Pasta alla boscaiola

If you want a first course with an autumn flavor, pasta alla boscaiola is the one for you, let yourself be enveloped by the scent of the forest with porcini mushrooms, I chose the dried ones because I love their scent and I used guanciale instead of bacon or sausage but I assure you that the result was excellent.

Ingredients

20 g dried porcini mushrooms

90 g guanciale

100 g cooking cream

Half a golden onion (medium)

1 dried red chili pepper (spicy)

chopped parsley to taste

200 ml tomato puree

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste (a little)

250 g penne rigate 

Steps

First of all, soak the mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes to rehydrate. In the sautéed pan, brown the diced guanciale in two tablespoons of oil until crispy. When the guanciale is ready, remove from the pan momentarily. At this point, brown the chopped onion and the chili pepper wedges in the same pan with the fat released by the guanciale. After a few minutes, add the mushrooms cut into strips and well squeezed and the chopped parsley. After a few minutes, add the tomato puree and a pinch of salt (remember that the guanciale is already savory) and let the sauce dry slightly. Remove from the heat and add the cream, return to the heat and leave to flavor. Cook the pasta and when it is ready, stir in the sauce, a little pasta cooking water, finally add the crispy bacon and serve.

Preservation

It is recommended to consume as soon as it is ready but if you wish it can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for Max a day.

 

Octopus carpaccio

Octopus carpaccio is one of the best appetizers that exist in our kitchen, fragrant and light also ideal to serve as a second course, it may seem strange to you but just a few steps, an empty plastic bottle and you're done.

Ingredients

1 kg of rock octopus

1 sprig of parsley

1 clove of garlic

1 hot pepper

1/2 lemon (juice only)

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 pinches of salt

Preparation

First clean the octopus, remove the eyes and the central beak, rinse thoroughly under running water, then bring plenty of water to a boil and initially immerse only the tentacles three times so they curl and then immerse completely and cook for 40-45 minutes, the meat must be easily penetrated with the tines of a fork. Cut the top of the bottle (the narrowest part) with scissors and make holes in the base to release all the cooking liquid. When the octopus is ready, let it cool in its cooking water, once cooled place in the bottle on the side of the head and then continue with the tentacles, press everything with the help of a meat mallet or with the bottom of a glass to let the liquid out, at this point seal the bottle by folding it on itself and close with an elastic band. I recommend that you place it in a tray and let it rest in the freezer overnight, after the necessary time remove it from the freezer and keep in the refrigerator to thaw (always in the tray). Remove the octopus from the bottle with the help of scissors and slice with an electric knife or with a slicer or sharp knife. Place the slices in a glass bowl and add the garlic cloves, chopped parsley, cracked chili, salt, filtered lemon juice and sprinkle with oil, place back in the refrigerator and let it rest for at least 2h.  Leave a few minutes at room temperature before serving.

 

Chicken Palermitano

Dear friends, today we prepare together a variant of the classic Palermo cutlets: the chicken cutlets, soft, light and fragrant! Unlike the classic cutlets, which involve breading with egg and frying, the chicken (but also beef) Palermo have a less full-bodied breading, and are cooked in the oven or on the griddle. They are therefore also light but certainly more delicious than the classic grilled 🙂 slice. Perfect as a second course, accompanied by a nice plate of sandy potatoes or a delicious Sicilian red cabbage salad, Palermo-style cutlets are also very popular with children precisely because of the simplicity of their taste and the softness of the meat. You can season the breadcrumbs in the basic version, as in my recipe, or flavor it with capers and aromatic herbs: the choice is yours!

Ingredients

700 g chicken breast (slices)

150 g breadcrumbs

30 g parmesan

parsley

salt

black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Procedure

First, salt the chicken breast slices, season them with a drizzle of oil and massage them with your hands to flavor them. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and season them with a handful of chopped parsley, grated cheese and a pinch of black pepper. Dip the slices in the breadcrumbs, making sure to bread the entire surface well. Heat a non-stick plate and, when it is hot, place the slices inside. Cook over medium heat 4-5 minutes on each side, turning the meat a couple of times to prevent burning. Turn off the heat and serve the chicken Palermo's with a drizzle of raw oil and, if you like, a splash of lemon juice. Alternatively, you can cook the Palermo-style cutlets in a preheated convection oven at 180° C for 12-15 minutes, turning the meat halfway through cooking.

Notes

You can make the breading tastier by enriching it with aromatic herbs, chili, lemon zest and / or capers.

