In addition, this dish helped me to recall a very far past (even if it was only 2009) and a trip to Barcelona in the middle of winter, and in that moment I didn’t give to that city the possibility to amaze me, to capture me with its eccentricity, his sinuous shapes , its pulsating life. It was such a different period of my life, in which the beauty of the eccentricity, of the peculiarity had a lesser power on me, a period in which I wasn’t ready to see the essence of Barcelona. Therefore, I believe I have an offset memory of this city: in my mind I see it as a city that has the color of the sand, where nothing seemed to me finished or definitive (but, while now this appears to me as a sign of hope and constant evolution, once it seemed to me as a simple lack of something). I can’t see its colors in my head, I can’t smell it or taste it, and remember it as a cold city (and it was cold, indeed,  at least its weather conditions) and so far from Barcelona seen through the eyes of Pepe Carvalho, who describes it as a hot, pulsating city.

It’s amazing how moods or stages in life can change so much our own perception, so that an entire city can change with it. And I am a sea lover, so I usually love seaside town no matter what: even in the most banal or awful seaside town I can find something to love. However, I never felt anything for Barcelona (and -how strange?!-some time ago I lost all the pictures I took there and that were stored in my laptop), every memory is blurry, fuzzy, muffled.

But now I have something to start with, before I come back to Barcelona, I hope with my eyes changed: I have this seafood dish, a dish that I tried to transform, but without transfiguration, adding some artichokes (also available in a 1915 vessel that docks in a Spanish harbour – oh, yes, Spain produces artichokes) and using almost exclusively black squid (but also some prawns) with their ink black (my mom’s idea, I recognize that).

A sort of black and white picture of the original fideuà, something like my black and white picture of Barcelona. Who knows, maybe sooner or later I’ll go and add the necessary colors.

I don’t know how many times I’ve told you that I adore pistachios , I don’t know whether it’s necessary to repeat this concept again or I have to say it in other languages ​, but I love pistachios, this is the reality. Sure, it’s difficult having doubts after my pistachio mille-feuille or since I put pistachios even in a meatloaf but, as Latins said, repetita iuvant.

So, having 100 g of precious Bronte pistachios flour I bought last summer in Calabria (the same I used in these ricotta truffles) to get rid of  (I didn’t want to get rid of it, let’s be clear, but you can’t store it for too long, or it may go rancid, and it would be a mortal sin), I wanted to find a recipe that would fully enhance the green gold. Moreover, having only a small amount of this, flour I couldn’t make some of those Sicilian pistachio mini-cakes that I love so much.

And so -here it is the stroke of genius- I thought: why don’t make a caprese cake with pistachio flour instead of almond flour? The result is simply delicious: you can taste pistachio just a bit (its taste is a bit stronger than almond taste), and it’s a pleasant aftertaste to the caprese cake, already a real delicacy, that I love and adore. And I love pistachio caprese cake even more (if it’s humanly possible).

Oh, yes, now I’m addicted to mountain memories… and so, aided by the memories, by the desire to go to Alto Adige and by this wintery climate (and it’s almost May, for God’s sake), I propose another mountain dish, and this time it’s a dish typical of the Alto Adige.

Of course, I’m going there also because of a recent and unmissable purchase (a spätzle grater), so here they are, my spinach spätzle, with one of the most classic topping, cream and speck (but they’re delicious also with a simple butter and sage topping).

A very easy, quick and yet delicious recipe!

I’ve never been a big fan of the mountains … until this year. I think that sometimes it’s necessary seeing the love that another person feels in front of the vastness, the majesty and peace of the mountains to re-evaluate places  you’ve never considered before. So now I’m slowly learning to appreciate this place so far away from me (I’m very fond of the sea): I’m beginning to enjoy a trip in which I spend hours photographing butterflies, I’m starting to love the cable car rides crushing the hand of my boyfriend ( it’s dizzy heighs’s fault), the long walks with amazing views, a sandwich in your backpack, and I still love (I never hated it) mountain food.

