Archive for 'Food and Wine'

The traditional recipe is made with dough and black grape. It's delicious but I think it's more appropriate for brunch or a snack because is very energetic. I substitute this with the following delicious recipe, according to me, as much the original.

Ingredients:

• 250 gr plain white flour


• 150 gr sugar


• 4 eggs


• Baking powder


• 3 tablespoons of olive oil


• Black grape about 500 gr


• Brown sugar

Marina's own recipe for meat sauce. This will make enough sauce for roughly four people.

Ingredients:

• Beef cutlets 200 gr


• Ripe (canned) plum tomatoes 500 gr


• 1 onion


• 1 carrot


• 1 stalk celery


• 1 glass of red wine


• parsley


• Extra virgin olive oil


• Salt and pepper

A spinach gnocchi dish with pecorino cheese. The name "strozzapreti " means "priest throttlers" because, according to the popular legend, the medieval priests were very greedy and known to eat a lot.

Ingredients:

• Spinach, cooked, squeezed, dry 350gr


• Ricotta cheese 350gr


• 3 whole eggs and 3 yolks


• Parmesan cheese and pecorino cheese 100gr


• Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg


• Flour as needed

A roasted pork sirloin in country style.

Ingredients:

• Pork sirloin 1,5 kg with bone (3.3 lbs)


• 4 Garlic Cloves


• 2 sprigs Rosemary


• Sage


• 2 Bay Leaves


• Marjoram


• Tarragon


• Mint


• Olive Oil


• Salt and Pepper

Balsamic vinegar is one of those culinary items that can take a simple recipe to a memorable one. Its complex flavors lends itself well to both sweet and savory dishes, or even just soaked into some bread. Originally created in Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy just north of Tuscany, in the middle ages and has been enjoyed by Italians ever since. It has only become popular in America in the past twenty years and its a sad state of affairs that it has taken that long.
Balsamic vinegar is considered a wine vinegar, like its less popular cousin red wine vinegar, but is not actually made from wine. It is made by the pressings of grape skins that have not been allowed to ferment, unlike grappa.

The grape skins are pressed, heated and boiled down into a thick dark syrup with very specific regulations controlled by the its DOC status. If you are looking for a quality balsamic vinegar, you need to ensure that it has this DOC label on it. Without it, it is not proper balsamic vinegar but just an imitation.