Rosti, what a good question why wouldn't it indeed! I don't actually think I said it would not work well as I have never used it.

It would be interesting to do a comparison though. Must give it a go!!!

I have never microwaved my Christmas puddings, well not in the first round anyway, sometimes when they are being heated but even then... I would have thought that the microwave may not have had the time as steaming it takes hours to do. In addition knowing little about microwaves, I thought they heated from the inside? I can see how some of the steaming might work but...

You still have time to do it again. Five weeks before Christmas is the traditional day for making them although we eat them a year and five weeks later.

Delia has a good recipe that works time after time.

If you make another one you could use the one you made for something else. Also they will remould after cooking easily so you could taste in 5 weeks or so and remould the left overs maybe into smaller sizes.

I never use absorbic acid to make this bread you just dont need it.

Go buy Pauls book it has a load more recipes that are fun to do and easier than the recipes that you are reading by the sound of it.

I see you can buy ciabatta breadmix now I wonder if it works (lol)

I think if you have good knives already why not get them sharpened? If not any good knives are worth the investment but they need to be cared for:

Keep the blades away from other objects by storing them in a wood block for example.
Dont put them in a dish washer.
Always sharpen before use. (learn how to use a stone and steel).
Try to keep to one method of sharpening it helps if only one person does this.
Dont use the special sharp knives for anything else than for cutting food.
Avoid cutting anything particularly hard such as bone.
Use a proper plastic or wood chopping board.

Yes, you can, I make bread with fresh yeast in a machine. I prefer the taste. Yes it freezes, I never keep mine for more than 4 months so dont know if it will go longer. Let it thaw in the fridge over night.

You prep in reverse so make the fresh yeast with half a block of yeast, a little of the water you would use and a little sugar also. when you have a smooth paste leave it for 5 minutes. Then add it to the liquid side that is with the water.

Mostly, I use this method to make the dough rather than the bread, so I make the bread in an oven but it works all the way in a machine.

Have fun.

I use fresh milk as well and I use instead of butter oil. the oil I change flavours with to give a change.

oh no! loads of clothes and fantastic food shops assuming we are talking Bergamo. Even the big supermarket is broken down into deli type shops inside.

Get the bus for 5 minutes and be in the old city it is really worth a visit in its own right. Great places to stay and good views...

But you cant buy double cream there!!!

Yes it is odd they have changed the way you search and I have to confess it was on the third page before I saw double cream.

To make double cream take equal amount of unsalted butter and full fat cows milk. melt in a saucepan but don't let it boil. Put in a cream maker, pump out, and leave overnight. Adjust balance for taste.

A cream maker can be used for other things as well as making cream.

Over in Italy the shelves are lined with pat and tony's (as my daughter calls them!)at Christmas time. Also you will find many types of pandoro which is usually made without the dried fruit. They do vary from region to region and shop to shop. I think they come from Milan hundreds of years ago and spread to all of Italy. The "original" would have; fresh yeast, sugar, warm milk, egg yolks, zest of lemon, salt, flour, candied lemon, butter, sultanas, raisins, currants and vanilla in them. The secret is making the "cake" light. They are fun to make and you should use what you want and what you like in them. But if you use a bread maker there are some things to be careful with. I made one yesterday in a bread maker to see.

Because the dough can be quite rich it may need more rising time so after the dough cycle has finished turn off the machine and let it rest for another half hour. I suspect this may have been the problem.

cinnamon works well with dried fruits but be careful not to use a lot of it!! Try adding Italian coffee cold to the liquid mix say two tablespoons and dont forget to remove two tablespoons of the water. Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to help with the colouring and if you want to go "mocha" add 100 to 200 g of plain chocolate. Always remembering to balance the dry and wet ingredients.

I am really not sure from an Italian point of view that spices are so very used in this but if it is what you want go for it.

At the end of the day there is no one recipe now for this bread but what does remain is that it is lighter than light.

Have fun give it another go and enjoy!

ha ha Lesley!! You type double cream into the search and select chat. There is a very long thread on the subject with the recipe.

it is good too for many other things as well.

Frexy, I think Ryanair are doing a zero cost return flight during January. Go to Bergamo now the biggest shopping centre in Italy and it is right next to the airport, you can walk! Day trip, empty bags and only airport taxes to pay!!!

Hi!

Best suggestion is buy in Tescos they have loads of them for sale why make it? Didn't find any with C pods in though!!!!

Frexy, the one Mary sent me is great, but I can tell you along with my sliced bread and Ginger wine in my hand luggage today, I bought back a litre of Tescos double cream from England.

Sorry Anna, I forgot to say I am fine. I hope things are good with you too.

I see a lot of people dont post anymore I wonder why?

of course Mary and I use my bread maker to make jam in.

Well there you go the authority Google has the authentic recipe. No need for my Italian version now then...

naw! Mary from Oz sorted me out thanks.

naw! Easier to get to England!!!

Try Relish continental

yes it would work but dont like smoked salmon from Italy...

No my dear it was double cream I had problem with nothing wrong with me whipping!!

OK you wanna make it in the bread maker or the hard way? Panettone I mean!!!

It does not even need to be in the fridge. A cool place left hanging will go all winter. Thats why it was originally made.

Do you know they dont eat parsnips in Italy? Something to do with the fact they feed the pigs to make palma ham with. "Parsnips fit for a pig!" Off to England on the morrow to buy some for Christmas dinner in Italy...

ok so invite yourself to Mary's on the 22nd January for a late lunch with Ross and I will bring the bags out to you!!!!

Magimix is the only one for me...

Cardamons in Panettone? Blimey mate!!!!

If you really want to, then crush them and add them 30 minutes into the cycle. Do you want a proper recipe?

Well... I live in Italy but dont count myself as a "chef". However, My children love Canneloni and they also like Enchildas so sometimes we mix and match. But for a straight canneloni, if we are entertaining, I do this ( and for the sake of the moderators this is MY recipe):

Assumming you know how to make the pasta and bechamel sauce (if not ask!!!)

with Salmon...
diced zucchini and asparagus tips (out of season) put into boiling water to just blanche (is that how you spell it?). Now drain and them and blitz in a blender with salmon say 400g an egg and a pinch of salt. mix into a bowl with ricotta cheese about 100g.

The rest is building. add the filling roll up arrange in a buttered dish cover with bechamel and dot with a few bits of butter. Put into an oven on around 180c for 15 minutes

or...

try it with 300g spinach, 200g chopped cooked ham and 150g melting cheese (I use fontina) a hand ful of grated parmesan, a couple of eggs and some nutmeg and salt. ( blanch the spinach, melt the cheese with some butter and mix it altogether). Then build as before.

One more...

200g sweet italian sausage, 200g mozzarella, 2 eggs, grated parmesan, 300g spinach beet. Just skin the sausage and mash. Saute with the blanched spinach beet mix in the rest chopped up of course. and build as before.

Why not do your own variation?

Why are you upset with sharpening them Mushy? It is a part of the joy of cooking. Mind you, they need sharpening daily and the steel should e replaced quite often. If you dont like sharpening knives then might I suggest you use a wizzer instead? These are wonderful little gadgets and will save you the time of sharpening.

I make bread all the time. Why not type in bread (not bead) into search and change the pull down to chat. I know I have put up several tasty recipes as indeed others have as well.

Let us know how you get on.

Can you give more clues?

If you liked what you had why not add some more liquid heat to the recipe? Or would you like to try another? James Martin does a good one on here if you search recipes.

I use American cup measurements for making bread as it is so easy to use it as a scoop. If you have an American cup measure add one and a quarter teaspoons of baking powder plus a pinch of salt to one cup of plain flour.

Baking with plain flour is better as you can measure exactly the riing agent. Also self raising flour goes flat quicker.

Well Mark it is a good job you can cook then! A recent survey showed a higher success rate when following Delia's recipe than any other Celeb chef

Well, then you will know you have two harvests! So long as you reduce the fig weight by about two thirds they will stay in an airtight jar for a while. Dont add liquid as these are supposed to be sundried figs!!

Yes you can eat the skin.

I like both colours. Yes what works for one works for the other but my advice is not to mix the varieties.

Have fun in the sun...

Hi!

I love figs and storage has certainly been a problem for me. Let me see if anything I know will help:
First, you really dont have to harvest them off the tree, just let them drop then pick them up and leave them on some paper in the sun. Keep them for two to three days in the fridge without touching each other or leave them where they are if it is good weather as they will just start to dry.
To sun dry figs think sundried tomatoes, if you have sun leave them out or in a lowest oven over night until about two thirds of the weight has gone. Then you can freeze them or store them in airtight jars.

Enjoy...

stick to making your own Blondie there is no comparison

yes loo at ingredients on this site and type in yeast. U s bread makers use this formula all the time

or look at Delias Italian book to see how to preserve garden veg. Same principle

yes blondie is right but put them on a sloping board in the sun. We are doing this at the moment and find that halved and drained the evening before then put out on a sloping board i direct sunlight covered with a teacloth will have them done by sun set. If the sun in the south is not so strong (lol) you will end up with sun blushed fruit. Dont use a syup or you will get the mozzies attacking!!!

Frankly, I agree with jaybee pesto in a jar is yuk! I make my own and it is so easy I never understand why people want to waste there money.

I know Georgie, I make my own chicken stock and you think life is too short for that sort of thing!!!

But then we are all different eh?

The thing is that there are so many ways to do this.

The rule of thumb is to get oil and vinegar in a 3 to 1 or 2 to 1 ratio. Adding lemon juice means removing same amount of vinegar. Then you need some seasoning, for Italy black pepper, oregano rosemary (sage with pork) and basil can be used all or a little. Try red wine or white wine vinegar, for a change you could use balsamic vinegar.

Mix together, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add a teaspoon of black pepper and 3 tablespoons of oregano.

or Mix together 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, teaspoon of pepper and one tablespoon of basil parsley and oregano

or Mix together 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 6 tablespons of extra virgin olive oil one whole but crushed garlic 1 teaspoon of pepper and one or more italian herbs (oregano and sage or good here as is rosemary)

Change the lemon to white wine vinegar if you prefer in part or whole.

Have fun in the sun

Actually I used to do these in my Round table days before I got too old. At 70lb that really is not hard, spit is as you would, basting stuffing etc and keep it going evenly for about 7 hours make sure the pig is a metre above the heat.

You can cut the skin and stuff it with garlic cloves etc. Stuff and sack stich closed but for me, flavour some good basting liquide coming from the pig and just baste away.

I am assuming it is cleaned for you if not shout.

Can you cut it?

Well boiling an egg is noiling an egg...

The main thing for me is to ALWAYS keep as many variables constant. So, Boil to a rolling boil, gently sit the eggs in the pan I actually use a very wide pan to stop the water smashing the eggs on the bottom. quickly bring the water to just under boiling and hold for 7 minutes plus another one if you want it hard. Now run the eggs under cold running water propably 2 minutes. Dont forget to leave them to cool before doing anything with them.

Hard boiled eggs spin like tops...

NOw if you followed this exactly you will see if you want them softer or harder but dont drop below 6 minutes or above 8 minutes. Unless you want soft boiled eggs that is!!

a cool 29 degrees and blue skies. Milan gets it humid but up here on the lakes and the mountains...

Yes Blondie I go with that in fact if it was not for the fat content this should be in everones fridge as it can replace so much and improve so much.
Go on just stick your finger in and have a lick...

Well...

Think of Marscapone as a double cream or a sour cream rather than a cheese.

Use it as is or slacken a little for use with hot food ie Mexican as a substitute for sour cream.

Add to mashed potatoes replacing the butter.

Put into caseroles instead of creme fresh.

Use in deserts like cheese cakes by sweetening and making lighter say with egg whites.

Marscapone is deadly it is not to be use all the time. Once you realize you can just put your finger in the tub and eat it naked you will realize what you have been missing and what you can use it for. SO dont do it!!!

tut tut is that not hooch by another name?

That is ok Frexy the difference is over here we buy vinegar like you buy wine! so it depends on the vintage and wine etc using the vin I suggests stops the added red wine flavouring. But it works the same just not a pure taste

ok frexy this one was done before, and I choose to differ with you sorry.

In fact so sure was Rustie that off she went to Tescos to read the label and what did she find? Zero booze...

OK. I hope you are ready for this. Living in Italy means you learn a lot of basic techniques. Why I can even fish and gut now! This will work with any soft berries but I will use raspberries as that is what you are after. The measurements are close enough for guidance but with all these things it is about taste. You will learn to adjust over time. Although the best time to make this is autumn.
Put a litre of distilled white vinegar and 150ml of ordinary sugar on the heat to boiling. Pour over 6 large handfuls of raspberries in a large enough container. Stir cover and leave in a dark cool place for a month.
Pour the liquid into a large pot through muslin or something very fine and simmer once bought to the boil for 5 minutes. Then bottle.

If Toronto is on the same longtitude as south of Milan why can I not get cranberries over in Italy?

OK looking at my Rhododenron plant and thinking if I can bottle and export it...

I have looked at your site already and I express my good wishes to you and others who try in this world to make a go of it.

So long as you stay with quality you will always win. Don't try to go down the cheap road it wont work.

Having said that if you do really well I will become your supplier! We could meet over lunch on the banks of the major lake while we talk terms...

I am really keen on Slow Food if it does not get hijacked by keep the planet organic and keep Sainsbury's in GM business (I ask you what a contradiction!).

Back to my honey where are my bees...

Well I am surprised. Do you live in the UK? It is a ham joint from the leg above the foot. I thought it was only really on sale at Christmas and Easter in the UK.

What are you cooking with it?

We have a good few chefs that can adapt recipes so why not give us a clue what you want to cook for example then the likes of Blondie and Snoozy I am sure will give you the alternatives.

Simmer 100 grams of mild honey in a small saucepan, and add 10 times 5cm sprigs of thyme. Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs from honey with a fork and discard.
That is enough for tasting over toast then you can change the balance if needed and increase the quantities. Store for up to three months.

Never tried it with Rhododendron is it nice?

Why dont you stock thm Relish good source of income! Mind I have to say without a doubt that there is no way I would pay that much on line for so little not knowing how old it was.

If I could afford such little luxuries in life I would hop on a plane.

Aliz

I dont understand you I agrree with you and my words are not in contradiction.

If 0 is what you can get and it is strong for the bread you want go for it. I dont disagree.

I have never seen 0 on the shelves where I live but hey it is still an 0 type flour that I buy. The word bread flour is a generic word for wait for it, making bread.

But I am impressed that if ever I need to know that I can buy 0 flour in Perth Australia. I take it that is where Tandem lives.

Intersting question. 00 is a pasta durum wheat flour that is not "soft" and is good for wait for it.. pasta. Having said that you can use 00 to make bread but why? Why not buy bread flour? I only use 00 if I run out of bread flour it does not make such a good loaf.

lol Rustie! Miss C. I am sorry I took your question on a bad turn! For what it is worth sharp good knives are my main kitchen instrument. But then you have to remember I got rid of my dishwashing machine so my kitchen therepy is not yours!

If I have a lot to do I ALWAYS cheat with a machine. IF not and the time allows during coooking I enjoy chopping by hand and the less washing up.

My mother had me take my knives to julian carrots for Christmas dinner!!!

So you do what you find best regardless what the celeb chefs say. Mind, you must remember that soft herbs like Basil much prefer to be torn not cut anyway due to oxidization the leaf goes black.

But sharpen up the knives people they really are your best assets

Kimi me upset?

Huh!

If it works huh!

Of course it works!!!

Huh...

Snoozy is the master of Spain Tapas but I can help, if you take bread that is thickly cut french bread is good, rub olive oil on it and put in the oven and make like croutons. When done take out rub with garlic then rub a half of a juicy tomato.

For a quick method cut french bread at a slant that fits in a toaster. Toast. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil and rub garlic over it. Then rub half a tomato into the bread.

Just bread sald and olive oil...

If you dont like prawn change Kimi pil pil for mushroom. In Italy we use anchovies.

So many...

use single cream and add a little lemon juice. As you stir it so it should thicken. This is make it yourself sour cream rather than shop bought recipe.

Marscapaone is sour cream why not use that? you could slaken it a little if it is too thick.

I dont bother with sour cream now I know about marscapone...

Helen all thos people to wit you refer also use a knife.

When is your birthday Helen I will buy you a steel...

hey Jan! What do you mean if mine soes not work!!!!

my my balls are small I have them to go with cherry toms they are that small how do you aqueeze them without making your eyes water?

oh thanks snooze so you dont like mine?

This is really straight forward to do an then you can vary it to your taste. you need to put some milk say little for than a quarter of a litre (250-300ml) on the go turn the gas down to a gentle heat and then put in a non metalic bowl a couple of egg yolks and 50g-75g of caster sugar and around a tablespoon of cornflour oh and for flavour add a few drops of vanilla essence unless you want to see the black spots in which case use a stick of vanilla. Zap them together with an electric hand whick for 30 seconds pour the hot milk into the bowl a little at a time and keep whisking to avoid lumps then put it all back on the heat. Stir until thick. When cold use to stuff what ever you like with!

nah Snoozy best thingy is the knife! Use your hands girl use your hands!

Snoozy I am sorry having not investigated the link I had not appreciate that these cheap truffles were what we call in England "majic mushrooms" the moderator quite rightly deleted the link even though apparently they are legal in the UK.

Back to the pigs then...

if you type bread into the search you will find several recipes.

Actually you dont need you recipe book with the machine. I have never used it or the measures that come along side the machine.

Try google, bread machine recipe.

Have fun

Typing ground saffron recipe into Google should get you out of trouble and into a whole new world of cooking!

I know a teacher that uses it to colour play dough...

Thank you Waitrose...

To tell if an egg is raw or hard-boiled, spin it: if the egg spins easily, it is hard-boiled, but if it wobbles, it is raw.

The British people eat nearly 10 billion eggs a year; that works out at 26 million eggs every day.

To make a bouncing egg, place the egg in a glass of vinegar. After two or three days, the acetic acid will have dissolved the hard calcium shell. It will then survive a drop of four to five inches.

Becca you mean by faux what was said on another thread?

Becca I made your chilli thanks with Marscapone instead of double cream

Shriti Blondie is right but not the Italian restaurants of course winter whites sell for about 3000 usd per pound at the moment.

Try Chinese they maybe able to help but Im with Relish you are looking for a very expensive needle in a haystack.

Actually, the Italian season is longer when you look at white and black truffle so the last week of August should find Italian restaurants here grating some on top of your spaghetti.

Do let us know how you get on. Maybe you need a pig or a dog to sniff them out with?

Jaybee

Dont ask me I hate thick based pizzas the idea of adding a rising agent to the base gives me the ebbee jeebees!!!

Having said that yes a stone works wonders it really does but I only know flat pizzas or thin as we like to say in English.

My daughter Alice made one today for her and her sister (no breadmaker used) they did not have soggy bottoms. Oh hum! I dont know what does it but mine are really thin on a really hot base in a really hot oven with semi dried additives.

Yes there is an alternative. But might I suggest you eat in season? Truffles are an autumn dish and there are festivals here for them.

Last year was so hot they were scarce so the price went up so high no one could stock them let alone buy them.

But this year things should return and a cheap flight to Italy on festival day will get you what you want to take home and use.

ok Becca tried it good one used Marscapone instead of cream (like thick sour cream really)

yes sorry I should have said fridge or a cold pantry eggs need to be under 4 degrees to keep there freshness longer and certainly dont want the current heat!

It is interesting with such a versatile food product that there can be so many urban myths. I never knew by the way you could get blue eggs! I am now on the lookout!!

Other than the chicken I am not sure battery/barn/freerange/organic eggs are a great deal different. Having said that I am not a great organic buff. This seems a word of the moment I do beleive in good farming and sometimes that will mean organic but in the case of chickens I dont think so. Trouble is when they say free range that might mean they are let out during the day.

I still cant decide if I should keep eggs in a fridge or not. Keeping chilled keeps them fresher but using them I find harder straight from the fridge.

Dunky

You know try as I might I cannot find the recipe on the web or whever. It sounds good but I have never heard of them. I assume it must be Szechuan cooking.

I am surprised Blondie does not know she often has chinese. Have you asked in the shop?

There you go Rachel everyone has there own way. And if AWT was here he would say "naw, dont worry about it being pink it is better that way pork is safe"

We were dinner jackets and invite guests for our Christmas dinner ( Which is on Christmas eve)

yes Georgie you are right!

Yes high humidity but I am sub teranian during the day so no problems. I told you my wife teaches at the school next to the famous football stadium near you.

