Madagascar Vanilla Semifreddo with Pine Nut Pralines

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Summer is well under way and, after 2 weeks offline, it's time to catch up with my recipes! And my favourite blogs...David Lebovitz just published a tasty compilation of ice cream delights from around the blogosphere.
I have here a semifreddo - a half-frozen Italian ice cream, as creamy and rich as ice cream but soft. To balance the softness of this vanilla semifreddo, I folded in pine nut pralines for sweetness and crunch. The other advantage of this recipe is that you don't need an icecream maker to freeze the mixture. The air trapped in the whipped cream and the meringue during the whisking processes helps the ice cream freeze without hardening. Just what you need to perfect scoops.
This icecream is quite simple to make. I made the pine nut pralines first so that they cooled, starting with a caramel into which I stirred roasted pine nuts. I spread the hot caramel-nut mixture onto a greased baking sheet and let the brittle cool. I separated the eggs and beat the yolks with sugar and Madagascar vanilla. I whipped the cream and stirred it into the yolk mixture. I whisked the whites into a meringue, which I folded into the yolk mixture. I pulverised and stirred half the pralines into the vanilla cream and saved the rest to top the scoops.

Adapted from this book:
Ingredients for about 1 liter:
1 cup whipping cream
4 large eggs
¼ cup sugar
1 Madagascar vanilla bean
Pinch of salt

For the pralines:
1 cup pine nuts
¼ cup water
1 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Toast the pine nuts for 8 mins or until golden.
3. Let cool.
4. In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil over medium high heat.
5. Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter.
6. Let boil for 5 mins until the caramel turns golden.
7. Stir in the cooled pine nuts and let simmer until the caramel browns.
8. Remove from heat and spread over the greased baking sheet using a spatula.
9. Let the pralines cool to room temperature.
10. Pulverise half of the pralines using a food processor and coarsely break the other half into pieces.
11. Separate the eggs.
12. In a bowl, beat together egg whites and salt until firm.
13. In another bowl, mix together the egg yolks with the vanilla and the sugar until light yellow.
14. In a third bowl, whip the cream into soft peaks.
15. Mix cream and yolks.
16. Gently fold the whites and the praline powder into the yolk mixture.
17. Transfer into a plastic container and freeze for at least 3 hours.

Asparagus Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Frittatta

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I have been quite busy enjoying the sun and fresh air to spend time fiddling around in the kitchen lately. After 2 hours pulling off the weeds and cultivating the fast growing vegetable garden, the last thing on my mind is cooking up a three course meal or anything sophisticated.

Still! Just enough energy to chop some vegetables and beat half dozen eggs for a tasty frittata! Good anytime: breakfast, lunch or dinner with one or two pieces of toast.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 small onion

1 cup cremini mushrooms

6 anchovies

12 asparagus spears

1 cup cherry tomatoes

3 celery stalks with leaves

2 zucchini squash

6 eggs

¼ cup cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Italian parsley to garnish

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in an oven-safe pan.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

3. Chop onions, mushrooms, celery, and zucchini.

4. Stir fry chopped onions, celery and mushrooms with the anchovies for 5 mns.

5. Add the tomatoes and zucchini.

6. Snap the asparagus and layer on the softened vegetables.

7. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with salt and pepper using a fork.

8. Pour the egg mixture into the pan.

9. Top with cheese and bake for 15-20 mns.

Meatballs alla Puttanesca

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Rainy days in Alberta. Crazy how green and lush everything just turned!

The happiest are the cows out there, in the field, jumping from one patch to the next, grazing the tender shoots!

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What a contrast with the summery Victoria Day weekend! Good thing I finished planting Adam’s tomatoes in their sunny spot, my strawberries and my flowers in the remaining pots and hanging baskets!

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The lettuce, radishes, beets and snap peas were already sprouting last week, stimulated by the heat. Of course, I don’t have rubber boots and it is muddy in the vegetable garden. I cannot wait until the end of the rain to check things out.

Comfort food is what I need today…Meatballs are not the most original food but I would like to share this lip-smacking recipe with you. To make them, I mixed the ground beef with oats and olive oil, instead of breadcrumbs or eggs to keep the meat in cohesive yet moist and balls. I also added pungent dry mustard and flavourful Italian herbs to complement and offset the sweetness of the onions and tomato paste.

