Cuor di Mela. Apple hearts- small bites -Monthy Mingle

I don't celebrate San Valentino, for two reasons

the first is because, Erik (son n°1) is born the 14th February and usually we celebrate his birthday and the other reason is because in Italy it is become a very commercial celebration.

this year Erik was in Rome with his girlfriend and I unfortunately had the funeral of a dear friend of mine and where not in the mood to celebrate.

so, Gokki (daughter n°3) had the house of her own and made a little dinner for her boy friend Giovanni.

I apologize for the bad quality of the photos, everybody had shaky hands :-DDDD

the table with candles and red hearts spread everywhere


candle lights are a "must"

the table with all the plates

even the gnocchi was served in heartshape



mozzarella and tomato too

potatoes can also be heart shaped

Cuor di Mela - Apple hearts




you need:

for 20 heart shaped cookies

100gr butter

100gr sugar

1 egg

200gr plain flour

1 sachet of vanilla

1 tsp of baking powder

for the filling:

2 apples

20gr of butter
ground cinnamon

icing sugar

whisk the sugar and the butter with a fork, add the egg and bate until cream.

add the flour, vanilla and baking powder and work the pastry until all is mixed together.

let rest in fridge for at least 30min.

in the meanwhile peel, and cut the apples in small cubes.

put in a pan together with the butter, little water and the cinnamon, cook gently for 10min

let cool completely.

roll out the dough and with a cookie cutter, cut out 40 hearts.

put some apples in the middle of one heart and put over the other.

press around edges very well.

put the hearts on a baking tray covered with baking paper.

bake at 180° C for ca 12/15min.

season with icing sugar before serving.

this goes to Astrid from Pulchens Foodblog hosting this month's "Monthly Mingle"

the MM page

Ginger sirup - WHB #272

I'm late with everything

home chores, studies and other working things to finish.

I should finish the description of 4 new paths I found to put in this year's trekking program

on our site Fit&Sun, but I didn't.

I would like to put the same descriptions on my blog so if you ever come to the Garda Lake and the Mount Baldo, you could trek too. :-)

today I haven't done much beside coping the tis recipe from Milena's blog.
very easy and soo good!

with the ginger that remained after the filtering of the sirup I made a kind of "candid ginger"

following (more or less :-DD) Sandra' s recipe.


Ginger sirup





you need
200ml of water
200gr of sugar
100gr of fresh ginger
I made the double, but it is still to little!

put the water to boil and the add then add the peeled and cubed ginger.

let cook for 5min and then let cool for 2hours.

filter twice (once with a colander and then with filter paper)
this is good to add in water for refreshing summer drinks, or poured on ice creams and panna cottas.

yesterday it was a very nice day, sunny and not to cold. (we started with -3,5°)

23,5km but without any big mountain climbings :-DDD

a calm walk with a lot of talking and laughing

this is my entry for this week's herbal blogging

hosted by

Simona di Bricole

she is hosting the Italian version too!

thank's to

Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen

Haalo, Cook (almost) anything at least once

who have given my the chance to

organize the Italian version of WHB!

tin can recipes #1 -The round up

the round up of the first month of  Tin Can Recipes #1 you can find on Tincan-recipes.

We thought it would be a good idea to make a new blog

for the "canning" recipes

Thank's to the bloggers that have join us in this first month, 

and remember that the next ones can

be submitted within 20March.

please send you entries to:

 tincanrecipes@gmail.com.

tin can recipes is made together with

Ale, Fra, Paola e Sere

from

Il giardino degli aromi

and

my Italian blog

Briggis recept och ideer

WHB #271 - Fennel, endive, apple and nuts sallad

The season has started, must earlier than expected.

this year Easter comes late, 24th of April so I thought my rest would be longer.

but I have been involved in a new project that brings me to the other side of the Garda lake. to Limone, I guide people staying in La Limonaia

a hotel build in an old structure where lemons once were grown, in fact the name

Limonaia, means where lemons were grown.

this is the view of the hotel. 

you can see the whole chain of Monte Baldo on the other side of the lake.

from Altissimo di Nago on the left, down to Costabella to the right.

in the middle, the flat part, you have Colma Di Malcesine

beautiful isn't it? 

Fennel, endive, apple and nuts sallad

this is a salad I tried the first time in the early 90's, it was brought by my dear friend Lilian

at one of our first lunches among girl friends. 

I add endives as I love them very much.

you need:

fennel

enidive

apples

roughly chopped nuts

for the vinaigrette:

vinegar

lemon juice

grated fresh ginger

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

peel and cut the vegetables in fine slices

do the same with the apples( season with some lemon juice so they will not get brownish)

prepare the vinaigrette mixing all the ingredients.

put the vegetables and the slices of apples in a salad bowl.

mix gently, pour the vinaigrette, the nuts and mix again.

serve and enjoy

this is my entry to this week's herbal blogging

hosted by

Graziana di Erbe in Cucina

she is also hosting the Italian version!

thank's to

Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen

Haalo, Cook (almost) anything at least once

who have given my the chance to

organize the Italian version of WHB!

Cocktail Pear, vodka and lime

it is Friday again, little past five, it is time for the Friday 5 o'clock swill!

Cocktail Pear, vodka and lime

lasta time I was in Ikea, I found a funny tin can.

it was a soft drink with bubbles (carbonated), with Pear taste.

I bought two not knowing exactly what to do with them,

so I've been looking for these cans for more then 10days

and yesterday I tried something.

this is for you Sam of the bar Il Porticciolo of Castelletto.

happy birthday!

you need:

vodka q.b

lime zests

pear soft drink with bubbles  (IKEA)

leave the lime zests in the vodka for a couple of hours (in the fridge)

pour in glasses and add the pear soft drink

enjoy!

it is good!

