|
Recipe
|
|||||
|
If
you like
scotsitalian.com
and would like to offer a donation for the upkeep of this site (this is a
non-profit site remember), then please click below.
|
Some of you will have heard of the excellent Dear Francesca: An Italian Journey of Recipes Recounted with Love by Mary Contini.
Here's the full exert from the opening letter:
Read Edinburgh Evening News Article on Book Launch You can now buy Dear Francesca in paperback at the Valvona and Crolla website. Mary's fascinating follow-up to Dear Francesca, Dear Olivia is now available in paperback. Mary Contini writes to her daughter Olivia to tell the story of her great-grandparents, the humble Italian shepherds who emigrated to Edinburgh and then helped to transform Britain's food culture. Sharing some of the recipes that they brought over, this is a mouth-watering memoir of family and food. Mary Contini is interviewed on BBC Radio 4 and offers some of her wonderful recipes.
|
I promise that I will get round to sharing some of the recipes I grew up with. Unfortunately I haven't quite managed to pick my mothers (or grandmothers) brain, so you might find this tasty recipe for Ligurian Focaccia more than a tad mouth watering in the meantime. This recipe comes courtesy of www.virtualitalia.com. Focaccia with Oil - Focaccia all'Olio OK, here's what you need.... Sponge: Dough: To make the sponge: sprinkle yeast over the warm water in a large mixing bowl, whisk it in, and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and beat until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and bubbling, about 30 minutes.
First rise: place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Shaping and second rise: the dough should be soft, full of air bubbles, and stretch easily. Press it into a lightly oiled 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 pan, dimple it well with your fingertips, cover with a slightly damp towel, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Baking: at least 30 minutes before you plan to bake the focaccia, preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F) with a baking stone inside if you have one. Dimple the top of the dough again and drizzle a little olive oil on top, then sprinkle with sea salt. Place the pan directly on the stone and immediately reduce the temperature to 400. Spray the oven walls and floor with cold water from a spritzer bottle three times during the first ten minutes. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Remove the focaccia and let it cool slightly on a rack. Fill with mozzarella and sun-dried tomato or Parma Ham and salad.... mmm mmm mmm. Fancy trying something slightly more adventurous? The Foodiesite has Haggis Ravioli amongst its mouth-watering temptations. 
- an American site that professes to be the inside guide to
Italian Fashion, Cuisine, Travel and Events also offers an amusing
Tourist
Survival Guide
for novices to Italian Food and Wine.
|
|||
This book is more than a
cookbook, it not only recalls the sights and smells of a bygone Italy through
old photographs and recipes but gives the reader (more specifically the authors
eldest daughter, whom the book is directed to) a sense of history and tradition.
The opening chapters recount the experiences and hardships that her own
grandparents endured in this foreign land, how they arrived here with nothing
but the clothes on their back. It examines how nearly a 100 years and five
generations later, the recipes have changed little, the methods of cooking
remained the same and there's still an emphasis on sourcing the freshest
ingredients. The author herself sums it up, this after all is her family
heritage. 
To
make the dough: add the water, wine, and oil to the sponge. Whisk in 1 cup of
flour and the salt, then beat in enough flour until you have a dough that is
very soft and very sticky. Knead on a lightly floured board with the help of a
dough scraper and a little additional flour for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough
comes together very nicely and is silky and shiny. It should remain soft but not
wet.