 

Swordfish with citrus fruits

Finally we are in full citrus season, and I love them! I had already bought some, then my mother-in-law gave me others... I have a house full of them! So I thought of putting together tangerines, oranges and lemons to create a nice seafood recipe: swordfish with citrus fruits! Cooked like this, the fish is soft, juicy and fragrant and is ready in no time: here is the recipe!

Ingredients

4 slices Swordfish

2 Tangerines

2 oranges

1 lemon

1 tbsp Brown sugar

50 g flour

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Black peppercorns

Chives

Preparation

Squeeze the oranges and lemon and strain the juice. Peel the tangerines and pass through a mixer, then obtain the juice with a sieve. Combine with the orange and lemon juice. Dissolve the brown sugar in the juice and add the peppercorns. Put the fish in a bowl with a pinch of salt and citrus juice, cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After this time, remove the fish from the marinade and dip the slices in flour. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan and brown the fish over high heat on both sides, then deglaze with the citrus juice. Lower the heat and cook until the sauce is reduced to a cream, turning the fish occasionally. Turn off the heat and top with a handful of chopped chives and serve. Enjoy your meal!

 

Prawns in white wine 

Dear friends, today let's see together how to prepare a very simple but impressive dish: prawns in white wine, a real pleasure! Prawns in white wine are prepared quickly in a pan and are a perfect second course to present even for the holidays, or simply to close (or open, since if you want you could also serve them as an appetizer!) a nice fish dinner. You can use both fresh and frozen prawns, but of course the former give more satisfaction! Personally, I prefer to clean the prawns first by removing the legs and the central marrow, but you can also cook the prawns whole, leaving them to your guests to clean them up, or you can cook them without shell. So let's see together how to prepare prawns in white wine in a pan!

Ingredients

12 king prawns

2 cloves garlic

1 cup white wine

salt

black pepper

parsley

Procedure

First, clean the prawns from the legs with scissors, then cut them on the surface with a knife to be able to remove the marrow without shelling them. Crush two cloves of garlic with the blade side of a knife, then brown them in a large pan with a drizzle of oil. Add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes on each side, then add the white wine. While you are evaporating the wine, season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat and complete with a handful of chopped parsley. You are ready to enjoy your prawns in white wine!

 

Neapolitan sandwiches

A well-known song by Pino Daniele is dedicated to Fortunato, who tene 'a rrobba bella, referring to the delicacies he used to sell around Naples by transporting food on a specially used stroller. He was well known for his excellent taralli suet and pepper and more. Neapolitan sandwiches, also known as pagnottielli or pagnuttielli, were one of the many specialties that he promoted in the streets, drawing attention with a whistle, screams or a bell! These are soft sandwiches made with pizza dough - sometimes enriched with a little lard just as it is used for tortano or casatiello - which are stuffed with eggs, sausages and mozzarella. An original way to reuse leftover leavened dough and which has given rise to myths and legends about this preparation. There are those who prepare them as we present them, those who instead like a stuffed sandwich and even those who propose balls from which the pieces of filling come out ... lard yes, lard no is purely discretionary. In short, our research stopped at some point but we are sure of one thing: Neapolitan sandwiches are among the Neapolitan street food that you will hardly be able to resist!

