Zeppole With Ricotta Cheese & No Yeast

This is a quick and easy version of the traditional yeast dough Zeppole.  While the taste is different, it still satisfies the craving for a fried donut smothered in confectioners' sugar.

Ingredients
Canola oil
2 eggs
1 c all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 c whole milk ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla
Confectioners' sugar and/or cinnamon sugar

Heat 2" of oil in a heavy duty pot until it reaches 350 degrees.  In the meantime, make the dough.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs until frothy.  Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined.  Add the ricotta and vanilla.  Continue mixing only until incorporated. Do not overmix. Using a 1" cookie scoop, add dough to hot oil a few at a time so as not to lower the oil temperature greatly.  Cook for about 3 minutes or until a deep golden brown.  Transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet.  Add confectioners' sugar to a brown paper bag and toss in the zeppole. Shake them up until well covered.

Recipe adapted from Hard Core Italians.

Enjoy!

Italian Love Cake

I cannot stress enough how simple and how wonderfully delicious this recipe is.  Everyone that tasted it loved it and asked for the recipe.  It definitely shows love, and makes you fall in love.

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge or Devil's Food cake mix + ingredients listed on box
2 lbs. whole milk Ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 5.9 oz. box of Instant Chocolate Pudding (I couldn't find that size and used 1-1/2 boxes of the 3.9 oz.)
1 c cold milk
1 8 oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Using a mixer, prepare the cake ingredients following the instructions on the box.  Set aside.
In another bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
These directions are correct.  The cake and the ricotta cheese layer switch during baking!
Pour the cake mix into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Slowly pour the ricotta cheese batter over the cake mixture, being very careful not to blend the two.
Bake for 1 hour.
Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Whisk together the pudding mix and milk until smooth.  Fold in the whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled cake.  Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.  The longer you can keep it in the refrigerator and resist temptation, the better it is.

Can you feel the love?  Oh, you will when you bite into it!  It will quickly become you're new "go to" dessert.

Mangia!

My Own Awesome Gazpacho for Dipping

This recipe is my very own. I wanted a cross between bruschetta and gazpacho, but thicker and richer so you can dip your bread into it.  Part is cooked, and part is left raw.  You will need a food processor as the chunks are very small.  There are a lot of ingredients, but the final result is so delicious. I brought it to a get-together and everyone loved it!

Ingredients

1 red onion, chopped and divided in half
4 cloves of garlic, chopped small and divided in half
2 medium red bell peppers, chopped and divided in half
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped fine
Extra virgin olive oil
1 14 oz. can Glen Muir Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 14 oz. can Glen Muir Fire Roasted Crush Tomatoes
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin, toasted
Rind of parmesan or romano cheese, or a 1-inch piece
5 ripe, but firm plum tomatoes, diced and divided in half
1 English cucumber, ends removed, cut in half, seeded & chopped
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c sherry or balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce
Sriracha to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Basil Chiffonade for garnish

In a dutch oven over medium heat, saute 1/2 the onion, 1/2 the bell peppers, the entire jalapeno pepper & 1/2 the garlic in 2 T olive oil 4-5 minutes. Add the cumin & oregano and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Dump in the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and 1/2 of the diced fresh plum tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes. Add the parmesan rind and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the cheese rind.  Add olive oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, Sriracha and salt & pepper. Stir until blended.  Test for taste. Adjust condiments as needed. Do not skimp on the salt. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In the food processor pulse the remaining onion, pepper, garlic, plum tomatoes & cucumber until small. Do not puree. Remove from bowl of processor and set aside.

Once the tomato mixture is cool, add it to the bowl of the food processor and process until desired consistency.  Remove to a bowl and add the onion, pepper & tomato mixture.  Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle on top.  Drizzle with more olive oil just before serving.  Serve with baguette slices or any crusty bread.

To create basil chiffonade, take several fresh basil leaves on layer them on top of each other.  Roll up from the long side and slice with a sharp knife from the point of the roll all the way to the opposite end. You will end up with strips of basil.

Mangia!

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

For the meatballs: 

¾ pound ground chicken
½ pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup ¼-inch diced carrots (3 carrots)
¾ cup (¼-inch diced celery (2 stalks)
10 cups homemade chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
¼ cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1- to 1¼-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don’t have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese. 

(Recipe taken from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa.)

Enjoy!

Tiramisu. This "pick me up" dessert comes with a challenge

YES

NO

Tiramisu is one of my most favorite desserts. However, finding a key component can present quite a challenge - ladyfingers!  In my local ShopRite Supermarket they tend to move them each time I decide to make this light and tasty espresso delight.  Used to find them with the gourmet crackers, then on an end cap with other miscellaneous items, and most recently on the cookie aisle where I feel they should have been all along.  Now let me add that should you decide to attempt this for the first time, not all ladyfingers are created equal.  I consider myself an expert on Tiramisu simply because I say it's so.  That said, ha, I recommend Italian, or gourmet, ladyfingers NOT the small soft spongy ones that usually come in a flat package. Uh uh!  If, after you've mastered Tiramisu, you simply cannot find the gourmet style, and you feel desperate enough to use those, then by all means have at it.  BUT please refrain when it's your first time because the final product will be a sub-standard version and you shouldn't start off that way.  You will recognize the gourmet ladyfingers as they will have an Italian name and will be approx. 4" long and obsess a hard, crunchy texture.  They may even have a description on the package similar to "crisp sugar-coated sponge cookie".  If you are unsuccessful in finding the gourmet ladyfingers at the your local grocer, fear not.  I  have two (2) alternatives for you:    1) you can use sponge cake, and (2) you can always order them online if time allows.

Ciao!