Breakfast Archives - Very EATalian

Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake

September 5, 2016 By very EATalian 1 Comment

I made this Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake at least 5 times this past year. Yes, it’s THAT good.

To be completely honest though, there’s also another reason why I made it so often. I was never happy with the photos I took of it (bad lighting, low-performance camera or operator error??). At some point I just stopped trying, forgot about it, and moved on to other recipes.

A couple of days ago, I opened my infamous “discarded photo folder”. When I saw these shots again, I couldn’t believe I held back so long on sharing this delicious recipe because I was nit picky about ISO or lighting! I believe the quality of my work is of paramount importance, but sometimes I set the bar too high, my perfectionism kicks in and, alas, I end up stalling.

I’m SO happy to FINALLY share the photos and recipe for this yummy Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake with you guys!…

Velvety Pistachio Spread

April 28, 2016 By very EATalian 5 Comments

Pistachio lovers of the world!!! You’re gonna want to bookmark this recipe. I’d dare to say this spread is as addictive and yummy as another more famous Italian spread (you know, the one that starts with “Nu” and ends with “tella”).

A couple of months ago I brought back home from Sicily a nice-sized bag of pistachios from Bronte…they were my #1 item on my shopping list, so I’ll let you imagine my happiness when I spotted them at the Ballarò market in Palermo. “Why so much fuss?” you may be asking. These pistachios are unique because they grow on lava rock at the foot of Mount Etna; the rich mineral soil and the Sicilian climate give them a uniquely intense and pleasant flavor and a bright green color. This is why they are sought after by chefs from all over the world.

When I got back home, I was dying to put them to use and, after much debate and research, I decided to recreate one of the most delicious sweet foods I tried during my time there: Crema di Pistacchio, i.e. a velvety pistachio spread, also commonly known as “Nutella di Pistacchio” (yep, I wasn’t joking earlier). I had it for the first time inside a croissant and it was RIDICULOUSLY good….

Gluten-free Red Berry Almond Buckwheat Cake

January 21, 2016 By very EATalian 3 Comments

One of the many things I learned from my American husband is that cakes are eaten differently here in Italy than overseas. No matter how hard I tried, I’ve never been able to make him eat a piece of cake for breakfast.

Cakes are eaten more casually here, I guess. A piece of cake can surely be enjoyed as dessert at the end of a meal, but Italians also like to have it with caffè latte or espresso as part of their sweet breakfast. Lots of people still love to bake their own cakes and it’s totally OK for kids to eat a piece for their afternoon “merenda” as it’s considered a healthier option than other processed snacks.

It’s worth saying that Italian cakes don’t usually feature frosting or icing and, for this reason, they look quite simple and rustic. This red berry almond buckwheat cake is the perfect example of a rustic Italian cake…It’s wholesome, without too many frills, and still very yummy. You’ve got almond bits for a bit of crunchiness and red berry jam for a nice fresh and slightly acidic touch.

Needless to say, I had a piece for breakfast (:

5.0 from 1 reviews

Red Berry Almond Buckwheat Cake [ Torta al Grano Saraceno con Mandorle e Mirtilli Rossi ]

Author: Very EATalian

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

200 g (7 oz or 14 Tbsp) butter, softened
200 g (7 oz or 1 cup) granulated sugar
5 eggs (divided)
200 g (7 oz or 1⅔ cup) buckwheat flour
200 g (7 oz) almonds, chopped finely
1 Tbsp baking powder
Redberry (or lingonberry) jam
powdered sugar
(optional) chopped almonds for garnish
(optional) candied orange slices

Instructions

Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Turn oven to 360° F.
Mix softened butter with about ½ of the sugar until you obtain a cream without any lumps. Add yolks and mix well, until well combined.
Whip egg whites to firm peaks and set aside.
Add flour, baking powder and almonds to the mixture and mix well. Add remaining sugar and gently fold in the mixture the whipped egg whites.
Pour batter into your springform pan and cook for 50 minutes.
Let cake cool and cut in half. Fill with jam and dust with powdered sugar. If you like, sprinkle chopped almonds and arrange few candied orange slices on top.

Homemade Peach Jam

July 20, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

I’m not sure how my dad ended up buying 70 euro worth of peaches the other day…but he did. When he triumphantly opened the trunk of his car showing us (with much pride) the purchase he made, my mom and I didn’t exactly react the way he was expecting we would.

How the heck are we gonna eat all those peaches before they go bad??