INGREDIENTS

for 8 buns

Flour 450 g

Water 125 g

Whole milk 125 g

Fresh brewer's yeast 15 g

Lard 20 g

Salt up to 10 g

For the filling

Mortadella whole piece 125 g

Neapolitan salami whole piece 125 g

Spicy provolone 125 g

Boiled eggs 4

Pecorino Romano PDO to be grated 30 g

Black pepper to taste

for brushing

Egg yolks 1

Fresh liquid cream to taste

Preparation

To prepare the Neapolitan sandwiches, first pour the crumbled yeast and water into a large bowl. Stir with a fork to dissolve it, then add the milk. Also add the salt and about 2/3 of the flour. Then mix with a wooden spoon, then add the remaining flour and mix again. When the flour has been completely absorbed, transfer the dough to the surface; Add the lard and knead until you get a homogeneous mixture. Form a ball and put it in a bowl to rise, covering it with plastic wrap. Let it rise for a couple of hours or until doubled. Meanwhile, take care of the filling. Place the eggs in a saucepan, cover them with water and cook them for 9 minutes from boiling. Meanwhile, cut the salami and mortadella into cubes and cheese. As soon as the eggs are cooked, cool them under running water and shell them. Cut them into slices and mash them with a fork in another bowl. Add the cubes of cold cuts and cheeses and mix. When the dough has doubled in volume Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and with the help of a little flour roll it out until you get a 40x35 cm large rectangle. Pour the filling and distribute it with your hands evenly. Add plenty of black pepper. Sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese. Roll up on the shorter side. Once finished, close the ends well, sealing it with your fingers. Transfer to a tray lined with parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After this time it will be easier to cut it into 8 equal pieces. Place them gradually on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Beat one egg yolk with a little cream or milk and use it to brush Neapolitan sandwiches. Bake in a preheated static oven at 200 ° C for about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool before serving.

Preservation

Neapolitan sandwiches can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days. However, we recommend heating them before serving.

Advice

Instead of lard you can use the same amount of extra virgin olive oil, or even the same amount of butter. To make the dough, if you prefer, you can replace the milk with the same amount of water. You can use the cold cuts you prefer and also choose other types of cheeses.

 

Pinsa romana

Pizza, focaccia, piadina, bread... Only she was missing: the pinsa romana! Pinsa is a recent very good invention, a successful leavened product that has been popular for years now in restaurants and bakeries, in the capital and beyond! It is a very hydrated dough, with a long leavening (you will have to be patient and the more you have it, the more exceptional the result will be!), obtained with a special mix of special flour: durum wheat, rice, soy flour. Give it an oval shape, pre-cook the base and then season it as you want... The mythical and timeless daisy? Broccoli and sausage for foodies? Parmigiana style for the most voracious or a gourmet version with mortadella, pistachio and...? The choice is yours, the more flavors there are, the nicer it will be to share the pinsa at the table!

INGREDIENTS

For the dough 

Pinsa flour 1 Kg

Fresh brewer's yeast 7 g

Water (cold from the fridge) 750 g

Salt up to 20 g

Extra virgin olive oil 20 g

for sprinkling

Re-milled durum wheat semolina to taste

PREPARATION

Before starting the pinsa dough, the water must be put in the fridge: it must be very cold. In a large bowl, pour the pinsa flour, then the crumbled fresh brewer's yeast. Then pour 700 g of water gradually and stir with a spoon, until completely absorbed. Transfer the dough to a work surface, without flouring, and start kneading. Don't be afraid if the dough is very rough at first. Don't be in a hurry and you will see that by handling you will get a smoother and rather compact dough. Transfer the dough to a bowl and make 3 incisions with the knife: this operation is used to better absorb the other ingredients to be added. Then pour in the salt, oil and the remaining 50 g of cold water, the latter to be added a little at a time, while you continue to knead. Always work by hand in the bowl for a few minutes, to absorb well. You can also move to the countertop and give a few bracing folds if you prefer. The dough will already be smoother. To make it even smoother, you can leave it in the bowl covered with a cloth for 15 minutes. After the indicated time has elapsed. Sprinkle the work surface with a little flour for pinsa. Turn the dough over on the surface and fold like this: gradually take the edge of the dough and bring it back towards the center. You will see that the dough will start to become smoother. Then turn it over and form a ball, rolling on the surface to seal the closure well. Transfer the dough back to a bowl, this time oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours. Then transfer to the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. Once you go to pick it up it will be very puffy and airy. Prepare a bowl with semolina. Then take out portions of the dough of 250-300 g with slightly moistened hands. You will have to do it by literally "choking" the dough. Lift one part of the dough from underneath with one hand and cut off with the other, almost like mozzarella. Transfer each piece of dough with the smooth part to the semolina, then close each loaf: make a fold bringing the flap closer to you towards the center of the dough, repeat the same operation with the flap at the opposite end, then staple as if to create a seam with thumb and index finger. Then turn the loaf 180° and again, fold the lower flap towards the center, fold the upper one and close again by pinching with your fingers. Take the sealed portion, turn it over on the work surface and swirl with both hands, with rotating movements and towards you so that the part you have sealed with your thumb and index finger closes even better. Place the paniello on a tray, with the smooth side facing up. Continue like this for others as well; Maybe you can use containers for leavening or large baking dishes to be sealed well then with cling film. The portions should not be too close together. It will take about 3-4 hours at room temperature to double. When it is almost time to roll out and cook the pinsas you can prepare the ingredients for seasoning. We show you how to make the "parmigiana" dressing, for example. Wash and slice the eggplants, then cut them into cubes and dip them in the flour, then remove the excess by sifting. Fry in hot oil (at 170° to be measured with a kitchen thermometer) until golden brown. Then drain them gradually on a tray lined with paper for fried food. Prepare the tomato puree by adding only a drizzle of oil and salt (if you like them and to taste), then cut the mozzarella in strips. If you want to cook the pinsa so that it is well boiled, crunch it on the outside and soft on the inside, you can use the refractory stone and heat it in the oven (in grill mode at maximum heat) for 1 hour. After the last leavening time of the loaves, take one and place it on a work surface sprinkled with a lot of semolina. Sprinkle with semolina even on the surface. Starting from the edge closest to you to go up, or the top edge to go down, press lightly with your fingers to crush the dough. You will have to press by placing your fingers almost parallel to the work surface, gradually the air will be distributed over the dough. Give it a shape that is as rectangular, oval as possible. While gently lifting the dough, try to remove the excess semolina. Transfer to the blade lightly sprinkled with semolina and give it even more oval shape, about 33-35 cm long and 20-22 cm wide. Bake for about 7-8 minutes in grill mode at maximum power, placing the pinsa on the refractory stone: this is pre-cooking. Season your pinsas as you like. For the "parmigiana" dressing, first add the tomato puree, then sliced mozzarella, then fried eggplant and then bake for another 2-3 minutes always in grill mode, the time that the mozzarella melts (so see if your oven needs less time). Complete as desired with grated ricotta and basil leaves. Serve your pinsa romana.

