Un'insolita torta di compleanno

A few hours ago I discover that today is a friend's birthday!

Well, I was sure he would have been happy to find a cake for him in these pages.

I start to think and think and think...

nothing that I could do and post in such a few time...the oven is not working...not enough ingredients in the fridge...and tons of other things to do instead...so, I decided to have a look at the past recipes I made and never posted...no nice cakes, biscuits, tarts

...till I found this!

Yep, I think this can be a perfect and unusual birthday cake.Why should birthday cake be always sweet?!?

I'm sure a few candles would not look out of place on top of this pie!!!

So, happy birthday Giampi and I promise next time you are over here you will taste this lovely pie for real!!!

PS. Just to let everyone know that this time the perfect pictures are not mine! My friend Alberto is the photographer. And I really thank him for these shots!!!

CHEESE and OLIVES PIE

for the crust:

2 cup rye cracker (I used the IKEA ones)

1/2 cup melted margarine

for the pie:

3 red onions sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbs red wine

1 cup self-raising flour

3 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

300g feta cheese, cubed

1 cup cheddar cheese

3 tbsp dill

1 cup kalamata olives

Finely crumble in a blender the crackers and combine with margarine. Cook onions in oil and wine for 10 minutes. Let it cool down and meanwhile mix together flour, eggs.yogurt, feta, cheese and dill. Add salt and pepper and the onions. Cover the base of a 24 cm round pie pan with baking paper and press firmly the crumbled crackers. Pour the filling and sprinkle the surface with olives. Bake at 180 C for 45 minutes.

PIE OLIVE e FORMAGGIO

per la base:

2 tazze di gallette di segale (Io ho usato quelle dell'ikea)

1/2 tazza di margarina fusa

per il ripieno:

3 cipolle rosse a fette

1/4 tazza di olio EVO

1 cucchiaio di vino rosso

1 tazza di farina auotlievitante

3 uova

1 tazza di yogurt bianco

300 g di feta a cubi

1 tazza di groviera (o cheddar)

3 cucchiai di aneto

1 tazza di olive kalamata

Sbriciolare col frullatore le gallette e mischiarle con la margarina fusa. Cuicinare la cipolla con l'olio e il vino per 10 minuti. Finchè si raffredda, mischiare farina, uova, yogurt, formaggi e aneto. Aggiungere la cipolla, sale e pepe. Rivestire una teglia di 24 cm con carta da forno e pressare le gallette sbriciolate sul fondo e sui lati. Versare il ripieno e spargere la superficie con le olive, Infornare a 180 C per 45 min.

Zebra cake

This is the cake I made for my ex-housemate birthday.

At that time Imma's collection "DOLCI DAL MONDO" had just become available and I was looking for a cake to make.

I closed my eyes and push the scroll up and scroll down button alternatively for a few minutes and then stop, open my eyes and the ZEBRA CAKE (by the way, exactly from IMMA!!!) was there.

The recipe looked quite easy and quick to make, I just changed a few things (margarine instead of oil and one egg less!). The stripes were nicer in Imma's cake I guess, but still quite "zebrish" in mine too and the taste was great!!!

ZEBRA CAKE

300g Flour

1 and 1/2 tsb baking powder

200g sugar

250ml milk

200ml melted margarine

3 eggs

2 tbs cocoa powder

vanilla essence

Mix eggs and sugar till white and creamy. Pour in milk and melted margarine. Keep stirring and when completely combined add vanilla essence and sifted flour and baking powder. Divide batter in two part: leave one white and add cocoa to the other. Grease a 26 cm round pan. Pour 3 tablespoons of the white batter in the middle. Pour over 3 tablespoons of brown batter and again 3 of white and so on till you finish both. Do not spread or shake the pan in any case (or you are going to loose the zebra effect!!). Bake in oven at 180 C for 35-40 minutes.

ZEBRA CAKE

300g Farina

1 busta di lievito

200g Zucchero

250ml Latte

200ml margarina

3 uova

2 cucchiai di cacao in polvere

essenza alla vaniglia

Sbattere le uova intere con lo zucchero fino a quando risultano bianche e spumose. Aggiungere il latte e la margarina fusa. Quando il composto è omogeneo aggiungere la vaniglia e poi, gradualmente, la farina setacciata con il lievito. Dividere poi l'impasto in due parti: lasciarne una bianca e aggiungere all'altra il cacao. Imburrare e infarinare uno stampo per torte di 26cm di diametro.Versare 3 cucchiai di impasto bianco nel centro della tortiera. Versare poi, sempre nel centro della teglia, 3 cucchiai di impasto nero su quello bianco. Continuare così alternando gli impasti fino a loro esaurimento. Assolutamente non spalmare l'impasto o scuotere la teglia per livellarlo. L'impasto si distribuirà da solo nella tortiera. Infornare la torta a 180 C e cuocere per 35-40 minuti.

Coconut kisses

Something sweet again!
I guess February it's going to be a sweet month!
But is it not the sweethearts month, is it?!?
Anyway, these easy treats can be made any time and they are particularly perfect if you are in a hurry and you need and want to bring something nice to a party.

In less than 15 minutes you will have a nice dessert, for family, friends or just to treat yourself in a lonely afternoon!
...and believe me, this is a kind of dessert evryone can make (I had lots of male friends, quite unkeen in the kitchen, who wanted the recipe and kept proudly making it themselfs!!!)

COCONUT KISSES

100g coconut meal
100g white sugar
1 tbs flour
1 egg

Mix egg and sugar, add the two flours and mix till well combined. With your hands (it's better than using a spoon!!!) grab a bit of dough (as much as you want, it depends on how big you want to make your treats!!) and place some tufts on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake at 180 C for 10 minutes or till the edge are brownish (and the bottom too!)

