Simple Italy

Celebrating Your Inner Italian

Coffee Semifreddo

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Bold and bracing, a coffee semifreddo slices through summer humidity.

Bold and bracing, a coffee semifreddo slices through summer humidity.

If the Lemon Semifreddo in the previous post can be characterized as angelic, this Coffee Semifreddo is the devilish counterpart. It is the sweet weapon of choice when you want to go full throttle against the torpor of summer weather.

 

Coffee Semifreddo
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Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Author:
Serves: 8
The USDA recommends that, due to possible danger from Salmonella contamination, pasteurized in-shell eggs should be used for any recipe calling for uncooked or undercooked eggs.
Ingredients
  • 3 large eggs, separated (see note above)
  • ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
  • ½ cup brewed espresso or very strong coffee
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract or brandy
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¾ cup heavy or whipping cream
  • Cocoa powder, chocolate curls, or chocolate-covered coffee beans
Instructions
  1. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap so excess hangs over the sides. Set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar. With a flat-bottom whisk, stir until well combined. Stir in the espresso or coffee. Set over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan and set it in a larger container filled with ice water; whisk occasionally until cool about 15 minutes. Stir in the vanilla or brandy.
  3. Combine the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until whites look foamy. Continue beating while gradually adding ¼ cup sugar, until stiff peaks form.
  4. In another mixing bowl, using the same beater, beat the cream with a mixer at high speed, adding the remaining ¼ cup sugar half way through, until doubled in volume.
  5. Fold the egg-white mixture into coffee mixture then gently fold in whipped cream. Pour and spread into the prepared pan. Bring the extra plastic wrap over the top to cover the semifreddo. Place in the freezer at least 12 hours or up to 3 days.
  6. To unmold, remove top plastic wrap. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Place the pan over a serving platter, and turn the semifreddo out of the pan. Slice with a sharp knife.
  7. Dust with cocoa powder or garnish with chocolate curls or chocolate-covered coffee beans.

 

Click here for information about egg cooking safety.

Click here for information about pasteurized in-shell eggs.

 

Semifreddo for Summer

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Lush lemon semifreddo is the next best thing to being in Amalfi.

Lush lemon semifreddo is the next best thing to being in Amalfi.

 

Semifreddo translates as “half frozen.”

But its literal moniker underplays the lush nature of this Italian spoon dessert.

I’d rather call it Fresco Com’una Nuvola–“Cool as a Cloud.”

Sort of a cross between a frozen soufflé and gelato, a semifreddo delivers the plush mouthfeel of frozen meringue with the luxurious richness of cream.

Why is semifreddo so dreamy? Because air is whipped into the egg whites and the cream prior to freezing. Gelato, on the other hand, is denser because air is whipped into the gelato base as it freezes. So, semifreddo results in a softer, more sensual sweet.

Semifreddo is so right for summer. It can be prepared hours or days in advance. Berries and peaches are its seasonal friends.

Italians like to play around with textural contrasts and frequently add layers of crumbled crisp cookies or chopped nuts between layers of semifreddo. Sauces are also a fun option. Caramel sauce with lemon or coffee. Chocolate  sauce with raspberry or strawberry. You get the idea.

Make a semifreddo soon and you’ll be on nuvola numero nove.

Click here for information about egg cooking safety.

Lemon Semifreddo
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Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Author:
Serves: 8
The USDA recommends that, due to possible danger from Salmonella contamination, pasteurized in-shell eggs should be used for any recipe calling for uncooked or undercooked eggs.
Ingredients
  • ½ tablespoon butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar plus sugar for coating the dish
  • 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  • 6 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 egg, beaten (see note above)
  • 2 cups heavy or whipping cream
  • ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 pint raspberries
Instructions
  1. Coat the inside of a 6-cup soufflé dish or other casserole with butter. Coat with granulated sugar. Set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, whisk ½ cup granulated sugar with cornstarch until blended. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg. Whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes until mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk briskly. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally.
  3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar. Whip until peaks hold their shape. Fold one-third of the cream into the lemon mixture. Fold the lemon mixture into the remaining cream. Spoon into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place in the freezer for 12 hours or up to 3 days.
  4. To serve, remove the semifreddo from the freezer and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Scoop onto dessert dishes. Serve with the raspberries.

Next time: Coffee Semifreddo

 

Porcini Mushroom Antipasto

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Dried porcini funghi add true Tuscan savor to this fresh mushroom antipasto.

Dried porcini funghi add true Tuscan savor to this fresh mushroom antipasto.

Too often, outside of Italy, antipasto can be a tired tray of assorted salumi. Or, “lunchmeat,” as a server an “Italian” restaurant in Chicago, once hilariously answered, in response to our query about what came on the antipasto platter.

Throughout the regions of Italy, antipasto (before the meal), are varied, seasonal, and local. Seafood, robust cheeses, grilled vegetables, crostini with myriad spreads, cured olives, frittate, and more.

Porcini-Stuffed Baby Bello Mushrooms are an antipasto that’s right for any season. By supplementing fresh baby bello mushrooms with reconstituted dried porcini, you create a win-win. The intense porcini flavor (at a fraction of the cost of fresh funghi porcini–if you could find them) with the toothsome texture of fresh mushrooms and assorted seasonings. [Read more…]

Italian Savoy Cabbage and Rice Soup

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Crinkly leafed Savoy cabbage is milder and more tender than regular white cabbage.

Crinkly leafed Savoy cabbage is milder and more tender than regular white cabbage.

My Inner Italian cook is liberated from geography. When it’s sweltering at my home in eastern Pennsylvania, I can toss pasta with juicy plum tomatoes, olive oil, and basil and call it supper. Just as they do in the sunny south.

