The Sweetness of Honey

Before last year, I never liked honey. Actually, the list of foods I didn't eat before was ridiculously long: vegetables, fruits, certain meats, fish... I don't know why honey made it onto the blacklist. One of my favorite cartoon characters was obsessed with honey, which generally meant that I would happily eat said food. Cookie monster ate cookies (like a champ lol) and so did I.  Popeye ate his spinach for the awesome muscles and so did I. Winnie the Pooh Bear could not get enough HONEY into his belly and yet I couldn't be bothered. I have no idea what was going on in my baby brain but I would not eat honey.
Nowadays I've come to my senses. Honey is delicious! Honey is adaptable! I'll have honey in my tea. I make honey chicken fingers. I even put honey into my savory french toast mixture. Honey can be used in place of syrup for pancakes or it can be a replacement for refined sugar.
And it comes in such great varieties ranging from the very sweet to the less sweet. There are smooth honeys and harsher tasting honeys. Honey that tastes like flowers is delightful for some while chestnut honey is more the speed of others.
I love tasting and experimenting with the flavors!

Recipe: Spinach Pie

Growing up, spinach pie was absolutely one of my favorite things to eat. Yes, I admit it. I was a weird child. But what can I say? I just wanted to be like Popeye.
This recipe is a variation of the spinach pie my grandmother made. It's semi homemade (basically because I'm too lazy to make my own crust everytime I want to eat it).  I love how simple it is to make! Just be careful not to eat all of it at once!  Goodness know I have to be careful not to.

My Spinach Pie

1 premade pie crust
1000 grams frozen spinach
250 grams of ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Red Pepper flakes

Preheat the over to 350°.
In a large saucepan defrost the spinach over a very low heat with a little bit of salt.  Heat covered until most of the excess liquid has cooked off.  If necessary use a strainer to remove any other water.  Put aside to cool.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until well-blended.  When the spinach has cooled, add to the ricotta and stir well.
Place the pie crust into a pie pan and use a fork to make a few holes so the crust does not bubble.  Fill with the spinach mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust has lightly browned.
This can be served warm or cold.


There are several other variations I make of spinach pie.  Sometimes I'll add a layer of thinly sliced pancetta to the crust before pouring in the spinach mixture.  On other occassions I have added a layer of mashed potatoes and spinach.  When making a simple pie sometimes I will add in a spoonful of honey and a dash of nutmeg for a slightly different feel.
Grandma's spinach pie used no ricotta, but instead utilized more eggs.

The possibilities are endless, so play around until you find your favorite version!

-Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: La Parmigiana #3

So I've decided to try a healthier version of the classic Parmigiana.

2 small eggplant (or 1 large) sliced thinly
1 jar of tomato sauce (homemade or store bought is fine)
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
oregano

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Ladle a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of an oven proof dish.  Lay down the pieces of eggplant leaving as few gaps as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, salt, oregano and another layer of sauce. Cover with parmesan cheese. Repeat until you run out of eggplant. Cover the last layer liberally with sauce and cheese.
Bake for 35-45 minutes checking periodically that the cheese does not burn.
Serve warm.

This came out quite good and delicious, but since the eggplant was not fried in oil, there was a little less flavor. Next time I think I'll be adding some mozzarella and ricotta. Maybe even some prosciutto!  (So much for healthy ahaha).

-raspberry truffle

Recipe: Turkey sandwich with caramellized onion

 A turkey sandwich is probably one of the easiest dishes to make, but to make it with flair? That could be a challenge.  How does one transform a standard turkey sandwich into something fun and delicious.
I was in the mood for a turkey sandwich that would have been the envy of every lunch box and brown paper bag in high school! (Granted, my lunches were pretty envied anyway thanks to my mothers famous italian sandwiches of all of my friends)
I decided to take the simple turkey sandwich up a notch.



