Italian Almond Christmas Cookies

 

Italian Almond Christmas Cookies ( with dairy & egg free option)

Put out these cookies for Santa and he may never leave!!

This is the quickest and easiest Italian cookie recipe that I have ever made. Just throw all your ingredients into stand mixer, mix and voila!!

Roll them, add a thumb print and top with a candied cherry ..... or two.

Bake and eat!!!

You will need:

1/2 cup unsalted, softened butter (at room temperature) You can substitute for vegan margarine)

2 cups almond flour

1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tbsps baking powder

2 large eggs at room temperature ( you can use egg replacer)

3/4 cup almond slivers or slices, toasted and roughly chopped 

1 tbsp almond extract

Toppings are optional and you can be creative.

I used about half a cup of green and red candied cherries, split in half

1/2 a cup of large round pieces of dark chocolate

Directions:

Put all your ingredients, except your cherry and chocolate toppings, into a large bowl or stand mixer. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and it becomes a soft dough. Should take about 2 minutes.

Using your hands, scoop out about a walnut size piece of dough and roll into a ball. Roll ball into chopped almonds and place onto tray lined with parchment paper.

Place a thumbprint in the middle of your dough ball and decorate with your candied cherries or chocolate pieces or both!

Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes until slightly golden on the bottom.

Let cool on tray and then devour!!

* If you’ve baked the vegan version, they will be a bit more crumbly than usual but delicious nevertheless!

Fettucini Alfredo - with dairy

Fettucini Alfredo with Peas

Fettucini Alfredo
https://youtu.be/CJXTsnBZhaA

Alert!! This recipe contains dairy!! Sometimes I like to cook for myself 😋

Creamy and luscious and not complicated to make! Quick, easy with few ingredients. An Alfredo sauce can be used with many different types of pasta. I love it on fettucini. This is my homemade fettucini and you can find the recipe in my previous blog along with the link to my YouTube tutorial. You can add so many different things to this Alfredo sauce such as caramelized onions, peas, asparagus, mushrooms or even chicken if you want to give it extra protein.

Let’s begin by boiling a pot of water for the pasta to cook in... that’s how quick this Alfredo sauce is to make.

You will need: for 2 servings

3 tbsps olive oil

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 an onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine (can be omitted) but it does add an extra layer of flavour

1/2 cup cream ( I used 10% but you can use 35% if you prefer)

A handful of Parmesan cheese and a bit more for topping

A handful of frozen peas ( optional - you can add whatever vegetable you like..... or not)

Fresh parsley for garnish

Pasta water - save about one cup of your pasta water. It serves as a thickening agent for your Alfredo sauce.

Fresh or dried fettucini - enough for 2 -3 servings. If you are using fresh pasta it takes a few minutes to cook. No such thing as “al dente” when cooking with fresh pasta. As soon as it’s tender, it’s ready.

Heat your olive oil in a large frying pan, and over medium heat add garlic and onion and cook a few minutes until translucent. I’d you are using wine, this is when you want to add it. Simmer until it has totally reduced.

Once your pasta is cooked, over low heat, add the pasta to the frying pan with the garlic and onions along with 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir and drizzle the cream over the pasta. Continue to stir. It will thicken. Don’t over cook or it will dry up. Can easily be fixed by adding more cream. Stir in your peas and the handful of Parmesan cheese. 

Top with more Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh parsley.

Best when eaten immediately. The longer it sits, the more it dries up. Also delicious the next day. Throw it back into the frying pan and heat over low to medium heat, adding more cream to it!!

Soooooooooo good😋

How to Roast Chestnuts in the Oven - Castagne

Roasting chestnuts on an open fire.........as the song goes.........

A long-standing Christmas time tradition has continued on in our household ever since I was a child....but instead of an “open fire” like the song goes, we cook them in the oven, Quite simple to do.

First we begin by slitting the chestnuts with a sharp knife so that they don’t “ explode”! There’s also a really convenient gadget, pictured below, in the stores that’s a little safer than using a knife.

Chestnuts are in abundance this time of year at your local grocery store. They will go moldy when old so try to find the freshest chestnuts you can find and cook them soon.

Use this fancy gadget to slit the chestnut or you can use a sharp knife.

Preheat oven to 350 F and bake on a tray for 35 to 40 minutes. You will know they are fully cooked when you can squeeze the nut between your fingers, using an oven mitt, and when they’ve split open a bit.

Let them cool slightly then peel immediately. It’s easier to get into them when you peel them as soon as you can.

These are so delicious and they almost have a creamy texture!!

Buon Natale!!

How to Make Pasta Dough and Fettuccine by Hand- Dairy and Egg Free

How to Make Pasta Dough and Fettuccini- Dairy and Egg Free

How to Make Pasta Dough and Fettuccine by Hand
https://youtu.be/Jcmbp1fXK6U

Making your own pasta is not that difficult. This dairy and egg free pasta recipe will serve you well as you can make a variety of different types of pasta shapes with this one recipe. 

Fettucini is the pasta that I will feature on this blog and YouTube video. 

You don’t need a pasta machine to make your own pasta but it sure helps. I will show you how to make pasta both ways....by hand and using the pasta machine.

Pasta machines need to be attached to a counter or table with a clamp. I attach it to my granite island close to where I make my pasta.

For this dairy free and egg free recipe you will need:

1 cup all purpose unbleached flour

1 cup Semolina flour ( I find that mixing the two types of flour gives my pasta a nice texture)

3/4 cup warm water ( I use filtered water)

1 tsp salt

Place all the dry ingredients on your work surface, then add your warm water gradually, a bit at a time, while mixing it into the flour. Begin to knead as the flour begins to form a ball. Usually the above measurements make the perfect dough. But sometimes, I guess it depends on the humidity in the air, I will need a little less water. This is why we gradually add the water and knead it as you go along. If it’s becoming too mucky, then stop adding water. This can easily be fixed by adding a bit more flour. Same applies if you add too much flour and it’s becoming too tough to knead. Just add a little more water! Pasta making is very forgiving.

Knead dough for a few minutes 3 - 4, until smooth. Let rest under a piece of plastic wrap for 10 minutes. 

If you are doing this by hand, you will need a rolling pin and a knife. Cut a pice of dough and roll it out as thin as you can get it. Flour liberally, roll the dough and cut into 1 centimetre wide ribbons. Unroll and flour the cut fettucini. Watch video for tutorial.

Prepare your pasta machine. You will want to use the smooth roller to roll out your dough. Divide your dough into evenly divided pieces and make sure your pasta machine roller is opened to its widest slot. Flatten your piece of dough with your fingers, liberally flour it and pass it through the pasta machine. Fold both ends over and bring them towards the centre, and pass through the same first widest slot on machine. Reduce the width to your next slot, flour your pasta dough again and pass through the machine. As it goes through each slot that is a smaller width, your dough will become thinner. You want to pass each piece of dough through all of the slots until you finish with the last, and thinnest one. Flour your dough and let each piece of dough rest on a floured counter until it dries a little, at least 25 to 30 minutes.

Now it’s time to switch your pasta machine to the fettuccine cutting roller. I have to add the attachment onto my machine. 

It’s important to let your pasta sheets dry a little, but not too much as they will break. They still need to be pliable. On the other hand, if you try to pass through the machine immediately, it will stick to the machine. So you need a balance....not too wet and not too dry.Pass through the fettucini rollers, add more flour when cut. You can freeze them in bundles, you can refrigerate them for a couple of days until you’re ready to cook them. Recipe for Fettuccini Alfredo coming soon.