Lavender biscotti with chocolate

May 21, 2013

A few months months ago the lavender started to bloom here in Pantelleria. Hills become suddenly covered with blue lavender flowers. Their scent is so pure and soothing. I couldn’t resist picking a lot of these adorable flowers and made lavender sugar. It’s really a simple thing- you just mix sugar and lavender flowers, they can be fresh or dried. For every 3 1/2 ounces (100 gram) of sugar use 2 Tablespoons of lavender. Mix sugar and flowers and store in a large clean jar. Seal the jar and shake every couple of days, the sugar will be ready in a week. Mine has been waiting for months and this week I used some of it to make biscotti.

Lavender biscotti with chocolate

Ingredients:
1 cup of Almond raw (150 gram)
1 cup of lavender sugar (2,4 dl)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cup flour (4,8 dl)
1 dark chocolate bar of about 3 1/2 oz (100gr)

Method:
Chop the almond roughly, mix with the lavender sugar, salt and the egg. Mix the baking powder with the flour and stir in half of this with the batter. Cut the chocolate bar in rough chunks and mix in, then add the rest of the flour. Divide the dough in two halves and roll each half of the dough into a long shape for about 10 inches long (25 cm) and 2 inches (5 cm) wide.

Bake in the oven at 350 F (180 C) for a 15 -20 minutes on baking tray with baking paper. Cut the biscotti sideways and dry them in oven at 200 F (100 C) for about 60 minutes.

Let them stay overnight for drying on the baking tray or other, before you put them in a can or a box. Its important that they have dried properly before storing.

Spaghetti frutti di mare

April 28, 2013

This dish features a selection of our native seafood which literally hangs out on the coastal cliffs here in Pantelleria. What you see in the photo below is a little mollusk called Patelle in the local dialect. Limpet in English, it lives on the rocks by the sea. As the tide shifts, it’s easy to pluck them from the rocks. The other shell, is a sea snail called Babbaluci in Sicilian and the bright red anemones (Beadlet) are Pomodori di Mare. Together these create a flavorful Frutti di mare pasta sauce. It’s important to cook with the shells attached as they add to create a beautiful broth of the sea flavoring the sauce.
Enjoy this pasta with a glass of dry white wine.

Wish you all a great week.
Anna

Spaghetti frutti di mare
Serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients:
1 medium pot with lid filled with water
1 teaspon sea salt
14 oz (400 gram) spaghetti
1 large saute sauce pan
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
4 Lbs (1.8 kilo) mixed shellfish and seafood (be sure to examine the seafood and give it a rinse to clean it off prior)
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) white wine
3 cups (7.1 dl) tomato sauce
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Method of preparation:
Place medium sized pot filled with water one teaspoon of sea salt and lid on top onto the large burner turn on the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Place your large saute pan over medium heat add olive oil. Add the garlic into a pan have a wooden spoon handy and stir the garlic it will turn to a light white color, add the dried chili flakes, stir again, add the seafood and the wine. Let simmer together so as to allow the shells and the seafood to lend their essence to the sauce. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste. When the pot of water for the pasta is boiling cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on package. When the pasta is cooked to the texture you desire, strain from the water using a colander. Add pasta to the sauce and mix. Portion the pasta onto plats, sprinkle the parsley over the top for garnish.

Foccacia alla Pantesca

April 19, 2013

Ever since I first tried the capers (capperi) from Pantelleria I’ve been totally addicted to them. My friends in Sweden and New York that cook obsess over them. Now and then I receive messages saying: please send more Capers! Yesterday I got an urgent note from my sister with a picture of an empty caper bag to illustrate the desperation.

In New York I could find other Sicilian capers, which are really good, but simply do not compare to the Pantescan capers… It’s the simple reality that this little island grows the best capers there are to find. Amazing how one little flower bud preserved in sea salt gives so much flavor.

Caperplant in Pantelleria

Last weekend we had great weather and we hung out with friends all Sunday in the tiny fishing village of Gadir. All of us made two or three dishes to bring for a pot luck picnic. One off my contributions was this foccacia bread.
It is perfect for a buffet or picnic.

Wish you all a great weekend
/ Anna

Focaccia alla Pantesca
Serves 10
Ingredients for the dough:
25 gram fresh yeast
3 cups (7.2 dl) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2.4 dl) luke warm water ideally no warmer then body temperature
1/2 (1.2 dl) cup olive oil

1/4 cup olive oil for the baking tin.

