romanesco broccoli soup / zuppa di broccolo romanesco

January 12, 2021 | Simona

comfort soup for winter evenings
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food From 31 Celebrated Writers, edited by Natalie Eve Garrett ¹, a collection of short pieces focused on food memories, some joyful, some painful, all interesting. Each writer shares a moment or an aspect of their life, describes the food associated with it and provides the recipe. It is a pleasant read, a reminder of our deep connection with food which crosses nationalities and cultures and brings us together as humans.

In the years I have been writing, I have described a number of personal comfort recipes. Seeing as winter is here and storms lash out at the Northern California coast, soup is the food that right now brings me most comfort. I am actually a year-round soup eater (as my recent post featuring tromboncino squash soup shows²), but in the winter months, soup becomes a constant. My mother would make minestrone fairly regularly but only rarely would she purée vegetables to make passato di verdure. I loved the latter, smooth and silky. It's a familiar story: we crave what is unusual, rarely tasted. I carried this hankering for smooth soups to adulthood and even now, the last step, when the immersion blender³ does its magic, is the most satisfying.

removing the color highlights the mesmerizing shape

The main ingredient of my current favorite soup is one of my favorite vegetables: Romanesco broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica). It's impossible not to be fascinated by this vegetable's shape, its geometric beauty. And it is not just pretty, it has also a great flavor, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, and slightly nutty.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Romanesco broccoli soup

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds / 20 ounces / 570 grams Romanesco broccoli (to yield a clean weight of 16 ounces / 450 grams)
3 tablespoons / 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces / 113 grams red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups / 355 ml chicken broth or stock, or vegetable broth [in which case the soup is vegan], possibly homemade, divided
2 1/2 cups / 590 ml water
3 tablespoons nut butter of choice, like walnut cashew butter⁵ or roasted almond butter
1/2-1 teaspoon fine sea salt, depending on salt content of other ingredients and to taste

Heat the oven to 400 F / 205 C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

Cut the Romanesco broccoli into bite-sized florets. Peel the stalk and cut it crosswise into coins.

Place the Romanesco broccoli in a bowl and drizzle it with 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of the olive oil. Toss well to coat.

Spread the Romanesco broccoli in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and place it in the oven. Roast the Romanesco broccoli for 20-22 minutes, until just tender.

Warm up the remaining 2 tablespoons / 30 ml of olive oil in a pot. Add the onion and stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes on medium-low heat, then add the grated ginger and stir well. Cover the pot and cook on low heat until the onion is soft, stirring often.

Add the Romanesco broccoli to the pot, stir and after a minute pour 1 cup / 240 ml of the broth and the water into the pot. The liquid should barely cover the vegetables. Cover the pot, bring to a boil and cook on low heat until you can mash a floret of Romanesco broccoli with the back of a wooden spoon against the side of the pot.

Sprinkle the sea salt and stir. Let cool for 20-30 minutes, then purée with an immersion blender. Before you finish the processing, heat up the remaining broth in a mug and mix in the nut butter. Pour into the soup and process briefly to blend well. Taste and adjust salt. Add some water to make the soup reach desired consistency.

When ready to eat, heat the soup, ladle it in bowls and serve immediately.

Serves 4-5

¹ NPR interview with the book's editor
² My recent post on Tromboncino squash soup
³ Article on industrial designer Gabriel Lluelles the inventor of the immersion blender, (which in Italy is sometimes called a minipimer)
⁵ I love this company's nut butters

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zuppa di broccolo romanesco

or launch the zuppa di broccolo romanesco audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

And I am contributing my fruit salad also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books club co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

onion, Romanesco broccoli, soup, Italian cuisine

Black and White Wednesday #160: la galleria di foto / the photo gallery

April 1, 2015December 12, 2025 | Simona

snails too like Swiss chard

Below are the images contributed to edition #160 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event

Enjoy this week's show!

Cinzia of Cindystar: Old kitchenware in underground Naples
(40 meters below street level)

Sandhya of Sandhya's Kitchen: Steam

Newrule

Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu: Lunch

Simona of briciole: Homemade bun rice noodles

As of today, Cinzia of Cindystar is accepting submissions for edition #161 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event. You can send her your contribution to casacortella AT tin DOT it.

I am sending her the top photo of this post, which was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to black and white (Lightroom preset B&W Look 3).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Thank you to all the contributors, to Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook who created the event and to Cinzia of Cindystar who is now organizing it.

I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a photo, please send me a note.

Arrivederci a presto

vermicelli di riso fatti in casa / homemade bun rice noodles

March 22, 2015 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

homemade bun rice noodle soup / IMG_2887

western-style broth meets eastern-style rice noodles

The eighth stop of our World Culinary ABC¹ is Vietnam. To celebrate our virtual visit I made bun rice noodles from scratch. Making an Asian pasta had been on my to-do list for a long time. Having found a detailed recipe from a reputable source², I went to work: the process was interesting and the result quite nice.

The original recipe calls for a pound of rice flour, but I applied the rule I repeat in each of my pasta posts³ and quartered the quantities. Please, read carefully the note about flour below.

Ingredients for the noodles:

4 ounces / 113 g white rice flour (see Note below)
210 ml / 1 cup – 2 tablespoons water (#1)
water #2 (see recipe for details)
2 teaspoons / 10 ml grapeseed oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil
1 ounce / 28 g tapioca starch (tapioca flour is a synonym)
1/2 tablespoon coarse salt

Ingredients for the soup:

Homemade chicken broth
Fresh chives

Update: Note about the flour. I originally used white rice flour I had at home, bought some time ago from the bulk section of my local grocery store (flour #1). The recipe I followed says to use Thai white rice flour (which reportedly is ground finer than American white rice flour). When I was able to find it, in a grocery store in Oakland's Chinatown, I made a comparison between that (flour #2) and the white rice flour I bought again from the local store, since I had depleted my original cash (flour #3).

After repeated tests, I can say that Thai white rice flour gave the same result as flour #1, which I originally used. They performed better than flour #3. The difference is barely noticeable if you consume the noodles immediately. The noodles made with flour #3 tended to stick together if not used right away, a tendency that got worse with time.

Hence, I also recommend to use Thai white rice flour, if you can find it. If not, try using a finely ground white rice flour and make a small batch like I did. Do not use sweet rice flour (a.k.a., glutinous rice flour).

Prepare the batter the day before
In a small bowl, whisk together the rice flour and water #1 until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for for 24-28 hours in a draft-free place (I put it on top of the refrigerator, my fermentation station). The batter should ferment a bit and develop a slight tang, but if that doesn't happen, it won't affect the recipe, so you can proceed.

How to make the dough
When you are ready to make the noodles, uncover the bowl. You should see that the flour has settled at the bottom and that there is a layer of water over it. Pour off that water slowly so as not to disturb the flour. When I used flour #1 (see Note above), this measured 1/4 cup / 60 ml or so. When I used Thai white rice flour and flour #3 it measured 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons / 90 ml. If you removed the lesser amount, add 2 teaspoons / 10 ml water to the batter. If you removed the larger amount, add 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon / 20 ml water to the batter. Stir well to make a smooth batter.

