Spaghetti al Vino Bianco e Arugula

Spaghetti al Vino Bianco e Arugula 

1 pound dried spaghetti

3 ounces minced pancetta 

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil                                                        

2 cups dry white wine, divided

Salt

Black pepper

Red pepper flakes

1/3 cup heavy cream                                      

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese, more for topping               

5 ounces baby arugula, roughly chopped

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped

15-20 pitted black olives   

Add 5 quarts water to large pot, add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt; cook over high heat.  When water comes to a full boil, add the spaghetti and until al dente. Note:set aside 1 cup of pasta water before straining.

In a large skillet, add the pancetta; cook over medium heat until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add the garlic and the oil to skillet; sauté on medium-low heat until barely golden.  Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of wine to skillet with garlic. Raise heat to medium-high for 6 to 8 minutes or until wine has reduced by half. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

When the pasta is ready, strain and transfer to the skillet with the garlic. Add another ½ cup of white wine to skillet; cook until the wine has been fully absorbed, tossing the spaghetti constantly.   Add the cream, the grated cheese; toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Use pasta water if too thick: add a little at a time. Finish by adding the crispy pancetta, arugula, and pine nuts and fold to combine.   Top with the black olives. 

  

Country Side of Orvieto where the grapes grow

 Those who love good food know how to appreciate it, especially in the simplest forms. With just a few easy steps, you can prepare this delicate and elegant recipe. My white wine of choice is the Orvieto White.  You can use a Pinot Grigio if you prefer.

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Regina cookies (Sicilian Sesame Cookies)

Sesame cooking with fresh zest and juice of oranges

Sesame Cookies - Regina Cookies 

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 pinch salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest 2 oranges

Juice of 1 – 1 ½ oranges

2 cups raw sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Wet ingredients: In another large bowl, add the butter and sugar; blend well with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, zest, vanilla, and juice of 1 orange; blend again. Add the dry ingredients in three to four batches;  continue beating on low speed until the dough is fairly smooth.  If the dough is a little dry, add a little more juice of orange, a little at a time and mix well. Pinch off a piece of dough and see if it forms a ball easily. Make small golf size balls first, then roll into an oblong shape, about 1 ½ inches long. (The dough should be coming together well, it should not be too soft to the touch)

Rolling the cookies in the sesame seeds

Place the sesame seeds in a plate and roll the cookies into the sesame seeds, pressing them so the seeds stay on. Place the cookies on the baking sheets keeping the cookies 1- 1 ½ inches apart. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned at the bottom. Cool, and store in airtight containers. Baking time depends on size of cookies.  The sesame seeds on cookie should be slightly golden.  Makes about 2 dozen depending on size.

Baking the sesame cookies 

I have made these cookies before by following a traditional recipe that my mom used to make....they turned out a little too dry for me.  So, I experimented with orange zest and juice instead of adding more butter or eggs and they were simply delicious, beautifully scented!

These are great dunkers! Growing up my dad would dunk these cookies in red wine, while I would dunk them in my mother’s freshly made lemonade. I still prefer the lemonade. 

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Seffa – Festive Couscous

Festive couscous with dried fruit, nuts, and cinnamon

3 cups fine or medium coarse couscous

1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups boiling water

2 teaspoons rosewater

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm

¾ cup golden raisins

½ cup dried apricots, pitted and sliced

½ cup dates, pitted and sliced

½ cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Brown sugar to serve

Place the dry couscous in a bowl, and drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on top.  Rub the couscous between your hands to coat the couscous with oil. You will know that it is well coated if some pellets stick to your hands.  Season with salt and pepper.  Run your hands through it one more time to mix well.  Pour in the hot water and rosewater; quickly stir with a wooden spoon.  Cover the couscous, and let it sit, undisturbed, for at least 10 minutes. Once the couscous is ready, remove the lid, and use a fork to break up and loosen the couscous.

Add the melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended.  Gently fold in the raisins, apricots, and dates. Transfer the couscous to a festive platter and create a mound in the shape of a pyramid.  Scatter the toasted almonds around the base of the mound.  Sprinkle cinnamon around the mound creating either a stripe or dot pattern. You can also add who dates or apricots around the mound to decorate.

Serve at room temperature with a small bowl of light brown sugar on the side for your guests to sprinkle on top.

 

Couscous

In Maghreb, sometimes couscous is served at the end of the meal as a delicacy called Seffa, which is made with dried fruit, almonds, cinnamon, and brown sugar. This North African dish is customarily served in large mounds during festive gatherings such as weddings, anniversaries, and other occasions. And when a guest comes to your house, Seffa is offered as a symbol of generosity, friendliness, and warmth.

I recently served Seffa for my son's engagement party and I had numerous request for the recipe, so here you are....

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Alba’s Napolitan Christmas Struffoli

Struffoli

Ingredients for the Dough:                                                                   

4 cups unbleached flour                                                      

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened                                      

3 whole eggs + 1 yolk                                                           
¼ cup sugar
1 ounce Limoncello liqueur
Zest 1 large orange
Pinch salt

Pinch baking soda

1 ounce whole milk or almond milk

For the syrup:

1 ½ cups honey

¼ cup sprinkles

 

Creating the logs

Cutting into small pieces

Directions for the dough:

In a large bowl add and mix the flour, salt and baking soda together. Make a little well in the center of the bowl.  Add remaining ingredients in the center.  Incorporate and mix batter until it is homogenized.  Knead about 5 minute until  the dough is smooth (if the dough is too tough, add a little milk, if it is too soft add a little more flour). Cover with towel in a bowl and allow to rest at least 30 minutes at room temp.

Once rested, divide into 8 smaller pieces; roll  each piece into thin long logs (thin snakes). Cut each log into tiny ¼ inch pieces about the size of chick peas.  Set on a clean towel to get ready to cook.

