Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake

This evening I opened the fridge to look for something to make for dinner. In the fridge there was ricotta and chicken and that's about it (someone needs to go shopping!). So I racked my brain for something to cook. Hmmm ... In any Italian kitchen the staple ingredients that will always be in the cupboard are: pasta, frozen spinach, tomato sauce, more pasta and ricotta. With these ingredients I decide to make a pasta bake with spinach, ricotta, chicken and tomato sauce. Pasta bakes are my life saver as there is always pasta in the cupboard (where I'm living there is a whole cupboard dedicated to pasta in every shape and size) and you can literally put anything in them. 

Below is a 'photo' recipe, showing you how I made this delicious pasta bake. It makes 6 generous portions. 

1)

Firstly, prepare the spinach and ricotta sauce. Bring water to the boil and add either fresh of frozen spinach. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Drain and then squeeze out all the excess water with your hands. In a large bowl put the spinach,  500g ricotta, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 egg, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. Set aside. 

2)

Take 2/3 large chicken breasts and cut it into thin slices. In a deep sided saucepan, add water so it is 3/4 full, the juice of one lemon and a pinch of salt and then bring the water to the boil. Add the chicken to it and cook for about 7-10 minutes. This is called poaching and it is a healthy way to cook chicken as it doesn't use oil and keeps it moist. Check the chicken as it is cooking and turn off the heat when the chicken is just about cooked and drain. Add to bowl with ricotta and spinach.

 

3) Preheat oven to C180. Get out a large oven proof dish. 

4) 

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook 500g pasta shells ( I suggest but any pasta works) until it is aldente - an Italian word meaning to cook the pasta until it is slightly crisp still as it will cook some more when it is put in the oven, therefore cook the pasta for a couple minutes less then the packet says. While the pasta is cooking take about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and add it to the bowl with spinach and ricotta. This should water down the sauce as it will dry out while it is cooking. 

5)

Drain pasta and add the bowl with other ingredients. Mix until it is well combined. Pour into oven proof dish and pack down. 

6)

Pour 300ml tinned tomato sauce over the top and using a spoon spread out evenly. 

7)

Cook in a preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until it is heated through and the top is crunchy. 

8) Finally enjoy ! 

54 hours in Rome

Bellissima! This is all I can say. There is no word in any language that can sum up the amazing long weekend I have just had in Rome. The closest word is 'bellissima' translating as 'very beautiful, indeed', which Rome was and more! 

Where to start I ask myself? The suggestion here would be food, however (maybe for once in my life) food was not the main focus! Everybody knows the top sites of Rome - the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish  Steps,  Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Vatican. I am relieved to say that I managed to see them all! My favourite was the Pantheon. There are many reasons for this: the main one being that I love the hole in the Dome. Symbolically, it represents the linking of earth and the heaven, as it as open to the sky where the heavens are.  Even though I am not a religious person, I take comfort in thinking that the universe is watching over us and is there to lead us in the right direction. But enough of spiritual things and back to the Pantheon. Another  reason that I like it so much is because of the architectural feat, it is being the only unreinforced dome in the world. I find it crazy to think that this was built thousands of years ago with much less technology than we have now but since then no one has managed to build another. Also I loved the subitities to the building like the slopping marble floor so that when it rains the water drains away quickly and un-noticiably. Finally, I love how I approached the building and it looked drab and old, but all that changes when you enter inside. 

The roof of the Pantheon. 

But what else did I see? I could sit here and list everything that I saw and did, however I truthfully can't remember the names of everything as there was so much and it would be rather boring! Throughout the weekend the biggest thing that stood out to me was history. Everywhere I went there was something historical, be it an Palace, Church, building or what not; you were surrounded. I also found it amazing to think that you were standing where thousands of years before people stood and carried out there lives. Before I came to a Rome I only new a little bit of history which I had learnt in school. Now I know a lot more but not nearly enough!