Fill a 4 quart / 4 liter pot with 3 quarts / 3 liters of water and heat it up, so it will be boiling by the time you are ready to cook the bun rice noodles.

Put the oil in a 1 quart / 1 liter saucepan and heat on high. When the oil is hot, pour the rice flour batter into the saucepan. Turn down the heat to medium and stir the batter with a wooden spoon, making sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. If you've ever made pâte à choux, this passage will feel familiar. The batter will quickly thicken as you stir it. Turn down the heat and keep stirring until the dough becomes so stiff that the wooden spoon can stand up in it.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, let it cool slightly so you can handle it. Sprinkle the tapioca starch on it and knead to incorporate it. When almost all the starch has been incorporated, empty the bowl on a working surface lightly sprinkled with tapioca starch and knead the dough until it is smooth, a minute or so. The dough is supple but not sticky.

homemade bun rice noodle dough / IMG_2842

the dough ready to be extruded

How to make and cook the noodles
Prepare an ice bath in a bowl: fill it in half with water and add a dozen ice cubes. Place it near the stove.

Prepare the potato ricer (schiacciapatate). Use a kind that has holes on the bottom only and not on the sides. Mine has two changeable disks and I use the one with the smaller holes.

When the water in the pot is almost boiling, add the coarse salt and stir. Bring water to a rolling boil.

another use for the potato ricer

Place the dough into the potato ricer (see photo above). Working over the pot, press the potato ricer to extrude the noodles directly into the boiling water. Lower the potato ricer so that the bottom almost touches the water surface and jiggle it to break off the noodles (see Andrea's video²).

bun rice noodles cooking

Keep the water at a low boil. The noodles surface and then gather to one side of the pot. Take the noodles out of the water with a spider strainer or similar tool and place them straight into the ice bath. Be gentle as the noodles are delicate. When the noodles have cooled, drain and rinse under running cool water to remove the excess starch. Drain well.

If you make more than one batch of noodles, I recommend you clean the potato ricer in between uses.

drained bun rice noodles ready to be used

My recommendation is to eat the noodles soon after they are made.

In the top photo, you can see the soup (minestra) I made by simply heating up some of my homemade chicken broth and adding bun rice noodles and a sprinkling of snipped fresh chives. (My broth is never clear because I put a lot of vegetable trimmings in it, besides the chicken.) With the bun rice noodle recipe above you can make 4 bowls of soup served as an appetizer.

a fun pairing: bun rice noodles and fresh cannellini beans

In the photo above, I paired bun rice noodles with cannellini beans I bought fresh last summer and froze straight out of the pod. I also made some rolls with vegetables, bun rice noodles and chopped toasted peanuts (no photo). The soup was the most successful use for the noodles.

Now I am ready to make at home some other type of Asian pasta.

¹ The World Culinary ABC kick-off post.
² Andrea Nguyen's post on Viet World Kitchen is quite detailed and includes a video where you can see how the noodles are extruded into the boiling water. Her source is Charles Phan’s recipe for rice noodles which I actually read before Andrea's post. Phan's reference to pâte à choux is spot on: that's exactly how the process of cooking the dough feels. The thing that intrigued me in Phan's recipe was the dough fermentation. After reading Andrea's experiences, I've always fermented my dough 24-28 hours.
³ My collection of handmade pasta.

monochrome

I contribute my bun rice noodles to the 8th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. H like Hanoi (Vietnam) is hosted by Sabrina of Les madeleines di Proust.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

I was a bit worried about failing in this adventure, but pushed myself to try and I am glad I did. I am contributing my first adventure in homemade Asian pasta to Our Growing Edge. This event aims to connect food bloggers and inspire them to try new things. This month the event is hosted by Cynthia from Eat Munch Love.

The roundup of the event.

The bottom photo is my contribution to edition #160 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted until April 1 by me, Simona of briciole.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset B&W Look 1).

The gallery of image contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

vermicelli di riso fatti in casa

or launch the vermicelli di riso fatti in casa audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

rice flour, noodles, soup, Vietnamese cuisine

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vermicelli di riso fatti in casa

brodo in stile occidentale con vermicelli in stile orientale

L'ottava tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale¹ è il Vietnam. Per celebrarla ho preparato in casa i vermicelli di riso. Era da un po' di tempo che volevo provare a fare una pasta asiatica e dopo aver trovato una buona ricetta² mi sono messa all'opera. Un procedimento interessante mi ha dato un buon risultato.

La ricetta che ho seguito utilizza una libbra di farina di riso (450 g), ma io ho applicato la regola che ripeto in tutti i miei post sulla pasta fatta in casa³ e ho utilizzato un quarto degli ingredienti. Vi raccomando di fare lo stesso. Per favore, leggete con attenzione la nota sotto riguardante la farina di riso.

Ingredienti per i vermicelli:

113 g farina di riso bianca (vedi Nota in basso)
210 ml acqua (numero 1)
acqua numero 2
10 ml olio di vinaccioli o altro olio vegetale insapore (dal sapore neutro)
28 g amido di tapioca (o farina di tapioca, che è la stessa cosa)
mezzo cucchiaio di sale grosso

Ingredienti per la minestra:

brodo di pollo fatto in casa
erba cipollina fresca

Aggiornamento: Nota riguardante la farina. Per fare i vermicelli all'inizio ho usato farina di riso bianca che avevo a casa, comprata sfusa qualche tempo fa al supermercato locale (farina numero 1). La ricetta che ho seguito dice di usare farina di riso bianca tailandese (che a quanto ho letto è macinata più fine di quella americana). Quando sono riuscita a trovare tale farina, in un negozio nella Chinatown di Oakland, ho fatto un confronto tra essa (farina numero 2) e la farina di riso che ho comprato di nuovo al supermercato locale, dal momento che l'avevo finita (farina numero 3).

Dopo diversi test, posso dire che la farina di riso bianca tailandese ha dato lo stesso risultato della farina numero 1 che ho usato all'inizio. Hanno dato un risultato migliore della farina numero 3. La differenza è minima se consumate i vermicelli immediatamente. Quelli fatti con la farina numero 3 tendevano ad appiccicarsi l'uno all'altro se lasciati riposare, una tendenza che aumenta col passare del tempo.

Quindi anche io raccomando di utilizzare la farina di riso bianca tailandese, se riuscite a trovarla. Altrimenti, utilizzate una farina di riso bianca macinata fine e preparate una quantità ridotta di impasto, come ho fatto io. Non usate farina di riso glutinoso.

Preparare la base il giorno precedente
In una ciotolina mescolare acqua (numero 1) e farina di riso fino ad avere un impasto liscio. Coprire la ciotola e far riposare l'impasto per 24-28 ore in un luogo al riparo da correnti (nel mio caso sopra al frigorifero). L'impasto dovrebbe fermentare un po', ma se non succede potete proseguire lo stesso con la ricetta.

Preparare l'impasto
Quando siete pronti a preparare i vermicelli, scoprite la ciotola. Vedrete che la farina si è depositata sul fondo e c'è uno strato di acqua sopra di essa. Versarla lentamente per eliminarla senza disturbare la farina. Quando ho usate la farina numero 1 (vedi Nota in altro) quest'acqua era circa 60 ml. Quando ho usate la farina tailandese e la farina numero 3 quest'acqua era circa 90 ml. Se eliminate la quantità minore, aggiungete all'impasto 10 ml d'acqua. Se eliminate la quantità maggiore, aggiungete all'impasto 20 ml d'acqua. Mescolare bene per creare un impasto liscio.