It’s amazing how in just one year my head filled itself with memories of a natural system that I always considered hostile, whose charm never touched me before. It’s amazing how the curiosity for this environment grew up so much in such a short time: and now in my travel wish-list at the top stands Alto Adige, a wonderful mountain paradise in Northern Italy. Well, many things change in a year, but mountains don’t, and maybe in this lies a big part of their charm.

So, to remember the mountains and the amazing mountains food, today I propose you the Pizzoccheri from Valtellina, a very rough kind of pasta, made with buckwheat flour (by the way, do you remember my buckwheat tart with raspberry jam from Trentino Alto Adige?), richly topped with potatoes, cabbage, butter and cheese.

The recipe is the one encoded by the Academy of Pizzocchero in Teglio, a sure hit.

To stay on the topic, here it is a picture of a butterfly I took this summer on a little trip to the mountains

This applies to daily life and, therefore, also to cooking activities: sometimes it’s a simple ingredient that makes a great recipe, but even a small addition, a light shade could have the power to entirely change a dish. But even the same ingredient can change depending on how you use it or depending on the combination between different ingredients.

Thus, a simple Sicilian orange could change a lot depending on the procedures, on the parts you’re using and on the added flavors, originating three very different preserves, different in texture, taste and color.

So today I propose you three ways to make the most of the oranges and keep their unmistakable taste even with the changing of seasons.

In order of height (of the jar, from the smallest to the largest one), I propose you an orange jelly (black tea scented), an orange jam (rum flavored) and canned sliced ​​oranges, hoping that at least one (or more than one) could tickle your appetite for fruit preserves.

On this occasion, it’s important to remember that I haven’t had the chance to set foot in Sicily, yet.. then, why my cuisine is so influenced by this wonderful land? And something tells me that I’ll come back to Sicily (at least virtually) in the near future (suspense mod. ON)

ORANGE JELLY (BLACK TEA SCENTED)   (recipe from Sale & Pepe, February 2013, p. 48 and slightly modified) Ingredients * 2 kg of Sicilian oranges * 2 dl of natural apple juice * sugar *  juice of a small lemon * 2 teaspoons of black tea leaves (only one tsp in the original recipe) * 1 teaspoon of agar agar (optional; I didn’t use it, but in my opinion it’s necessary if you want a thicker jelly) Procedure

Squeeze the oranges, weigh the juice and measure the same amount of sugar. Prepare a bag of gauze with a teaspoon of black tea leaves and another one with the crushed orange seeds (my oranges were seedless, so I skipped this step.)

Pour the orange juice in a saucepan with apple and lemon juice, add the sugar and let it melt over low heat, stirring. Add the gauze bag (or bags), bring to a boil and cook, stirring from time to time, for about 20 minutes (I cooked it for about another 20 minutes). Sale & Pepe suggests to remove the bag with tea leaves (and the other one, too) halfway through cooking; instead, I left it till the end of cooking and then I added a teaspoon of tea leaves directly into the jelly, too.

At this point, the jelly will be still soft, so you can decide to leave it this way (perfect to serve with desserts or cheese), continue cook it  or add some agar agar (dissolving it in water and then adding it to the jelly).

When the jelly is ready, pour it into jars (previously washed and sterilized), turn them upside down for a few minutes to get the vacuum and then store them in a cool dry place.

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ORANGE JAM (RUM FLAVORED) (recipe by Patty of Andante con gusto, slightly modified – I used pectin and eliminated lemon juice) Ingredients * 2 kg of Sicilian oranges * 1 kg of sugar * pectin * a liquor glass of good Rum Procedure

Peel an orange, carefully removing only the orange part and cut it into a thin julienne. Put cold water in a pan and add the zest. Bring to a boil, then drain. Repeat this process 3 times: this will remove the bitterness from the zest. Set aside.

