The Magic of Majani

Founded in 1796, Bologna’s Majani chocolates are among the world’s most tempting creations.

By Lauren Birmingham Piscitelli
April 2014
 

Click here for Lauren's full article.

Celebrate the Carnival of Venice with some delicious and delicate Zeppoles!

Zeppole Anacapres ~ Traditional Fried Dough Ribbons

Makes about 20 zeppole

3 ¾  cups 00 Flour
1 lb potatoes
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp butter
2 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange

2 cakes (50g) natural yeast
¼ cup Milk

1 ½ liters sunflower oil, for frying

Boil potatoes until tender (skin on). Drain and peal by hand.  Pour the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the middle.  Pass potatoes through a ricer onto the flour and mix potatoes with flour, sugar, butter, eggs and lemon & orange zest.  In the meantime, dissolve yeast in the milk, then add to the potato mixture.  Mix well and should make a fairly solid dough, not too soft. Let rise in a warm place for about half an hour.

Roll out into coils and twist into ribbons.  Set aside and allow to rise about 45 minutes.  Put sunflower oil in a small pot and heat over low heat.  Test oil by dropping in a zeppola- it should drop to the bottom, then rise to the top right away.  Fry for 3-5 minutes turning until golden-brown.  Toss with sugar and serve plain or with pastry cream and cherry- to taste.

Notes:

This recipe comes out delicious, and is quite simple to make!

Crazy Italians Ring in the New Year eating lentils for good luck while wearing red underwear!

Our Nonna's recipe is said to bring good luck with the New Year. According to the tale, it also helps if you wear red underwear while you eat the lentils. Some sources say that the underwear has to be new and given to the wearer as a gift. The shape of lentils looks like a coin, so eating them should bring you wealth in the New Year. This dish is common in Italian restaurants, but everything tastes better if you make it yourself right?! So tie on your apron and give our recipes a try!!!!

 Cotechino Con Lenticchie ~ Lentils and Sausage

Featured in Cooking Vacations January 2010 Newsletter
Serves 4 to 6

One large cotechino type sausage or pork, chicken or turkey

300 g small green lentils

2 bay leaves

Olive oil

1 onion, pealed but left whole

Handful finely chopped parsley

Written and typed by Chloe Lucia Cohen

Ricciarelli From Siena!

Warm your Christmas with traditional sweets from Siena called Ricciarelli.  Snuggle up to the fire with a hot cup of cocoa and enjoy the delicate old world cookies from Tuscany.  From our kitchen to yours, hope you bake up a storm!  From our kitchen at Cooking Vacations,  www.Cooking-Vacations.com

Ricciarelli Cookies

200 gr of peeled almonds


20 gr of bitter almonds


200 gr of sugar


1 tsp of orange essence


1 egg white

Flour (as much as is needed)


The tip of a teaspoon of baking powder

50 gr of powdered sugar


Grind the almonds well, add the orange essence, the baking powder, the sugar and then finally add the egg white and as much flour as you need to obtain a soft dough, consistent but not too tough. Sprinkle the powdered sugar on a table and form a log with the dough, then cut it into small pieces (about 30 grams each), roll it in your hands as if it were a meatball that you then elongate pressing it forward. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the balls spread apart on the sheet. With the rest of the powdered sugar, dust the cookies well: if you have enough time, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rest overnight. Bake them in a 180 degree Celsius oven for 6-7 minutes if you like them soft, otherwise bake them for 10-12 minutes.

Elizabeth Berg's Cooking & Writing Positano, Amalfi Coast

Elizabeth Berg has arrived in Positano, Italy!!!!

All the women have started to arrive for this extraordinary Literati Culinary & Cooking Week.  We will be hands-on cooking and most importantly sharing the art of writing in this exclusive Writers’ Studio which includes hands-on cooking classes too. Elizabeth, as you know, loves to cook!

Recipe From Our Garden

Italian Pumpkins

Paccheri Con Zucca~ Paccheri Pasta With Pumpkin
Courtesy of Chef Raffaele, Positano
Serves 4

500 g Pumpkin (sliced or cubed)
1 Garlic clove, minced
½ Onion, diced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Sprig of Rosemary
Salt, Pepper, and Fresh Basil, to taste
Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
400 g of Paccheri Pasta
*(when boiling pasta, reserve 1 cup of pasta water for later use)

Sauté the garlic, onion, basil (reserve some for later), rosemary in olive oil.

Add the pumpkin and allow to sauté a few minutes then add about ¼ cup of reserved pasta water and allow to cook about 15-20 minutes, adding more pasta water as necessary, until sauce becomes creamy.

Cook paccheri in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Add the paccheri to the pumpkin sauce. Add fresh Parmesan cheese and sauté together for a moment. Serve with fresh basil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano, as desired.

From my Grandmother's home town of Pico, Italy Fettuccine con Scampi e Gamberoni ~ Fettuccine with Shrimp and Prawns
Serves 4

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic
8 fresh Prawns and 8 Shrimp
Salt and Pepper
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Parsley
14 oz. of homemade Fettuccine
Crushed Red Chili Pepper

Boil water for pasta.

Place a skillet on the stove heat the oil with the garlic. Add shrimp and prawns, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, remove the garlic and add the chopped tomatoes, cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the pasta to the boiling water, when ready transfer to the pan with the sauce. Lightly sauté and serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley.