Gelo di mellone: our summer watermelon pudding

Do you know what the "gelo di mellone" is? It's the name of a very traditional summer pudding that is made in Palermo and its province. Mellone in Italian is a generic word to mean melon, but this dessert is actually made only with watermelon and has a delicate and delicious fresh taste. 

We like to eat it plain, just as a pudding but we also use it as filling in the pie, to have a more important dessert! You find it in all the patisseries of the Sicilian capital in summertime and you can also see the single-portions (mini-pies) as well as the big pie.

Ingredients & preparation for 8-10 people:
1 lt fresh watermelon juice
100 gr. starch
200 gr. sugar
50 gr. chocolate chips
a glass of jasmine water
*pistaches and cookies to serve (but not essential)

Before starting to prepare the "gelo" you need a couple of jasmine flowers. Wash them and leave them in water for 24 hours. 
Now you are ready to start:
1. Cut the watermelon and put the pieces in a blunder, having removed the green hard part. Blund until it becomes all liquid.
2. To strain the juice and remove the solid little parts we usually use a kitchen tool similar to the one we use to press the tomatoes for the sauce, it's also similar to a colander, but bigger, like the one in the pic below. When you have finished to strain the juice you can measure how much of that you've got. Usually a big quarter of a watermelon should be around 1 liter.

3. In a sauce pan mix the starch and the sugar, then, when you have obtained the proper amount of juice pour it little by little, stirring constantly with a spoon or a whip. When the ingredients are all melted together place the sauce pan under a low heat. 
4. Add the jasmine water and gently keep stirring until the liquid starts to boil and become as consistent as a pudding. As soon as it is quite solid (few minutes) turn off the heat and place it in little bowls for single portions or in a large mold or tin instead.

5. Let it cool down and after at least 40-45 minutes if it is not warm anymore put the chocolate chips on top and if you like also some pistaches as the one shown in the big picture above.
6. Place in the fridge at least two hours before serving it. Then, to finish up the decoration in the best possible way just stick two wonderful cookies or other kind of biscuits to accompany the pudding and you will enjoy it so much that you are definetely going to make it again and again and again! Happy Summer :-)))

Nourishing Mizuna and Daikon Salad

I love a crisp clean Salad to cleanse my pallet and refresh my senses. Daikon is so cleansing and good for digestion that it is traditionally served with Sashimi, Tempura and Sushi in Japanese Restaurants. Mizuna is also cleansing, fresh and piquant in flavor. So pairing them creates a refreshing surprise for your taste buds. 

I love the way the flavors of the Daikon Radish and Mizuna play off each other in texture and form. I like to cut the stems from the Mizuna and Place them on a plate while I begin preparing the Daikon.

Then I scrub my Daikon with a Vegetable brush and prepare it for my salad. You can cut the Daikon in Rounds, Julienne, or a rectangular slice. Whatever shape you decide on be sure it is sliced thin. Try using a Mandolin for this!

For my Dressing I keep it simple. I use Orange Juice, Rice Vinegar, a pinch of Sea Salt and if you choose to use oil try a few drops of Toasted Sesame Oil and a Garnish of Sesame Seeds. If you like you can add Orange Sections to this salad for an additional taste sensation. However you choose to serve this Salad, concentrate on the dance of flavors on your tongue.

Serving Suggestion:

This salad would be a wonderful accompaniment to theTempeh of the Sea recipe from my June 24, post and the Raw Slaw recipe from my June 29, post.

Enjoy!

Tort cu mousse de piersici, musetel si mure (Peach, Chamomile & Blackberry Mousse Cake)

 
        Din cauza caldurii maxime ce a cuprins Toronto saptamana trecuta, cand s-au simtit si peste 49 grade Celsius, trebuie sa recunosc ca mi-a scazut de tot dorinta de a trebalui prin bucatarie, de aceea am lipsit putin de pe blog...dar I'm back now si cu ce altceva daca nu cu un tort super fin si aromat de vara ce te face realmente sa visezi! Desi pozele nu mi-au iesit tocmai bine, tortul a fost o minunatie, combinatia de arome este absolut divina!
        Because of the hot weather from last week, when in some days it felt like 49 degrees C, I have to admit that my desire to cook was pretty absent, that's why I didn't post anything for a while now...but I'm back now and what else could I post if not a gorgeous cake recipe, a very elegant and flavorful summer cake that makes you dream! though the pictures aren't really good, this cake was wonderful, the flavor combination is divine!

