Torta di Zucchini or Zucchine or even Courgette Tart

Why both names? Well in Italy, depending on the region it could be either. To the uninitiated in the realms of Italian words, a courgette.

This pie comes from a little book that I bought a couple of years ago and it is full of regional recipes and this one became a firm favourite this year as we had out usual glut of zucchini and we were on the look out for any recipes containing zucchini.

You will need:

Make the filling first.

1kg of grated zucchini. I used one large zucchini. This works better than several small ones as you really need the moisture that is contained in a large fruit.

200g of uncooked rice. Do not be tempted to use cooked

3 eggs

100g of freshly grated parmisan

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients up in a bowl and then get on with the pastry.

Pastry:

300g plain flour

50g butter
1 tsp salt
tepid water

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough tepid water to make a smooth dough and then roll out 2/3 of the dough straight away to line a tin about 40cm x 20cm. This does not need to be exact. Leave an overlap all around the tin so that you can flip it over the center .

Fill the pastry with the filling. It will be very liquid. Use it all. Do not strain out any of the liquid.

Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the top of the mixture. Flip the pastry over the center piece and put into a hot oven about C190 for about 45 mins. It should be lovely and brown on top and perfectly cooked underneath. If it is not leave in the oven for a few more minutes.

Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Cupcakes

This recipe for brown sugar cupcakes is a fantastic recipe as it has the flavour of caramel without the faff of having to make it so go right ahead and make some.

The other day I bought a cup cake book from TX Max. I couldn't resist the bargain and I must say that it is one of the best books that I've bought in a long while. This recipe is an adaptation of the one that I found in the book.

Ingredients for all of those who want to make this.

200g Plain Flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

125g Butter at room temperature

125 Sugar (half granulated and half muscovado)

2 large Eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

125 ml milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a 12 cupcake pan with paper liners. This will give you very largew cupcakes. Alternatively line about 18 medium size cupcake pans.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl beat the sugar, butter, and vanilla for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape side of bowl with a spatula.

Add eggs and milk to the mixture and beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl again. Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed. Fold in the flour mixture.

Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with the brown sugar topping.

Ingredients for topping

1 oz cornflour
1/2 pint milk
3 oz butter
6 tsp muscovado sugar
few drops of vanilla essence

Method

- Mix the cornflour with a little of the milk to form a smooth paste.
- Bring the rest of the milk to the boil.
- Pour the hot milk over the cornflour paste.
- Return to the heat and bring to the boil.
- Cook for 3 minutes.
- Cream the sugar and butter together.
- Gradually whisk in the cornflour mixture.
- Add the vanilla essence.
- Allow to cool.

Swirl over the cupcakes and top with caramel sprinkles.

Could anything be nicer?

Bacon is my ingredient of the day as I had some particularly nice, lightly smoked bacon and I really didn't just want to grill it. So the yummy scrummy rolls that you see below are the things that I came up with.

Cooking the bacon this way made it into a substantial meal and while I was eating them, I decided that they would make a really tasty starter. I do, however, think that one per person is enough as they are really filling.

The bacon that I used was thickly sliced. Too thin and it will fall apart.
To make the stuffing
100g finely chopped mushrooms. Let me tell you, that the Magimix could have been invented just for this.
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped.
125g of fresh white breadcrumbs (ideally, these are best if the bread is a day or two old)
100g Butter
4 tablespoons of fresh parsely, fairly finely chopped
Grated zest of a lemon
1 egg
Pepper, but go easy on the salt as the bacon is usually salty.

To make the stuffing

Fry the onion in half the butter until lightly brown.
Fry the mushrooms in the remaining butter until dry. Add the onions and mushrooms to the the remaining ingredients and mix together well.
Divide the mixture between the bacon and roll the bacon up with the seam underneath.
Bake in a hot oven until brown.
Serve with a mixed salad and enjoy.

Cherry and Chocolate Mile High Pie

Cherry and Chocolate Mile High Pie! If that doesn't set your mouth watering then nothing will.



This pie was born on a day when we had been lucky enough to buy lots of cherries for a song or in reality 5 kg for E5. Now if that's not a song then nothing is. we gorged on them for a day or two and then I just had to make something with them. I don't know if you know this, but black cherries freeze really well and this pie was made with defrosted cherries.