Peel the oranges to the flesh (remove the peel and then remove the segments, too) using a sharp knife: try to remove as much white parts as you can, ’cause they release the bitterness. Pour the pulp (together with the juice you have made) in a large pot, add sugar and pectin, then stir. Bring to a boil and let it boil for three minutes, then add the rum, test the consistency to evaluate whether to finish or continue cooking. When the consistency it’s right for you, pour it into jars (previously washed and sterilized); turn them upside down for a few minutes to get the vacuum and then store them in a cool dry place.

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CANNED SLICED ORANGES

 (recipe from Sale & Pepe, February 2013, p. 43, slightly modified – I increased the doses and used some caster sugar) Ingredients * 2 kg of Sicilian organic oranges * the juice of one lemon * 3 dl of natural apple juice * 750 g brown sugar * 150 g caster sugar Procedure

On the first day, boil the oranges for 20 minutes and leave them to cool in their cooking water. Slice them (not too thin), collecting all their juice, too. Put the slices in a bowl with their juice, the lemon juice, the orange seeds closed in gauze bag (my oranges were seedless) and 5 dl of water. Let this rest until the next day.

On the second day, pour this mixture in a large saucepan, bring it to a boil and cook it for 20 minutes, then remove it from heat and let it rest until the next day.

On the third day, pour the apple juice on the oranges, add the sugar, bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. The result will be slices of orange (partly intact, partly broken in pieces) and a slightly thickened sauce, sweet and with a great taste. Don’t expect a jam, because it’s not it at all. In my opinion, it’s a great sauce (a sort of  orange syrup), with slices and pieces of oranges in it, perfect for garnishing and/or accompany soft dough based desserts (cakes, muffins, etc…) or other desserts (ice cream, cheesecake etc…).

Pour it into jars, previously washed and sterilized.  To have a beautiful result, place the most beautiful slices along the side of the jar and then fill the jar with the remaining slices and syrup. Turn the jars upside down for a few minutes to get the vacuum and then store them in a cool dry place.

I’ll start with a confession: I  (cordially) hate layered cakes. You know, the classic birthday cakes: sponge cake with layers of custard or chantilly cream and then covered with whipped cream. Well, I hate those cakes. Let’s be clear: they’re good, but it’s not my kind of cake. I’d never choose one of those for my birthday: I’d prefer a millefeuille (I know it’s a layered cake, but here layers are crunchy and, well, I know I’m a bit contradictory, but don’t judge me) or a cup dessert.

But I learned to make these cakes in my pastry class, I know how to make them from scratch (and I’m also pretty good at it, apparently) and I enjoy it making them, but don’t ask me to enjoy them.

For this reason, in front of the MTC challenge proposed by Stefania of Cardadomo & CO. I was startled: not only it was a layer cake, but typical US layer cake, a Red Velvet Cake, and a gluten free one. I obviously don’t anything against “gluten free” .. I think I should add to my blog more recipes for people allergic to gluten, but in this particular case it didn’t simplify the mission.

So, with my usual aplomb, I thought, “shit!” and, secondly,”who is going to eat an entire layer cake? “

So I opted for a convenient solution: I decided to make single-serving cakes (I knew those mini layer cake molds would be useful, sooner or later … they were still in their box, waiting for the right occasion), I chose to soak them with a blueberries liquor and garnish them with the least cloying topping I could think of, simple whipped cream (barely sweetened) enriched with freshly chopped blueberry. A purple garnishment (and filling), fresh and a bit sour, perfect for my taste.

So after these necessary adjustments, I happily made this cake to celebrate a birthday, my blog’s birthday, which turned two years old on February 22nd.

Happy (latecoming) birthday, Alterkitchen!

And I was glad to be able to celebrate this milestone with all my readers, all the MTC friends and with a cake that could be enjoyed by celiac friends, too.

There is nothing you can do: there are some traditional Italian dishes strictly connected to holidays and festive occasions. When you see those dishes on the table, you immediately think about Sunday, you smell home, you recall the whole family sitting around the table. Usually those dishes, at least in my imagination, are (almost) all piping hot… well, maybe because in my imagination they always came out of the oven.