Switzerland is particularly good for factory outlets and I am amazed at how cheap the famous Italian names are in fashion in Switzerland.

If you decide to go tell me and I will give you directions.

We have sky here on the major lake so we get it and can watch it.

I go to England enough to bring it back. If you are not far from the International school I can have some delivered there for you.

Yes I agree with you.

Look at the menu of the week even the main course is listed as advance when would you cook it? Unless it is for a special meal to share with others you will never try it.

This does not mean if you cannot cook up a storm you should but if you can cook up a storm then go for it with all the airs and graces of a banquet. I like going round freinds and having basic pasta on my lap and I love going round friends and dressing up.

You do it and not just for your fella eh?

There are some good recipes on this site not just Ross Burden who makes some great dinner party meals but many of the others.

Jus simply means meat juices.

Jus as in a recipe, as in cooking, would mean for example, browning off meat in a frying pan. After removing the meat use wine or stock for example to deglaze the pan. Put the bones or rather the carcass of the meat into the oven to extract the rest of the juice and add to the sauce. This gives it intensity of a deep flavour but actually is only lightly reduced. Chicken carcass is popular as is veal or rabbit but you can use bones for the bigger animals unless you have a big oven!!

Problem is today is that it sounds fancy to talk about jus instead of gravy so it is used for a less intense or greater reduction sauce.

The weeks menu on the recipe page main course uses a jus and does not even say it.

Becca, can you eat Mascaponi cheese? That is a good substitute not sure what it is you cannot actually eat.

Rachel, Do you have a meat themometer that will tell you exactly when it is done and not dry and tastless.

Problem is you need it on high to start to get the crackling going assuming you are rubbing in olive oil and salt to help and then you need to turn it down to cook through without drying out.

You will remember to let it rest for 15 minutes afterwards wont you?

It is important to cook it properly though. I would have thought you would be ok with the time it says in your recipe for the bigger bit at least it wont be under cooked! You could always look sea after 1 hour.

David

It was a wind up mate he did not have any.

As Jenster said you can get it from your supermarket. Although I do take offence for Brits to blame bizarre happenings onto Brussels just because the tabloids like to take things out of context.

On this site there is a simple conversion from fresh to dried. Also thread after thread on the subject.

Enjoy.

I think it is called creme patissiere but my French is not that good! Certainly we make the cream cos we have to make double cream here so we may just as well make the real Mcoy.

This is really straight forward to do an then you can vary it to your taste. you need to put some milk say little for than a quarter of a litre (250-300ml) on the go turn the gas down to a gentle heat and then put in a non metalic bowl a couple of egg yolks and 50g-75g of caster sugar and around a tablespoon of cornflour oh and for flavour add a few drops of vanilla essence unless you want to see the black spots in which case use a stick of vanilla. Zap them together with an electric hand whick for 30 seconds pour the hot milk into the bowl a little at a time and keep whisking to avoid lumps then put it all back on the heat. Stir until thick. When cold use to stuff what ever you like with!

This is pretty basic and can take anything from nutmeg to whatever to give it your thing so go try...

OK I have tried this now to see what it is like so this is my recipe for spag bol Italian style. Warning although I have lived here for nearly 4 years My children prefer their spag bol the way they had it in England. Having said that there was nothing left on the plate after this one written with no tomatoes on mind.

Tagliatelle with Bolognese meat sauce
(I made the tag with just 400g flour 4 eggs and a pinch of salt mixed by hand and rolled out into lasagne sheets and cut into 1cm width strips. Left to dry on a floured surface and cook.)

Chop half an onion, a small carrot, half a stalk of cellary and 50g of bacon. Now brown the bacon on medium high with a 2 tablespons of extra virgin olive oil. When browned and the fat released add the chopped vegetables. Stir carefully until soft but dont brown. Add 220g of mince meat stiring until browned. Turn up the heat and after a minute add half a glass of nice red wine and let it evaporate. Turn down again to medium. lower to simmer and leave for two hours topping up with seasoned hot stock to keep moist adding a little at a time.

This is really trad. Add a couple of tablespoons of tomato concentrate if you want change the meats or even add chicken livers. You could add mushrooms Italian style or what ever you want.

This recipe is the basic recipe that goes with polenta and other stuff lasagne for example.

To serve.put the pasta in a serving bowl and add a little of the sauce. Mix well put the remains in a sauce bowl or gravy boat on the side with some freshly grated parmesan.

have a go but dont do too much!

It is interesting to see that in a domestic oven we use a pizza tray with holes or put it on the open shelf but in a pizza place it goes on the oven floor.

Pizzas from the South are tradditionally thicker but in the North of Italy they are megga thin.

I have to say we dont cook them too often as they are so good in the shops but on the occassions when we have we have used a teracotta tile heated first I guess like Sandyford said. Very thin pizza dough and yes freezing it works, but not made in the breadmaker that throughs me it is only a pasta a pastry so it is easier to do by hand or in a processor. I would like to know what the breadmaker does to it?

if you use can tomato then you really must drain the juice well or it can make it soggy. In fact it should really be almost boiled dry before putting on. Likewise the Mozzorella this has to be drained and cut well before using to get rid of the liquid.

Paul sounds like you had a fun time never eaten a supermarket pizza so dont know what they are like.

have you tried egg custard pies or fillings in brioche etc they are fun to make.

This sounds really good I will try this although I wont resist having some (hic) other liquid in it!!

When you tried it wass the mixed fruit dried fruit or fresh fruit? fruit as in apple and pear for crunch or fruits of the forrest for soft and colour?

Not that it matters just wondered how you had it.

You ought to put a fold in your grease proof paper but I am sure we all know that.

ok now to find the bicarb...

no me neither but add the vodka... or PIMMS!!

New Cocktail

PIMMS No1 gazpacho

Vodka gazpacho sounds more ring to it eh?

Yes, I must say cold soup is not one of my favs but if you think of it as a cold drink rather than soup and even serve it cocktail style in a tall glass I wonder if the eyes would be deceived? I took the liberty of looking up the definition of gazpacho as I, like many, thought In knew what it meant but was not sure...


A cold uncooked summer tomato soup (a liquid salad). Usually contains tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, celery, cucumbers, and bread moistened with water. Gazpacho should be drunk slightly chilled, but not iced. As its purpose is to quench thirst as well as nutritious, there should no need to supplement it with a drink.

we get it from Switzerland but then we are not so far to the border.

maybe we should post some good simple recipes then

so are you with signals?

Well, I have been saying this all the time making pasta is easy and quick just a mental block. Making ravioli is as much fun so too is gnochi. Try it.

Wow! What a great idea Im off to the chemist.

Sigh! No more wasting time filling up a glass and sipping it passed my lips.

Just a single jab per tot.

Im off! Hic...

Caroleena,

First have you thought about shopping on line? Great service for spices mustards and so on. Best get powered English lasts for ever then.

Second, baked beans are so easy to make and sausage and baked beans is actually a Tuscan recipe!!

Third, you dont have to use sherry depends what you are doing but Martini vermouth or white wine dry will usually do.

Forth cheddar, never and if you do find it this will be Swiss and expensive. Take Chiara Cla advice.

Fifth, Go into Rome and stock up!!

Let us know how you get on Anna comes form nearer your way btw where are you?

problem is guys depends on the quality of the pod and the strength of the extract.

I actually use 1 tsp to one unit of pod which is half a pod. That means I guess I use 2 tsp to one pod.

My only reason to use extract is when I dont want the little black spots to show. A little like using white pepper ina white sauce.

I think you can buy this as either as fresh aromatic herb in sprigs or crumbled dried. There is a summer and a stonger winter version but the summer one is strong so...

It has a peppery flavour and I think is related to the mint but I cant remember it tasting like that. I have had it in Turkey and countries around there but I have never seen it on sale in England.

Try an Indian shop? or online?

What are you using it with so someone can suggest an alternative? Beans? Meat? a sauce? what?

or

Main course take a pyrex dish place enough chicken thighs in it to feed having browned them first.

Fill the gaps with new potatoes small onions and whole garlic.

Fill with lots of olive oil and a glass of white wine season chicken

Cover with lemon slices

Serve with seasonal veg

baked egg suprise for starter get it ready and throw in the oven.


Honey glazed duck or even chicken

Angels in Hades for desert

But they are all shipped overseas! So if you want British peel them!!

try frying in butter and at the end throwing in balsmic vinegar. Serve with fried eggs and parmesan shavings

or

Wrap it in bacon

or

Boil it and dip it in soft boiled eggs as soldiers

but if you are doing beef then my daughter likes the dressing to be:

worcestershire sauce pepper and toms as she prefers the marinade of the beef to come through which is

red wine vinegar, veg oil garlic and salt.

We also put bananas in this fajitas

well just do a search fajitas chat and you will finf my recipe there same as I just posted.

Note to moderator I never post copyright material and this is the first time enjoy!

Well of course there are so many besides soups. Why not think of a different milk form cows say coconut and then go for say a thai cocunut green curry type stater or the miriad of Thai foods.

Add lemon and make sour cream and use it as a dip with something hot crudite style

Goats milk has a real tang to it and would be different turned into a roux as Helen suggested.

pasta with milk based dressing or salad for that matter.

seems odd. Did you use fresh lemon juice? Too much perhaps? The recipe was supposed to be soggy? You did not let the bread stand for 30 minutes first? You did not take it out of the tin?

"[Note from moderator: The recipe posted here has been deleted due to possible breach of copyright. We apologise for the inconvenience.]"

see the cocktail recipes under wine thread in the chat. This recipe is detailed for you there

Well I never! I know one swallow does not make a summer but...

A few weeks ago someone kindly gave me a tescos pot of coriander. They flew with me to Italy and by the time they got there the were drooping.

A few days later I potted them in a parsley pot waiting for my gardners to plant them out.

Guess what! The gardners has not planted out yet bu the corinader has grown new leaf and looks great!

Well I never!!!

Question answered me tinks.

First: grey shrimp in French is brown shrimp for potting.

Second: Dutch followed the french and called it grey shrimp.

Third: Ross told you to buy vacupac dutch shrimp from your local fishmonger that are cooked ie brown.

BTW I was so facinated by this grey brown thing I rang Ross to explain and that is what he said!

Blackpool in England is famous for them and you can buy them ready cooked.

So French Dutch or English. The first two are known as grey and the third as brown.

Having said that I am really not sure once they are precooked theat they make a whole lot of difference.

SO yes you can buy them and Ross told you how.

A friend of mine had to go on a special low-chol diet. In England ricotta cheese is not on the list but cottage cheese is of what you can eat. Ricotta is a much misunderstood cheese, did I say that? It actually is not a cheese! As the name is translated to “cooked again” it is a by-product and is made form the whey drained from Mozzarella and some other cheeses in other countries.

Ricotta is naturally low in fat, with a fat content ranging from 4 to 10 percent. It is also low in salt, and is even lower than cottage cheese.

Sorry Dorz it went pear shaped as I was sending it! Sweet little things are they not!!

Stink bugs in Italy look like a green that is a common comment about coriander that it is yuk.

You dont eat a stink bug by design any more than you let a bee sting you. Sometimes it just happens...

They are ok it is the double bodied large mossies that get me!

Well I am surprised that one of chefs on here cant answer you for the sweet salad or the keeping herbs fresh. Come on someone!

treat her as vegan with a wheat alergy and you are laughing. Plenty of threads on here

That sounds really good must have a go.

oh! yes! I'm going there thanks! I wonder if RB is available that way? I've never bought off the Internet before is it good and is it safe?

Strange I think parsley is such a poor substitute for cori. Here in lots of Italy they use parsley that is whi cori aint so popular. It can be found though.

I can grow basil parsley etc but not coriander. I must try again.

As for the crunch if you are genuine that stink bugs have the same flavour then surely I can deal with them ala prawn and blender them.

It is like the Ross progs shown in NZ and SA but not here. Strange how they choose eh?

Wow thanks Dorz we get a lot of stink bugs here will try as substitute

well I hope it works for you but it dont work here and guess what Basil does...

Yes where are they from? I cant seem to find them either?

Yes but like Ross Burden we could do with seeing something new and in print. I can only take so much of some chefs repeating their recipes in new covers. What a waste of money. Let us have some new recipes from these two greats.

Alix it is not permitted to copy the recipes of Gary here due to copyright.

It was bog standard and I would give you a recipe but it is so close that it probably would get deleted. Try the web or buy Gary's book.

Oh snoozy if he tells you all his recipes what will he do in his new book? The potted shrimp recipe is in his book "Food for all seasons". It cannot be printed here for copyright reasons.

It is interesting that grey and brown are so easily mistaken eh? bit like prawn and prawns...

Well let us know when we have some informative information on how to grow the stuff some of us cannot even easily get hold of it.

There is a really nice potted shrimp (although he insists on adding an "s" to the end of shrimp. Causes great problems with the search engine on this site) recipe in Ross Burdens book "Food for all seasons". In it he uses brown Morecombe shrimp that are bought cooked but not peeled. He suggests a drink in hand a TV in front of you while you peel. Really a great recipe.

Veg gel is no substitute for this dish so enjoy your parfait!

Well you can do it either way and the bestway is on the bone always. Sounds heavenly dont make the sauce too havy and it will work. You know to fillet when cooked all you need to do is run your kniife around the outside releasing the edge flesh and lightly running your knife down the backbone from head to tail. Now you can slide the two fillets off the bone. Now at the tail end cut through the bone and using a fork curl the whole skeleton towards the head in a big circle not putting too much pressure on the bone and using your knife for any bits still sticking. Then enjoy!

Can I come?

Malta has rabit and a fish I cant remember the name of but for finger food they are really into dates for example, try google. One I recall was pitted dates in pastry alla sausage rolls but with a sweeter taste and orange flavour. Malta has wine but it would be expensive over in the UK.

Yes porridge good idea for Belgium try Sourdough Gingerbread Belgium Waffles

Well mango peach melon they will all go but the original is peach of course.

I am surprised you cannot get it in a supermarket in the UK. Must have a look at tescos online.

Well if you go to the cocktail recipe topic you will see the recipe for it and Blondie has said what peach nectar is so I guess you can make it. But you will need the peach juice!

Surely just peach juice is available in the supermarket? Next to apple juice etc?

Brian, sun blush is about half the time as sun dried. If you have not done this before may I suggest you do it in an oven on the lowest setting around 100c.

Half the tomatoes lengthways and deseed. Stand cut side up on a lightly oiled baking sheet and drizzle extra virgin olive oil and salt over them. Pop them into a very low oven and leave over night for dried (dont let them go crispy) or half that time for blushed.

When you see what they look like you can try the real sun!

Shortbread yes that would work sounds great.

So come on the G where do you buy them from?

I go along with you I think it is boring I'm not Irish but it was not my cup of tea. Wearing baseball caps and looking down at food. Good production or what!

Well I think the conversation got a little lost I think. I was saying I use bottle water all the time and I use Brita filter. I am not using Brita until I am sure it is safe and waiting for them to reply to me. I said as Mary commented that I do not use plastic bottle but I did up until Mary started a thread on it. There is no good evidence that suggests bottles are safe to be reused unless they state it.

If tap water was unsafe we would have health warning about it and if cheap wine poisons you they would not sell it. I prefer to know where my water is coming from for cooking and drinking.

Funny though cos when my twins were a few months old we drove them to Austria. I was sent out to buy still water bottled for the babies. When my wife tried to make the bottles the water fizzed over. She sent me down to the bar and I explained and made them pour the non fizzy water so I could see. It fizzed. They took me to the pool that fizzed and they laughed I was in a spa town the water came direct from the mountain. I returned to my room laughing and turned on the tap the water still fizzed but it was as drinkable as the bottle.

I am not taking a high moral groound here at all. But if I am chilling red onion strips say for a salad then they will be soaked in chilled bottle water. If I make something with wine I will use what I am drinking.

But I will not allow reuse of plastic bottles!

Quenbe

You are so right. It is like it just is not there without it. Maybe others dont prepare them correctly but you cannot substitute them Cos it is a blending taste.

Porridge we agree. I was saying you could replace some wheat with rice flour in bread making it would make it lighter.

Relish I am sure it was not answered because of how it was phrased. I assumed you knew the answer by the wording. So in case of teaching you to suck eggs...

Pricking the bottom helpsstop the rising of the pastry. When it is done blind and after the paper is removed the base goes back in for a few minutes to dry off the wet from the parchment paper and pastry. Once removed and left to chill the holes if you look don't really exist never mind that you would not put something that runny in the pastry that it would matter or it is unlikely to set.

And I disagree with you Rustie I think the size is not what matters it is the quality.

Well thanks for that Blondie I never knew it did not have gluton in it. I actually use it for non glutonous things now I think about it including crepes (nice recipe by the way porridge) so where you would use wheat flour use rice flour so long as it is not for say bread. Having said that almond and rice flour would make good cakes or bread what an interesting thought. My rice bread uses real rice but so long as there is some gluton in the mix you could substitute some wheat flour for rice flour. It would make it lighter and smoother I guess.

Relishmama

I guess it all depends on your culture as well. Living by bottled water that has been inspected and approved sounds a tad better than something that comes out of a tap however soft the region is. But it is choice we live by on how we grow up. Each to their own I guess. It is just that I would never put cheap wine in cooking or something inferior and I see no reason to do that with water either. Of course it depends what oyu are doing with it!

Yes Mary it still uses strong bread flour sorry and I no nothing about gluton free food.

Good for you Nick. I will not reuse water bottles there is no evidence to say it is safe.

As for filter water I only use it for boiling etc otherwise I use bottled for all cooking and drinking.

My children have water everday to take to school and now it is always fresh. Why play around with life for a few pence?

I often use the machine to do the dough in. If Im making other stuff at the same time so an onion focaccia is good. Aslo working form home and cooking I do have to fit somethings around my paid day! Otherwise I prefer doing it all by hand. Anyway I make rice bread potato bread polenta bread milk bread and an ordinary loaf with egg in it gives good colouring! I think I must have written up now some 30 recipes!

So a milk loaf is softer and lasts longer and is usually browner:

The recipe is quite easy just replace the water to 1 part water to 3 part milk so one cup equals 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup of water. remember that if the liquids are cold the yeast will retard so you should always use liquids at room temperature. I use bottled water by the way!

You can with ordinary bread replace the butter with oil I use olive oil a lot or a mixture of the two. for bread making a tip my children use to make bread is this:

Measure everything by weight where liquid ml is the same as dry g. Use a set of scales that are fairly acurate. put on the bread bucket and switch on your scales or set to zero do this only in metric.

Pour liquid until scale agrees ie 210 ml/7.5fl oz is one American cup size equals on scales 210g

Zero out the scales and add next ingredient say flour.

Zero out the scale and then make little pockets in each of the corners and the centre add the dried milk and zero to one corner add the sugar and zero to the next add the salt to the third zero the scales and add the butter (by the way try precutting this to correct weight and freezing in say ice trays) and in the centre add the yeast careful for non of it to touch.

Sometimes I use measuring spoons for the last 5 ingredients cos it is easier and scales dont always measure that well with small amounts.

Play with the flour as well my lot like white bread but with brown colour! to do this add a small bit of brown flour instead of all white flour.

OK I will stop!

there you go thanks Rustie

For me it was a wake up call to how clean can you really get a used water bottle. Now we do not use them it just is not worth it.

interesting I make them by rolling them out and putting them in a tin foil trough

oh yes and dont drink beer

Sour cream, cream, yoghurt potato go for a creamy dish or is it too late now

well the beer can only be used as a liquid and flavour so use your favouite

but that does not make it ok lets see what others say

Im using bottled water until I know

At home around Christmas we buy a whole leg of cured meat along with dried sausages. Thy go on for ever but do need to be stored correctly. The reason why it is so popular is it was a way of keeping meat for the whole year in fact it is hung out for months to dry in the first place.

A great cheese to go with that and your wine of course is mouth size bites of Parmesan but even Tescos finest is not very good so you would need your farmers market or a good deli to try it.

Hope you enjoy.

Ciao

why not go buy polenta and keep the semolina to make some decent fresh pasta with?

Well Sue. I like it as is and it is good to keep it in the fridge it will keep for longer than you will leave it there for months into years depending on what it is exactly.

Try using it in cooking where you use lardons, ham, bacon and so on. For example: Make the classic French sauce base of onion carrot celary and use chopped sausage and go from there. Use this as a base to strong meaty casseroles.

Mince it and add to lighter meats for meatballs etc.

Cut it into small muth size pieces open a bottle of cold white wine and serve to a couple of friends around 6 in the evening or just when they arrive for dinner and before you start.

well you can but you get a different cake a lemon semolina cake in fact.