Like I've said in previous posts to really discover a city you have to just wonder. Part of the fun is finding some little back street with a church, cafe, shop or something or even seeing a funny sight. For me I saw a couple of funny sights: one was a cat on top of a fait 500 ( I found it funny!) and another was seeing a (English) tourist just put on a onzie for a photo in front of a fountain in Piazza Navona. I have no idea why, I daren't ask. Another for me was stumbling on this cute market in a Campo di Fiori, the produce all looked amazing and made me want to buy some and cook so badly (oh god I'm back to food again, it could only last so long!). One more was that I read in the 'bible' (The Lonely Planet Guidebook to Italy), to go to Cafe Farnese and order a 'un cafe alla casa' (a house coffee). So at 10am in the morning I ordered this, having no idea what it was. It comes - what looks like an expresso with a piece of lemon inside. I taste it. It's more then just an expresso and lemon. It has a very strong shot of a liqueur of some sought inside. I felt very silly ordering this at 10am, when everybody else was having latte's and cappuccinos (Italians have milky coffees with breakfast and then stronger expressos after breakfast. It is thought very odd to have cappuccinos in the afternoon). But there I was, the alcoholic who couldn't just have an expresso but had to have alcohol in it first thing - if only I was in Ireland as it would have been more acceptable there! Although, even though the liqueur expresso was a bit strong for me so early on, I defiantly think I'll be ordering it again!

Cafe Faranese 

 

Whenever I go to a big city I always like to find the best view. I love to then look over the city and see the whole place together with the mix-match of architecture, history and sites all crammed into a small area. Rome was no exception. I walked up to Gianicolo Hill and had sweeping views over the whole of Rome. I was in ore, sitting on the wall staring at all the sites. I found it so odd seeing all the layers of history throughout the city, with the remains from the Romans right up to more modern and imposing buildings such as the Il Vittoriano. I also went to the top (well nearly the top) of the Il Vittoriano, which again gave beautiful views over the city. As this building was in the centre the monuments were easier to spot! 

Views over Rome 

Okay so I talked about the less touristy things that stood out to me in Rome, but now it's time for the inventible. Food. Again I ask - where do I start? 

Well I'm going to begin with Pizza. A friend of the family who I aupair for, took me to this amazing Pizzeria near to Piazza Navona. I had a delicious goats cheese and tomato pizza. When I ordered this pizza I exspected soft goats cheese like I had had in England but what came was grated hard goats cheese, different but still tasty! The crust of the pizza was doughy and cooked to the perfection mixed with the strong flavours of the tangy tomatoes and goats cheese. Even though I was about to burst, the pizza was so good that I had to finish it! Afterwards the friend took me up to the cafe in Dart to have an afterlunch expresso - in true Italian style. It was a beautiful square building with a courtyard in the middle and the cafe on the second floor. I would highly recommend visiting it! 

Piazza Navona 

As I was wondering through the Trastevere district, I stumbled across this bakery that was dedicated to biscuits. Of course I had to go inside and have a look. To the right as you entered were the kitchens where everything was made and then there was rows and rows of biscuits: from milk biscuits, to frollini, to chocolate chip - so many! I tried one of the millionaire shortbread ones which was two shortbread biscuits sainwiched with caramel and then drizzled with chocolate. Now, I know I am in Italy and probably should have had something more Italian but I have a big soft spot for millionaires shortbread - so it was a must for me. And it tasted as good as it looked! Here's the link for it: so if you are ever in rome you know where you have to go to get biscuits. 

Not the best photo ever but you can see the rows and rows of biscuits! 

For a quick morning snack, I popped into this cute looking bakery and picked a random pastry. What luck for randomness as inside was chocolate (in case you hadn't already gathered I'm a chocoholic!). What struck me about the yummiest of this pastry was that it was made with a basic puff pastry and then had a sweet filling and was dusted in icing sugar, the basicness of the puff pastry meant that the homemade Nutella filling was very prominent and not lost with the pastry. As you can imagine I was in heaven, savouring every mouthful as well as getting myself covered in icing sugar: all part of the experience right? 

For yet another snack (I would like to point out here that I was walking all day so covered quite a few miles and worked up an appetite and I'm not just an obese person who has to eat every 5 minutes) I had read about a shop called Pompei that produced many unique flavours of tiramisue such as: strawberry, banana and chocolate, pistachio and hazelnut.  So one afternoon I popped in and opted (after much deliberation) for a hazelnut one. I then took it and sat on the Spanish Steps in the sun and ate it. It was good, but not amazing. Sadly, I think it was too mass produced with the tirimisue coming prepacked in perfect square boxes and personally I have tasted better ones. 

