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March 14, 2013 by potatoface

The older I get the more I feel like Grusinskaya, a character played by Greta Garbo in ‘Grand Hotel’. Simply: ‘I want to be alone…’ I just want to hibernate and stay at home all the time, watch old films (heck ‘Grand Hotel’) and eat comfort food. I allow Boyfriend to join me sometimes because he’s really good in pretending I’m not grumpy and he thinks I’m not short tempered but funny. Yeah, I know…

There is only one way when it comes to comfort food and it’s the Italian way. And in this case i’m talking about Pasta alla Siciliana. Unfortunately I watch too many films so when I hear Sicily I think of all amazing films based there or around Sicilian families. The Godfather (‘In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.’ ‘Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.’- Where can you hear lines like that? Forget about it!), Cinema Paradiso (‘Life is harder then films’), The Leopard (‘Yes, love, of course! Fire and flames for a year, ashes for thirty. I too know what love is.’ – do you know what I mean?…Precious!).

I also love adjusting my menu to what I’m watching, and I got Sopranos Box for my birthday, so I’m expecting to make a lot of this pasta dish and long hibernating evenings….Lots of Italian wine too.

Pasta alla Siciliana

pasta (any, I use fusilli, penne, gnocchietti, orechiette, etc)

aubergine

2 shallots

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

olive oil

1/2 cup of sour cream or ricotta cheese

can of chopped tomatoes

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

chopped handful of parsley

vegetarian parmesan

1. In a pan, warm olive oil and add chopped shallots. Wait till they are translusent, add garlic and pepper flakes.

2. Fry for 2-3 minets, then add diced aubergine. Cover and fry till aubergine softenes. Add chopped tomatoes.

3. In the meantime boil pasta.

4. When tomato sauce thickens, add salt and pepper, cream or ricotta (or both if you feel decadent), parsley and drained pasta. Mix well, add parmesan and serve with a bottle of wine (each) and Italian themed film on the side.

Buon appetito!

pasta alla siciliana

ricotta crescents

July 20, 2012 by potatoface

ricotta crescents

Sometimes I think baking keeps me from going insane. It’s zen, it’s like meditating. It makes me feel a bit like a witch making potions (evil laugh).

So when you feel down, save yourself by baking.

And give the product of your labour away if you tend to comfort eat. After all what they say is if you love it, set it free…

ricotta crescents

Ricotta crescents

Ingredients

for the dough:

50grams of fresh yeast or two sachets of dry ones (15 grams)

cup of lukewarm milk

2 table spoons of sour cream

1/4 cup of sugar (or 1/4 cup of honey)

pinch of salt

3 eggs and 1 egg white (you will have one after making the filling)

100 grams of melted butter

3-4 cups of flour

for the filling:

220 grams of ricotta or quark cheese

zest and juice of one lemon

1 egg yolk

1 mashed banana

1/3 cup of honey

1 egg for brushing

1. Put yeast in a big bowl, add sugar or honey and warm milk. Mix and leave it for 10 minutes.

2. After 10 minutes when the yeast has started working add eggs, butter, sour cream, pinch of salt and 3 cups of flour.

3. Start to kneed the dough. If you need it, add more flour…no pun intended.

4. Leave the dough to raise.

5. After half and hour kneed it again and leave it for another half an hour.

6. Mix ingredients for the filling.

7. Sprinkle your working surface with more flour. Divide the dough into 4-5 parts.

8. Roll out one part of the dough on the floured surface. Cut into triangles. Brush with beaten egg.

9. Put about 1 small tablespoon of filling on the end of the triangle. Start rolling from that end making the shape of a crescent. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

10. Transfer crescents onto a baking tray lined with greased paper. Brushed each one with beaten egg and sprinkle with more sugar.

11. Bake in the oven at 170 C till they are golden brown.

Breath in and out…eat it. Be happy.

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Pasta Alla Siciliana

ricotta crescents