Pastiera (Neapolitan Easter Wheat Cheescake Pie)

This is a Neapolitan Easter Pie. It usually contains citron but I prefer to make it with lemon and orange zest. I used to make this for my daddy who was from Naples, Italy and he approved. Think of it as a  Mediterranean flavored Cheesecake! 

Ingredients/Tools

9 inch cake pan or cheesecake/springform pan

9 ounces Cooked Wheat Berries (cook 9 ounces raw wheat berries in water until soft 30-60 minutes covered)

1/4 cup half n half)

1 stip lemon peel

OR

One 14 ounce jar Grano Cotto  (Only use 3/4 of jar)

Pastry Dough

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

pinch salt

1/2 cup sugar

5 ounces butter

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

ice cold water (if too dry- adding 1 tablespoon at a time)

2 teaspoons lemon zest 

Filling

16 ounces ricotta whole milk (drained a few hours in paper towels in fridge)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

zest 1 large lemon

zest 1 large orange

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice or orange flower water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Dough: Mix dry ingredients then add chopped or grated butter until crumbly, add eggs and mix by hand until a dough forms adding ice water a little at a time until it sticks together when  mushed in hands. Place in plastic in fridge.

Filling: Beat ricotta and sugar, add cinnamon and zests and mix together. Add eggs and orange blossom or juice. Add in cooled off Wheat Berries Mixture and mix togther.

Crust & Pie: Butter the pan, Separate dough by setting 3/4 aside for crust and 1/4 aside to cut into strips for the lattice. Roll out Dough and place in pan bringing it up the sides and crimping  Pour in mixture. Add lattice dough strips on top. 

Bake: Bake 50-60 minutes at 375

Set in fridge covered over night.

Dust powdered sugar on top just before serving!

serving!

Easter Lunch!

The highlight of the meal!

Baked ricotto gnocchi!

Bread sticks and bubbly pink moscato as a simple antipasto.

Bread sticks are simple but good.

My granddaughter gets her first taste of moscato... just kidding, it's Italian soda : ) along with daughter Danielle and son in law George.

Jessica (A fun, beautiful, godly, young lady) and her brother Jimmy (A kind hearted hard working young man with  friend Jessie a strong godly new Christian young lady. Our dear friends!

Ajay a cute, godly, servant hearted  man, we LOVE him!

My Beautiful granddaughter and sexy strong man of God!

 Me and Granddaughter : )

Danny & Nikki a sweet godly couple full of God's grace and joy in the midst of trials.

Bentley a precious young man!

Jimmy hugging my son in law : )

Marseille, Bentley, and Margaux: Future buddies : )

Jessica's GF Coconut cake!

Nikki's French Meringue Cake!

Jessica and Nikki chatting around the tavola!

My grandbaby girl and youngest son Ryan : )

baci baci

My lovely daughter Danielle and son Ryan

The tavola!

Table settings Easter style

My hubby's place setting : )

Mangia mangia!

Birthday Dinner

My daughter just turned 21 so we had the whole family over for a birthday dinner, Buon Compleanno!
I like to ask each memebr of my family what they want for their special birthday dinner and Danielle chose Eggplant Parmesan, Bread, salad, and Guava and Cream Cheese  Empanadas for dessert! Just click on the food names for a link for each of the recipes if you like.

~Birthday Table all set~

~The Birthday girl and her hubby~

~Ready to dig in~

Mangia!

All my children and my granddaughter!

~And there's my man at the head~

Ricotta Spinaci Gnocchi

The dough is soft but firm enough to shape balls.

My beautiful daughter mixing the dough.

Here she is shaping the gnocchi.

Here is the uncooked gnocchi ready to freeze for Christmas day!

 I am making two different kinds of gnocchi for Christmas Dinner just like my Mom used to make for our special celebratory meals: regular potato gnocchi and spinach and ricotta gnocchi. I will serve the potato gnocchi with a red sauce (cooked with some Italian sausage) and the spinach gnocchi with a butter Parmesan sage sauce yummm I cant wait! This recipe is my Mom's recipe but hers was more like, "Take about 2 packs spinach, an egg, and uhhhm maybe 2 or more cups cheese and enough flour to make it hold shape."  My Mom would always place the boiled gnocchi in a pan with  olive oil and Parmesan cheese and bake a few minutes I am doing this but have also decided to add a little sage and butter for the holidays : )
Ingredients
2 packs frozen spinach (10 ounces each) defrosted and drained very very well
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese: a good packed down 1/2 cup (This is my addition to my Mom's recipe.)
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk beaten
about 1 cup or so flour all purpose
1/2 teaspoon salt
a dash of nutmeg
2 tablespoons sage chopped for baking 
butter and olive oil for baking (about 2- 3 tablespoons each)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for baking
Directions
Chop the spinach very fine.
In a large bowl add the spinach, both cheeses and egg and mix together.
Add the flour starting with 3/4 cup along with the salt and nutmeg and mix by hand. Adding more flour if needed. You want a dough that holds together nicely but not too dry.
Shape into the size of a large gumballs or jaw breakers, that's what my Mom said : )
Now you can freeze these for later use by placing on a cookie sheet until frozen and then placing in a freezer bag. Or proceed to next step I always find that my gnocchi comes out better if I freeze it ahead and this way it never falls apart in the water.
Place some butter and olive oil (50/50) in pan with the sage and put in a 350 oven to melt.
Bring  large pot of water to boil, add gnocchi in bunches (not all at once) and boil for 3-5 minutes after they rise to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and place in the pan of melted butter and olive oil.
Once they are all in the pan add some Parmesan cheese and roll them all over in it to coat, bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp!

