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Recipes – Page 3 – GT Food & Travel
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GT Food & Travel

Category: Recipes

  • Orange Marmalade

    Orange Marmalade

    From lemon curd tart to orange marmalade, I love cooking with citrus fruit. The sharp and bitter flavor combined with the sweetness of sugar is unique. Although I like my marmalade straight up, you can customize it to suit your taste – infuse it with ginger, vanilla or cloves, use thickly sliced orange peel, add more or less sugar…the jam is completely in your hands.

    marmalade-2

    Here’s my simple recipe.

    Ingredients

    • 3 pounds oranges
    • 2 lemons
    • 4 cups sugar

    Wash the oranges and lemons thoroughly. Let dry. With a paring knife, remove the orange and lemon zest only leaving the pith behind. Slice the zest thinly and set aside. Cut off the white pith from each orange and lemon. Place the fruit, zest  and enough water to cover the mixture in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil.

    marmalade

    Stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for approximately 2 hours. Turn the heat up to medium, boil gently, stirring often for another 30 minutes.  Skim off any foam on the top. If you want to be sure it’s ready, place a small amount in a bowl and refrigerate it until it’s cool. If it’s firm it’s done. If it’s runny continue cooking it and if it’s too hard add more water.

    Pour the marmalade into clean, hot jars, seal with lids and store for up to a year.

     

  • Lemon Curd Tart

    Lemon Curd Tart

    _-6I’ve been meaning to post this lemon tart recipe since I made it for Valentine’s Day. A weekend trip to Naples was all the inspiration that I needed. Each time we visit my family in Campania, we leave with a car full of organic oranges and lemons picked from the garden. Thanks to the 30 year old trees, we enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice, homemade orange marmalade, lemon confit and this simple and delicious lemon curd tart.

    lemontart

    Here’s my recipe that is adapted from the lime curd tart in the barefoot contessa cookbook.

    For the lemon curd

    • 4 lemons
    • 1 – 1.5 cups sugar
    • 1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 5 medium eggs at room temperature
    •  a pinch of salt

    For the tart shell

    • 3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 3/4 cups flour
    • a pinch of salt

    Make the shell first.

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter and sugar with a hand or electric mixer until they are well combined. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix the dough on a low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch round false-bottom tart pan. Chill until firm.

    Butter one side of a piece of aluminum foil to fit inside the tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart with a fork and bake until lightly browned (approximately 25 minutes). Let cool to room temperature.

    Then make the filling.

    lemons

    Remove the zest of 4 lemons with a knife or zester (avoid the white pith). Squeeze 1/2 cup of juice from the lemons. Put sugar and zest in a food processor with a steel blade. Pulse until the zest is minced well. Cream the butter with the sugar and lime zest with a hand or electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, approximately 5 – 10 minutes. The curd will thicken just below a simmer.

    lemoncurdRemove from the heat and set aside. Fill the tart shell with warm lemon curd and allow to set at room temperature. Optional: I top the tart with candied lemon slices.

     

  • Torta di Alici e Patate, Anchovy & Potato Pie

    Torta di Alici e Patate, Anchovy & Potato Pie

    I posted this photo on Instagram two days ago and received many comments to my surprise. I was happy to discover that many people share my love for anchovies and it reminded me of my MO which is keep it simple. The tastiest dishes are made with a few fresh ingredients and lots of love. At times cooking simple is a necessity, like when you are short on time or have a limited budget, but at other times it’s a reminder that recipes need not  be complicated to make nutritious and delicious meals._

    This recipe was inspired by Concetta. She has spent her life cooking wholesome good food for family and friends. Thank you for sharing and encouraging me to do the same.

    Ingredients for 2

    • 2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
    • 30 fresh anchovy fillets, cleaned
    • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
    • Optional: fresh red chili pepper, diced and parsley

    Lightly coat a sauté pan or skillet with olive oil. Starting with the potatoes, alternate layers of potatoes, anchovies and garlic, Sprinkle each layer with salt, pepper and olive oil. Finish with potatoes. Cover and cook over on a low flame until your fork easily pierces the potatoes (approximately 20 – 30 minutes). Best served warm.

  • Quince Jam

    Quince Jam

    When I was growing up, there wasn’t a jar of Smucker’s to be found in my parents’ house. Lucky for me, my grandmother and mom made Concord grape jelly every year. I never gave much thought to this yearly ritual. I watched and learned. It was part of life. DSC_3838When I moved to Italy, I graduated from making grape jelly to fig, strawberry, plum and gorgeous quince jam. Ripe quince are fragrant and have a golden-yellow skin. They are used mostly for cooking given their hard and somewhat bitter flesh. They contain a high amount of pectin which makes them ideal for jams and jellies alike.