Riempire una pentola alta da 4 litri con 3 litri d'acqua e scaldarla in modo che sia a bollore per quando siete pronti a cuocere i vermicelli.

Versare l'olio in una pentola da un litro e scaldarlo a calore elevato. Quando l'olio è bollente, versare l'impasto di farina di riso nella pentola. Abbassare il calore a medio e mescolare con un cucchiaio di legno, facendo attenzione a raschiare il fondo e le pareti della pentola. L'impasto si addensa rapidamente mentre lo mescolate. Abbassare il calore e continuare a mescolare fino a quando l'impasto non sia così sodo che il cucchiaio di legno infisso in esso rimane diritto.

Trasferire l'impasto in una ciotola pulita e farlo intiepidire un po' in modo da poterlo manipolare. Distribuire l'amido di tapioca sulla superficie e impastare per incorporarlo. Quando quasi tutto l'amido è incorporato, vuotare la ciotola sul piano di lavoro leggermente infarinato con la tapioca e lavorare l'impasto fino a quando sia omogeneo, circa un minuto. L'impasto è morbido ma non appiccicoso.

impasto per vermicelli di riso fatti in casa / IMG_2842

l'impasto pronto ad essere pressato

Come formare e cuocere i vermicelli
Preparare una ciotola con acqua ghiacciata: riempirla a metà di acqua e poi aggiungere una dozzina di cubetti di ghiaccio. Mettere la ciotola vicino ai fornelli.

Preparare lo schiacciapatate. Usare un tipo che ha i fori solo sul fondo e non ai lati. (Il mio ha due dischi intercambiabili e uso quello con i fori più piccoli.)

Quando l'acqua nella pentola ha quasi raggiunto il bollore aggiungere il sale grosso e mescolare. Portarla a bollore come per la pasta.

impasto per vermicelli di riso fatti in casa / IMG_2843

un altro modo di utilizzare lo schiacciapatate

Mettere l'impasto nello schiacciapatate (vedi foto qui sopra). Stando sopra la pentola, pressare lo schiacciapatate e far uscire i vermicelli direttamente nell'acqua bollente. Abbassare lo schiacciapatate in modo che la sua base quasi tocchi l'acqua a scuoterlo in modo da far staccare i vermicelli (vedi anche il video nel post di Andrea²).

vermicelli di riso durante la cottura / IMG_2853

bvermicelli di riso durante la cottura

Mantenere l'acqua a bollore delicato. I vermicelli salgono in superficie e poi si raccolgono verso un lato della pentola. Con un colino a retino o strumento simile tirare fuori dall'acqua i vermicelli e versarli delicatamente nell'acqua ghiacciata preparata in precedenza. Quando sono tiepidi, scolarli e sciacquarli in acqua fresca corrente per rimuovere l'eccesso di amido. Scolare bene.

vermicelli di riso scolati e pronti per l'uso

La mia raccomandazione è di consumare i vermicelli quanto prima.

Nella foto in alto potete vedere la minestra che ho preparato semplicemente scaldando del mio brodo di pollo fatto in casa e aggiungendo i vermicelli di riso e un po' di erba cipollina tagliuzzata. (Il mio brodo non è mai limpido perché oltre al pollo ci metto molti avanzi di verdure.) Con la ricetta dei vermicelli in alto potete fare 4 tazze di minestra da servire come primo.

vermicelli di riso fatti in casa con fagioli / IMG_2852

una coppia speciale: vermicelli di riso fatti in casa con fagioli cannellini

Nella foto qui sopra ho impiattato i vermicelli con dei fagioli cannellini comprati freschi l'estate scorsa, sgranati e surgelati. Li ho anche usati per fare degli involtini primavera con verdure varie e arachidi tostate tritate (niente foto). Secondo me sono al meglio nella minestra.

Adesso sono pronta a provare a fare altri tipi di pasta asiatica.

¹ Post inaugurale dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale.
² Il post di Andrea Nguyen su Viet World Kitchen è alquanto dettagliato e comprende un breve video dove potete vedere come lei pressa i vermicelli direttamente nell'acqua bollente. La ricetta di Andrea deriva da quella di Charles Phan che di fatto io avevo consultato prima di trovare il post di Andrea. Il paragone che Phan fa con l'impasto dei bigné è preciso: cuocere l'impasto per i vermicelli somiglia alla cottura dell'impasto per i bigné. L'elemento della ricetta che mi ha attirato in particolare è la fermentazione dell'impasto. Dopo aver letto i risultati degli esperimenti di Andrea, io ho sempre fermentato il mio impasto per 24-28 ore.
³ La mia collezione di pasta fatta in casa.

Con questa ricetta partecipo all'ottava tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. H come Hanoi (Vietnam) è ospitata da Sabrina di Les madeleines di Proust.

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.

zuppa di ceci neri / black chickpea soup

March 15, 2015 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

a simply good soup (linen napkin from La FABBRICA del LINO)

Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer¹ is the protagonist of Cheap Novelties, The Pleasures of Urban Decay² by Ben Katchor. The collection of black and white strips reads like a collection of short-short stories simple on the surface, yet haunting like the dripping of a faucet that prevents us from falling asleep.

Julius is out all day in a solidly urban landscape of tall buildings grouped into blocks drawn up by roads. Instead of the sun, a myriad light bulbs (lampadine) of store signs illuminates this landscape. For every person, life is a matter-of-fact succession of days.

Wandering around Katchor’s short stories, Knipl observes the most trivial and fantastical details about his city. In one strip, Knipl follows a city employee whose job is to taste the water “sampling stations” in a New York look-alike. Knipl watches him eat salted peanuts to offset the dull taste as he wanders from station to station, saying admiringly, “What a Job.” [3]

Objects are cheap (in every sense of the world). Julius Knipl advertises his business by having his name printed on pens which don’t even work, but get his name out. Cafés are prime observation spots. The food is body fuel. At about 10 am, “businessmen stop and go out for coffee.” Reflected in the glaze of a cheese Danish are a succession of stopped figures.” If Julius is late getting to the café there won’t be any cheese Danish left, so he’ll get a Linzer tart. At 10 pm, chairs on tables mean the preferred deli or café has closed for the day, so his only option is “a meat loaf plate at the National Cafeteria.”

The black and white world in which Julius Knipl moves made me want to cook something along the same color lines, yet unusual. I have a package of ceci neri (black chickpeas) from Italy (Puglia, to be precise) and decided to make a soup with them.

ceci neri are truly black and somewhat smaller than “regular” chickpeas
(the beautiful bicolor linen tablecloth is from La FABBRICA del LINO)

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Black chickpea soup

Ingredients:

1 cup / 6 oz / 170 g dried black chickpea (ceci neri)
3 cups / 700 ml water
1/2 tablespoon / 7.5 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup / 240 ml chicken or vegetable broth, possibly homemade
1 bay leaf
One 2-inch / 5-cm piece of kombu (optional, but recommended)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus to taste
1/2 tablespoon / 7.5 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 small leek, white and light green portion
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary needles
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Note: The black chickpeas I used to create and refine this recipe come from southern Italy. It is possible to purchase Italian ceci neri online. There is also a variety grown in the US.

