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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Open House - Williams and Sonoma, Columbia Mall, Md

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Stuffed Fresh Lemons with Feta and Cucumber

1 English cucumber, partially peeled and small dice

6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Sea salt

White pepper

Red pepper flakes

7 ounces Greek yogurt, strained overnight 

2-3 teaspoons minced fresh mint or dill, more for topping

Juice of ½ lemon or to taste

3 large organic lemons cut in half lengthwise

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl, add the cucumber, feta, season with salt and peppers. Add the yogurt, herb, and lemon juice to taste. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and taste again. Refrigerate.

With a small paring knife remove pulp of the lemons being careful not to remove the white part of the lemon.

Fill the lemons with the cold mixture. Add a pinch or two of the fresh herb on top, a drizzle of olive oil and serve. 

No need for fancy containers, lemons make a great presentation when stuffed with this recipe, shrimp, crab, egg or tuna salad. Stuffed lemons can be made ahead and refrigerated.  Drizzle the olive oil right before serving, and top with fresh herb or toasted crumbled nuts on top.  Enjoy!!!

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Easy Cooking with Alba : Alba's Cooking Classes

Easy Cooking with Alba : Alba's Cooking Classes: Secolari store in Columbia mall, is closing its door August 31, 2018.  New cooking Location for Columbia is in progress for Chef Alb...

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