Zucchini and Pancetta Pizza




  Like every year we're spending Christmas holidays with my husband's family who lives in Avellino, not far from Naples. And being here for two weeks it is hard to resist not eating pizza almost every day. My older daughter actually started complaining because she says we're eating too much pizza. But when you have such a possibility as to eat this good pizza, where even the worst pizza in town is hundred times superior to the best pizza back at home, how can you not to? The dough is just perfect, thin and soft, but slightly chewy, not crisp. Mozzarella is the very important part of the whole story, even when made with plain mozzarella, pizza tastes heavenly (it has nothing to do with that layer of plastic cheese you get elsewhere), and if you try it with mozzarella di buffala... you'll be speechless.
Seriously, no pizza made at home comes even close to the pizza they make here. And my dream is still to go to Naples before heading back to Modena, and finally see for myself one of the most famous pizzerias, Da Michele, where they say pizza is an ulterior experience. Even Elizabeth Gilbert mentions it in her book, Eat Pray Love. If she could go there and have a couple pizzas, I must, too. And if I do, you'll certainly know about it.

Since I don't like pizzas available in town where I actually live, the only alternative I have is to make it myself at home. I've tried different kinds of dough, and each of them has good and bad sides.
The dough in this recipe is particular because it's made with the addition of potatoes. They give such incredible softness to the dough.
I also chose a particular topping, "white", that is to say, without tomatoes, which is quite rare, because our favourite one is always Margherita, just tomatoes and mozzarella.
And with this home made version of pizza I'm wishing you a good start of 2012... and I'll go check if pizza is on our dinner menu, today  ^__^



 Pizza dough with potatoes
 and Zucchini and Pancetta Pizza

Potato pizza dough:
(for 2 round pizzas)
300 g flour (I use Italian type "0")
125 g potatoes
12,5 g fresh yeast (or 3,5 g dry yeast)
1 teaspoon salt
1 TBspoon extra virgin olive oil


for Zucchini and Pancetta Pizza:
4 small zucchini
100 g pancetta or bacon
50 g Parmigiano cheese
1 mozzarella (125 g)
4 thyme sprigs
2-3 zucchini flowers
salt, pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into cubes. Steam cook them for about 10 minutes until soft.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add the salt and the dry yeast (if using dry, if using the fresh yeast dissolve it in warm water), and the olive oil.
Mesh the hot potatoes with the potato ricer letting them fall directly into the bowl with the flour.
Adding the warm water bring everything together and knead on a floured surface to form smooth, elastic dough.
Place the dough into a clean bowl, cover and let rest in a warm place for 2 hours.
Drop the dough on a floured surface and divide it into two pieces.
Place each on a lightly oiled baking pan and flatten stretching it and pressing with your hands, in a way that the dough is thin in the middle and the border is slightly thicker.
If you have a pizza stone prepare the pizza as you usually do. You could also bake the pizza on a piece of parchment paper (sprinkled with flour or even better semolina flour) to have a similar, crispier bottom effect.

For the zucchini and pancetta pizza, toast the chopped pancetta (or bacon) in a dry frying pan. Transfer on a plate with a piece of kitchen paper to drain from the excess fat.
Wash and dry the zucchini. Cut off the edges and then slice them lenghtwise into 2-3 mm thick slices, then cut those in a way to obtain tiny sticks.
Place the zucchini into a bowl, add the fresh thyme leaves and the parmigiano cheese. Add the salt and pepper to your taste.
Distribute the pancetta over the dough first and top it with the zucchini and pieces of mozzarella cheese.
Bake the pizza in a really hot oven (the max. for mine is 250°C, hopefully, yours can reach higher temp.) for about 10 minutes and serve.