Well I would like to know as I do all my cooking using that kind of filter.

Surely they could not sell it if it were true?

Thanks to these threads I no longer reuse water bottles because of health issues but this is new to me.

oh yes Blondie very nice

oh it is to die for is it not Sharon?

But I forgot the penalty if you drop a bit in the fondue...

oh no naughty!

I have a wrist condition too. washing them is easy and I leave the peel on. Better taste too!

the point of being a diplomat is never remembering the past Georgie.

Liquorice and garlic eh yuk! That sounds like a French recipe!

Get better soon Relish

Thank you Relish. Rustie is the only one to correct me and get away with it. She really does know best...

CAnt think what the second thing was she corrected me on Im sure she will say soon enough

the italian variety or the asian variety?

No sorry guys I AM always right not Rustie. Well except for tuna and something else

snivel.

Whats wrong with a good old packet of Robinsons jelly eh?

ok the milk is to help with the browning and is not needed. As Livewire said you can use fresh milk stick it in with the wets thhough and if it is on a timer not too long eh? skimmed is just easier and it is not a taste thing.

Forgotton the name now but the newish small graters single blade I use always with parmesan and no problems. I have a grater for my Magimix but that is used only when I need tons of the stuff. Try the new grators they are very sharp and last for ever.

Magimix has my vote but dont waste your money unless you really know what you want it for. Buy the cheapest it will last a couple of years.

Well the most outstanding recipes are the ones that Pimms themselves do must be on their site have a look.

For me I like it with ginger ale and my wife likes it with champagne. There are so many.

If you cant find one come back and I will list a couple for you

Well the most outstanding recipes are the ones that Pimms themselves do must be on their site have a look.

For me I like it with ginger ale and my wife likes it with champagne. There are so many.

If you cant find one come back and I will list a couple for you

Well Sheeba you really need to get out more and to help you on the way here is how to make it.

In a blender combine 2 ounces light rum, 5 ounce pineapple juice, 1.5 ounces of coconut cream with 1 American cup size of crushed ice. Blend well at high speed. Pour into Collins glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry and a slice of pineapple.

A word about my measurements. I have a tot measure that turns over for doubles so that is why I use American measurements but this one you can do by eye but remember the ratios. An American cup is give or take 8 ounces in the same money or a mug you would use for making a cuppa with.

You can make this virgin or with other fruit try strawberry.

Enjoy!

so why am I not the same?

blind baking for me I never use beans or rice or anything like that.

Prick the base as expected then I lay 6 tea spoons over the bottom. It is perfect.

And no Kiwi it is neither heavy nor uneven it is perfect. But use the best spoons some may go black! and on top of parchment paper...

Sharon go for it you will go to heaven...

My family love them in fondue. We like miking the flavours white dark milk toberone with double cream and a squirt of something nice orange liquer for example. Heat slowly dip marshmellows, strawberries apples pear orange grape etc

keep warm on a findue or one thos 9 pound things from Boots

Mascarpone would be better than ricotta if you are not baking it as it has a creamier taste to start with. It also has flavour which ricotta does not have until it is cooked due to it being the whey and all that.

In fact classic base then spread a soft fruit like backberries made into a sauce on the base and topped with mascapone in a quick release tin. That would be a very good cold solution.

Hmmm think I will mae that now!

Use in gnocchi instead of mashed potatoe but prepared in the same way.

ok you have made my mouth water so here are two recipes.

Asparagus which is in season, break off the lower parts and toss in butter over a medium heat until cooked but keeping a crunch. Turn up high and splash in three desertspoons of balsamic. Add to plate with egg and cover with shavings of parmesan.

or

favourite lettuce leaf say rocket add quartered strawberries and pan fried chicken breasts in strips. Add slices of avocado, make a dressing of three part virgin olive oil with 1 part balsamic and pour

You should know that this cheese made from the wey is good for the blood and is in a lot of healthy diets it can go where any soft cheese would go in dips with potatoes on pasta. Really nice with lemon but it can be a little dry if you are not careful. Also great with spinich and works a treat combining the two in a pasta dish. Anyway in Italy this is the traditional method for a Torta di Ricotta. Famous in Italy, you can also make this with potato and ricotta.
OK I use the Magimix for this first bit. Add 300g of plain flour and a pinch off salt into the food processor and spin for a half a minute to “sift” the flour. Add 80g of softened butter in small chunks mix until it looks likes crumbs. Now add a dessertspoon of runny honey (now you know why I don’t do this one like I make pasta!) and enough water to mix to a smooth dough. Clingfilm it and pop in fridge for 30 minutes.
200g of Ricotta in bowl add 100g of raisins (don’t forget to wash them and let them soak in warm water for an hour or two) add 50g of pine nuts half a desert spoon of the honey, a little “grated” vanilla and a glass of water (I always use bottled water in my pastry and fillings by the way but not the fizzy type!) Now beat the life out of it any which way you prefer to end up with a thick cream.
Mix into a separate bowl 50g pine nuts, an egg, half a dessertspoon of honey, a desert spoon of extra virgin olive oil and the grated peel of one lemon. Mix well and add to the ricotta mix.
Butter a flan tin and sprinkle with flour. Roll out the pastry and line the tin with it leaving the pastry to be higher than the tin itself. Fill with the mixture and put in a medium oven for an hour. To be served cold!!

wooden surface is the only way to go ladies

ok well i bake daily by hand and machine so here is ny drill.

Buy basic if it is your first time then you wont feel so bad. I use mine for loaves or to kick the dough and a basic one really works.

If you want to make every day English bread which will surprise me dah! Then get one that allows you to choose the crust setting.

So cheapest is best and crist browner a good feature.

BTW all machines make great jam perfecto!

Keith

Without dault buy the chicken cos the fridge is the last place you want to keep them. Ask Ross Burden, he is a zoologist. But as Snoozy says dont break the sell by date by too much

So I ought not to say they are really bad then eh?

Well you will nevenow Chris will you unless you try the real thing or a nearer substitute!

Each to their own. Hope you enjoyed it but hey, on that score pasta is just a pasta eh?

think of wine like oil every year every estate is differing. Here in Italy this is what I do. To cook with use olive oil unless you use a veg lig asparagus where butter draws it out in that case use virgin.

For those special occassions when you are not cooking such as a sald dressing use a dark bottled V olive oil and find the one you like

Marmotte

There you go Rustie has a good memory!

Try it roughly one to one should work. If you want the scientific exactness then see Blondies piece other wise do it

I like both snoozy and Rusties ideas but... try indian!

So Rumian you would advocate simply making a salad dressing for the meat?

Linguini is a substitute but why not make it? Tell me what you are doing with it.

Well my birthday is the 8th May Ross and Im hoping too!

Rachel

Strawberries with the stalks taken out and halved. Chicken breast with skin in slices fried and browned but kept moist. Advocado thinly sliced. Rocket sald leaves. Pecan or walnit crushed nuts. Dressing 3 to 1 V Olive oil and Balsamic mixed well with fresh plack pepper.

Assemble all but the chicken and dressing. Toss in a salad bowl pref glass. Mix 3 thirds of the dressing and layer chicken on top. Pour over remaining dressing

eat with crusty bread.

Trudi

It should not have been wet did you dry it first?

More likely did you enjoy it!!!!

only a few places left for the Thai weekend in the alps...

hmmmm. We will need to differ there Danny. Bread needs a higher gluton and plain flour is the substitute. Pasta is pastry. No eggs people.

You can make pastry with eggs but basid pastry and pasta uses plain flour and no eggs!!!!

Trudi in the morining I will give you another recipe but what do you like?

i dont understand why it goes green
i keep flour for ever tell me more about storing

chip kiwi

tell me more both of you


NOW!!!!

chip kiwi

tell me more both of you


NOW!!!!

do you have cup measures? If so just press the soft butter down into the cup

you can use either and I go with Frexy but the warning is some machines are laoded the opposite way!!!!

Well Im happy to a slow risotto but boning a wing! wow! Wonder what other part it would work with?

So knowing Blondie will not take it the wrong way we can see the error came in the early part of the thread when Georgie thought the cup was a proper cup size and not a threequarter cup and Blondie explained it in gms instead of mls.

So back to the plot: Blondie is right at the start so long as you remebr you use 75g of rice or a threequarter cup size.

And all because the machine manufacturers measure in ml for a dry weight! tut tut how to confuse us all!!!

No I think Blonde is right but the difference is fluids compared to dry measurements. LEts run this again like it or not Italian rice is reciped out at 100g per person. Never measure it as a wet weight cos rice changes depending on type.

So the confusion is clear and Blondie is correct:

1 A rice maker like a bread maker comes with a cup that is not a standard cup measurement.
2 A ricemaker like a bread maker comes measured possible in mls not gms.
e Making rice by hand means you would go by a dry weight. thus 100g for an Italian risotto a meal itself and 75g for a side order

Rustie has made an experiement proving the rule 75g of rice equals one of the cups with the maker and Blondie says it is enough for her and her chinese girls so everything is clear.

Well I watched. But I could not believe my eyes. Watching him do that to a chicken wing had me lost!

Can someone help me. How on earth do you make that meal? It looked really exciting to make but even reading the recipe back Im at a loss.

Help!!

Terry that sounds better! God I would be bloated on so much rice!!!! I can read it lets hope BN can. Well done.

oh blondie sounds wonderful when can I come round for dinner?

oh Trudi but it is divine with Ricotta! and it low in cholesterol!

I will let you know the web site as and when but I think we are now planning another not for profit course due to demand.

The thing is Fossils I try to think in chunks as Im not a proper chef so ratios and conversions are good for me. But always listen to our experienced chefs like Blondie and Mammachef. Sometimes they may be brief but theyt sure know what they are talking about.

no Mamma I use handfuls!!!!

But I agree I have asked my daughters to measure the length of grain per weight and report in metric to the third decimal point. After all one has just got back form a science fair in Spain representing her school so this should be easy.

Alternative how about a night out with Ross Burden in Southend with 200 others learning to cook! Then we could all get out the slide rule.

Mamma chef help?

Sonia that sounds really good! Where do I find the recipe!! Do let me know what it is like please.

In September Ross has a provisional booking to do a Thai long weekend in the Italian alps called; “A Taste of Italy with a Hint of Spice” The exact date will be confirmed later this week. The weekend is a not for profit weekend so will be very good value for money.

Carol it is a great way to smoke have you tried it? If not do it is so easy with great results and you can do all sorts of permutaions.

See now it is getting comments!

But to me if you are making this a lot and if it suddenly goes wrong
and if all things are equal the you must check the age of the ingredients.

But Blondie is the Carrot cake queen so If anyone knows it will be her.

Yes it can be a problem Ken eh? Blondie is a chef so she ought to be able to adapt hers for you to fit your needs. But she is out today I think.

Have fun.

Oh and I assume when you said girls in the plural you were not refering ot me in the singular...

It is ok if some of the perpercorns get through it just shows home made! Once the vinegar has blended in add 250g of melted butter about ten percent at a time until the sauce thickens and is glossy.

Remember to not heat to high or you have scambled eggs ok. Add seasoning and serve.

Now boil a saucepan of water where the water level is kept low. Turn heat down to simmering and place a heat proof bowl in the saucepan but without touching the water. Put in 4 egg yolks and whisk in the vinegar mixture you just made having strained it first.

Put 2 small onions finely chopped into a small saucepan, the smaller the better, with about 100ml of white wine vinegar (taragan vinegar would be better) and 10 crushed peppercorns with the stalks of tarragon (if you have not got any add dried but not until reduced by half or at this late stage any herb within reason you have got) say a small bunch. Bring to the boil and reduce to 30 to 40 ml of liquid and strain retaining the liquid.

part one

Mr Anderson

Are you there now? Do you need it for lunch now? If so I will come back with full details if not I will wait

Sorry Rustie just rereading my post and it may be misunderstood. I agree go look at where Rustie has suggested or google away. Im just saying life is too short to work out a recipe for something as simple as this.

Wow!

My small loaf would hit the roof on that amount!! But then we only bake it daily...

I think Blondie is getting her spoons mixed up or something... I hope...

Maybe the site is wrong under ingredients yeast? No cant be cos I do it the way I said.

Oh hum sorry Tracey not trying to confuse you. I make the stuff daily and Blondie is the qualified head chef so she must know. I must be misreading.

well it also depends on the type of rice no? after all if one type of rice has a longer grain a cup will have more air in it and thus less weight no?

Yes Andy thanks for the clarification. I could not agree with you more.

Rustie

There are loads of stroganoff recipes out there. Why reinvent the wheel? Just google away and take the one you fancy!!!!

Lynne I will be posting something soon on another website about Ross Burden Thai Masterclass in the Italian Alps very soon. Trouble is places are limited and are already filling up fast for Setember.

Maybe I can put up some more details about Ross and his travels if he is agreeable in the mean time.

I agree Georgie that is a lotta rice! Even when we cook a risotto we only use 100g per person and we are eating nothing else!

Well you did not get an answer to this question eh? Come on Blondie whats the answer?

Also if you are using a breadmaker have you tried putting your bread bin on a set of scales and pouring in the liquid mils = grams reset the scales and pour in the flour reset and so on? It makes making bread childs play! In fact my children make the bread that way!!

Oh and one other thing, if you use fresh yeast in a bread maker do not put it on the timer or it will muck up. Only works if you make in the here and now.

Kiwichef

Do you do this type of cooking on your cooking courses?

Maybe Blondie or Mammachef have some ideas on this?

I dont know my galangal from my lemon grass but I know Ross Burden is doing a Asian Master Class in the Italian Alps come September so I bet he knows!!!

Well Im not clever but it sounds as though it could be your rising agent. For example your baking powder.

Dough will often go heavy if over cooked or ingredients having the life bashed out of them.

Has it sunk or did it rise? what rising ingrients did you use? are they within date or could they be passed their shelf life?

As I said not clever as it could be a number of things. I am commneting to bring it to the top of the tree for others to see again.

Edan, you understand I would not do it like this as I prefer to use all stuff from scratch where possible but...

My OH used to make me when we were courting porkchops with tinned cream of mushroom soup. Oh student days! So it got me thinking. Really thinking as my children love pastry chicken and not mushrooms so this one is for them as well as you and they may get it later!

Start by putting the oven on at around 175C. Then take a greased baking dish big enough for the ingredients.

Place bite size pieces of a boned cooked chicken into the dish. Mix together a large tin of creamy condensed chicken soup and the same again in chicken stock with a favourite herb, try tarragon, a match made in heaven, say about half a teaspoon or so, then cover the chicken in the dish. Pour over a mixture of frozen vegetables like peas and carrots. OK thats the base and you can obviosly play with that.

Then you need a lid. You could go get some puff pastry and roll over but this pie probably needs something a little different so get your hands wet! Because of the content ive made it creamier if it were game for example you would want to avoid butter and milk in the topping.

Now the hard bit! Make a dough mixture from 30g of baking powder with 375g of sifted flour then stirring in 375ml of milk and 125g of melted butter until dough like. Cover the chicken mixture. Pop into oven for about an hour or until the crust rises and goes golden.


This is really so simple and you are my guinea pig!

not a silly question at all. Anyway better safe than sorry!

First, all cooking times depend on how you like it and the type of oven it is in.

Second, it depends on how close the meats are to each other sharing the same tin for example.

Anyways the rule is treat them as individuals go by the instructions on the meat for the largest one and that is the longest cooking time, the lighter one gives you the shortest cooking time. keep them apart but on the same shelf can be in the same tin but let air circulate around them. Set the timer for 30 minutes before to check for doneness and leave to the end of the time or until you like them cooked.

OK, so as Frexy implies it depends on what you want it for so here is the basic sauce down to a one egg ratio. Just multiply up for more:

First make some cornflour paste over a low heat in a small saucepan at a ratio of say 15g cornflour to 85g water. Add in the juice and zest of say one lemon and bring to the boil stiring all the time until the sauce thickens.

Added variations:
Add 35g of sugar sugar now if you want it sweet and leave to cool for 10 minutes then add one egg yolk to give it a deep yellowy colour for a lemon curd type sauce.

or

Replace the water with chicken stock and add to get a slight sweet and sour effect add 15ml vinegar and 15g sugar (or honey). You can add a dash of something like garlic or tomato sauce to make it a dip type.

Think metric it is easier.

Try this experiment, put your kitchen scales on the table and set them to metric. Weigh 500 ml of water what is the weight?

Try putting say 500g of flour into a metric measuring jug what does it measure?

You will find cooking and conversions in metric so much easier.

Finally melt down your 200g of butter and put it in a jug what does it say in liquid form?

Do you have children they would love to do this.


BTW this also works on volume so if you think metric and want to change the size of the cooking tin then metric is an easy conversion.

why cut corners! I made it the other day and it was great

Frexy be careful it is really adictive! It does get better with seasoning so be careful not to scrub iut clean.

I use fultered water for two reasons. Not only taste but because of lime scale. It does not matter how little it affects the seasoning. So regardless of taste you really should use filtered water.

Well as Mamma says making pasta is making pastry. If you want to make pasta use "00" flour available in the supermarkets.

If you cannot get that then use plain flour.

If you are strating on pasta for the first time make sure you do an easy one to start with and make it fun.

Try, cleaning a worksurface and piling a mountain of 400g of plain flour sifted (extrafine) add a pinch of salt. Make well and pour in a little water (I use bottled or filtered water) stir round the inside edge into the middle. Continue adding a little water and working the edge into the centre until you have a dense smooth elstic dough.

Now break off pieces about the size of a small olive or bean roll inot thin sausages and twist them into corkscrew shapes. Make sure at alll times that your hands are cold and floured. When done lay them non touching on a lightly floured teacloth on a tray for about 4 hours before cooking.

If you want to try one with egg in then try cannelloni base replacing the water with eggs and a little extra virgin olive oil.

Have fun!

oh my! My mouth waters at the thought!

Como is a long way from the mountains sir!

oh I will get into trouble for this but...

As long as you want. Try to keep it sealed "in my opinion in a plastic fridge bag or an airtight lidded fridge box. You will know when it is old it will dry out. As that has already happened you should be able to go way beyond the date set on the sell by date.

I think you are mincing the ingredients too fine

who was it Nik who had the bible? I remember replying to the thread! Oh I wish I could remember..

Come on someone knows eh?

Andy what are you about? go tell the other thread about your own CTM.

Hannah

I remember buying my first raclette grill over 15 years ago! I had the same problems in getting the cheese but I found most good cheese shops will stock it or will order it for you.

You ought to ask the to slice it for you but if you are brave you can buy a large chunk and it will keep for an age.

Try other melting cheeses but be careful to avoid high fat content cheeses such as cheddar as the oil seperates and burns. This would be true of a cheese fondue too. Having said that my daughters like cheddar but I usually use low fat type when I can import it. Can't buy cheddar in ITALY!

Hope that helps.

I think if you read the rest of the recipe it means "blend cream..." as in "blend cream with something..."

Nah Andy you are wrong quite wrong.

You have a really good knack at this and it is worth spending the time to get it right. Using premade sauces is a waste of space. Keep it original. Go to basics.

This dish is only about getting the measurements right in the first place.

YEs Trudi I would think a cartouche would work. Not necessary to use the best meat but needs to be slower and longer. Remember cos it is better meat ie the price does not make it better to cook for example cheaper meats have more fat often and makes cooking easier sometimes. Look at Rump steak bettert taste but chewier than fillet melt in your mouth less flavour and more expensive

Well let us know Snowy

Houla

There is no occassion that you can use a food processor per sae to grind by definition. As Frexy says it will chop it at best.

Well Carol I did not think you would see I would disagree with that. But unlike peper it costs an arm and a leg and for a mothers day present for a student?

When I got married I ujsed cheaper china to fit my budget now I have something better.

As I say and will keep saying dont grind unless you can afford it. 60 GBP is not cheap for a mothers day present and you have not got the pot with that!

Bit like having the pepper grinder and no meal eh?

Try my guacamole recipe on the other thread. That and chips (crisps) and you will eat it for ever!

Do you want the strwberry recipe?

no my friend but thanks.

There is an Indian restaurant in Milan but I there is no call for it here in Italy.

Tracey my love! Oh! sorry! Traceylove, first you can use fresh yeast in a bread maker just make it as per instructions and add it to the water part of making bread.

If you take an ordinary recipe you may need to change other quanities slightly.

Use half as much dried yeast to fresh but if it is the easy stuff use even less.