How to prepare the chickpeas
Rinse the chickpeas and let them soak overnight in the 3 cups / 700 ml of water.

How to prepare the soup
Transfer the chickpeas and water to a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat and keep the water bubbling vivaciously for 8-10 minutes, then turn down the heat.

In the meantime, warm up the olive oil in a small skillet, then add the shallot and stir well. Cook on gentle heat for several minutes, until softened, stirring often. Add the garlic, stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat. Warm up the broth until it is quite hot.

With a skimmer, remove any foam that forms on the surface of the chickpeas, then add the cooked shallot and garlic, the hot broth, the bay leaf and the kombu (if using). Bring back to a boil, turn down the hear and cook, covered, until the chickpeas are tender. The skin remains rather firm. When almost ready, add salt and stir.

Half an hour or so after the chickpeas have started cooking with the aromatics, slice the leek into thin half moons, and measure 1/4 cup / 60 ml. Wash leek carefully and drain. Warm up the other amount of olive oil in a small skillet, then add the leek and rosemary and stir well. Cook on gentle heat until the leek is soft, stirring often. Take off the heat, add the pepper and stir well. Set aside.

When the chickpeas are ready, add the leeks and stir. Let cool slightly, then ladle one cup of chickpeas and broth into the immersion blender cup or similar container. Blend to a creamy consistency. Pour the cream back into the saucepan, then briefly process the soup with the immersion blender. This creates a variety of textures: some chickpeas will remain whole, others will be broken more or less coarsely and some will be reduced to a cream.

Taste and adjust salt. Serve immediately or let the soup rest to let flavors blend. Serve the soup hot with small cubes of toasted bread. (The bread in the photo is my popular version of Maltese ftira.)

Serves 4.

This is a nourishing soup with a deep flavor. Ceci neri are tastier than their cream-colored relatives. I am wondering how good would black chickpea hummus be.

a combination of earthy colors and textures

With special thanks to my friend Ame for suggesting the book.

¹ Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer
² Cheap Novelties, The Pleasures of Urban Decay
³ Inside the bizarre, beautiful world of Ben Katchor’s comics

FTC disclosure: I have received the linens free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting the product on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

This is my contribution to the 23rd edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started some time ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

I am contributing my soup also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

The bottom photo is my contribution to edition #159 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted until March 18 by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset Sepia Tone).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zuppa di ceci neri

or launch the zuppa di ceci neri audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

soup, chickpeas, garbanzo beans, Italian cuisine

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zuppa di ceci neri

una zuppa semplicemente buona
(tovagliolo di lino de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Con questi bei ceci neri che ho vengono dalla Puglia ho preparato un’ottima zuppa dal sapore sincero.

Come si vede dalla foto in basso, i ceci neri sono davvero neri e un po’ più piccoli dei ceci “normali.” Hanno anche un sapore un po’ più intenso.

Composizione in bianco nero e colori naturali
(splendida tovaglia bicolore de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Ingredienti:

170 g ceci neri secchi
700 ml acqua
1/2 cucchiaio / 7,5 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva
1 spicchio d’aglio tritato
1 scalogno medio tritato
240 ml brodo di pollo o vegetale, possibilmente fatto in casa
1 foglio d’alloro
un pezzo da 5 cm di alga kombu (facoltativo)
1/2 cucchiaino sale fino, più q.b.
1/2 cucchiaio / 7,5 ml olio extra vergine di olive
1 piccolo porro (la parte bianca e verde chiara)
1 cucchiaino di aghi di rosmarino tritati
un pochino di pepe nero macinato fresco

Preparare i ceci
Sciacquare i ceci e tenerli in ammollo durante la notte in 700 ml d’acqua.

Preparare la zuppa
Versare i ceci e l’acqua in una pentola. Portare a bollore vivace su calore medio e mantenerlo per 8-10 minuti, poi abbassare il calore.

Nel frattempo, scaldare l’olio in una padellina, aggiungere lo scalogno e mescolare bene. Cuocere a fuoco dolce per alcuni minuti, fino a quando lo scalogno sia morbido, mescolando spesso. Aggiungere l’aglio, mescolare e cuocere per un paio di minuti. Togliere dal fuoco. Scaldare il brodo fino quasi a bollore.

Con una schiumarola rimuovere la schiuma che si forma sulla superficie dei ceci, poi aggiungere scalogno e aglio cotti, il brodo bollente, l’allore e il kombu (se lo si usa). Riportare a bollore, abbassare il calore e far cuocere, coperti, fino a quando i ceci non sono teneri. La buccia rimane un po’ al dente. Quando i ceci sono quasi pronti, aggiungere il sale e mescolare.

Circa mezz’ora dopo aver cominciato a cuocere i ceci con gli aromi, tagliare il porro a mezzelune fini e misurarne 60 ml. Lavare con cura e scolare. Scaldare l’altra quantità di olio in una padellina, aggiungere porro e rosmarino e mescolare bene. Cuocere a fuoco dolce fino a quando il porro sia morbido, mescolando spesso. Togliere dal fuoco, aggiungere il pepe e mescolare bene. Mettere da parte.

Quando i ceci sono cotti, aggiungere il porro alla pentola e mescolare. Far intiepidire leggermente, poi con un mestolo estrarre 250 ml di ceci e brodo di cottura, versarli in una ciotola coi bordi alti e ridurli ad una crema con un mixer ad immersione. Versare la crema di nuovo nella pentola con i ceci e poi frullare brevemente la zuppa con il mixer ad immersione. Questo processo fa si’ che alcuni ceci rimangano interi, altri saranno spezzati più o meno finemente e altri saranno ridotti ad una crema.

Assaggiare e regolare il sale. Servire immediatamente o lasciare riposare la zuppa in modo che il suo sapore maturi un po’. Servire la zuppa ben calda con cubetti di pane tostato. (Il pane nella foto e la mia popolare versione della ftira maltese.)

Porzioni: 4.

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto i lini gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentare il prodotto sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

crema di fagioli / refried beans

March 1, 2015 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

painted pony beans (table runners from La FABBRICA del LINO)

The seventh stop of our World Culinary ABC¹ is Mexico. To celebrate our virtual visit I made a personal version of frijoles refritos. [Note that the prefix re- in this case means "very" or "well".]

I had some pinto beans and that's the variety I used initially for the recipe. According to wikipedia² "In northern Mexico and in American Tex-Mex cuisine, refried beans are usually prepared with pinto beans, but many other varieties of bean are used in other parts of Mexico, such as black or red beans."

But then at the farmers' market I saw the beautiful painted pony beans in the photo above and had to try them. This heirloom variety from Mexico is a dual-purpose bean, meaning it can be harvested early as long stringless snap beans (fagiolini) or later as dry beans. One nice thing of these beans is that, when cooked, they retain their characteristic brown and white bicolor markings.