Pasta per pizza con patate
 e Pizza con zucchine e pancetta


Pasta per pizza con patate:
(per 2 pizze tonde)
300 g farina tipo "0"
125 g patate
12,5 g lievito di birra fresco
1 cucchiaino raso di sale
1 cucchiaio di olio extra vergine d'oliva


per pizza con zucchine e pancetta:
4 zucchine medie
100 g di pancetta tagliata a cubetti
50 g di parmigiano grattugiato o a scaglie
1 mozzarella (125 g)
4 rametti di timo fresco
2-3 fiori di zucchina (se disponibili)
sale, pape
olio EVO

Per la pasta: Pelate le patate, tagliatele a tocchetti e cuocetele a vapore per circa 10 minuti o finché morbide.
Mettete la farina setacciata in una ciotola, aggiungete le patate (calde) passate allo sciacciapatate, sale, olio e
il lievito sciolto in mezzo bicchiere d'acqua tiepida. Cominciate ad impastare aggiungendo altra acqua necessaria (circa 1 dl) per ottenere un'impasto morbido ma compatto. Lavorate la pasta per qualche minuto sulla spianatoia infarinata, e poi lasciatela riposare coperta per 2 ore.
Riprendete la pasta lievitata e dividetela in due parti. Con le mani stendete ogni pezzo di pasta su una teglia per pizza leggermente oleata.
Lavate, asciugate e spuntate le zucchine, tagliatele a bastoncini (tagliatele prima a fettine nel senso di lunghezza e poi a bastoncini).
Metete le zucchine in una ciotola, salatele e pepatele, aggiungete le foglioline di timo, un po' di olio e il parmigiano. Mescolate bene il tutto.
Tostate la pancetta in una padella, senza aggiungere grasso, finché croccante, e poi lasciatela qualche minuto sulla carta assorbente.
Distribuite la pancetta sulla pasta stesa e leggermente oleata, e sopra aggiungete le zucchine e qualche tocchetto di mozzarella. Se avete anche qualche fiore di zucchina, lavatelo con cura, togliendo il pistillo e aggiungetelo sulla pizza.
Cuocete le pizze nel forno già riscaldato a 250°C per circa 10 minuti.

Tijesto za pizzu s krumpirom
 i Pizza s tikvicama i pancettom


Tijesto:
(za 2 okrugle pizze)
*300 g brašna
*125 g krumpira
*12,5  g svježeg kvasca
*1 (ravna) žličica soli
*1 žlica maslinovog ulja


za Pizzu s tikvicama i pancettom:
*4 manje tikvice
*100 g pancette, narezane na kockice
*50 g krupno naribanog parmezana
*1 mozzarella (125 g)
*4 grančice timijana
*2-3 cvijeta tikvice
*sol, papar
*maslinovo ulje


Tijesto za pizzu:
Krumpir ogulite, narežite na komadiće i kuhajte na pari 10 minuta.
Prosijte brašno u zdjelu, u sredinu dodajte kroz tijesak protisnut (topao) krumpir, sol, ulje i kvasac otopljen u pola čaše mlake vode. Zamijesite sve sastojke dodajući postepeno još oko 1 dl mlake vode.
Mijesite tijesto na pobrašnjenoj radnoj površini dok ne postane glatko i meko. Ostavite tijesto da se diže na toplom, pokriveno čistom krpom ili plastičnom folijom oko 2 sata.
Podijelite tijesto na dva dijela i svaki rastanjite malo nauljenim rukama na nauljenom plehu na otprilike 1/2 cm debljine ostavljajući rubove malo deblje.


Za nadjev, operite i posušite tikvice. Odrežite im krajeve, a zatim ih prvo narežite na ploške debljine 2-3 mm (po dužini), a onda na štapiće. stavite ih u zdjelu i posolite i popaprite, začinite s malo ulja i listićima timijana, dodajte krupno naribani parmezan i sve izmiješajte.
Pancettu stavite u tavu (bez dodane masnoće) i popržite da bude malo hrskava. Premjestite je na par slojeva kuhinjskog papira da se ocijedi višak masnoće.
Rasporedite pancettu na tijesto, a preko nje tikvice i komadiće mozzarelle. Ako imate i cvjetova tikvice, operite ih, izvadite im tučak i dodajte ih povrh svega.
Premažite rubove pizze uljem i pecite je u dobro zagrijanoj pećnici (250°C), u donjem dijelu, 10-ak minuta.

White Chocolate Pralines with Strawberries

Day by day, minute by minute and we have reached the end of another year. Good or bad? I don't like to draw sums, because I like to think there are always more positive than negative things, otherwise I probably wouldn't be here writing.
And I'm happy to be here, in my little virtual corner where I can share news from kitchen. I hope you had good time, too, and I hope you'll keep coming next year. Just in case I'll keep the coffee pot and a cookie tray on hand  ^__^  Thank you for your comments and for sharing your experience, thank you for every recipe you've adopted, it's always a pleasure to hear from my readers and from other bloggers who stop by.