Best Turkey Sandwich
1 piece of frozen turkey breast (a thinly sliced cutlet is perfect)
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 of a onion diced
1 clove of garlic (if you would like a stronger taste of garlic, finely dice the clove)
2 slices of american cheese or mozzarella
1 tsp mayonnaise
salt and pepper
arugula
cherry tomatoes (sliced or quartered)

In a flat skillet saute the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter. As the onion begins to become transparent add the turkey and cover. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn when slightly golden on one side.
Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on each piece of bread and cover with a slice of cheese. When you flip the turkey, check on the onion, if it has started to brown remove it from the pan so it does not burn and place the mixture onto the slices of bread. (If you have not finely diced your garlic, you can discard the clove at this point). Add the other tablespoon of butter to the pan and then place the bread on top.Let the cheese melt as the turkey finishes cooking. When the turkey has browned remove and cut into slices. Place the turkey on the bread with lettuce and tomato.
Serve with a side salad and balsamic vinegar.

 

~Raspberry Truffle

Craving: Donuts

Red Velvet Donut

Lavender Donut with White Chocolate Glaze

So I haven't actually thought about Donuts in ages. But my loverly friend Samantha just sent me these beautiful images of donuts and I WANT!!  I've never seen donuts such as these. Red Velvet donuts?  Her aunt Kathleen Hernandez is a pastry chef and makes these gorgeous goodies.  The second image, is a lavander donut! Who's ever heard of such a thing? And it just randomly showed up in a google search (sooo unfortunately I have no idea where it's from) but it LOOKS spectacular!!!!
To be completely honest, I would even settle for a plain old Dunkin Donuts Double chocolate donut right about now!  One of the only things Italy seems to lack: Donuts.

<3
~Raspberry Truffle

Ode to Pancakes...

Soo I live in Florence, Italy... There is an abundance of fresh amazing food available to me at all times and yet sometimes I really find myself missing certain "American" foods. Foods that don't exist here, or if they do exist here... well, believe me... It's just not the same...

Like PANCAKES! I miss plain pancakes with fresh syrup and whipped cream.... Chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry, strawberry... Yeah. That would be fantastic right now.
Mind you there are specialty stores that carry pancake mix (overpriced) and there is one restaurant (sadly, only one The Diner) that serves pancakes... But in the end they still don't taste quite the same... There's somthing missing.
Mind you, I might just be missing the amazing company of my Jersey girls but honestly, I think the pancakes just aren't as good here (the same way I don't think mozzarella is as good in Jersey as it is in Florence lol).

Baked Omelette AMAZINGNESS

I mean, I guess it's not just pancakes I miss. It's good, amazing breakfast foods in general.  Italians aren't big on big filling breakfast and brunches. They do the expresso and a pastry thing. Which, mind you... I LOVE! But still on a Sunday morning I wake up at around 11 wanting Brunch.
Eggs, pancakes, bacon. You know, the standards!
I was already having cravings when my besties back in Jersey met up with my mother for brunch. Kindly Sherna took pictures of the food... I am jealous... I WANT BRUNCH...

Eggs Benedict

I want crispy bacon, and poached runny-ish eggs...
I want pancakes like woah. Yeah....
So I think this coming weekend I may attempt to make myself an American-ish brunch. I'll make a western omelette.. and hopefully I'll be able to get a hold of some yummy bacon (pancetta is delicious but most certainly not the same lol).

My mom and the amazing crispy bacon...

Oh cravings...

~Raspberry Truffle

Frozen Pizza Take 1

While living here in Florence I generally only eat pizza in restaurants, made by real Italians, preferably real Neapolitans. Hey, if it's a realistic option, why not? If and when I ever make it to the states I am going to be seriously spoiled!
But tonight, my new roommates (4 Italian girls from all over Italy) convinced me to do frozen pizza. Let me tell you, after the amazing Neapolitan pizza from Gusta Pizza the night before, frozen pizza did not sound overtly appealing.
But I let them talk me into it, and began to come up with the perfect scheme to make my ordinary frozen pizza margherita more interesting. I would not be having plain, boring, frozen pizza from a box. Granted, it's still not the same as freshly made pizza... but it's something :)

Spicy Cheese pizza
What you need:
1 frozen pizza (your favorite brand)
Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes to taste
Olive Oil
1/4 of an onion diced
1 clove of garlic diced

Bake your cheese pizza in the oven according to the box instructions.
In a skillet caramelize the onions and garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Add the red pepper flakes for some kick.
When the pizza is done, cover with parmesan cheese and then drizzle the spicy onion mixture on top while still hot, which should melt the parmesan.
Eat subito!!