To make the dish, beans are first stewed then mashed and then cooked again with various seasonings. The variations for each step are countless. My rendition is light and mild in flavor to accommodate my household's preference foods that are not too spicy.

a non-traditional but successful pairing with savory scones

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Refried beans

Ingredients for the beans:

1 cup / 200 g / 7 ounces pinto beans or painted pony beans or other dried beans of choice
4 cups / 950 ml water
A bay leaf
1 small onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, sliced
A handful of parsley stems (you will use the leaves later)
2 small sprigs fresh winter savory (santoreggia montana) or oregano
A 2-inch / 5 cm piece of kombu (optional)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Additionally:

1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces / 170 g onion, finely chopped
A pinch red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Fine sea salt, to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

How to cook dry beans
The way I cook beans for further use comes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison (Beans with Aromatics). After soaking the beans for several hours or overnight in the water, empty the whole bowl into a saucepan and add all the aromatics.

Bring the water to a lively boil quickly, and keep it there for five minutes, then turn down the heat and let the beans simmer, covered, until they are ready. How long this takes depends on the type of beans and their freshness. Add salt and stir.

Let the beans cool in their broth, then remove the aromatics and discard them. Let the beans rest in their cooking broth until ready to use.

How to finish the dish
Warm up the olive oil in a frying pan (large enough to also accommodate the beans) and add onion, cumin and red pepper flakes. Cook on gentle heat until the onion is soft and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle a bit of salt and stir.

While the onion cooks, drain the beans, leaving them moist and saving the liquid. Mash the beans, preferably with an immersion blender, which lets you control the level of smoothness of the final product. You want to leave some texture, i.e., do not process until smooth.

Add mashed beans to the onion, stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour 1/2 cup / 120 ml of the beans' cooking liquid into the pan and stir. Cook, stirring often, until the beans reach the desired consistency. (Use more of the beans' cooking liquid if necessary.) Season with salt, to taste, and take off the heat.

Sprinkle parsley, stir well and serve. (I actually like them better the day after).

soft in sepia

¹ The World Culinary ABC kick-off post.
² wikipedia: refried beans.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table runners free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting the product on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

I contribute my refried beans to the 7th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. G like Guadalajara (Mexico) is hosted by Lucia of Torta di rose.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

I contribute my refried beans also to My Legume Love Affair #81, the current edition of the popular, legume-centered event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen, and hosted this month by Siri of Cooking with Siri.

The roundup of the event.

The bottom photo is my contribution to edition #158 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted until March 4 by Shri of Tiffin Carrier Antic/que's.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset Sepia Tone).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

crema di fagioli

or launch the crema di fagioli audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

beans, onion, Mexican cuisine, side dish

[jump to Comments]

crema di fagioli messicana

fagioli "painted pony" (centro tavola de La FABBRICA del LINO)

La settima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale¹ è il Messico. Il piatto che ho scelto per celebrare questa tappa si chiama frijoles refritos. [Il prefisso re- in questo caso significa "molto" o "ben."]

Avevo dei fagioli pinto ed è questa la varietà che ho usato all'inizio per preparare la ricetta. Secondo wikipedia² "Nel Messico settentrionale e nella cucina americana Tex-Mex, refried beans di solito di preparano con i fagioli pinto, ma altri tipi di fagioli sono utilizzati in altre zone del Messico, come i fagioli neri e quelli rossi."

Poi al farmers' market ho visto dei bei fagioli "painted pony" e ho voluto provarli. Da questa varietà di origine messicana si possono ottenere sia fagiolini verdi che fagioli da seccare. Il disegno bicolore caratteristico si mantiene durante la cottura.

Per preparare frijoles refritos, i fagioli prima vengono bolliti, poi schiacciati e poi cotti di nuovo con vari condimenti. Le variazioni ad ogni passo sono infinite. La mia versione è leggera e delicata di sapore per onorare la preferenza della famiglia per cibi non piccanti.

connubio non tradizionale ma di successo con degli scone salati

Ingredienti per i fagioli:

200 g fagioli secchi: pinto o painted pony o borlotti o altra varietà simile
950 ml d'acqua
una foglia d'alloro
una cipolla piccola tagliata in quarti
2 spicchi d'aglio tagliati a fettine
una piccola manciata di steli di prezzemolo (userete le foglie in seguito)
2 rametti di santoreggia montana oppure origano freschi
un pezzo da 5 cm di alga kombu (facoltativo)
1 cucchiaino sale fino

Altri ingredienti per la crema:

1 cucchiaio / 15 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva
170 g cipolla tritata
un pizzico di fiocchi di peperoncino
1/8 cucchiaino cumino in polvere
sale fino, q.b.
2 cucchiai prezzemolo fresco tritato

Cuocere i fagioli
Il metodo che uso per cuocere i fagioli secchi viene da Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone di Deborah Madison (Beans with Aromatics). Dopo aver tenuto in ammollo 100 g di fagioli in 475 ml d'acqua per diverse ore o tutta la notte, versare il tutto in una pentola e aggiungere gli odori.

Portare a bollore vivace e mantenerlo per 5 minuti, poi abbassare il calore e far cuocere, coperti, fino a quando i fagioli non sono teneri. Il tempo necessario dipende dal tipo di fagioli e dalla loro freschezza.

Far freddare i fagioli nel liquido di cottura, poi rimuovere gli odori e scartarli. Lasciare i fagioli nel liquido di cottura fino a quando non li utilizzate.

Completare la preparazione
In una padella (grande abbastanza da poter accomodare anche i fagioli in seguito), scaldare l'olio e aggiungere la cipolla. Mescolare poi aggiungere cumino e peperoncino. Cuocere a fuoco dolce fino a quando la cipolla sia morbida e dorata, 20 minuti circa. Salare leggermente e mescolare.

Mentre la cipolla cuoce, scolare i fagioli lasciandoli un po' umidi. Conservare il liquido di cottura. Questo è uno dei vantaggi di cuocere i fagioli da soli (piuttosto che comprarli in scatola): il liquido di cottura è aromatico e quindi utilizzabile nella preparazione del piatto per il quale avete cotto i fagioli.

Schiacciare i fagioli preferibilmente con il minipimer che vi permette di controllare il livello di cremosità del prodotto finale. In questo caso, non ridurre i fagioli ad una crema omogenea, ma lasciarne una parte in pezzi.

Versare i fagioli nella padella con la cipolla, mescolare bene e poi cuocere per un paio di minuti. Versare nella padella 120 ml del liquido di cottura dei fagioli e mescolare. Cuocere, mescolando spesso, fino a quando la crema di fagioli raggiunga la consistenza desiderata. (Se necessario, utilizzare ancora un po' del liquido di cottura dei fagioli.) Condire con un po' di sale, q.b., e togliere dal fuoco.

Spargere il prezzemolo sulla crema, mescolare e servire. (Di fatto, io la preferisco il giorno dopo.)

¹ Post inaugurale dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale.
² wikipedia: refried beans.

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto il centrotavola gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentare il prodotto sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Con questa ricetta partecipo alla settima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. G come Guadalajara (Messico) è ospitata da Lucia di Torta di rose.

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.