OK. So Gino says the stone left in will not stop the avocado going brown. Actually I think he says it is an old wives tale. So now we know what I am I should also be more careful to know it is a fruit and therefore a seed not a stone! I remember Ross picking me up on this a while back on olives!!

So why the stone left in sorry seed? Well two reasons really. If you cover the bowl with clingfilm this will help stop the oxidisation anyway with the stone in, the bowl is fuller with something of a similar natual relationship to the fruit as opposed to what you put into a dip that may help the browning process.

Result? Keep the seed in and wrap in cling film even if it is an old wives story...

apollo

There is a thread on this but yes it bolts. To say you cannot getit is silly to say you cannot afford it if you can find it would be correct. It bolts. Will try again with slow bolting but we are talking good gardening here.

Italians dont have it in their cooking and parsley is Italian which is the substitute.

Why not make Osso Buco then!

This is a dish from Milan and it usually goes with a special risotto before hand it is a famous dish. I can write you the recipes for the complete meal or you can google it.

Wow!

This sounds really good I think my girls would like this. I googled for this recipe too and there are some variations. I will definately have a go in the coming days. Thanks.

My guacamole recipe uses Italian advocados so I am not sure the size you are using. These would be defined as small and turn near black when ripe and are creamy to taste.

Mash a small ripe avocado with a fork in a bowl being careful to leave it lumpy. Add a small tomato diced, a small onion diced, a couple of cloves of garlic minced a couple of jalapenos minced, say half a tea spoon of grounded salt, the juice of a lime and a tablespoon of freshly chopped Corinader THAT I CANT FIND IN ITALY YET! or use parsley as a substitute. Now mix them well in being careful not to make the avocado too smooth.

One note. I buy my jalapenos in jars in an English supermarket cos the exact same jar in Italy has no heat in it! So if it helps buy the jar of peppers they come in slices, add two or three and then you can add more for taste. The jar will keep for an age afterwards.

Really nice with tortilla chips and fajitas. OH half likes it on its own or on toast.

Stick stone into dip when finished and put in fridge covered with clingfilm. Remove stone when ready to serve and give a stir. Put into a serving bowl.

Dont use a processor unless you want baby food.

Oh silly me! I forgot where I live thanks L!!

Try firm slices in a chicken and strawberry salad with a balsamic and oil dressing.

There was a really good thread a while back where Gastro had gone into detail about how to make a cup of coffee. Well worth while. These little Italian coffee pots are cheap and good.

Also start off with ground coffee it is cheaper and a good start.

Ideal mothering day gift?

Italian espresso pot and a packet of Italian ground coffee.

That would be a sensible price and you can always go from there.

Or Kenwood make a 4 cup small coffee machine takes size 2 filters and is found in all US hotel rooms. Great things as it gives you enough for the start of the day and is around #15 I am guessing!!

Dont go into grinding unless you can afford it. Stay with simplicity for now.

Ok Bernie. It can dry out very easily so be careful ok? Also think game for sauce contrast such as cranberry or redcurrent type sauces. Look for lighter venison type recipes or even beef to widen your mind on what sauces to add.

Assuming you now how to prepare best the roo I will just do the sauce. Also assuming you have marinated it and sealed it.

In the pan you cooked the meat in having tipped out excess, deglaze with red wine vinegar annd perhaps some beef stock. Reduce a little and add some redcurrent type jam and then reduce to a sauce. You can add same berries as well to increase texture and flavour.

You choose where you put the heat! In the marinade or the sauce. But keep it simple.

This meat would go well with mango but dont go to fussy or you will loose the flavour!

Before cutting open they will be soft and going black. The softer the blacker the riper. Always buy when green and firm unless for same day and ripen in kitchen.

After cutting the stone just falls out.

Cut it lengthways all round. Twist and free one half. Take a sharp long knife and bang it into the stone so it digs in. Twist knife and stone will pop out.

Keep stone for use to keep this fruit fresh while cooking.

For me I like it black and soft but not drippy.

What will you use it for? in a salad it needs to be firmer. In a dip softer.

Sorry. The only way I eat roo is on the BBQ. Becareful though as this delicate meat that melts in your mouth will turn to "liver" if over done.

I splash stuff on it from beer to wine depending what is at hand. Bad eh? It is justhow I like roo.

croque-madame would be with ham but without the ham...

oh my favourite

Absolutely the only way. Grow em and start now but beware they grow like wild fire!

Well I hope our friend who wanted to know about yeast is now ok with this. Thank you Frexy.

Pamela

Dont panic follow the other thread you have started. This one may confuse people.

As Mary said lettuce may loose its crispiness if hot chicken is put onto lettuce that is wilting. You dont want that

If you are making it for tonight get everything ready. Make the dressing and keep in fridge same with chicken but leave the lettuce until last before cutting and adding dressing.

Pamela

Sorry I was replying quickly like you asked. Being only 16 is not a bad thing. Sorry.

In a chicken Cesar salad if you make the chicken too hot when you put it on the lettuce it will heat the lettuce and make it wilt. What a flower does after it has bloomed it then starts to wilt.

Originally the salad was made with raw egg. That is how I still make it. Putting hot chicken onto the dressing can cause it to start cooking and make it curdle.

But due to the scare on eggs they use very lightly boiled eggs in the dressing. Yes the egg mixed dressing should be cold.

So all fridge cold but with room temp chicken or slightly warm chicken is ideal.

OK?

Pamela

Cesar salad is cold but you can tell that by the ingredients. Do you mean a chicken Cesar salad? If so then it does not matter but you dont want to wilt the salad or cook the egg!! So better to be warm or cold.

Does that help?

Mary

Yes it is strange how they do it with eggs in the booklets. I suppose it is to make you think that using your maker there is a big difference.

Pasta means pastry and pastry of course can have eggs added but it is not the norm.

I am sure there are thousand of recipes on the web for pasta but this thread was about vegan dishes and if it has cleared up a misunderstanding that vegans cannot eat pasta then it makes it worthwhile.

I remember finishing a bottle of Ginger wine before realizing it was alcoholic!

I really like Ginger beer but Im surprisedit has any alcohol in it as it is served in the soft drinks counter. Are there any others that may have alcohol in them and od they say it on hte label?

Well emmer 091 tell us what you think is chic and is it for your friends or family?

OK well playing th thread a long a bit Mary. If you use a breadmaker it wants to keep the yeast away from say the salt. So the process would be different.

When I make dough by hand I use fresh when I use a machine I use dried. But it is habit nothing more. Must try fresh in my maker.

Good idea Trudi and at what stage.

and plenty of water not from the tap

Yes, it is not what to cook that will be your problem it is how to cook so you want something simple but looks good. Kirstens references are really good.

So adding to Kimi list and from my own recipes you could have:

Shrimp and ground pork toast
fried sweet potato
Thai Crisp fried rice threads

then things like clay pots ie fish, seafood, mussel, crab and so on.

chili pepper fried rice is nice

Then the famous Grean red yellow curry chicken

and some simple salads with a thai theme.

Its Friday the weekend is coming!!

Yes I must admit it does sound like the pan that is the problem. But before buying a new pan as they are not cheap, try making dough only does that stick?

But Jennifer you are right if it says non stick...

Listen to alibally go get the makers by the scruff of the neck and tell em whats for...

wondering if they will send to Italy...

On another thread the question was asked:

I have a recipe that call for 25grms of fresh yeast.Can I use the instant kind. They are in 7grm packets. If so how much do I use?

Substitutes are a big thing for example if using a bread maker how much fresh yeast do you put in to replace the dried yeast? Do you do anything with it first?

So how interchangable is yeast dried to fresh?

yep!

Im coming round for dinner blondie sounds so good but please no pizza or pasta thanks.

BTW when I said hot I mean as in spice heat not

Sorry BeccaNurse I should have known better but I could not resist. Well done Blondie!

Just a some small but obvious points that you wont miss but in case someone else misreads the way to do it I added some extra notes below. These notes are meant as a guide not a contradiction to Blondies method.

1 fresh as in uncooked but deveined and shelled
2 use day old sliced white bread
3 press down and out when spreading the mix on until even
4 By mix read blitz in a hand blender
5 when pasted cut crusts off bread
6 after 2/3 min frying turn over to brown tother side
7 remove onto kitchen paper
8 must be eaten straight away. dont try to keep warm in oven for more than say half an hour

Yukata you are so right. When I go out of Italy I want other foods.

Dont make it hot.

Keep it simple

Do local food

Bangers and mash

etc

hey Keith


My daughter was only saying tonight that when we lived in England we would frreze half and eat half

Good idea

She wated to raid the freezer!

tell us more and we pour our souls out to you.

IS it finger food? Inc puddings? tell me!

oh yes I ddi and they were scummy but

you know what

if I tell you Ian will delete me!

Well Mary you live and learn eh? Pasta is without eggs most dried pasta is like that. You make Pasta with eggs. THats ok for say Lasagne but why? Pasta does not have eggs in it.

Why can you not be Vegan and enjoy food? I am a meat eater and a fish eater but if they were banned tommorrow you would not notice.

Oh the joy of noit knowing. It is almost like saying the worls would stop if there were o more chocolate.

Silly silly people. Get a life

Eat what you like and like what you eat is one ingredient so important to yuo being a foodie?

or as I said potato gnocchi with toms

well you could buy dry I guess Ross but why? it is so simple to make.

Do like the idea of garlic breadcrumbs though. Not vegan cheese yuk!

Potato gnocchi with tomato and no eggs!

Pasta? ok it is mainly water flour and salt depending on what you want. Try orecchette as that is a fun one. mix 160g of extrafine flour with 240g of durum flour on a work surface. add a pinch of salt. Make a well and add enough water to mix and knead into a smooth elastic dough. Work for ten minutes or so then roll into a sausage and cut into 1 ml lengths. roll the handle of a a pastry brush on them and turn the ends ot make little ears. Do this on a floured surface. Leave to dry on a lightly floured tea cloth.

But Ross is so right. Go Asian everyone likes a curry ( except most Italians!)

A bit like soup really
vegetable soup is vegetarian but you must check if it has been made with chicken stock
PAsta is vegetarian but you must check if eggs have been added.

But pasta pasta is vegan!

Snoozy

No, pasta is without eggs unless it says it is with eggs! Like bacon and chips, if it says egg then it is bacon egg and chips. Pasta is without eggs unless you are making a special pasta. So pasta is good for a vegan.

Jenifer I am sorry I really am not digging honest. I had not realised that people thought pasta was with eggs.

Well people cos this thread is called Eating it up not letting it out!

Oh Rustie behave!

Snoozy

Sorry to take so long getting back on this thread. A thread that has perhaps wandered.

My comment was to you Snoozy as you seem to suggest Vegans cannot eat pasta which is a strange thought to me. Perhaps the person who thought I knew not what a vegan is agrees with you but I see absolutely no reason whatsover why pasta cannot be served to a vegan.

Oh and yes you can freeze pasta.

Next week I have a vegan as a house guest. In Italy I guess you know what will be popular with her...

BTW my family are vegetarian with meat (they dont like fish)...

OK M just hop on a plane and I will take you to lunch!

Roasted monkfish cherry tomatoes and rosmary is good.

Baxter

I know I know but it aint that easy you really need green fingers. But I will try again this year.

Mary

I am sure a google search will get you a recipe but it is quite simple to make as both a marinade and a sauce to serve with.

It goes well with all fish chicken and lamb but outside that lot someone else would have to comment.

I actually prefer it with a monkfish type fish but had it with tuna so I see no reason why not for mackerel.


Snoozy soory was not picking you up on your spelling it was more in case MAry wished to search for it.

Jennifer, I think you are quite right.

Terry, your words are fully supported by me.

Most of the time I look at threads under the headings; Recipes ingredients etc. While I accept the banter and even the thread taking a turn on a similar theme such as Georgie talking on blue potatao on a thread starting in rather another way I disagree entirely that in crowd convo should take place here.

Take it to off the menu topic. There the banter should happen but try to keep recipes under recipes and ingredients under ingredients.

Some do not want to read through a load of private chit chat to understand the debate. Some is fine but in moderation.

Having said all that Jenifer it seems that maybe even Ian does not agree with this as I notice it is not in the rules to keep off the menu stuff to off the menu topic.

Hey if I am marrying Mamma then she better not spill her life on here!

Well, I use my Magimix. You cannot beat it.

Mary. it is a North African marinade for fish which tastes of garlic and lemon and CORIANDER THAT I CANT GET HERE!!!!!

I think it is spelt charmoula.

BTW. If you have not tried it do. IT is to die for...

M
There are two I guess three cheese and four cheese.

OK. Use a small non stick pan for this and don't leave it! melt 100g sweet gorgonzola, 100g fontina, 100g gruyere and 100g taleggio that have been cut into small pieces together with a little milk. Stir over a low heat. add 100ml of single cream to dilute so you could use more or less and add salt ground black pepper to taste. Stir in a handful of finely grate parmesan until to you get a fluid creamy sauce.

Assuming you were cooking fusilli or similar pasta at the same time drain when al dente and add to the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan.

WARNING: Do not have the heat too high. Do not stop stiring. Speed up stiring if necessary if cheese strats to lump or string.

That was one...

Sonia

You are not being rude. I have never lived in Rome. I know what I buy and I type how it is. Capello da prete is what we do and certainly here where I live if I want what Anna wants then that is what I ask for.

As I said I have never been to Rome so would not know about asking for it in English. Here it would be quite rude to do that.

As always IMHO contro filetto is not the same cut. But hey I dont live there.

Sounds really good Andy thanks I will try it!

Snoozy

The only item I can see on my list a Vegan cannot eat is the one with cheese. I should have said vegan cheese.

Strangely enough I do know what a vegan is so I am intersted to know why you think I dont?

Vegan. Does not eat meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, or any other animal product, sometimes called "strict vegetarians".

Of course the vegetarian and fish was a joke that I think Snoozy understood.

and then there gnocchi...

Well I dont think contro fletto is the ticket IMHO. According to Gastro the best curt is sirloin and that is Capello da prete. Fillet really is not so good for roasting (IMHO).

Anyway Anna as I said the cut you want is Capello da prete. It is sirloin not fillet.

Mamma so you did ask the question then!

So she is not banned then?

Gaye did you connect with Georgie?

Georgie
Sorry most think I am devoted to Rustie. Where is she btw? Try again on the 29th!

well by now I am sure G would have replied Mamma cos that is what G is like!!

Well Ian you dont know Georgie like I know Georgie cos she is never ever cheeky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Georgie is right Ian. What can your exclamation mean??!!

your right of course Anna.

Capello da Prete is sirloin but the cut is not the same.

in Japan they often dont have towels or anything to dry your hand on cos it would get dirty.

Tongues in my case

oh yes it is to die for thanks!

Michelle

Yes I do have a breadmaker. Italian bread is not that great.

I just did not seem to get the hang of the oven bit.

Veg lasagne
pasta beans and potato with olive oil and cracked pepper
Penne all'arrabbiata
Zite with onion and breadcrumbs
Farefalle with cheese and mushrooms
Orecchiette with broccoli
Cannelloni
Pepper timballo

Too much pasta?

Vegetable pie
sweet and sour onions
Potato pizza
Calzone with vegetables

So he is a strict vegetarian then? Not with fish eh?

Aniseed stars are easy to grow and you can get them all over now they are so popular.

Good question Anna. My naan bread dies so anything to help would be great.

Rock or sea salt contains the same amount of sodium as ordinary salt. Tastewise for me? Sea salt everytime.

Salt is made up of 4 part sodium and 6 chloride.Too much sodium is bad for you. The UK Government says we should take no more than 6g a day but a BBC servey showed we eat an average of 9g per day.

High on the salt list are:

Bread, bisuits, pizzas, meat and meat products, soy sauce and ready made meals. Dont forget three grinds from a salt mill is about 0.5g.

Most people cannot tell the difference when there is a reduction in salt in good cooking.

So use less salt or try a low-salt or a salt substitute.

Too much salt leads to fluid retention and weight gain.



So my advice? Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit that counterbalances sodium intake. Use sea salt sparingly and leave the processed meat out of the kitchen (oh and keep the salt off the dinning table!)

Well Sonia you live and learn. Perhaps I need to move to Rome!

Think Anna, all you had to do was ask in English and you could have been eating this a while ago!!

Next time I am looking in the meat section I will see if that is written up here or I might even be bold and ask for it in the butchers!

Try the blood orange recipe on this site as seen on TV on Friday.

Snoozy, sorry I have not been ignoring you just a tad busy at the mo. YEs it is very much like the Mongolian hot pot or at least that is where I got the idea from.

See the secret about clams is they float when cooked. With shrimp or prawn they will go pink anyway so of course they are great in a fondue and you can be so creative in what the flavour the water is!

How do you know when chicken is sone though? Never tried that.

Michelle

Try the pasta and 4 cheese sauce. Can give you my recipe if you like.

I hope you enjoyed your travels Kiwi. I am trying to imagine you with tongs building a tower...

My daughter does not like even getting sand on her hands at the beach so you should see her in the kitchen!

The point though surely that was raised from a viewer was we do need to be seen to be clean and I am inclined to agree with her that at times one wonders if the way a programme has been clipped it can sometimes look as though they are doing what we tell our children not to do.

That said I would never pick it up with tongs!

Frexy is that red wine or white wine?!!!

Anna,

Capello da Prete is what you want.

Enjoy

Martino

Well done snoozy!

So is it red coloured filings or is the machine new!

You know when they say Italians like olive oil on everything they mean everything, on pasta, rubbed into the chopping board...

Quite right Kate pasta for SUnday lunch whatever next! Very boring!!

Of course Pasta in Italy is a first course not a main course any day of the week.

Gop

It is the same with Italian butter but it is not because it is unsalted as I never have salt in butter.

I prefer Dutch butter to make cream with far the best and yes it has to be fresh but I suspect like French and Italian butter the problem is not freshness just different.

And I have to laugh my freezer is stacked with English sausages also.

Groan!!!!!!!!!!

I was just doing the shopping (do I ever work?) when it suddenly dawned on me that what you are talking about is more likely to be panna cucina! Pana cucina which means kitchen cream is cream that does not require keeping in the fridge. It has the consistency of single cream but is used in cooking and it does not split.

I am sure these days you might buy it in England and it will be called pana cucina if available.

As a rule of thumb any cooking you do in England with D Cream we do with pana cucina.

You will know of course that double fresh cream is not available over here.

ok you can do cheese of a variety make sure the fat content is not high or you will burn your tongue ad wine or white spirit for kick and eat with bread for dipping

or you can do shell fish like prawn in water until it is pink again taint the water with white wine garlic etc

Japan would use thin sliced sirloin steak into bubbly water or clams etc You know when the are done they float

Michelle

This is not easy for so many reasons. First I live in Italy where they sell Panna Cotta (by the way that recipe is to die for!) in the supermarkets. It is cooked cream. But your problem is there is a desert called panna cotta as well and it is not the same thing. Over here in Italy you cannot buy double cream fresh only long life. Panna Cotta gives that non longlife taste!

So if you cannot buy it easily my friend I would use the double cream and thank yourself you can buy that! Of course if you are ab uyer on the web freak or want to jump on a plane then maybe the options will open a little.

I could post you some?

Gop I think I must be the leading expert on double cream making now!

OK, you have two methods one using a food processor and one a hand pump designed for the job.

Second problem for me living in Italy is I cannot buy double cream and I now make it thanks to this thread. SoI am not sure if the butter is different. Any way you need unsalted. I melt my butter in a pan gentlly and before boiling skim of the excess fat. In Italy it will not stay in the double cream.

Now using equal amounts of butter to full cream milk you end up with double cream. If you have warmed the butter as I do then you need to warm the milk so as not to cause a shock! In England I think the butter works hard and cold in the saucepan with the cold milk and gently bring it to before simmer where it has all melted.

Now add it to a food proccessor and spin it for a few seconds or as I do put in a cream maker. When spun put in fridge to chill and in a few hours it will be double cream. It is so easy!

Now be creative add more or less butter, maybe a little lemon or even you use a blanc cheese instead of the milk. Now you can create anything!

Have fun

YEs you really need to do at least 100g to 100 ml

Dont know Adrians ones do know Ross's and I agree tad pricey but worth it.

Rule of thumb...

Venice is one of the few tourist traps in Italy if you have to eat in Venice itself then look for the back streets and look for the Italians. Prices are outside and Italy is cheaper than England.

Enjoy.

BTW although you pay for the music my children love the cafes in St Marks great atmosphere but beware the price does come with a music surcharge and you can stand and listen with out paying.