Homemade Liqueurs as Christmas Gifts!

A little jar of a Merry Christmas : )

My little soldiers all lined up and ready to spread some Christmas cheer : )

Here are the Recipes:

Limoncello

Amaretto

Julia Child's 100th Birthday Celebration!

The Table!

We had a Julia themed dinner in honor of her 100th birthday this week at my house and I thought I would share some pictures! My daughter in-law made Julia's Baguette and Homemade Lady Fingers w/ Butter Rum Filling, it was divine! I used Julia's' Beef Bourguignonne recipe, I made a separate pot without onions and thyme for my daughter who is nursing, her little one has a sensitive tummy.Unfortunately I have no pictures of the main dish......it was completely devoured before I realized : )

~MENU~

First Course: Baguette w/ Brie, grapes, and figs (From our tree!)

Main Course: Beef Bourguignonne served over rice

Wine: Bourdeaux

Dessert: Lady Fingers w/ Butter Rum filling & French Pressed Coffee

~The First Course~

The wonderful Baguette my daughter in-law made!

Yumm!

~Bourdeaux~

BoccoNotti (Small Bites)

Bocconotti ~ small bites~ are a Southern Italian Pastry traditionally eaten for breakfast on Easter morning. The crust is so crispy and tender and you can use any jam filling your family likes. I made a batch with several jams to figure out which one to use for our Easter breakfast and  raspberry was the winner!

Ingredients
My Italian Pastry Dough (Pasta Frolla)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter plus 6 tablespoons shortening
A hearty pinch of cinnamon or half a lemon's zest: your choice
3 egg yolks
2 ounces white wine
water if needed
A pinch of salt
Filling: Jam of your choice or how about Nutella!?! I made a few different ones using fig butter, apricot preserves, and raspberry preserves. You can also use ricotta that has been drained, with some sugar and citrus zest to taste.
Directions
First make the dough ahead by whisking the dry ingredients. Than adding the fat in small cold chunks breaking up into small pieces with 2 forks, your fingers, the paddle for Kitchen Aid,or a pastry tool. Then add wet and stir just until it starts to stick and form a ball. Add water by drops if not sticking together. If using  stand mixer turn off and grab mixture to see if it sticks.Wrap in plastic and chill for half an hour.
Now separate the dough into balls the size of golf balls, I made about 30.
Line a pan with parchment paper.
Note: This dough is very tender so the less handling the better and if it is tearing just freeze for a few minutes..
 Press each ball out into a 2-3 inch circle and add about 2-3 teaspoons of jam into the bottom half of the circle, don't over fill. Fold over and seal by pinching down. Now crimp the edges with a fork and place on the pan.
Place the pan in the freezer for a few minutes to set up a little before baking.
Bake at 360 for 25-30 minutes.
Dust with powdered sugar once they are cooled.
These are typically eaten at room temperature. They need to cool off so that the jam will not ooze out when bitten into. These can be made a day ahead and left sealed at room temperature.

Frappe Carnevale Fritters

 In Italy Carnevale, also known as carnival or mardi gras, is celebrated 40 days before Easter, a final party before Ash Wednesday and  Lent. All across Italy there are many masked balls with lots of delicious foods to help celebrate and "fill up"before the restrictions of Lent. One of the most common things to eat is the festive  Frappe which is a deep fried pastry with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar...yummmmm! This is my recipe for a very traditional Frappe which is based on my cannoli shell recipe..... Have a great Carnevale!
Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
 2 Tablespoons shortening cold
 1 tablespoon butter cold
1/2 cup white wine
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk beaten
ice cold water as needed
1 quart oil for frying (I use canola)
Directions
To the flour, salt, and sugar add the butter/shortening and process or mash until the size of peas.
Add the whole egg and egg yolk in a well in the center.
Now add the wine and 1 tablespoon water, Mix until a stiff dough or knead by hand until a stiff dough. Add more water if needed as you may need up to 4 tablespoons.
Once a ball forms knead by hand for a good 8 minutes by hand or do all this in a food processor or kitchen aid.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat the oil up to 375.
Lightly flour the counter and roll out the dough as thin as you can without breaking like you do for making pasta.
Using a pasta cutter or small pizza cutter cut it into strips 1 1/2 inch wide and about 6 inches long. Take each strip and make a single knot in the center. Or you can cut them smaller 1" by 3" and leave them straight, I think they are not as pretty this way but are more crispy.

Fry a few at a time until golden ,these fry quickly, then drain on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar right away.
 I think these are best after they are cooled, they seem to be crispier this way, so go ahead and make them ahead of time.

Our 18th Anniversary

We just celebrated our 18th anniversary and I feel like the most blessed woman around! I know that the love my husband Chris and I share has come directly from God and I am so very thankful He chose to save us and then to bring us together.
For our anniversary this year we chose to have a "stay-cation" and used the allotted hotel money to buy Kindle Fires! But the fact that we stayed in doesn't mean we didn't celebrate, our son Ryan went and stayed at our married children's homes for the weekend--we are so blessed to have such godly and selfless children and their spouses--  and we played on our Kindle Fires each ordering 2 books, watched a few movies, ate some yummy Italian Antipasto, and drank some luxurious Italian wine. We also used some gift cards we saved from our favorite restaurant The Lazy Goat. 
I ordered my favroite The Lazy Paella and Chris ordered some Branzino and we both enjoyed a nice bottle of Spanish wine.

.........I feel so very blessed : )