    DSC_3630The below recipe makes about 3 cups of jam. Add a vanilla pod, cinnamon or ginger while cooking for a different flavor. Enjoy with toast, cheese or by the spoonful.

    Ingredients

    • 4 pounds ripe quinces, quartered, cored, and sliced
    • 1.5 cups sugar
    • 2 cups water
    • Fresh lemon juice

    Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil. Add quince and lemon juice to the saucepan, stirring often. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until fruit is soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.DSC_3639

    When fruit is soft and transparent, bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly for about 20 minutes uncovered until the mixture thickens.DSC_3641

    Pour mixture into jars. Close jars and chill overnight.

    DSC_3650

     

     

  • Date Nut Bread

    Date Nut Bread

    With winter upon us, I find myself thinking of the holidays, missing my family and spending time in my kitchen keeping warm, baking and cooking. I leafed through a handwritten book of family recipes and the one for date nut bread caught my eye. Another one of my grandmother’s, the same woman who taught me how to make pasta and beans.

    I hope you enjoy this sweet bread as much as I do.

    DSC_3582Ingredients

    • 1 cup hot coffee or espresso
    • 1 cup chopped dates
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1.5 cups flour
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • pinch of salt

    Heat the oven to 300° F. Chop the dates and walnuts. Set aside.

    DSC_3566Combine the sugar, butter, eggs, flour, salt, vanilla and walnuts in a large bowl. Mix until the batter is smooth. In a small bowl add the chopped dates and baking soda to the hot coffee or espresso. In three parts, add the coffee mixture to the batter. Mix well. DSC_3571Pour batter into a greased and floured loaf-panDSC_3579Bake at 300° F for 1 to 1.5 hours.

    DSC_3581Serve warm or at room temperature for breakfast or a snack.

  • Pasta e Fagioli, Pasta & Beans

    Pasta e Fagioli, Pasta & Beans

    My grandmother from Avellino has been on my mind lately. Hours spent in her kitchen, watching her turn the simplest ingredients into the most comforting and delicious dishes. I miss her, our talks and her kitchen. I miss the smell of fresh garden tomatoes simmering in a pot on her stove top, filling the house with sweetness.

    Many years ago I asked her “Why doesn’t my mom’s pasta e fagioli taste as good as yours?” She said, “When she gets to my age it will taste the same, just wait.”DSC_3537

    She didn’t include precise measurements so here is my version of her recipe. Adjust to your taste and enjoy!

    Ingredients for 2 

    • 100 grams (2/3 cup) of pasta (ditalini or mixed pasta)
    • 150 grams (1/2 cup) of dried borlotti beans
    • EVOO
    • garlic
    • plum tomatoes
    • 1 red chili pepper
    • parsley
    • salt to taste

    Soak the borlotti beans overnight in water. Cook them in abundant water in a large pot. Bring to a gentle boil and cover. Cook for approximately 1 hour.

    While the beans are cooking, mince 2-3 cloves of garlic, dice the chili pepper and chop the tomatoes.

    When the beans are nearly cooked heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a separate pan. Add the minced garlic and cook it for a few minutes until it starts to color. Add the tomatoes, chili pepper, salt and 1-2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes before adding the tomato to the large pot of beans.DSC_3524

    Add the pasta and let it cook for 10-15 minutes on a low flame.DSC_3527

    Once cooked turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Finish with chopped parsley.

  • Caponata, Cooked Eggplant Salad

    Caponata, Cooked Eggplant Salad

    It is eggplant season. Market stands are piled high with the tear-shaped violet-purple-black vegetable. Caponata or capunata as my Sicilian grandparents would say is a cooked eggplant salad made with fried eggplant, celery and capers seasoned with vinegar and sugar. While variations of ingredients exist with some recipes adding raisins, potatoes and pine nuts and others including peppers, olives and carrots, I cherish my grandmother’s version.

    Caponata

    Ingredients

    • 2-3 pounds eggplant
    • 1 bunch celery
    • 1-2 sliced onions
    • capers to taste
    • green olives to taste
    • homemade tomato paste to taste
    • salt
    • Olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
    • sugar
    • 1-2 cups good quality red wine vinegar
    • black pepper

    Wash and dice eggplant. Sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander to drain for at least one hour. Squeeze to get rid of excess liquid. Deep fry in oil until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. Clean and cut celery. Fry celery until golden. Saute onion in the same oil until translucent. Dilute tomato paste with warm water and add to the sauteed onion. Season with salt. Continue to cook for 10-20 minutes over medium heat. Add sugar, vinegar, capers, olives, eggplant and celery. Sprinkle with black pepper and simmer until done, approximately 15 minutes. Serve cold.

    Note: This dish tastes best the following day if you can wait!

     


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