Pongi

Hi everybody! Some time ago, during a trip in India I purchased some dry mango powder. I was told that it was intended for vegetable dishes, so I generally add it to my vegetarian curries, but was wondering whether it's correct or not as I don't know any recipe where it's mentioned. Since I do love the flavour, I would like to know how it can be used - in which type of dishes, before or after cooking and so on. I also would like to know how long can it last, kept into a glass jar. TIA! Pongi

oh, vserna, you couldn't care more about those cojonudos if they were part of your own body I got those asparagus as a present from a friend who had been in Spain. He told me they were a wonderful and expensive delicacy, the best asparagus in the world! We also laughed a lot about the sexual double meaning of their name. I didn't measure them, so I can't assure that they were just 1 inch in diameter...but they were really big. If they were mock and not true cojonudos, it's not my fault! Anyway, I tell you again that I'm not maintaining that they were bad...they were good. But I also have the right to like more the fresh ones, which are pretty diffused also in our "covered markets" (i.e. Genoa's Mercato Orientale-style) in Italy. As for pimientos, I agree with Tonyfinch. They seem to suffer from the canning procedure less than other vegetables, and the pimientos del piquillo I tasted were delicious, as I said. Pongi

Wendy, I'm sorry of answering you back so late, but I've been far from my PC for two days (yesterday I tried to post you something but had problems with the server and couldn't do it). It's likely you have already managed your challenge, but I'll try answering to your questions anyway, for next occasions. Most small pastries usually sold in Italian pastry shops are "international", but there are some regional items which have become so popular that can be found everywhere now. I'm speaking, for example, of Cannoli and Cassatine alla Siciliana (with Ricotta filling), Sfogliatelle Napoletane, mini Babas au Rhum, Soft Amaretti, Baci di Dama. As for the others: Choux are generally filled with pastry cream or chantilly cream or a custard (chocolate/hazelnut/zabaione are the most popular). Ricotta filling isn't used, probably because it's considered too heavy for choux puffs. They are generally topped with a glaze or with icing sugar. Which changes a lot depending on the areas is the size: Southern Italian choux puffs (and mini pastries in general) are huge, while Northern Italian ones tend to be very tiny, so you can decide whether you like more to be "Northern" or "Southern" The same fillings are also used for puff pastry cannoli. The same flavors are used for Bavarians, which in most cases are enclosed in two layers of puff pastry and cut in squares. As for cream, if you mean whipped sugared cream (what we call, with the French, Chantilly cream) it's generally presented into choux puffs ("cavolini") or into two shells or meringue (also meringues are very popular in Italy) sometimes dipped in chocolate. Shortcrust or pate brisee tartlets are generally filled either with pastry cream and fresh fruit, or with apricot/cherry compote or candied cherries or marrons glaces. Otherwise they're filled with a truffle cream and glazed with chocolate (if I'm correct they're called "Africani"). As for small rice pies (I was wrong, they're not "cakes") they're small tartlets filled with a sort of rice pudding firmed up with eggs and flavoured with powdered almonds. They are typically Northern Italian and I mentioned them both because I love them and because they can be surely made in advance. The same for small "Pastierine napoletane" which can be included in an Italian sweet buffet as well. Pongi

Hi guys, actually I've heard a lot about asparagus, considering that I was asking about pimientos Before coming back to the topic, just my personal 2 cents. I've had those "cojonudos" canned asparagus. I also have the luck to live in a place (Genoa, Italy) where fresh, locally produced asparagus are easily available in season. I think that they cannot be compared. Like peas or artichokes, canned asparagus are not "asparagus"... they are "canned asparagus", which are something else. To my taste, they're definitely worse than the fresh ones and I would never waste money for them when I can get the real thing...but it's just a personal opinion. As for pimientos del piquillo, thanks for having elucidated me! Those I had in Tui were likely to be canned, but I must honestly say that I haven't realized that as they were delicious I also understand now something that had puzzled me: the fact that the recipe I have doesn't give any direction about how to COOK pimientos after having stuffed them (it ends just with the words "y ya se pueden rellenar los pimientos") which is obvious as they have been already cooked. As for "my" bacalao brandade, I suppose it's traditional as the book is entitled "Cocina Regional Espanola". These are the ingredients (for 12 pimientos del piquillo): -400 gr soaked bacalao -200 gr cream -100 gr pine nuts -150 gr maize flour -1 handful chopped parsley. I have slightly modified it, replacing maize flour with soft bread (soaked with the cream) and adding a small garlic clove to the bacalao before cooking it. Of course, everything is creamed in a food processor before stuffing the pimientos. Pongi

