Ricotta and Spinach Strudel for the Holidays!

 

Ricotta and Spinach Strudel

1.     Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.     Add butter to a skillet, went hot, add the garlic and spinach. Cok over medium- high heat for about 4-5 minutes until the spinach is mostly wilted. Stir occasionally. Place the cooked
 spinach in a colander and drain to remove the excess liquid, if necessary, press it a little with a spoon, then let it cool.

3.     When the spinach is well drained, rough chop it with a knife then transfer to a large bowl, Add the grated cheese, the egg, the ricotta, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Mix well. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt if needed.

4.     Roll out the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, pour the filling only on one half of the dough giving it a rectangular shape. Leave about ½ inch edge from the lower and side edge where you have the filling. Fold the lower edge first, then the 2 side flaps. Using the parchment paper, turn the strudel upside down so that the filling is completely wrapped in the pastry, with the closure at the bottom.

5.     In a small bowl, combine an egg yolk, milk, and mix. Brush the surface of the strudel with the milk and egg yolk mixture. Make a few cuts on the surface of the strudel and transfer the strudel to the baking tray. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until evenly golden browned. Remove from the oven, let cool.

This is the classic delicious Italian Strudel, super simple and very appetizing!

RICOTTA ZUCCHINE AL PROFUMO DI LIMONE QUICHE

 

Ricotta Zucchini Quiche with Scent of Lemon

2 medium zucchini, grated with skin on 

1 large leek, thoroughly rinsed and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces whole ricotta 

Zest 1 large lemon

1-2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley

2 whole eggs, lightly beaten

½ - ¾ cups grated Parmesan cheese

2-3 tablespoons milk

Salt and black pepper

2 rolls of pie pastry dough, thawed in frig.

1 egg for brushing pastry

Fresh Leeks

1.  Preheat oven to 350F. In a round tart pan (or pie pan) cut a round piece parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan.

2.  Sauté the grated zucchini and the sliced leek in a pan with the olive oil. Once cooked, let them cool.

3.     In the meantime, whip the ricotta in a bowl until it becomes creamy, add the grated lemon zest, and parsley, mix well. Add the cooked zucchini and leeks to the ricotta mixture.

4.     In another bowl, beat 2 whole eggs with Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper and a few tablespoons of milk. Add to the ricotta and zucchini mixture.

5.     Place the dough on the base of the pan. With a fork, lightly prick the pastry surface.

6.     Put the ricotta mixture on the pastry. Cover the top with strips of pastry from the 2^nd piece. Lightly brush the pastry with the other beaten egg. Bake in a preheated oven, for 30-40 minutes, or until the surface is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly and serve.

   

 

Zucchini

 

This is a light ricotta and zucchini quiche, with a delicious lemon scent. Enjoy this rustic quiche Italian style, fresh and amazingly easy to prepare.

 

Cooking for Ukraine with Chef Alba - Supporting World Central Kitchen

To register for this online cooking classes go to:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cooking-for-ukraine-with-chef-alba-supporting-world-central-kitchen-tickets-299096093467?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Join Chef Alba for an online cooking demonstration. All funds collected will be given directly to World Central Kitchen to support Ukraine.

About this event

Recipes included are Chicken Kiev with Roasted Garlic Butter and Potatoes Ukraine style. All funds collected will be given directly to World Central Kitchen. The World Central Kitchen team is distributing nourishing food and fresh meals across the region, including in Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. The meals World Central Kitchen serves are primarily based on local recipes.

About Chef Alba: Chef Alba is a cooking instructor, a personal chef, cookbook author, recipe writer, editor and tester, and a food blogger with over 18 years of experience. Born in Naples, Italy and raised in Tunisia, North Africa, she gained practical knowledge of traditional techniques and ingredients which she shares with her students and clients. Alba’s expertise is in Regional Italian, Moroccan, Greek, Turkish, and other Mediterranean Cuisines. Alba is currently teaching virtual adult cook along classes for Howard County Parks and Recreation, various other venues, and privately. She also teaches in person cooking classes in Annapolis for Whole Foods. Alba has appeared on FOX DC, CBS DC, and PBS Virginia performing live cooking demos. She also conducts culinary trips to Umbria and Tuscany in the Spring and Fall of each year. Alba is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, and IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals).

