Nettle "pesto"

Few blossoms turning into flowers on the branches of the tree i see from my bedroom, gave me the final confirmation that spring has arrived. And that means, among other things, to plant again herbs by the window and look for herbs in the markets around town. In one of those tours i came across some amazingly fresh nettles, which reminded me of my childhood (stung naked calves, ouch!) and, most importantly, of how good and healthy they are. The easiest way to enjoy the explosion of flavors of nettles is to make a pesto, have some quality linguine al dente and feel like being on the Riviera. I found this great recipe by Hank Shaw, which is very well explained and easy to follow.

I just took the freedom to add a dash of lemon and lime juice, which gives a kick to the fresh notes of the herbs and provides a bit of acidity (it will make a nice combination with, for instance, a chilled glass of Vermentino)

Ingredients:

This makes a little more than 1/2 cup of very green, very pretty pesto. Store any unused pesto in the fridge, topped with some olive oil to keep the air out.

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 

6-8 tablespoons blanched, chopped nettles

Salt

Extra virgin Olive oil 

A dash of organic lemon juice

A dash of organic lime juice

Method:

You must first blanch the nettles before making this pesto. This is how: 

1. You will need two or three big tong-fulls of fresh nettles for this recipe. I say tong-fulls because you do not want to pick up fresh nettles, as they will sting you. Thus the name. Get a huge pot of water boiling and add a handful of salt.
2. Grab the nettles with tongs and put them into the boiling water. Stir around and boil for 1-2 minutes.
3. Fish them out with a skimmer or the tongs and immediately dump them into a big bowl with ice water in it. Once they are cool, put them in a colander to strain.
4. Get a cloth towel, like a tea towel, and put the nettles in it. Wrap one end of the towel one way, then the other end of the towel the other and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
5. Pesto is best made with a mortar and pestle, thus the name, which means “pound.’ You can make this in a food processor, but it will not be the same. First add the toasted pine nuts and crush lightly — as they are roundish, they will jump out of your mortar if you get too vigorous.
6. Roughly chop the garlic and add it to the mortar, then pound a little.
7. Add the salt, cheese and the nettles and commence pounding. Mash everything together, stirring with the pestle and mashing well so it is all fairly uniform.
8. Start adding olive oil. How much? Depends on how you are using your pesto. If you are making a spread, maybe 2 tablespoons. If a pasta sauce, like i did, double that or more. Either way, you add 1 tablespoon at a time, pounding and stirring to incorporate it. Add just a dash of lemon and lime juice, stir and the pesto is ready.

Sama doma

Last week I got invited to cook on the TV show Sama Doma on CT. I cooked both courses in Kilner glass jars. Cooking in the glass jars is a very handy and healthy way to preserve full flavors and consistency of meat, fish, vegetables.

Also, baking in a glass jar is possible to preserve the cakes for few weeks, and they also make for a great present idea.

I will get back on the glass jars tecniques, for the moment, here below, are the two recipes of the dishes I cooked on TV.

Herbs coated lamb confit cooked in a jar with sugar snap peas

Ingredients:

500 g French rack of lamb

500 ml sunflower oil

40 gr Dijon mustard

100 gr sugar snap peas

15 gr estragon

15 gr oregano

15 gr thyme

15 gr coriander

15 gr sage

a pinch of Maldon smoked salt flakes

a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

a pinch of freshly ground dried chilly peppers

balsamic vinegar reduction

Method:

Take the lamb rack out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before start cooking. With a sharp knife cut in between the ribs, then separate the meat from the bone, creating nice round sirloin pieces.

Fill glass jars ¾ with sunflower oil, close them, place them into large casseroles, cover with water and bring to 70 degrees temperature.

Chop very finely the herbs leaves and then put them on a piece of paper to absorb a bit the moisture. In the meantime brush the meat with the mustard and then cover it with the herbs, pressing well so it creates a tight coating. Leave on the side a pinch of chopped herbs and mix them with salt, pepper and chilly.

Very quickly remove the jars from the casserole, open them and toss the lamb in it along with the sugar snap peas. Close and put them back in the water and let it simmer at 70 degrees for 17/18 minutes.

Serve with the salted herbs seasoning and a bit of balsamic reduction

Coconut Cake in a Jar with berry punch cream

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup yoghurt

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup veg-oil

2 teaspoons baking powder

Method:

Preheat oven to 200° Celsius (~ 390° Fahrenheit).

Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer or food processor to a smooth dough.

Fill the dough up to one-third of the jar.

Bake until golden brown 20-25 minutes.

After baking, immediatly close the jars with its lids (this generates a vacuum so that the cake in the jar can be kept for up to two months!).

Berry Punch Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups yoghurt (500 g)

500 g mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 l black currant juice

2 cinnamon sticks

10 cloves

6 pieces allspice

2 bags of black tea

Method:

Pour the mixed berries with the black currant juice, cinnamon and tea in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Put cloves and allspice into an tea infuser and add the spices to the sauce pan. Let simmer for about 15 minutes

Remove the tea infuser, tea bag and cinnamon. Mix the rest with a hand blender.

