How to prepare Roasted Meat on the Stove

Searching for suggestions for an Italian Christmas meal , roasted meat cooked on the stove

Arrosto Farcito Alle Erbe  

900g best end of veal

6 slices  smoked pancetta

Sage , Rosemary,  Parsley 

1 onion

1 glass dry white wine

3 cloves of garlic

70g butter

Salt,pepper

    

Chop  sage,rosemary,parsley and garlic.

Place a slice of pancetta around the meat. Spread the slices with the very-finely chopped herbs and garlic. Brown the onion in the butter in a casserole. Bind the meat and place it in this. Brown the meat, season with salt and pepper and pour on the wine. Let the wine evaporate at a high temperature. Then cook the meat over a low flame for c. 1½ hours. As the meat is cooking, pour on a little warm water so that the sauce does not dry out. Once cooked, unbind the meat, slice it and serve.

A Perfect sauce for Tagliatelle

The other day we have explained how to prepare fresh homemade pasta. Which is the best sauce for tagliatelle ? Here is the answer :

Salsa ai Funghi

20g dried porcini mushrooms

80g butter 

80g pancetta (if you like it)

1 glass white wine

100g cream

Salt,Pepper

Parsley

2 tbs.Extra vergin olive oil

Chop the garlic and parsley.Cut the pancetta in cubes. 

Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, then drain  and chop them.   

Gently fry  garlic,  parsley and  pancetta in the butter and oil. Add the mushrooms , add a glass of wine and when it evaporates add the  liquid of the mushroom, salt and pepper.

 Cook for 20 minutes over a low flame. Add  the cream and cook for another 2 minutes, without boiling it.

Peperoncini Piccanti Ripieni

With the holidays approaching we think about what may be  a nice gift for relatives and friends. Of course, small little things to eat and so

Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

500 gr. Spicy Round Peppers  

Ingredients for the filling: 4  Anchovies  in salt

2 tbs. Capers in vinegar

  200 gr. drained Tuna in  oil

Ingredients for cooking peppers: 6 Peppper grains

Salt to taste

250 ml white wine vinegar

250 ml   White Wine 

3 Cloves  

2 Laurel  leaves

½ tbs. Oregano

3 grains  Juniper

For the preparation must equip yourselves with patience  a few but good ingredients Wash the peperoncini, remove  the stalk  with a pointed blade  and empty them completely empty  helping  yourselves with a small spoon. Pour the white wine in a saucepan, add the vinegar and spices and salt, then bring it all to a boil: the first boil, throw in the peperoncini  and cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat, then drain and place them upside down on a clean cloth (or paper towels) to dry for several hours .The peppers should be very dry, it will be drier and more will be retained. Prepare the filling  by placing in a blender tuna, capers and anchovies .Use the mixer  only for a few seconds (count to 5), just the time it takes for the ingredients to blend in .

Using a small spoon, fill the peppers one by one with the mixture. 

Take the sterilized jars and fill them with stuffed peppers, being careful to place them straight, fill the jar of oil to cover them completely, then close them  and place them in a cool, dry, dark place. If you prefer you can let them for 20 minutes in boiling  water. These peperoncini, if well preserved, are kept for a year.

How to prepare Tuscan Stew Chicken

Today we want to suggest you a traditional peasant way of making chicken in Tuscany A very tasteful recipe ,and you may find yourself dipping bread in the gravy until you've finished every drop. In Italy we call it “fare scarpetta”

Pollo alla Toscana

1 chicken

30g dried mushrooms

500 ml tomatoe purèe

3 ladlefuls of stock

½ glass of white wine

4 spoonfuls olive oil

Salt, pepper

Soak the mushrooms in some lukewarm water for about 10 minutes. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into small pieces. Cut the chicken into pieces and place it in a  pan with oil, salt and pepper. Brown over a medium heat. As  soon as the chicken is golden, cover it with the wine, letting it evaporate over a high flame. Add the mushrooms and the purèe. Continue cooking  for about 50 minutes, adding the stock a little at a time.

Suggestion: the  mushrooms  can be substituted with 400g of green, red and yellow peppers.

A Gluten Free Menu

GLUTEN FREE MENU

To prepare a menu for coeliac friends has become much easier than before .Most important is to substitute the usual crackers, bread sticks and pasta we use with those with the 'Crossed Grain Symbol',  nowadays easily available in supermarkets.

Attention not to use tools, dishes, boards or pans where there can still be some flour traces.

A pasta dish such as Penne in Salsa agli Aromi

An incredibly Tuscan dish : Fagioli al Fiasco

One of the most difficult choices is the dessert, and so we choose something fresh and pleasant for everybody:

PERE ALLO ZABAIONE

4 pears 

100g sugar

2 spoonfuls honey

3 cloves

½ glass white wine

½ l. water

For the zabaione:

4 spoonfuls sugar

4 egg yolks

4 spoonfulsMarsala

Peel the pears ,cut them in twelve and remove the cores. Place them in a heatproof dish with ½ litre of water,the wine,the sugar,the honey and the cloves. Cook for approximately 10 minutes over a low flame. Leave the pears to cool . Prepare the zabaione: beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you have a frothy mixture. Add the marsala and cook in a double boiler,beating all the time,until the volume doubles,without bringing the mixture to the boil. . Pour the zabaione into a dish .Drain the pears and place the pears on top in a fan shape (or vice versa).

Radda in the Glass Chianti -Tuscany

“Radda nel Bicchiere 2009” (Radda in the Glass) took place last weekend in the medieval town of Radda in Chianti just 5 minutes drive from us It’s an anual event (on the first weekend in June) which involve most of the people living here to offer its wines and food Italians and tourists from all over the world bought a personalized glass and enjoyed the wine tasting provided by 23 local producers. They challenged each other in a blind tasting, which was the wine festival’s highlight, tourists and experts have chosen the 3 Radda’s best wines for 2009.
“Award Ceremony for the 2009 winner of the blind tasting” gave a great surprise : “Poggio San Polo “ winery have been one of the winners. You know, they are our friends , living in the house next to us, their kids go to school with our girls , we can see their vineyards from our kitchen windows during the the cooking class . And who has join us in the past years has had the opportunity to taste their wines

The event for this edition will had been “The Radda in Chianti Crus”. Alessandro Masnaghetti and Andrea Gori will show you the crus and the vineyards of Radda in Chianti with a wonderful wine tasting of 2007 Radda in Chianti wines.
Then food shops offered tasting of local salami, cheeses , prosciutto and other local products. And restaurants and wine bars organized their special dinner menus with selected wines and traditional food.

We welcome you next year!

Radda nel Bicchiere 2008

Radda nel Bicchiere Radda in the Glass 31 May to 1st June 2008

A success, a very nice wine festival to introduce several local Chianti Classico wine producers all at the same time.

Buying a glass for 8 Euros visitors could go from one producer to the other tasting Chianti Classico, Riserva and IGT. Wine tasting , blind tasting to crown Radda’s best 2008 wine and a special single vineyard Sangiovese wines tasting.

The 2 days in Radda has been really a special moment: the stalls with the wine producers like a painting and the frame the cute village of Radda.

Next to the wine producers some local artisans with leather, embroidery and other.

Visitors from everywhere in the world, next to local visitors who are related to wine production as they work in wineries or in the fields, or just because they are so lucky to live in such a wonderful area. Local children having their own little Charity market.

Such a feast for everybody ,tasting and talking,all around this red God’s nectar, as the Romans defined wine!!!
Don’t forget it next year http://www.raddanelbicchiere.com/

Good Bye to first weekend of June 2009 !