Tag Archives: rosemary

OLIVE OIL and ROSEMARY CAKE

by carlina

olive-oil-cake.jpg

Ingredients:

1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs at room temperature
1-1/4 cups whole milk
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1-1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pans
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons anise seed
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for garnish
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Oil a 10-inch round cake pan.

In a nonreactive saucepan, reduce the orange juice over medium heat to 1/4 cup. Add salt, stir, and let cool.

Lightly beat eggs on high for 1 minute until frothy. Add milk, sugar, Cointreau, olive oil, reduced orange juice, lemon zest, anise seed, and chopped rosemary. Mix for 1 minute until well-blended. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the oiled cake pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Place on a rack to cool. Run a knife around the edges and flip over on a plate.

While the cake is still warm, use a sifter, fine sieve, or mesh colander to sprinkle powdered sugar lightly and evenly on the cake.

Garnish the cake with a rosemary sprig. Cut into wedges and serve.

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Photography by lor3nzo

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, ROSEMARY, AND GARLIC LASAGNE

by carlina

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, ROSEMARY, AND GARLIC LASAGNE

Ingredients:

3 pounds butternut squash, quartered, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 9 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups milk
2 tablespoons dried rosemary, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
nine 7- by 3 1/2-inch sheets dry no-boil lasagne pasta
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450°F. and oil 2 large shallow baking pans.
In a large bowl toss squash with oil until coated well and spread in one layer in pans. Roast squash in oven 10 minutes and season with salt. Stir squash and roast 10 to 15 minutes more, or until tender and beginning to turn golden.

While squash is roasting, in a saucepan bring milk to a simmer with rosemary. Heat milk mixture over low heat 10 minutes and pour through a sieve into a large pitcher or measuring cup.

In a large heavy saucepan cook garlic in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in flour and cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk mixture in a stream until smooth. Return pan to heat and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until thick. Stir in squash and salt and pepper to taste.
Sauce may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

Reduce temperature to 375°F. and butter a baking dish, 13 by 9 by 2 inches.
Pour 1 cup sauce into baking dish (sauce will not cover bottom completely) and cover with 3 lasagne sheets, making sure they do not touch each other. Spread half of remaining sauce over pasta and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Make 1 more layer in same manner, beginning and ending with pasta.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream with salt until it holds soft peaks and spread evenly over top pasta layer, making sure pasta is completely covered. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan over cream. Cover dish tightly with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching top layer, and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake lasagne 10 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and golden. Let lasagne stand 5 minutes.

Garnish each serving with rosemary.

Makes 6 main-course or 12 side-dish servings.

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From Gourmet December 1995

Photography by africankelli

ITALIAN POTATO SALAD with ROSEMARY, LEMON AND CAPERS

by carlina

potato-salad.jpg

Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 8 tablespoons sliced green onions

Preparation:

Cook potato rounds in pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Cool potatoes slightly.

Whisk oil, lemon juice, capers, rosemary and garlic in medium bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Layer 1/4 of potatoes in bottom of medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons green onions over, then drizzle with 3 tablespoons dressing. Repeat layering 3 more times with remaining potatoes, salt and pepper, green onions and dressing. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

Serves 6.

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Photography by groxie

FARINATA (Chickpea flour pancake)

by carlina

farinata.jpg

Farinata, that deliciously rich Ligurian street food rarely made at home, is a thick pancake made with a thin mix of chick pea flour, quite a lot of olive oil and some sea salt, cooked in a pan in a very hot oven until it is gold and crusty.
Ingredients:
  • 3 3/4 cups spring water
  • 2 1/3 cups Italian chick peas flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • rosemary
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • pepper
Preparation:
Mix the water and the flour with a wooden spoon; make sure there are no lumps, add salt to taste, and mix again. Add the rosemary and let it sit for a while (one to three hours or even better overnight).
At this point add the olive oil. Remove the rosemary and pour in a baking pan (the right one is called testo, made of “tinned copper”). It should be about an eighth of an inch thick, perhaps a little more.
Put it in a preheated oven at 190-200° C (375-400° F). Remove from the oven when one of the corners (or the edge) starts to appear dark. Sprinkle plenty of pepper and serve.

It is of paramount importance that the pan is perfectly flat and level when in the oven, otherwise one of the corners will be thicker and will be undercooked when the opposite corner starts to darken.
Serves 10 people
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Photography by Boots in the Oven