:-DDDD

this is the sunset this evening. Finally it has been so grey and foggy the last 10days.

Novel Food #12 - Whole wheat bread

during this last years I have got more and more interested in the history of my surroundings and, as this is a little place where people easily get to know each other,
I have had the pleasure and the honour to make acquaintance with authors of  books
of the history of Lake Garda.
this is the last book in my "liberary",
 a gift from Fabio Gaggia, the author and also a dear friend.

it is a story of a flour mill, but also the story about a Monastery
the Monastery of San Giorgio and the Monastic community of Camaldoli

the story of the flour mill and it's owners starts in the 9th Century A.C
the first notes that was found is in a "contract" dated 862 A.D.
and the last one is with the beginning of Second World War, when the flour mill
definitively stops working.
over one thousand year of vicissitudes of people around this flour mill.
stories of birth, death, love stories, quarrels, war and peace.
and the mingle, the heart, the center of all this is the flour mill.

I bake our bread for at least 10years now, I started because our daughter
Gokki (daughter n° 3) was allergic of a bunch of things.
now she better but I still make our bread.

usually it is a durum wheat bread, but sometimes it is
Whole wheat bread

 you need:

900gr of water
1.200 kg of whole wheat flour
plain flour q.b.*
5gr of fresh yeast

melt the yeast in the water. add the whole wheat flour and the white one until
you have a dough that is sticky but firm.
it is good if it is sticky, this helps the dough to rise.
cover the dough with plastic film and let rise in a cool place for 12-14hours.
the spill out the dough on a baking tray covered with baking paper
bake in oven 250°C for 30min then lower to 190-180° C for other 40min.**

brigida_ate:
* I usually start with the water and then add so much flour the water "asks" for
it is different every time, because it depends on what flour I use
all flour is different and absorbs differently. this dough is important it remains sticky, that will give you the softness insides.
** I start from a cold oven, and high heat. this gives me the crunchy crust.

This is my contribution to the 12th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and Simona of Briciole have been co-hosting for some time. It all started from a conversation on the food in the Montalbano's novels, which gave us the idea of marrying literature and food in a blog event.

caccavelliadi

ciaooo enza ti può piacere così?
:-D

schweppes tonica with angostura - Friday O'clock swill

for this Friday o'clock swill, I have prepared one of my summer favorites



Schweppes tonica with angostura





you need
for each person

one bottle 180ml of icing cold Schweppes Tonica
some drops of Angostura


mix and enjoy!

Simooo's pasta with tapenade - Presto pasta night #200!!!

if you have the opportunity make more pasta than needed, keep very "all dente", let cool throughly and try this version.
let marinate until the next day in the fridge and serve with a bunch of fresh basil leaves.
this is also perfect to bring on a pic nic.





Simooo's pasta with Tapenade


cold cooked short pasta like "Farfalle" (butterflies) for.ex
black olives
canned tuna
mozzarella cut in tiny cubes
small tomatoes (cocktail or datteri for. ex)
fresh basilico leaves



for the Tapenade salsa
for 6 persone (more or less :-D)

30gr of anchioves
1 garlic clove
100gr of black or green olives (stoned)
20gr of capers
30gr of canned tuna in extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
50gr of extra virgin olive oil

put all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth.
now and then bring together the compound and blend again.
if you wish a smoother salsa add olive oil while blending.

add the first ingredients to the cooled pasta, then add the tapenade, toss and mix well.
just before serving add fresh basil leaves (a lot!)


I send this to Helen from Fuss Free Flavours
hosting the 200th Presto pasta night!
thank's also to Ruth the Creator of this event.

Pineapple jam with grapefruit and lime - WHB #269

I'm not feeling well yet, this flu is worse than I thought, so no trekking today either.

:(

but the weather was so warm and it actually was cosy sitting outside and read

read, that means study some new tour to trek!

I found two.

they are perfect for Nordic walking, so I think I will ask my Nordic group to join me

in these ones. :-D

this is the beautiful book of Monte Baldo, Giorgio and Michele has written

and also given me (Giorgio is a dear friend)

I also made some order among the primroses Gokki (daughter n°3) and Giovanni

(almost-son n°5) has given us on our wedding anniversary.

I must admit I don't like primroses very much, I think they are a little to colorfull, to vivid

it could be nice all white or all light yellow, like the wild ones.

but no, Gokki and Giò brought me 15 primroses in almost 15 different colors. 

help! :-DDD

anyway if you divid them there not that bad after all.

the red ones put together

one pink one together with the Iberis sempervirens

one purple in the herb pot, only fennel but the chives will soon come

another pink one together with the parsley

the yellow one in the almost empty pot where the aster and ceratostigma was

and one in the yucca pot

the english ivy decoration was dry and old so I made a new one

with cherry laurel, myrtle, lavendel, rosemary, gray santolina, common box, and one last flower of the catalpa tree.

Pineapple jam with grapefruit and lime

you need:

1 pineapple

5 grapefruits (ca1kg)

500gr of lime

1kg of sugar

1l of water

slice the grapefruits and the lime very thin. discard the beginning and the end, and also seeds

cover with the water and cook until almost tender. 

in the meanwhile peel and cube the pineapple.

add it to the other fruit and cook an other half an hour.

add the sugar, give it a quick boil, mix well and the let rest until the next day

the next day finish cooking, it will take some 20-25min.

pour in clean jars and close lid.

let cool up side down.

will conserve for two years if stored in a cool,dark and dry place.

Brigida_ate:

it is not a sweet jam, it is pleasantly bitter.

this is my entry to WHB this week

hosted by Janet from Taste Space

thank's Janet for hosting

I wish to thank Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen

for the WHB idea

and

 Haalo from Cook (almost) anything at least once

for giving me the chance to try doing

WHB in Italian