Do you mean Crostini Bruschetta type ideas or Mozzarella in Carrozza or scallops au gratin or what?

Uh yuk!

Why do so many of these threads want to use what ain't natual use real lemons! The pastry is supposed to be short. I just love it here in Italy it is so common.

Have a look at Simon Rimmers one, no need to reinvent the wheel. See? The filling should not look like a drink but a sauce. Have a go it is so easy anyone can do it. But please use the real thing!

Sorry Bubbi I think my point was mised. I was not disagreeing with the recipe I have seen similar before. I actually cannot get Indian take away that was supposed to be ironic!

I can not beleive I would spend all that time in a kitchen to make something like that and then use a processed ingredient when it is not needed. That is my point.

And yes by the way my children love pizza take away!

As I said each to their own

Chris

You can type in the google bar potatoe pie recipe and it will give you zillions.

Or you can ask and someone will do it for you and write it in this thread.

yes Frexy I live by a book called "Fanny Farmer" the all time American Mrs Beeton I guess. The recipes are all in AMerican but the thing is you can judge by eye.

I go to the supermarket and the recipe says two cups I can size up the packet without looking for its weight. Shame our butter is not sold in sticks.

Although I am metric there is nothing like having a visual measuring system to get us to just cook.

I wonder why go to so much effort to make when an Indian takeway is so much better.

Why use Tikka paste? If you have gone to this much effor why not the whole hog?

Just asking but it seems to me a shame.

Barby

Sounds good but it would surely be too much around a hens egg anyway. Love to see a recipe though.

THe Gary recipe is nice I like it too Kim. Vegetarian with fish perhaps?

OK People back up!

Lets start by saying that one cup equals 250 mls or 8 fl oz

Cups are American (modern)

So take a coffe mug and I guess if you fill it it will be around one cup ie 250 mls or half a pint.

Now you have a measure.

Buter is easy as it is a liquid try it melt it and weigh it then let it solidify.

I like cup measure measurements as you done need to weigh or use a cup you can see in your mind what a cup looks like. So find a half pint mug and visualize it then use approximations!

Set yourself free!

Wrong Ros!!!!

I wish it was stocked by most supermarkets! I have to import the stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still waiting for you to reply to my email via the Italian school!

Then you can bring it with the marmite!!!

Well you live and learn my hat is taken off to you Gastro.

I though these Savoiardi biscuits known in England as Ladies fingers were used in Tiramasu.

I have NEVER heard of either term as Okra.

I use them all the time it is so simple to make and you can do it anywhere.

The Wine society uk will help you I get notes on this every month. I think to become a member it costs only a pound.

Of course if you are doing an Italian tasting then let me know!

OK, one metaball recipe no carbs!

This serves 4 so I have included one stale bread roll take it out and what a mess!

Blitz a stale roll to crumbs and soften with a little milk, squeeze out the moisture and add to 200 g of lean minced meat (veal is best for this diet) with a little parsley, crushed garlic, a sprinkle of cheese (parmesan), a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilli powder (optional). Mix all this together binding with the yolk of one egg. WARNING! Dont make the mixture too soft or the balls will crack! OK, now you need to brown them in a hot pan on the top. Hot to stop the oil being soaked in the meat. Just a little oil to stop sticking and brown the balls you can mould into large olive size shapes. Do this till golden. Or, grill them!

Now take half an onion chopped half a celery stick chopped and a small carrot chopped and place in a microwave with a little water and covered until softened.

Add the soften carrots water and all to the pan you did the meat balls in and bring to the heat to deglaze the pan. Add 500 g of tomato pulp and 2 bay leaves. stir bring to a simmer. Add the meat balls and transfer it all to a low oven.

Snoozy this is hard to say cos it depends on the water. If you bring the water to the boil and drop in the quails egg for 2 minutes then put direct into cold water you should be ok but test first

Gaye it is true also that the same brand Italian coffee sold in Italy is not the always the same sold in England. The reason was given as catering for differing market needs. THis is also true with French coffee.

In my house we tend to use carbs at lunch. In the evening it tends to be protein and veg.

So an example could be meatballs with a reduced tomato sauce that are done in the oven and a side of peronata or grilled mixed veg. I use veal because it is so lean but other lean mince meat will work.

IF you want the recipes and the counts let me know.

eggs and asparagus go well with this cheese. Try quails eggs soft boiled with asparagus tips tossed in light balsamic. Maybe a twist of chilli in the parmesan mix before cooking.

I'm amazed still at why meat (or fish) is so important to our cooking still. Far better to think about what you want to do rather than concerns over one or two ingredients.

For example come away from three course dinner and main course being meat and 2 veg and stray into entertaining.

Start of course with drinks on arrival and bits and pieces while nattering. Lots of suggestions from the Italian range. Try smal onion tartlets with a spicy salsa.

Follow this on arrival at the table with a simple salad, soup plenty of bread or even a cheese fondue.

Are you really sure you can make it to the next course? Well try indian vegetable curry that theme could begin on arrival or Italian Risotto, Pasta with a non meat sauce.

Keep the bits from before on the table for picking some of course can be meat.

Well if you have room you may find it easy to think of a vegie pudding!

Dont forget the coffee and cheese and mint chocs and nuts and oh deat you could eat all night without thinking meat.

Or

Sometimes if there are 8 of us I make 2 caseroles or something in fact 2 starters and yes two puddings help your self to what you please.

Pizza?

I thought this was British, not Italian!

I would be more concerned about contamination. My household has differing theories, I never use chicken marinade unless it is at the start of the cooking process along with the chicken.

However, it worries me greatly that basting could be an option as you have "Cooked" or cooking chicken with raw "chicken" as in the juices.

I dont know enough about bacteria to be sure but to be safe NEVER use raw chicken marinade on cooked ar partly cooked chicken.

Cook the marinade seperately? USe it as a dip?

Come on you hygenist is there a problem or not?

try saucy mushroom risotto so filling and tastes to die for. or mushroom and pasta.

When I moved to Italy I had 4 stereotypes of Italians:

Bad organizers
Bad timekeepers
Good cooks
Good lovers

But I found that I could write a book on their better organizing skills, when the lakes flooded and villages simply heaved under the mass of water the Italians put the Brits to shame on their organizing skills to clean up.

But I found timekeeping to be spot on. Electricians arrive give or take 10 minutes. Our childrens bus arrives at 7:36 every morning you can set a watch by it and I understand if a lecturer was more than 15 min late for a lesson the class would simply leave.

And yes of course I need say nothing about the cooking and the food. To die for!

The love making? My wife wont let me find out so I have to take your word for it Anna!

Dont think my family want to move in a hurry.

This techniques applies to a lot of food and I use it a lot. Regardless of what others say about it not being "proper smoking". Duck and chicken I have done and other fish and meats.

Thing is the rule I use may not be correct but it is the aromatic herb that goes with the food and changing the rice tea and sugar types changes the flavours but I always come back to ordinary long grain rice ordinary sugar and Earl Grey tea ( hard to cut open all the bags though...)

So long as you use those three ingredients in equal amounts your made.

Ross but I am in the north on the great lakes and at the foot of the Monte Rosa just north of Milan. So here is where it needs to be with or without Georgie.

Trouble is I dont know how to get hold of you.

BTW here we dont say good afternoon but as you know we should not say here in all of Italy but here where I live.

Well I never! Slow bolting Coriander what ever next! Must have been what Gastro was on about. I will try to find it. Can it be readily bought in England?

Ross on your way out here to discuss terms can you bring me some packets please? Along with marmite etc...

Tried the websire. Short of two dots and a wrong extenson I got there.

Actually, just tried it in a sandwich with mustard not bad not bad at all.

So Gastro,

Will you go to Monte Carlo? My wife (OH) is an avid fan.

OK I talked to my children about this problem and we did some research.

First pasta, rice, potatoes and bread are what they like as carbs.

Second, tomato "pulpa" tinned tomato cut up in little bits. frozen peas and beans.

Third, meat, sausages, bacon, chicken mince meat.

Fourth, milk and yogurt. One likes one tother likes the other.

Fidth, they are allowed to eat as much fruit as they want but no sweets unless I say so.

OK assuming you are with me so far and are happy about onions for flavourings etc. The children came up with 15 recipes they like form the above not including milk or yogurt. I came up with 30.

We came up with a nutritional diet from breakfast to dinner with everyone being happy.

So for example they like:

Risotto with tomatoes I like it with other things. Half way through I divide it. Pasta is the same.

Casseroles with chicken potatoes and onion etc.

Pastas with meat balls etc

Jointed chicken is cheaper can give you childrens favourite chicken sunday dinner. great!

All without touching junk food or making hard work!!

kiwichef

That is a great tip Ros even if you can take lemons thanks for that.

Why not come over to Italy on a cook weekend and share your ideas with ex pats?

Martino

Yes that IS the question.

well I use the G R scotch egg recipe with quails eggs for mini aperitivi.

Sorry Anna thats what I meant and in anycase I said it is what OH likes.

It is quite worrying that I have all the ingredients for Gastro's meal inclding the wood burning fire. Now all I need is a lady who like the smell!

Yes Anna I like it that way too but WITH the truffle! I like the idea of using something else though perhaps Italian mushrooms?

The OH like it as part of 4 cheese sauce on pasta. Don't think she would like it as is though.

Rustie dont be such a bore! This man clearly cannot speak English...

Gastro I think I have got you now. I know the cafe well but it has only a race car company flag (lol) and no coriander...

Bloni


opppps!

e!!!!!!!

joking really...

Is this a catch question? If I say no will I be corrected? Anyway to be serious I dont think so.

Well, where ever the debate goes it started with the replecement for it and that is parsley.

For me living just north of Milan I have never found a ready supply of the green stuff and like Anna living just outside Rome who equally cannot get the stuff I import it in one version or another.

I am pleased to hear you have found the stuff but for me fresh herbs ought not to involve a plane ride.. Like double cream and other niceties.

Anna and I both reported we cannot grow Coriander I am pleased you can. Maybe you have green fingers or perhaps you can pass on the tips of how to do it. That is what these boards are about.

I take your hand and shake it my friend.

BTW When exactly did you retire?

Long thread on double cream typ it in the search box. Anyway, there really is no generalized replacement for DC. However, if you have a fast food processor and the recipe you can make double cream with milk and butter.

Can you not get Kitchen longlife double cream? This will work for cooking not good in truffles though!

You cant get Double Cream in Italy

OK I gotta have one!

I think this has been one of the best questions ever!

Blondie

You are so right! It is a shame there is not a good section here about storing fresh fruit and veg. For example the valuable points in this chat thread.

I read a book the other day on growing what with what. We need more information about what stores with what and loose some of the old misunderstandings.

My twin 12 year old girls eat through clementines like that and so we buy in bulk and store as you do.
My fault really, since they were tinies I always said they could each as much fruit as they liked without asking. Sweets were more no's than yes's. Now they eat little sweets and clear out the fruit bowls!

Thank you for your apology I accept it I was sure I just misread your generalizations so thank you for that clarificaton.

Enjoy the postings I look forward to some interesting contributions form you.

Scott no,

Forget everything and work out what you are buying. Keep them in the crisper or in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Lemons off the tree do NOT mature they just age. Stick them in sawdust but dont leave them out unless you use them quickly.

It is heat that withers the fruit once picked but when fresh will stay fine but shipped and not fresh needs care.

I know nothing of the vitamin C.

Some time last August I wrote the full recipe. Why not type Rossini in the search bar above and change the drop down to chat? If you dont have any luck I will repeat.

I use truffels but you can substitute to your hearts content.

I store my lemons in a basket in the kitchen outside direct sunlight. BUT. My lemons are very fresh and I use a lot of them.

You need to understand that the lemon once picked is not going to continue to grow or develop just die. This means you need to protect it. I am guessing but buying lemons in a string bag means they probably were not picked today.

The best storage then would be to keep them in a plastic bag inside the fridge.

When you squeeze a lemon you ought to remove the yellow skin and not the pith first with a potato peeler as this is sweet and very useful in a lot of recipes.

Waxed lemons are to try and keep the age longer of the lemon but be aware that they may be coloured yellow as well! So stay with unwax lemons.

Citrus is a winter fruit not a Christmas until March depending where you are. Once picked it does not like the sun as it ages and dries it out.

Well not one for wanting to loose a bet...

If you read my line you will see you havent won yet!

Goss well done! I shall run to my local Italain butcher and tell him I need yellow fin for my sushi!

OK smug face!

Good question Goss good question.

Anyway Dodgy to be helpful, and assuming you actually watched the full programme, type into google "bang bang chicken" and up will pop a million recipes. It is a classic and although I did not see AWT do it I would guess you can remember the bits he did differently when you have the base recipe.

Wih so many of these chef recipes they already exist but the method or the ingredients have been varied.

Glory.

Well you can let your imagination go wild can't you! Just after the war when some foods were on rations and money was not in the plenty.

However, set in America and you can go the whole hog!

Try [link]

Im always looking for recipes do share your tom sauce with us.

Well I had considered my reply to you Gatrovolpe and I did consider simply ignoring it. However, I think I notice you are a new poster so I thought I would try to understand what you are saying a little.

Would you mind awfully if I point out that my name as it appears here ends in an "O". It may surprise you to learn that Italian names ending in an "O" are masculine. Therefore to differ with "ladies" (Anna and myself) really does not set you off very well in telling us that we are wrong.

It is also helpful for us to know what it is called in Italy, neither Anna nor I would have dreamt to have mastered that word in our search for this herb!

You must help me with my geography Piemonte as a region is cosmopolitan? Not Milan or Rome? I am confused here as I thought most of Piemonte was rural.

Now, I understand when you tell me it is a flavour in Vermouth itself, but what I dont understand is why they import it to Italy to make this drink.

So, we are determined enough my friend to find the holly grail and even more so to grow it as this is "so easy to grow" according to you. Perhaps you can reveal your secret in how to grow it here in Italy or even point us to which part of Piedmonte we should start our search.

By the way, where do you live?

Well regardless of differing or not parsley as I said in the reply post is the replacement and here in Italy where I live I use the parsley to replace coriander that is needed in Mexican cooking.

I agree that as a lover of coriander we use it in a paste form again imported form England. It is a superb replacement that works very well and is not the same strength. But if you need the leaves and you need them fresh and you live in Italy or you dont like Coriander use parsley.

The problem with seeds for Anna and I is not hardy for cold but hardy for heat! Do you know how hot it was last summer? Coriander just bolts.

Zak

When I moved out to Italy I bought a bread machine as Italian bread is not very good or various. Anyway, the recipe is often the case as Lainey says but I am sure you are following the instructions.

You could try sifting the flour as we do to make it lighter. I would do it all in the bread maker it works fine when you get going although I use the oven if I making some of the Italian breads.

Well Mary, Although I have lived here now more than 3 years I have never seen it on sale. The past two seasons I tried to grow it along with my other herbs and it bolted every time. After a visit to the Caspian sea I saw some coriandar that would probably stand the weather here. The seeds I used were from England.

I am guessing but Italian food does not have coriander in it so why grow it? Having said that I really can only talk about these parts where I live but I suspect that unless there is an Italian dish with it in there seems no point to grow it here.

I do mean the real stuff. Oh, and by the way, Parsley is the substitute for Coriander.

Sorry Mary we got cut off somehow and I lost you. Hope this answers the question.

BTW anyone knowing how I can have my own coriander then please do share we love the stuff.

Well let us know cos I will lay a bet it is blue not yellow that is the best raw.

Sharon

We cannot get it here in Italy the replacement is Parsley. It tastes just as good, different but just as good.

Martino

Well we use ours all the time! First of all use Google as there are so many fonues to choose from but to give you an idea:

Cheese fondue. What cheese did you use it must not have a lot of fat in it.

Meat fondue my childrens favourite: chunks of beef and dips

Chocolate fondue use toblerone and fruit magical.

Or

Add just water and use slices of good beef this is "wave wave" a japanese fondue or put scolopes in the water when the rise they are cooked.

So many to choose from. Let us know what sort you want to try

Carpaccio of tuna is made with blue tail very thin and very nice as a starter I fell in love with it funny enough in Japan!

The tuna needs to be fresh and not previously frozen. Make sure the tuna steak you buy is a good dark red and has a translucent appearance and the steak is not falling apart.

I only eat sashimi when in Japan but think this is blue fin as well. Nigiris and Tuna maki rolls are I think other sushi dishes using tuna but not had them.

The only reason I know all this is I ws not sure what was what with the cuts. Now you are worrying me!

Its not that much a problem Rustie only a bit bulky and you would not use it in the US or Canada but..

It has got me thinking that is for sure. for example boil up water in a hotel kettle and put it in a vacuum flask. Does the water stay hot enough for pasta to be added? Wow! With one of those wide flasks you could cook in the boiling water...

... boil an Egg! Prawn! Pasta!

I only take hand luggage with me so the toaster may not work all though would win the competion on another thread here! But if you took a toaster you do not need to put bread in to it do you...

OK well if you are in England use a hen not a rooster. USe a young Burgandy and keep plenty to the side for drinking. Deal with as you would a cassrole and serve with chunky bread and if you feel it needs it fresh veg.

Steve

I'm with you my friend I spend far too long in hotel rooms and I never saw myself as sad 'cos I didnt go out. In fact sometimes I would rather stay in. Not only is there a cost factor or purchasing power but also I get fed up simply eating out night after night.

However I cant help you. Obviously you have tried the bread and spread options but that is it. I have never found an alternative due to the lack of heat. Shame there is not a dishwasher in hotel rooms at least you could enjoy salmon!

OK here is an idea to develop...

On the assumption you have a kettle in your room you could reheat food so fresh 2 min pasta would work. But dont do it in the kettle they may get upset!

Wow! A recipe book for the hotel room! Come on there must be other ideas.

Rustie I would rather have the goose liver thanks! BTW you can get it in Italy as well (along with all those other favourites like veal).

However, to shock your system Italy has very tight smoking laws in restaurants and bars and doubles the fine for smoking in front of children.

Italy is not all bad.

ok

simple rules:

longer they hang the gameier they get.
dont hang in heat
in cold they last a season but get gamier
they freeze like chicken but please gut them and take out the feathers first!

Cut through the taste with apples onions and nutmeg. Can you imagine the recipes?

Well there is a recipe for you Chris or buy the book!

As this is one of the easiest pastas to make let me share with you the recipe for the cannelloni pasta base.

I learnt pasta making by a grandmother in our village. Still she makes it in the traditional way. So that is how I will tell it. Of course if you wish to use machines or celeb methods then fine but this is the way I do it as it is fun!

Pour 500g of extrafine flour (you can use plain that has been sifted twice. I use tipo 00) onto a clean dry worksurface. I am sure kids would love to make this one! Make a well in the centre and break in 4 eggs. Add a pinch of salt and 10ml of extra-virgin olive oil. The rest is pure fun... Rub in well, then knead until you have a smooth elastic dough formed inot a ball. Cover with a damp tea towel for half an hour then knead again. Roll out into 1mm sheets (or use a pasta maker) then cut into 12cm squares. Cook the squares a few at a time for a couple of minutes draining them while still al dente. Lay them out seperately on a damp tea towel to dry. Then if you have bought the Rick Stein book or fancy aheadsun recipe you have a meal.

BTW I like it stuffed with Spinach and ham or Spinach and ricotta or Salmon and ricotta or tuna or mincemeat and tomato or...

... I just love them stuffed!

Make it yourself Appollo and enjoy the bird

Oh dear.

Simply put Rick and others do not want to have the recipe printed online. He would rather you buy the book.la doing it but do not ask for a specific copyright

Some ideas to help:

- Buy the book!
- Tape the programme (dont delete me Ian please!)
- Write it down while you are listening
- Search the web or this site for a close recipe
- Ask on here if anyone has a recipe for bla bla cos you saw bla bla doing it but do not ask for a specific copyright recipe

Thems the laws and UKFood are not the enemy.

Non of my recipes are deleted as non of them are even based on celeb recipes. So dont post a recipe unless you can make it clear to UKFood that it really is your own. They must work on the side of caution.

BTW it is worth buying the book this recipe is good!

oh but there are so many tell me is it BBQ style US style tell me...

Just gets the fuller flavour thats all my friend and looks authentic.

Wodka bad.

to every kilo of carrots you need between 100 ans 200 kgs of clementines that is two or three. Start with two or it may overpower the carrot too much. Also remember not to use clementines that are aging and drying out.

This is assuming you are using an onion base and home made chick stock

My wife had her first meal today after 8 days of illness other than drinking this soup.

Sad really...