jackal10, when I got your answer about making a starter with fruit pieces, I had already done the first step, so I went on - although I was pretty discouraged. Well, I have to say that apparently it worked fine. The first day I smashed a small piece of pear and a small piece of banana (both without the peel), diluted them with warm water and kept aside for 24 hours. The day after filtered the liquid, which had a slight alcoholic smell, discarded the solid fruit parts, and added 1 part manitoba flour and 1 part water. 24 hours after it wasn't bubbling yet, but looked somewhat "alive", and smelled nicely. I fed it, and less than 2 hours later it was bubbling vigorously and was doubled in size. I can't say if the fruit thing works - it's likely that it could have been the same with a plain flour/water starter - but at least this system doesn't seem harmful... I have already baked twice using my starter and I'm pretty satisfied of the results, although I actually need more practice and advice on the right starter/flour ratio and the best way to manage the proofing phase, which seems to last longer than with conventional yeast. After 3 days at RT I refrigerated my starter for 36 hours. I didn't notice a significant loss of activity, as it started again bubbling as soon as I took it back out the fridge, but I had the impression that it tasted worse and had a bitter note. However, I made Pizza dough and it was fine. I have a main question. Since, I suppose, homemade starters have not the same activity as they're not standardized, how can I judge how much active is mine? Can I determine which percentage of flour must be added on the basis of some criterion, something like " if the doubling time of your starter at 85° is 3 hours, add x parts flour to make bread dough"? Another question. If I keep my starter always the same way, feeding it regularly without environmental changes, should I expect any change in its features? Will it stabilize, and its effect will be more predictable? Thanks! Pongi

Pongi

Thanks Pedro and Bux! also "my" pimientos with bacalao (which I had, if I remember well, at the restaurant of Parador Hotel in Tui, Galicia) were tasty but light, not overwhelmed with an excess of sauces and flavors. The brandade stuffing tasted about like the one of my recipe, which calls only for bacalao, cream, pine nuts, parsley, S&P. It's unlikely that I can find those canned pimientos, but I'll give it a try... Pongi

Hi everybody! During a trip in Spain, I had the delicious "Pimientos del Piquillo rellenos de bacalao". Once I came back home, I looked for the recipe and found it on a book I have, but there was an issue...they didn't explain WHAT are pimientos del piquillo, I think because it was a Spanish book. I tried to reproduce the recipe, however, with "normal" red bell peppers, the smallest I could find. I filled them with a bacalao brandade according to the directions and baked them until tender. They were good, but obviously not just what I had in Spain. So, I wonder what are, exactly, pimientos del piquillo. Are they just a special type of pepper (botanically speaking) or are they also cooked and/or preserved in some special way? Is it possible to replace them with other peppers if you cannot find them? Also a good tested recipe for pimientos rellenos de bacalao would be appreciated. TIA! Pongi

OMG...Wendy, I didn't see the signature! Is it you? If so, I can't teach the teacher...but I'd be glad to give you some help! Pongi

