Empanadas

For Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk or carbonated water

For Filling:
1 lb ground beef ( turkey or chicken for a lower-fat variation)
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup stuffed green olive
handful raisins (optional. This is supposedly a common ingredient, but I have never used them)
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
2 -3 tablespoons ground cumin powder
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 -2 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper

Method:

Sift the flour, mix the sifted flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with oil.


Beat together the water, eggs in a bowl. Slowly mix into the flour mixture, until you have the desired consistency (it should not be too sticky, but still malleable).

Place the mixture on a floured surface. Knead with the heel of your hand to bring the dough together.

Cover the dough and allow to sit in a cool place for at least an hour.

Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 of an inch (0.3 cm) thick. Cut into circles about 4-6 inches (10 - 15 cm) in diameter and lightly flour them.

Heat some oil in a large saucepan. Mince the onions and garlic, and add to the pan. Cook until the onions become translucent.

Add the ground meat. Break it up with with a spoon and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Drain off fat.

Mix in the cumin, pepper flakes, and sugar. Adjust to taste.

Chop the hard boiled eggs and halve the stuffed olives. Carefully mix into the meat mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF/200ºC.

Stuff the empanadas dough wrappers. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Dampen the outer perimeter of the dough.

Fold over, forming a semicircle. Pinch a corner of the dough, and then fold that section onto itself. Pinch and pull out another 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) section and fold over, so that it slightly overlaps the first piece. Repeat along the length of the folded side, until you create a braided or twisted seal.

If desired, brush the tops of the empanadas with beaten egg yolk for a nice golden color.

Place the folded empanadas on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Bakso

Ingredients:
250 gr Beef Mince
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder/garlic paste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs salt
2 tbs tapioca starch
1 tbs corn starch
1 tsp baking powder (to make the meatball bouncy)
1 tsp baking soda (to make the meatball grow bigger)
a pinch of sugar (sugar will increase the taste)

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Mix all the mixture until well mixed. Wrap the bowl with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. The most important is to make sure that the mixture is completely cold.

When the mixture is completely cold, prepare a pot. Add water, then bring to boil. After it comes to a boil, turn off the heat. Take out the mixture from the fridge. Shape it like a small ball. Directly put the ball mix into the hot water.

After all the mixture has been shaped as a ball in the hot water, turn on the stove again in medium heat, then bring to a boil. Leave to cook for about 5 minutes after it comes to a boil.

Lift the Bakso ball. Then use the water as the beef stock for the soup. Just simply add fried garlic and fried onion to the beef stock. Add a bit more of salt and sugar. When the taste is okay, put back the meatball into the beef stock.

Prepare your ball with any fillings you like (egg) or also without any filling.

Happy eating bakso!

My Lemon Sorbet (Sorbetto al limone)

for 6 person:

Ingredients:

1 Cup  sugar

1 Cup water

1 Cup lemon juice

1 heaping tablespoon of mascarpone or whipped cream

Method:

Pre-freeze a shallow dish.

Put the sugar and water into a pan and bring to a boil, then let simmer for 5 minutes. The liquid will be clear and slightly syrupy.

Take it off the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.

Add the lemon juice.

Add the mascarpone or whipped cream and whisk until it's all incorporated. The mixture will be milky.

Taste your syrup to see whether you need to adjust the lemon or sweetness. How much lemon juice and sugar you use will depend on your lemons.

Pour the syrup into your pre-frozen dish and put it in the freezer. Let it sit for an hour.

After an hour, stir the sorbet, forking up any frozen bits. The outside will freeze first so make sure you run your fork or spoon around the outside.

Wait another hour and stir again.

Wait another hour and stir again.

Then let it be for another hour and it's ready to serve!

The sorbet will keep in the freezer covered in plastic wrap or with a lid for 3 days before it starts to crystallize. Stirring is very important as that is what gives the sherbet a smooth texture.

Fennel and potatoes in bechamel sauce

Ingredients:

1 big Fennel
2 big potatoes
Bechamel Sauce
Parmigiano Cheese (grated)

Direction:

Wash and clean the fennels and potatoes. slice the fennels bulbs in 1/2 inch strips and potatoes into cubes.

Boil it in salted water for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the Bechamel Sauce (the recipe is below), using half doses for all the ingredients.

Lay the previously cooked fennel strips and potatoes cubes, after having drained them, in a baking pan and pour on top the bechamel sauce covering it entirely.

Sprinkle the grated parmiggiano cheese all over the fennel gratin.

Cook in the pre heated oven for about 20 minutes at 200 °C until the top is brown.

Serve it hot.

Light Bechamel Sauce (Besciamella, italian) is a bechamel without butter:

Ingredients:
40 gr flour
1 lt hot milk
Nutmeg
Salt
pepper

Direction:

Put the flour In a medium saucepan put then add little by little hot milk. Mix it well. Then add nutmeg
Stirring continuously,

Bring to boil the besciamella for no 3 minutes or until it became creamy.

Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper and parmiggiano grated.

Banana shake

Ingredients:

2 Banana

150 ml milk

150 yogurt (with flavor)

5 ice cubes

3 tablespoon sugar

Direction:

Blend all the ingredients until smoothy and thick. 

Pour into a glass, drop in a couple of straws and serve.

Black bean salad

Ingredients (for 2 persons):

140 grams of beans (steamed)
1 cucumber
3 tomatoes
1/2 garlic, chopped finely
salt
pepper
Extravirgin olive oil
glaze of balsamic vinegar
fresh parsley, chopped finely

Preparation:
Drain, wash and pour the black beans in a bowl
Wash and cut cucumber and tomatoes into small pieces.
Mix black beans with cucumber, tomatoes and salt. Let it for 5 minutes.
Then add, extravirgin olive oil, glaze of balsamic vinegar, pepper and fresh parsley, mix all.
And ready to serve.

Risotto with dried mushrooms

Risotto is a classic italian dishes.

Ingredients:
1 ounce dried mushrooms
2 cups  rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced garlic
2 cups meat broth
salt
black pepper
Italian parmesan cheese, grated
fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:
Prepare the dried mushrooms by put them in a bowl with 1 cup boiling water. Weight down the mushrooms with something so they stay submerged for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, squeeze mushrooms (saving all liquid) and chop them finely.

Heat broth and mushroom liquid in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat. set aside.

Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until pale yellow. Add mushroom and continue to mix all for 5 minutes. Then Add rice and mix well.When rice is coated add wine. Cook, stirring constantly, until wine has evaporated.

Stir in 1 or 2 ladles of broth and mushroom liguid to cover rice. Stir over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding broth a little at a time until rice is done, 15 to 20 minutes. Rice should be tender, but firm to the bite.

At the end, stir in butter, salt and pepper.  And put on the top italian parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Serve it warm and "Buon appetito!"