Zucchini lasagne from a Northern Italian friend
Ingredients: For the bechamel sauce
1 liter whole milk = 33.8 oz
flour (3.52 oz)
butter (1.76 oz)
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
For the lasagna
1 1/2 fresh lasagna pasta, ready to cook
6-7 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
about 8 oz sweet provola cheese sliced
1 glass vegetable broth
1/4 shallop finely chopped
olive oil
salt
butter
Preparation
Wash under running water zucchini and deprive them of the extremities.
With the help of peeling potatoes cut into thin strips proceeding along the length
(in this way you will have a scrap piece of zucchini, keep aside you'll need after that).
Finely chop the shallots and saute lightly in a little butter and oil.
When ready add the strips of zucchini and stew for about 15 minutes,
stirring occasionally and gently stretching the broth as needed.
Meanwhile, prepare the bechamel sauce
by melting the butter with the addition of a pinch of salt in a saucepan.
Add the flour all at once and mix with milk previously warmed.
Stir constantly and keep on medium heat until it thickens.
Flavor by adding a bit 'of nutmeg.
Complete with a handful of Parmesan cheese and mix well.
With the pieces of raw zucchini advanced and reduced into cubes,
prepare a quick sauce in white in a little butter and oil, diluted
with a little broth as needed. Season the zucchini with herbs
of provence or other spices to taste.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cover the bottom of a baking pan with a thin layer of sauce.
At this point begin to form lasagne proceeding with a first layer of pasta
, one of sauce, one of courgette, a few pieces of cheese
and finally with grated parmesan cheese.
Continue this way until the end of the ingredients.
The last layer should end up with white sauce,
the sauce zucchini, parmesan cheese and plenty of butter.
Irene’s turkey recipe
Irene, an old tough lady with big heart and a friend’s mother-in law one year invited us for the Thanksgiving dinner. As Neapolitan I never was a great fan of turkey, but she made so tender and juicy that I asked for her recipe and since then I cook it like she did…and here it is the recipe: Pour a good beer over the turkey and bake covered at 375 for the time suggested on the bag. Uncover for last 10 min. to get the top golden brown. Then to make the gravy, mix the turkey liquid with some coffee for a darker color and some flour and seasoning. Her gravy was the best…no lumps and no greasy! And she did it mixing water and flour in a glass jar and shake very well and then mixing it with the rest of the turkey liquid. I like so much that I pour it over the mashed potatoes, the stuffing and the rest.
Irene, an old tough lady with big heart and a friend’s mother-in law one year invited us for the Thanksgiving dinner. As Neapolitan I never was a great fan of turkey, but she made so tender and juicy that I asked for her recipe and since then I cook it like she did…and here it is the recipe: Pour a good beer over the turkey and bake covered at 375 for the time suggested on the bag. Uncover for last 10 min. to get the top golden brown. Then to make the gravy, mix the turkey liquid with some coffee for a darker color and some flour and seasoning. Her gravy was the best…no lumps and no greasy! And she did it mixing water and flour in a glass jar and shake very well and then mixing it with the rest of the turkey liquid. I like so much that I pour it over the mashed potatoes, the stuffing and the rest.
Pastiera
Pastiera is an Easter pie made with cooked wheat and ricotta. My family likes this pie so much that we also make it for Thanksgiving.
In a pan warm up and cook stirring constantly at low heat for 15 minutes 1 cup milk, a 14 oz can of cooked wheat, 1/3 cup sugar, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel. Let cool it. Meanwhile prepare the ricotta mixture.
In a large bowl mix until obtain a smooth mixture: 16 oz ricotta, 4 eggs, 1(or 2 if you like it sweeter) cup of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and a TBS of orange juice (In Naples we use something called water of orange or millefiori(thousand flowers)+ 8 oz of citrons.
Add the cooled cooked wheat mixture and mix well.
Pour in to a pie shell( I stretch the shell with the rolling pin to obtain a thinner shell) and cover with criss-cross strips( cut from the leftover of the pie shell) (this mixture makes at least 2 pies)
Bake at 350° F for 1 hour or until the pie will acquire a gold-amber color
Struffoli
are little pieces of sweet dough fried and then passed in honey and sprinkled with jimmies and they are like cherries… when you take one with your fingers, you can’t stop!
In a bowl mix 2 cups of flour, 2 eggs and a teaspoon of yeast.
Make a ball and then cut it in small pieces.
Transform these pieces with your hands in small sticks and cut them in 1/2 inch pieces.
Put the pieces on a plate with a little flour so they don’t get stack to the dish. Let them rest for 30 minutes and then fry in hot and abundant oil. Drain on paper towel.
In another frying pan melt ¾ cup of honey, ¼ cup water and a teaspoon of sugar.
Pour the struffoli in the honey mixture and turn them at low temp., until all the honey mixture sticks to the struffoli. Pour the struffoli in a large dish and with a fork adjust them in a ring shape. Decorate with red and green jimmies.
Struffoli are made by tradition at Christmas time, but we start to make them at thanksgiving…just to practice!
Irene’s turkey recipe
Irene, an old tough lady with big heart and a friend’s mother-in law one year invited us for the Thanksgiving dinner. As Neapolitan I never was a great fan of turkey, but she made so tender and juicy that I asked for her recipe and since then I cook it like she did…and here it is the recipe: Poor a good beer over the turkey and bake covered at 375 for the time suggested on the bag. Uncover for last 10 min. to get the top golden brown. Then to make the gravy, mix the liquid with some coffee for a darker color and some flour and seasoning. Her gravy was the best…no lump sand no greasy! And she did it mixing water and flour in a glass jar and shake very well and then mixing it with the rest of the turkey liquid. I like so much that I poor it over the mashed potatoes, the stuffing and the rest.
Irene, an old tough lady with big heart and a friend’s mother-in law one year invited us for the Thanksgiving dinner. As Neapolitan I never was a great fan of turkey, but she made so tender and juicy that I asked for her recipe and since then I cook it like she did…and here it is the recipe: Poor a good beer over the turkey and bake covered at 375 for the time suggested on the bag. Uncover for last 10 min. to get the top golden brown. Then to make the gravy, mix the liquid with some coffee for a darker color and some flour and seasoning. Her gravy was the best…no lump sand no greasy! And she did it mixing water and flour in a glass jar and shake very well and then mixing it with the rest of the turkey liquid. I like so much that I poor it over the mashed potatoes, the stuffing and the rest.