Ingrediente/Ingredients:

1 blat de tort din 3 oua pt o tava de 23 cm diametru, puteti vedea aici cum se face/1 sponge cake for a 23 cm round cake pan, you can see here how it's made

250 g mure/250 g blackberries
2 piersici/2 peaches
1 lingura flori de musetel/1 tablespoon with chamomile buds
60 ml apa/60 ml water
500 ml frisca lichida/500 ml liquid cream
20 g gelatina/20 g gelatine
80 g zahar/80 g sugar
fructe pt decor/fruits for decoration

Cum se face/How it's made:


Mai intai facem pandispanul din 3 oua. Il lasam sa se raceasca pe un gratar si ne apucam de mousse-uri.
Mousse-ul de piersici si musetel:
Fierbem 60 ml apa cu florile de musetel 2-3 minute.
We first make the sponge cake. We let it cool on a rack and we start making the mousses.
Peach and Chamomile mousse:
We simmer 60 ml water with the chamomile buds for 2-3 minutes.

Strecuram ceaiul obtinut si lasam sa se raceasca.
Curatam piersicile de coaja si le zdrobim cu un mixer vertical pana obtinem un suc gros.
We drain the tea and we let it cool.
We peel the peaches and we blend them with a vertical blender until we obtain a thick juice.

 Adaugam 40 g de zahar si ceaiul de musetel si amestecam. Dizolvam 10 g de gelatina conform instructiunilor de pe pachet si o incorporam in sucul de piersici.
We add 40 g sugar and the chamomile tea to the juice and we stir. We dissolve 10 g of gelatine according to the instructions on the package and we gently add it to the juice.

Mixam 250 ml frisca si cand frisca s-a intarit adaugam si sucul de piersici, amestecand usor cu o lingura. O dam la frigider pt 10 minute sa se intareasca putin.
We whip 250 ml of cream and when it's whipped we add the peach juice, gently stirring with a spoon. We place it in the fridge for 10 minutes so it thickens a little.  

Punem mousse-ul de piersici peste blatul de tort racit in tava in care l-am copt. Punem tava in frigider pana cand facem mousse-ul de mure.
We place the peach mousse on top of the sponge cake. We place it in the fridge until we make the blackberry mousse.

Mousse de mure:
 Zdrobim murele cu un mixer si sucul obtinut cu 40 de g zahar il punem la foc mic pentru 5 minute. Dupa aceea dam prin strecuratoare sosul pentru a indeparta samburii si adaugam cele 10 g de gelatina dizolvata si amestecam usor. Lasam sa se raceasca complet.
Blackberry mousse:
We smash the blackberries with the blender and we place the juice in a small pot on low heat, adding 40 g of sugar and we let it simmer for 5 minutes. After that we drain the juice using a sieve so we remove the seeds and we add the 10 g of gelatine already dissolved. We mix gently and we let it cool completely.

Mixam 250 ml frisca ramasa si cand e tare adaugam sosul de mure amestecand usor cu o lingura.
We whip the cream and when it's whipped we add the blackberry sauce gently mixing with a spoon.

Mousse-ul il punem deasupra in tava peste mousse-ul de piersici si nivelam frumos. Dam la frigider pentru 3-4 ore. Eu am ornat tortul simplu cu mure si piersici.
We pour the mousse on top of the peach mousse and we level it nicely. We place the cake in the fridge for 3-4 hours. I decorated the cake very simple with blackberries and peach.

O felie delicioasa si colorata/ A delicious and colorful slice:

Inca una/ One more

Mai de aproape :)/Closer :) Bon appetit!!!

Nourishing Fruit Sorbet

With the temperature inching its way up the thermometer a cooling fruit filled Sorbet is in order!

I always keep some fresh ripe fruits frozen for the taking and making of Smoothies, or in this case a Sorbet! I own a Vitamix Blender which can turn out a dessert with the consistency of Sorbet without the need of an Ice Cream maker. The Vitamix Blender is a must have tool for your Nourishing Kitchen!


Frothy, Frozen Fruit Sorbet 

Ingredients:
12 Oz of Cold Coconut Water
4 Frozen Ripe Bananas
1 Cup of Frozen Mango
1 Cup of Frozen Pineapple
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbl of Maple Syrup, Agave Nectar or Raw Honey


Method:
Pour Coconut Water into Vitamix Blender (you could try a food processor)
Add Mango, Sweetener of Choice, Vanilla Extract and Blend
Add Pineapple and Blend while adding Bananas (pre cut in Chunks) and use the Tamper which comes with your Vitamix to keep fruits moving. The tamper is necessary because the mixture will be extremely thick. This beautiful and satisfying dessert will take no more then 5 Minutes to make!