About World Central Kitchen: World Central Kitchen has provided tens of millions of fresh, nourishing meals for communities around the world. Your donation today will be used to support their emergency food relief efforts and resilience programs in Ukraine.

 

Regina Sesame Cookies

Elegant on the outside, simple and genuine on the inside… experience these traditional and delicious Sicilian sweets with Coffee or with a dessert wine.

Regina cookies (Sesamini)

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 pinch salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest 2 oranges

Juice of 1 ½ - 2 oranges

2 cups raw sesame seeds

1.     Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.     Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3.     Wet ingredients: In another large bowl, add the softened butter and sugar; blend well with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, zest, vanilla, and juice of 1 1/2 oranges: blend again.

4.     Mix: Add the dry ingredients in three to four batches; continue mixing on low speed until the dough is fairly smooth. If the dough is a little dry, add a little more orange juice a little at a time and mix well. Refrigerate the dough about 20 minutes.

5.     Form: Pinch off a piece of dough and see if it forms a ball easily. Make small golf size balls first, then roll into an oblong shape, about 1 ½ inches long.

6.     Bake: Place the sesame seeds on a plate and roll the cookies into the sesame seeds, pressing them so the seeds stay on. Place the cookies on the baking sheets keeping the cookies 1- 1 ½ inches apart. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned at the bottom. Do not overbake or the cookies will be too dry.

7.     Cool, and store in airtight containers. Baking time depends on size of cookies. The sesame seeds on cookie should be slightly golden. Makes about 2 dozen depending on size.

Potato and Zucchini Polpettone for the Holidays

 

Potato and Zucchini Polpettone

An easy and tasty side dish that can be prepared ahead and baked right before serving. It’s a versatile dish that can be made with cooked zucchini, spinach, or even asparagus. I serve it instead of the regular mashed potato dish. 

4 medium golden potatoes, unpeeled

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

1 small zucchini, small dice or grated

1 celery stalk, minced 

1 medium red onion, grated

½ - ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and black pepper

Breadcrumbs as needed

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ - ¾ cup sharp Provolone and or fontina cheese (or Gruyere), small dice

2-3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

 

1.      Preheat oven 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil on surface.

2.      Place the potatoes in a large pan in cold water, boil until tender. Cool slightly, peel and mash.

3.      In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and onion, cook until soft and barely golden. Add the zucchini and celery; cook until barely golden adding more oil if needed. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

4.      Once the mash potatoes are cool, add the egg and season. Add the parsley, grated cheese, diced cheese, and little breadcrumbs to firm everything. Mix well before adding more breadcrumbs. Test the mixture by forming a meatloaf shape.

5.      With slightly damp hands give the potato mixture the shape of a meatloaf. I like to divide mine in two smaller loaves. Place on the baking sheet; drizzle a thread of olive oil on top and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs. Be sure to press it down.

6.      Bake about 30 minutes until just golden.

La Carbonara Pasta

 

Alba’s Spaghetti Carbonara Traditional Recipe -Spaghetti Carbonara is one of the most famous Pasta Recipes of Roman Cuisine, made only with 6 simple ingredients: spaghetti, guanciale (or Pancetta), freshly cracked black pepper, freshly grated Pecorino Romano, beaten yolks, and pasta water. All the ingredients must be of high quality to achieve a successful recipe. No garlic, no onions, no herbs, and no olive oil please!

The history of carbonara is relatively recent, and its origins are controversial, also because there is no written trace of it, or text of Italian or Roman cuisine that speaks of it. According to a first theory, Carbonara was born in 1944, during the Second World War, in a trattoria in Vicolo della Scrofa in Rome. According to another theory, the Carbonara would be the evolution of an ancient dish: "Cacio e Ova", that is, cheese and eggs, a dish prepared by the Carbonari when they went to the woods to make coal.

