Category: Cooking

Cooking · Garden and Nature · Life at Castello di Montegiove

Elderflower Cordial

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May is the Elderflower season in Montegiove and it is the first sign of spring turning into summer.

When the beautiful flower is blooming, it looks just like a ballet tulle skirt, ready to be worn by an Elderflower Fairy.

The Elderflower Cordial is one of the most refreshing drinks for the summer.

 

20 Heads of Elderflower (preferable without bugs)

Sugar 1 kg

3 Organic lemons (Juice from two and one lemon in slices)

1 l boiling water
Preparation:

1. Shake the heads of the elderflowers well, picking off any bugs.

2. Place the elderflowers, sugar, lemon juice and lemon slices in a large bowl.

3. Add the boiling water and stir.

4. Leave in a cold place to infuse for 2-3 days stirring occasionally.

5. Strain through clean fine muslin cloth into a clean bowl.

6. Fill the cordial into clean sterilized bottles. Store in a cool dark place or freeze in plastic containers to keep for longer.

 

Drink cold or hot diluted with water, -also delicious combined with lemon juice in a sorbet.

 

Cin Cin!

Cooking · Life at Castello di Montegiove

Veal scallops with asparagus

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Easy and quick recipe, you can also use chicken or turkey, instead of veal scallops.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 Veal scallops

Asparagus 1 big bunch

1 glass of white wine

2 dl cream

Olive oil

Butter

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Clean the asparagus and cook them in salted water for about 5 minutes, don’t let them overcook. Drain and put them aside.

Heat up a pan and add the olive oil and butter.

On a plate stir together flour with salt and pepper, dip the scallops into the flour mix.

Cook the scallops until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving plate and keep them warm while you make the sauce.

Add the white wine to the hot pan and let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, add the cream and let it heat up until it is reduced. Meanwhile cut the asparaguses into smaller pieces and add them to the pan with the simmering sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the warm sauce with the asparaguses over the veal scallops and serve.

Buon Appetito!

 

 

Cooking · Life at Castello di Montegiove

Banana bread with chocolate chunks

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A delcious way to use the overripe bananas no one likes to eat from the fruit basket.

Ingredients:

3 Eggs

170 g Sugar

2 teasp Vanilla sugar

125 g Flour (if gluten free use bread flour)

1 teasp Baking powder

100 g Butter melted (cold)

1-2 Bananas overripe (mashed)

150 g Chocolate chopped into small chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Butter a loaf tin (ca 1 l.) or use baking paper.

2. Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy. Mix the flour with the baking powder and fold it carefully into the egg mixture together with the cold melted butter. Add the mashed banana and chocolate chunks.

3. Pour mixture into the loaf tin and bake in centre of the oven for around 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

4. Remove cake from oven and let it cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Buon Appetito!

Cooking

Carrot Soup

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Soup Season.

This winter carrot soup is easy to make and full of vitamins.

 

Serves 4 Persons

1 kg carrots grated roughly in a food processor

1 Onions chopped

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1,2 l boiling water

Vegetable stock granules or 1 cube, dissolved in the water = Broth

Olive oil

Cream or cream cheese

Fresh thyme leaves

Salt pepper

1.Heat the oil in a pot over a low heat, add the chopped onion and garlic and fry gently for about 5 minutes. Add the grated carrots and the broth.

2.Let the soup boil until carrots are completely tender (from 30 to 50 minutes). Remove from the heat and let cool down a bit. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth add more water/broth if the soup is too dense.

3.Transfer the soup back to the pot and heat up again, add the thyme, when warm add a splash of cream or cream cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with toasted whole wheat bread.

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Buon Apetito!!!

 

Cooking

Orange Cake for Sunday Tea

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Serve with a nice cup of black tea on a cold winter afternoon.

 

Ingredients:

Cake:

250 g Butter softened

250 g Sugar

4 Eggs

2 tblsp. Zest of 1 orange

1 ¼ dl Orange juice

100 g Corn flour (fine)

150 g Gluten free flour (or normal flour)

 

Orange Butter Frosting:

250 g Icing sugar

3 tblsp. Butter softened

3-4 tblsp. Orange juice

Strips of Orange zest for decoration.

The cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Butter a cake tin and dust it with fine corn flour.

2. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, add the orange zest and juice. Add the two types of flour to the egg mixture a tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition.

3. Pour mixture into the buttered cake tin and bake in centre of the oven for around 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

4. Remove cake from oven and let cool on a rack.

 

Orange Butter frosting:

Gradually beat the icing sugar into the softened butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the orange juice to bring to spreading consistence.

Place cake on a serving platter, and frost the cake with the orange butter frosting, arrange the strips of orange zest on top of the cake.

Buon Appetito!

 

 

Christmas · Cooking

Chicken liver mousse

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Chicken liver mousse for Christmas Lunch or Appetizer

300 g Chicken liver (cleaned and chopped into small pieces)

1 Onion, small chopped

1 Garlic clove, minced

100 g Butter chopped into chunks

1-2 Anchovies

1/2 tblsp. Capers

2 tblsp. Mascarpone

Marsala wine (as much as you like)

Fresh thyme chopped (as much as you like)

Salt and Pepper

Cook the onion, garlic and thyme in a knob of butter. Add the chicken liver and the anchovies and let it cook for around 5 minutes, make sure everything is cooked. Add salt pepper and Marsale and let it simmer for 1 minute.

Transfer everything into the food processor together with the rest of the butter, the capers and the mascarpone and blend until smooth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a nice crock and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Serve on toasted bread or crackers!

 

Cooking

Risotto alle Zucca (Risotto with pumpkin)

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This risotto is easy and quick, it takes around 30 minutes to prepare and is perfect for a cold and grey November day.

Serves 4

400 g Pumpkin meat (no seeds and skin), chopped finely in a food processor
400 g Risotto rice
4 tblsp. Olive oil
Vegetable stock granules or 1 cube, dissolved in water = Broth
Boiling water
Grated Parmesan cheese (as much as you like)
A knob of butter
Salt and pepper for seasoning
A slice of gorgonzola for serving (if you like)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat, add the rice and the chopped pumpkin and fry gently for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add ½ cup of boiling water and broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding water ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, add 1 knob of butter and the Parmesan cheese, then stir well and serve.

Extra: Place a knob of gorgonzola on top of the risotto before serving.