Scoop into Pretty Glasses or Serving Dishes which have been visiting your Freezer for an hour or so and Garnish with Mint or Shredded Coconut
ENJOY!  







    

A Nourishing Chilled Soup

It has been extremely hot in Vermont for the past three days hitting well over 90 degrees each day. If feels like we just aborted July and headed straight into August. It’s really hard to think about cooking in weather like this, because my inclination is to lie down and drink copious quantities of Iced Vanilla Chai Latte (Soy of Course)!

So, needless to say, the soup this week is chilled. I think you could experiment with herbs other than those listed below, although I would hesitate to put really strong herbs such as Basil or Sage in because it would just take over. The texture and thickness of the soup which I pureed in my Vitamix was just Divine! The garnish on the soup is a Cashew Cream, Chives and a sprig of Fresh Thyme.


Chilled Herb Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds Sweet Onions such as Vidalia, chopped (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 cup Cashews ground to a powder in your Coffee Grinder or Food Processor 
4 cups Vegetable Stock
3 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf Italian Parsley leaves, washed well and spun dry
1 cup chopped fresh Chives (about 3 bunches)
3 tablespoons loosely packed fresh Tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons fresh Thyme leaves (preferably lemon thyme)
4 oz of Silken Tofu or a large Dollop of Cashew Butter
2 tsp Umeboshi Vinegar
1 Tbl fresh Lemon Juice

Method: 
1. In a 4 to 5 quart saucepan cook Onions in Olive Oil with 1/2 teaspoon of Sea Salt and 1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add the freshly ground Cashews and cook, stirring for approximately 3 minutes. Add Broth and simmer, stirring 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add Herbs and simmer 1 minute.
2. Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool slightly. In a blender puree mixture in small batches until very smooth. Add your Silken Tofu or Cashew Butter and 2 Tsp Umeboshi Paste in Blender and Blend till totally smooth. Chill soup until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight
3. Just before serving, stir in Lemon Juice and Umeboshi Vinegar. Garnish soup with Cashew  Cream and Herbs.

Cashew Cream:

Ingredients:

1 cup Cashews, 1/4 cup Water, 1Tsp Agave Nectar, 1/2 Tsp Umeboshi Vinegar

Method:
Soak Cashews for 4 to 8 Hours, drain and puree with 1/4 cup of water, with the addition of the Agave Nectar and Umeboshi Vinegar

Garnish with Cashew Cream, finely chopped fresh Chives and a sprig of fresh Thyme.

Enjoy!

Crumbled Beef & Pork Sandwich

So when I made the stuffed bell peppers, I originally used 1 lb. of ground beef and 1 lb. of ground pork. This amount actually ended up being a bit too much, so what to do with the excess mixture? Well I just generously topped the mixture with soy sauce, and stuffed it into french bread!

Ingredients: 

• Leftover mixture from stuffed bell peppers recipe
• Soy sauce
• Shredded carrots
• Chopped cilantro
• 1/2 loaf of french bread
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Cut loaf of french bread into fourths, place in toaster oven until desired crispiness. 
2. On medium heat, add some olive oil to a skillet. Once hot, add mixture and generously soak with soy sauce. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until well done. 
3. While the meat is cooking, shred carrots and chop cilantro.
4. Stuff cooked mixture into toasted french bread, top with carrots and cilantro.

Costs:

• Leftover mixture from stuffed bell peppers recipe
• Soy sauce
• Shredded carrots- $0.16
• Chopped cilantro- $0. $.10
• 1/2 loaf of french bread($1.98 for a loaf) $0.99
• olive oil

Approximate Cost: $1.50 (additional cost to the cost of the stuffed bell peppers) for a serving of 2 

I would roughly estimate that the cost of 2 sandwiches would be about $4. 

xoxo,

Amy

Frigarui de porc cu legume (Pork Skewers with Vegetables)

 
        Nu am mai postat nimic cu carne de foarte multa vreme, si cum afara vremea ne permite sa ne desfasuram  in voie, m-am gandit ca ar fi momentul sa postez reteta de frigarui :) toata lumea face frigarui, simple, cu legume, cu tot felul de sosuri, mie personal imi plac cel mai mult cu legume, pentru o aroma mai frumoasa. Sunt o nebunie langa o sticla de bere si un pahar de vorba cu prietenii!
        I haven't posted anything with meat in a while now, and since outside the weather is perfect for us to barbecue, I thought it's time for me to post my meat Skewers recipe :) everybody likes skewers, plain, with vegetables or with different sauces; I personally like the vegetable and meat combination, for a more intense flavor. They're yummy with a cold bottle of beer while chatting with friends!

