Anna & Umberto - Spello, Umbria

Leaving far from home let you miss strange things. Personally I keep thinking about the family food and the old traditions around food that Anna and Zita (Ialla’s mother and grandmother) & Primina and Luigia (my mother and my aunt) were cooking for me. That’s the reason why I started asking for those recipes and I’m now trying to cook them. As a sign of respect I will post the recipes both in Italian and in English.

From Anna and the amazing Umbria:

Pane con il Mosto - Ettorina’s recipe revised by Sauro (December 2010)

Ingredienti:

• 1 litro di mosto (da uve appena spremute, quindi non fermentate)
• 8 etti di zucchero
• 6 etti di olio (va bene anche di semi)
• 7,5 etti di uvetta passita
• 50 grammi di anice (semi)
• 1 bicchiere (non enorme) di mistrà o comunque liquore all’anice (non troppo profumato)
• 7 etti di pasta da pane lievitata (non salata) che funziona da “madre”
• 2 o 3 etti di lievito di birra
• Farina quanto basta.

Cottura: circa 20 minuti in forno a 200 gradi.

Procedimento:

Fare con la farina una fontana e inserire al centro la pasta da pane lievitata, poi il lievito e via via gli altri ingredienti, avendo l’accortezza di mescolare il mistrà a parte con un po’ di farina, prima di unirlo agli altri ingredienti. Il mosto non deve essere fermentato, altrimenti il tutto non lievita. Aggiungere la farina necessaria per un impasto morbido. L’impastatrice di un fornaio renderebbe il tutto più semplice. L’impasto, tenuto morbido come per i maritozzi, va suddiviso in filette (da circa ½ kg di pasta), che vanno messe a lievitare in testi (i fornai hanno le tavole con i mantili) ricoperti da una tovaglia di cotone infarinata in modo che le filette siano separate da una piega di tessuto che impedisca loro di attaccarsi, una volta lievitate. Dopo un paio d’ore di lievitazione in un posto caldo dovrebbero essere pronte per essere infornate su altri testi un po’ infarinati (la prova della giusta lievitazione è data dal dito premuto sulla filetta: la pasta ritorna su senza affossarsi).

Cuocere in forno a 200 gradi per 20 minuti: non devono cuocere troppo, altrimenti diventano dure e la crosta sa di amaro.

Must Bread - Ettorina’s recipe revised by Sauro (December 2010)

Ingredients

• 1l must (the must has to be of fresh squeeze grapes, without fermentation)
• 800 gr sugar
• 600 gr oil (it can be olive oil or seed oil)
• 750 gr raisins
• 50 gr aniseed
• 1 glass of anise liquor (not too strong)
• 700 gr of not salty bread dough (it has to be effective as sourdough)
• 200/300 gr beer yeast (fresh yeast)
• plain flour as much as you need

Give to flour the shape of a small mountain with a hole on top. Put inside the hole bread dough, yeast and slowly all other ingredients. Anise liquor has to be mixed with flour in a separate bowl before being added inside the flour mountain. Be careful with must, which has not to be fermented or the bread won’t rise.
Add flavor as much as you need to have a soft mixture. You have to manage the mixture for at least 20 minutes if you don’t have a bread machine or a kneading machine.
Divide the mixture in long loaves (about 500 gr each one) and put them aside to start rising. Let them be very well separated because they will double their size and it’s very important that they don’t touch each others. Cover them with a cotton tablecloth with a bit of flavor on it.
After at least two hours of rising in a warm place they are ready to be baked. To be sure about the timing press one finger on the surface if it’s elastic they are ready.
Put them inside a dripping-pan and bake for 20 minutes, 200 degrees. Check the timing because if you bake them too much they will have a bitter taste.

***************************

Torta di Pasqua – Crescia o Pizza di Pasqua

Ingredienti:

• 40 g. di lievito di birra
• 400 gr. di farina
• 3 uova
• 100 gr. di Parmigiano Reggiano grattugiato
• 50 gr. di pecorino di Norcia o sardo o toscano grattugiato
• olio, sale e pepe, burro per lo stampo.

Sbriciolare il lievito in una ciotola, unite un cucchiaio di farina e 5 cucchiai di acqua tiepida, mescolate bene fino a ottenere una pastella senza grumi, coprite con un canovaccio e lasciate lievitare per 30 minuti in luogo tiepido.

Sgusciate le uova separando gli albumi da i tuorli; mettete i primi in una ciotola capiente e montateli a neve ben ferma. Unite i tuorli, uno alla volta, continuando a lavorare delicatamente il composto con la frusta, poi 1 dl di olio, il parmigiano, il pecorino e la pastella lievitata. Infine salate e pepate abbondantemente, aggiungete la farina e amalgamate bene finché il composto risulterà morbido, omogeneo, elastico e sulla superficie appariranno delle bollicine d’aria.

Imburrate abbondantemente uno stampo da soufflé di terracotta o porcellana di circa 18 cm. di diametro e con i bordi alti, disponete l’impasto in modo che non superi i due terzi di altezza e fate lievitare in un luogo tiepido, coperto da un canovaccio, finché la pasta arriverà al bordo dello stampo.

Passate la crescia in forno a 180°C per circa 30 minuti: sarà cotta se infilzandola con uno stecchino questo uscirà completamente asciutto. Sformatela e servitela.

Se vi piace, il pecorino può essere a pezzetti piuttosto che grattugiato.