Ingredients for toppings for the Foccacia:
1/2 medium sized red onion cored and sliced
1 Tablespoon salt cured capers from Pantelleria
1 teaspoon oregano from Pantelleria
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/4 cup(0.6 dl) olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (I used Maldon)

Method:
Crumble the yeast in a mixing bowl and mix with lukewarm water and sugar. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place or in the sunlight for 15 minutes. This is called blooming the yeast

Once yeast has bloomed add olive oil to the mixture and begin adding flour at 1 cup at a time and working the mixture into a dough. The dough should come together and the bowl should have no flour sticking to the sides. Next on a clean flat surface sprinkle some flour and place the dough on top and knead the dough for 15 minutes.

Place the dough back into an olive oil coated bowl cover with a clean cotton kitchen towel place back in the sun or a warm place and allow the dough to rise to double its size should take about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F ( 200 C) degrees.

Take out an oven tray or baking tin, brush the bottom and edges with olive oil and sprinkle some salt flakes, don’t be skimpy on the olive oil use a 1/4 cup ( 0.6 dl)

Place the dough into the tray or baking tin shaping the dough to the size of the pan. Next place the onion slices, rosemary, capers, oregano and drizzle some more olive oil over. Cover with a clean towel and place the pan in a warm place or the sun and allow to rise a second time for about 30 minutes.

Bake in the oven until golden for about 10 -12 minutes.

To buy capers and oregano from Pantelleria go to www.realgoodfood.com. ships to all US adresses, if you want to have capers shipped in Europe you can send me an e-mail and we work it out.

Read more about the love for capers from Pantelleria at my friends Amy and Peters blog http://flourishnourishinpantelleria.blogspot.it/2011/07/great-caper.html

Artichokes with lemon and garlic

April 15, 2013

The season for artichokes is here!
I just love them. I cook them many different ways. This recipe is my best, and it’s very simple to make.
There are several varieties of artichokes. If you can find baby artichokes, they don’t contain the choke and are more tender, so the preparation will be shorter. If you are using the larger varieties you will have to remove the beard, or the choke, the hairy internal area found just above the heart as well as all the tough outer leaves. Either way, all efforts related to artichoke preparations are always worth the effort. This dish is perfect as appetizer, antipasto or as an accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken.

Artichokes with lemon and garlic
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 baby artichokes or 2 large artichokes
1 whole bulb of garlic
2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
1/4 cup (0.6 dl) lemon juice
1/4 cup ( 0.6 dl) olive oil

A few sprigs of fresh oregano,parsley or thyme

1 large pot 5 cup (1.18 liters) capacity or more with lid large enough to accommodate 3 cups (7 dl) water and 1 1/2 cup (3.5 dl) olive oil for cooking of the artichokes. Placed on a medium burner and bring to a boil.
Lemon wedges and fresh herbs for garnishing the platter.

Method:
Clove, peel and mince the garlic. Place the kosher salt on top of the garlic and using the side of your knife work the salt and garlic together into a paste. Remove the stems from the herbs and mince. In a bowl combine 1/4 cup (0.6 dl) of olive oil, all lemon juice with the herbs and garlic salt to make the artichoke rub.

Rinse and clean each artichoke. Remove any outer leaves which appear to be sad, dry or cracked particularly near the stem. Use a scissor to remove any tips of the out leaves that contain a thorn.

NOTE: Use only stainless steel knives or scissors when working with artichokes!
High carbon knives react chemically with artichokes, any artichoke surface they come into contact will turn black. If you are using baby artichokes cut the artichokes in half, should you be using the larger variety of artichokes, cut them in quarters. Remove the beard, the fuzzy hairs located just above the artichoke’s heart, this is easily down with a teaspoon. You need to work fast for artichokes oxidizes and change color. Lemon juice will help prevent this, so rub the whole artichokes thoroughly with the artichoke rub, and don’t forget to get in between the leaves.

Add artichokes into the pot that has water and olive oil boiling. Go ahead and toss any extra artichoke rub into the pot as well. Lower the heat to allow the artichokes to simmer. The liquid should just cover the artichokes, as a thumb rule, one part olive oil with 2 parts water. Let them simmer about 15-20 minutes, if you have the larger type of artichokes you probably will need more cooking time. To check if the artichoke is ready, pull a leaf close to the center, if the leaf come off easily, it’s done. If not, cook more and check every 5 min, if you have the really big artichokes the cooking will be about 40 min. When it’s ready, let cool slightly in the broth, eat them lukewarm or cooled.

To serve, choose a high lipped or edged platter. Arrange the artichokes in the center of the platter and drizzle some of that beautiful broth over the artichokes. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon wedges. Serve with bread to soak up the good broth.

