A Spring Menu nr 2 / Un menù di primavera nr 2

Here we are with the second appointment with my spring menus. Aren’t you curious to read what’s up for this week? Here are the four courses of the second menu:
Savoury Short Pastry Nests with Cheese Cream, Chicory and Black Olives
Rosemary and Candied Lemon Peel Risotto
Rabbit with Beer, Honey and Herbs Glaze with Roasted Potatoes
Almonds and Orange

Is your mouth watering yet?

Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook: Wild Garlic Olive Oil Rolls / Il Ricettario del Mulino di Maroggia: Panini all’olio e aglio orsino

In the past few weeks me and my father have been going gathering wild garlic (here if you want to know more about where and when to find it) and in addition to making a small batch of pesto we froze for the cold winter nights I thought I’d try out a bread recipe for a change. I took inspiration from a bread by Hamelman, the actual original recipe is for fougasse, changing some quantities adding a little oil and flour. I must say I’m very happy about these soft and aromatic rolls which I happily include in Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook. If wild garlic is not to your liking you can always use some basil. These fluffy and fragrant buns can be filled with any ingredients, simply be eaten as they are or as an accompaniment to a fresh salad!

A Spring Menu / Un menù di primavera

Spring arrived, at last! After a cold and rainy winter pleasant warm days have finally set in and thinner sweaters have replaced wool jumpers which have been stored in boxes for next year’s cold. To welcome spring I decided to dust off the drawer a small collection of recipes I put together last year, for a project that never came to life. The entire collection has been available for a few hours on the blog, then an opportunity made me decide to take it off in a hurry to see whether it was possible to have the work published. In the end, unfortunately, there was no further development but the recipes and photos are so beautiful that I decided to publish them on the blog this year,. I will post two menus a month, for a total of four, until the end of May. Without further ado I start with the first menu, which is composed by four recipes.

Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook: Dark Chocolate and Hazelnuts Milk Rolls / Il Ricettario del Mulino di Maroggia: Panini al latte con gocce di cioccolato fondente e nocciole delle Langhe

It’s Maroggia’s Mill Friday again, and I am back with a sweet bread recipe. For too long these Piedmontese hazelnut have sat in my pantry. Yet another gift from my friend Michela, there are no words to describe these creamy and fragrant fruits from the generous woods of Piemonte. I knew they were very special from the moment I opened the crinkled plastic bag, crackling like a crystalline laughter of joy, and their scent enveloped me evoking other ingredients, other pairings.

Twelve Loaves June: Cherry and Beetroot Buns wrapped in Bacon / Twelve Loaves: Panini al latte con ciliegie e barbabietola avvolti in pancetta

With the start of a new month one of my favorite baking appointments, Twelve Loaves, comes too. What I like the most is when we choose an ingredient rather than a generic theme, such restrictions are always a good starting point to feed the imagination! Besides it’s too interesting to see how everyone interprets differently the monthly ingredient. For June, choice fell on cherries, a fruit that I love – a picture of me as a child testifies it, my face is completely plastered with juice and bears an unmistakable expression of satisfaction…”cherry thief”! – and for which it’s easy to fall into the temptation of baking a sweet bread.

Garganelli and Ragù alla Mamma / Garganelli del riciclo pasquale e ragù alla mamma

I still remember the day when I virtually met Michela, aka Menta e Rosmarino, on Facebook’s group Panissimo. She had just published a recipe for a very nice bread. As absurd as it sounds I vaguely remember the loaf but remember very well the main colors of the photo, white and red, which I later discovered to be her “signature colors”. A sort of White Stripe of baking my friend, the third missing element who I imagine playing the pans using woden spoons. No time for digression, let’s get on with my story.

Testaroli with almond sauce / Testaroli con salsa di mandorle

We already tried once before, but I had failed miserably. We have not talked about since, most certainly because both taken by other duties, maybe I was just a little embarrassed by my terrible flop. But in the end we made it.

#Twelve Loaves: Rye and fennel seeds snails with blood oranges and red onion chutney / #Twelve Loaves: Girelle di segale e semi di finocchio al chutney di arance sanguinelle e cipolle

I’ve been thinking a lot about this recipe, most of all because the need to create a savoury bread was stronger than ever. What triggered this flavour combination was the poll that Lora-Cake Duchess launched in Twelve Loaves to choose April’s theme.

Cassava and Rice Flour Gnocchis with Wild Garlic Pesto/ Gnocchi alla Manioca e farina di riso con pesto di aglio orsino

Cassava, this – to me – quite unknown vegetable. A root that for several years I only watched from a distance, intimidated by its seemingly thick and hard rind. Let’s say that because of a purely aesthetic matter and my own ignorance about its use in cooking our paths have never really crossed if not for my rapid and puzzled looks to it, before reaching the shelf to get my beloved avocados. Well, I’m not ashamed to say that I was wrong, and how was I wrong!

Autumn Kolache with Chestnut flour and Persimmon Jam / Kolache con farina di castagne e marmellata di cachi per Sourdough Surprises

It’s Sourdough Surprises time again! This month’s theme, kolache, was initially a bad surprise but in the end provided me with an excuse to brainstorm and come over with a new and original recipe. What happened?