HAPPY HOLIDAYS - From Our Home to Yours

Wishing you all the peace the season brings!

 

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

                   

    

Scrippelle

Calginetti

Brodi di gallina (chicken soup)

Scrippelle Abruzzesi - RECIPE

At our home, it's not Christmas without the traditional Scrippelle Abruzzesi. 

At the request of my blog readers, here is the recipe for Scrippelle.

Scrippelle sugared and ready to eat
All photos - Copyright - La Casa e Il Giardino

Good scrippelle must be light and airy inside (not doughy). In order to have light and airy scrippelle, the dough must be worked well.

In my childhood, homemakers worked the dough by hand inside a rectangular wooden vat (la misolle). What a job! Today, thanks to a good mixer and dough hook, the job is much easier.

Ingredients

1 kilo (approx. 2 lbs. and 4 oz.) of flour

50 grams (2 oz.) of fresh yeast (I buy it from the bakery - or pizzeria) 

2 eggs

2 potatoes, boiled and riced

32 oz. tepid or lukewarm water (approx.)

3 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Boil the potatoes and rice them. Melt the yeast well into the tepid or lukewarm water. Place flour in a very large bowl. Mix in the eggs and potatoes. Add water a little at a time. Consistency of dough should be soft and elastic but not watery. The dough should be well worked.   Place a batch of dough in the mixer bowl and work it well with a dough hook (10 minutes).   Remove the worked dough and place into a very large pot.  Add another batch and so on until all the dough is finished.  Place the worked dough in a warm spot, cover it and let it rise.

Note: Dough should not be too watery or too dry as it makes a difference in the results.

Dough doubled in size

The dough should double in size within an hour or so. In the meantime, place the vegetable oil in a deep roaster over a burner. Heat oil until it gets very hot over medium heat. 

Stretch and hold

With your fingers take a little dough, the size of an egg, and stretch it over the hot oil very slowly. (It's an art - it takes practice).   If you have trouble doing the long scrippelle, you can take a short cut.   Grab spoonfuls of dough and drop them into the hot oil.   Fry until golden. 

Place fried dough on absorbent paper and add granulated sugar.

TIMBALLO DI MACCHERONI E MELANZANE

Among the many dishes on the table at Christmas time, I add this inviting TIMBALLO made with pasta and eggplant.

Timballo
All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

Curiosity:  The dish gets its name from an ancient percussion instrument, the drum, which was inspired by a cylindrical container where the dish originally was cooked.

Varieties of timballo differ from region to region. Sometimes it’s known as a bomba, tortino sartu (a Neapolitan version) or pasticcio.  Simply, it's an Italian molded dish, typically with pasta or rice with filling of meat or vegetables.  Although there are many versions of timballo, I like the timballo with pasta and melanzane ( eggplant).

The dish is prepared in a dome.  I use a springform pan. 










Ingredients
1/2 lb. pasta (I use Ziti Rigati)
2 small eggplants
2 cups of tomato purée,
1 shallot
1 cup grated provolone
4 oz. butter
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Sprig of parsley (minced)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Wash and mince parsley leaves.  Wash the eggplants and cut into small chunks.  Place the eggplant pieces in a colander and under press to eliminate water.  Add some salt and leave under press for 30 minutes.  Remove the eggplant pieces, rinse, dry and fry in olive oil.  Remove and place on paper towels.

Mince the shallot and saute' in a thread of olive oil.  Add the tomato purée, eggplant and parsley.  Mix well and cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the maccheroni in salted water.  Drain and mix with tomato sauce.  Butter the springform pan or mold.  Cover with breadcrumbs.  Distribute half of the pasta into the pan or mold.  Add grated provolone.  Add other half of the pasta and remaining provolone.

Bake the timballo for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven.  Remove and let it rest for 5. 

If a mold is used, run a knife around the edge of timballo to loosen, then invert a platter over mold and invert timballo onto platter.   Remove mold and it's ready to serve.

If a springform pan is used, run a knife around the edge of timballo to loosen and remove the springform pan.