Tagliatelle all'uovo (handmade pasta)

Ingredients

4 eggs (1 per person)
500gr flour type "00"
salt

First of all it is very important to use flour type"00" (doppio zero)
This flour is made with coarsely ground durum wheat so that it holds shape better when cooked.
Place flour on table and make a well in the centre.
Add eggs to the well.
Mix slowly with the fork then with your hands until not too sticky.
Knead the dough until smooth.
Add flour on surface so it does not stick to it.
If you use a pasta machine roll it as per instruction. (see attached images).
You can also roll it by hand with a rolling pin . It just takes a bit longer.
Pasta machines normally have a choice of tagliolini or tagliatelle shapes.
Again you can do it by hand,  just roll the pasta and cut in strips.
Cook in boiling water for 5 minutes (It is ready when pasta start floating on surface)
The perfect sauce for this pasta is the Bolognese Sauce. But it is delicious also served with simple tomato sauce, basil and parmesan.

Coffe Maker traditional napolitain

Here are the classic napolitain coffee makers my mum gave me. They are a bit bashed up but it adds to their charm and flavour. The coffee made with these coffee maker it is much flavoursome and does not have the slightly burnt taste than the Espresso coffee maker. This is beacuse the coffee results by filtering down rather than steamed up by boiling water.

See Eduardo De Filippo in the "Questi fantasmi" comedy video for the poetry of coffee making..

 

 Toto` e Peppino

               Eduardo De Filippo in "Questi Fantasmi"

                                                                                                           

My favourite: Caffe` Kimbo

  

Na Tazzullella e` cafe` - Lyrics 

Pino Daniele

(check utube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98XpQXQr5LA)

Na tazzulella e` cafe` e mai niente ce' fanne sape`

Nui ce' puzzammo e' famme, o' sanne tutte quante

e invece e c'aiuta` c'abboffano e' cafe.
Na Tazzullella e`' cafe` ca sigaretta n'coppa pu nun vere`.
Ca` stanno chine e'  sbaglie, fanno sule e' mbruoglie
S'allisciano se' vattene se' pigliano o cafe`.
E nui passamme e guaie, nui nun putimme fatica`.
E chiste invece e ra' na mano,
s'allisciano se vattono se magnano a citta`.
Na tazzullella e' cafe`.
Acconcia a vocca a chi nun vo sape`.
E nui tiramma annanzo ca dulore e' panze
e invece e' c'aiuta` c'abboffano e' cafe`
Na tazzulella e' cafe` ca sigaretta ngoppo pe nun vere`.
S'aizano e' palazze fanno cose e' pazze
Ce girano, c'avotano ce riempieno e' tasse.

...A cup of coffee, we are starving, everyone knows that..
..and instead of helping us they stuff us with coffee...
...and instead of helping us they rob, they fight they stuff themselves with coffee...


BAR ITALIA

Best coffee in London: Bar Italia- Soho

Cornetti

Ingredients

500 gr white strong flour
1 egg
200gr butter
10 gr fresh yeast
salt
50 gr sugar
100gr milk
100 water
Dark chocolate

Mix flour, egg, yeast, water, milk salt thenlet it rest for about 10 hours in the fridge covered with a plastic food bag.  Roll up the butter and place it over the rolled pastry. Fold the 4 corners of the pastry over the butter. Roll it up in a rectangle and fold it in 3. Leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Repeat this 2 more times.
Roll the pastry and cut in triangle for the cornetti and rectangles for the chocolate croissants.
Leave it to prove for 2 hours. Brush with whisked egg and put in preheated oven (220degree) and cook for about 20 minutes.

Crocchette Di Patate

Ingredients

Potatoes
Eggs
Parmesan
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Mozzarella
Chopped parsley

Boil the potatoes and pass them through a sieve.
Add 2 yolks, grated parmesan, butter, salt and pepper.

Then makes little crocchette and fill with mozzarella and parsley.
Coat in flour then whisked egg white and finally bread crumbs.
Fry and eat hot. lovely!

Cassata Napoletana

Cassata napoletana is a traditional Christams cake in the neapolitan tradition.
The Sicilian have invented the cassata but neapolitan loved it so much that they adopted it as their own.
The Sicilian and napolitain cuisine have a lot in common due to their geographical vicinity, common history having been part for centuries of the Reign Of The Two Sicilies of which Naples was the capital.
I have cooked it with my daughter during the Christmas holiday. However, it has not been a complete success due to the poor quality of the ricotta available in the UK. The success of every dish always depends, first and foremost, on the good quality of the ingredients.
In Naples we normally use the Ricotta Romana which is much firmer and tastier than the one you can find in UK .
Anyway here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

PAN DI SPAGNA (Spounge)

 5 Eggs
160 gr Flour (type "oo")
160 gr Caster Sugar
pinch of salt
Vanilla

FILLING
500 gr Ricotta Cheese
300 gr caster sugar
3 table spoon of whipped cream
Chocolate chips
Candied pumpkin

DECORATION
Marzipan
Drops of green food colour
Candied Fruit
Icing Sugar

Preheat oven at 180 degree. Grease and flour rounded shaped alluminium tin.
Whisk eggs, sugar vanilla and lemon zest until quite firm. (it is ready when it does not come off the wooden spoon). Add the flour  very gently after passing it through a sieve.
Put in the tin and oven for about 20 minutes. then when ready let it cool down.

Mix the ricotta with sugar then add the cream,  chocolate chips and pumpkin.

After cleaning the tin and drying it carefully add soem icing sugar inside so that the cake will not stick to it. Roll the marzipan and place it inside the tin along the board. Cut the excess over the board of the tin. place one layer of the spounge on the bottom of the tin, add the ricotta cover with the other sponge.
Carefully turn it upside down in a plate.
It is now ready to decorate. Mix icing sugar with some drops of water spread it over the top and decorate with candied fruit.

Yum!