Orata Pantesca al forno

April 9, 2013 - 2 comments

Orata in Italian means golden. In English this fish is called Gilt head (sea) bream. I’ve bought the same fish in markets in France where its name is Daurade (dorade royale), and many years ago I was vacationing in Calabria where it is known as it Pargo-Dorado… Here in Pantelleria this fish is referred to as Orata. By any name this is an absolutely lovely fish!

Put this fish on the barbecue or roast it in the oven. Orata blends well with any flavor. This week I was assigned to make a recipe with fish and olives so I filled it with sun dried black olives, Pantelleria capers, garlic and a lot of wild thyme that had I picked the day before. I cooked it in the oven for 30 min and it came out perfectly. Really, it was so good that we almost moaned as we ate.
This recipe can easily be used for other kinds of fish. When you cook the whole fish, don’t forget to eat that little part in the cheek on the side of the fish head. It may be little, but it’s the very best part.

I wish you all great week
Anna
Ingredients:
2 each Orata fish 1 kilo or more in weight per fish (other names of the Orato: Dutch- Goldbrassen, East Germany- Dentis, Great Britian- Gill head Sea Bream)
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves finely chopped or pressed
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sun dried olives pitts removed and cut into chunks
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoon capers from Pantelleria (soaked and drained)
10 olives of your choice
8-10 cherry tomatoes
1 medium sized fennel
1 spring onion
1/4 cup (60 ml) white wine

Method:
Remove the scales, innards and gills of the fish view this video for further instruction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeXqdZYtF_A
Set and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200C)
In a small bowl mix:
Olive oil, garlic, 2 thyme sprigs crushed, the sun dried olives and one Tablespoon of the capers, salt and pepper (keep in mind that fish needs a little extra salt).

Make three cuts on the bias from the dorsal fin to the stomach starting from head to mid tail on both sides of the fish. (since fish has different thicknesses these slits will allow even heat distribution as well as area to add the flavorings) place the aforementioned flavorings inside the slits as well as into the body cavity of the fish. Pour the left over oil around and into the oven tray.Cut the fennel and onion into larger wedge uniform pieces as to withstand the high heat of the oven. Add them to the pan with the rest of the ingredients and finish off by pouring in the wine. Cover with Aluminum foil and place in the oven for about 30 minutes, the cooking time might vary depending on the size of your fish, after 30 minutes remove from the oven and uncover. At this time you want to use a fork or butter knife to check the fish to see if the meat has cooked to the bone. You check at the thickest part of the fish by sticking the fork or knife into the and look to see if the meat is light and a little flaky in the consistency, not translucent at the point where it meats the bone. If it’s not ready let it stay for another ten minutes uncovered. But be careful with the cooking time, in my opinion there is nothing sadder than overcooked fish.

Lemon Mousse

March 28, 2013 - one comment

I asked what I could bring to the Easter buffet on Sunday. Dessert!
I thought about making a double chocolate cupcake. In Pantelleria cupcakes, as we know them don’t exist, so I thought it would be fun to contribute something that is not typical here. I started to bake.
I made up a recipe using really high quality chocolate. I must say they tasted divine … but to pipe the icing and make them look beautiful enough for the photo was another thing completely…holy cow!
In my mind I had Magnolia Bakery stylish art piece cupcakes decorated with these nice sugar daffodils (that I brought with me from NY). Not one came out as I had in mind, so we just ate them, Carlo, Igor and me. Carlo was euphorically happy about the fact that I would have to make them again to get them presentable for the blog! I will do them again and practice on my icing skills, in the future. I promise! An easier dessert is this Lemon Mousse. It will be perfect to bring to the table on Sunday.

Wishing you all a happy Easter,
Anna

Lemon Mousse
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 gelatin sheet
1 small bowl of cold water
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) lemon juice
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) granulated sugar
1 Table spoon lemon zest
1 cup (2.4 dl) cold heavy cream

Method:
With scissors cut the gelatin into uniform pieces and place in the cold water to soak for about 5 minutes or until it has a jelly like consistency.
Fill a small pot halfway with water and place on a medium heat. Allow the water to reach a calm boil, then turn the burner down to low heat. This will be the bottom of your double boiler.
In a stainless steel bowl that can rest on top of the pot you used to boil water, place the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk as to combine the contents thoroughly.
Place this mixture on top of the water in the small pot and begin to whisk vigorously allowing them to become fluffy and cook but not to the point of scrambled eggs. Should the scramble occur, don’t panic. Add a teaspoon of cold water to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk again. The egg mixture will return to fluffy. Set aside.
Dump the water from the pot and add the gelatin, lemon juice, and zests over a low heat with a spoon stirring constantly melt the gelatin. When it has melted, remove from the heat and fold into the egg yolk and sugar mixture.
Whip with a hand mixer the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.
Fold lemon gelatin mixture and whipped heavy cream together.
Place the mixture into low rimmed glasses (see picture) as to allow ease of eating
Cover each glass with plastic wrap, then place them on a shelf in the refrigerator.
Allow to set for at least one hour.
Garnish and serve.