Black and White Wednesday #156: la galleria di foto / the photo gallery

February 4, 2015 | Simona

cappuccino, notebook and fountain pen / IMG_2590

A writer’s necessities

I write first drafts longhand
with my trusted fountain pen.

Below are the images contributed to edition #156 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event

Enjoy this week’s show!

Jann of Traveling Food Lady

Extra-virgin olive oil for soup

Cabbage

Fresh grapes and pear

(plus a few more images included in the post)

Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu: Wood-fired oven cornbread

Cinzia of Cindystar: Chez La Mère Catherine

Newrule

Simona of briciole

Cauliflower at the farmers’ market

Panda (handmade pasta)

As of today, Cinzia of Cindystar is accepting submissions for edition #157 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event. You can send her your contribution to casacortella AT tin DOT it.

I am sending her the top photo of this post, which was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset Sepia Tone).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Thank you to all the contributors, to Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook who created the event and to Cinzia of Cindystar who is now organizing it.

I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a photo, please send me a note.

Arrivederci a presto

panda (pasta fatta a mano) / panda (handmade pasta shape)

January 25, 2015 | Simona

la pastasciutta con quello che c'è

The poem by George Bradley La past'asciutta con quello che c'è is included in the anthology Sustenance and Desire: A Food Lover's Anthology of Sensuality and Humor by Bascove, which is the current selection of our Cook the Books Club. (The book included a number of inspiring pieces and I may well go back to another one or two later.)

In his poem Bradley captures perfectly my approach to pasta: I sometimes plan ahead, but often I simply create a dressing with what I have available.

Dried pasta's how a cook accommodates
the facts. No artist makes much out of his
dreams but makes the most of what there is.

[If you follow the link you can read the short poem in its entirety.]

In recent years I have largely given up dried pasta in favor of my handmade pasta: I am constantly working on some shape, so I usually have freshly made pasta available. Sometimes I don't have a set plan for the dressing and mi arrangio con quello che c'è (I make do with what I have). The result is often surprisingly good.

panda resting on linen napkin from La FABBRICA del LINO

Watching young giant panda Bao Bao roll in the snow in the video from the Smithsonian's National Zoo inspired me to create a pasta shape that, in Bao Bao's honor and thanks to a comment by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill, I have called panda (in Italian the word is both singular and plural).

This short video shows my hands at work:

As you can see from the video, each small piece of pasta is first stretched with the thumb and then curled with the index finger. The result is a concave triangle that reminds me of a sitting panda.

The dough I used for this pasta is the semolina dough I have described before. I recently stopped at Keith Giusto Bakery Supply (Central Milling) in Petaluma (CA) and purchased some of their organic semolina flour (soon to become available also from their online store). I love it. It makes a silky dough that is a pleasure to work with.

As usual, I recommend to start with a small amount of dough, so you can give yourself time to learn the hand movements without being overly worried about how much more dough is waiting to be processed. Once the pasta is ready, you can dress it con quello che c'è (literally, with what's there). In the case shown in the top photo, what I had was a small amount of creamy bean and roasted squash spread (recipe in an upcoming post) and some of my homemade crescenza.

panda with a light sauce (vintage Homer Laughlin "Chanticleer" plate on La FABBRICA del LINO placemat)

Burro e parmigiano (butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano) is another good option. If you like pasta, these are two ingredients you want to make sure to always keep in your refrigerator.

FTC disclosure: I have received the linens free of charge from the manufacturer, la FABBRICA del LINO. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting them on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for panda (handmade pasta shape)

Ingredients for the pasta dough:

100 g / 3.5 ounces semolina flour of good quality
50 g / 1.75 ounces warm water
A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the dressing:

2 tablespoons bean and roasted squash spread (recipe here)
30 g / 1 ounce Crescenza cheese cut into small pieces

Note: I recommend weighing both flour and water because the quantities involved are small.

How to make the dough and shape the panda
Make a dough with the ingredients and knead until nice and smooth. [This post (with video) talks about how to make semolina pasta dough] Let it rest, well covered (e.g., wrapped in plastic film), for half an hour or so.

Working on the kneading board, roll the dough into a thick salami and cut it into 5-6 pieces. Keep them covered while you shape the panda. Roll each piece into a thin snake (3/8 inch / 1 cm thick), then cut into 3/8 inch / 1 cm long pieces. (Depending on the size of your hands, you may need to increase the dimensions a bit so your fingers can work comfortably.)

Keep some all-purpose flour in a dish on your working surface, so you can rub your thumb and index finger in it if/when the dough sticks to them. With your thumb, draw a piece of dough away from you, flattening it. With the help of your index finger, release the dough so it remains on your working surface. With your index finger, draw the piece of dough towards you with a gentle curling action. The result is a concave triangle that reminds me of a sitting panda.

Do not press hard or the dough will become too thin. With practice, you will find what is the right amount of pressure to apply to the dough. Lay the panda out on a lightly floured section of the kneading board (or a baking sheet lined with a cotton kitchen towel or, in my case, a linen placemat). Handle the shaped pasta gently so as not to without misshape it.

Repeat until you have used up the prepared dough.

Cook the panda and dress as you like. The following is just a suggestion.

How to cook the panda
Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil, add some coarse salt, stir and then toss the panda in it. The time needed to cook them is a bit variable, depending on the size and dryness of the pasta.

Place the bean spread in a small skillet, add a small amount of the water in which the pasta is cooking and stir to make a soft cream. Add the cheese and stir to distribute. When the pasta is almost ready, place the skillet over low heat to melt the cheese.

Taste and stop the cooking when the panda are ready. Pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and drain the panda. Pour a glass of cold water in the pot and stir. Drain the panda leaving a little bit of the cooking water clinging to the pasta and drop into the skillet with the sauce. Stir well over medium-low heat for about half a minute. Plate and serve immediately.

The recipe makes two small portions (served as Italian first course).

pretty in sepia

A reminder that there is a page on the blog where you can browse the complete collection of handmade pasta shapes, some of them, like the panda above, of my own creation.

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Rachel of The Crispy Cook. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

The photo is my contribution to edition #156 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted until February 4 by me, Simona of briciole.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset Sepia Tone).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

panda (pasta fatta a mano)

or launch the panda (pasta fatta a mano) audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

pasta, semolina flour, Italian cuisine

cavolfiore / cauliflower

January 23, 2015December 12, 2025 | Simona

better than candies

Even in the dead of winter, the Happy Boy Farms' stall at the Temescal farmers' market in Oakland is full of pretty produce. The cauliflower heads tumbling out of a basket were like jewels nesting in tender leaves. Roasted cauliflower anyone?

I am hosting the current edition of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar. Send your contribution at simosite AT mac DOT com, namely

your name
your blog's name
the image(s) (max 500 px wide, either orientation, max 150 kb file size)

You have until Wednesday, February 4 at 9 am Pacific time to do so. If you are unfamiliar with the event or need a reminder of the rules, you will find the details in this post (and in Italian here). Feel free to use the logo below. If you have a photo, but no blog, send it to me and I will include it in the roundup, which will be published on Wednesday, February.