Prepare a medium size pan half filled with a light vegetable, canola, or safflower oil.  When hot, add a batch of struffoli at a time and cook.  Stir continuously and cook until just golden (not brown). Transfer cooked struffoli to paper towel to drain the excess oil. Continue this process until all the struffoli have been cooked.

Frying the dough

Directions for the syrup:

In a wide pan, heat the honey on medium-low heat about 3 minutes.  Turn off heat; add the cooked struffoli.  Mix well and uniformly.  Transfer the struffoli to a dish and shape like a wreath or small Christmas tree. Decorate lightly with sprinkles. Allow to rest about an hour before serving. 

Struffoli are sweet morsels of delicious tiny dough balls that are first fried and then dipped in warm honey.  It is a traditional  dessert in the Campania region of Italy which is served for Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Struffoli are decorated with colored sprinkles, candied fruit, and even coated almonds. They can be prepared in advance.  I usually prepare them a few days before Christmas. There are a few variations of this recipe depending of where you live.  Even though struffoli are served at Christmas, there is no rule in America, so you could make them for any special occasion and watch them go swiftly!

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Cooking with Alba : Espresso Pancakes with Nutella Sauce

Cooking with Alba : Espresso Pancakes with Nutella Sauce: Nutella Sauce Espresso Pancakes  2 cups buttermilk or whole milk  2-3 tablespoons instant espresso granules  2 large eggs, ...

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Espresso Pancakes with Nutella Sauce

Nutella Sauce

Espresso Pancakes 

2 cups buttermilk or whole milk 

2-3 tablespoons instant espresso granules 

2 large eggs, separated

4 tablespoons sugar   

2 cups all-purpose flour                              

2 teaspoons baking powder                                                

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 

unsalted butter, for cooking 

Nutella Topping (hazelnut topping)

1 cup Nutella

1 cup Whipping cream

Pancakes:

Warm the milk on low heat; add the coffee granules and mix well to dissolve. It takes 1-2 minutes to dissolve. Set aside and cool.

Separate yolks from whites in bowls.

Bowl 1:  combine yolks and sugar; mix well. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well. Begin adding the milk and coffee a little at a time and mix well until well homogenized.  When it’s nicely mixed, add a pinch of salt and mix again. Set aside.

Bowl 2: In a dry bowl, whip egg whites until a firm stiff cloud.  Transfer egg whites into flour mixture and fold gently to incorporate fully.  Cover in plastic wrap and allow to rest in refrigerator about 20-30 minutes.

Cooking: Once the batter has rested, begin cooking pancakes in large skillet.  Add a little butter (1/2 - 1 tablespoon) at a time in skillet; ladle small scoops of batter in the hot skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, flipping once. Transfer to a platter or serving plates. 

Nutella topping:

In a saucepan place the Nutella and cream on low heat to warm. Keep stirring on low heat, until a smooth homogeneous cream. When the pancakes are ready, drizzle the warm sauce over pancakes. Makes 12-24 pancakes.

 

Hazelnuts

These espresso pancakes are ready quickly and they can be served for breakfast, brunch, or even as a dessert. In this recipe, the pancake mix is enriched by the espresso granules that are dissolved in the milk. Add more granules if you like more espresso flavor. However, the enchanting finish to this recipe is the magnificent delicious warm Nutella sauce over these light and fluffy pancakes. 

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Alba’s Spinach and Feta Bake

Spanakopita (Spinach Feta Pie)

3 (10 ounces) boxes frozen spinach, thawed and strained of all liquid

1 1/2 pounds feta cheese, crumbled

8 ounces whole ricotta, strained overnight

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Black pepper

Red pepper flakes

Ground nutmeg

2-3 tablespoons fresh dill, minced

1 cup unsalted butter, for brushing

1 box of phyllo dough, thawed in refrigerator 1 day before

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for topping 

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place the strained spinach in a dry skillet and cook until the spinach is completely dry.

In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, feta, ricotta, eggs, black pepper, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and dill.

Lay the pastry sheets lengthwise on a baking sheet. Open the sheets only when you are ready to use them and cover the rest with a damp towel so that they don’t dry out. Each time you pull out 1 sheet, cover the rest with this damp towel. If a phyllo sheet breaks, use it by patching it together on the baking pan and brush butter on it quickly. I usually pat the butter on with a brush, rather than brushing it, it’s easier and the sheets will not break. 

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and begin the layering process. First brush some butter on the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Place one single sheet of phyllo in the baking pan; brush butter on this first layer. Repeat this process for the next seven sheets of phyllo. After the eight layers of phyllo, add half of the spinach mixture spreading it evenly with a spoon, or your hands.

Add eight more sheets of phyllo while buttering between every layer again. Add the remaining half of the spinach mixture spreading it evenly.  Top with another eight sheets of phyllo, and repeat the buttering process for each sheet.  Brush the top of the last layer in the baking pan with the butter. Sprinkle raw sesame seeds, cut in squares. Bake about 45 minutes, or until the top is a beautiful golden color.  Allow to cool about 5-8 minutes before serving. 

The Spanakopita (Spinach feta pie) is a typical Greek Cuisine Dish consisting of a treasure trove of layers of buttered phyllo dough with a filling of spinach, feta, onion, and eggs. It is prepared in a single mold and then served in small squares or prepared by rolling the filling in individual portions of triangular shape. 

I have created my version of this dish in my recent cooking class at Whole Foods, by adding strained ricotta, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, fresh dill, and sesame seeds. I lean toward a spicier version. I promise it’s not a lot of work if you are well organized.and have all ingredients ready to go.

It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.  To heat, place in the oven over 400 F, and heat for a few minutes. Do not microwave or you could lose the crispiness. 

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