Archive for November, 2011

Mocha Espresso with Amaretto

Posted November 26, 2011 By Adri

Mocha Espresso with Amaretto

Are you looking for a grown-up hot chocolate? Look no farther. This combination of cocoa, stovetop espresso and Amaretto topped with whipped cream will satisfy. The espresso lends its own unique coffee flavor to this libation. but if you do not have access to an espresso maker, stovetop or mechanical, you can use freshly brewed double strength coffee. As for the Amaretto, make it Luxardo, the most glorious of all. Whip your cream ever so softly, just to thicken it, and don’t omit the 1/8 teaspoon almond extract. It may not sound like much, but it works magic on the whipped cream.

Mocha Espresso with Amaretto

serves 2

2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
7 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa, such as Pernigotti or Penzeys High Fat
1cup brewed espresso
1/3 cup Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cocoa for dusting drinks

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Make the whipped cream. Pour heavy cream into medium bowl. Add sugar and extracts. Beat until thickened. Set aside.

Pour milk into saucepan. Add sugar and cocoa, whisking to combine. Heat to scalding, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and add hot espresso, Amaretto and vanilla extract. Pour into serving glasses, top generously with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa. Serve at once.

Buon natale!

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

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Pumpkin Lasagne ai Quattro Formaggi

Posted November 20, 2011 By Adri

Pumpkin Lasagne

Pumpkin Lasagna with Four Cheeses

This one needs a Family Tree.  So here goes.  I have been a fan of Domenica Marchetti for quite some time.  Lucky me, I won a copy of her newest book, The Glorious Pasta of Italy from Paula Yoo of Write Like You Mean It.  (Great name, Paula.  Great site.)  I had just begun to give the book some serious reading when David Leite of Leite’s Culinaria included Domenica’s recipe for Pumpkin Lasagne in his Weekly Update.  (If you do not already subscribe, sign up for a wealth of information.)  And as if I needed any more convincing, Kathy included the recipe in her Food Lover’s Odyssey (another site not to be missed) Top 10 Italian Recipes from Around the Web. See what I mean about the Family Tree?

Pumpkin Pasta




I had been looking for something different for a first course for Thanksgiving when the Pumpkin Lasagne recipe caught my eye.  Lasagna, why not?  What surprised me was that the pumpkin puree is in the pasta, not between the layers.  By the way – don’t be thrown by lasagne ending with an “e”.  The name of this recipe refers to the multiple sheets of pasta known individually as lasagna.  The final “a” of Italian feminine nouns changes to “e” in the plural.  Mystery solved. Read more… »

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Maccheroni alla Chitarra con Ragù d’Agnello

Posted November 6, 2011 By Adri

From Abruzzo comes Guitar Cut Pasta with Lamb Ragù

Abruzzo Poster

Abruzzo – from the majestic Gran Sasso to its beaches on the Adriatic Sea this part of Italy has postcard perfect terrain. To walk in the mountains of Abruzzo is to walk the age old route of the transumanza – the seasonal sheep migration, and indeed, sheep figure prominently in the socioeconomic history of this region and its cuisine.

Gaetano Crocetti
Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti
Born 1894 Montesilvano, arrived New York 1913, died 1967 Los Angeles, California

My grandfather, Gaetano Crocetti was born in Montesilvano, Abruzzo. He loved the food of his homeland, and although I have written previously about Ferratelle, the Abruzzese take on Pizzelle, this region has as its most singularly recognizable contribution to Italian cookery an implement known as the chitarra, a tool used to cut pasta. In her book Food and Memories of Abruzzo Anna Teresa Callen writes that this tool appears in manuscripts dating as far back as the thirteenth century.

Pasta Chitarra

Indeed la chitarra is part of Abruzzese culture, Read more… »

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Orangecello

Posted November 3, 2011 By Adri

Orange Cello with Glasses
It’s binge blogging again – and this time the subject is Orangecello from the Ventura Limoncello Company. I discovered this delightful liqueur early this Summer as I was finishing up a purchase at K&L Wines here in Hollywood. The fellow who was helping me, knowing I enjoy citrus liqueurs (my regular readers will recall how I rhapsodized about Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur and Acqua di Cedro), suggested I try a bottle of Orangecello. He told me it was the latest release from the Ventura Limoncello Company, a local concern about an hour’s drive from my home. Local. I love local. Further, it had just won a Double Gold at the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and was flying off their shelves. Local, a winner and popular – that was enough for me. The slender bottle made the trip home with me. Read more… »

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