A winter day" in Tuscany"..at Home

We love this bread, again, very easy to bake,don't forget to sprinkle with cornmeal !


 
Italian Bread לחם איטלקי
Makes 1 Loaf
7 gr (=2 ts) dried yeast
1/4 cup water
3-3 1/2 cups plain flour
1 ts salt
1 TB honey
1 TB olive oil
1 cup warm water, extra
cornmeal or flour, extra

Glaze
1TB water
1/2 ts salt

Sprinkle a baking tray with cornmeal.Dissolve yeast in warm water.cover, and leave for 5 minutes or until frothy.
Sift 3 cups of flour with salt into a large bowl (or a mixer bowl, as I did); make a well in the center.pour in yeast,honey,oil and extra water.Using a wooden spoon, stir until mixture is well combined and forms a rough ball.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.[my mixer did this..! ;) ]Add remaining flour as necessary to form a smooth dough.
Place dough in a large oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until well risen.
Punch down dough and knead for 1 minute.
Shape dough into a smooth 18 cm ball, place on prepared tray and flatten top. using a sharp knife or razor,slash top of dough with 1 cm deep cuts at 3 cm intervals in a criss-cross pattern.
Cover and leave in warm place for 1 hour or until well risen.
Preheat oven to 350F (180C).[I didn't put a dish with water in bottom of oven, as write.. to form a hard crust .. but you can..).
Brush dough with glaze of combined water and salt ; sprinkle with cornmeal or flour.
Bake 35 - 40 minutes OR until base sounds hollow when tapped.
Cool on a wire rack.

** The recipe for the above Italian Bread is from above great Booklet **

POTATO GNOCCHI LUCIANA At home in Tuscany ניוקי תפוחי אדמה
Former O.C. restaurateur Lucy Luhan offers great food and cooking-class fun at her Italian bed and breakfast.
By CATHY THOMAS Register Food EditorYield:6 to 8 servings
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes or boiling potatoes, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
Pinch salt
Rimmed platter with pesto sauce (see recipe)
1.Place potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to boil on high heat. Cook until fork tender. Avoid frequent testing with fork because potatoes will absorb too much water. Drain. When cool enough to handle, pull off and discard skins. Place peeled potatoes in ricer (see cook's notes).
2.Place flour on clean, dry work surface. Make well in center; add egg and mix with hands, incorporating all but about 2 or 3 tablespoons flour. Make well and rice potatoes into mound in center. Using hands, mix together potatoes and flour mixture. Spread reserved flour on work surface. Knead dough until soft and smooth. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into rope, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut into 3/4-inch-long pieces. Place baking sheet next to work surface.
3.There are 2 techniques for forming gnocchi. For first method, firmly press center of dough with 2 fingers (1 finger if fingers are large) and pull finger(s) toward you, causing dough to curl. Lightly roll through floured work surface onto sheet. Or for second method, holding fork so that tines of fork are parallel with table, press tines of fork into center of gnocchi and pull toward you, causing gnocchi to curl. Lightly roll through floured surface onto sheet. Try to have gnocchi rest in single layer on sheet
.4.Using broad 6-quart pan (preferably with 12-inch diameter), bring 4 quarts water to boil on high heat. Add salt. Set platter with pesto sauce next to stove. Test gnocchi by dropping 2 into boiling water. Ten seconds after they float to surface, scoop out with slotted spoon. Taste; if they taste too floury, add about 3 seconds to cooking time - or if they dissolve, subtract 3 seconds. Cook remaining gnocchi, about 18 at a time; place drained, cooked gnocchi on platter with sauce. Repeat until all gnocchi are cooked. Toss with sauce.
Full Recipe - Here








Roemary Rolls -panini di ramerino לחמניות רוזמרין מטוסקנה המתכון המלא +Petits pains aux raisins et romarin
We love those small rolls- rosemary rolls from tuscany, the recipe is from this magazine 2-3/2004
[Another Recipe is -Here =Pan Di Ramerino - Rosemary Buns]
1 ts activ dry yeast
1 ts salt (or 1/2 ts)1 ts plus 3 TB extra-virgin oil,divided
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1 spring rosemary
2 TB raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
______________________________________________
In a large bowl,combine 3/4 cup luke-warm water,yeast,salt and 1 ts of olive oil.set aside for 10 minutes,then add the flour.
Mix by hand until the dough gathers into a mass. Turn it out onto a floured work surface,and knead for a few minutes.Place the dough in an oiled bowl,cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
After it has risen,place the dough on a floured work surface.In a small saucepan,warm 3 TB of olive oil and the rosemary.Make a large indentation in the center of the dough. Remove the rosemary from the oil,and pour the oil into the indentation.Knead the dough just until the oil is incorporated.
Form the dough into a ball,place it in an oiled bowl,Cover and place it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400F (200C),Add the raisins to the risen dough,knead them in.Form the dough intosmall rolls (8-12).Place them on baking sheets,cover, allow to rise in a warm place for 35-40 minutes.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-25 minutes.

Focaccia - by Julia della Croce













Recipe For Pizza and Focaccia Dough פיצה או פוקאצ'ה10 gr fresh yeast,or 1 envelope active dry yeast(I put 2 ts dry)
1/2 cup (125ml) warm water
4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 ts salt
1 cup (250 ml) cold water
2 TB extra-virgin olive oil,plus extra for brushing
Rosemary for sprinkling
_______________________________________
1. Combine the yeast and half the warm water.Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy (I add =1/4 ts sugar)
2. Sift 1 cup of flour and the salt.Make a well in the center of the flour.Add the remaining warm water,the cold water,and the oil to the yeast mixture, then pour the liquid into the well.
3.Gradually stir the flour into the liquid until it is absorbed.sift in another 2 cups of flour.(I mix it in the Mixer..),When dough becomes too stiff to stir,shape it into a ball, (the dough will be elastic).
4. Use the palms of your hands to stretch it to a thickness of 1/2in and form it into a circle or a rectangle.
5.Transfer the focaccia to an oiled baking sheet,cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
6.Mark the focaccia= using your fingers,make indentations all over the focaccia base,creating little dimples to trap olive oil.Cover and let rise until doubled,about 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 400F (200c).
8. Brush the focaccia with oil,sprinkle with rosemary (or marjoram or black olives)and spinkle with more olive oil if you wish..
9. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden ,20-25 minutes.Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve hot or warm.

Focaccia - Recipe is taken from this great cookbook ,written by julia della croce

Monday .. Montag.. Lundi ,יום שני- "Sand Fantasy"-Click on picture for sample movie +More sample movies[videoclips]

The Animals of The Mitten

chema madoz

Download and print these handy PDF cooking reference charts and hang them on your fridge...Clementinen & Orangen

More Recipes (To try some day..!)

Harvest Bread - Here, Grandma Urbanski's Potato Pierogi - Here, Grandma Mettie's Oatmeal Cake - Here, Armadillo Potatoes - Here, Grandma Mann's Rice Pudding - Here, Aus dem Ofen- Milchreis-Tarte
Flavours Of India,Kartoffel-Quark-Gratin-Here,Clip-Art Craft: Wallet Guide- Here, "Spa-inspired meals rejuvenate with nirvana by the plate"/ January 12, 2006/ Marlene Parrish, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette + Cravings: Breakfast goes down easy with fruit smoothies/ January 12, 2006/Amy McConnell Schaarsmith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

100 things we didn't know this time last year

Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov