Frittelle di Carnevale - Italian Carnival Fritters FIlled with Custard Cream

Classic Italian stuffed frittelle di Carnevale: soft fried dough filled with rich and creamy custard.

I bet you can't eat just one! They are simply irresistible.

I can't believe that Fat Tuesday is coming up in less than two weeks. So here is a recipe for you, just in time for your Carnival celebration. In my house, it's not Carnival unless you eat one (... or many) of these traditional frittelle.
Italy is the birthplace of the Carnevale, which makes February a fun time to visit, especially Venezia. You'd be amazed by the stunning masks and world famous costumes, the street parades and all-day parties. If you were in Venice right now, walking along the canals and down the calli, you would be for sure enticed by the aroma of fried dough coming out of every pasticceria. And, believe me, it can't be ignored!
Frittelle are fried round doughnuts, that generally come in three varieties: Veneziane (with raisins and pinenuts), filled with zabaione cream or crema pasticcera. My favorite, as you might have guessed, are the last one. Soft and perfectly sweet. Light and fluffy. Made with simple ingredients. Deep fried and filled with a deliciously rich custard. Heavenly!
And I say: Yes! Carnival is just once a year... I can have frittelle and not feel guilty about it.

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Ingredients: to make around 40 small frittelle

• 16 fl oz (500 ml) of milk
• 3/4 cup (125 gr) semolina flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of sugar
• 1  cup (150 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (15 gr) of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 large organic orange, zest
• oil for deep frying
• powder sugar for decoration
• 2 oz (60 ml) whipping cream (optional)

For the custard cream:

• 8 fl oz (240 ml) of milk
• 2 fl oz (60 ml) of heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cups (65 gr) of sugar
• 3 tablespoons (30 gr) of corn starch

Preparation time:  about 1 hour
Directions:
1. Warm the milk in a large pan. Before it boils, add the semolino flour and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until it starts to detach from the sides of pan. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

2. Add the eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix well, until smooth again.

3. Add the orange zest, finely grated. And whisk again. Let the batter rest for about half an hour, or until you prepare the custard cream.

4. Prepare a custard cream following this recipe. Let it cool completely and place in the refrigerator. 

5. Heat the oil in a large enough pan. Note: it's better if the oil fills no more than half of the pan.

 Drop spoonfuls of batter in the oil and fry until golden brown. Make sure you don't fry too many frittelle at the same time. They need space to cook, and turn around. Remove from the oil and place on paper towel to drain the excess oil. Check the first fritter and make sure it's fully cooked inside. If not, lower the flame and cook for a little longer. Let the frittelle cool down.

6. If you would like to make your custard cream a little softer, whip 2 oz of whipping cream and add to the custard cream. Mix well, until smooth.

7. When ready to eat them, cut the frittelle in half and fill with the cream.

Sprinkle with powder sugar and enjoy!

Homemade Traditional Potato Gnocchi - Italian Dumplings

Homemade gnocchi made with potatoes: smooth and soft, and so incredibly delicious!

Today I'm ready to share the recipe for one of my favorite Italian dishes: traditional potato gnocchi, also known as Italian dumplings.
When I was little this was probably the one food I asked my mom to cook most often. And my kids absolutely love them too. You can serve them topped with a simple melted butter, sage and Parmesan cheese. Or they are also perfect with  Bolognese or tomato/basil sauce for a more savory taste. No matter what I choose, gnocchi are always welcomed at my table,
And would you like to know the secret to the perfect potato gnocchi? Do I hear a YES?!?
Here we go: to keep the gnocchi soft and smooth, not hard and too chewy, you need to use the least amount of flour that you can, without the gnocchi falling apart when you boil them. And it's simple: do not overcook the potatoes or they will absorb too much water. More water in the potatoes, more flour is needed when making the dumplings. What I generally do, is peel the potatoes before boiling to make my job easier and quicker later. If you do so, you have to pay close attention, and remove the potatoes from the water as soon as they are ready. The alternative is to boil the potatoes with their skin on. But you will need to peel and mash them when they are still hot.... Not as easy!
So the second part of my secret: don't wait to mash the potatoes when they cool down. This might be no secret to you if have made mashed potatoes before and decided to wait a bit before mashing. You end up with a grainy and coarse-y texture. Not so yummy!
Now that you know my secrets, you are ready to make the most amazing gnocchi you have ever tasted. Believe me :-)


Ingredients: makes 3 servings.