Hazelnut tiramisu on the Spanish Steps 

I'm looking back over this post and thinking oh I should add that and oh there was that as well, but sadly I can't cram everything in! I spent a magnificent 54 hours in Rome - trying to see, learn, absorb and taste as much as possible and consequently there is too much to write about. I have included some of my most memorable moments, but by no means all. Over time I will refer back to this trip and I know for sure that I will be returning to Rome in the not to distant future! 

Ci vediamo Roma ! 

Nutella Biscuits

Now that there was this delicious Nutella in the fridge, we had it on everything! One thing that the Italian family introduced me to was Nutella with Ricotta. It sounds really odd, but trust me this combination is amazing! Riccotta has a milky flavour so it is basically like having chocolate milk. 

In Italy, ricotta is a staple ingredient. Italians are as likely to have ricotta in their fridge as they are to have flour in the cupboard. Sadly, in England the Ricotta isn't up to the standard of the Italian, mainly because it isn't fresh. It even varies across Italy, when I was in Bari (which is in the south of Italy) the ricotta there was pure heaven - so good that you could eat it all by itself. 

However, moving away from ricotta and back to the subject in hand (I will expand on the many wondered things you can make with ricotta later). One of my favourite things to buy in a Panetteria,  are these round biscuits with Nutella (or jam inside - but why would you have jam if there was chocolate on offer!), and now that we had the Nutella in the fridge it was a good excuse to make my own. These biscuits are buttery and crumbly and utterly divine. I have also had these biscuits in a pastry cup shape filled with Nutella and then sprinkled with roasted hazelnuts. I had these one weekend in a little cafe in Monterosso (one of the Cinque Terre villages). Here's a picture of it. Yes, I've had some first to check it was good enough to be worthy of a photograph of course and not because I just couldn't wait to eat it! 

BISCOTTI SABLE CON NUTELLA 

Makes 9 biscuits 

Ingredients: 

For the Biscotti Sable: 

250g plain flour 

150g castor sugar

125g butter

2 tablespoons of milk

3 egg yolks 

A pinch of salt 

For the middle: 

About 200g of Nutella 

Method: 

1) To make the biscotti sable put all the ingredients into a food processor (put the flour in first as this helps to stop the wet ingredients sticking to the bottom and flour spraying everywhere). Whizz on a low speed until all the ingredients are combined and it comes together as a dough. 

2) Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the freezer for 15 minuites to chill it. This will help stop the cookies spreading when they are put in the oven.

3) Roll the dough out on a floured surface, to about a cm thick and cut out 5 cm circles. 

4) Place on a lined baking tray. Cut 2 cm holes out of the middle of half of the biscuits (these are to go on top). Place in the fridge again as the dough will have warmed up as you cut out the cookies, for 5 - 10 minuites. This is a good time to turn the oven (200C) on and let it heat up while the cookies are in the fridge. 

5) Put the cookies into the oven and cook for about 5 minuites. When the biscuits start to turn a golden colour, they are done.  By removing them this early from the oven, it means that they will still be crumblely when you bite into them. Cool. 

6) When they are cooled, spread Nutella on the biscuits without the holes in them. Make sure you go right to the edges so he filling can be seen when the biscuits are stuck together. Then place the biscuits with hole on top. Using a teaspoon fill the hole in the the biscuits with Nutella. Enjoy ! 

The Bucket List

I want to cry. I. Only. Have. Four. Weeks. Left. In. Italy. That's 28 days, 672 hours, 40,320 minutes and 2,419,200 seconds. Such a piccolino (really small) amount of time. But I have had an amazing 5 months and know that I must make the most out of these last 4 weeks. 