I hope your dreams can become reality and wish you joy and happiness, love and health above everything else.

Closing 2011 in a sweet way, how else... "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
This time, what you get is a sweet orange scented white chocolate ganache, with a little red surprise inside.
Enjoy!
Happy New Year!

White Chocolate Pralines with Strawberries

(for approx. 15 small chocolates)
* about 200 g good quality white chocolate (for pralines)
* 60 g white chocolate (for ganache filling)
* 25 ml heavy cream
* 2-3 drops of essential orange oil
* candied strawberries

Chop the chocolate for pralines finely. Put 2/3 in a small saucepan, and set the remaining 1/3 aside.
Put a little water in another saucepan, just slightly bigger than the first one. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and place the saucepan with the chocolate in it on top stirring it until it melts and reaches no more than 46°C. During the melting process it is important that the water underneath isn't boiling, but eventually simmering, and second, the bottom of the upper saucepan musn't be in contact with water but above it. Otherwise you risk scorching the chocolate. Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a microwave oven, at intervals not longer than 30 second and stirring thoroughly and measuring the temperature after each interval.
Once the chocolate is melted and has reached the right temperature, it is time to temper it and bring down do 29,5°C, the temperature at which chocolate will reach the stable crystal structure and produce nice glossy chocolates that will snap when bit or broken.
So, add the remaining 1/3 of finely chopped chocolate and stir until it has melted completely and reached 29,5°C (in case you should have a difficulty melting the additional chocolate place it for a few seconds again over the saucepan with hot water or just a couple seconds in the microwave. Stir the chocolate, don't just wait for it to cool to 29,5°C on its own, it won't give the same results.
At this point you need to create chocolate shells using chocolate moulds (silicone or polycarbonate ones, I only have the silicone ones). You can either fill the moulds with the tempered chocolate and then turn them upside down for part of chocolate to get out leaving the holes for a filling, or pour a little chocolate in each hole and then distribute it evenly using a small brush (in this case you may have to repeat the process at least twice).
Leave the mould at room temperature or in the fridge until the chocolate shell has set completely.
In the meantime prepare the ganache.
Melt the chocolate and heat the heavy cream almost to a boiling point. Mix the two to create a smooth cream, add the orange oil and set aside to cool at room temperature. It has to be cold but still liquid, so don't put it in the fridge.
Put a piece of a candied straberry inside the chocolate shells and then fill them with the ganache, leaving 2-3 mm to the rim empty. Leave the mould in the fridge for 10 minutes.
In the meantime check the temperature of the melted chocolate and if necessary warm it up a littly so that it is still at 29,5°C. Add a little bit more chocolate to the moulds to close the ganache filling, and leave in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Unmould the chocolate pralines and enjoy.
They don't need to be stored in the fridge. If the chocolate has been tempered properly they'll keep perfectly fine at room temperature protected from humidity.

Vi auguro un felice Anno Nuovo!
Cioccolatini al cioccolato bianco e fragole


(per circa 15 cioccolatini)
* circa 200 g di cioccolato bianco di buona qualità (per il guscio)
* 60 g di cioccolato bianco (per ganache)
* 25 ml panna fresca
* 2-3 gocce di olio essenziale di arancia
* fragole candite