Since messages can get lost, please, contact me again if you don't get an answer to your email or a comment on your blog within a couple of days of emailing me.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to black and white (Lightroom preset B&W Look 2).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

grunt ai frutti bosco / berry grunt

January 18, 2015 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

raspberry grunt (slump) / napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO / IMG_2514

version with raspberries served with homemade vanilla ice cream
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO, Seta decor collection)

The fifth stop of our World Culinary ABC is Canada and finally I can say: I've been there — though my visit was limited to a few days in Toronto for a conference.

The dish I chose to celebrate our virtual visit comes from the eastern part of Canada and New England. It is called grunt or slump, depending on the area, and is similar to the cobbler, but cooked on the stove rather than baked. (Grugnito is Italian for grunt; slump's translation depends on the context: forte calo or recessione.)

There are many recipes online featuring various berries and also plums (and various theories about how the dish got its names). For my version I adapted my recipe for cobbler. I made it three times 1) with frozen blackberries (more), 2) with frozen raspberries (lamponi) and 3) with fresh strawberries (fragole). All the versions were excellent and much appreciated.

version with blackberries served with homemade vanilla ice cream
(vintage Homer Laughlin "Chanticleer" plate)

The photos show how I served my berry grunt as dessert: at room temperature, topped with my homemade vanilla bean ice cream. I also served it for breakfast, warm, by itself or topped with plain yogurt (yogurt bianco).

FTC disclosure: I have received the napkin free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Berry grunt (slump)

Ingredients for the fruit sauce:

1 quart fresh or frozen blackberries or raspberries or blueberries (see below for handling of frozen berries)
OR 22 ounces / 625 g fresh organic strawberries
1/4 cup / 50 g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon / 5 ml fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest from an organic lemon
1/2 cup / 120 ml water

Ingredients for the dumplings:

1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup / 65 g all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons / 25 g ultra-fine or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon / 3.2 g baking powder
1/4 teaspoon / 1.5 g baking soda
1/4 teaspoon / 1.5 g fine sea salt
2 tablespoons / 1 ounce / 28 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml vanilla extract OR, if using raspberries, almond extract
100 ml / 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon [homemade] kefir or buttermilk, stirred well

Note on fruit and sugar: I used local blackberries I picked and froze last summer; local raspberries from a friend's garden she had frozen for me and fresh California-grown organic strawberries. The natural sweetness of fruit requires only a small amount sugar.

If using frozen berries, defrost and drain. I collected the water and added to it to make the required 1/2 cup / 120 ml. If using fresh strawberries, hull and slice them (depending on the size, cut them into 4 to 8 slices).

To make the fruit sauce, combine the five ingredients listed in a Dutch oven or saucepan. (I tried using both; however, the 8 inch / 20 cm wide and 3 inch/ 7.5 cm deep saucepan with a glass lid allows me to watch the dumplings puff up later.) Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the kefir or buttermilk and extract just until the flour is moistened.

Drop tablespoons of dough into the simmering berries, spacing them: I suggest to start by making a ring of dumplings around the edge and then make another ring inside it. Continue until all the dough is used.

Cover the pan tightly. Simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are firm and look dry. (This is where the glass lid comes handy.) A toothpick inserted in the center of one of them should come out dry. If your dumplings are on the large side, they may need 20 minutes.

the view once the lid comes off

Spoon dumplings in serving bowls and top with berries. Enjoy plain or accompanied with plain yogurt. When no longer hot, enjoy accompanied with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4-6.

strawberry slump (grunt) on La FABBRICA del LINO napkin / IMG_2545

version with strawberries served with homemade vanilla ice cream
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO, Seta decor collection)

Like all fruit-based dishes, the berry grunt is as good as the berries you use to make it, so look for flavorful ones. Once you have the fruit, the dish comes together fairly quickly, so it is a good option for a breakfast or brunch or as dessert. The contrast between soft dumplings and juicy, sweet berries is a complete pleasure.

I contribute my Berry Grunt to the 5th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. E like Edmonton (Canada) is hosted by Elena of Zibaldone culinario.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

Local berries make my grunt suitable for the Shop Local Food Blogging Challenge organized by Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.

The parting shot goes to edition #155 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Cinzia herself.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset B&W Contrast Low).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

grunt ai frutti di bosco

or launch the grunt ai frutti bosco audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

grunt, slump, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, fruit dessert, Canadian cuisine

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grunt ai frutti bosco

versione ai lamponi servita con gelato alla vaniglia fatto in casa
(tovagliolo de La FABBRICA del LINO, collezione Seta decor)

La quinta tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale è il Canada e finalmente posso dire: ci sono stata — anche se ho visitato solo Toronto dove ho partecipato ad una conferenza di lavoro diversi anni fa.

Il piatto che ho scelto per celebrare questa tappa viene dalla parte orientale del Canada e dal vicino New England (USA). Viene chiamato grunt (grugnito) oppure slump (forte calo, recessione) a seconda della zona geografica ed è simile al cobbler ma è cotto in pentola piuttosto che al forno. Ho deciso di non tradurre il nome che è piuttosto divertente da pronunciare.

Ci sono molte ricette online con vari tipi di frutti di bosco e anche prugne (e anche diverse teorie su come mai il piatto ha acquisito il suo nome). Per la mia versione ho adattato la mia ricetta per il cobbler. Ho fatto il grunt tre volte: 1) con more surgelate, 2) con lamponi surgelati, e 3) con fragole fresche (la California produce fragole quasi tutto l'anno). Tutte e tre le versioni sono venute bene e sono state apprezzate a tavola.

versione alle more servita con gelato alla vaniglia fatto in casa

Nelle foto si vede come ho servito il mio grunt come dessert: a temperatura ambiente accompagnato dal mio gelato alla vaniglia. L'ho anche servito per colazione, caldo, da solo oppure con dello yogurt bianco.

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto il tovagliolo gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarlo sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Ingredienti per lo strato di frutta:

4 tazze / 950 ml frutti di bosco (more, lamponi o mirtilli) freschi o surgelati (vedi sotto la nota su come preparare i frutti di bosco surgelati)
Oppure 625 g fragole fresche bio
50 g zucchero semolato
1 cucchiaino / 5 ml succo di limone
1 cucchiaino buccia grattugiata di limone bio
120 ml acqua

Ingredienti per gli gnocchetti di pasta:

60 g farina integrale per dolci
65 g farina 00 per dolci
25 g zucchero superfine o semolato
1 cucchiaino / 3,2 g lievito per dolci
1/4 cucchiaino / 1,5 g bicarbonato di soda
1/4 cucchiaino / 1,5 g sale fino
28 g burro freddo (non salato) tagliato a pezzetti
1/2 cucchiaino / 2,5 ml estratto di vaniglia oppure, se si usano i lamponi, estratto di mandorla
100 ml kefir o latticello [fatto in casa], mescolato bene

Nota su frutti di bosco e zucchero: io ho usato more raccolte e surgelate da me l'estate scorsa; lamponi che una mia amica ha raccolto dal suo giardino e surgelato e fragole bio della California. Una modica quantità di zucchero è sufficiente a complementare la naturale dolcezza della frutta.

Se usate futti di bosco surgelati, fateli scongelare e scolateli. Io ho raccolto l'acqua e ne ho aggiunta abbastanza da arrivare a 120 ml. Se usate le fragole fresche, rimuovere il picciolo e affettarle (a seconda della grandezza, tagliare ogni fragola in 4-8 fettine).

