Earth Pots

Hand Made Earth Pots from Studiocreta

Italia a Tavola- Bread Soup

Minestra di Pane

Bread soup

Ingredients for 4 servings

28 oz of fresh beans red or Borlotti or 14 oz of dry beans

(Previously boiled-keep the water)

14 oz. Pomodori maturi o “pelati”

2oz of Pancetta (or bacon) cubed

¼ of a medium curly cabbage

1 bundle of Lacinato Kale

1 Celery Stalk

1 Onion

¼ cup of parsley

1 Garlic clove

¼ of a chili pepper

4 thick slices of Ciabatta bread

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper

Chop the celery, onion, parsley, garlic and chili pepper and stir fry in a large pot with 4 TbS of oil, and the pancetta. When the onion turns golden add the pealed and chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and cook at slow heat for 10 minutes.

Pass half of the beans through a sieve (or blender) and put all of the beans in the pot with the veggies,  cover everything with 2 liters of the beans cooking water and cover with the lid. When the water start boiling add the cabbage and Kale cut in small strips. 

Cook everything at low heat for at least 1 hour, or until the kale is tender.  Serve hot on tasted bread rubbed with garlic, garnished with raw olive oil. Serve without cheese.

Italia a Tavola- Onion and peas soup

Carabaccia

(Peas soup)

3 large onions

4 Celery m Carrots

11 oz of fresh peas

4 eggs

Como or ciabatta bread

Olive oil

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt, Pepper

Chop the onions, celery and carrots and put in a earth pot with abundant oil, salt and pepper; let cook at low heat with the lid on for at least 1 hour stirring every now and then.

Boil the peas and pass half through a strainer or put half in the food processor.

After about 1 hour add the peas to the veggies sauce and stir well. Poach 4 eggs.

Toast 4 slices of bread, quickly dunk the in a bowl of hot water and put each one of them in a separate bowl. Cover the bread with a ladle full of carabaccia, put one poached egg on it and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Italia a Tavola- Tuscan Meat Sauce

Sugo di Carne

(Meat Sauce)

Ingredients for 6 servings

(fresh organic ingredients taste better)

11oz of lean beef in slices (no ground beef)

14oz of ripe tomatoes, chopped

1oz of dried mushrooms

(soaked for a few hours and drained)

1 TbS of bone marrow

1 Medium Onion

1Small Carrot

1 Stalk of Celery

Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper

Mince finely the onion, carrot and celery and put them in a pot (a clay pot if you have one) with the oil and the bone marrow and let if fry slowly without covering for 30 minutes.  Add the meat, the mushrooms cut in chunks and stir fry for a few minutes. Take the meat out and chop it finely, put it back in the pot and add the tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook at low heat for 30 to 40 minutes

Italia a Tavola- Roasted Chicken packed in Salt

Pollo al Sale

Roasted Chicken packed in Salt

Ingredients for 4 servings

One chicken,

1 twig of rosemary,

2 cloves of garlic,

5 lb of rock salt (approx).

Line a deep pot with foil to preserve its integrity after cooking; or use an earth pot. Lay a layer of rock salt about 1 inch thick. Insert the rosemary and garlic in the chicken and place it on the inside the pot, on the salt. Cover the chicken with the rest of the salt making sure is well packed and no meat is exposed. Cook at about 450 degrees for 1.5 hour.

The salt will harden during cooking, so you will need to break it to extract the chicken which will be moist and savory.

This is an antique recipe; it actually originated in China but adopted in many countries. You can use this process also to cook roast beef.

Enjoy it!


Well, I have to say the look of this chicken, after it comes out of the salt, is not terribly attractive, but the flavor is memorable

Italia a Tavola- Saffron Penne with Crab

Penne allo Zafferano e Granchio

(Saffron Penne with Crab)

Ingredients for 4 servings

13oz of penne

7 oz. of crab meat

4oz. of cream

1 garlic clove

1 glass of dry white wine

1ts of butter

1 packet of Saffron powder (4 strands)

salt and pepper.