Well if you can get some whey you could make some ricotta over night just with cows milk and vinegar.

Michelle

Thank you for sharing this with me I will tell my children, they like fast food! I started off that way using an Italian stock cube gave all the right flavours! Now of course I find it as easy to throw in to your 5 chicken thighs that I have bought to the boil 5 carrots choppped in half 2 or 3 celery sticks cut in three a bunch of parsley roots and all (or a few dried bay leaves) chopped in half and a couple of onions cut in two. You dont even need to peel or anything just roughly cut. Plop them all in on a low heat and open a nice chilled bottle of wine.

I cheat though as I use a big pasta pot that has like a streainer inside it. SO when it is time to empty I just pull out the strainer and I have the soup.

You can frazzle some chicken into it or bits of veg and or add some cream but certainly season as you say.

Oh I forgot to say I would keep taking the scum off the soup as it simmers.


And what a great place to add those curry leaves on another posting.

OK to add to the comments in a broader wider scope:

First bear in mind this fruit has a tart taste so compliments several things. First because it is not Christmas does not mean you cannot have it as a sauce. Try it with orange. Also as it is tart it works well with fat so try apple and Cranberry with pork.

So think combos. Another example would be as a compliment like white stilton as white stilton is pretty mild and the tartness will draw out the flavour.

Then we could move on to thinking it is a "fruit of the forest" which of course it is not but could be used to replace soft fruits in say a baked alaska.

Think fusion for example the saltiness of Soy sauce goes well with cranberries and makes an excelent gravy.

SO as cranberries are a ssimple as freezing and defrosting on demand serving hot (heat them in some liquid of the kind mentioned above and wait for them to pop) or cold thawed use them up or as you want but dont forget they are there.

Ian you are spot on I agree 100 percent with your view.

First, it is better to be on the side of caution and delete rather than breach. Second it is better not to share adaptations unless you make it clear that it conforms with the guidelines AND credits the originator.

Many a publishing chef might do well to head these words.

Bart, this recipe is in the food heroes book!

I hope this helps.

I am with you Mary and most countries do not have the luxury of different sugars and flours. Try getting dark brown sugar in italy or bread flour.

of course R that is why I love veggie burgers...

Getting back to the thread. I use a pasta pot for making stock in. Does that count as a gadget being used for another purpose?

But it is only pretend food isnt it. After all she often gets the names mixed but.
Mind you you have a point after all look at her lovely new kitchen. With that sort of money you think she could by a pair of scissors for her hair. But my advise is switch her off.

Thats like dogs walking on their hind legs, they dont do it very well and one wonders why the do it at all.

Leave the dishwasher for the dishes. Besides I dont have a dishwasher...

I dont buy this "miss the meat bit" IF a recipe is good it stands on its own. No need for substitutes just recipes that do not contain meat. After all if something else was missing you would not make such a fuss. If you had no potatoes you would not try a potaoe free mash particularly.

Enjoy food for what it is.

Lunch today was fajitus. With chicken. My children eat the chilcken but there was so much other enjoyable fillings that we did not eat any meat. We did not miss it. On the contrary it gives a wider flavour.

I know your inlaws are done now but think food as food not as always having to have meat or no meat.

Well my sleeping tablets say "may cause drowsiness" and firewood bought form the garage says" Warning may be inflamable". Gosh I hope so!

The end of this discussion cannot be what the dictionary says but what we the punter generally think. For me I want sleeping tablets to make me sleep and wood for the fire to burn.

I also expect a casserole to be just that a casserole not a handleless saucepan with a lid.

The fact that a casseroloe MAY be cooked on the top 9 out of 10 people who answered my survey said: it MAY also be cooked in the oven. Top answer. Can you have a casserole that is not oven proof? Our survey said:

Wack wack!

Sorry Safeways control goes to the consumer. Re market your product as a handless saucepan with lid.

Goodness next we will be saying Cadbury's make chocolate...

Mary

Tempura batter is also great with king prawn leaving the tails on but nothing else.

Sorry yes Tempura batter. It makes it so light with Perch.

I agree with you Rick Stein has to be king of the water. We have a simmilar problem here with fish names and the translations dont help either. So grouping them is the way to go.

Spookey that Mary, It is what we do here but with lake perch! In fact the OH says it is the nearest she gets to ENglish fish and chips!!

Mind you we have it as a fillet rather than a whole fish and use a japanese batter to make it lighter in taste.

no but I can give you my one if you like

Ha! Anna we import them.

When I come down I will bring you some.

Yes please to the recipe

I will get a reputation if I answer this one! But with Vodka at 5 euros a bottle what else do we do here in the summer...

Take 3 vanilla pods. Good ones. split them down the pod, scrape out the seeds and chop the pods.

Take a bottle of Vodka and open the top. Pop all the vanilla into the bottle. Better if you decant it. Leave for three weeks.

Give it a taste now and then to see. It will keep for severla months like that and if it is too strong dilute it with more vodka!

Happy drinkies....

In the fridge if opened then a few days a little longer if sealed but dont push it.

Of course they freeze and freeze well. They keep for ever in there but officially 3 months.

Mind the cream though.

It also depends on what soups.

Hey Paul the fondue sounds good. I have done similar before but was stumped with the double cream problem. Now that I can make it that is no problem so I will go with that. Great truffles btw tried all the variations of other methods and yours is so much the better way. We left them all round the UK when we travelled over Christmas.

Romantic dinner? What about a lobster pasta as a starter just a small portion. tis very easy and very nice.

Yep! Skins on!

As it hapens I made Carrot and clementine soup last night for my poorly wife and leaving them on in the soup gives a slightly bitter sweet taste. Very enjoyable!

So do as Karen tells you and you will be fine.

BTW. Over here I take the pips out and the storky bit on the outside of the fruit but in England I guess you are pip free!

Robert

What an Encyclopedia says and what is custom and practise are two differing things. However, I checked the dictionary for Marmite and it says caserole but hey I live in Italy not France maybe the Italians are bonkers as well??

I accept that a casserole can be cooked on the hob but it is custom and practise for 9 out of ten home cooks to bung it in the oven.

Thats what matters me thinks?

Well let me see if you like it my way...

Clean the baby squid (400g) in the usual way (remove bones, eyes, and the ink sacs but dont break the sacs!). Wash the squid then roughly chop. Be aware if you have never done this before think twice before continuing. Squid is easy to do but best learnt from someone doing it rather than talking about it!!!!

Saute one clove of chopped garlic in 15ml of extra virgin olive oil. Dont let it burn! Add the squid and a 100 ml of warm water and cook for 15 minutes. Over cook it and it will be rubber. Add 5 ripe tomatoes that have been skinned and chopped (or cheat with a tim of Italian tomatoes). When the sauce has thickened empty the sacs of ink into the mixture with a handful of parsley salt and chilli powder leave for a few minutes to fuse the flavours.

Use thin straight spaghetti boiled in salted water.

My daughter likes spag and tom but me I prefer to miss out the tomatoes and replace with fresh chicken stock and a little white wine to flavour the squid

Kay

At least 4 months. I have a recipe for storing duck in goose fat (strange I know) and it keeps for 4 months but that is the meat. The fat should go on longer. My wife keeps her fat in the fridge in a ramakin for roasting potatoes and I never see it thrown away only topped up!!

Making my mouth water! Must admit though I usually reserve this type of food for a summers day.

Try it as a salad with your favourite leaf along with pancetta, pinenuts, chives and chive flowers.

Nice too in pasta, long thin pasta. make as with Kiwichef or Veronique's way or simply cook off onion garlic and a little tomato with them.

Enjoy!

Curry, pasta, risotto to name but three basis. start with a thick soup finish with a fav pudding and the middle will just disappear!

It is interesting this word casserole.

I would go along with Rustie. Certainly in this household it stews up on top and casseroles down below.

But thinking about it that is just what recipes have led us to think. After all one of my two children who's second language is French would tell me it just means saucepan. OF course her sister would say that marmite is casserole from French to English. Meaning its origins are not what is important.

In Delia's top ten casseroles and braised dishes she says about casseroles specifically "... while the meal is in the oven you are completely free - a great deal easier than standing by a grill of frying pan.

Go again with another letter. I can find no reason on earth why someone should sell against what is common understanding regardless of origin. The fact that cook books state the difference in modern cooking terms is all that matters.

At least tell them you want three more stamps and an extension on the closing date as competion then you can make mamma happy.

Matthew I am with you on this one. Ordinary Stilton which I love as well is the strng savoury type but white Stilton is lighter in taste.

All berries go with it. Try Cranberry.

You can also remould it.

White Stilton and cranberry custard will use up more, making it a liquid and I think it will freeze.

Hey Cla

My wife teaches at the San Siro school

Small world.

Will try your recipe Kamila

no Mary just you. A big thank you for soving my problem. I love you forever.

OK so I am off the wall. Wash it if you want.

But make sure you dry it straight away or it will rust...

raw egg or rust, raw egg or rust, daddy or chipps???

but do listen to Rustie and Lizzie forif you forget to nick them...

Cabooooooooooooooooooooom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

So many of my recipes have capers inn them. There is also many storage methods and size so be careful when using

Ah! Esse Lunga mumma meia!

Yes I use Mascopone too! But thanks too Australia I now have a cream maker. Forget the fancy recipes just put single cream in it and pump! woooooooooooooooof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Instant double cream...

It reminds me someone got e a magimix for Christmas. 10 Kilos it weighs!! Got to get it to Italy somehow on Monday... Anyway, it has a recipe for cream in it!

I love it!!

And you cvannot use Mascaponi for sour cream...

Where in Milano are you?

yep you sure can

why not send us your recipe

to get back to reality and assuming you are talking of younf aspagagus. Try saute in a cast iron frying pan until tender turn off the heat and add a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Goes well with egg and cheese.

Hi

Paul is right. The thing to remember here is a semi-freddo is unchurned icecream. thaw it slightly and it is ace!

I'm sure I wrote on this topic only the other day is there two of this thread?

This is really Sarah's (my wife) area of cooking but I can tell you that:

Capon is more juicy and bigger if you can buy it than a usual chicken.

It is fattier so if you use one think duck when cooking use an orange or something to cut through the fat.

Turkey comes in two variety here in Italy so I guess in England too. Here they prefer the smaller female bird. We have two each year to feed 10 so they are capon size but very juicy. When we were in England we did not know this and had the larger bird that I guess was a male.

So look for a female bird nad you will die with the taste. We have never gone back.

ok how about this:

Take some smoke salmon strips (I use fresh thinly sliced fillet marinated in lemon and lime) and cover a lasgne sheet that has been blanched for 1 minute to make soft ( I use fresh and I do use egg for this one!). Now build this up; sheet salmon, sheet salmon. Place this in lightly oiled tin foil with holes in bottom and add weights to press out excess juices. Leave over night and remove tin foil.

Trim the edges and cut into four (depending how large your sheets were to start) You should end up with 4 lasgne and salmon fingers.

Make two drizzles say a pink pepper and a weak green pesto one and use just artistically around the plate alternating the drizzles.

Flash? Easy? Tasty? Different? Have a go! IT keeps for three days in the fridge so prepare ahead!!!!

and donta forgeta di pasta! Children love it and it is easy to cook and make. YES! Let them make it! You dont need to add egg to make good pasta in fact most pasta does not have egg. Go on give them a treat, bring in the machine, roll it out, start a production line from start to finish.

Wow!

OK

I am STILL not getting double cream, or single cream for that matter. I have used real full milk and butter. It warms well and pumps well. IT looks good but when cold it is butter on the top and milk underneath.

What am I doing wrong?

Hmph! So much for making truffles

Yes, R, there is a lot on this subject. I know I have gone into detail about this subject and it was on the threads just suggested.

There are a lot of different pastas so it is hard to say what a recipe is. I would start maybe with making lasagne sheets then venturing on to stuffed pasta. Mainly because you get such good dried pasta these days that you may not see the worth straight away AND it is fiddly the first time.

OK.

Thinking something Italian and something trad brit. Thinking of children and thinking of ease. I did this last night to see what the children thought as a boxing day lunch for an English family in Italy.

Chop one onion and 100g of bacon then gently saute in 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add in thin slices of turkey breast (200g) and allow the flavours to develop together. The flavours only get better if it is made earlier.

Add a tin of good quality chop tin tomatoes (or better still skin and deseed 500g of fresh ripe firm tomatoes) into a seperate pan with 200g of frozen peas (fresh if you can get it) add salt pepper and an Italian herb (I used Marjoram). Simmer and allow the sauce to thicken. Add some drops of water if the sauce starts to dry. Can also be made up earlier.

Put on a wide shallow pot of 4 litres of water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Make sure the water does not come to the top of the pan as pasta can increase by three times its dry volume. Add 40g of salt only after the water has boiled. Add straight away 400g of pasta I used the butterfly ones as they will have stickability for the sauce. Add the pasta a little at a time. Bring back to the boil and then turn to simmer. Stir regularly to stop sticking. If you suffer with sticky pasta try adding a little olive oil to the water just before you add the pasta. When the pasta is done, taste it! (see how long on the packet) add a glass of cold water to stop the cooking process and sieve. keep a little of the water.

To assemble, add the warm tomato sauce to the turkey and bacon stir in well. If you cooked it earlier bring the mixture to very warm state stiring all the time to stop burning. Put a little of the pasta water in the bottom of a serving bowl add a little of the sauce, add all the pasta and stir well. Pour the remaing sauce over the top of the pasta.

For my family: A fresh block of Parmesan cheese to grate at the table and a pepper mill. They like a lot of pepper on this one.

There you go it is easy even if I wrote a lot!

Can use left overs work out the substitution but dont forget to let the flavours blend before mixing.

White Onion Risotto with Caramelised Braised Lamb Fillet

Trudi thanks I will try that I am in England on the morrow.

Delivered from the milkman! Ha ha!! What is one of those??!!

This is hard to call I think. We all have such fixed rooted ideas about Christmas. My family for example eat Christmas dinner on Christmas eve and by the time we get up on Christmas day just a full cooked breakfast takes us all the way through to Boxing day or the feast of St Stephens. By the time we get to boxing day we have so much delights left over we have a buffet of a variety of stuff.

Here would have a cured leg of meat on the bone in a rack for people to help themselves. Stilton a whole round or what is left. Lots of pickles and nibbles including things like onion tartlets fritatta and sausage rolls made with proper meat.

Finishing this lot we probably would be boring and have a chocolate fondue.

Pasta at Christmas? Not for me sorry. But as we eat it almost every day I can give you some superb recipes that would be a little different and please all.

Sorry as I said a bit tough this one.

Huggy

No need because they are "small" puds and you are only steaming for one hour anyway which is what I would have done. Over steaming only becomes a problem if they are really small. In fact my 6oz ones I make every year as well go in the microwave for 2 minutes before eating. This way we can eat pud all year round.

You cannot risk steaming for one hour so stay with it and let us know how you got on!

Mamma

The Kitchen is the one with the cooker in it you will find it near the....

ROFL

Martino

OK. This has interested me for several years. When I moved to Italy we found we had two kaki trees in our garden. The are harvested in the autumn here so aroound October time.

They are often served here as is but do need to be ripe. The top is cut off and a teaspoon inserted and emptied like a soft boiled egg.

There are plenty of recipies for this fruit and I am not sure why it does not grow in England. I think it is an aquired taste and I find them bland. Having said that so is a boiled egg to me without salt!

Kaki is also the name it is known as in /Japn and Korea the only other two places I have seen them served in a restaurant.

Certainly Northern Italians and Japanese will know the word Kaki but at the moment in the imported section of Milan supermarkets you will find Sharon fruit! Without a translation...

So Sharon Kaki and Persimon are the same. Probably originated in Japan but who knows!

If you like it enjoy it. Try looking up an Italian recipe for it and by the way it is eaten for breakfast in the Far East and desert in Italy.

Well assuming you used glass bowls and assuming you still have to steam them before eating for a couple of hours, they will turn out without help. Be careful though if you have reduced the size of the pud against the recipe as steaming will take less time when you are ready to eat them.

Not sure the effect of leaving out the booz will do but it cant hurt eh? Dont forget to set light to it and dust it with some icing sugar and some holly!!

Have fun

OK. Well you are going to get this blow by blow. I have just done it as per the instructions and it was fairly simple and looks pretty impressive.

Question is, those of you who have used such a machine, do you remember any special tricks to make it extra special? Like the type of milk or the butter?

Thanks again.

The time is 9pm on a Friday evening. This is the start of a long weekend as Monday is a public holiday. We, my family and I, have just returned from the local Chinese restaurant (I ate fried frogs legs). I told my wife that we have not been out of the front door for a week. What if there is any post? Just now she opened the front door. There on the ground was a shoe box from Australia.

Thank you Mary. It has arrived in one piece. I shall wait until the morning to try it and let you know how the truffles come on (or was it oven frattata or carbonara). We are getting so close to closing this thread!!

Thank you too, Trudi for sending the recipe so I know what to do.

Double cream in truffles yum.....................

Huggy keep one for next Christmas as well they really are good with age. Better still eat it out of season at a dinner party that can be a good conversation point.

yep

only worry if you go below 8oz

Being a traveller to Japan quite often I can tell you it is part of their cooking.

Type Mirin in the search and look in ingrediants and you will find the details you are looking for

Ive done that recipe it really is the best way to do crackling. Im spoilt over here as the skin comes in a roll and you say how much with or without the meat. Anyway. It does take an age. But it keeps. It tastes good cold and besides which it is so thin and crispy by the time you served it the crackling would be cold anyway!

Answer cook it ahead of time or it will do your head in. Break it up and stick it in a tin with a lid.

Open at Christmas and serve either on its own or in the normal way and no one will know the difference!!

I give up! Anna now you!!

I like Grappa di Po is that close?

Well this will be our first year away from our own home. We are going to the in laws in London. What ever I might have said on this thread, the reality is that my mother in law has asked me to bring my sharp knives to jullian the carrots et al!!

On another thread somewhere I said we always eat on Christmas eve and dress up. This makes Christmas day a day to as you please. SO our Christmas dinner ends up as a full English breakfast!!

But the night before meal the only thing different that would seem strange is that our guests will choose tineed Heinz soup to start over the smoke salmon arguing they can eat salmon any day.

Sausage rolls are the hardest but we have made a recipe that makes them taste even better than we remembered. We cannot get sausage meat here in Italy.

There.

Well Anna you echo the ex pat everywhere in Italy. But it did not get me to where is mac cheese from?

assuming it is Indian and not Mexican...

Georgie

I agree, I am lost too. hijacked at the end of the thread.

Going to also go to a dar room until my cream maker comes.

Ladies

I give up!

Whatever you say spag trees it is. i'll just go plant one.

No the cream maker still is not here and I am still looking for a name for iit and what the first recipe will be.

Jill Rustie? Cream maker thread? not spag? or fish?

!!

Anna

I am ex-p. I agree about Italian food outside Italy in fact I avoid Italian if I can when over the boarder that is!

I have toyed with this question over the dinner table but we cannot find a root for mac cheese. It simply does not make sense to take a short pasta with a good cheese sauce and put it in the oven. Unless it came form the south and was exported to the US with Pizza.

Still trying to find Chinese or Indian (They dont like it hot!).

Actually when I was in China I never saw the rice even when I ordered it. A few days later a friend said it is custom to serve it last only if you are still hungry. So everywhere changes things.

Mary

In the case of froxen potoatoes. What do they say one mans meat... Like those who know French wine is best even if they have not tried others...

Hope your meal went well, plane delayed sorry. The point I was making is that when I go to my MIL for Christmas dinner we may offer help but we will not presume. I would never presume that others are worse than me at cooking ready meal or not.

Enjoy the company...

Ladies you are so funny. Ha ha ha.

When I first visited these boards I interupted Rustie and Jill in a shower with a fish. I am not going down this path again. Everyone knows it is money that grows on trees.

I my cream maker (for it sure ain't yours any more Mary) must have taken a slow boat to China as it has not arrived yet. Although Mary I think if it does before Christmas it will be the bestest Christmas present ever.

Well I think the sausage and the "speck" are only related by misuse of the word.

Claire is right about the first part. This is when Italy annexed that region by the Brenner pass on the border of Austria. It is salt-and-cold-smoke cured ham indeed but it is a mixture of the much sharper smoked meats of Germany and the soft salt-cured, air dried prosciutti of northern Italy.

That said, as your sausage is a farmers sausage from South Africa with a heavy dutch influence it is probably that they refer to something similar.

Speck does make for good sausages but I thought it would be expensive in England.