So with the depressing thought of how little time I have; I decided to make a bucket list. Mine consists of three main things 
1) Eat: croissants, foccacia, pasta, bread, basically anything Italian!
2) Visit as many places as possible (including Rome!)
3) Speak Italian at every opportunity

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night I was feeling a bit homesick, so I decided to bake one of favourite things - Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are so simple to make, yet so satisfying. Now the reason that I haven't talked about  this recipe on my blog before is because there is a minefield of opinions of how these cookies should be. There is the classic Nestle Chocolate Chip Recipe (anyone remember the friends episode where Monica tests multiple recipes to find her grandmother's old recipe and realises it was on the back of the Nestle packet?). But everybody has their own preference for how chocolate chip cookies should be: some like them soft, some like them chewy, others crunchy and others cakey. I like mine soft in the middle and chewy on the outside and definalty not crunchy. My favourite recipe is the New York Times recipe. This recipe is simply amazing - no more needs to be said! One tip though watch them very carefully in the oven, one minute too much and you have horrible crunchy cookies. Also the cookies are better if the dough is chilled however you can make them without chilling dough.

Yesterday, I decided to make large American Style cookies as that is where this recipe originated and where I first made them (as I grew up in America). So I made really large cookies with chocolate chunks and ate them warm out of the oven with a glass of milk. Perfecto! However you could make them  'English Style', by making cakey cookies and be sure to eat them with a cup of tea! Or even 'Italian style' by making mini cookies which are perfect with an expresso, after a meal. So as I discovered these are a good bake that cross over the different cultures which are significant in my life; even though they are quintessentially American.

So which 'culture' cookies are you going to make? 

 New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe 

#NutellaLove (homemade of course!)

This morning the mom in my 'Italian family' made 'Nutella fatto in casa' (homemade Nutella). If like me, you are addicted to the stuff then you'll understand how happy I was! Also, it was very topical with my New Years Resolution of healthy eating as the homemade version is always better for you then the bought stuff. As well as being extremely scrummy, Nutella is so versatile that it goes with anything; toast, crepes, yoghurt, cupcakes, pancakes, ricotta (I'll return to this Italian delicacy later), cookies, ice cream, bread sticks, pastries, doughnuts, waffles, wraps, truffles and bagels to name a few. My favourite though is bagels with peanut butter and Nutella; the saltiness of the peanut butter and the chocolatly flavour of the Nutella is simply divine. 

Hazelnuts and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Would you have guess that hazelnuts were first combined with chocolate to make a cheaper chocolate during the war and not because of the amazing flavour combination? In the Piedamonte region of Italy, hazelnuts were in abundance (due to the favourable climate) and cocoa solids were very expensive to import and so one smart man decided to combine the two. Therefore less cocoa solids were used in production which make this type of chocolate more affordable for the general public. In Torino (Turin in English) a special chocolate treat is made called Gianduja (see picture below from a shop window when I was in Torino). When I was in Turin these chocolates were everywhere in their distinct upside down boat shape. Again these are extremely yummy to eat! The chocolate is so smooth and delicate like Nutella that it melts in your mouth - pure perfection! 

 

Making Nutella is so simple, that I don't know why I haven't done it before. Also, homemade Nutella is healthier as it doesn't use as much added oils that bought Nutella has to 'fluff' out the product. The base for the recipe is two simple ingredients: hazelnuts and chocolate. To enhance the flavour we toasted the hazelnuts and used dark chocolate to create a rich Nutella. But you can easily use milk chocolate and not roast the hazelnuts, depending on how you like your Nutella. 

Homemade Nutella Recipe 

Ingredients: 

100g dark chocolate 

50g hazelnuts 

60ml vegetable oil

80g brown sugar 

100g soya milk 

Method: 

1) Toast the hazelnuts under a grill for about 10 minuites. Mixing them every couple of minutes, to be careful they do not burn. Cool. 

2) Put the hazelnuts, sugar and chocolate in the food processor.  Whiz until fine crumb mixture is created. Make sure to scrap down the sides so there are no lumps in your Nutella. 

3) Add the soya milk and oil to the food processor bowl and whiz until it forms a paste. Again scraping down the sides, so everything is incorporated. 

4) Finally put the mixture into a banmarie* to melt all the chocolate and create the Nutella texture. 

5) Pour the mixture into jars, and leave to cool. Do not put in the fridge straight away as this will cause the mixture to curdle. Once cooled store in the fridge for up to a month but trust me it won't last that long!

*a banmarie is where you put a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water, making sure the water and the bottom if the bowl do not touch. This method is used with chocolate and sauces as it gives a gentile heat as to not burn the chocolate.