Ingrediente/Ingredients:

 carne de porc/pork
 ardei rosu/red pepper
 ardei verde/green pepper
 ceapa rosie/red onion
 ciuperci albe mici/small white mushrooms
 sos pt marinat/marinating sauce
 sare/salt
 bete/skewers


Cum se face/How it's made:


Taiem carnea cuburi 2-3 cm si o marinam cu sos facut in casa sau cumparat in cazul meu.
We cut the meat in 2-3 cm cubes and we marinate it with homemade sauce or bought in my case.

Curatam legumele si le taiem in patrate de marime similara cu carnea, lasam intregi ciupercile si ne apucam de asamblat frigaruile.
We wash and peel the vegetables and we cut them in cubes with similar in size to the meat, we leave the mushrooms whole and we start assembling the skewers.

Punem componentele pe bete si presaram sare/We place everything on skewers and we sprinkle with salt.

Incingem gratarul si punem frigaruile (se pot face si in casa in tigaie grilata sau in cuptor pe hartie de copt)
We heat up the grill and we place the skewers (you can make them indoors in a grill pan or in the oven on baking paper)

  
Gata prajite:/Grilled

Mai de aproape, mmmm, ce miros divin!!!/Closer, what an amazing smell!!!

Servim cu o bere rece langa :)/We serve with a cold bottle of beer :)  Bon appetit!

                                           

A Nourishing Tridoshic Meal Idea

What to serve your Dinner guests? When creating a balanced meal and addressing the Doshas I always play it safe by serving a simple Tridoshic Vegetable Curry with Basmati Rice, a Tridoshic Dahl, with a refreshing Cilantro Chutney from my last blog post and a fresh Salad with a Tridoshic Dressing. This meal will calm the Vata, cool the Pitta, and move the Kapha! 

 
-Vata, -Pitta, -Kapha

Tridoshic Vegetable Curry 
Serves : 6

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh green peas (frozen if necessary)
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup potatoes, diced
2 cups string beans or asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons sunflower oil or ghee
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander powder1/2 cup Yogurt or Soy Yogurt

Method:

Heat oil or ghee in large heavy skillet. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Then the mustard seeds pop, add turmeric. Then add all the vegetables and the water. (If using frozen peas, do not add until rest of vegetables are nearly done.) Cook covered until the vegetables become tender, about 15-20 minutes. Then add yogurt and the rest of the ingredients, stirring well. Simmer uncovered on low heat for another 15-20 minutes.

Tridoshic Dal
Serves : 6

Ingredients:
1 cup split mung dal
8 cups water
2 cups summer squash, in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
1 cup carrots, in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
1/8 teaspoon hinge
2 tablespoons sunflower oil or ghee
1-1/4 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice or 1 tablespoon amchoor (dried mango powder)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
1 small hot green pepper, chopped finely or 1/4 cup prepared salsa (omit for Pitta, and easy on this for Vata)
1-1/4 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
Garnish: Fresh coriander leaves, chopped and shredded unsweetened coconut

Method:
Wash dal until rinse water is clear. Wash and chop vegetables.

1. Warm 1 tablespoon oil or ghee in large heavy saucepan.
2. Add hing, turmeric, and lemon juice and saute for 30 seconds over low heat (be careful, it is easy for turmeric to burn).
3. Stir in the beans and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the chopped vegetables and stir another minute or two.
5. Add water, salt, ginger, and pepper (if you are using it); bring to a boil on high heat. Then cover and reduce heat to medium-low.
6. Let soup simmer for 45 minutes or until beans have dissolved.
7. Warm remaining tablespoon of oil or ghee in a small skillet, add cumin and mustard seeds, heat until the mustard seeds begin to pop.
8. Add to soup, which is now ready to serve.
9. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves and coconut.

Tridoshic Lemon Tahini Dressing
Serves: 6


Ingredients:
1 cup raw tahini
½ cup purified water
Juice of 2 small Meyer lemons
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 inch ginger root, peeled & chopped fine
3 Tbs. fresh, minced cilantro
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 Tbs. celtic sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Method:
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Mix until tahini is fully blended.  Store in a glass jar with tight fitting lid.  Shake well before each use.