Put the garlic (crashed with your finger)in a pan with the butter, fry lightly, add the crab meat and cook for just a few minutes at slow heat stirring well.  Add salt and pepper, cook a few more minutes; remove the garlic, add the wine, let thicken a bit, add the saffron previously dissolved in the cream and cook for a few minutes stirring well.

Turn off the heat. Cook the pasta al dente, dress it with the sauce mixing everything well. Serve right away, sit down and enjoy it!.

Italia a Tavola- Raw Veggies with Saffron Sauce

Pinzimonio con Salsa Gialla

(Raw Veggies with Saffron Sauce)

Ingredients for 4 servings

11 oz. of Leaks

½ glass of white wine

1 TbS of potato starch

2 TbS of olive oil

1 packet of Saffron Powder (about 4 strands)

10 blades of chive, chopped finely

1 vegetable bouillon

1 TbS of pepper corn crashed.

Put the pepper in 24 oz. of water and when it starts boiling add the bouillon; as soon as it is melted turn off the heat and let rest for about 15 minutes, then drain and throw away the pepper.

Slice the white part of the leaks, wash them thoroughly, dry them and chopped them finely.

Fry the leaks in the olive oil, when golden add the wine and let evaporate while stirring at medium heat. When the sauce is thicker add the broth, saving about ½ glass, and let the sauce cook for about 10 minutes. Dissolve the Saffron in the broth you set aside, as well as the potato starch, making sure to mix well to avoid any clumps.  Pour the yellow broth in the pot with the leaks and cook for another minute or two stirring well. Pour the sauce in a bowl and add the chives.

Serve warm with a variety of raw vegetables.

Spotlight on Spices-Saffron

Saffron

The most expensive spice in the world!  The stigmas of the saffron crocus are so light that you need over 20,000 to make 4 oz. of spice…and they need to be hand picked.

The true origin of saffron is uncertain, but it was probably first cultivated in Asia Minor.  It was used by all the ancient civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean in food and wine, as a dye, in perfume and as a drug. By the seven century, the plant was known in China, where it was in demand as a drug and a perfume.  Three centuries later it was grown in Spain; in the 11^th century it reached Germany and France, and England I in the 14^th century. Throughout this period Saffron was treated as a commodity of great commercial value, and severe penalties, even death, awaited anyone who adulterated it.

Appearance and groth

The saffron crocus is a perennial bulb that is planted in mid- to late summer. The flowers are picked when the petals open, usually in autumn; at this point the stigmas are hand picked and dried.

Saffron has a distinctive aroma and a penetrating, slightly bitter taste.  A small amount will flavor a large dish and color it a brilliant gold.

Folk Medicine

Saffron is rich in vitamin B2, riboflavin and vitamin C.  It is a great antioxidant and aids digestion and urinary tract health.

Distribution

The main producers of Saffron today are Spain, Greece, France, Turkey, Iran, Morocco and Kashmir; the best Saffron is said to come from La Mancha, Spain.

Italia a Tavola- Polenta with Lacinato Kale

Polenta con il cavolo nero

Polenta with Lacinato Kale

Ingredients for 4 servings

(Fresh organic ingredients are always preferable)

1 small onion (finely minced)

1 medium carrot (finely minced)

2 stalks of celery (finely minced)

¼ cup of Italian Parsley (finely minced)

18oz of Lacinato Kale chopped

Olive oil

6oz of polenta flour

Grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Put some oil in a pot and when it is warm add all the vegetables; add salt and pepper, stir a little and cover letting cook at slow heat for about 20 minutes.  When the vegetables are softer add 6 cups of hot water.  When the water starts boiling again, add the polenta flour stirring vigorously. Continue cooking for another 40 minutes stirring frequently to avoid lumps.

This vegetable Polenta will remain very soft, similar to cream of wheat. Serve with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

SO GOOD and GOOD FOR YOU!