Italian Cooking School

RISOTTO DI ASPARAGI SELVATICI

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WILD ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Ingredients for 4 people:
wild asparagus 200 gr
shallot n°2 (no large ones)
arborio rice (four hands full)
Parmigiano (2 tablespoons)
butter (1 tablespoon)
vegetable broth
extravirgin olive oil
solt
pepper

Ingredienti risotto

WHAT YOU NEED

pan with a bottom for even cooking
small pot for vegetable broth
ladle (we use the perforated risotto ladle which you can find here)
cutting board
knife
spoon
cupped ladle

BEFORE YOU START
Take the small pot and fill it halfway with water, you will need it for the vegetable broth. You will have to add the discarded asparagus and discarded shallots and bring it to the boil for a few minutes. Then you will use it when cooking the risotto.

Asparagus

PREPARATION OF THE ASPARAGUS SAUCE
On the cutting board, finely cut the shallot in the tender part, and put it in a pan at room temperature, add extravirgin olive oil (2 tablespoons) and a pinch of salt to 2 fingers.
Take the asparagus and separate them from the woody base, we will only use the tender part, to understand how to separate the two parts, apply light pressure starting at the base and going towards the tip until the asparagus breaks in half at its tender point.
We will use the soft part, put the hard part in the small pot for the vegetable broth.
Cut the asparagus into slices and leave the tip whole which is very beautiful for decorations.
We are ready to cook the sauce.
Let the shallot sizzle for a few seconds and add the asparagus to the pan, add vegetable broth if necessary and complete the cooking of the asparagus in 4-5 minutes. they must be tender at the end of cooking (taste them to see if they are cooked) and season with salt and pepper.

risotto

PREPARATION OF THE RISOTTO
Take another pan and put the rice and a spoonful of oil in it, turn the heat on to medium heat, because we need to toast the rice a little. Stir the rice in the pan, being careful not to burn it, this will help you have an aldente and well-cooked risotto. When the rice grain has taken on a shiny color and no longer has a white core, it is ready to start cooking. We begin by adding vegetable broth, then add the asparagus sauce and let it cook for about 20 minutes, adding broth when it dries. as soon as the risotto is cooked, cream it, turn off the heat under the pan, add butter and Parmigiano, stir the risotto to homogenize and let it rest for a minute.
Serve on a deep plate and place a tip of asparagus on the plate.
Enjoy your meal

risotto asparagus

More photos of the risotto on our Instagram page

Grape cake

Torta con L’Uva

Sample disches, Seasonal

Cake with Grapes and Walnuts

Ingredients:

2 Eggs

7 Tbsp. Sugar (175 gr)

7 Tbsp. Milk (140 gr)

7 Tbsp. Sunflower oil (100 gr)

16 Tbsp. Flour “00” (400 gr)

1/2 Baking powder (8 gr)

Nuts (100 gr)

Black Grapes (500 gr)

Procedure :

Gently knead everything together in a bowl. Pour the contents into a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180 ° C (356 ° F).

Halfway through cooking, brush the cake with sunflower oil and sprinkle the top with granulated sugar. Finish cooking. Serve with powdered sugar.

 

ENJOY 🙂

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Cantuccini Toscani

Cooking lessons

CANTUCCINI DI PRATO
Ingredients for 40 cookies
500 g of flour
400 g of sugar
250 g of toasted almonds
3 whole eggs plus 3 yolks
50 g of softened butter
½ packet of yeast for cakes
1 small cup of Vinsanto
1 three-fingered pinch of salt
WHAT YOU NEED
You need little more than a baking pan.
PREPARATION
Pour the flour with the yeast on a chopping board and build the usual “fountain”, placing
the eggs and 2 yolks in the middle with the softened butter, sugar, salt and the Vinsanto.
Mix all the ingredients well, until you have got a smooth and uniform compound.
Then add the almonds and go on mixing.
Now shape little sticks, 2 fingers wide and 1 finger high, and put them on the baking pan.
Leave at least 2 fingers room between each, because they will expand during cooking.
Use a brush to paint the surface with the remaining part of the yolk: this will confer a
lovely color to the cookie.
Cook in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
Once they have been cooked, place them on a chopping board and
cut out cookies one finger wide.
Place them on the cut side and put them in the oven again to let
them dry for 7 or 8 minutes each side.
Keep them in a well sealed cookie tin.
Get a bottle of Vinsanto, and pour some on them