Sminuzzate finemente 200 g di cioccolato. Mettete 2/3 in un contenitore resistente al calore e posizionatelo sopra un pentolino con l'acqua che sobbolle (fate attenzione che l'acqua non bolle perché anche una sola goccia che potrebbe finire nel cioccolato rovinerebbe tutto, e poi, il contenitore con dentro il cioccolato deve stare sopra il livello dell'acqua non in contatto). Fate sciogliere il cioccolato mescolando e controllando la temperatura che non deve superare 46°C.
Togliete il contenitore con il cioccolato dal fuoco, e temperate il cioccolato aggiungendo il resto del cioccolato sminuzzato, mescolando energicamente per farlo sciogliere e fino ad abbassare la temperatura del cioccolato a 29,5°C.
Rivestite adesso gli stampini di silicone o policarbonato con il cioccolato temperato e lasciatelo asciugare (potete riempire gli stampini e poi rovesciarli per far uscire il cioccolato in eccesso lasciando uno strato sottile che forma il guscio dei cioccolatini, oppure versare un cucchiaino alla volta e spennellarlo per ricoprire bene gli stampini, ripetendo l'operazione almeno due volte). Se il cioccolato è stato temperato bene si dovrebbe asciugare in circa 5 minuti a temperatura ambiente oppure qualche minuto in frigo.
Nel frattempo preparate la ganache. Scaldate la panna quasi fino a farla bollire. Sminuzzate 60 g di cioccolato bianco e scioglietelo nel forno a microonde o a bagno maria. Mescolate la panna e il cioccolato fino a ottenere una crema liscia e densa, aromatizzatela con l'olio essenziale d'arancia. Lasciate raffreddare a temperatura ambiente, non in frigo.
Mettete un pezzettino di fragola candita in ogni guscio di cioccolato e poi ricoprite con la ganache, facendo attenzione di lasciare spazio libero per chiudere il fondo dei cioccolatini.
Controllate il cioccolato bianco rimasto, eventualmente riscaldatelo fino a 29,5°C oppure temperatelo di nuovo, e versatene un po' sopra la ganache per chiuderla.
Mettete lo stampo nel frigo per 15-12 minuti, togliete delicatamente i cioccolatini dagli stampi. Si conservano benissimo a temperatura ambiente (i miei hanno fatto anche un lungo viaggio per posta, arrivando sani, salvi, ancora croccanti e fragranti).

Sretna vam i slatka 2012. godina.

Bijele praline s jagodama


(za 15 manjih pralina)
* oko 200 g bijele čokolade (za praline)
* 60 g bijele čokolade (za ganache)
* 25 ml slatkog vrhnja (za šlag, nezaslađenog)
* 2-3 kapi (jestivog) esencijalnog ulja naranče
* kandirane jagode


Čokoladu za praline što sitnije nasjeckajte. Stavite 2/3 nasjeckane čokolade u posudu otpornu na toplinu (metalnu najbolje).
Stavite posudu s čokoladom iznad malo veće posude s vrelom vodom koja ne smije ključati. Čokolada se mora otopiti na pari i gornja posuda ne smije biti u dodiru s vodom ispod nje.
Neprestano miješajući otopite čokoladu i kontrolirajte termometrom da se ne zagrije preko 46°C.
Maknite tad posudu s čokoladom s vatre (tj. s posude s toplom vodom) i postepeno joj dodajite ostatak nasjeckane čokolade (ne sve odjedanput, već u 4-5 navrata, inače će se teško sjediniti i istopiti). Za slučaj da vam se dodana čokolada ne uspije sva otopiti vratite posudu par sekundi iznad posude s toplom vodom.
Pretresite čokoladu u keramičku ili porcelansku zdjelu i, ako je još uvijek dosta topla, nastavite miješati žlicom dok se ne ohladi na 29,5°C. Tek tada je spremna za upotrebu.
Ja sam radila u silikonskim kalupima, ako kojim slučajem imate one od polikarbonata postupak je puno lakši - uspite čokoladu u otvore kalupa, udarite par puta od stol da ne bi ostali mjehurići zraka unutra, a onda kalup odlučnim pokretom okrenite prema dolje da iscuri višak čokolade. Vratite u prvobitni položaj i ostavite da se čokolada stegne na sobnoj temperaturi ili par minuta u hladnjaku.
Ako radite u silikonskim kalupima, stavite žličicu čokolade u kalup i kistom je podižite prema gore da presvučete potpuno stranice. Ostavite na sobnoj temperaturi ili par minuta u hladnjaku da se čokolada stegne pa ponovite postupak. Ako vam se čini da su vam stranice pretanke možete ih premazati i treći put, ali obično mi nije potrebno.
Za ganache, sitno nasjeckajte 60 g čokolade i otopite (na pari ili u mikrovalnoj).
Zagrijte slatko vrhnje do vrenja. Dodajte par kapi jestivog esencijalnog ulja naranče, pa pomiješajte s čokoladom. Miješajte dobro dok se smjesa ne sjedini i postane glatka.
Ako nemate esencijalno ulje naranče, možete dodati naribanu koricu naranče, prokuhati skupa pa eventualno procijediti da odstranite korice, ili možete dodati žličicu nekog likera od naranče (npr. cointreau, arancello itd.). Ostavite ganache na sobnoj temperaturi da se ohladi a onda napunite pripremljene praline - prvo do pola, utisnite komadić kandirane jagode, pa dopunite kremom tako što ćete ostaviti oko 2-3 mm praznog prostora do vrha.
Stavite kalup s pralinama 10-ak minuta u hladnjak.
Zatvorite sad dno pralina ostatkom otopljene čokolade.
Stavite ponovo u hladnjak na 15-20 minuta.
Izvadite pažljivo praline iz kalupa.
Ako ste pravilno temperirali čokoladu praline će lako izaći van (kalupe od polikarbonata dovoljno je okrenuti prema dolje i lupnuti lagano od stol, same će ispasti, silikonske kalupe prvo malo povučem sa svih strana da se odvoje od pralina, a onda ih lagano pritiskajući dno istisnem iz kalupa), bit će sjajne i neće se topiti na sobnoj temperaturi. Nije potrebno čuvati ih u hladnjaku.