Hi Sinclair! Just my 2 cents. Basically, there are 2 types of Italian amaretti: the dry type and the soft type. Dry amaretti, largely available with many commercial brands, have a more ordinary taste and are generally used ground as a flavoring ingredient in sweet, but also savoury dishes. These are the ones you've heard about. Soft amaretti are more a small pastry than a cookie, and are delicious and rather expensive compared to the dry ones. In Italy you can find them, artisanally made, in many pastry shops. There are also some commercial brands; the most known is "Amaretti del Sassello". Otherwise than dry amaretti, soft amaretti can be easily made also at home, although it's hard to get a "professional" result. If you like, I can send you some recipes! As for your almond chocolate cake, I'm not sure to understand well what you mean, due to the linguistic gap. Is it a "cake" necessarily made of a sponge and a creamy filling, or can the term define any soft "torta" opposed to pies and tarts? If so, your cake could be the famous "Torta Caprese", a classic of Southern Italian pastry. It's made of toasted and powdered almonds, melted chocolate, egg yolks and whipped egg whites, no flour as the large amount of almonds keeps together the cake. Everything is mixed to a cream, poured in a round mold, baked and sprinkled with icing sugar, and it's absolutely wonderful. Of course I can also send you the recipe... Mini pastries...do you mean our "pasticcini"? If so, do you mean the fresh or the dry ones? In Italy, the first type includes the usual items like choux, puff pastries, cannoli, bavaroises, small tarts and so on, but also many items that can be surely made in advance, like small shortcrust pastries with jam or custard filling, or small rice cakes, or chocolate pastries. As for the small dry pastries, they're almost countless, and very popular everywhere in Italy. The most known are just that "Amaretti" and "Baci di Dama" above mentioned. I'm not a professional baker, so mine is a poor help as I generally EAT pastries more than making them, but I can dig up something for you from my books or google italian sites. Pongi

I have a question. I googled up the starter recipe on Italian sites, and apparently most links suggested to make in advance a kind of sugary solution, mixing a small amount of water with smashed fruit pieces, keep it aside for 1 day until fermented, filter and then add flour and water and proceed as usual. Another link mentioned a starter made with smashed boiled potatoes, mixed with their water and kept aside to ferment. What do you think about that? Pongi

Do you really love that stuff? Here in Italy, only people who cannot drink coffee for some reason buy chicory coffee (for example, it's very diffused in hospitals) which is considered, like barley coffee, a very poor substitute of the real thing. Could that depend on the fact that we prepare coffee beverages much more concentrate than you, and this way chicory coffee becomes awful? Pongi

Actually Tajarin are the Piemontese version of fresh tagliatelle. They differ from the ordinary Tagliatelle because they're much thinner than usual; as for the dough recipe, there are no significant differences. Although they can go with many sauces (for example meat or entrails sauce) ther best way to enjoy Tajarin is eating them plain, with fresh butter and a generous sprinkle of white truffles Also serving them on a layer of Fonduta valdostana is a very good option. Pongi

Thanks everybody! Unluckily, I haven't any chance of finding those Asian products here as there are no Japanese or Thai markets in Italy (we can purchase only some japanese items in organic shops). Maybe I could try adding to the rempah a small amount of anchovy paste, which works better than whole anchovies as a flavouring ingredient. I realize that my Indonesian dish is getting too much Italian, but I have no other options... skchai: of course I wasn't considering to dry out Rossetti, actually it would be a bad end for something that costs $ 20 each pound This is just the reason why I thought about frying them in advance, to make them crispy and tasty as those fish were. shiewie, thanks for your offer! I could test in advance Italian, and Malaysian, customs' tolerance mailing you a good piece of Gorgonzola cheese. If you'll get it without any trouble, please give your granules the go-ahead Pongi

Thanks skchai, and sorry for answering back to you so late (I was out on holiday for a couple of weeks) Actually "my" small fish could be ikan bilis as they were really small, 1 inch long or so. They looked a lot like the small fish, called "Rossetti", that are sold fresh here in Liguria during winter/spring months. They are a very expensive delicacy, so I can't say whether they're the same kind of fish or not, but they seem suitable for that recipe and this is just the reason why I'm considering trying it. The recipe you mentioned makes sense, apart from the huge amount of scallion and garlic (my recipe had a very subtle taste) and the lack of diced tomato and ginger. I'll give it a try! I have a few more questions for you. Since our small fish are fresh, what can I do in order to make them like ikan bilis, which are, if I understood well, dried? Maybe frying them separately in advance, before adding the other ingredients? Another question: what are belacan granules? If I can't find them in Italy, can I substitute them with something else? As for the exact location of that place, as I already said I can't ask that my hubby Anyway, we visited the most touristic places in Java (Yogyakarta, Borobudur, Bromo, Dieng Plateau and so on), going around with local buses and bemos. In Sumatra we visited only the Lake Toba area. Thanks again! Pongi