Meatballs are tasty on their own as an appetizer or finger-food at a potluck party. Dipped in tzatziki…Yum!

This time I made a variation of the puttanesca, a classic Italian tomato sauce that uses anchovies, olives, and capers to infuse the meat with homey-yummy goodness. I served the dish over giant pasta shells topped with fresh raw zucchini slices, grated Crotonese cheese and Italian parsley.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings (about 2 dozen):

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 cup rolled oats

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons Italian herbs

2 tablespoons dry mustard

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

¼ cup flour

Olive oil

For the sauce:

2 celery stalks

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

6 anchovies

1 carrot

1 cup cremini mushrooms

1 small orange pepper

16 ounces canned Cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons capers

½ cup Moroccan dry-cured black olives

For the topping:

1 small zucchini squash

Italian parsley

Crotonese cheese

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.

2. Start the sauce by chopping then sautéing the onion, celery, carrots and anchovies until soft.

3. Stir in chopped mushrooms and pepper and sauté for 1-2 mins.

4. Add the cherry tomatoes, season and let simmer for 15 mins.

5. While the tomatoes simmer, in a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the rolled oats, chopped onion, herbs, dry mustard, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper using a fork.

6. Roll the ground mixture into 2 tablespoon-size balls and coat with flour.

7. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.

8. Sauté the meatballs, until brown on all sides.

9. Transfer the meatballs into the tomato sauce and let simmer for ½ hour, until the meatballs are cooked through.

Snacky Dinner and Gardening Weekends

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Finishing up with our garden just in time for Victoria Day, the official birthday of the Queen installed in honor of Queen Victoria! The weather was so warm and sunny the past two weeks that I could not hold off until unofficial beginning of summer in Canada, especially after reading the New York Times article on city farmers.

Our fourth year gardening and it seems to get easier!

I started with our vegetable garden first, digging up and cultivating the soil then planting the seeds for our snap peas, green and yellow beans, plenty of mesclun, green leaf lettuce, spinach, curly parsley and dill in the North beds, Yukon gold taters in the South trenches.

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We also decided to experiment with potted root vegetables, i.e. radishes, carrots and beets, this year. Some pickling cucumbers also joined the pots with our fresh herbs, and as I commented on David Lebovitz’s post on Arthur Schwartz's Dills, I am looking forward to get enough to brine and can myself.

With all that activity, I got my favourite quick fix: a snacky dinner with rosemary porchetta, bresaola, rosemary Manchego, Crotonese, St- Jorge! Cold cuts and cheese from Italy, Spain, and Portugal! In the meantime, I hope I got you inspired to start your own garden this year, maybe with in of Edmonton’s Community Gardens !?

Chipotle Sausage Macaroni Casserole

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As I have come to realise, the simplest dishes are often the tastiest and casseroles are one of them. I understand that spring has definitely arrived, and barbecue season with it, but if you live in Alberta, expect the unexpected.

Just like last week in Calgary: warm and sunny Wednesday, blustery and snowy Thursday!

With days like that, skip the salad and welcome a bowl of chicken soup or a warm, comfort meal with a cheesy crust on top!

In this all-in-one comfort food, I just precooked the macaroni, added zesty capers to the vegetables I had in my crisper. The chipotle peppers add both heat and smokiness to the tomato sauce. Before baking, I snipped the Italian sausages allow the spicy tomato-vermouth broth to infuse the meat and speed up the cooking process. Everything to make the King of Casseroles happy!

Ingredients for 6-8 servings:

2 ½ cups macaroni

1 celery heart

1½ cup cremini mushrooms

1 yellow pepper

1 small red onion

1 small jar capers

4 to 6 chipotle peppers

4 Italian sausages (Note: Omit for the vegetarian option)

1 28-ounce can tomato

1 cup dry vermouth

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon Italian herbs

½ cup freshly grated pecorino

Salt and pepper

1. Precook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 2 mins then drain. (The pasta should be firm to the touch)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Chop celery, mushrooms, yellow pepper and red onion and add to a casserole dish.
4. Stir precooked pasta, capers and chipotle into the vegetables.
5. Snip the sausages into 2 inch morsels using scissors and add to the dish.
6. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and stir into the vegetables with herbs and seasoning.
7. Cover and bake for 40 mins until the sausages and the pasta are cooked, stirring in the vermouth after 20 mins.
8. Top with cheese and brown for 5-10 mins.