Lemon linguine

March 20, 2013 - 6 comments

I’m happy it is still lemon season in Pantelleria. Here is a recipe for a simple and fast weekday pasta.
Buon appetito!

Lemon linguine
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 four liter or quart sized pot with lid, filled with water
1 pinch of salt
1 pound (500 grams) Linguine
1 medium sized saute or sauce pan
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 small spring leeks finely minced
1/2 chili finely minced (add in the sauce if everyone enjoys spice or serve on the side for guests to add as they wish)
3 Tablespoons white wine (or a shot glass full)
3/4 cup (1.8 dl) heavy cooking cream
2 medium size lemons juice them for 1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and white pepper to taste
1 small bowl
2 egg yolks (room temperature)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (use the 2 lemons before you juice them make sure there is no pith or white flesh attached)
1 cup (2.4 dl) grated Parmesan cheese
4 sprigs parsley, de-stemmed fine chiffonade
Method:
Fill the four quart or liter pot with water, add pinch of salt. Put the lid on top and place onto the largest burner on the stove top and turn the element onto the highest setting and allow the water to come to a rolling boil
Once water is boiling remove the lid and add the pasta to the water. Stir until all the pasta has descended into the water. Make a note of the amount of time suggested for cooking the pasta on the package and you will want to remove the pasta from the water anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds before the suggested cooking time. If you are tasting the pasta to decide if it has finished you want to remove it at a a slightly firmer texture then al dente.
Place a colander into the sink in preparation to drain the pasta when it is cooked.
Place your sauce pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, saute the spring leek and chili pepper. Once soft add white wine and lemon juice allowing to reduce by half. Next you add the room temperature heavy cream and lower the heat underneath the pan. Add half of a ladle of pasta water to the reducing sauce. Add some salt and white pepper keeping in mind that the grated Parmesan cheese will add salt to the dish as well.
In a separate bowl you will whisk the egg yolk with a fork and add a couple tablespoons of the warm cream sauce while whisking. This is to temper the egg yolks so they do not scramble.When the pasta is ready drain in the colander and then add to the cream sauce in the sauce pan. Next stir in the tempered egg yolks, zested lemon, Parmesan cheese and the parsley.
Serve immediately!

Black eyed pea cassoulet with salciccia and sage

March 14, 2013 - 4 comments

These lovely local beans (yes, black eyed peas are actually a bean) was harvested last spring and dried. The farmer who grows the beans is called Centesimo. That is his nickname. All men have nicknames in Pantelleria. Centesimo’s means penny, or cent. His nickname makes reference to the fact that he is very thrifty and frugal. He harvests all his seeds from his own fruits and vegetables that he cultivates. Centesimo and his wife live and grow their produce in Scauri, a village in the south west part of Pantelleria. When my friend Ines and I visited them this summer we got a lot of lovely products. I still had these black eyed peas, and was happy to use them last night.

Yesterday we had rain and hailstorms all day. The three of us, Carlo (the boyfriend), Igor (the dog), and I were freezing. We spent all day inside, reading, watching a movie and just chilled out in front of the fire.For dinner I cooked this bean cassoulet with salsiccia and sage. It turned out to be a perfect meal for this cold day.

The black eyed peas need to soak for 6-8 hours before you start cooking.

Black eyed pea cassoulet with salsiccia and sage
Serves 4-6
To soak the black eyed peas:
2 cups (4.8 dl) of black eyed peas
6 cups (14.4 dl) of cold water
Put the black eyed peas in a bowl or a container.
Pour over the water and cover with a lid or a dinner plate.
Let soak for 6-8 hours in the fridge.
The cassoulet:
1 medium sized yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 dried chili peppers crushed or 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
2 medium sized carrots
1 stalk of celery
2 teaspoon salt
3 cups (7.2 dl) of white wine
2 cups (4.2 dl) of water
4 cups (9.6 dl) of soaked black eyed peas ( they will double in size after soaking)
17 oz (480 grams) salsiccia
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) of cooking cream
12 cherry tomatoes
18 black olives
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
12 large sage leaves

Method:
Wash, peel and both the onion and garlic finely, saute in olive oil until golden and soft, add the bay leaf and chili flakes.
Wash, peel and cut the carrots and celery stalk in medium sized chunks and add to the onions with the black eyed peas, 2 cups wine, 2 cups water and 1.5 teaspoon salt.
Cover with a lid and cook on medium to low temperature for about 45 minutes then add the last cup of wine, continue cooking.