Love to know how it turns out. In fact I would love to know the recipe...

Mary

I will bring a Bonet with me. I think you know the plane is the early one in from Japan lands at 7:55am. Will you pick me up or shall I hail a surf board?

Snobs! I am surrounded by snobs!

Anna, so where does this dish come from? Is it like pizza exported to US from Southern Italy? Why bake it?

And food for thought to the originator of this thread?

Try Italian 4 or 3 cheese sauce or what about baked carbanara but with macaroni? What cheese sauce do you make Cauliflour cheese with? Replace that.

Dont forget to adjust the methods for the oven though.

Now, I have given a lot of hard thought to the question of chocolate in this dish. I noticed it iin the thread but can't think for the life of me why I had not tried it. If I did, I am not sure it would make any difference if it was plain or milk, but as mamma says make sure it is good chocolate.

Mac Cheese with chocolate topping, does sound a little US to me but hey! Give it a whirl...

Yes Huggy if you do it Dealias way as it is the only fat content. If you use Lesley pud then no as she uses other fat substitute. So it depends on the recipe.

No !!!!! Never Steve!!!! unless you want it to blow up!!!!!!

Here's a thought for you.

Stir up Sunday is the 5th Sunday before Christmas. The one before Advent. It is an Anglican collect it comes from "stir up all ye people oh God we bessech you..." reminding people by accident one presumes, to go home and make there pud.

Why is AWT and the BBS saying this Sunday is "stir up Sunday"? Maybe they think it is the last Sunday in November (which it usually is) But I assure you last Sunday was "stir up Sunday".

In anycase your pud will taste as good if it is made on Advent Sunday just get making...

Eat it this Christmas.

Or next Christmas.

Enjoy...

Here's a thought for you.

Stir up Sunday is the 5th Sunday before Christmas. The one before Advent. It is an Anglican collect it comes from "stir up all ye people oh God we bessech you..." reminding people by accident one presumes, to go home and make there pud.

Why is AWT and the BBS saying this Sunday is "stir up Sunday"? Maybe they think it is the last Sunday in November (which it usually is) But I assure you last Sunday was "stir up Sunday".

In anycase your pud will taste as good if it is made on Advent Sunday just get making...

Eat it this Christmas.

Or next Christmas.

Enjoy...

Goodness gracious! A gusest is a guest! My family are going to my inlaws for Christmas in Dull witch village. They would not expect, even if we do!

Christmas is not about veg! it is more than that. If that is what she wants to prepare enjoy! Be her sister not her cook.

Our Christmas dinner is on Christmas eve and in years gone by including last year, when folk come to us then they come as our guests! If they dont like the food well what can I say! But they certainly do not do the washing up.

Every family is different, you must choose for yourself, but why make a "meal" out of it? Be her sister and do what ever you do and not what others do. Be yourself and enjoy.

Merry Christmas

Bonet

Would you expect me to say anything else but an Italian desert? I am sure you will find it on the web but if not scream. It is made up of caster sugar, milk, cocoa, rum, and eggs cooked in the oven and topped with amaretti biscuits fresh Strawberries and mint.

Classic served cold looks good and is to die for.

Or if it is really hot, Strawberry semi-freddo. unchurned ice cream.

Oh stop Im coming over!!

Please send me the recipes for the other two course please????????

For the last three years we have always had a stir up Sunday party (last Sunday). We invite 70 people ish to the party and the children mix the incredients while the visitors stir three times each. We always use Delias and we have never failed to have good cakes with the exact measurements done by children. This makes me good at steaming!!

Last year, we bought 6oz pudding thingies as well as 1 pt and 2 pt bowls. We put the mixture into what ever until filled and covered as per the recipe.

To steam the mini ones we used a fish steamer and balanced them two high on themselves. For the bigger ones we used saucepans that would take the size of the bowl put something on the bottom, a metal star cutter, does not have to be big or balanced a little water and then the pudding and an ordinary lid. Keep an eye open and keep topping up.

Tip, with larger ones put string round the top to make a handle. Much easier when putting in and out during the steaming process.

Some we eat at Christmas some the following year. They keep a long time. The mini ones proved favourites out of season due to theone portion size and can be heated in a microwave.

Have fun and believe me it is worth it.

So Dj you think with this the 100th posting to this thread that you cannot make cream? Ha! How wrong you can be!

Do you know we make our own pasta here?

Well now, my 12 year old daughter is enjoying this chat room. She thinks this thread is "cool" . However, she is not impressed that I met a man in a street bar in Brussels who thought he had a French answer, got a lady in Devon to buy at auction a cream maker at her expense and give her our address, passed on our address to a lady in Australia and then tell her (my daughter) she should not do this in chat rooms!!!

Big thanks to Trudi for the recipes. Now I wait with bated breath for the parcel to arrive in time for Christmas.

This thread has trevelled well. The end is in sight and this is what the chat room is for. Helping each other solve problems however big or easy they may be.

Thank you all.

no Trudi it did not oppsssss

Well you could do it mathematically but just fill the size the recipe tin says and messure the water. Then the same for your snazzy new one and see it as a ratio one to the other.

If you dont have a recipe size one work out the cc by using a ruler staying in centimetres.

Well Jennifer I am pleased someone else likes this classic dish. Food is seasonal here in Italy so we tend do things in season. Also a tad to much taste for me. Anyway it is a good recipe but....

Dont cook the cubes of spuds first cook them in the water you are going to add the pasta to it adds flavour! then add pasta as per instructions followed by mouthg size beans (or whatever) so it comes together. When done it is classic to add pesto or just olive oil lots of it. YEs season it but salt goes in the water before the pasta.

Sgood eh?

well diced potato short pasta and runner beans cut in a pot add in cooking order when done cover with olive oil and eat.

Pasta pomodoro can be done like this: oil in the pan olive of course, add tinned chopped tomatoes. cut the top and bottom off an onion and through in whole unpeeled. Add bay leaves say two and brew for 20 mins. add to short pasta. Variations add chilli for arribiata or add flaked salmon just before the end.

Well lets hope I can now find a recipe to make the double cream with. Diet? Never!!

I really dont think I ought to go down that road you two! I know, oh to pop into Tescos and buy double cream...

But what should my first recipe be to christen the thing and what do I call it?

Well Snowy, Fish? Meat or Veggie? For adults children or both? As a starter main course lunch or dinner? Something different or something to do again and again? Quick as in shortness of time or quick as in bung it all in a dish close the oven and forget it?

OK M thanks for the maker it will fly a long way but be worth it. Maybe my search is finally over. Maybe we should tell the saga to UK Food.

The cream maker that flew half way round the world to Italy...

Mary. Thank you so much for sending it from Oz it means a great deal to me.

Trudi. It was fab! Just one hour away straight up.

Now I must try this salad cream...

Mary from Oz no it is not a rude question at all. My job takes off to other countries and I have been averaging 3 flights a week over the last 40 days while moving house in Italy. Japan next week and England for Christmas but other than that nothing until NYC in January. So no time really.

Off to the mountains today with 60cm of snow I must find my snow chains!

40 days I have been gone, out in the wilderness alone with no cream maker.

Welcome back Martino, thank you Jil thank you Rustie. Good to see you too as well.

So its back tot he fish in the shower is it?

Sorry Rustie you know what I meant. I meant the thing did not work not your bid. I am very appreciative of everyones help if only I could get a to make double cream...

So this long and winding road of a cream maker that bought me to this site in the first place draws close. Mary from Oz says I can have hers. Rustie from England says she bidded one for me but it simply did not work.

"Oh to be in England where the cream is there"

You don't know how lucky you are not living here in Italy....

(joke Anna)

Well Mary a few chat entries back you offered a cream maker. Yes please do you want to deliver it personally or post? Rustie has my details.

I dont know I go off the air for 40 nights and a a posting on cream makers is hidden under salad cream!!!

Thanks again and sorry for the slow response

Never!!

Well when you find the cheeses try the 3 cheese or 4 cheese pastas they are to die for.

OK Anna I go with you on this one but for some reason I think it is from Calabria.

For those with time on their hands here is how I do it (tinned tomatoes what are they?) simmer two whole cloves of garlic in about 30 ml of extra-virgin olive oil beeing careful not to let the garlic burn. Add 500 g of ripe firm tomatoes that have been skinned and diced. Not sit back and let the sauce thicken very slowly. When thickened add a pinch of salt and one crushed birds eye red chilli pepper. Continue to cook for another 20 minutes stiring now and then.

Bring a pot of water to the boil add salt and add 500g of penne pasta to the salted boiling water. cook as per instructions on the packet minus a minute to leave "al dente".

Now you should have the sauce still on the go and in a pot large enough to take the strained pasta. However, I prefer to add a little of the sauce to a serving bowl then add the pasta nad mix. (to warm the bowl first use some of the pasta water and do not dry). Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle generously with pecorino.

Now you have another version to try but stick it in the microwave!!.

Gaye

OK tried it didn't like it! Sorry... You have not said what you like so here is my childrens favourite potato gnocchi that I make but there are so many...
boil a kilo of potatoes in the skins then peel and mash while hot. (ouch you say but do it this way!) put onto a floured surface and lightly finger in some freshly grated sea salt adding enough flour to obtain the right consistency. (Just use plain flour probably about 200gs). Then roll out into finger sausages as my daughter calls it and cut into pieces (not your fingers). Now use your board and create that typical gnocchi shape or as I do push over the back of a grater! Thats it!! and now for the sauce...
500gs of tomato pulp and one onion cut into wedges in a saucepan with some butter salt and pepper (make that a large pan as the wider the base the better the cooking.) cook over a medium heat for 15 mins then turn off the gas and remove the onion (happy hunting). Then in a small saucepan brown a large piece of butter flavouring it with a few sage leaves.

All you gotta do is add the three together. First into the dish goes the butter. Then the gnocchi stir lightly then cover with the tomato sauce.

Too late! He cries!! I have already returned it, but not before I took it to a shop to check and there does not seem anything wrong except it simply does not work.

Oh well back to the drawing board! What was that recipe Gaye had??!!

koner this is our favourite way too but it depends what it is for. Anyway using your method try:
6 peeled slightly crushed large garlic cloves in a bottle of olive oil sealed and stored in a cool dark place for about three weeks. Strain and serve with pasta salads. or gather a handful of basil florets gathered first thing in the morning and left to dry in the sun if dew is on them put in a sealable jar and pour olive oil (bottle) over it and leave for three weeks. Add about 10 basil leaves and seal and leave for another week. filter and decant into small bottles. Good with hot pasta dishes and pasta salads. or use 4 crumbled chillies a bay leaf in a bottle of olive oil for a month. to weaken the strength add olive oil at time of use to strengthen leave a while. Dont for get to strain.

I do like smoked garlic. Hmmmmm.

ok my wife gets gut ache with the reds so I use green but here is pepper sauce Italian style: take 4 green and yellow peppers clean them and dice them. soften a chopped onion in a saucepan that has olive oil in it. Make sure the oil is hot before adding the oil but then turn to medium and dont brown. When onion is soft add the peppers and stir all the time with a wooden spoon. Remember to keep the heat sizziling at all times bunt dont brown. Turn the heat up and when hot add a little wine. Let it evaporate add salt and reduce heat. Cook for 20 minutes with a lid on the saucepan. after 20 minutes add a handful of basil (parsley works well), a finely sliced garlic some fresh ground pepper and a little olive oil. Stir and use.

How do you make your pesto? I know we all have our own ways. I use a food processor and put a handful of washed and dried basil leaves into it along with a peeled and roughly chopped garlic, 20g fo pine nuts, 10g of pecorino and 10g of parmesan. Then add a little very good olive oil and whizzzzzzz. Adding more oil as it whizzes until nice and creamy.

IF you keep it in the fridge you may be better to make the pesto without the cheese and add it before cooking then you can keep that fresh taste and as frexy says will last an age that way. Make sure there is a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto in the sealed jar first though.

Vix: Every year about this time we harvest all the basil and make pesto in bulk. Then putting into small jars that are both freezer proof and a size big enough to hold what you may require at any one go. Seal it tight and pop it in the freezer. Ours will stay there until the new Basil grows the following year. OF course not all of it as most gets eaten!

Huggy

Not it is not the same but dont let that stop you. Experiment as you may come up with results you like. But I have said all along that proper pasta is not just 00 flour. I think I have mentioned it here on this thread. I will look back and if not give you all the permutations of flour and ratios but not before the weekend!

I am in a meeting and should be behaving!

Gaye

Well it depends on the type of gnochi you like first as there is a host of different kinds.

No I dont but I will go get one on Friday and try it then come back to you. Send me a cream recipe Gaye??!!

Well first I have to say it will make a big difference to ice cream and I alsways use a good quality one with strawberries and that is not strange!

But I dont agree that it is not good for dressings so long as they are simple. For example a three to one virgin olive oil to Balsamic is a delight over simple green salad.

One last thing to really draw out the taste make the classic dish of sauteed asparagus tips when done turn off the heat and add a splash of balsamic. Add this to a fried egg and shavings of palmesan and you are ready to go veggie.

BTW I like it with Ciabatta and just dip it.

Ellen the glutton factor is what you are looking for. Look on the side of your packet for the glutton ingredient it will be between 12-16. Then look at Dutch packaging. I have the same problem in Italy. Never use plain flour for bread bread as it not the same I do use it for flat bread etc though.

Gaye

Did you have a recipe that did not use a cream maker?

Trudi - Thanks tried that still nothing. Actually before trying that I did as instructed and pushed water through it. The book said I should feel some resistence but I did not. Seemingly there appears nothing missing or worn. Oh well back to the seller.

the cream maker

My children love Mexican food. Almost impossible to buy here in this part of Italy so we have had to create our own recipes. I think as others have said so much is available that you can just build the party rather than cook the party. In case you want to venture:

Guacamole: Mix in the ratio of 1 diced small onion 1 diced small tomato 1 mashed with fork ripe avocado. Add in large pinch of salt, juice of a lime and a small handful of parsley. Dont forget to leave lumps in the avocado! serve with totilla chips.

Tomato salsa: take half a large tomato diced with a couple of crushed garlics, half a small onion diced, handfull of parsley 10ml of red wine vinegar 15 ml of good olive oil and mix together adding finely chopped jalapenos to taste ( 1-2 I guess) some salt and pepper if you like but I dont bother. Put all of this into a serving bowl that has the other half of the large tomato finly blended in the bottom.

We cant get corrinder here but I think it probably will have a shaper taste.

That leaves you with fajitas, chille (spanish rice and refried beans) and of course Salsa Ranchera

One last thing if you like sweet corn. This you buy on the streets in Mexico and it is really nice and easy to do. OK so boil 300 kg frozen sweetcorn for 5-10 minutes drain but leave a little water about 15 ml. Add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Traditionally it would be served in those plastic drinking cups with a tea spoon.

Huggy

OK. Well for the record if you are using filled pasta you have to put it in just before the boil gently or it will burst open.

There is no problem with a dough hook (he says indignantly) But try it with your hands it is so quick and it is easier to wash your hands afterwards.

Problem with fresh pasta to packet stuff is that it will stick if you chuck the lot in at once.

Olive oil will help but put in a little at a time and stir it.

Have fun let me know how it works next time. Do you use a pasta machine or a rolling pin?

Lesley, yep I go along with you. Just remember it has a strong taste so as a dressing can be used with most things. Also, you can use it when cooking to give a truffle flavour. It is good in a cheese fondue for example.

There you go an unresounding yes you can eat the whole fig and nothing but the fig!

I like it cut in half or quarter if big but not all the way through, squeezed open, piece of sweet zola cheese in it, wrapped with ham and drizzled with a an italian vinegar. Pop in the oven and eaten whole.

Is Passata expensive in England then? I have found that making passata is not worth the trouble.

Curious

This where we started from!

The double cream maker seems to have a problem with not having any pressure so we are looking into that. If I ever get it going I will let you know if it is worth buying one.

Hi Huggy! Sorry been off the board lately. Let me confirm that you are making Tagliatelle correctly first:

pile 500g of type 00 flour into the centre of a worksurface. make a well and add a pinch of salt, 4 eggs and a dessertspoon of etra virgin olive oil. mix well and knead until the dough looks elsastic. Cover the dough with a damp tea towel for half an hour and then knead again and roll out into a thin sheet. sprinkle a handful of maize meal over the dough and leave for a couple of minutes. Then cut into the width you want ( do you know this also makes tagliatelle 2cm wide, fettucine 1 cm wide, tagliolini 2 a couple of milimetres wide and papparedelle 3 or 4 cm wide.

OK. now cook in plenty of boiling water about 1 litre to every 100g. If you do less than half a kilo then the ratio changes to 4 litres of water to every 100g of pasta. Use a wide shallow pot for heat distribution and remember the pasta will swell so dont fill to the brim.

Next, only add the salt when the water starts to boil not before! Now add some olive oil to the water this helps the egg pastas not to stick.

Add the pasta to the pot a bit at a time as soon as it boils again. Stir the pasta regularly so it does not stick and cooks evenly.

You must drain when al dente otherwise the pasta absorbs the water. To know when it is cooked try it!

Halt the cooking process by adding a cup of water (having turned off the gas). drain and sieve.

If you are going to toss with a sauce leave a little cooking water in to make life easier.

Always use wooden utensils.

And to finish off according to tradition:

Serving bowl with some grated cheese in it receives the drained pasta. Then mix in the sauce.


After all that? Your answer probably is add some oil to the water before adding egg pasta.

Hope this helps.

Welll assuming you have the real thing then truffle has various uses. First I have to confess I only ever use fresh truffles so I do not know the difference. Remember that truffle can have a strong flavour. grate a piece off and try it. It should blow your socks off. If you take a simple garlic and olive oil angel hair pasta grate a little on that. Last year we had a five course dinner where everything from the fondue to the ice cream had truffle in it. I also create truffle oil for salad dressings but remember it can be strong. Point is small grated pieces on top grated in or enfused in oils should tell you just play.

I love it Tornedos Rossini is my fav. To die for and it is something special.

These are my tastes and of course may not be yours.

You dont fuel the fire with me Koner. Scroll back and see I agree with you that combo cooking is what it is about and the fact of meat or no meat is not the issue.

I have a strong meat eating family here but we eat meat when the recipe calls for it. Around about three times a week. Italian cooking is not about meat or fish it is about balancing the food.

Good luck with your campaign but I would turn off to a veg programme as the GFL programmes are IMHO balanced.

We just have to agree to disagree.

So have we worked out how to make Wontons white yet?

Ah ha! Playing the site are we? This really sounds fab do please let us know if ANYONE can help with this.

sory 'I meant Meat.

What we need is programmes that have variety.

Why not actually have Meta programmes. Always the veggie

Well next time you are here....

Thanks for the recipe

Oh Rustie you say the nicest of things. Now we know what is for main course and afters...

Now all I have to do is enter us into the show.

Oh Rustie you say the nicest of things. Now we know what is for main course and afters...

Now all I have to do is enter us into the show.

Funny that Rustie. I go along with you on that. I would never assume my friends cannot cook and that I am the best in town.

However, if you have a "friend" with a big ego who thinks she is the best then this is for them. Either it will bring them down a peg or two or it will be a great night out.

Will you be my date Rustie? I want your cornbeef hash!!!!

Gaye. All the time is a good time in Italy. The mushroom festivals or the nut festival not forgetting the truffel festival all in the next 8 weeks.

Well Trudi thanks to your inspired thought and Rudi's lateral thinking I may be seeing your cream maker!!!!!

But Gaye you said you had a recipe anyway can I see it?

There you go folks. You have it on good authority "Gordons gin is folly" So stop drinking it and just have the tonic.

Personally, I think it is a matter of taste.

Many soups require you to start by saute aromatic vegetables to give flavour (in butter or a good oil – I use 50-50 butter and virgin olive oil), in a large wide based saucepan, gently, so they do not burn but until they are soft (you could do them for less time and let the stock cook the vegetables if you wish). Start this way with just under a kilo of chopped courgettes and 300 grams of chopped carrots and 1 well chopped medium to large onion. Next you will have needed to have made some chicken stock (not a cube) and warmed it to simmer (300 grams should do the trick). So the second part of soup making is a good stock. You can use vegetable stock if you wish but prefereably not instant stock. Add the warm stock to the vegatables (not cold stock or you will send a heart attack to the vegetables!). At this time add 1 teaspoon of tarragon, salt and pepper and simmer for say 20 minutes. Thats it except blend until smooth (push through a strainer if you wish as well). Then to chage it into a “cream of” soup put it back on the heat and stir in cream and heat until warm (you can use milk).

oh dont say fish and chips to me! I miss them so much... Please can someone open an English restaurant over here.

