Oven-Roasted Peppers / Ardei copti la cuptor

Preheat oven to 475°F. Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet. Arrange whole bell peppers on the rack. 2. Roast peppers in the center of the oven, turning occasionally with tongs, until blackened in places, 30 to 40 minutes. 3. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let steam for 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool. 4. With a paring knife, remove stems, skins and seeds. If serving as antipasto, combine accumulated juices with peppers.

My favourite combination is with white kidney beans and sausage.

Bon apetit!

Stuffed Mushrooms / Ciuperci umplute

16 Large Mushroom Caps
200g Fresh Baby Spinach, Chopped
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
1/4 Cup Finely Diced Bacon
3 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil Plus More To Drizzle On The Caps Before Baking
3/4 Cup Grated Romano Cheese
1/2 Cup Fresh Bread Crumbs
Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wipe the mushrooms with a clean damp towel, and remove the stems. Cut off the root end of the stem, and then coarsely chop the rest. Heat the 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a heavy saucepan, and cook the onions, bacon and chopped mushroom stems until the vegetables tender and just beginning to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, and cook until wilted. Add the bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of cheese and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Place the mushroom caps flat on a baking sheet and carefully spoon the filling into each. Drizzle the tops with a little additional sunflower oil, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms feel soft when pierced with a fork. Serve warm.

You can bake these ahead of time, and reheat them just before serving.

Bon apetit!

Pizza Dough / Blat de pizza

To make a basic Neapolitan base which is chewy and soft with a crisp crust.

2 tsp quick-rising yeast
1 cup hot water ( 50 degrees C or 110 degrees F)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

In bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water and sprinkle yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, make well in centre and pour in the yeast and the olive oil. Mix together until dough comes together. Tip out onto lightly floured surface and knead dough briskly for 5 to 10 minutes or until elastic, smooth and shiny. If the dough is sticky, flour your hands, not the dough.
Shape dough into neat ball. Place in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in warm until doubled in bulk.
Uncover dough, punch air out and tip out onto floured work surface. Divide in half and shape into 2 smooth balls.
Turn each ball over onto lightly floured work surface and roll it out.

TIP : Have extra flour at the ready to dust dough, hands, rolling pin and work surface to prevent from sticking.

Polenta / Mamaliga

To make a basic polenta you need 4 cups of water for each cup of cornmeal and salt. Bring the salted water to a boil and add the cornmeal in a thin stream while stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Once all the cornmeal is in the pan, reduce the heat to low and continue stirring every 5 minutes until the polenta is cooked, 20 to 30 minutes.

As per Joyce Goldstein,” whisking together the cold water, salt and cornmeal, bringing it to a gradual boil over medium heat, and then whisking from time to time as it cooks, is foolproof, producing lump-free polenta. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer it, stirring often, until the polenta is creamy, rather than grainy, on the tongue.”

Bon apetit!

Bread Recipe / Paine alba

Bread dough

By mixing together the following :

2 cups of warm water (make it hot rather than warm, about 50 degrees Celcius)
2 tea spoons of salt
2 tea spoons of yeast ( use the quick rise yeast, I love Fleischmann)
4 cups of flour

Mix all these, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it to rise for a few hours at room temperature.

To make a crusty bread, a pizza stone is the answer.

Pre-heat the oven at 420 F and bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes, depending on how thick it is.

Bon apetit!