It turned out the gazillion of baskets he brought home didn’t only contain peaches, but they were also hiding a bunch of nectarines and plums. There was no way we could eat them all. So we kept some to eat, we gave some away and with the remainder I made a LOT of jam (3 kinds of jams, to be exact). Because of the unfortunate timing (these days the weather here in Italy is incredibly hot … and, no, I don’t have AC in the kitchen) and the colossal amount of fruit, making jam turned out to be a real enterprise. I’m sure it won’t be the case for you, if you decide to do it! It’s fun, rewarding, and not difficult at all…It only takes 3 ingredients, 2 or 3 hours of your time, and some stirring.

We typically eat jam for breakfast – with bread and butter – but it can be used as filling for lots of desserts (cookies, crepes, crostatas, galettes…you name it). You can even use it to glaze meat or simply pair it with cheese. I like to buy plain yogurt and add a a dollop of jam in it (I prefer it over any other “naturally” flavored commercial versions).

Bottom line: be creative with it. Jam is pretty versatile. And pretty darn delicious.

When life gives you (tons of) peaches… make jam!

Homemade Peach Jam

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

Recipe type: Spread

Serves: 10-12 half pint jars

Ingredients

3 kg (6.6 lb) peaches, washed well
1.2 kg (2.6 lb) sugar
1½ lemons

Instructions

Cut peaches in slices and discard pits.
Place cut peaches in a big pot over medium heat. After a couple of minutes, add sugar and lemon. Stir occasionally and bring to a full boil.
Cook peaches until very soft, stirring often to prevent scorching. Once peaches have become quite mushy (this will require a couple of hours), blend them using a handheld blender (this will make make the mixture denser). The jam is done when it falls heavily from the spoon. If not done, continue cooking and try again.
Transfer hot jam into hot sterilized jars (*see notes) using a clean jam funnel. Fill hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Screw sterilized lids on to seal jars. Turn jars upside down and let them reach room temperature.

Notes

-Although I didn't do it for my jam, it's always better to blanch fruit and peel it, before cutting it.
-I sterilized the empty jars by placing them in the oven at 265F for about 15 minutes. I also boiled the lids for a few minutes. Please check safety standards and canning guidelines here: http://nchfp.uga.edu//publications/publications_usda.html

Mini Jam Tarts

March 31, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

These little tarts (crostatine in Italian) were one of my favorite afternoon snacks when I was a kid. Back then, my grandmother used to buy them from the grocery store and kept them in her pantry, right next to the paper napkins. When it was ora della merenda (“snack time”- around 4pm), I’d run next door and sneakingly grab one of them. I even remember further digging in the box to look for a little match box that contained a little surprise toy (Sorpresine del Mulino Bianco may sound familiar to whomever was a child in the 80s in Italy!). I spent so many afternoons playing with my brother and my cousins with a crostatina in one hand and one of those little toys in the other. Who needed videogames back then? Sure, we watched cartoons but we certainly spent a lot of time outside playing with simple things like those little toys…and we were happy kids!

When I recreated this childhood snack, I couldn’t help but smile while reminiscing about those times. These tarts are only made of short pastry dough and jam. Quite simple, isn’t it? Their small size and the beautiful lattice top make them look so adorable! I couldn’t stop taking photos of them and – ahem – you can tell I went a little overboard this time…

MINI JAM TARTS – CROSTATINE ALLA MARMELLATA
Servings: Makes five 4.75″ tarts (8-10 people) | Prep time: 15 min (dough) + 25 min (tarts assembling) | Rest time: 30 min | Bake time: 30 min

Recommended equipment: 4.75″ tart pans, rolling pin

INGREDIENTS
Short Pastry Dough
150 g (10 Tbsp + 2 tsp) unsalted butter
125 g (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp) granulated sugar
1 large egg
250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
a dash of vanilla
a pinch of salt
vegetable oil for plastic wrap
a bit of sugar to sprinkle on top

Filling
13 oz jam (1 jar)

Egg wash
1 egg
1 Tbsp water or milk

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cream butter with sugar using a stand mixer. Add salt, egg, and vanilla extract.
2. Sift flour and add it into the mixture. Once flour is incorporated, remove dough from mixing bowl and knead briefly until you obtain a smooth dough.
3. Wrap it in lightly oiled plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Once the dough has rested, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a bit less than 1/8 inch (3mm). Add flour if too sticky. Cut dough in circles to fit into each tart pan, trimming the dough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Reserve excess dough for lattice top.
5. Heat oven to 350F.
6. Pour jam into dough-lined tart pans until half full.
7. Roll out remaining dough and cut into strips. Form a lattice top by following photo tutorial above. Trim even with the crust edge and pinch to seal.
8. Make egg wash by mixing 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk or water. Brush strips and crust edge with egg wash. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of egg-washed crust.
9. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Buon appetito!

-Lisa