 

Escarole pizza

Pizza: "a great love and nothing more"! We worked it to obtain a fragrant and long-matured dough; We fried it in the Neapolitan way and presented the mini version of the fabulous pizzelle (or montanare). We could not fail to offer you another cornerstone of this family of leavened products from Campania: the escarole pizza! A fragrant shell that hides a filling of steaming escarole, Cetara anchovies and Gaeta olives. All kneaded and assembled artfully by the Master baker Franco Pepe. If the casatiello is the king of the table in the days of Easter, the escarole pizza is a specialty that the most "true" Campanians love to taste for lunch on Christmas Eve, but which can also be prepared during the rest of the year in particular in the months when escarole is on the market with a bright and lively green color! Your escarole pizza while still hot will certainly have an edge, but it will also be fragrant if served at room temperature for an original appetizer! We are sure that you will fall in love with this dough by following Franco Pepe's instructions and if it is not escarole season, don't worry: you can use it to prepare delicious fried pizzelle!

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the dough

Flour 700 g

Water at room temperature 500 Ml

Fresh brewer's yeast 4 g

Salt up to 20 g

for the filling

Raw curly escarole 100 g

Pitted Gaeta olives 60 g

Desalted capers 20 g

Anchovies in oil in fillets 10 g

Extra virgin olive oil 10 g

for brushing

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Preparation

To prepare the escarole pizza, first pour a little of the amount of water at room temperature indicated into a small jug. Add the fresh brewer's yeast and stir with a teaspoon until it dissolves completely. Let the yeast rest and in the meantime place about 30% of the flour on one side of the cupboard (or the wooden or glass bowl that you will use to knead); The sideboard is a rectangular wooden container, which can withstand the temperature of the dough well and allows it not to stick to the edges. Also pour the water at room temperature into the other side of the cupboard, avoiding pouring it directly on the flour. Then add the salt to the water and with your hands untie it. When you no longer feel any grains to the touch, start mixing the flour inside the cupboard with both hands. Pour in a little more flour and gradually mix it with the water with your hands, with rotating movements. When you have inserted about 50% of the flour, add the previously dissolved yeast. Continue adding more flour a little at a time. Continuing to knead with your hands making a rotating movement until you have incorporated it all. Making the dough by hand allows you to better adjust its consistency in order to understand if it is necessary to add flour or not. At this point, continue to work the dough inside the cupboard for 10-15 minutes until it is smooth and homogeneous. Now all that remains is to let the dough rise, leaving it in the cupboard (or bowl) and gently cover it with a slightly damp cloth in contact with the surface of the dough. Let it rest for at least 4 hours at room temperature, away from drafts. After this time, the dough will be well risen; Sprinkle with a little flour and with the help of a tarot transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half then add a little flour and give each portion a spherical shape. Place them in two different bowls, previously sprinkled with a little flour. Cover again with damp tea towels and let it rest for another 2 hours. In the meantime, preheat the oven to maximum power. Desalt the capers by rinsing them several times under running water, cut the escarole by removing the most tender part, then rinse and dry it. Then take one of the two doughs, transfer it to the lightly floured surface and flatten it with your hands, giving it an oval shape and helping yourself with a little flour. Repeat the same operation with the other loaf, taking care to obtain two discs of the same size. Place about half of the escarole in the center of one of the two discs, leaving at least a couple of cm free around the edge. Then add the whole desalted capers, pitted Gaeta olives and season with a drizzle of oil. Add the anchovy fillets by breaking them up with your hands and finish with the escarole kept aside. Place the other disc of dough on top and by pressing lightly with your fingers, seal the end well. Using a pastry cutter, trim the edges by cutting the excess of dough and remove it by gently pulling it with your hands. Paying close attention to the curly escarole that could pierce the dough at this stage, lift the escarole pizza and transfer it into a non-stick pan. With a brush soaked in oil, grease the surface of the pizza very gently. Bake the pizza in a preheated static oven at maximum temperature for about 12-15 minutes. Then take it out of the oven and serve your escarole pizza. 