Mix up the yoghurt with the berry punch. Pour the berry punch cream on the coconut cake and garnish with fresh berries!

Shrimp flavored aioli

Aioli is a lovely fragrant and pungent type of mayonnaise, originally used in the Catalan and Provencal cuisine. The great thing is that you can take the flavor in any direction just adding some pounded or chopped basil, fennel tops, dill or roasted nuts. It's also great flavored with lemon zest and juice. It's normally seasoned well and is used to enhance things like fish stew in order to give it a real kick. In this version I add a bit of Porto flavored shrimp stock, which gives a nice touch especially if you want to use it with steamed or stewed vegetables.

Ingredients:

     ½ small clove garlic, peeled

     sea salt

     freshly ground black pepper

     1 large free-range egg yolk

     1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

     285 ml extra virgin olive oil

        Porto flavored shrimp stock

     lemon juice, to taste

Method:

Smash up the garlic with 1 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of EV olive oil in a pestle and mortar (or use the end of a rolling pin in a metal bowl). Place the egg yolk and mustard in a bowl and whisk together, then start to add your oils bit by bit. Once you've blended in a quarter of the oil, you can start to add the rest in larger amounts. When the mixture thickens, add lemon juice. When all the oil has gone in, add the garlic and any extra flavors (see above). To finish off, season to taste with salt, pepper and a bit more lemon juice, if needed.

Black rice Venere with coconut oil and shrimps

Black Venere is a prized wholegrain rice which is extraordinary from many perspectives. The first thing you notice, of course, is its remarkable deep purple, almost black color. This is totally natural and comes from its ebony external layer. Black Venere rice originates from china where, up until the 18th century, it was cultivated exclusively for the Emperor and his Court. Named after the Goddess of Love, it was considered to be a potent aphrodisiac and legend has it that is precisely why only the Emperor and his entourage could enjoy it! It was named “the Forbidden Rice”. The rice is rich in essential amino acids, fiber, phosphorous and Vitamin B5 and full of minerals like calcium, iron, zinc and selenium. But its most significant property is its extremely high content of anthocyanins which capture free radicals and prevent oxidation. Riso Venere has a mild nutty flavor with a hint of sandalwood and its aroma of freshly baked bread becomes more discernible as it cooks. It is ideal for rice salads, soups, as a side for white meats, but reaches its pinnacle with seafood.

This take on Venere rice takes inspiration from the Far East. The marriage of coconut oil, coriander, lime and black rice comes natural and easy. It can be meant as a romantic starter ( sharing shrimps is a tasty ice-breaker )or as a light and elegant first course. Just few suggestions: make sure that shrimps and coconut oil come from sustainable sources. The shrimps which work the best are wild shrimps frozen on board: they retain all their qualities and aroma.

The black rice Venere i prefer is grown under the supervision of Gabriele Ferron, who knows all there is to know about rice, from growing it to cooking it.

Ingredients

120 gr. Black rice Venere

2/3 shrimps from sustainable sources

20 ml. bio coconut oil

2 cardamom pods

1 shallot

10 gr. coriander

1 bio lime

5 cl. Cognac or Brandy

10 gr. Butter

5 gr. parsley

Method

1.

Start off by cleaning the shrimps, remove the heads and then peel and devein them.

2. In a saucepan melt half of the butter, add, finely chopped, one and a half shallot, gently fry until tender. Add the heads and the shells of the shrimps, stir for two minutes then sprinkle with the cognac and let evaporate the alcohol. Add the finely chopped parsley and, after a minute, cover with hot water and let simmer for about an hour, removing every 10/15 minutes the foam that comes on the surface. Filter and set aside.
3. In a large casserole bring to boil salted water with 8 cardamom pods. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes then remove the cardamom.
4. Toss the black rice in the boiling water and let boil for about 40/41 minutes.
5. In the meantime, in a frying pan, put one third of the coconut oil and the finely chopped shallot, stir fry until soft then add the shrimp tails and cook for about 3 minutes, add two spoons of shrimps stock in the last minute. Set aside.
6. For each portion of rice chop in small cubes one shrimp tail
7. In a frying pan add the rest of the shrimp stock and reduce it, finishing with the rest of the butter and stirring to make a dense sauce.
8. Drain the black rice and put it in a large metal bowl, add the rest of the coconut oil, some chopped coriander, few drops of lime juice and the chopped shrimps and stir to coat thoroughly. Cover and let rest for two minutes.
9. Using a pastry ring place the rice on a plate, creating a disk. Place on top the two shrimp tails left. Add some coriander, lime zest and finish with the shrimp stock reduction.

Baked pineapple with Moroccan spices

This recipe was inspired by Luigi Pomata, a great Sardinian chef, a native of the island of San Pietro, which is situated at the south-west bottom of Sardinia. This island has a very interesting history and tells a lot about the richness of the cultural fusion of Mediterranean islands. The island has been known since ancient times. The Phoenicians called it Enosim or Inosim, while for the Greek it was Hieracon Nesos and for the Romans Accipitrum Insula (Sparrowhawk Island). The latter derived from the presence of the small Eleonora's Falcon, which is still present on the island. San Pietro is home today to remains from the Phoenician, Roman and Sardinian civilizations.

