom, fried up Panzarelle & Ravioli Caprese fritte, while chocolate wheels of Torta Caprese and wine from Tiberio Cantina were passed to all.

Pages from Munthe's Villa San Michele were read aloud and the group moved through the gardens and an old fashioned black and white picture show was displayed on the inside cappella of the church.  

Today, June 13 marks the feast day of St. Anthony, the patron saint of Anacapri.  It is a much anticipated festival in the small town of AnaCapri.  An ancient statue of St. Anthony is carried on the shoulders of devotee through the narrow streets of the town. Shadowing behind is a procession of children dressed in long tunics reminiscent of Franciscan monks. Bread is blessed, called, pane di Sant’ Antonio and given to all, followed by handfuls of genistra, broom flowers, bougainville and hydrangeas thrown in the air. Locals have decorated their homes and balconies with flowers and trays called guantiere. Once the statue reaches the town’s center it is placed on an altar where he will remain for two weeks.

Visitors and locals can partake in an entire week of festivities scheduled in honor of the saint. The Villa San Michele de Axel Munthe is open free of charge and in the evening, musical events are held on the Piazza Victoria, and fireworks shoot of in the wee hours.

E per la gran devozione - si deve fare un buon boccone! ~ And for the great devotion - you must make a tasty morsel           

- poet, Francesco Alberio

Try making your own buon boccone using our very own Chef Maria’s recipe for Savory Brioche

Brioche Salata~ Savory Brioche

For the Dough: 3 ¼ cup Flour ‘00’ 4 Fresh Eggs 7 tbsp Butter 5 ¼ tbsp Brewer’s Yeast ½ cup Milk A pinch of Salt

For the Filling: ½ cup Baked Smoked Ham, diced ½ cup Salami, diced ½ cup Fontina cheese, diced

Place the flour on the pastry board, preferably wooden, and create a hole in the center. Break the eggs and butter in to the hole along with the brewers yeast, the milk and the salt. Mix together until you have a uniform dough.

When the mix is well combined put the baked smoked ham, salami and the fontina cheese inside and mix all with your hands.

Put the mixture into a baking pan, lined with butter and flour, and place in the oven for 45 minutes at 180°C (350°F).

Rainy Day Spring Zuppa

The saying holds true here in Positano this week, as the forecast calls for showers and chillier temperatures. Although the weather keeps us inside it doesn’t stop us from enjoying the seasonal spring vegetables, like the first fava beans, sweet peas, and new potatoes. If you find yourself feeling blue try serving up bowls of our warm spring soup. This along with thoughts of colorful May flowers will help brighten your spirits in no time!

Zuppa Di Primavera ~ Spring Soup

Serves 4-6

Delicious, light and flavorsome - the perfect soup for a healthy spring lunch.

1.5 kg of Fava Beans (broad beans)

1.5 kg fresh Peas

3 Artichokes, cleaned and finely chopped

50 ml Olive Oil

100g Pancetta, chopped

1  medium Onion, sliced thinly

1 clove Garlic, crushed

500g New Potatoes, diced

Piece of Parmesan Rind

Handful of fresh Parsley, chopped

500 ml water

Handful fresh Basil, chopped

Shell the beans and peas and set to one side. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the pancetta, let it brown a little, then add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, then add the beans, peas, artichokes and potatoes. Mix well, add the parsley and the Parmesan rind and add the water.

Season with salt and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water if soup dries out too much. Serve hot with a sprinkling of basil and a final drizzling of olive oil.