* Dok vam se jedan sloj čokolade steže u kalupima vrlo vjerojatno će vam se ostatak otopljene čokolade ohladiti ispod 29,5° - kontrolirajte temperaturu prije nego nanesete sljedeći sloj i eventualno stavite posudu s čokoladom kratko iznad posude s toplom vodom - temperatura se začas podigne, stoga pazite da ne pregrijete čokoladu jer ćete je onda morati ponovo hladiti, što opet oduzima vrijeme.
* Ako želite biti sigurni da ste čokoladu dobro temperirali, napravite mali test - Stavite malo čokolade na papir za pečenje ili umočite žličicu i ostavite da se osuši. Dobro temperirana čokolada će se stisnuti za najviše 3 minute, bit će sjajna, glatka i hrskava. Ako je još uvijek pretopla trebat će joj jako puno vremena, i svejedno će biti mekana i kad se osuši.
* Ako ste "zabrljali" već u početnoj fazi i čokoladu pregrijali, ne očajavajte. Ostavite je da se potpuno ohladi i krenite iz početka. Pokušate li nastaviti raditi s pregrijanom čokoladom, rezultati neće biti zadovoljavajući.


I za kraj... ako ste sve ovo pročitali do kraja i niste izgubili volju da se okušate u pripremi pralina, želim vam puno slatkih, krckavih zavodnica da vas utješe i nagrade za ulože trud

Pasta alla Norma

Of all the vegetables, I think the eggplants made the biggest progress in my kitchen. In the sense that as a child I hated them, just didn't like how my mother prepared them, fried, soggy, often bitter, and now I can't have enough of them. I've learned many ways of preparing them and luckily it's one of the vegetables my husband loves, too, so it's a reason more to prepare them often and try new recipes whenever I can.
Pasta alla Norma is one of the classics in Sicilian cuisine. Dedicated to Bellini's opera Norma (Bellini being a Sicilian composer, from Catania), or rather indicating that this dish is so supreme in its quality as Bellini's opera is in the music world.
I'm sure every Sicilian family has its own recipe, and they may differ slightly or a lot between them in the preparation process, but what they all have in common is a short ingredients list: tomatoes, eggplants, fresh basil  and salted ricotta. Therefore, the recipe I'm sharing today doesn't pretend to be THE recipe for Pasta alla Norma but one of many that I found delicious and simple to prepare at the same time.
Ricotta salata is ricotta that has been salted (with sea salt) and then dried for 10 to 30 days, after that it can be used, usually grated with pasta dishes especially with Pasta alla Norma. It has a stronger taste than the fresh ricotta, but I highly recommend it in this dish, if you can get your hands on it.

Ricotta salata

Pasta alla Norma

(4 servings)
* 400 g pasta (spaghetti, penne, tortiglioni)
* 400 g can of pelati tomatoes
* 100 g fresh tomatoes
* 2 cloves of garlic
* extra virgin olive oil
* salt
* 10-12 fresh basil leaves 
* 2 medium sized eggplants
* ricotta salata (salted ricotta)

