Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is exactly what the name says… “cooked cream”!

Ingredients:

• 500 ml of fresh cream, the type you use to make whipped cream
• 200 ml of milk (better is fresh and “intero”, whole milk)
• vanilla
• 10 gr gelatin in sheets (6 sheets)
• 50 gr sugar

Soften the gelatin in cold water or as indicated on the package of the gelatin that you are using. In the meanwhile, pour the milk in a small sauce pan, add vanilla and the sugar and heat it up (very low heat), stirring frequently. When the milk is almost boiling (you can see small bubbles), take the gelatin out of the water, and put it into the warm milk to melt it. Stir to avoid lumps.

Add the cream, and keep stirring until the cream mix is simmering.

Pour the mix in a pudding mould or in small containers, let them cool down at room temperature and put them in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

You can serve it with fresh berries, like I did (strawberries with sugar) or with berry puree. In the winter, I love to serve it with an orange and cointreau sauce and orange rinds. Delicious!

Pizza

I make pizza almost once a week. It’s one of the cheapest things to make, and a simple way to make of an ordinary evening a more festive one!

Ingredients:

• 500 gr of flour (I use the “00″ type)
• yest
• salt
• olive oil
• sugar
• water
• canned tomatoes
• mozzarella

Put a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar (which helps the rising of the dough) in the flour and mix. Pour some olive oil (the quantity depends on how rich you like your pizza – I put about 5 table spoons) and mix with a fork.

Keep mixing until the flour looks like Parmesan. At that point melt the yeast in warm water (the best temperature is when you cannot feel the water at all when you touch it with a finger). Pour the liquid yeast in the flower and mix, first with a fork and then with your hands. In order to avoid for the dough to stick to your hands, pour some olive oil on them and then keep kneading the dough for at least 5 minutes.

This will make it elastic. I generally divide the dough in two parts, I make two small balls, and I put them in two containers and cover them with a tea towel. Leave it to raise for at least 1 hour, but more it’s better.

When  the dough is ready, roll it out and put it in a greased oven tin. Prepare the tomato sauce by putting the canned tomatoes in a small sauce pan, add some garlic in very small pieces, olive oil, salt and oregano.

Put the tomato sauce on the “pasta” and add the condiments that you want. I generally use tuna and onions, or vegetables, or sausage and mushrooms, or even different types of cheese.

Preheat the oven at 250 °C and when the oven is ready, put the pizza in for 15 minutes. When the crust is ready (check the base by passing a fork under the crust), take it out, and put some pieces of mozzarella on top and put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes to let the mozzarella melt.

Enjoy!