100 g ripe black cherries (fresh or defrosted frozen)
2 tbs sugar (you may need less if the cherries are very ripe and sweet)
2 tsp of cornflour
250 g mascarpone
100 ml double or whipping cream
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
grated chocolate
1 cooked pie shell (about 24 cm in diameter.

Mix the cherries with the sugar and the cornflour and cook gently in a shallow saucepan until the juices run from the cherries and the sauce thickens. It will thicken more as it cools.
Beat the cream, sugar, vanilla and mascarpone together until the mixture is firm but not too hard. you are aiming for soft peaks here.
Fold into the pie case alternating with the cooled cherry mixture.
Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the top.
Enjoy.

Polenta hot cakes

How many of you have made polenta and not eaten it all? Have you then tried to do what all of the trendy magazines tell you to do? Fry it that is. Did it stick in the pan? I'd be surprised if it didn't. Mine always does and I've even tried to deep fry the stuff.




Well these polenta hot cakes may well be the answer to your dreams and you'll even make polenta just to have them.

There isn't a recipe as such. All that you need to do is add 1 egg and enough plain flour to make a dough that you can roll out. If you have lots of polenta then add two eggs. If you have more than that , then all I can say is, 'don't make so much.' A little salt may be needed if the polenta was underseasoned.

When the dough is rolled out to about 1cm thick, cut it into rough squares and fry in vegetable oil until crispy.

I served them in the photo with stracchino cheese and fresh asparagus but the are wonderful with bacon and tomatoes.

Enjoy.

Torta di Ricotta my way

Torta di ricotta is an Italian version of cheesecake but it a very light one compared with the usual American version. In the picture you can see a fairly yellow cheesecake and this is because the eggs in Italy are a beautiful yellow colour and all of the things that are made with them look delicious.

This kind of cake often has pine nuts sprinkled on top but, while I like pine nuts on things, they are expensive in Italy and I prefer almonds so that is what I used.

What you will need:
Pastry
150 g flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
75g softened butter
50g sugar

Filling:
250g tub of ricotta
grated rind of 1 orange
100g sugar
100ml double cream
3 medium eggs
1 teaspoon of cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
apricot jam
flaked almonds
icing sugar

Make the pastry by rubbing the ingredients for the pastry together and add a little water to bind.
Roll out and line a greased, deep flan dish. I used an 8 inch dish that was about 2 inches deep.
Bake blind for about 15 minutes and remove from the oven. When the pastry case has cooled a little spread a thin layer of jam on the base.

For the filling
Bring the cream to scalding point.
Blend the sugar the eggs and the cornflour and pour on the hot cream, stirring well to avoid getting any of those so annoying lumps.
Add the ricotta, the grated rind of 1 orange and vanilla essence and mix quickly together to get a smooth cream.

Pour over the jam lined pastry and sprinkle with as many flaked almonds as you like.

Cook at 160C for about 30 mins. The cooking time really will depend on your oven. What you need to aim for is a filling that is set but still slightly wobbly. It will set up as it cools.

When cool dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

Chocolate and Apricot Muffin Cake

Chocolate and Apricot are two of my very favourite ingredients along with muffins so what could be better than this scrummy cake? An easy to make one!




So the wish for an easy to make cake is granted and this is what you'll need:

250g self raising flour
125g soft butter
125g sugar
2 eggs
a couple of spoons of milk or more, depending on the consistance of the batter.
100g chopped dark chocolate
100g chopped dried apricots
a few drops of almond essence.

1. Put all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together
2. Melt the butter and add the egg and the milk.
3. Pour over the dry ingredients and give it a swift mik to blend the ingredients but please do not over mix otherwise you'll have a heavy stodge of a cake. Now is the time to add a little more milk if you think that the batter is too dry.
4. Pour the mixture into a greased shallow tin aboput 10 inches by 8 inches. The bigger the tin the thinner the cake. If you would prefer a deeper cake then cook in a smaller tin but remember that it will take longet to cook.
5. Bake at 170 C for about 45 mins, or until brown and dry in the middle when tested with a skewer.
6. When the cake has cooled dust with icing sugar and cut in to squares.

This cake is wonderful with a cup of tea or coffee for a mid morning break.