Wash, dry and cut the eggplants into 4 mm thick slices. Salt the eggplant slices and leave them in a colander for an hour. Then rinse them and dry well with kitchen paper.
In the meantime, heat a couple spoonfulls of extra virgin olive oil in a deep skillet with the garlic cloves. Add the fresh tomatoes cut into smaller pieces (if using cherry tomatoes just cut them in half and put in the skillet with the cut side down). Cook them for a few minutes, until soft, and then add the chopped pelati, salt and cook the sauce on medium heat until it reaches desired density. Towards the end, add the fresh basil leaves.
In another skillet heat some more olive oil and fry the eggplant slices until golden (don't fry them all at once or they'll just get soggy, but put just enough slices to be in a single layer). Take them out and leave on several layers of kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Once they are all fried, salt them.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it and add the pasta of your choice, cook it until al dente. Drain the pasta and then add it to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Stir well and serve, adding the eggplant slices to each plate and grating some salted ricotta on top.
You may also chop part of the fried eggplants and stir them into the sauce before adding pasta.

Pasta alla Norma

(per 4 persone)
* 400 g di pasta (spaghetti, penne, tortiglioni)
* 400 g di pomodori pelati
* 100 g di pomodori o pomodorini freschi
* 2 spicchi d'aglio
* olio extra vergine d'oliva
* sale
* 10-12 foglioline di basilico fresco
* 2 melanzane medie (io preferisco quelle lunghe)
* ricotta salata


Lavate e asciugate le melanzane. Tagliatele a rondelle spesse circa 4 mm. Salatale e lasciatele in un colino per un'ora. Sciacquatele e asciugatele bene con la carta assorbente.
Scaldate in una padella un paio di cucchiai d'olio con l'aglio schiacciato e sbucciato. Soffriggete brevemente l'aglio e poi aggiungete i pomodori freschi tagliati a pezzettini (se usate pomodorini basta tagliarli a metà). Cuocete i pomodori a fuoco medio finché morbidi, poi aggiungete i pelati tagliati a pezzettini, salate e lasciate cuocere il sugo fino ad addensarsi. Verso la fine aggiungete le foglie di basilico spezzettate.
In un'altra padella scaldate l'olio EVO e friggete le fettine di melanzane (poche alla volta) fino a diventare dorate. Scolatele dall'olio e lasciatele sulla carta assorbente, salandole man mano che sono fritte.
Cuocete la pasta in abbondante acqua salata. Scolatela e saltatela in padella insieme al sugo di pomodoro. A piacere, potete sminuzzare anche una parte di melanzane fritte e unire al sugo.
Servite la pasta aggiungendo le melanzane direttamente nei piatti e con una grattugiata abbondante di ricotta salata.

Pasta alla Norma

(za 4 osobe)
* 400 g tjestenine (spaghetti, penne, tortiglioni)
* 400 g rajčica pelata
* 100 g svježih rajčica (cherry ili običnih)
* 2 češnja bijelog luka
* maslinovo ulje
* sol
* svježi bosiljak (10-12 listića)
* 2 srednja patlidžana (bolji su oni tanki duguljasti)
* slana ricotta


Patlidžane operite i posušite. Narežite ih na ploške debljine 4 mm.
Ako se plašite da će patlidžani biti gorki, nasolite ih i stavite u cjedilo (pritisnite odozgor nečim) i ostavite tako oko 1 sat. Zatim ih isperite i dobro posušite.
Zagrijte par žlica maslinovog ulja u dubokoj tavi s cijelim (očišćenim) češnjevima bijelog luka. Pazite da češnjak ne izgori.
Dodajte narezane svježe rajčice (ako koristite cherry rajčice samo ih prepolovite i stavite u tavu s presječenom stranom prema dolje). Pirjajte rajčice par minuta dok ne odmeknu.
Dodajte sitno nasjeckane pelate, posolite i ostavite kuhati na srednje jakoj vatri dok se salsa ne zgusne.
Pred sam kraj dodajte rukama natrgane listiće bosiljka.
Pržite u više navrata posušene kriške patlidžana na vrućem ulju do zlatne boje. Vadite ih na tanjur, na par slojeva kuhinjskog papira da se ocijedi višak masnoće i sasvim lagano ih posolite.
Skuhajte tjesteninu al dente, ocijedite je i umiješajte u tavu s umakom.
Poslužite tjesteninu u tanjure i u svaki dodajte kriške patlidžana i krupno naribanu slanu ricottu.
Po želji možete dio isprženih patlidžana nasjeckati na komadiće i umiješati u umak od rajčica zajedno s tjesteninom, a ostatak dodati u tanjure naknadno.