Saturday Night Homemade Pizzas

(Click on pizza#1 to see pizza#2)

Bardeco at the corner of St-Mathieu and Lincoln in Montréal, then Royal Pizza in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona were my weekly, lazy-let’s-order-in night favourites.

I used to order pizza in all the time, but it was too much cheese, too much salt that I woke up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth!!! I also bought pre-packaged pizza crusts from the grocery stores, but they tend to be too soggy!

…Until I discovered homemade pizzas.

Easy, cheap and most delicious!

The great thing about homemade pizza is that you can make the dough, forget about it for a few hours, and knead it again for a short second rise while preparing the toppings. If you plan ahead, you could let the dough rise while you are out and about, relaxing at the movies or splurging on a new pair of Arnold Churgins!

Even better, you get to create your own pizza. Anything you can imagine for tasty homemade pizzas: barbequed red peppers, piccantelli olives, anchovies, and fresh buffalo mozzarella and herbs! Infinite possibilities! You have here two toppings for you to try. For the adventurous palate, the first one combining apples, capicollo, with Serrano peppers is sweet, savoury and spicy; the second one with tomatoes, anchovies and olives is for the conservative palate.

I adapted the recipe for the dough from the Joy of Cooking, added a tiny bit more water and reduced the amount of salt.

Ingredients for 2 pizza crusts:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1½ cup warm water

2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings for Pizza#1:

1 egg yolk

¼ cup mustard

2 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar

100 g capicollo

1 apple (or grapple: grape-flavoured apple)

1 red pepper

1 small red onion

4 Serrano peppers

¼ cup grated parmesan, preferably grana padano, or gruyere

Fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings for Pizza#2:

¼ cup tomato paste

4 slices pancetta

6-8 anchovies

1 tomato

1 yellow pepper

2 tablespoons capers

¼ cup piccantelli olives

Italian herbs

¼ cup grated parmesan, preferably grana padano, or gruyere

Fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water.

2. Let dissolve for 5 mins.

3. Stir in the olive oil with sugar and salt, then the flour.

4. Knead the dough for 10 mins to form a smooth and elastic ball.

5. Place the ball of dough in a bowl, cover and let rise for 2 hrs in a warm location, until doubled in size.

6. Punch and divide the dough into two balls.

7. Lightly knead, wrap in plastic film and let rise again while you prepare the toppings.

8. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

9. Grease or line two pizza pans.

10. Roll the dough using a rolling pin and place on the lined pans.

11. Allow the dough to relax before adding the toppings.

12. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 mins.

13. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Homemade Fennel Squash Ravioli with Creamy Madagascar Green Peppercorn Sauce

Another one of my pasta favourite are ravioli. They can be served as a main dish, but here I used them to accompany my Italian herb oven roast beef.

All you need to make ravioli is a basic pasta dough and the pasta machine, but you do not have one, a good rolling pin should work to get a thin dough (and it is excellent exercise too!). To cut the ravioli out into squares, I used a knife, but a cookie cutter also works for fancier designs - I just wanted mine to be as big as my appetite!

From then on, the only thing you need to decide is the filling. The sweet licorice taste of the fennel complements with the smooth and creamy squash, a perfect combination for my whole wheat ravioli. The creamy Madagascar peppercorn sauce is just hot enough to give a kick to this pasta dish.

Ingredients for 3 generous servings:

1/3 basic pasta dough using whole wheat flour

Ingredients for about 2 cups of fennel and squash filling:

1 small acorn squash

1 small fennel bulb

1 small onion

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup romano cheese

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Green peppercorn sauce:

½ cup Madagascar green peppercorn (I actually found some at the Italian store, but a gourmet food store should do!)

1 small onion

½ cup cream cheese

1 cup dry white wine

1 lime

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the basic pasta dough.

2. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

4. Cut the acorn squash into two and remove the seeds.

5. Place cut-side down in a baking dish, add 1 inch of water and bake for 1hr.

6. In the meantime, finely chop onion and fennel bulb, grate the cheese.

7. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

8. Stir fry the onion and the fennel until soft.

9. Add the wine and let simmer for 5 mins until all liquid is evaporated.

10. Once the squash is soft, let cool slightly and scoop into the fennel.

11. Stir in the cheese, remove from heat and season to taste.

12. Let cool to room temperature.

13. Roll the pasta dough as thin as possible and cut into 3 in. x 6 in. rectangles.

14. For each ravioli, spoon some filling on one half of the rectangle, leaving a ¼ inch border along each side. NB: The filling should be cool and hold together to prevent any tearing of the dough.

15. Moisten the border with cold water using a brush or your finger.

16. Fold the rectangle over to cover the filling, pressing the borders together using a fork.

17. Place each ravioli side by side on a floured surface, making sure not to overlap them.

18. Cook the ravioli in boiling salted water for 3 mins.

19. Before serving, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan, over medium-high heat to prepare the sauce.

20. Stir in the onion until translucent then the cream cheese.

21. After 1 min stir in the wine to loosen the cheese and reduce until creamy.

22. Drain and add the peppercorns.

23. Season and reduce the heat just to let the sauce warm to a low simmer.

24. Serve immediately.

Eggnog Tiramisu

Well! Happy belated New Year! I had the most amazing Christmas break – in my native country, Madagascar. Just got back from the hot and humid Island and ready to brave the cold Alberta winter – in the kitchen, of course. I will make sure to share my most delicious adventures in my next posts. Until I get all my photos sorted out, I hope you can try this surprisingly light and fluffy tiramisu. The secret’s in the eggnog!!!

The recipe is inspired from the Epicurious recipe, without having to make your own eggnog. Bon Appétit!

Ingredients:

1 pound mascarpone cheese

1 cup eggnog

1 ounce dark rum

2 teaspoons grated nutmeg

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup strong espresso coffee

30 ladyfinger cookies

1 cup chocolate shavings

1. In a large bowl, mix mascarpone cheese, eggnog, nutmeg and 1 tablespoon of rum.

2. In another bowl, whip the cream until forming soft peaks.

3. Gently fold the cream into the cheese mixture.

4. Prepare the hot espresso.

5. To assemble, dip the ladyfingers in the hot coffee and layer at the bottom of a serving dish.

6. Sprinkle with rum and chocolate shavings.

7. Spoon some mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.

8. Repeat with one or two more layers of cookies, rum, chocolate shavings.

9. Finish with one layer of cheese covered with chocolate shavings.

10. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hrs.

Homemade Cremini Ricotta Cannelloni with Sweet Basil and Tomato Sauce

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If you need a change from vegetarian lasagna, go for these whole wheat cannelloni. Instead of being layered with the pasta, cremini mushrooms and ricotta cheese make a substantial filling for these square pasta crepes. The sweet fragrance of purple basil infuses not only this pasta dish but also your kitchen, making it warm and inviting. Perfect comfort food after shoveling your snowy sidewalks!

Ingredients for 3 generous servings:

1/3 basic pasta dough using whole wheat flour

Cremini and ricotta filling for 6 cannelloni:

1 cup cremini mushrooms

1 small onion

1 tomato

1 cup fresh purple basil

½ cup ricotta cheese

½ cup dry white wine

Sweet basil tomato sauce:

6 anchovy filets

1 16-ounce tomato can

1 carrot

2 celery stalks

1 small onion

½ bunch fresh purple basil

1 cup romano cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the basic pasta dough.

2. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.

3. Chop onion, mushrooms, tomato and basil.

4. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

5. Stir fry the onion and the mushrooms until soft.

6. Add the tomato and the purple basil. Let wilt for 2 mins.

4. Add the wine and the cheese and let simmer for 5 mins until all liquid is evaporated. Season to taste.

8. Chop onion, carrot and celery for the tomato sauce.

9. In a saucepan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.

10. Stir in the onion until translucent then add anchovies, carrot and celery.

11. When the vegetables are soft, add the canned tomatoes.

12. Slightly mash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to liberate the juice.

13. Add the purple basil to the pan and season to taste.

14. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer until serving.

15. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

16. Roll the pasta dough and cut into 4 inch squares.

17. Cook the pasta squares in boiling salted water for 3 mins.

18. Plunge the squares into cold water and drain on paper towel.

19. Spoon some filling on the first third of each square and roll.

20. Place the rolls in a baking pan, with seams underneath.

21. Cover the rolls with the tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese.

22. Bake for 20 mins and serve immediately.

My New Favourite Kitchen Gadget and Basic Homemade Pasta

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We finally broke down and decided to get a pasta machine! Nothing to break the bank, just a simple, stainless steel pasta machine with a hand-crank! Just like the one my mum had! One set of rollers to make the thinnest sheets of dough ever and one set of cutters for spaghetti and tagliatelle!

Fresh pasta are dead easy to make, all you need is eggs, flour and water. If everyone knew how cheap and easy they are, they would not stop buying the overpriced, ready-made pasta from the grocery store. Once the dough is ready, you can decide on shape you want to give to your pasta!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 cups flour, whole wheat or all purpose

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.

2. Form a well in the flour.

3. Break the eggs and add the olive oil into the well.

4. Stir the flour into the wet ingredients using a fork to form dough.

5. Knead to form a ball. (Note: Add the water if the dough is too dry)

6. Let rest for 1 hr at room temperature before rolling.

Homemade Gnocchi

My first gnocchi take me back to my first year of college, my first year away from home. I was a real geek or a lazy cook then. Just like my fellow students, all I wanted was something quick and easy for supper, so that I could go back to my books ASAP.

Sure enough, I found them in the fresh pasta section of the local Franprix: all I had to do was get a saucepan of salty water boiling, drop the gnocchi in and wait for them to float. All that in less then 5 mins!!! Quicker than spaghetti or tagliatelle, full of creamy goodness!

I rediscovered the potato dumplings at our favourite Italian shop last year and I finally decided to take up the challenge and make my own with Adam’s potatoes. Nothing compares to homemade gnocchi! The keys to light and fluffy gnocchi are sieving, instead of mashing, the potatoes and adding as little flour as possible.

To enjoy with a sprinkle of parmegian or a spicy tomato sauce! Yum!

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 pound baking potatoes

½ to ¾ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup romano cheese

1 large egg

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Wash and prickle the potatoes with a fork.

3. Wrap the potatoes in foil and bake for about 1 hr, until tender. You can also boil the potatoes but you will loose the flavours in the water.

4. When the potatoes are soft, peel their skin off.

5. Press the hot potatoes through a sieve using a spoon.6. Spread the fluffy potato strands onto a floured board.

7. Let cool to room temperature.

8. Sprinkle the flour and the cheese on the potatoes.

9. Make a well in the middle. 10. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with the nutmeg. Season to taste.

11. Pour the egg mixture into the well.

12. Lightly knead the potato and egg mixture for 1-2 mins to form a ball.

13. Divide the ball into six smaller balls with floured hands.

14. On a floured board, roll each ball into a one-inch thick rope.

15. Cut the ropes into one inch segments and shape the gnocchi with a fork.

16. To cook, heat some salted water to aboil and drop the gnocchi into the water. The gnocchi is ready to serve when they reappear at the surface. You can also keep the gnocchi on floured parchment paper until you are ready cook them.

Weekend Gourmet Shopping in Tuxedo

We just shopped around Tuxedo, Calgary’s little Italy, this Saturday. We first stopped at the Italian Supermarket (Edmonton trail and 20^th Ave NE) for the best service ever at the deli counter. Picked our favorite mortadella, pancetta, proscuitto and goat cheese, zesty piave and asiago for brunch.

Our new find: the hottest, most garlicky eggplant pickles ever! Still salivating over them!

Just past DaGuido’s, our second stop: hustling and bustling Lina’s Italian Market (Centre Street and 22^th Ave NE)! Wow! Pleasantly surprised by the fresh meat counter, could not resist the veal chops for our Sunday dinner. Never seen such a variety of hand rolled pasta!

Within minutes, I had everything for tasty homemade pizzas: barbequed red peppers, picantello olives, anchovies, and fresh buffalo mozzarella and herbs! All I needed was the recipe for the dough from the Joy of Cooking and a jar of yeast.

I would have stayed for espresso and pastries at the cappuccino bar, but impossible to find a seat this late. No fret! Just a few blocks northwards and we were at the Amandine Bakery (Centre Street and 25^th Ave NE) for pastries!

Well worth the trip ...on a lazy Saturday morning! Away from the overcrowded Superstores et al...