*These Recipes were adapted from The Ayurvedic Cookbook, written by Amadea Morningstar with Urmila Desai. This Ayurvedic Cookbook Classic is chock full of amazing information and ideas to give you a basic understanding of foods to Nourish your Doshas


Two other books you may want to add to your collection are written by Maya Tiwari. The Path of Practice: A Woman's Book of Ayurvedic Healing  and Ayurveda: A Life of Balance: The Complete Guide to Ayurvedic Nutrition & Body Types with Recipes

Colorful Stuffed Bellpeppers

Stuffing jalepeno peppers got me into stuffing bell peppers! Bell peppers come in a variety of colors, so these are really fun for dinner parties, or just dinner with your roomies :)

Ingredients:

• .75 lb. ground beef (lean)
• .75 ground pork (or turkey)
• 4 large bell peppers
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1tbsp. BBQ Sauce
• 1 tbsp. garlic salt
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 sm. onion, diced
• salt and pepper 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven 375F.
2. In a small bowl, crack eggs and beat well. Rinse and cut off tops of bell peppers, and save for displaying later. Hollow and deseed each bell pepper. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine beaten eggs, ground beef, ground pork, break crumbs, onions, garlic salt. Mix well. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 
4. With a spoon, carefully stuff each hollow bell pepper with mixture. Spread BBQ sauce over each pepper, put the top back on, and place into oven to cook for about 45 minutes or so. 

Costs:

• 4 large bell peppers- $3.99 for 3( red, orange, yellow) 
• .75 lb .ground beef
• .75 lb. ground pork (or turkey)
• 2 eggs, beaten- $0.20
• 1tbsp. BBQ Sauce
• 1 tbsp. garlic salt
• 1 cup bread crumbs-(I had panko bread crumbs left over from making chicken strips)- $ 0.50
• 1 sm. onion, diced-$0.27
• salt and pepper 

Approximate Cost: $11 for a serving of 4

Sidenote: If you're looking for a kick, my friend Timothy made this recipe, and he added some cayenne pepper! Cayenne pepper tends to do the trick :) 

xoxo,

Amy

Let's talk about "CAPONATA!"

Do you know what "caponata" is? With this word we generally refer to the caponata made of eggplants or aubergines but it's actually a generic word to indicate a specific Sicilian sweet&sour sauce with which we like to cook and season some kind of vegetables, but not only.

In ancient times people used to have it with fish and white meat as well, but today we make the traditonal one with eggplants and some other versions with artichokes, carrots and even apples. Delicious!!!



What probably happened in the past was that rich and noble people used to have it with fish and meat, but the majority of the population coudn't afford it, so they just substituted the expensive food with a cheaper one, and the fried eggplant/aubergine was the perfect ingredient for the soft consistency and not too decide taste.



 

To talk a little bit more about the introduction of the caponata sauce in Sicily we have to go back to the Middle Age, during the Saracen domination. Infact they were the ones to introduce it in our island.
Its secret is the perfect balance between the sweet (sugar or honey) and the sour (vinegar).
Then capers, olives, onion, celery and tomato sauce were added in the following centuries on a drizzle of olive oil.


It was a dish that became very popular among Sicilian sailors on ships, because it was easier for them to eat the rusk on board with a more scented sauce.

For us it's a side dish or sometimes even a starter and definetely needs some fresh rustic bread to be appreciated at the most.





Recipe & preparation of the Caponata sauce:
1 onion
200 gr green olives
50 gr salted capers
50 gr celery ribs
1 cup of tomato sauce
1/3 cup of sugar
2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
salt
olive oil


1. In a small sauce pan put some water and blanch the celery already cut in pieces. 2. In a frying pan put some olive oil on a low heat and add the thinly chopped onion. 3. Let it sauteè a bit, then put some tomato sauce, celery, capers and olives. 4. Now for the sweet and sour sauce pour some vinegar first, then sugar and salt, one after the other.

It's always hard to define quantities precisely when you have a family recipe. As the flavor of the caponata has to be very balanced it's important to taste the sweet&sour sauce while cooking and adding sugar or salt or vinegar if needed.


If you want to do it with eggplants/aubergines we usually use 2 big rounded ones (the Tunisin type), we first put them under salt and fry them (read the exact process here). Different is for artichokes and carrots which are actually blanched or boiled and then  seasoned with the sauce on a medium heat.

I really hope you can enjoy this sparkling scrumptious dish as much as we do. I am sure you will lick the plate clean and coudn't wait to try another version of this wonderful dish of our historical food tradition. A bit of caponata cheers your life up and everyone loves it, veggies and not veggies.