Simple, but definitely added some punch to my frozen pizza.
I really do love being creative with my food. I can think of a lot of variations and things to add to frozen pizza to make it fresher and more delicious, and a lot less like it came out of a box.

~Raspberry Truffle

Restaurant Review: Baldovino (Firenze)

The cozy comfort and elegance of Baldovino

There are so many wonderful things I can say about Baldovino.  I've been going to this restaurant since 2006, the first time I studied in Florence and in 2011 I'm still going back.
I don't remember who told me about Baldovino but there's a lot to be said about this little restaurant tucked away behind the Dante Statue right next door to Santa Croce.
The restaurant is beautiful with beautiful colors and a very warm homey feel. When you first enter the restaurant seems small, but if you walk further back there are several other spacious rooms away from the main door. 
The waiters are friendly and always willing to speak Italian or English whichever your preference. As a first time visitor expect a menu in English! It vaguely bothers me, but I understand the impulse. Now that I've gone so often, that I call the waiters by name and get greeted with kisses and the general "how are yous?" and the occassional scolding of "You haven't been here in forever!" So they know to give me the menu in Italian.
However, for most first timers English menu and then the amazing waiters will ask which language you'd prefer to hear the specials (I mean honestly, even if I wasn't fluent in Italian I'd ask for the Italian! It makes everything sound so gorgeous and fluid and although the waiters' English is not generally bad, there is a certain amount of chopiness that comes with speaking your non-native language).
The menu is fairly large with antipasti, primi, secondi and pizza (plus of course desserts and such!). Now, I'm a creature of habit. I always get pizza when I go to Baldovino and I very rarely stray from my usuals.
Of the antipasti, I believe I've only tried their Tuscan-style Hummus, but it's to die for and if you're really hungry, you should definitely go for it!
Believe it or not, I've never gotten pasta or meat at this restaurant, although my mother and many of my friends have tried various dishes. I've heard nothing but good things and the menu rotates with the seasons. If you're in Florence during the winter months, I would seriously suggest trying something involving cinghiale (wild boar), rabbit or duck.
And now onto pizza!  I have tried many of the Baldovino pizzas, although I inevitably always go back to my two favorites.

Pizza Fiorentina

The first pizza I ever tried at Baldovino, back in 2006 was the Pizza Fiorentina.  It's still one of my favorites and I can't describe just how much I love this pizza. Delicious white pizza (no tomato sauce) with mozzarella, ricotta, spinach and an egg cracked and backed on top to gooey perfection. Egg on pizza? Yes, I know it sounds kind of strange, but honestly the egg is what makes this pizza special. The egg is essentially baked to the point of over easy, so you wind up with something similar to the consistency of eggs benedict. The egg yolks are just runny enough to blend perfectly with delicious tastes of cheese and spinach. It's light yet filling, so perfect for a Friday night meal with a glass of red wine.

Pizza Giardiniera

My second favorite pizza and the one I have continually gotten the last few months at Baldovino is the Pizza Giardiniera, or the garden pizza. It utilizes a small amount of tomato sauce and lots of fresh mozzzarella but the calling card of this pizza are the fresh vegetables lightly cooked on top. It has fresh peppers (either red or yellow), slices of red ripe tomato, red onions, mushrooms and black olives (that I either give to friends or request not put on my pizza since I don't eat olives). It's another refreshing and healthy pizza that makes me smile. It doesn't hurt that the pizza is absolutely gorgeous to look at as well. Also for this particular pizza, I usually request olio piccante (spicy olive oil) to drizzle on top because the slight heat is quite complimentary to the other ingredients.

