My Ricotta Cake

Goodmorning!!

it's Spring Break and my children are all home. They are still all asleep, I was able to wake-up early to sip my big cup of caffe'-latte while reading the news and catching-up on my instagram feed, I love checking everybody's pictures and new posts, it gives me a lot of inspiration.

So, in this time of peace and calm I'll take advantage to share with you a delicious cake I made a few days ago. In Italy it's a classic: the Ricotta Cake. I used to make it all the time, then somehow I forgot about it, maybe because here in the States I never eat ricotta, as it's very different from the one I was used to eat. I saw a recipe online and I suddenly remembered the taste and how soft and tender that cake was. I had to make it!! I adapted the recipe to my taste and memories.

Here it is.

MY RICOTTA CAKE

Ingredients:

• 3 EGGS (whites and yolks separated)
• 1 cup of SUGAR
• 7 tbsp of BUTTER (melted)
• 1 cup of RICOTTA
• 1 cup of FLOUR
• 1 tsp of BAKING POWDER
• LEMON ZEST (1 lemon)
• 1 cup of CHOCOLATE CHIPS (semi-sweet)
• POWDER SUGAR for dusting

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy and pale yellow. 
2. Add the ricotta and keep mixing until smooth and the melted butter.
3. Sift-in the flour together with the baking powder.
4. Beat the egg whites until firm and gently add them to the batter, mixing softly, making sure they don't get flat.
5. Gently mix-in also the lemon zest and at last the chocolate chips.
6. Grease and flour dust a cake pan (9 inches), add the batter and put in preheated oven at 350 F degrees for 30-35 minutes. (Always insert a tooth-pick in the cake to check if it's well cooked. If it comes out clean, it means the cake is done). 
7. Dust your cake with powder sugar and serve.

It's a very simple recipe and you'll see how good it is!! Everyone will love it! My children were a little skeptical at first but they ate it all! I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

xoxo,

Fast and Easy Pasta recipe

Hello Friday!!!

Today I just want to show you a very easy and delicious pasta recipe. Italian people, like me, eat pasta everyday. We are never tired of it!! During Lent (period of time preceding Easter), catholic don't eat any meat on Fridays... that's why what I cooked today is a delicious Pasta with Tuna and Capers. There's different variations you can do with it, but I'll show the basic one.

INGREDIENTS:

• your favorite shape of pasta (I used Angel Hair, 'cause they cook faster, and I was hungry!)
• 1 can of Tuna
• a handful of Capers
• salt
• 1 clove of Garlic
• 3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Put water in a big pot with 2 handfuls of salt. Wait for the water to boil. Throw the pasta in, stirring once in a while and looking at the time.. please don't over cook it!!! (check the cooking time on the package).

In the meantime, in another small pot, pour the Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the garlic (I mince half clove and put the rest whole, to take it out as soon as it browns), add the tuna (after draining it), the capers and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and pour it in a serving bowl, add the tuna sauce. You will probably need to add a little extra drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

And that's it!!! Mix and eat right away!! Never let pasta sit there... it needs to be eaten as soon as it's cooked, for a better taste... ;)   Enjoy!!!!

 

Have a great week-end!!!

Love to you all!

 

 

My Bubbly Lasagna

Hi everyone!!! Remember when I said it’s really hot in California?.. well, it still is… And remember when I said that my oven is always on no matter how hot it’s outside?.. well, it’s on!!

Today I made one of my favorite dishes. I used to ask my Mom to make it for my birthday when I was still living at home. It’s an easy and delicious recipe..  the Traditional Italian Lasagna. Yes, it’s true that with pasta you can put any ingredient you want.. but the original Lasagna dish is very simple, the main ingredients are the so called “Ragu’ Sauce” {homemade meat sauce..not the, according to my taste, disgusting already made sauce in the jar} and the “Bechamelle Sauce”.

For MY RAGU’ you need:

• half onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 carrot
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lb. of ground beef
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 splash of red wine
• salt

In a large pan, on medium heat, saute’ the onion, celery and carrot (previously minced) with a splash of Olive Oil. Add the meat and a little salt. When the meat turns brown add a splash of wine and let it cook for 2 minutes.

Add the whole can of crushed tomatoes, add another pinch of salt.

Let it cook on medium-low heat for at least 35 minutes.

BECHAMELLE SAUCE:

• 1/2 stick of BUTTER
• 3 spoon-full of FLOUR
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 pinch of SALT
• grated NUTMEG (if you have it)

Warm up the milk in the microwave. Melt the butter in a saucepan at medium heat. Add the 3 spoons of Flour, always stirring. Add the warm milk little by little {never stop stirring!} until it becomes smooth and creamy. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg.

The Lasagna noodles I use are the NO BOIL BARILLA ones. They are the best!!! Also when I was in Italy, I used to use them all the time. I never met anybody who uses the boil kind (the first time I saw them was when I came to America)..

Grease a lasagna pan with a little butter, alternate the ingredients: a little bechamelle at the bottom, noodles, meat sauce and bechamelle, noodles, meat sauce and bechamelle… the top layer needs to be only meat sauce. Grate a whole bunch of Parmigiano {parmesan cheese}.

Cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

ENJOY!!!!

xoxo,