According to a legend, the island is so named because St. Peter visited the island in 46 AD.

In the 18th century the uninhabited San Pietro was colonized by Ligurian origin and speaking people coming from the Republic of Genoa' colony of Tabarka, a small island off the coast of Tunisia, which was taken over by the Bey of Tunisia. Today most of the population has retained a variant of Genoese dialect, called Tabarchino.

This recipe mixed the Spanish heritage, the first fruit brought over from the West Indies by Columbus, and the Maghreb heritage, represented by the spices which where a central item of the commerce in the Mediterranean sea. A dessert extremely easy to make, but with a richness of aroma and fragrances which are like an echo of Sahara winds.

Ingredients:

1 pineapple

Cane sugar 60 g

Bio butter  100 g

Water 4 cl

Acquavite  4 cl

4 Cinnamon sticks

5 Star anis

2 Vanilla beans

Black, green and red pepper whole  5-8 gr

Ground Cayenne chilly pepper 5 gr

Cloves 5-8 gr

Curry 5 gr

Method:

1)In a deep baking tray, put 60 g of butter, water and all the spices. Put it in a preheated oven (190 degrees).

2)In the meantime clean up the pineapple, removing the skin and the core.

3)When the ingredients in the tray melt, creating a sort of creamy sauce, add the pineapple and bake for 10 min.

4) Take the pineapple out, put it in a pan with the acquavite and flame it until the spirit has evaporated

5) Place the pineapple back in the tray and bake for 15/20 min

6) Remove the pineapple and cut it in slices evenly.

7) Add the rest of the butter to the sauce in a pan, make it reduce and then pour it on the pineapple, then decorate with star anis and cinnamon sticks

8) Serve immediately. You can accompany it with lemon or peppermint sorbet

Cesky

Whole-wheat empanadas with lamb and savoy cabbage stuffing

What to do if you have few strips left of amazing bio lamb meat? The best way to make a cheap yet savory and juicy meal out of it is to turn them into a tasty stuffing for some empanadas. An empanada (Spanish), is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Southern Europe, Latin America, the Southwestern United States, and parts of Southeast Asia. The name comes from the Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. In Sardinia, my homeland, we call it panadas, and in some areas they are stuffed with eel meat and they are a divine treat (I am going to post a recipe of it when season comes).

The common origin for all the empanadas is the Arabic Sambusak or Samoosa.

Empanadas are for me a “back to the roots” type of food: they remind me not only my childhood in Sardinia but also my happy years in Milan when, literally obsessed with the Argentinian literature, I also got obsessed with their culinary delicacies, such as the dulce de leche, the alfajores and, of course, the empanadas whom my flat-mate Fabricio (Argentinian) was bringing over constantly.

My take on the empanadas is a sort of fusion of all those sources and, since I knew that Adam, my girlfriend’s seven years old son, was going to feast on them, I needed to go for the healthiest possible option, especially for the dough (we are trying to avoid anything that is made with traditional flour): therefore i used a combination of whole-wheat and gluten free flours, and the result is a light, crispy yet juicy empanada.

Ingredients:

For the dough

1 cup gluten free all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 stick of lard (25 gr), cut in 8 pieces

1 egg

1/2 – 2/3 cup chilled sparkling water or still water

For the stuffing

160 gr of minced lamb meat

Half red bell pepper

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

5/6 leaves of Savoy cabbage

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Half glass of white wine

Rice bran oil

Method:

1. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor.
2. Melt in the pieces of lard, an egg and sparkling water – add 1/2 cup of the water to start and then add more as needed or until dough clumps begin to form.
3. Form a ball with the dough and knead lightly.
4. Place the dough in bowl, cover and let rest at room temperature for about an hour.
5. In a pan put a bit of rice bran oil, toss in two unpeeled cloves of garlic, gently fry until golden, then remove the garlic and toss in finely chopped onion and red bell pepper. Adjust with salt and freshly ground black pepper then, when the onion and the peppers are soft, add the lamb meat.
6. You want the meat not totally done, so it is still moist and soft when you put it in the dough.
7. Cut in strips few leaves of Savoy cabbage and toss them in. Add a glass of white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
8. Set aside to cool down. The stuffing should not be hot, so that I does not soak the dough, yet has to be moist, so that when you cut or bite the empanada the filling is  juicy.
9. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). It’s really important to get the discs very thin since they cook very quickly when you fry them, if after cutting out the round shapes they are still thick, try rolling each disc a little more until it is very thin (about 5 mm). Another way to do this is to make small round balls with the dough and then use a rolling pin to roll out each one individually. The discs don’t have to be perfectly round.
10. Place in the stuffing and close the borders pressing hard with your fingers, then use a fork to complete the sealing process.
11. In a frying pan bring to heat rice bran oil and, when the oil is very hot, put in the empanadas and fry them, turning halfway, for about 3 minutes or until tan. Remove the empanadas, drain the oil and serve them hot.
12. I suggest, as a dip, a mix of Greek yougurt, harissa and few leaves of fresh thyme.

Cesky