There are a few simple techniques to make a perfect Carbonara that I will point out.

 

La Carbonara

1 pound spaghetti

6 ounces of diced guanciale or diced pancetta

4 medium egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 ¼ cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Freshly cracked black pepper

Pasta: In a large pan boil water with 2 tablespoons of salt. When the water comes to a full boil, add the spaghetti. Stir for about 30 seconds so the pasta doesn’t stick. Cook until the pasta is al dente.  Remember before straining to save 1 ½ cups pasta water.

Eggs and cheese: While the pasta is cooking, place the yolks in a bowl and lightly beaten the yolks. Add the fresh grated cheese and mix together to form a paste.  Then scoop one ladle full of cooked pasta water into this bowl and quickly mix.  This is called tempering; it will prevent the egg yolks when added to the pasta to curdle.

Finishing the Sauce:

o   Put the guanciale or pancetta in a large skillet and cook until barely golden. Cook on medium heat.

o   Reserve your pasta water before straining. When the pasta is ready, transfer the pasta to the skillet with the guanciale or pancetta. Continue to cook on medium heat, Fold and mix well until the pasta is well coated.

o   Remove the skillet off the heat: Add the cheese and yolk mixture and quickly mix and fold to coat the entire pasta.  Add a ½ ladle of pasta water and mix again. If needed add ½ ladle of pasta water and mix and fold the pasta until just barely creamy. Lastly add freshly cracked black pepper.

o   Serve warm with more freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of Pecorino grated cheese. This pasta is meant to be eaten right away. Enjoy it!

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage is a simple and tasty first course. A great idea for Sunday lunch or brunch. Using easy to find ingredient and my simple techniques, the only thing you have left to do is, put it in the oven and wait to taste it.   

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 Italian mild or spicy sausages, remove casing

1 pound of broccoli, cut into florets

1 pound of penne or mezze rigatoni pasta

1-pound container whole milk ricotta

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1- 1 ½ cups grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, divided

Kosher Salt

Black pepper

Red pepper flakes

3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter a baking pan, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with a few tablespoons of grated cheese. (I always season the bottom of my pan for best flavor!)

Cooking the onion and sausage: In a large skillet on medium heat, add the olive oil and onion, cook until translucent. Add the ground sausage and cook until golden brown.  Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Cooking the broccoli: In the meantime, boil the florets in a pasta pan with a little salt, and cook until slightly crispy. Do not overcook. Strain with a hand strainer.  Reserve and reuse the broccoli water for the pasta.

When the sausage is cooked to golden, add the partially cook broccoli into the skillet.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If the mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of warm broccoli water.

Cooking the pasta: Add the pasta to the broccoli water and cook according to package direction minus 2 minutes.  The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so do not overcook. When ready, strain. Reserve 1/2  cup of pasta water if needed to mix with ricotta and eggs.

The ricotta and eggs:  place the ricotta in a bowl; whip it slightly.  This helps make the ricotta a little creamier.  Add the beaten eggs and mix.  Season with pepper.  Add the strained pasta in with the ricotta and egg mixture; mix well. if too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta water as needed.  

Assembly: Layer half of the pasta mixture on the bottom of the baking pan, add a sprinkle of pepper,  and a few tablespoons of grated cheese.  Add all of the sausage and broccoli mixture on top;  add black pepper and a few tablespoons of grated cheese. Lastly, add the remaining pasta on top of the sausage and broccoli. Add more grated cheese on top of the last layer. Scatter small cubes of butter on top of dish to make it golden.  Bake until the top of the pasta is golden, about 25 minutes.

Enjoy and see you next time!