For those of you who can read Italian, the true bible of Italian regional cooking is "LE RICETTE REGIONALI ITALIANE" by Anna Gosetti della Salda, ed. Solares. This book is famous in Italy, and has been reprinted many times from its first edition, about 30 years ago. I can't understand why it has never been translated in English, considering that it's likely to be the very best overview about Italian regional food ever written both for number of recipes (over 2000) and for the accuracy of their description. In any case, it can be purchased online at a very reasonable price. Pongi

Hi all! A few years ago, during a journey in Indonesia I had a delicious dish I'd love to cook at home. I can't exactly remember where we were (I should ask my hubby, but since he often says that I never remember the name of the places where we go, I don't want to let him know that he's right ), maybe it was in Java or less likely Sumatra, I don't think Bali and surely not Sulawesi. It was a little place in the countryside, apparently intended for local people more than for tourists. They showed us very proudly the photocopy of an article, or maybe a guide, where one of their dishes was mentioned as "one of the best dishes of Indonesia". The dish was called "SMOKED SMALLFISH WITH TOMATO, GINGER AND YOUNG ONION" or something like that. Of course we tried it, and actually it was something unbelievable, a haute cuisine dish! Those small fish (which did not seem obviously "smoked") were sauteed with the other ingredients and a flavoring that I couldn't recognize, and the result was so sophisticated that you could have eaten it in a great restaurant, not in that ordinary place. I've always wondered whether someone else knows that dish (of course, someone does, otherwise it couldn't have been mentioned in a guide) and if so, which could be the recipe. Anyone here having ever heard about it? Pongi

Oops...please forgive my poor English Cut them horizontally to a chiffonade, but not too thin or they'll end up in nothing when cooked. Speaking of ricotta, I agree that the tastiest ricotte come from Southern Italy, but have you ever tasted Seiras? I'm speaking mostly to those of you who are familiar with Piemonte as it's a typical Piemontese ricotta made with goat milk. It's really tasty, and delicious. Pongi

For some reason I never understood, we call the Zucchini flowers "Fiori di Zucca" and not "Fiori di Zucchini", so this is a recipe for TORTA DI FIORI DI ZUCCA Ingredients: For the dough: -200 gr flour -3 tbsp EVOO -1 egg yolk -Salt -2-3 tbsp warm water Make the dough and keep aside for 30 mins. For the filling: -250 gr ricotta -1 egg -about 100 gr zucchini flowers -1 small onion (or a scallion) -1/2 handful fresh chopped parsley -1 pinch fresh marjoram -EVOO -S&P Mix the ricotta, egg, herbs; season with S&P. Mince the onion and fry it very gently in EVOO until soft. Clean the zucchini flowers, wash and wipe them carefully. Coarsely cut them in stripes and fry them together with the onion for 1 minute. Cool them down. With the 2/3 of the dough, line the bottom of a round baking dish (greased with some EVOO), pour the ricotta filling and then arrange the zucchini/onion mixture over the filling. Cover with the remaining dough, sealing carefully the edge. Bake at 350° until golden on top. Variations: you can make the filling with half zucchini flowers and half zucchini, cut in slices. If you like a tastier filling, add a handful of grated parmesan to the ricotta. Pongi

I posted the recipe for Gelo di Melone (watermelon pudding) in the "First experience with indian cooking" thread, it's Italian but its cinnamon/jasmine flavour makes it really suitable for an Indian summer meal, I think Pongi

Elsewhere? Actually you can find everything here...just ask me As for stuffed mussels, I'll post the recipe ASAP! Pongi

Adam, I'm glad you had a nice time in Italy I'm pretty surprised of your troubles in finding Farinata, which is generally available everywhere in Liguria (except, maybe, in the Riviera di Ponente). Don't be surprised if vegetable dishes are better than fish dishes in Liguria! Contrary to what is generally believed, Ligurian cooking is not a seafood one...seafood is mostly for tourists. Most Ligurian specialties are meat or vegetarian ones. Of course Trofie are a fresh pasta...and zucchini flower torta is traditional (like fried zucchini flowers). As for stuffed mussels "alla spezzina", if you like them I can give you my MIL's recipe, which is by far the best one I have ever tried Pongi

