Panna cotta

2009-07-14T18:43:00.006+02:00

People: 6
Time: 15mins + 2hrs
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:
Cream (10-15% fat) - 500ml
Milk - 100ml
Sugar - 100gr
Gelatine - 10gr in powder or 3 films
Vanilla - 1 bean or 1 bag of vanillin

Preparation:
1. If you have gelatine in films put it in cold water for 10 mins to soften. Put the gelatine films (without water) or in powder in the milk in a small kettle. Then put it on small fire, steering to melt gelatine. Do not make it boil.
2. Mix cream, sugar and vanilla on medium fire until the mix almost boils.
3. Blend together milk and cream (out of the fire) and poor it in a mould wet with cold water. You can use small moulds of 1 portion or use only one bigger to serve the panna cotta in slices.
4. Leave it in the fridge for at least 2hrs.
5. Put the mould in freezer for 10mins and then 1min in hot water. Now turn it on a plate delicately.
6. Decorate it with pieces of chocolate or fresh fruit and serve it with berries, chocolate or caramel sauce.
7. To enjoy at its best, open a bottle of Brachetto d'Acqui or a Lambrusco.

TASTY HINT: Non sweet sauces fit better with panna cotta. If you use sweet sauces for garnishing, reduce the quantity of sugar in the panna cotta.

Maccheroni alla siciliana

2009-07-09T16:54:00.004+02:00

People: 4
Time: 45 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
Pasta (preferably tortiglioni or penne) - 350 gr.
Aubergines - 2 or 3
Cherry tomatoes - 500 gr.
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
Extra virgin olive oil (preferably from Apulia or Tuscany)
Garlic
Fresh basil
Salt
Frying oil

Preparation:
1. Cut the aubergines in 2cm sided cubes.
2. Put the aubergines in a colander, add 5 tea-spoons of salt and put on them a plate and something heavy to press them for 20 mins. This way, they will loose the bitterness.
3. In a pan start to heat the oil to fry.
4. Rinse quickly the aubergines under cold water, squeeze them strongly and put them in the hot oil.
5. While they are frying start to prepare the sauce: put 2 pieces of peeled garlic and 3 spoons of olive oil in a pan; when the garlic turns gold, add tomatoes and basil.
6. When the aubergines are fried, dry them on absorbing paper and add them in the sauce, removing the garlic if you don't like to eat it.
7. Boil water in a pot, add one spoon of salt when the water starts boiling and then put the pasta in it.
8. When the pasta is almost cooked, take it out of the water and put it in the sauce. Mix everything on low fire for couple of minutes.
9. Serve the pasta with grated Parmigiano and a leaf of basil on top.
10. Enjoy your meal, accompanying it with a bottle of sicilian red wine as Nero d'Avola.

TASTY HINT: Before to serve it you can put the pasta in a terrine covered by parmigiano (or mozzarella if you prefer) and cook it for 15 mins in the oven pre-heaten at 180°. In this case it would be better to use 250 gr. more tomatoes for the sauce.

Alessandro's recipes

Panna cotta

Maccheroni alla siciliana