Florentine Cookies 佛罗伦萨饼干

The other day my friend mentioned to me that she is going to make Florentine cookies for the coming CNY. I have never heard of this cookie before, after googled then I only know Florentine biscuit is an Italian pastry made from setting nuts and candied cherries into a caramel disc, which is then often coated on the bottom with chocolate. Other types of candied fruit are used as well.
Since I still have some leftover nuts and dried cranberries, so I quickly use it to make this cookie.

 

 

This cookie is chewy and sweet..

Florentines Cookies 佛罗伦萨饼干

100g whole hazelnuts

50g dried cranberries, chopped
30g desiccated coconuts
20g flaked almonds
2tbsp cake flour

50g sugar

50g honey
40g salted butter

100g dark chocolate

Method

1. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes (180C) or until fragrant and the skins begin to flake. Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for 10 minutes then briskly rub the nuts in the towel to remove the skins. Let cool and then coarsely chop. Set aside.
2. Place almond flakes on a baking sheet and bake for 4mins at 170C or until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool. Set aside.
3. Add hazelnuts, almond, desiccated coconuts, cranberries and flour, stir until all the fruit and nuts are coated with the flour.
4. Put the sugar, honey and butter in a small saucepan and gently melt together.
5. Add the honey mixture to the fruit and nut mixture and stir to combine.
6. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper, and spread the Florentine mixture out to a thin layer – don’t worry if you have small gaps, it should melt together in the oven. Bake for 10-12 mins (oven at 180C) until a rich golden colour, then set aside to cool and firm up.
7. Melt the chocolate all in separate heatproof bowls over gently simmering water. Line a second large tray or board with greaseproof paper and carefully flip the cooled Florentine bake onto it. Peel off the greaseproof paper. Spread the melted chocolate over and let set before cutting into small shapes as per your desire.
8. Keep Florentines in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. 

Recipe reference: here and here, by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

 

My neighbour given me some dark chocolate,  in return I packed some cookies for them.



I am submitting this post to "Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013" event which is hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.

Gnocchi with Clams and Asparagus 義式蛤蜊芦笋麵疙瘩

After I success made the Gnocchi, I quickly use it to cook this Gnocchi with clams and asparagus. We tasted a similar pasta in a restaurant in Roma Italy near the hotel we stayed. We even went back the 2nd times and order the same gnocchi pasta.
It is easy for me to get fresh clams than fresh crabs in the wet market near my place. This lady selling fresh clams mainly sell the clams to restaurants. Sometime when I was late and no more clams, after I strong persuade her (amazing my bargain skill) , she will take the clams from the bag (reserved for those restaurants) and release some for me, hehehe..

 

Homemade gnocchi 

 

Even though I couldn't imitate the real taste of the gnocchi that we have tasted, but my version also tasted not bad ..

Gnocchi with Clams and Asparagus

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

Homemade Gnocchi

1.5kg clams
100g asparagus, only use the green part, cubed

Butter

Olive oil
Garlic, slices
Chicken stock or water
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese powder, to taste
Black pepper
Parsley flakes

 Method (Cook for one person at a time)

1. Prepare a pot of boiling water.
2. Heat butter and olive oil, sauté garlic slices.
3. Add in generous amount of clams (for one person) and asparagus, add in chicken stock, cover to cook.
4. Once clams are almost done, blanch gnocchi in hot boiling water. Once gnocchi float on top (take less than 1min), remove and add into clams.
5. Add in the seasonings salt,chicken stock powder and parmesan cheese powder, mix well, dish out.
6. Sprinkle with black pepper and parsley flakes, serve hot.

Gnocchi (Italian small potato dumplings) 義式麵疙瘩

I have seen gnocchi posted in other bloggers last time, but never thinking to make them at home. After I tasted the real gnocchi during the recent Italy trip, then only I started to make them at home. My first impression of the gnocchi that we took in Italy, the texture was light like cloud !!
Gnocchi (pronoun as nyoh-kee) is very easy to make at home, just by mixing potato, flour and egg.
They are eaten as an alternative to soups or pasta.