Tea Cookies with Dried Plums

I hope everyone's had a nice and peaceful Christmas, ful of joy and happiness.
We had a couple big surprises for us and the rest of the family. So it all went pretty well.
Since I'm still far from home, and won't be back to my kitchen for ten more days, I'm getting a little bored, but fortunately I have some old recipes clean up to do on my blog, so I hope you'll be enjoying them.
These cookies for example... I made them sometimes at the end of the summer. I was sipping a cup of hot lemon and ginger tea, having caught a slight cold,  and I thought about the jam I wanted to make... plums with fresh ginger... actually thinking it was a pitty I didn't find time to make it, as the plum season was already over.
But I had some dried plums and the idea to use all these flavours in a cookie to serve with a cup of tea, seemed so intriguing that I immediately set to making them.



The result was so delicious that I promised myself I'd try other combinations, like dried figs or dried apricots with different types of tea. The promise not fullfilled yet. I don't know if you have the same problem, but I'd love to be able to make and try so many different things that three lives wouldn't be sufficient.
These cookies have a very nice flavour, they are definitely not too sweet, have a nice crunch but are soft at the same time.
To say the truth, seeing them again, even if only in the pictures, makes me wish I had a few on hand to accompany a cup of tea on this cold December day.


 Tea Cookies with Dried Plums

(for about 30 cookies)
* 200 g butter (at room temperature)
* 100 g brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 organic lemon
* 320 g AP flour
* 100 g corn flour
* 2 bags of tea of your choice (I used lemon ginger, you may opt for earl grey, green tea, etc.)
* 100 g dried plums
* 50 g finely ground almonds

Bring 2 dl of water to a boil, pour it over a tea bag you placed in a cup. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes, then pour the tea over the chopped dried plums.
Let the plums soak in the tea for 1 hour, then drain them and purée using an immersion blender.
For the dough, work the softened butter and the sugar with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until creamy. Add the eggs, the grated lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of tea powder (open the second tea bag, and if the tea leaves are too big, reduce them into powder using a pestle. For stronger flavor add more tea).
Mix in half of the AP flour to get a soft mixture.
Take 100 g of the dough and mix it with the dried plums puree and the ground almonds. Transfer this mixture into a disposable pastry bag and refrigerate until use.





Add the remaining AP flour as well as the corn flour to the dough mixture and work it into a soft dough.
Divide the dough into two equal parts, wrap them and cool in the fridge for 1 hour.
Roll out each portion of the dough to 3-4 mm thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Try to get a nice 24x30 cm rectangle. Cut it into three 8 cm wide strips.
Using the pastry bag, distribute the filling along the edges of the dough strips. Carefully roll them up around the filling and seal the edges. Flatten the rolls just slightly and cut each into 6 cm long pieces. Transfer thus shaped cookies on a baking sheet and slightly press each with a fork.





Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C.
Let them cool on a cooling rack before storing them. Dust them with powdered sugar before serving if you like.

Biscotti al thè con prugne secche

(per circa 30 biscotti)
* 200 g di burro a temperatura ambiente
* 100 g di zucchero di canna
* 2 uova
* 1 limone non trattato
* 320 g di farina bianca "00"
* 100 g farina di mais fioretto
* 2 bustine di tè a scelta (ho usato limone e zenzero, ma potete scegliere earl grey, tè verde, tè nero, ecc.)
* 100 g di prugne secche
* 50 g mandorle tritate finemente