If I'm with friends I love to end my meal with dessert! My favorite is the chocolate cake. It's dark chocolate smooth richness on a plate and is covered in homemade whipped cream, usually accompanied by fresh strawberries. Mmmm... I just made myself hungry.

La Torta Cioccolata: Perfect to share with friends

Finish off your meal with an expresso or even better a limoncello!

~Raspberry Truffle

So you have to wonder...

I absolutely had to laugh reading my last post... Part of me really wants to go back and edit it, but I'm just a little too lazy. Plus, it's far more comical like that. I come off as a hyperactive advertiser! Which I'm not normally, but for some reason I got really happy about my salad that day.  Sometimes I just get happy about my food and get a little silly.

That's my excuse. No need to wonder about my sanity.  I swear!

But I also realized as I read through the post, that I probably wouldn't be so hyperactive about food if I wrote here more often.  So I'm going to try to post more often again. Goodness knows I take enough pictures of food! So I have plenty I can post about.

~Raspberry Truffle

Let's talk SALAD

The beauty of a healthy salad for lunch

serious nutritious yummyness

So I know quite a few people who think that salads are boring and unappetizing... But really, that's not true!

Who says a salad can't be delicious and gorgeous, and just as much fun as other foods?

Yes, plain lettuce is a boring salad. So dress it up! Add in beautiful colors with other veggies and proteins. Keep it simple, healthy and nutritious with fresh ingredients.

I've been on a bit of a health kick recently and decided that salad would be a great lunch option... But only if I could figure out a way to make my salad delicious and well, not boring.

So, the salad that I perpetually go back to is healthy (and gorgeous, if I do say so myself!) and packed with all sorts of beneficial nutrients.

Spread out on a larger plate in all its colorful glory (here with Romaine lettuce)

I used arugula (although, if you don't enjoy the slightly bitter taste, I would use Romaine or even regular lettuce for a more mild taste). I then added corn, freshly sliced tomatoes, and a hard boiled egg (although some of my Jersey girls insist that one egg just isn't enough for a salad lunch xp). A little salt, pepper and oregano and then dressed with a drizzle of Italy's finest olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

And that's only one variation!  If you don't like hard-boiled egg (I know it's kind of particular), I sometimes add chickpeas to my salad for protein kick! If avocados are in season, I love to add half of one for some healthy fat to the mix (yes I know, quite the conundrum, healthy fat... lol). Beets could add a kick of color and sweetness. Red onions also work (although I prefer my onions sauteed and juicy). If you're bored of normal lettuce varieties, fresh spinach is a wonderful substitution! OOooo Also, never forget the power of adding cheesy yumminess! Mozzarella, swiss, gouda, feta, ricotta, and so forth and so on.  Or nuts!  I love to add walnuts to my salads! And others tell me almonds and peanuts are great additions as well (I dislike both varieties sooo I'll stick to my walnuts!).
But you can always go further out of the box and create an amazing salad with ingredients you wouldn't think to put in a salad. Like fruit!  I love adding fresh rasperries or strawberries to my salads. And sliced apples or pears work wonderfully if you're also using nuts!  Oranges make a great juicy addition too. (There's an amazing Sicilian salad that I'll have to write up a recipe for using only fennel, onions and blood oranges! It's gorgeous and delicious!!)

As for dressings, I mean really, the options are limitless!  I mean there are your creamy Italians, drool worthy Russians, saucy Frenches... wait... I may have just gone off on a tangent... I'm describing salad dressing, NOT men... :P
Yes, so, as I was saying dressings. There's the stuff you buy in jars and then you can always get creative and make your own. Add a little dijon mustard to your balsamic and olive oil for a little tang. Sometimes heating up some honey to drizzle on top is also amazing (My friend Kim makes this wonderful dressing by melting feta, honey, olive oil, and pine nuts all together in the oven before serving the amazing concoction over arugula and pears).

And now that I've successfully given myself a salad craving, I'm off!

~Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: Simple french onion soup

 3 raw onions, sliced thin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 boillion cube (preferably reduced sodium) boiled in the appropriate amount of water

Red pepper flakes to taste

oregano

salt and pepper to taste

For each bowl of soup: 

1 slice of thick wheat bread

thin slices of mozzarella (or your choice of cheese)



Saute the onions in a little bit of oil in a covered large saucepan over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the onions become soft and clear. Slowly stir in the boullion broth, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then let simmer for 15 minutes.

Place bread on a baking sheet; sprinkle bread with cheese. Broil 4-to-5 inches from heat for about 1 minute or until cheese is melted and golden.(I only make enough bread for the number of bowls of soup, so the bread and cheese are fresh and perfectly melted.)

Ladle soup into bowls and top with bread. 

My unique serving method: Place the whole piece of bread into a bowl and then ladle the onions and soup on top.

~Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: La Parmigiana #2

If you can't have glutten this is a great recipe for you. My Sicilian friend showed me how to make this. It's how his mother prepares it.

1 large eggplant or 2 medium eggplants
Pot of tomato sauce (homemade is best :) obviously )
250 grams of grated mozzarella
2 hard boiled eggs cubed
200 grams of prosciutto or ham diced
100 grams of mortadella diced (I don't like it, so I choose to omit this ingredient)
parmigian cheese
fresh basil shred into bits
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350*-400*.
Slice the eggplant into thin slices and salt lightly. 
In a pan, heat some olive oil and fry each piece of eggplant lightly. When the eggplant comes out of the pan, drain the excess oil on sheets of paper towel.
In an oven proof casserole dish, ladle a thin layer of sauce into the casserole. Lay down a layer of eggplant, cover with mozzarella, ricotta, basil, egg, the meats and a fresh grating of parmigian cheese. Season with salt and pepper and then cover with another layer of tomato sauce.  Repeat the layering until you run out of all ingredients.
Finish by coating the top layer  of eggplant with sauce and extra parmigian cheese.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until there is a lightly golden crust.
Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut and serve!

 ~Raspberry Truffle

How to Make the Most of Leftovers

I don't know about anyone else, but I really do love leftovers.  I usually only cook for me (sometimes for friends and roommates) so I always wind up with leftovers because I cook in bulk all the time.  I always have a lot of leftovers for several different reasons...

1. I'm not used to cooking for only 1 person.  In college I used to cook all the time for my roommates, friends or family. If I ever wound up preparing something just for me, it was ramen... or a dish using the leftovers from other dinners.
2. I love cooking but I don't want to cook for myself every single night.  I would wind up eating out a lot more if I had to depend on my own ingenuity constantly.
3. I really dislike making single portions of food.  You waste time portioning out everything exactly to make a meal for a single night, but what happens if you're more hungry that evening, or you've made something AMAZING that you would like to eat again. You would than have to cook again which would utterly defeat the purpose. You lose time and well, inevitably the dish will not be exactly the same as the first time you prepared it. 
4. I really, really like sharing food. If I were to cook only just enough for myself, I wouldn't be able to offer some to the roommate who passes through the kitchen. There wouldn't be enough to offer an exchange, "Here try some of this." "And you try some of this!"  It's a lot of fun  when you get to exchange bits and pieces of meals and to try different things.
5. I find that a lot of food tastes better the day after. Some spices become richer after a day or so. Making enough for leftovers is a great way to see which flavors will deepen and stregthen and which stay relatively the same. The flavors blend and mesh, individual spices become less individual. They become one unique flavor (as opposed to 6 unique flavors fighting for superiority).

But leftovers do present an interesting challenge for me. I make enough food in one evening for 4-6 people. I am one person, meaning it takes me 3-5 days to finish all of the leftovers!  That can get really boring, really quickly. A dish is wonderful the first time eaten. It's a novelty and special. It's often something new that you've never eaten before. The second day you eat the dish, it's better. The flavors aren't so crisp.  They have blended and in a way become more potent in their combinations. By the third day the flavors have settled. The dish is still good, but your palate is looking for something new. You pick at the food while wishing for something else. The fourth day, the dish is okay, but let's face it, you've had enough. The fifth day, well either the dish has gone bad, or you just don't want anything to do with it. You either wind up throwing it away or avoiding it; meaning you gaze at the container for a moment, shake your head and grab something else... This means that in a week or so, you'll find a very disgusting container in your refrigerator... All in all something will be wasted which is a shame (especially if it was really, really good lol).

