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Otranto: First Stop in Puglia! |
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I just came back from a wonderful trip to Puglia organized by the Puglia Center and sponsored by Consorzio Terra Antica and Puglia Doc. I must say that it was one of the most mesmerizing trips that I have ever been on: the landscape, the Masserie, the food, the people... everything was just perfect!
On this trip I was accompanied by six great ladies and only one man, my dad Vito... sorry for him. The ladies on the trip were: Rosanna Coscia (President of the Puglia Center, or as we called her: La Generale), Kate McGrath (PR agent for Puglia Center), Jennifer Ceaser
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(journalist from the NY Post), Martha Bakerjian (journalist from About.com), Jessica Langan-Peck (journalist from the Frommer's Travel Guide) and Sharon McDonnell (freelance journalist based in New Orleans).
Once we landed in Puglia, by the way we were very lucky to avoid the cloud, we were driven to the beautiful Masseria Montelauro just outside of Otranto in the province of Brindisi. On the outside, this Masseria has a very traditional architecture, but on the inside, Elisabetta, the owner of the Masseria, has taken great care to create an amazing atmosphere with white furnishing and some black accents. Of course once you entered any of the rooms, the vaulted ceilings and the exposed stone took you back hundreds of years.
As the weather was not the best in the two days that we were at Montelauro, Elisabetta arranged for all of us to participate in two cooking classes. One were we learned how to make fresh pasta (orecchiette, cavatelli, maritati and many more) and another where we made a very light eggplant parmigiana with mortadella and several other dishes.
Of course Montelauro has very beautiful gardens full of vegetables, herbs and fruits that during the summer provide fresh produce for all the guests and not to mention the very large pool next to olive groves.
I must admit, this masseria was a real gem!
Here are a collection of photos from Montelauro... enjoy them:
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Montelauro |
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A Cake for Your Valentine! |
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Ciao a tutti,
Tis the season of love and heartfelt togetherness! That's right guys and gals, the fat, rosy cherub of Valentine's Day has all but arrived, and you know what that means: chocolate! Now sure, you may be one of those women who "only make reservations," or perhaps you're a man who, bless your little heart, just couldn't make an omelet without burning down your house along the way. Well, you're BOTH in luck, because my
Nutella Grand Marnier Cake is going to be the perfect addition to your Valentine's Day. Not
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only is it delicious, it's so easy to make even a prehistoric person or persons who may or may not have been living in stony alcoves along mountains could make it! I think I was close enough without being sued, no? :)
Unlike your average Valentine's Day, this cake is flowerless. Big plus for those who can't/won't eat baked goods with it as a base. For those who've never imagined a cake without the versatile white base, I must insist that it is not a dealbreaker -- in fact, it adds a certain amount of density that you could never get otherwise.
The Grand Marnier, along with the zest and juice of an orange makes for a unique blend of personalities within the cake itself. There's nothing quite like orange and chocolate, but with the addition of the liqueur comes a more refined taste of citrus. The true essence of the cake is found on top of its deliciously moist head. The melty-chocolatey crown it wears is a rich, tender ganache that compliments the cake sitting just below. Towing the Grand Marnier line, it also contains the delicious liqueur for that just-enough loveliness of flavor. Top with some hazelnuts for good measure, and you've got yourself a Valentine's Day dessert that fits perfectly with the food from "Chez Fancy" that just arrived at the door.
With that, I'd like to wish you all a wonderful Valentine's Day, and ask that you do the responsible and caring thing come the 14th -- send chocolate and flowers to your favorite online cooking show host, and whatever they refuse I'll gladly take!
Tanti Baci,
Rossella
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More Nutella for All! |
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Ciao a tutti,
With Nonna Rina's homemade ravioli still fresh in the mind (and most of my freezer), we're going to head back to my kindly kitchen to literally whip up another Nutella-based dessert that is as versatile as it is delicious: my very own Nutella Mousse! Now, this is going to be perhaps THE most simple recipe at its core that we've ever done, but that hardly makes it a slouch in the flavor department. To show off the many hats this fluffy chocolate topping can wear, I've taken the liberty of showing just some of the many ways it can be used.
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Cupcake frosting: well, this a no-brainer if you don't mind me saying so. Simple yellow cake topped with the mousse gives your off-the-rack dessert a much needed kick in the flavor pants (that may never become a popular saying, but you get the idea).
Dark chocolate cups with mixed berries: the silky texture of the mascarpone is highlighted not only by the Nutella, but the natural medley of tart and sweet provided by the fruit. As always, the berries used are at your discretion, but I'm not budging on the dark chocolate cups! Trust me, any other kind will either overpower or hide the delicate flavor balance, so do me a personal favor and go dark. There are limitless possibilities when you're talking about Nutella Mousse (did someone suggest cereal? Because I'm not above that. Seriously.) This week, we're also taking time out to feature the KitchenAid Pass the Plate charity program. Designed to raise money for breast cancer research, Pass the Plate is as simple as it's clever name. Simply Click Here to buy the KitchenAid Cook for the Cure plate and register it. Then, bake as many Nutella Mousse friendly products as you can and just pass it along to a friend, family member, or co-worker and tell them to do all the stuff you just did. Each time the plate is passed and registered, KitchenAid donates $5 to Cook for the Cure. Everybody wins! And so until next week, I'm going to do my best to get my hand out from this Nutella jar. In case I don't, well, that's fine too.
Tanti Baci,
Rossella
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Welcome back Nonna Rina! |
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Ciao a tutti,
I hope you've all enjoyed my Nutella cookies recipe, but after our quick break I am very much back as promised with the inestimable Nonna Rina. This week she's walking us through her special recipe for homemade ravioli! She would lovingly churn out over 500 ravioli on a daily basis as a former chef, so when it comes to recipe quickness, there's no one faster than her!
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The idea behind making your own ravioli may seem, dare I say, silly. And sure, you could go out to the store and feed your family with some frozen, bland variety found in your grocer's freezer section, but here on Cooking with Nonna, homemade = love. The time it takes to make your own ravioli is negligible when it comes to using their frozen counterparts. It's even FASTER if you have the KitchenAid ravioli maker, but if you had one then you already know just how amazing it is.
And so we've come to the end of our very second season. As I did at the end of the year, I'f like to once again thank everyone involved with the production of Cooking with Nonna. If not for their diligence and dedication, we'd just be talking to ourselves in the kitchen. I'd also like to thank each and every Nonna for coming on our show and sharing their recipes, and most important, their memories. To them I am forever grateful.
Do not fret, dear viewers, for we are not abandoning you. Next week, I'll be back da sola with another Nutella-based dessert to top off any of the hundreds of recipes you can find on the site. So get out of here and start checking them out!
Ciao a tutti!
Rossella
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