Tiramisú

(Italy Dec. - Jan. 08/09)

Many Tiramisú lovers do not know what it consists of; whether or not it is baked and the risks in enjoying this dessert.

This is a simple recipe from an Italian friend. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Coffee

500 gr Lady fingers

500 gr Mascarpone

4 eggs

8 tablespoons sugar

Cocoa Powder

1. Prepare coffee (use while lukewarm).

2. Beat/Mix egg yokes, sugar and mascarpone (with spoon or beater at low speed, don't liquefy).

3. Beat egg whites until firm snow (start and lowest speed and increase speed gradually).

4. Mix #2 and #3 with spoon and slowly, so that it doesn't lose consistency.

5. Layering:

   Odd layers: Biscuits dipped in coffee and places on pan.

   Even layers: Cream mix.

   Top: Top by sifting the chocolate over the cream layer.

6. Refrigerate and wait at least 12 hours before enjoying!

Potatoes á la Parsley and Butter

Very simple and fast recipe for cooking potatoes.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Parsley
• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
• Salt

Prep:

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain them well.

2. Mix parmesan cheese and finely chopped parsley.

3. Add potatoes to baking tray and add parsley mix and butter.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until butter melts. Mix/stir once or twice.

Et voilá! The final result:

Recipe - Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Meatballs with Tomato sauce. That is all I wanted for lunch last Saturday. My husband wanted pizza, but we got into a huge argument and I finally won.  I googled meatballs and found this recipe on the BBC website.

1. To make the meatballs, just place everything in a large bowl, and then, using your hands, mix to combine, before shaping into small balls. 

2. Place the meatballs on baking sheets or plates that you have lined with clingfilm, and put in the fridge as you finish them. 

3. To make the tomato sauce, put the onion, garlic and oregano into the process and blitz to a pulp. 

4. Heat the butter and oil in a deep wide pan, then scrape the onion-garlic mix into it and cook over a low-medium for about 10 minutes. Don't let the mixture catch, just let it become soft. 

5. Add the bottle of passata and then fill the empty bottle half full with cold water. Add this to the pan with the pinch of sugar, some salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes. The tomato sauce will appear thin at this stage, but don't worry as it will thicken a little later. 

Extra step: Fry the meatballs in two tablespoons of olive oil.

6. Stir in the milk, and then drop the meatballs in one by one. Don't stir the pan until the meatballs have turned from pink to brown as you don't want to break them up. 

7. Cook everything for about 20 minutes, with the lid only partially covering it. At the end of cooking time, check the seasoning as you may want more salt and a grind or two more of pepper. 

Cook up pasta of your choice...

Enjoy! We sure did!