Did you over cook it Trudi? It really is good.

Judy I can do that it is more about amounts that is the problem. I am assuming you are wanting the mousse to have salmon and horseraddish in it and you do not say if it is a starter. Tell me.

but as a starter you would need unflavoured gelatin but the sheet stuff is better. water. Cream. Lemon smoked salmon. fresh horseradish,fresh dill.

Let me know if it is for starter finger food with or without salmon. Takes about one hour I guess to make for that number.

Any help?

Hey Bubbi we agree!!! Thought I would add the rest for you. We could do with this on GFL web site HELLO??!!

Continent Brittish US
1 kilo/1000 gram 2 lbs + 3,5 oz
500 gram 1 lb + 2 oz
250 gram 9 oz
100 gram 3,5 oz
50 gram 2 oz
1 liter/1000ml 1 quart + 3,5 floz 5,5 cups
0,5 liter/500 ml 1 pnt + 2 oz 2,75 cups
250 ml 9 fl oz 1,5 cup
125 ml 4,5 floz 0,75 cup
100 ml 3,5 floz 0,5 cup
1 tea spoon 1 tea spoon 1,25 tea spoon
1 dessert spoon 1 dessert spoon 1 tbl spoon
1 tbl spoon 1 tbl spoon 1,25 tbl spoon
120 degr C gas mark 0,5 250 degr F
135 degr C gas mark 1 275 degr F
150 degr C gas mark 2 300 degr F
160 degr C gas mark 3 325 degr F
180 degr C gas mark 4 350 degr F
190 degr C gas mark 5 375 degr F
200 degr C gas mark 6 400 degr F
220 degr C gas mark 7 425 degr F
230 degr C gas mark 8 450 degr F
240 degr C gas mark 9 475 degr F

Actually double cream in an onion "Frittata" baked in the oven is really good too.

Ha! Bergamo! Thats it a lunch time trip to Italy for GFL fans. You should be able to get there and back in a day or stay over night and enjoy even more Italian food.

You know these last two suggestions are so right. Go for it and have fun. Just a couple of things. There is not really a ratio as I said there are hundreds of different types of pasta. But are some basic recipes to keep you going. I use over 30 different types. some with eggs and oil some with out some with 00 and duram some with other combinations.

Remember most of all that it is "pastry" you are making and you know the permutations for that!

Experiment! Try original true Italian recipes but try those others are suggesting. Just cos we think of pasta coming from Italy does not mean they own it.

I love the coloured ones and also the waste as Gayes says.

But please tell us how it went?

Had a look but it looked a tad expensive for me. Can I get it on Ebay?

No don't answer that.

I am being corrected hold on news bulletin...

Lindt factory is on the Italian side of the boarder and not in Switzerland at all! But across the border "Alprose" Chocolate factory has the chocolate fountain really good to dip the bread sticks in on arrival but not as good as Cadbury world.

No I like this old cream maker thanks. I like the idea of the Kenwood when I am bored.

But it has opened an area of interest for me that you can buy ready made puff pastry but when you wish to add orange or something you make your own. Think of the possibilities with a cream maker! Any takers for coming over to Italy to try it out with "scones"?!!!!

Thank you Rustie you are a star! She bidded for me in the ebay auction with only minutes to go. Now I wait for the parcel to actually try out home made double cream.

I got a gadget...

Oh gosh! I am so excited! Thanks to all of you for helping with this one.

Tried wickedlady but she will not do Italy. Looked at ebay and I was lost.

Can someone help me a little further please? I just must get this machine asap...

Thanks to Rustie Gaye and Trudi for getting to this point.

Oh I agree BFC, tea smoking is a fun thing to do but is not the best method. But if you have no other smoking method tea smoking produces great results and all you need is a wok, tea,rice and sugar!

Karen I go with that. I am so pleased I am off the cocktail party circuit! IT is Grappa di Po for me!

Gordons Gin is made to the London recipe so it is an original flavour.

How about this to stop you being depressed, when mixing gin and ginger ale together it tastes like a soft drink! get the mix right though!

S'funny really 'cos at the Swiss Lindt factory there is a chocolate fountain. Hmmmmm. Oppps don't all rush at once.

Thats a good question for the GFL team "what makes wonton wrappers white? Sure if I know.

Nice to see the pasta machine being used!

Too many eggs? Not enough thickening agent? Wrong colour flour? No salt?

I give up! If you find the naswer let us know.

Narn, Karen is right go for it! But wait! Don't do as I did the first time... Made angels hair... I had metres of it all over the kitchen! Over the doors, everywhere. Fun though, kids loved making it but we decided not to eat it...

So as I say make some simple egg based lasagne sheets and enjoy that first. Then turn down the settings and see how small you can make it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try it with pastry if you make that set the setting on high and plop it through the machine. I wonder if you could creat fillo pastry in it??!!!!!!!!!!

Koner your are so right!

What we need to know is what goes with what in an unusual way.

Way to go! Some of this on GFL please!

Combo cooking let us make it a fad!

My favouite grappa is grappa di poli because it has nice bottles! Oh sorry not the answer you wanted!

Trudi, no recipe as it is a basic pasta of say 160g type 00 flour and 240g of durum (semolina) flour with water and SALT. In the normal way you mix the flours together on a clean surface add a pinch of salt and enough water to mix and knead to a sort of smooth elastic dough. You do need to work it for about ten minutes though.

Then! The trick! Role out into long thin sausage rolls and cut into 1cm lengths. I use a round bladed knife to flatten them into a shell shape (on a floured surface). Then mould them into little ears by moulding each one of them over the tip of your thumb so they look like little ears (guess what little ears translates to in Italian!). Then as usual leave them on a lightly floured tea cloth to dry.

I assume you know how to cook fresh pasta?

Oh you will make my childrens eyes water. They love chocolate. Every time I go to England I have to bring back a mountain of cadbury's.

There are many good chocolates in English supermarkets now but try not to go for the cheapest "cooking chocolate" I like green and blacks but there are others.

Keep close above 70% if it is your first time on this as the more cocoa it has the more abstract the flavour can become for newcomers.

Just got some Lindt 95% choclate! That is enough to blow your socks off with!

Tried the Torte Caprese on this site? Really good. The more you chop the choclate the more it becomes "cake" type the chunkier you leave it the more when you cut it open it will ooooze out.

Sigh!!!!

Oh yes!

Type in "tea smoke trout" in the seach bar and look for James Martin's recipe. It works with duck chicken etc.

It is to die for, simple effective and very impressive.

Same method for duck as the trout in the recipe but leave longer.

See that is my problem Carrots are out of season and Courgettes are just going. Will have to bok mark these links for next year. Roll on the mushroom season when we can buy fresh mushroms?

I am alrady missing the asparagus and I have another 7 months to go before they come back into the shops.

Chillies? Tomatoes? They are popping out of my ears!!!!!!!!

No comments needed thanks.

Let us know what the recipes taste like please?

Why? Well there are many different stories but the one most common is it was the first English cocktail at cocktail parties. England at the time being London.Also, because Gin was so cheap and supposed to be refreshing. Not Britsh but English!
Which? Well there is only one type of Gin in my opinion and that is "London Gin" made to a specific original recipe. Many brands but they will also say "London Gin". This is good to make other gins like damson, ready now, or just with Tonic.

Of course there are others and popular ones too but the classic is London for tonic and making others with.

Jank

I am sure you will have fun whatever you do and will feel it tastes better. Living here in Italy where this is a way of life everyone has a different method but the rules are the same.

So it depend what pasta you wish to make: Orecchiette, one of my childrens favourites is made with the 2 flours water and salt. While cannelloni and lasagne are made with just type 00 flour, eggs, virgin olive oil and salt.

If you want to deviate from the norm then go for it and have fun but I suggest what ever recipe you pick up you stick to the recipe for the first couple of times.

We could do with a programme on glutton in flour. I think Type 00 has a little bit more glutton than plain but not a lot. Then there is type 22 which is used for bread which I guess is the same as bread making flour. But it seems each country has its own levels of gluton.

but what did it taste like? You know the French call it "la roast beef"...

but... if you want to take the skin off and mixed it with equal butter. You can roll it in clingform into a log and chill it. When it comes out slice with a hot knife and add it to Russian rye bread (cos that sounds fancy but I am sure a Ritz would work too.)
Nice finger food. Can leave the skin on but blending is harder work and not so smooth.

Nice recipe BTW tried it. Liked it. Yum.

Well an education for me too. But do you need the pot to cook tagine or could you cook it in covered earthen ware in the oven?

So what did it taste like with 12 tsp?!!!! Bit expensive eh???????

The type of Pasta depend on the sauce you wish to make. You can break pasta down into about 4 groups. The bigger the pasta the richer the sauce and short wide pasta is good for baking. In Italy there is an excess of 500 different types of pasta.

So it depend what pasta you wish to make: Orecchiette, one of my childrens favourites is made with the 2 flours water and salt. While cannelloni and lasagne are made with just type 00 flour, eggs, virgin olive oil and salt.

There must be a site out there somewhere. Try lasagne to start. Your machine is also good for rolling out pastry as it can go really thin or thick and then you can cut out.

They could do a whole series on this! There are so many sauces and pastas that it is not as simple as saying here is the pasta recipe.

Make sure wholemeal does not have other aditives such as anti-mildew and ensure it was produced with wholemeal flour and not simply ordinary flour with bran added.

Hope that helps! Let us know how you get on!

what is a microwave?

OK I give up! What can you use them for except in other threads?

no typos Jill just remove the spaces...

lol. Yes Rustie! But how did you find it????

So now I can do Roast beef!

Yes Debbie one of my favourites. Try adding chopped red onion and chopped rosemary into the dough before rising. Then before putting in the oven rosemary and red onion on top.

porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,por cini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,por cini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcin i,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,porcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,p orcini,porcini,
porcini,porcini,Hic!

ok so where do I get the buttermilk from!!!!!

I think I will give up!

Boo hoo.

Yep works well. Go for it. Can't say any recipes though as they are copyrighted.

Si, Signorina! Solo! I must write "porcini" 50 times...

I looked but could not display the page. I went back a bit but could not find a route in. Any ideas?

Gaye, sorry my "and???" was to Anna who started to say something and never finished.

Thank you for the site I will look.

Is there a way I can give you my email address without broasting it? Then you can send me the recipe?

I could set up a temp one...

wow my Italian spelling is now as bad as my English spelling!!!!! Was thit the glass of port I had after lunch.

Might try porticini soaked in masala sauce

Back in the shower girls.

Sounds good Jill I like mushrooms and steak.

Do you have a bread maker? So easy, perfect every time and it makes two pots at once. Make sure the fruit is not over ripe though.

truffles are not in season. We eat them fresh but they are a bit expensive particularly the white ones. I think the reason is they take 10 years to grow.

The great thing with this recipe is the variations you can make to it. Try a different pate for example but make it strong. Miss out the truffles if you like or just great it on if you can buy fresh or as I said use a little truffle oil.

If you do this for a dinner party make sure you try this at home first! The timing can so easily go wrong.

One of my favourites is saltimbocca, you can replace the veal with chicken if you like.

This is my way of doing it but it is not the season for it yet.

The tournedos bit is filet mignon, but you knew that. You need to wrap one small tournedos (having put ground fresh pepper on them first) in a slice of streaky bacon and hold with a cocktail stick. Set aside in the fridge.

Mix Madeira and corn flour to make a paste (ratio of 2:1), then whisk in veal stock gradually. Return to the boil and thicken until able to glaze the back of a spoon. Season and finely strain. Set aside.

Add olive oil and butter (ratio 1:1) until hot to a small frying pan. Add a large thinly sliced garlic and sauté until garlic starts to turn brown. Discard the garlic. Sauté the tournedos on the highest heat until outside is cooked and the middle is pink.

Cut a slice of white bread ( I prefer thinly sliced Italian bread) to the size of the tournedos removing the crusts. Fry in butter in a different frying pan until the bread is brown on both sides.

Gently sauté a foie gras slice, one slice per tournedos in the pan used to fry the bread.

Using the pan the steak was cooked in, sauté some truffle (optional and it is not the season yet! You could add a dash of truffle oil but go easy it can really be overpowering.). Remove from pan. Add the Madeira mix to the steak pan and deglaze.

Plate up first with the crouton, then the tournados, layer the slice of foi gras next, followed by a topping of truffle. Serve! Warning: Get everything ready first. This has to really be cooked in real time so work out your timings and use three fry pans. Try not to leave anything for more than a few minutes. Make sure the pans are hot first, then ensure when you add the oil/butter you ensure it is hot before adding anything.

sorry yes use 00 flour if possible. If you look at flour you will find strong bread flour at one end is loaded with gluton and ordinary plain at the other has a whole lot less. Get used to this figure in choosing bread rather than just the name.

Pasta (which means pastry in English) is simply the result of mixing water with flour obtained by the milling of wheat. Durum wheat which is when milled produces semola and semolato and common wheat which is when milled, gives white flour. Italian law says only 7% can be common wheat in a mix but other countries do not follow.

Type 00 is available in the UK but to give an example type 22 is equal to bread flour. Use plain and hang the expense!

Yes the flour does make a difference.

yep Jank they do! Use.

Gaye,

It does seem strange doesnt it?

To break your question into two:

We can get double fresh cream but not easily. It really depends were you live. We cannot get sour cream easily either. But remember Italy is like 19 nations joined together by football and a flag. So it depends where you live.

Single cream no problem. Longlife double cream no problem but fresh double cream? Help!!!!

Flour is the same problem not the variety you have in England. You know we have a bread maker and bring the flour in form Italy. I could die for some English sliced bread!! The Italian version is suitably named "dead" bread!!

Anyway ice cream like pizzas are never made at home they are too good and too cheap and there are too many places vending them to worry to take away or eat in. Within 5 Km of my tiny village there are 15 Pizza places and 10 ice cream only places.

You can use single cream but it seperates easily in cooking and is harder to whip. So I am trying to find out how I can use fresh cream that is double.

On that score Creme Freshe is hard too as it is not French fresh cream!! I would love to know how I can make that as well.

But you cannot beat Italian pizza and ice cream so we have good points. honest!!

Anna, Lago Maggiore is one of the pretiest places, our garden runs down to the lake with the snow capped alps on the far side. Never go to Milano. Yuk!
I do not use cream that often and like you I use the long life stuff but sometimes a recipe needs double cream "fresche".
Was just a hope. Thanks anyway.

If you have not tried it you must go for Anna's recipe it is really good. and eat it with some italian bread!

as a starter serve with a sauce to dip such as cranberry, redcurrant or goosberry. Garnish with a little rocket.

I think Koner has a point though. It is not an issue of leaving meat out or substituting meat for an alternative, it is about creating a menu from scratch that does not have meat in it. Neither does it have to be that veg is the centre piece. For example there are a number of good Italian rice and pasta dishes that reaaly work better without meat. In fact in this area of Italy, meat itself is usually served as a dish on its own "lamb chops" for example.

So while going along with Koner I would prefer to see recipes that are broad based. We do not want all pasta dishes nor do we want all meat dishes. We just want a variety, perhaps including healthy recipes!

Sounds like many of us like goat meat. Do you have any interesting recipes that be posted?

Sorry did not finish my message. If you are using yeast then I guess you can freeze it after allowing the dough to rise once (one hour?). Dont forget to knock the air out of it, then seal in a plastic zip bag really tight and straight away. When getting it out of the freezer let it rise a second time before rolling it.

Jank. I was refering to the freezing or not. In the Naples area I think they are not so thin.

Go for it girl! There are two hard parts: icing the cake and making the sugar cage. Both you can practice. The former could be made rough to look like a hill or something, the latter could be skipped. The rest is a piece of cake and welll worth doing.

Warning try it out first. You will learn by your mistakes.

Well it depends if you use yeast or not. Here in the north of Italy we prefer the pizza without yeast. A thin crust pastry.

Lets not forget Jamie's Vodka infused melon. To die for!

Chadman

Like Anna I think I have been in Italy too long! You are quite right. In Italian you might order " Alcool puro 95 gradi" Which is "etilico" and I think that translates into "ethanol".

Yes you can by 95 percent ethanol from any supermarket here on the lower shelf by the "Gin"!!

Sorry Chadman

Trudi, like you I would never be without a sharp knife, a peeler and a cheese grater. Unlike you I cannot live without the mini-whisk/chopper.

But the most important thing in our house is the pasta pot. Complete with an internal pot with holes. We use it for everything. Potatoes or vegetables for example when done are just lifted out and drained. Making stock is great too as it contains all the stuff you don't want leaving you with just the stock. Dream... We now have three of them!!!

I just love fondue, cheese, meat, fish, and of course chocolate. Try using it to boil water in and adding scallopes, or beef as in Japan. IT really should be thought of as cooking on the table in a pot. Many of the ordinary things we cook can be converted to fondue.

As so many people leave their fondue sets boxed, why not try just a saucepan. cook the cheese on the cooker (or what ever your recipe is) then put it on a mat in the middle of the table or into a warm bowl or if you can over a night light or on a plate warmer. Remember not to do this with oil fondue as it will spit without the proper lid.

If you like it buy one that looks attractive as it will be the centre piece to the entertainment.

Have fun

Lesley, sounds interesting but getting the 48% fat content would be the issue I think.

Anna, In English I live on the banks of Lake Major just north of Milan. So what do you use for double cream or like us do you just work around it?

Sorry Anna, when I refered to the pink stuff it was in reference to Chadmans posting. The thought of Walnuts in spirito would make your blood curdle! I live up on the Italian lakes and really like grappa. But the grappa in England is not as varied as here so I was more concerned about the type of grappa. Some of the milder ones would be fine but the thought of using a 5 year old "Po" would not be so good!!

Looking forward to hearing how it tastes when it is made!

Thank you for those comments. I am in Italy. Double cream makes a better sour cream. getting peaks in single cream is a pain and cooking is "easy as you go when using single cream to avoid seperation. We have got used to it but just thought there might be a magic ingredient.

Classic simple Italian dish all our family love more than one a week: Short pasta, cubes of potatoes and runner beans (ratio 2:2:1). Pop the potatoes into cold water bring to the boil, salt, add beans, when boiling add pasta. Remember to cut down the beans and if the pasta is longer cooking put it in earlier. Strain and serve with plenty of extra virgin oil parmesan and black pepper or add pesto.

If you buy basil from a supermarket to grow it you need to replant it into a very big pot. Lots of water and sun will shoot the basil up and bush it out. As the Basil season draws in during September, harvest the remains and make pesto sauce that freezes for the winter or dry freeze the leaves and use as desired.

As one of your overseas viewers I find it hard to substitute double cream as we cannot buy it here. Single cream and longlife "kitchen cream" for cooking but not double cream.
I know how to make sour cream but is it possible to make double?

To tie up some loose ends here:
1 Not Ethenol, I think that is pink and is yuk!
2 If in Italy ask for "1 litro alcool a 90°". It is clear and there are several brands.
3 The odd number found in some recipes is due to tradition. The association for this has now settled on 29 walnuts! But who cares!!
4 Be careful that the walnuts are small green ones not the type we get at Christmas.
5 Using Grappa may not help as it has a strong flavour that competes with walnuts. Use Vodka as a substitute but dont water it down as it less than half the proof needed.
6 As nearly every family who makes it has their own recipe for this, dont get hung up by the differences. Just go for one and enjoy.

St John's Walnut liqueur origins from Emila Romagna in Italy. So named because it is started on the feast of St John's (24th June).

Collect 19 faily small green walnuts just fallen from the trees. Cut them into four, put them into a jar with 95 percent proof alcohol and close tightly. The next day add 4 cloves, peel of three lemons and 2g cinnamon. Leave to macerate until August 3rd shaking the jar well three times a day. Then filter and add the sugar disolved in 300g of hot not boiling water until sugar is disolved. Leave to cool bottle and wait at least 3 months befor drinking. Variations include adding mace rose petal etc.

Ever tried making lemoncello? OR perhaps Damson Gin as it is out in the next few days!

I am having the same problem in finding the receipe. It just simply is not here on the site. So even though though the programme has beeen repeated and Ian last December said he would do something about it I cannot find it. HELP!

The note from Mary in this thread while may be helpful ignores several points to the receipe.

Please could we have the full receipe ASAP on the site.

Martin

Well I live in Italy where it is not a problem but if you are in UK it is not that hard to make ricotta and you can then choose the milk you wish to use. Within reason of course.