Preparate il tè con una bustina di tè a scelta e 2 dl di acqua bollente. Lasciate in infusione per 3-5 minuti, e poi versate il tè così preparato sulle prugne secche tagliate a pezzettini. Lasciate le prugne in ammollo per 1 ora, poi scolatele e frullatele con un frullatore a immersione.
Per la pasta, mescolate bene il burro ammorbidito con lo zucchero usando un cucchiaio di legno o uno sbattitore elettrico fino a ottenere una crema. Unite le uova, la scorza grattugiata di un limone e un cucchiaino di tè in polvere (aprite la seconda bustina di tè e prelevate la polvere). Aggiungete metà di farina "00" e mescolate bene.
Prelevate 100 g di questo composto e mescolatelo con le prugne frullate e le mandorle tritate. Trasferite il composto in un sacchetto da pasticcere monouso e conservate in frigo fino al momento di usarlo.
Al resto del composto di burro e uova unite la restante farina "00" e quella di mais e formata una pasta liscia e morbida. Dividetela in due parti uguali, avvolgeteli con la pellicola e lasciateli in frigo per 1 ora.
Prendete la pasta e stendetela tra due fogli di carta da forno con un mattarello fino a formare un rettangolo 24x30 cm, di circa 3-4 mm di spessore.
Tagliate il rettangolo di pasta in tre strisce larghe 8 cm. Ripetete con il secondo pezzo di pasta.
Con l'aiuto di sacchetto da pasticceria distribuite il ripieno lungo le sei strisce di pasta. Arrotolatele facendo aderire bene la pasta al ripieno. Tagliate ogni rotolino in pezzi lunghi circa 6 cm e trasferiteli su una placca da forno. Premete leggermente ogni biscotto con una forchetta. 
Infornateli per circa 15-17 minuti nel forno già riscaldato a 180°C o finché i bordi sono leggermente dorati.
Lasciateli raffreddare e serviteli eventualmente cosparsi con lo zucchero a velo. 

Ovaj je mjesec doslovce proletio u pripremama za Bozic i svemu sto se odvijalo oko toga.
Sjetila sam se evo u zadnji tren da jos nisam poslala ni jednu ulaznicu za ovomjesecni krug igre Ajme koliko nas je. Stoga ove kekse, kao i Caj s ananasom i Praline s green chai karamelom, objavljene ranije na blogu, saljem nasoj domacici Ebbi s bloga Ebba's cuisine, koja nam je i zadala čaj kao temu ovog mjeseca.
Punjeni čajni keksići sa suhim šljivama


(za 30-ak keksića)
* 200 g maslaca (sobne temperature)
* 100 g smeđeg šećera
* 2 jaja
* 1 neprskani limun
* 320 g pšeničnog brašna
* 100 g kukuruznog brašna (sitno mljevenog)
* 2 vrećice čaja (od limuna i đumbira, ili drugi po vašem izboru, earl grey, zeleni, crni, itd.)
* 100 g suhih šljiva
* 50 g mljevenih badema


Pripremite čaj od 1 vrećice i 2 dl ključale vode. Ostavite da odstoji 3-5 minuta, a zatim ga ulijte u zdjelicu u koju ste stavili nasjeckane suhe šljive.
Ostavite šljive da se namaču oko 1 sat. Zatim ih ocijedite i smiksajte u kašu štapnim mikserom.
Za tijesto izmiješajte dobro omekšali maslac sa šećerom (drvenom žlicom).
Dodajte jaja, naribanu koricu limuna i 1 žličicu čaja (ne tekućine, nego čaj iz druge vrećice, koji možete još dodatno usitniti u mužaru/avanu ako su listići prekrupni).
Dodajte polovicu pšeničnog brašna i dobro izmiješajte.
Pomiješajte kašu od šljiva s mljevenim bademima i dodajte 100 g pripremljenog tijesta.
Premjestite nadjev u slastičarsku vrećicu (ja koristim prozirne za jednokratnu upotrebu). Stavite nadjev u hladnjak do upotrebe.
U ostatak tijesta dodajte preostalo pšenično i kukuruzno brašno. Zamijesite glatko i mekano tijesto. Ne brinite ako vam se tijesto čini premekano.
Podijelite tijesto na dva jednaka dijela i svaki omotajte plastičnom folijom i stavite u hladnjak oko 1 sat.
Tijesto (svaki dio posebno) razvaljajte tanko, 3-4 mm, obavezno između dva komada papira za pečenje da vam se ne zalijepi za podlogu. Nastojte dobiti pravilan pravokutnik 24 x 30 cm.
Narežite tijesto uzdužno na trake širine 8 cm.
Uz pomoć vrećice istisnite nadjev duž rubova trake (rasporedite ga tako da je jednako svugdje).
Trake smotajte oko nadjeva lagano pritišćući da tijesto prione. Na kraju neka vam je spoj s donje strane.
Izrežite ovako pripremljene rolnice oštrim nožem na komade duge 6 cm. Premjestite kekse na pleh obložen papirom za pečenje, pritisnite ih lagano vilicom (uzduž) i pecite ih u pećnici zagrijanoj na 180°C oko 15-17 minuta (dok malo ne porumene odozdo).