Think about it: lasagna, pasta al forno (pasta -usually with ragù or tomato sauce- baked in the oven with cheese -usually mozzarella and parmigiano- and bèchamel sauce), casseroles, eggplant parmigiana, pot roast (with baked potato, of course), then pizza and focaccia, and so on and so forth. Well, in my humble opinion,  the dishes baked in the oven are synonymous with holidays, care for food, conviviality.

Among these dishes we can anso include cannelloni. You can stuff and garnish them in every possible way, but the version that I love the most is the most famous and perhaps the simplest one: ricotta and spinach filling, topped with tomato sauce and béchamel sauce. I admit it, prepare them from scratch requires a certain commitment: Everything in this dish could (and probably should) be done by hand, and this is the challenge that conquers me every single time I make them. Because I love being in front of a dish that I can really define “homemade” (well, maybe I should make my oven dish, too – for philological accuracy), a dish that is able to speak for you and say to the people sitting around your table “I love you” at the first bite. And this is not something that all the dishes are able to do…

I keep talking about short pastry, but this time in a different way, with a recipe dedicated to chocoholics.

I don’t fall into this group (I know, I attended a pastry class, but I do prefer savory food  - ironic, uh?!), but I have to admit that it’s really hard to say no to a slice of this tart, a crisp short pastry shell filled with a soft and voluptuous dark chocolate mousse. Its flavors are well balanced and the tart is not at all cloying, so it earned my full approval.

The credit of this recipe goes to Cristina, aka Zucchero & Sale. However, I used my short pastry recipe for tart (slightly different from the cookie one), I increased the dose for the filling (but I kept the proportions) and I topped it my way, with colorful and sour fruits, alkekengi, a perfect combination.

Since I completed my professional pastry class  in December, I made a lot of short pastry, mostly because I love it, but also because I think it’s an incredibly versatile recipe, something that you can easily transform in 1001 different ways, one better than the the one before.

So, having some salted butter I bought some time ago, I decided to make a slightly salted short pastry (using some salted butter, together with unsalted one) orange-scented. I took the cue from Sara, but I used my shortpastry recipe.

One of the great things about short pastry is that you can make a lot of delicacies with the same dough (and a quite simple one, I’d say. So, with a single dough, I propose three different recipes.

But, first thing first, I’ll start with my basic recipe for short pastry cookies,or shortbread.

Before you ask me, the stamp  I used to get the cookies is this, beloved gift from the equally beloved boyfriend, who obviously understood how to get to my heart (and not just for the stamp).

With the exact same dough I lined small tart molds, and then I filled them with orange jam (to stay on the subject) with zest, just like I love it.

While, cutting smaller cookies and making a hole in the middle of half of these, I coupled them using a filling as a “glue”. You could use jam, but I took a take a cue from Sara (again) and I chose to use a pistachio cream, a Christmas gift from a couple of dear friends. This cream is called Scyavuru, a great product of Sicily, now also my favorite drug.

In Jenuary I decided to join the MTC, a challenge between bloggers: every month everybody make the same recipe, but all dishes are obviously different, ’cause everyone makes some changes, so that his/her recipe becomes unique.

And the crazy thing is that this decision has brought me luck, because January recipe was pici, a type of fresh pasta that awakens in me so many memories of a long gone holiday I spent in Umbria (I checked the pictures: damn it, it was the year 2007). For me pici mean Umbria, Trasimeno lake (where I ate pici with a rich duck ragù), a green and hospitable land, with a great history and culture.

Making pici I was able to remember all these things, and I hope I could return soon to Umbria, but also I hope to discover the Tuscan side of this dish.

For the seasoning of this wonderful dish, I chose a very Piedmontese sauce, instead. I chose a chicken livers ragù, typical of Langhe region, a very poor sauce, with a strong and rustic taste, and yet very velvety on the palate.