Preservation

Once cooked, the escarole pizza can be kept for a maximum of 2 days; alternatively it is possible to freeze it once it is completely cold. The dough alone can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours; alternatively it is possible to freeze it before the second leavening.

Advice

Add raisins and pine nuts to the filling for an even richer taste! Do not throw away the dough scraps! They are perfect for making small calzones!

Pizza dough

Soft with a swollen crust or crust (as they call it in Naples). Low and crunchy, high and soft: pizza has many faces, today we show you the most classic, common and perfect one to make at home in a few hours. The pizza dough that we propose, in fact, rises for about 6 hours: you can therefore organize yourself to prepare it during the day and enjoy it in the evening with the toppings you prefer. A simple basic recipe for a homemade pizza that is prepared with a few ingredients and then garnished as you see fit, perhaps even giving it an unusual shape, such as our soft pizza donut. Are you ready to get your hands in the dough? Today we discover all the secrets to prepare pizza dough, also perfect for preparing a delicious rustic pizza!

INGREDIENTS

Flour 300 g

Water at room temperature 300 Ml

Salt up to 10 g

Fresh brewer's yeast (or 1.5 if dry) 4 g

Preparation

To prepare the pizza dough we have chosen to knead everything by hand, but if you prefer to use the mixer you can follow the same procedure, using the hook at medium-low speed. First pour the two flours into a bowl, crumble the yeast inside and pour in a little of the dose of water. The ideal water temperature is 25°. Mix with a wooden spoon and slowly add the water. Always continue stirring and when you have added about half of the water you can also add the salt. Then add the remaining water, always slowly, until you get a homogeneous mixture; help yourself with your hands to work it better. Finally, transfer the dough to the work surface and knead it with your hands until it is smooth and homogeneous. Once you have obtained a nice smooth dough, let it rest on the work surface for about ten minutes, covering it with the bowl. Once rested, give it a small fold: imagine that the sphere is divided into 4 parts, take the end of each one, pull it gently and fold it towards the center. Then give the dough a fold. Turn it over, give it the shape of a sphere. Transfer the dough thus formed into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise. For convenience you can put the bowl in the oven off but with the light on, so the inside will reach a temperature of 26-28 °, ideal for leavening; Alternatively, you can also keep the basin in a warm place. The times are approximate because each dough, temperature and weather conditions influence the leavening: on average the dough should take 6 hours to double in volume. After the rising time, the dough will be nice and puffy, then transfer it to the work surface and divide it with a tarot into 3 pieces of 265 g. If you need it, you can lightly flour the work surface. Now take each portion and as you did before, lift a flap of dough and bring it inwards. Then do the same thing for the other 3 flaps of dough. Then stretch the dough by folding it on itself and proceed with the pirlatura: pirlatura the dough means turning it with your hands on the work surface bringing it towards you and then moving it away repeatedly until you get a smooth and regular sphere. Gradually transfer the loaves to a previously greased pizza box, cover with the lid and let them rest for another 30 minutes, before you can roll out the pizza dough and season it to your liking!