Scaloppina al Vino rosso

Cooking lessons

Scallops in Red Wine

Ingredients for 4 people:
4 slices of veal fillet, 1 sprig of rosemary, 1clove of garlic,
2 tablespoons flour “00” or “0”, 2 generous pinches of salt,
4 ground black pepper, 1/2 glass of good red wine
Cooking Tools:
A chopping knife and a pan
Method:
Heat the olive oil with the crushed garlic clove and the sprig of rosemary (whole) in the pan. Be careful not to burn the garlic, don’t
let it brown too much. At this point, flour the slices of meat on both
sides and place them in the pan without overlapping. Season with
a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to your liking.
Cook for 2 minutes on each side and then add the red wine; let it
simmer for 2 minutes, turn the slices again and it is ready.
Remember that cooking must be quick, otherwise you will have
hard and dry meat

Pici al Ragu

Cooking lessons

– 4 people

PASTA:

200gr four 00 type

100gr water or 2 large eggs

1 tbspoon olive oil and 1 pinch of salt.

SAUCE

400gr ground beef

2 pork sausages

Half red onion

1 sprig parcely

2 cloves of garlic

1 celery stalk

1 small carrot

2 bay leaves

6 tbspoon olive oil

1 bottle tomato sauce

3 pinch of salt, black pepper.

Half glass of red wine.

1 pot for cooking pasta, 1 pot for cooking the meatsauce, 1 board for kneeding pasta, 1 cutting board, knife.

Chop all the vegetable except for the bay laves, start brown the vegetables in olive oil but be careful to don’t burn the garlic, add the meat and the sausage crumbled, roast well and add the wine, evaporate the alcohol and add the tomato sauce. Simmer for at least 1 hour. You can add water if it seems too dry.

as for the pici:

Mix flour , water and olive oil (or eggs) untill the dough is elastic, let it rest for 10 minutes in a cloth and then make the tick spaghetti PICI, working with hands or helped by pasta machine attachment.

Pici will cook in salted water for 3 minutes and 2 more in the sauce.

sformato di zucchine con Tartufo

Cooking lessons,

ZUCCHINI FLAN WITH TRUFFLE

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLES

4 Zucchini
1 Clove of garlic
Salt
Pepper
Extravirgin olive oil
1 Egg
1 Knob of butter
1 Tablespoon of flour
Grated Parmigiano

WHAT DO YOU NEED
a cutting board to slice the zucchini, a knife, a grater, a pan to cook the vegetables, a bowl to mix in, a silicone mold to turn the flan and an oven.

PREPARATION
Take the Zucchini already washed and slice them into small pieces, finely chop a clove of garlic and put it in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil. When the garlic has started to fry, add the Zucchini and cook them. Help cooking with a pinch of salt and a little water if the cooking of the zucchini is too dry.

When the courgettes are soft and cooked, remove them from the pan and place them in a bowl. I suggest waiting for the courgette to cool down a bit to prevent the egg from cooking when you add it.
In the bowl, add a knob of butter, a spoonful of flour, an egg and a little grated Parmigiano to the zucchini, mix well and taste, at this point season the flan with salt and pepper to your liking. Taste several times until you reach the desired taste. Take the multiple silicone mold and rub in a little butter and a little breadcrumbs after which distribute the Zucchini in the various silicone mold being careful not to fill the mold to the brim, leave a finger from the edge because it is cooking the flan will rise slightly.
Puts the mold in a static oven preheated to 200 degrees celsius (about 390/400 farenight) for 20 minutes.
Remove the mold from the oven and wait for it to cool. Remove the flan from the mold and turn it for a dish that will make your family happy.

If you have a truffle to shave on it, the combination is exceptional.