In una casseruola di ghisa o pentola mescolare i 5 ingredienti dello strato di frutta. (Io ho provato ad usare entrambe; la pentola di 20 cm di diametro e alta 7,5 cm con il coperchio di vetro mi permette di vedere gli gnocchetti gonfiarsi durante la cottura.) Portare a bollore su fuoco medio, coprire e ridurre il calore a basso. Sobbollire per 5 minuti.

Nel frattempo in una ciotola di media grandezza mescolare farine, zucchero, lievito, bicarbonato e sale. Tagliare il burro nella farina con le dita fino ad ottenere un composto sabbioso. Mescolare il kefir o latticello e l'estratto solo fino a quando la farina sia inumidita.

Far cadere l'impasto a cucchiaiate nei frutti di bosco che sobboliscono lasciando un po' di spazio tra uno e l'altro: suggerisco di fare un anello di gnocchetti intorno all'orlo esterno e poi fare un altro anello all'interno di esso. Continuare fino a completa utilizzazione dell'impasto.

Coprire ermeticamente la pentola. Sobbollire per 15 minuti senza sollevare il coperchio fino a quando gli gnocchetti sono cotti. (Il coperchio di vetro aiuta nel giudicare lo stato di cottura.) Uno stecchino inserito al centro di uno di loro deve uscire asciutto. Se i vostri gnocchetti sono piuttosto grossi possono necessitare di 20 minuti di cottura.

the view once the lid comes off

Mettere gli gnocchetti di pasta in ciotoline e metterci sopra dei frutti di bosco. Gustare al naturale o con dello yogurt bianco. Quando è tiepido o a temperatura ambiente, gustare con del gelato alla vaniglia.

Porzioni: 4-6.

versione alle fragole servita con gelato alla vaniglia fatto in casa
(tovagliolo de La FABBRICA del LINO, collezione Seta decor)

Come tutti i piatti a base di frutta, il grunt è tanto buono quanto buoni sono i frutti di bosco utilizzati per prepararlo, quindi sceglieteli pieni di sapore. Una volta che i frutti di bosco sono pronti, il grunt è si prepara rapidamente, quindi è una buona opzione per colazione o brunch, oltre che come dessert. Il contrasto tra gli gnocchetti di pasta soffici e i frutti di bosco dolci e sugosi è una delizia.

Con questa ricetta partecipo alla quinta tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. E come Edmonton (Canada) è ospitata da Elena dello Zibaldone culinario.

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.

skorpor: crostini svedesi / Swedish rusks

January 4, 2015 | Simona

crisp skorpor up for grabs
on Double Creek Pottery plate on La FABBRICA del LINO placemat

In the kitchen of the house in upstate New York where I spent a few days at a retreat last September, there was a bookshelf of cookbooks. My right hand pulled out Favorite Swedish Recipes by Emmie Berg and while I paged through it, the recipe for Round Rusks (Brutna skorpor) locked my attention.

Skorpor are popular Swedish rusks and a rusk is a light, dry biscuit or a piece of twice-baked bread. There is a version of rusk in many other traditions: for example, in Italy we have fette biscottate (twice-baked slices of bread). According to the wikipedia article on rusk, skorpor can be flavoured with herbs, dried fruit, nuts, or spices such as anise or cardamom.

The cookbook mentioned includes also a recipe for Rye Rusks. To make my version of Round Rusks I borrowed a bit from both recipes, added ingredients according to my taste and adapted the instructions to my bread-making habits. I used a small amount of sunflower honey as sweetener, and cardamom and orange zest to give the skorpor a nice nuanced flavor.

FTC disclosure: I have received the placemat free of charge from the manufacturer. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

dividing the dough and rolling skorpor

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for skorpor (Swedish rusks)

Ingredients:

50 g stone-ground whole-wheat flour
60 g dark rye flour
150 g King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour (this is the flour I use to make bread)
1 teaspoon / 3.2 g instant yeast
150 ml milk + 40 ml water at 80 F / 27 C (I used non-fat milk)
20 g fluid honey (I use sunflower honey, miele di girasole)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon orange zest

How to prepare the dough
Measure all the ingredients and place them in a bowl. Mix with a a wooden spoon or a dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then mix some more, until a firm dough forms.

Oil well a glass bowl or similar container where the dough will rise.

Lightly oil your working surface and transfer the dough onto it. Knead lightly for 10 seconds. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. With wet hands, letter-fold the dough and then flip it to oil the surface. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume (two hours or so, depending on the temperature).

How to shape round rusks
Line a baking sheet (half sheet size) with a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper.

Lightly flour a portion of your working surface and let the dough fall on it. With the help of a scale, divide the dough into 20 small pieces of 22-24 g each (depending on how many pieces you cut of the smaller size, you may get enough dough for 21 pieces).

Lightly flatten each piece of dough, letter-fold it, flip it and then roll it into a tight ball. Roll while tucking the dough under it, until the surface acquires a good tension without tearing. The working surface should be clear of flour, otherwise the roll slides on it, while you need some friction to create the tension on the dough's surface. [This short video shows my hands rolling a larger piece of dough, but should still give an idea.]

Place on the silicone backing mat or parchment paper in four rows of five, evenly spaced (adjust some to make space for the 21st, if you have it). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until a dimple made on the dough with your fingertip persists (an hour or so, depending on the temperature).

skorpor Swedish rye rusks proofing / IMG_2361

proofed and ready for the oven (placemat from La FABBRICA del LINO)

How to bake and crisp rusks
30-45 minutes after the beginning of the second rise (depending on how quick your oven heats up), preheat the oven to 425 F / 218 C.

When the dough is ready, put the baking sheet in the oven and bake skorpor until light brown (8-10 minutes). Take the baking sheet out of the oven and transfer the skorpor on a cooling rack or towel. Let cool completely, then break in half each skorpor with a fork (forchetta).

splitting skorpor with a fork before putting them back in the oven

With a salad fork, I make a row of holes all around, then pry the skorpor open delicately.

Distribute the 40-42 pieces on the baking sheet and place in a 200 F / 93 C oven for 1-2 hours until they are crisp. Check them after 1 hour; in my oven, it takes 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar. Let the skorpor dry for up to another hour. Again, check them half-way through to prevent them from getting too dry.

Make sure you have some nice spread or creamy cheese to taste fresh skorpor. Store surviviors in an airtight container.

Crunchy, with the earthy flavor of rye (segale) and a hint of orange and cardamom, it is clear from the first bite why these morsels are popular. They have been an instant hit in our household and besides being good, they are fun to make (signed: skorpor's serial baker).

I am sending my skorpor to the January edition of Panissimo, a monthly event created by Barbara of Bread & Companatico and Sandra of Indovina chi viene a cena? and hosted this month by Sandra.

… to the monthly showcase Sourdough and Yeast by Wisla (in Polish).

and to Yeastspotting.

The parting shot goes to edition #154 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset Sepia Tone).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostini svedesi

or launch the crostini svedesi audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

rusks, bread, rye flour, Swedish cuisine