Moroccan Meatballs with Poached Eggs

Moroccan Meatballs with Poached eggs 

Grass Fed Beef Meatballs 

Sauce

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste

1 1/2 tablespoon Raz el hanout spice (or mix: cumin/coriander/Turmeric/Paprika equal parts)

Sea salt

red pepper flakes 

3 cans walter (use tomato paste can)

Meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (80-85%)

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 small sweet onion, minced

sea salt

1 beat egg

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon Raz el Hanout spice + 1 tablespoon paprika

Red pepper flakes 

2-3 tablespoons fresh Parsley or Cilantro

Topping:

3-4 whole organic eggs 

Organic eggs 

The Sauce: In a large saucepan; add the oil and onion; saute until soft and barely golden.  Add the minced garlic and saute another minute.  Move the onions and garlic to one side of the pan; add the tomato paste and saute with a few drops of olive oil until slightly golden flipping once. Season and add spices.  Mix well and add the cans of water.  Bring to a boil, stir and lower heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

The Meatballs:  In a bowl mix all ingredients well to blend.  When mixed began to form meatballs and place on a platter. In a large skillet or in the oven on a baking sheet,  cook the meatballs until just golden on all sides. When all meatballs have been cooked; transfer to the pan with the sauce. Cook about 15 minutes until the meatballs are done.  Taste for seasoning.  Lastly make a few space (indentations) to add the whole eggs to poach with the meatballs and sauce.  Cover, and cook on simmer until the white is firm, but the yolk is still soft.   When the eggs are done, serve each egg with meatballs and sauce on a serving dish and dip with arabic bread or pita bread.

If you do not have or like to add the eggs, just omit them.  This makes a very satisfying meal.  

Chickpea Dates Cake (With alternatives)

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (organic if available)

3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey  

1/4 cup + 2 TBSPs aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpea or 

               Cannellini beans, or 2 eggs)

2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil (or Canola if not available)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (almond or regular flour if not available)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional

Pinch sea salt

6-8 large pitted chopped dates (or chopped walnuts, other nuts, or dried fruit)

1.    Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Butter a standard loaf pan. Set aside. 

2.    Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. Add in maple syrup or honey, oil, and vanilla; stir well.

3.    Dry ingredients: in a bowl add the chickpea flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom; combine.

4.    Fold in the chopped dates or nuts. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5.    Allow the bread to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing it.  Slice and enjoy! 

Chickpea flour is also called besan flour, garbanzo bean flour. If you are gluten-free chickpea, almond, and gluten-free flour can be used. I made 2 and froze then into thick slices.  When they thaw out you could heat a few minutes in skillet… Moist and Delicious. 

Regina cookies (Sicilian Sesame Cookies)

Sesame cooking with fresh zest and juice of oranges

Sesame Cookies - Regina Cookies 

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 pinch salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest 2 oranges

Juice of 1 – 1 ½ oranges

2 cups raw sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Wet ingredients: In another large bowl, add the butter and sugar; blend well with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, zest, vanilla, and juice of 1 orange; blend again. Add the dry ingredients in three to four batches;  continue beating on low speed until the dough is fairly smooth.  If the dough is a little dry, add a little more juice of orange, a little at a time and mix well. Pinch off a piece of dough and see if it forms a ball easily. Make small golf size balls first, then roll into an oblong shape, about 1 ½ inches long. (The dough should be coming together well, it should not be too soft to the touch)

Rolling the cookies in the sesame seeds

Place the sesame seeds in a plate and roll the cookies into the sesame seeds, pressing them so the seeds stay on. Place the cookies on the baking sheets keeping the cookies 1- 1 ½ inches apart. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned at the bottom. Cool, and store in airtight containers. Baking time depends on size of cookies.  The sesame seeds on cookie should be slightly golden.  Makes about 2 dozen depending on size.

Baking the sesame cookies 

I have made these cookies before by following a traditional recipe that my mom used to make....they turned out a little too dry for me.  So, I experimented with orange zest and juice instead of adding more butter or eggs and they were simply delicious, beautifully scented!

These are great dunkers! Growing up my dad would dunk these cookies in red wine, while I would dunk them in my mother’s freshly made lemonade. I still prefer the lemonade.