When overnight temps dip into the teens, however, I can head north to the Alpine region of Trentino Alto-Adige for mealtime inspiration. The northernmost part of this semi-autonomous region is culturally more German than Italian, with ingredients such as sauerkraut and poppy seeds showing up in local dishes. It’s the South Tyrol, a triangular point of land jutting north from Milan and Venice. Bolzano, the capital of Alto-Adige is 400 miles from Rome but a mere 170 miles from Munich, Germany.

Italian Savoy Cabbage and Rice Soup
5.0 from 1 reviews
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Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 8
Cooks in the Trentino Alto-Adige intuitively know how to do is keep body and soul sustained with hearty soups like this Savoy Cabbage and Rice Soup enriched with pancetta.
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces cubed pancetta or slab bacon
  • Olive oil
  • 2 leeks, white and green part, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup fruity white wine
  • 1 head (1¼ pounds) Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
  • 3 quarts (12 cups) chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup medium or long-grain white or brown rice
  • 2 teaspoons thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Scatter the pancetta bacon or in a large pot set over medium heat. Glaze with olive oil. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until golden. Reduce the heat if the pancetta or bacon browns too fast.
  2. Add the leeks and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until golden.
  3. Add the wine. Increase the heat to high. Boil, scraping up any browned bits, for about 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Add the cabbage, broth, rice, thyme, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
  4. Cover partially and cook for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the parsley and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
  5. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Gradually add 2 cups of broth skimmed from the soup. Add the egg mixture to the pot. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, or until the soup thickens slightly.
  6. Garnish with Parmesan to taste.

[Read more…]

Chicken Breasts Marsala

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Simmer Marsala wine with skillet juices from sauteed chicken to create an unctuous sauce. reduce

Simmer Marsala wine with skillet juices from sautéed chicken to create an unctuous sauce.

Marsala is a Sicilian wine that achieved international fame when it was discovered by British sea merchant John Woodhouse in the late 18th Century. It has become a pantry staple in Italian home and restaurant kitchens. Because it’s fortified with a bit of distilled alcohol, the wine won’t spoil after opening.

Dry, sweet, and aged (vergine) Marsala wines are produced in the area around the port of Marsala in western Sicily. For savory dishes like these chicken breasts with rich cheese and slightly salty prosciutto, choose the dry version. 

Chicken Breasts Marsala
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Recipe type: Main course
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 2½ to 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • Salt
Ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 to 8 thin slices (4 to 5 ounces) cooked ham or prosciutto
  • 6 to 8 thin slices (4 to 5 ounces) Gruyère cheese
  • 1 cup dry Marsala wine
Instructions
  1. Lay the chicken breasts, smooth side down, on a work surface. Loosen the tenderloins and open them like a book. With the smooth side of a meat pounder or heavy skillet, flatten the breasts to ¾-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and a dusting of nutmeg.
  2. Place the flour on a large sheet of waxed paper. Lay an empty sheet of waxed paper beside it. Dip the chicken in the flour to coat both sides. Shake off excess and place the chicken on the empty sheet.
  3. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add the chicken in a single layer. Cook for about 4 minutes each side, or until well browned. Top each chicken breast with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. Add the Marsala to the pan. Bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, swirling occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until it no longer smells of alcohol. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. With a spatula, place the chicken breasts on dinner plates. Drizzle with the wine sauce.

 

Recipe from our e-book SimpleiItaly Loves Chicken, available for purchase online at the Barnes & Noble Nook store and the amazon Kindle store.

 

Piadina

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A piadina filled with prosciutto, cooked greens, and fresh ricotta cheese.

As la pizza is to i napoletani, la piadina is to i romagnoli.

In Romagna, the part of the Emilia-Romagna region on the Adriatic coast east of Bologna, the flat bread piadina is ubiquitous. It’s ancient and like so many other good foods was born of cucina povera. It consists of flour, strutto (lard), and water (sometimes milk). Numerous dialect names attest to its favor: Piada, pie, pjida, pièda, pji, pida.

Genuine piadine are flavored with pure lard which is soft at room temperature. If you can find unhydrogenated lard (I bought some at an Amish butcher) use it. Otherwise, olive oil is a better choice.

Piadina is flat like pizza but with important differences.

Pizza dough is prepared with yeast. Piadina is not although bicarbonate of soda is sometimes added.

Pizza dough contains no fat. Piadina is tenderized with lard and increasingly these days with olive oil.

Pizza is baked in a very hot oven while piadine are grilled on an unglazed terra cotta stone known as una teglia or uno testo. More energy efficient! Once upon a time, the grilling took place over the ashes of wood fires. Now it’s completed on a stovetop. A cast iron pan or griddle works beautifully.

Piadine actually have more in common with Mexican flour tortillas than with pizza. Like other quick breads, they must be eaten warm when they’re most flavorful and pliable. Cut into wedges, they are a welcome addition to an antipasto platter.

A vintage ad for piadine on a wall in Dozza: The best snacks with genuine products.

Piadine also make delectable panini. Thinly sliced prosciutto or other salumi, sautéed lascinato kale or chard, any soft cheese, arugula, whatever you fancy—just lay the fillings on top of the bread and fold.

Piadine are fun for a casual do-it-yourself supper where guests grill and fill their own. The dough can be mixed several hours ahead of time and left to sit, covered in plastic, at room temperature or in the refrigerator (warm to room temp before grilling).

I tried several different recipes from good sources, including a fine one from Chef Paul Bartolotta in Food & Wine. His piadine are 10-inches wide, a bit too broad for my cast iron skillet, so I narrowed the width.

I experimented with cooling and freezing piadine. I found the reheated breads almost better than the freshly grilled ones. Even in such a thin bread, the layers of pastry were more defined. [Read more…]