I already posted somewhere else my issues about naan making, but this looks like the rightest place! Although my guests generally love my naan (but you know, being Italian they don't know the real thing...) I can't be fully satisfied of my results. First of all, I never got a good result baking naan into a conventional oven, as it ends up too "breadlike"...I mean, too similar to Western breads. To my experience, the best way is using a nonstick pan, slightly greased and put over a high heat until very hot. I cook my naans about 5 mins each side, keeping the pan tightly covered, and then brush them with butter. This way I get a decent result, provided that the dough is not too rich in dairy and/or eggs, or they end up too heavy. So, I generally use a very simple dough (flour, water, butter or margarine, sodium bicarbonate and/or baking powder, salt, sometimes a little yoghurt). Which is, in your experience, the best dough? Do you like more using natural yeast, baking powder/sodium bicarbonate, or both? Do you put eggs in your dough? More, do you know a good way to bake naans in a regular oven, or do you agree with me that a stovetop technique is better? I'd also love to know a good recipe for Paneer Naan...even if I'll try it after having practiced more the plain one, of course TIA! Pongi

As for naan, well, I must admit that it's still an issue for me, mainly because I obviously have no tandoor oven Although many recipes suggest to bake naan in a regular oven, I've always had poor results this way, independently from the recipe I used. In my experience, naan ends up too "breadlike"...I mean, looking (and tasting) like Western bread. So, I tried with a nonstick pan. I slightly grease it, put it over a high heat and then cook Naans about 5 mins each side, keeping the pan covered. This way my results are better, provided the recipe isn't too rich, or my naans end up too heavy. So, the recipe I generally use is very simple: only flour, water, margarine (or butter), sodium bicarbonate or baking powder, and salt. Sometimes I add a little yoghurt. Although my guests generally love it, I'm not fully satisfied of my naan (I mean I KNOW the real thing! ), so your precious advice is needed! Suvir, I'm honored by your request of dessert recipes My thoughts are that many of the most traditional Southern Italian desserts would be suitable for an Indian meal...although, of course, many of them are so easily recognizable as Italian that maybe the Indian atmosphere would be a bit compromised I'm speaking of things like Cassata, Sfogliatelle Napoletane or Cannoli alla Siciliana, or some kinds of Granita (an Almond, Coconut or Melon Granita would be wonderful with indian food...) So, I'll start with a Sicilian summer recipe, which probably cannot be easily recognized as Italian because is rather unusual...but delicious, and very decorative as well. GELO DI MELONE (Watermelon pudding) Ingredients: -1 watermelon, about 4 kg -150 grams granulated sugar -120 grams wheat starch -1 tbsp powdered cinnamon -about 40 fresh jasmine flowers -100 grams candied pumpkin (or orange peel if you can't find it) diced in small cubes -100 grams chocolate drops (optional) Skin and seed the watermelon, process the flesh in a liquidizer and take 1 liter of juice. Dissolve the wheat starch in the juice (never use another kind of starch as the result wouldn't be the same!) then add sugar, cinnamon and jasmine flowers. Bring slowly to the boil over a low heat and cook, stirring continuously, for 5 mins. Cool down, add the candied fruit and chocolate drops, give it a mix and pour into a pudding mold. Refrigerate at least for 4 hours, then unmold the Gelo, sprinkle it with cinnamon, decorate with other jasmine flowers and enjoy! Pongi

The first time I offered an Indian dinner to my guests, I just tried to compose a menu that could give them an idea of the main types of indian dishes. I suppose that it didn't make so much sense from the culinary point of view, but this was my menu: -Chicken korma, of course! -Tandoori fish -Aviyal -A chickpea stew (I used a recipe for channa poori, without pooris) I served as sides a potato raita, cachumber, mango chutney, plain rice, poppadums and naan. Ended the dinner with a large tray of tropical fruits, decorated with flowers and served with icecream. I have to go now, but I'll post more later on! Pongi