DOLCETTI AL COCCO

100g di farina di cocco
100g di zucchero
1 cucchiao di farina
1 uovo

Lavorare lo zucchero con l'uovo, aggiungere poi le 2 farine e amalgamare bene. Utilizzando le mani (vengono meglio che usando un cucchiaino), prelevare un po di composto (la grandezza decidetela voi, in base a quanto grandi li volete fare!)e formare dei ciuffetti a punta da appoggiare su una teglia rivestita di carta forno. Infornare a 180 C per una decina di minuti o fino a che i bordi non si scuriscono (e anche la base diventa scura).

Cheesecake brownies

And here it is another recipe that was silently laying on my desk (and the pictures in my hard drive!!!!). I made this fatty brownies for a field trip I had with my lab people in July: by the first night, I think they were almost all gone!!!
Moreover, the day I was baking them I was supposed to go and see a room to move to.
I had to call to say I was running late because I had brownies baking in the oven...
Fortunately they didn't mind and the room turned out to be the one I moved to (before moving again a month ago, but the people are still the same!!!!).

The recipe I used is a mix of a few different recipes I found browsing books and websites.
It worked out pretty good...and I really enjoy eating them straight from the fridge
(before they literally start to melt and grease your hands!!!)

CHEESCAKE BROWNIES

300 g dark chocolate, chopped
200g unsalted butter, softened
1 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
250g cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Grease and line with overhanging baking paper a 4cm deep, 16cm x 26cm (base) pan. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan with boiling water. Let melt, stirring with a metal spoon till smooth. Using electric beaters, cream butter and brown sugar until pale. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, mixing until well combined. Sift in flour, cocoa and baking powder. Add melted chocolate and mix well. Beat then cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla until soft and creamy. Add remaining egg and beat for a further 2 minutes. Spread half the chocolate mixture over base of prepared pan. Using half the cheese mixture, drop heaped teaspoons over the top. Cover with remaining chocolate mixture. Dollop over remaining cheese mixture. Using a flat-bladed knife, swirl mixture to create a rippled effect. Bake at 180˚C for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs clinging. Allow to cool in pan. Cut into pieces and serve.

CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

300 g cioccolata fondente, a pezzi
200g burro ammorbidito
1 tazza di zuccheo di canna
3 uova
1/2 tazza di farina
1/4 tazza di cacao
1/2 cucchiaino di lievito
250g formaggio tipo philadelphia
1/4 tazza di zucchero
1 cucchaino di essenza di vaniglia

Imburarre e rivestire di carta forno (in modo che sbordi) una teglia 16cm x 26cm e profonda 4cm. Sciogliere la cioccolata a bagnomaria, mescolando finche` non e` liscia. Con uno sbattitore elettrico lavorare a crema il burro e lo zucchero di canna. Aggiungere le 2 uova,una alla volta e mescolare bene. Aggiungere poi la farina setacciata, il cacao e il lievito. Aggiungere infine il cioccolato fuso e mescolare bene. In un altra ciotola sbattere il formaggio, con lo zucchero e l'essenza di vaniglia finche` il composto risulta morbido e cremoso. Aggiungere l'uovo e mescolare per altri 2 minuti. Versare meta` del composto alla cioccolata nella teglia e livellare. Usandone meta,lasciar cadere cucchiate del composto al formaggio sopra il primo strato. Coprire col rimanente impasto al cioccolato e di nuovo le cucchiate di quello al formaggio.Con un coltello non appuntito formare delle spirali nel composto. Infornare a 180˚C per 40 minutes (uno stuzzicadente inserito nel centro non deve uscire troppo asciutto, ma ancora un po' umido).Lascia raffreddare nella teglia e poi tagliare a pezzi delle dimensioni preferite!

Insalata Arancia e Rapa rossa

I was going through all my pictures and I found these ones, taken a few months ago.
I think it was a Sunday afternoon and I got back from the Farmers Market with a bag full of fresh veggies...yes,as you can see it was Winter!
...beetroots and oranges were in season at that time...
juicy and colourful, they were just asking to be combined in a perfect and healthy salad!

Quick and easily I had my lunch and I really do not why I waited so long to post it...
Lucky all the people at the other side of the world that can still find cheap, fresh and tasty oranges and beetroots to try!!!

BEETROOT and ORANGE SALAD

for 2:
1 beetroot
1 orange
1 bunch English spinach
balsamic vinegar, EVO oil, salt, pepper
pecorino cheese

Wash and put the beetroot in a pan with cold water. Boil it for 40-50 min or till tender (when you can go easily through with a fork). Drain and under cold running water peel the beetroot. Slice it. Wash the orange and slice it unpeeled. Combine the salad layering spinach, slices of orange and slice of beetroot. Drizzle with a vinaigrette made mixing, oil vinegar salt and pepper. Top up with some pecorino!

INSALATA ARANCIA e RAPA ROSSA

per 2:
1 rapa rossa
1 arancia
1 mazzetto di spinacini freschi
aceto balsamico, olio EVO, sale e pepe
pecorino

Mettere la rapa in acqua fredda e farla bollire per 40-50 min o finche e` tenera (quando si punge facilmente con una forchetta). Scolare e spellare sotto acqua fredda corrente. taglaire a fette. Lavare bene l'arancia e senza sbucciarla, tagliarla a fette. Preparare l'insalata sovrapponendo a una base di spinacini freschi, uno strato di fette di arancia, uno strato di fette di rapa e condire con una salsa fatta mischiando olio, aceto sale e pepe secondo i gusti. Finire con scaglie di pecorino.