pizza

Amalfi, coastal love

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The town of Amalfi is high in the mountains on the Italian coast in the province of Salerno. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and used to be a stomping ground for the British upper classes.

Main sights in Amalfi include the cathedral of Sant Andrea, the campanile, the convent of Cappuccini, Chiostro del Paradiso, and the Museum of handmade paper. Amalfi is rich in culture and is famous for its lemon liqueur Limonocello and high quality hand-made paper. Festivals held annual include the feast day of St. Andrew the city’s patron saint the Byzantine New Year’s Eve and the regatta.

Country-style cooking is famous all along the Amalfi coast and some tidbits to try include cornetto which is an Italian Croissant, sfogliiatella, follarelli, pizza, mozzarella di bufala which is mozzarella cheese balls, and insalata caprese or Caprian salad.

Seafood is also a must when eating along the coast. Shellfish with pasta is just spectacular.

Some places to try along the Amalfi coast include Pizzeria Trianon da Ciro, Pasticceria Scaturchio, La Tradizione, A’Sciula, and L’Antica Trattoria.

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Zuppa Toscana, Tuscan soup

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When one thinks of Italian food pasta, pizza, and antipasto most readily come to mind. But Italian cuisine also includes an interesting array of soups. One such soup is the Zuppa Toscana.

As the name suggests, Zuppa Toscana is soup indigenous to the Italian region of Tuscany. To make this soup you will need 1 package smoked sausage, 2 potatoes, cut into small slices, 3/4 cup chopped onion, 6 slices bacon, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 cups kale– shredded, 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder, 1 quart water, and 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream.

To prepare first preheat an oven to 300 degrees F, place the sausage on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Cut each in half, lengthwise.

Cook the onions and bacon in a large skillet over a medium flame until the onions are translucent. Crumble to bacon and add the garlic, to the onions and cook for another minute. Add the chicken base and water, potatoes, and simmer for around 15 minutes. Add the bacon, sausage, kale, and cream and cook for a further 4 minutes. Serve when hot.

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Vegetarian Pizza, a way to eat healthy

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The great thing about a good pizza is that you can choose your own toppings. If you’re not a fan of meat then you can also pile on the vegetables. The basic pizza dough 2 x 7g sachets dry yeast, 2 teaspoons caster sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 5 cups plain flour, and 1/2 cup olive oil.

To make the dough combine the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups warm water in a bowl. Cover and let it stand for 20 minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Then add flour and oil in a bowl and stir. Make a well in the centre and add yeast mixture. Knead onto a lightly-floured surface.

When the dough has risen, use fist to flatten and knead until smooth. Divide into quarters; roll to form four, 30cm round pizza bases and place on greased baking trays.

For the toppings use 1 small onion, finely chopped, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1 small zucchini, grated, 200g of diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon shredded basil, 1/2 medium red capsicum, thinly sliced, 1/2 medium green capsicum, thinly sliced, 4 (120g) bocconcini cheese, sliced, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

In a saucepan heat oil and add onion, garlic and zucchini. Stir until onion has softened then add tomatoes. Bring to the boil; reduce heat until sauce has thickened. Add basil. Then spread pizza base with tomato mixture and add capsicum, bocconcini and mozzarella. Bake until cheese has melted and base is crisp.

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Tiella, Italian pie

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tiella
Italian cuisine is more than just pasta and pizza. There are many recipes you can try. Tiella is a layered vegetable dish which often contains tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini, baked in an earthenware dish. It is most popular in the Italian south.

Eggplant, onions, red peppers, mushroom slices, sauteed greens, and sliced winter squash can be added. For the dough use 2 teaspoons dry yeast, ¼ cup warm water, 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cups semolina flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ cup cool water, and 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

For the filling use 2 pounds escarole, 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ tablespoons chopped garlic, ⅓ cup capers, drained, ⅓ cup Gaeta olives, pitted, ½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, and salt. To prepare trim the base of the escarole rinse, drain the leaves and chop into shreds.

Pour ¼ cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add garlic. Cook for a minute then add the escarole, capers and olives, add salt and peperoncino. Steam for 5 minutes.

To make the dough, dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water and leave for several minutes to and start to bubble. Put flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and run for a few seconds to blend the dry ingredients. Stir the yeast with the cool water and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour the liquid into the flour and continue processing for 30 seconds.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead to form a smooth round. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. When filling is prepared, heat the oven to 375°. Place a rack in the centre of the oven. Brush the bottom of the baking pan with olive oil.

Knead the dough to form a round and cut off 1/3 for the top crust of the tiella. The larger piece from the bottom. Put the round in the baking pan then scrape add escarole filling in the bottom crust and spread evenly. Fold the rest of the dough over the crust making indentations with the fingertips to seal. With a knife, pierce the top crust all over, brush extra-virgin olive oil and bake for about 45 minutes. 

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