Soo how do you deal with this leftover madness?
Well, the easiest solution is to invite someone to come eat with you. Hahahaha It's a wonderful solution. You get rid of your leftovers and generally you get lots of compliments, which is always a lot of fun.
But let's face it, guests aren't always a possibility. Sometimes you live in the middle of nowhere and it's hard for guests to get to you (welcome to my life here in Sesto Fiorentino! lol). So what do you do then?

How do you avoid throwing out perfectly good food just because you're sick of eating it?

I've found a solution that is actually kind of fun. Get creative. Turn you're leftovers into something else entirely.

For example I made curried turkey last Tuesday.
Day 1: Curried turkey with mini puff pastries (That night I also ate a half portion of pasta carbonara made by my roommate but that got finished by all of us.)
Day 2 lunch: Curried turkey with a simple risotto and mini puff pastries
Day 2 dinner: Curried turkey with risotto, salad dressed with lemon juice, oregano and salt
Day 3 lunch: Cold Curried turkey and peas sandwich on fresh Italian bread
Day 4 dinner: Curried turkey reheated with peas with plain white rice, salad with tomatoes, mozarella and balsamic vinegar
Day 5 lunch: Curried turkey with peas and plain white risotto, salad with balsamic vinegar and baked onion rings with mayonnaise or balsamic vinegar.

Mind you, the curried turkey is kind of heavy in its cream sauce and also has a lot of strong flavor components making it difficult to pair with a lot of ingredients (if I had made an excess of grilled or roasted turkeyI would probably maked a grilled chicken and turkey sandwich with tomato soup on the side). My goal was to lighten the meal and finish up the leftovers. I still have quite a bit left though... Soo I'll just keep updating this until it's all gone. Luckily I'm very, very good at creative.

~Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: La Parmigiana #1

Eggplant Parmigiana is slowly becoming one of my favorite things to eat, and one of my favorite things to make, even though it takes forever to make. I have a couple of amazing variations on this recipe. The first is the one I traditionally use.

1 large eggplant or 2 medium eggplants
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs or flour
Pot of tomato sauce (homemade is best :) obviously )
Grated mozzarella
250 grams of ricotta
parmigian cheese
oregano
salt
pepper
fresh basil (to put in the layers)

Everyone says Parmigiana is complicated... but I think it's pretty simple if a little time consuming...
Preheat the oven to 350*-400*.
Slice the eggplant into thin slices and salt lightly.  Beat the eggs with the various spices. Dip each piece of eggplant into the egg batter and then coat evenly with the breadcrumbs.
In a pan heat some olive oil and fry each piece of eggplant. When the eggplant comes out of the oil, drain the excess oil on sheets of paper towel.
In an oven proof casserole dish, ladle a thin layer of sauce into the casserole. Lay down a layer of eggplant, cover with a layer of mozzarella, ricotta and a fresh grating of parmigian cheese. Season with salt and pepper and then cover with another layer of tomato sauce.  Repeat the layering until you run out of all ingredients.
Finish by coating the top layer  of eggplant with sauce and extra parmigian cheese.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until there is a lightly golden crust.
Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut and serve!

~Raspberry Truffle

A New Year, A New Start

I originally created this blog around two years ago as a way to share food ideas with two of my best friends. It was supposed to be a way to keep us close even though we'd be far apart. BUT, well, none of us was especially good at keeping it updated.  And as much as we all love food, we were only posting pictures of food and talking about cravings (in the 2 months that we actually kept it updated regularly). We were able to stay close to one another even without the blog.
But over the last couple of years I've discovered that I really do love food.  I love eating. I love making food. I love the experience of dining with friends either at home or out at restaurants.
So I've decided to keep going with this blog. I want to talk about food, cravings, share recipes and even talk about some of the amazing dishes that I've found here in Florence. I keep finding new foods. I keep finding new ways of mixing tastes and flavors and new ways to present foods (pretty food makes it taste even better... at least most of the time!). 