Questa è una ricetta, un po’ rivisitata, perché la difficoltà sta proprio nella corretta lievitazione, che verrebbe impedita da un eccesso di condimenti. Gli stessi albumi montati a neve, una raffinatezza moderna, aiuta la lievitazione

Torta di Pasqua – Crescia o Pizza di Pasqua

Ingredients:

• 40 g. beer yeast (fresh yeast)
• 400 gr. plain flour
• 3 eggs
• 100 gr. fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 50 gr. fresh grated pecorino di Norcia or sardo or toscano
• oil, salt, pepper and butter just for the mould

Crumble yeast in a bowl with a table spoon of flour and 5 spoons of tepid water. Mix well till you obtain a smooth batter. Cover the bowl with a tea cloth and put it in a tepid place. Leave it there for almost 30 minutes to allow the rising.

Separate yolks from white of eggs. Beat egg whites in a large bowl than add yolks one by one going on beating. Add 1 dl of oil, Parmigiano and Pecorino, and the raised batter.

Salt and pepper, add flour and combine till obtaining a soft, homogeneous and flexible mixture (on the surface you will see bubbles).

Butter a soufflé mould (diameter 18cm), put the mixture inside it being careful not to fill more than 2/3 of its height. Cover the mould with a tea cloth and put it in a tepid place to allow raising. When the mixture will reach the mould’s border it will be ready for oven: 30 minutes at 180°C . To check the baking time insert a stick inside the Pizza and if it comes out dry it’s ready to serve.

It’s Autumn but not in Perth. We still have more than 30 degrees but weather forecasts speaks about cold weather starting from tomorrow and maybe rain. (We hope rain, we want rain). So I was trying to learn what’s in season in this period of the year in Western Australia and I found a great website Seasonal Food Guide Australia. Starting from the website here is the list for Autumn fruits and veggies:

• Apples (Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Hi Early, Jonathan)
• Custard Apples
• Figs
• Guavas
• Kiwifruit
• Kumquats
• Mandarins
• Melons (Rockmelon)
• Melons (Watermelon)
• Nashi Pears
• Olives
• Pears
• Quinces
• Artichoke (Jerusalem)
• Beans (Climbing)
• Beans (Dwarf)
• Beetroot
• Capsicum
• Cauliflower
• Chillies
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Kale
• Kohl Rabi
• Onions
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Swedes
• Sweet Corn
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini

And also the “All Year” available:

• Pawpaw
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Lattuce
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Potato
• Radish
• Rhubarb
• Silver Beets
• Turnips

{the ones with a link to Wikipedia are the ones that I’ve never heard about}

For a deeper understanding of nutritional values: MarketFresh Fruit Guide & Market Fresh Vegetable Guide

• L’Australia non e’ Bondi Beach. E altri luoghi comuni.
• L’Australia non e’ un Paese per tutti.
• Come faccio a vivere in Australia?
• Australia: la vacanza dei sogni

Ne approfitto anche per ringraziare chi ha commentato sul blog, su Facebook e su Friendfeed; e’ stato bello parlare insieme di Australia.

Everything started from this post of La Cucina di Calycanthus about “Pesto di cilanto (cioe’ coriandolo)”. I was curious about the usage of Coriander for a pesto, considering that the main usage I know is the one for Tom Yum Goong. Then I realised that my basil plants on the terrace where ready and I changed the recipe. It came out a Basil Pesto with almonds and it was a really nice surprise. Nothing to do with a real pesto but a good way to change a bit the taste!

The event is over and I’m very proud that we exceeded the fundraising goal. I know that our goal was low respect to the one of other countries but we organised everything in a bit more than two weeks. Thanks to John Cooke who decided to be on my side in this adventure. I wanted to give back to Perth and to its community for the way they welcomed me when I came in October. I thought that Perth deserved to have its Twestival as any other big city in the world. These are the reasons why I decided to create PerthTwestival, I wanted Perth on the map! Our event was small and with more time and more people could have been better, but at the end we were the first ones in exceeding the fundraising goal and we showed to the world our support for Mission Australia. Thanks to all the people who donated, who came, who spread the voice via Twitter or Facebook, to PTUB. You made it possible.

Last thought is for Japan. From the first sight to this blog it’s clear how close I am to Japan so please if you can join Twestival also in worldwide donations for Save the Children Japan.

Twice a week they deliver fruits, veggie, bread, milk and meat at my door. Products are fresh and savoury. The quality is amazing and the prices are lower than the ones at Deli or supermarkets. Also the Customer Care Service is really helpful and careful. I can imagine how many calls they have to manage due to a website which is a bit complicated and not user friendly, but they are always very nice. I found my way to support Australia and eat the best products.

This post can sound as a paid post but it’s not, I’m so happy about their service that I’m trying to spread the voice as much as I can, because they really deserve it.

Few weeks ago I went to the Public Library in Perth and there was a very interesting exhibition on Italian immigrants to Western Australia. It was based on “Vite Italiane” a book written by Susanna Iuliano and I want to put the words on the back cover here to remind who Italians are and how proud we must be.

Western Australia’s cultural, political, economic and social character owes a huge debt to its Italian migrants. Since the 1880s, Italians have enriched the state with their hard work, traditions and culture.

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,900 times in 2010. That’s about 9 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 26 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 83 posts. There were 32 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 13mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was October 4th with 73 views. The most popular post that day was Aleardi10 è una casa..

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were friendfeed.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, linkedin.com, and girlgeekdinnersbologna.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for valentina crepax, italia lutto, john ashfield, italia in lutto, and lutto italia.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Aleardi10 è una casa. October 2010
7 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

Cimny July 2008
2 comments

Il luogo non luogo: l’aeroporto. April 2009
1 comment

Silenzio e rispetto. April 2009

Cantucci salati pecorino, parmigiano e pistacchi. December 2009
3 comments