• 3 russet potatoes, around 1.5 lb
• 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, plus about 1/4 of a cup 
• 1 egg
• salt

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Peel the potatoes and cut in half. Place the potatoes in a large enough pot, and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, lower the flame to medium-low, and cook in a slow boil for about 15-18 minutes based on the size of the potatoes. Test with a fork. When ready, you should be able to stick the fork all the way in.

Step 2: Remove the potatoes promptly from the water, and pass them through  a ricer. In a large bowl, mix the 3/4 cup of flour (some at the time!) and the egg with the mashed potatoes. Don't overdo with the mixing, just combine until it holds together. Add more flour if needed.

Step 3: Move the potato mixture to a clean, lightly floured counter. Take some of the dough at a time, and roll it into a rope about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the gnocchi, about 3/4 inch length. Place the gnocchi over parchment paper, lightly floured. Don't overlap the gnocchi or they will stick together.

Step 4: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi - some at the time if necessary. And let cook for about 2 - 3 minutes. You can remove them as soon as they rise to the surface. Drain well and serve with your favorite sauce.

Here are my gnocchi with melted butter, sage and lots of Parmesan cheese! Buon Appetito!

Traditional Italian Lasagna with Bolognese Sauce

In this traditional Italian lasagna, the savory bolognese sauce and the creamy besciamella come together in a perfectly cheesy, meaty  and saucy dish. So yummy!

Now that you have learned from my last post how to make the Italian ragu' alla bolognese, here is the next recipe you will want to know For sure! Traditional lasagna with bolognese sauce.
This classic Italian oven-baked pasta is unmatchable. Don't get scared by the long list of ingredients. It is not hard to prepare! But it can be a bit time consuming. No worries though, all the time spent on this is well worth your while!
You will need to prepare the bolognese sauce first,which takes at least an hour, and then the besciamella (white) sauce, which is much faster. When these sauces are ready, you will just juggle all the ingredients, add some cheese and pasta at the right time, and end up with the perfect lasagna. The creamy and soft besciamella together with the flavorful and savory bolognese sauce will make this lasagna to die for. No ricotta cheese is needed, only lots of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Here is a step-by-step recipe:


Ingredients: to make 13 x 9 inch lasagna.
For the Bolognese sauce: to make about 6 cups (1.5 quart)

• half onion
• 1 small carrot (or 6 baby carrots)
• 1 small celery stalk
• 1 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1/2 lb of ground pork
• 1 can  of 28 oz crushed tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
• 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 whole clove (optional)
• salt

For the besciamella sauce: 

• 6 cups of milk
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter 
• 1.25 cup of all-purpose flour
• salt to taste
• 1/3 teaspoon of grated nutmeg

Additional ingredients:

• about 16 oz mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 box of oven-ready lasagna pasta - I ended up needing 2 extra lasagna sheets from another box.. I use Barilla

Preparation time: about 2 hours
Directions:
Step 1: Start by preparing the bolognese sauce following this recipe, using the quantities listed above.You can always prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate (or freeze).
Step 2: When there are about 15 minutes left before the bolognese sauce is ready, prepare the besciamella sauce following this recipe. using the quantities listed above.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and start assembling the lasagna. In an oven pan, add a couple of tablespoons of besciamella for the bottom, add a layer of pasta, topped with  some bolognese sauce (about 1.5 cups), about one forth of the mozzarella, and some besciamella.

Step 4: Repeat the same layers three more times (if you can!): pasta, bolognese sauce, besciamella and mozzarella. Then on top (the last layer): only pasta, besciamella and all the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with small pieces of butter.

Step 5: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. Move the pan to the higher part of the oven, so that the Parmesan cheese melts and forms a nice golden layer.

Step 6: Let cool down for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. This will allow the besciamella sauce to set a little, and not run off the plate making the lasagne too soft. You can also prepare the lasagna ahead of time, and warm it up (really hot!!) before serving. In this case you don't need to wait before cutting and serving.

Buon Appetito!