Preservation

Once the dough has risen, it must be cooked. If you prefer to store it, you can reduce the amount of yeast, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it mature in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. After the time has elapsed, simply let the dough acclimatize and then continue as per the recipe. Once the pizza dough has risen, it can also be frozen, preferably already divided into portions, and stored in a freezer bag. Then simply let your portion thaw at room temperature and continue as per recipe. If you prefer, you can also freeze the pizza semi-cooked: just do half cooking, let it cool and finally freeze it by wrapping it in plastic wrap; then just cook it, still frozen, at a slightly lower temperature.

COOKING TIPS

You can cook the pizzas individually. In this case, after rolling out the first pizza, you can bake it at 250 degrees for 6 minutes with just a drizzle of oil. After 6 minutes, take it out of the oven, season the pizza and cook them for another 6 minutes. We always recommend the use of a refractory stone. If, on the other hand, you prefer to make a pizza in a pan. With these doses you can make a pizza in a large 30x40 cm pan. In this case you will not have to make the 3 loaves, but only one. We recommend baking it at 250° for 25-30 minutes.

 

How to make perfect fried turnovers

Dear friends, today let's see together how to make perfect, crispy and crumbly fried panzerotti! For those who, like me, love fried foods (I wonder how you can not love them!!), panzerotti are a real pleasure! Of course, you can stuff fried panzerotti in a thousand ways, I propose the most traditional ones, which you can also enjoy in various Sicilian rotisseries, and that is with a filling of ham, cheese and a pinch of tomato sauce: I can't tell you what hot hot and stringy goodness! The dough is very similar to that of pizza and, as for pizza, I recommend using a little yeast in favor of a slower leavening: you will benefit in digestibility! And... before asking me "Is it possible to make them in the oven?" (however the answer is yes!), remember that a good fried, dry and not greasy, for once is good for the mood! Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

For the dough

250 g flour (or other strong flour)

250 g Re-milled durum wheat semolina

3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

1 g Dry brewer's yeast (or 3 g of fresh yeast)

300 m l Water (approx.)

8 g Salt (a level tablespoon)

For the filling

200 g Cooked prosciutto

300 g Scamorza cheese (provolone)

100 ml Tomato puree

Salt

Oregano

For frying

1 l Peanut oil

Preparation

Prepare the dough about 5-6 hours before when you want to enjoy the calzones. Put the flours in a bowl and add the oil. Dissolve the yeast in the water and add it to the flour. Add the water in a trickle, working with two fingers to mix the ingredients. The amount of water indicated may vary slightly depending on the flour used. When all the flour is blended, add the salt, transfer the dough to a pastry board and knead it for about ten minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Form a ball, then place it in a bowl greased with a drizzle of oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size (4-5 hours). Divide the dough into 12 parts and roll them out with your hands trying to give them a regular shape. Place the ham and diced cheese in the center of each disc of dough and complete with a teaspoon of tomato puree, a pinch of salt and oregano. Close each disc on itself and seal the edges well with your hands. Cut out the excess dough and then decorate the edges by embroidering them with your fingers. Alternatively, crush the edges with the tines of a fork. Place the calzones gradually on a cutting board lined with parchment paper. Heat plenty of peanut oil in a saucepan and, when it is hot (do the bread crumb test: if, throwing it into the pan, it sizzles, the oil is ready), fry the calzones on both sides, not too many at a time so as not to lower the temperature of the oil. When the panzerotti are golden, place them on paper towels and serve.

 

Caramelized fried fruit

Caramelized fried fruit is one of the classic desserts found in Chinese restaurants. I must say that it came out better than I expected! It is a dish that does not involve the use of added sugars (except of course for caramel!) because the natural sweetness of the fruit, wrapped in a crunchy batter and enriched by the delicious touch of caramel, is the master... the problem was getting it on the plates with all the petty thieves who were around while I was frying!

Ingredients 

1/2 pineapple

1 apple

2 1/2 bananas

1 lemon

2 eggs

150 g flour

1 sachet yeast

1 pinch of salt

200 ml water

300 g sugar

Oil for frying

Sesame seeds for garnish

Preparation

Cut the fruit into chunks and sprinkle a little lemon juice to prevent it from blackening. Divide the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the egg yolks with the water and add yeast and flour. Beat the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt and add to the mixture. Fill a saucepan with plenty of oil, when it reaches the temperature dip each piece of fruit in the batter and immerse in the boiling oil. Place on paper towels. Prepare the caramel by melting the sugar over low heat in a saucepan.

In the meantime, toast a handful of sesame seeds. Place the fruit in small bowls, pour the caramel over them and decorate with sesame seeds. Put two long crossed chopsticks that will serve as cutlery and decoration.