Mangiare= To eat

Edible= Good for eating 

Mangiable= All things that are good for eating

And so that's what this blog is. It's a place to talk about all the things that are mangiable. 

~Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: Curried Turkey with mini puff pastries

Curried Turkey
500-600 grams of turkey cut into cubes
200 mL of cream (recipe calculated with heavy cream)
1/2 a medium onion diced
1 tsp olive oil
curry powder
nutmeg
paprika

Saute the onion in a small quantity of oil using a low heat. When the onion begins to wilt add the turkey. Let cook on all sides and add the spices to taste (I like things spicy so I tend to add around 1 1/2 tbs of curry, 1 tbs of paprika, and 1 tsp of nutmeg). When the turkey is almost cooked through add the cream. Let simmer until the turkey cubes are fully cooked (do not let the cream come to a boil).

Serve over rice or with mini puff pastries. 

Puff pastries
1 cup water
1 cup butter
1 tsp salt

1 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 220* C (sorry I live in Italy right now and don't know the Farenheit :( ).

Combine first 3 ingredients in medium saucepan.
Heat and stir on medium-high until the mixture starts to boil and the butter is completely melted.
Reduce the heat.

Add flour. Stir until the mixture is fully incorporated and begins to pull away from side of saucepan/ It will now resemble a soft dough. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Add the eggs1 at a time. Beat until well combined and the dough becomes thick and glossy.
Drop (about 2-3 tsps) for each onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper (you can also place them onto a greased baking sheet... but I prefer the easy cleanup of parchment paper).
Bake for around 30 minutes until dry. It should make about 36 puffs. (1 is 1 serving)


This came out really delicious!  And tomorrow I'm going to eat the leftovers with rice!

Recipe: Tortellini Soup...

It's not exactly soup.... There was definitely less broth than I had anticipated, but it was absolutely delicious anyway. :)
It was wonderful for the "snowstorm" that kept me trapped in Sesto Fiorentino. Warm with a little kick of goodness.

Tortellini Soup
5-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
4-5 stalks of celery, washed and sliced
1/2 a large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
3 medium sized potatoes, cubed
Olive oil
1 boullion cube (follow package to make broth)
1 package of prosciutto tortellini
nutmeg
red pepper flakes
oregano and basil
salt and pepper


Saute the onions and garlic over a low heat until the onion begins to wilt (approximately 5 minutes). Add the spices and cook for 1 minute before adding the carrots, celery and potatoes. When the veggies are almost half done pour in the boullion cube broth (about a quart). Cover and let simmer for about a half hour (the potatoes should be almost fully dissolved). If adventurous, and legally of age, add in a liberal amount of whiskey for flavor. (Don't worry the alcohol will cook off).
Uncover and add the tortellini.  Cook according to package time.

~Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: Spicy Chickpea Stew

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp paprika

1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes (the ones I used were almost overly ripe)

1 can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp sugar

1 quart vegetable broth

salt and pepper
pasta

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

2. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic begins to brown (2-3 minutes).

3. Add the spices and cook for one minute.

4. Add the tomatoes, beans, chickpeas, sugar, broth, a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Stir well.

5. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Add more liquid if the broth evaporates too much.
6. Boil water with some salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

7. Crush about half of the beans and chickpeas, then stir the soup well before serving.
8. Pour the soup into a bowl and serve with a small helping of pasta on top.  Decorate with a sprig of parsley or basil (I didn't have either, so my plate had no decorations).



This came out absolutely delicious!  Thanks to Oh, Mishka for the wonderful idea!!
(spicy moroccan chickpea soup recipe)
I haven't been to the supermarket in ages so I had to get a little creative. I used Mishka's recipe as a base and then adapted it to what I had in my kitchen!   Next time I might add some potatoes to the mix as well. 
I ate it with a piece of foccaccia on the side with cream cheese to counter the spicy.  SOooo Delicious!!!

~Raspberry Truffle