 

Fagioli all’uccelleta

Cooking lessons

Ingredients for 6 people

800 g of boiled cannellini beans
1 twig of sage
2 garlic cloves
4 spoonfuls of tomato puree
3 spoonfuls of oil
1 three-fingered pinch of salt
1 two-fingered pinch of pepper
WHAT YOU NEED
You just need a wide and low pot able to hold all the ingredients.
PREPARATION
Cover the bottom of the pot with oil, add the crushed garlic, then turn the fire on
and brown for 1-2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.
Now add the tomato and salt and cook for 5 more minutes, then add the beans and cook
for 5 more minutes.
Go on cooking on a low fire for 20 minutes.
Serve hot, if possible in an earthenware casserole, which will keep them warm.
We find this dish in cold winter evenings, but also in summer in country fairs, and everybody
enjoys it!

Zuppa di cipolle

Cooking lessons,

WHAT DO YOU NEED
1 kg of sweet red onions
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 Bay Leaves
4 Juniper berries
Salt
Black pepper
Homemade bread cut into cubes
1 Liter of Vegetable broth (water, salt, celery, 1 carrot, parsley, 1 small tomato)

Zuppa di cipolle

PREPARATION
Thinly slice the onions and sauté with juniper oil and berries, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
When the onion is shiny and transparent, add the broth until it is completely covered.
Let it cook for at least 30 minutes.
The soup will be ready when the consistency of the onions is soft without fiber.
Serve with bread cubes sautéed in a pan with extra virgin olive oil.

Zuppa di cipolle

Ossobuco

Cooking lessons

Ingredients for 6 people
6 marrowbones
3 cloves of garlic
2 twigs of rosemary
10 g of dry edible boletus
4 spoonfuls of olive oil
½ cup of tomato puree
½ cup of red wine (the same wine you serve at the table)
3 four-fingered pinches of salt
1 three-fingered pinch of pepper
1 liter of meat broth
Choosing the meat: in Tuscany, for this recipe they use marrowbones of young beef (18
month old bullock) belonging to the Chianina race and raised in the open, so the muscles
are well structured, thus giving the very best flavor to the meat.

 

WHAT YOU NEED
Just a wide and low pot with a lid, a knife and a chopping board.
PREPARATION
To make a clean cut on the bone, the butcher uses a saw which leaves a kind of pulp on
the surface with small fragments of bone.
Before starting to cook, you must clean this pulp off the meat, washing it with water or
scraping the surface. Dry off well and make 4 cuts a few centimeters deep on the outside,
pointing towards the center. This will help to keep the unbent shape of each marrowbone
and make it fit perfectly on the bottom of the pot thus ensuring uniform cooking.
Chop the rosemary and garlic fine and brown with the oil for 5 minutes, then add the
meat, being careful that the pieces do not overlap. Brown well on both sides and pour on
the wine, letting it evaporate. Add the edible boletus which has previously been steeped
in lukewarm water, throwing away the steeping water you don’t use. You can now add
salt and pepper and the tomato puree. When it starts to boil again, turn the meat over
and add the hot broth, covering the level of the stew by at least the height of one finger.
Now lower the flame and cook for at least 2 hours with the lid on.
Every 20-30 minutes, check and turn over the marrowbones, adding more hot broth if
necessary.
Should you use a younger animal (calf), the cooking time will certainly be less.

Osso buco alla fiorentina

salame dolce

Cooking lessons

Ingredients for 8 people
200 g of dry cookies
100 g of sugar
150 g of butter softened at room temperature
2 egg yolks
2 spoonfuls of unsweetened cocoa
1 small cup of Marsala or Vinsanto


When your children ask to help you make a dessert, this is a good recipe, because it does
not require either knives or fire, so the children will be welcome in the kitchen.
Nothing to worry about therefore, and the result will still be surprising!
PREPARATION
Mix the sugar with the yolks well, until you get a soft cream, then add the butter, cocoa
and liqueur.
Blend well and add the crunbled cookies.
Now that it has become rather solid, shape it into a salami with your hands.
Wrap it in parchment paper and put it in the fridge.
You serve it in slices that look like Tuscan salami, and this is what gives it its name.
You can keep it for up to one week in the fridge.