Add tomato paste, cream, sugar, Dijon mustard, cherry tomatoes and olives.
Sauté the salsiccia lightly in a skillet on the side then add to the bean stew.
Cook for another 20 minutes. Try the beans, they should be soft but not mushy,
you want them to have some texture. Crush the sage leaves and stir. Taste the stew before serving to see if more salt is needed.

Serve with bread and red wine.
Dinner plate http://indiska.com/se

Wild asparagus canapés

March 8, 2013

I can feel the spring in Pantelleria approaching. One of the lovely things with spring is the wild asparagus. Yesterday we went looking for them and found plenty- enough to make a big tray of these asparagus parmesan cheese canapés. This recipe is original from a cookbook ” Snittar” which in English means “Canapés”. My dear companion and friend Hedvig von Mentzer and I created and published this book in Sweden in 2003. Today it’s International Women’s Day. What could be a better occasion to invite friends for some Prosecco and canapés?
Let’s toast and acknowledge women all over the globe.
Salute!

Asparagus and parmesan cream canapés
Makes about 30 canapés

Ingredients:
10 oz (275 grams) refrigerated puff pastry sheets
1 egg (to brush the puff pastry with)
1 Tablespoon water

6 oz (170 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
2 shallots
1 clove of garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) white wine
3/4 cups (1.8 dl) heavy cream
2 sprigs of thyme crushed
Salt and grounded white pepper to taste

30 asparagus
Ice cubes

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200C) degrees.
Cut the sheet of puff pastry into 2 inch squares (bite sized).
Place the squares on a non stick baking sheet and on to the oven trays.
Whisk the egg and 2 Tablespoons of water together in a bowl, then, brush the top of each puff pastry square. Bake the squares in the oven for about 8-10 min. They should puff and be golden brown.
Remove from the oven and tray to a plate and allow them to cool to the touch.

Grate the Parmesan cheese. Finely chop the shallots and garlic.
Heat a saute pan, add olive oil then the chopped shallots and garlic saute until soft.
Add the wine, cook until the liquid is reduced to half.
Lower the fire and add heavy cream stir quickly, add the Parmesan cheese, make sure to stir the bottom on the pan to avoid burning. When the cheese has combined together with the cream it will thickened a bit. Make sure to taste the cream prior to seasoning, the Parmesan imparts some saltiness to the cream so taste the sauce as to adjust the salt amount. Season with crushed thyme, salt and white pepper, set a side.

In a separate pot boil water to cook the asparagus, add salt to the water as you would when cooking pasta. Fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes, this you have prepared on the side to immediately put the asparagus in after boiled using a slotted spoon. Boil the asparagus between 2-4 minutes and place immediately in the ice water bowl using a slotted spoon.

The time for asparagus will vary according to the size and freshness of your asparagus,
I would say between 2-4 minutes. I would make a test by placing only two or three into the water and watch them as they are boiling. Remove them, cool and feel the texture, once you understand proceed with the rest. The asparagus should be bright green and not too cooked you would want it to remain a little “al dente” texture. After cooling down, cut the top buds off (use the left over for example a salad or omelet).

Prior to serving, build the canapes :
Spread on top of each puff pastry square , one full teaspoon Parmesan cream,
next place one asparagus bud on the top.

Clementine and fennel salad

March 5, 2013

In Pantelleria there are many varieties of citrus fruits.
Clementines were initially a grafting between tangerines and oranges. They are usually seedless, the peel is thin and comes off easily. I picked these the other day and made this salad with fennel and walnuts. I love fennel in every way, cooked or raw. I cut this fennel very thinly and let it soak up a vinaigrette dressing for an hour before serving. The clementines were sweet and delicious.

Clementine and fennel salad
Side dish for 2-3 or 1 main course salad

Ingredients
Salad:
4 1/2 oz (125 grams) fresh fennel bulb
3 clementines
1/4 cup walnuts
10 black olives
1 large mint sprig (about 12 leaves)

Dressing:
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and grounded black pepper to taste.

Method
Cut the fennel very thin using a sharp knife.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients taste with salt and black pepper.
Toss the fennel with the dressing and set a side for soaking for an hour.
Wash, peel the clementines and cut into slices.
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan (a suggestion, don’t leave the stove when doing this, nuts burn fast and easily).
On a plate layer the fennel, mandarins, mint, walnuts and finish with olives.
mandarin-fennelsalad Dinner plate http://indiska.com/se

Under the Almond Tree

A Swede cooking in Pantelleria