I actually brought back two pack of frozen gnocchi from Italy. But they tasted bad, maybe due to already spoilt or too much of preservative added..

Before I throw the package away, i read the label in the packing as to confirm what ingredients they use to make this gnocchi. Also went thru few sites and video, and I made my first gnocchi, but it was failed to hold the shape after adding other ingredients. Anyway, I managed to make gnocchi that tasted light like cloud and able to hold its shape on the 2nd attempted!

If compare homemade to the real gnocchi that I tasted, the texture is close to the original but the potato taste still has slight difference. The original can't really taste strong potato taste, not sure what type of potato they use, should be Italian potatoes..

Ya, don't ever use the common Holland potatoes that we easily found in the market, because they will tasted like "Kuih Keria", LOL.. 

I learnt that bake potatoes in oven produce lighter gnocchi than boiled  potatoes in water.

In my next post, I will share with you the pasta dish that I cooked with this Gnocchi ..

Gnocchi (Italian small potato dumplings) 義式麵疙瘩

(recipe source: adapted from various sources, re-created by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

500g mashed potato (US Russet potato)

1 egg yolk
50g cake flour
25g potato starch
1/4tsp fine salt

Rice flour, for dusting

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 170C.
2. Poke holes in potatoes with fork as to vent moisture as the potatoes cook. Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour.
3. Remove potato skin while hot. Mash the potatoes through a potato ricer and into a large bowl. (If you don't have a potato ricer you can mash the potatoes by using fork, then sift the potato).
4. Add the cake flour, potato starch, egg yolk and salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not over-mix.
5. Prepare a work area and dust it with rice flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 1” in diameter.
6. Cut the tubes of dough into pieces ( about 7g per pc). Using a fork, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce). As the gnocchi are made, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with rice flour. Gnocchi is ready to put into simmering water for the next step.
7. You can also freeze the gnocchi if not use them immediately. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray, then once frozen you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage.

Italian Focaccia with Onion and Rosemary 意大利佛卡夏

Please bear with me because I will have few posts talking about my recent Italy trip and also Italy foods, hehehe..Since my trip is free and easy, so I need to make a lot of homework before I go, which hotel to book, what to buy, what to eat, which place to visit & etc. While I searching for the foods, I found this video of making Italian Focaccia (Gary Rodhes across Italy). Soon I returned from the trip, immediately I tried out this recipe, I would say this is the best Focaccia I have ever had, crispy and light crust and soft crumb, simply delicious! In fact, I am planning to use this dough recipe to make pizza!

Two special ingredients in this Focaccia, mashed potato to make soft crumb, and Maltose powder to make crispy crust. Since I could not find Maltose powder (first time know this), so I replaced with the usual Maltose syrup (麦芽糖) that available in the market..



Also another interesting step in this recipe, mix olive oil with water..

and then flood the whole Focaccia !! According to the chef, this step is to make crispy crust and soft in those little wells that made using fingertips..

You can enjoy dipping it with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. I think dip it with curry, also good!



I learnt that best Italian Balsamic vinegar is made in Modena Italy.

I was not sure which brand to buy, I simply bought this bottle because I saw Modena on the label and the brand is a bit old 1889, hahaha..



Lets check out the recipe I have modified as per below.

But I will advise you to watch the video first, clear instruction and explanation.

Maybe due to I have modified the original recipe (replaced Maltose powder with Maltose syrup, and fresh yeast with instant yeast), resulted the dough is a bit wet and tacky..you might want to reduce water a bit, and change to bigger tray size if you have because I found my bread was a bit thick, if I have made it thinner, it will be better..
updated on 22 May 2013- I made again and I have made some changes, you can refer to those highlighted in red. This time the dough is easy to handle, less oily and even better !

Italian Focaccia with Onion and Rosemary 意大利佛卡夏

(recipe source: modified from here, video here )
*for a non-stick square pan 9”x9”, for better result use 10”x10”

For the dough

1tsp instant yeast 
1tbsp maltose syrup 麦芽糖
50g milk 
150g lukewarm water (120g) 
325g High protein flour or bread flour (360g)
1/2tsp salt 

100g (60g) mashed potatoes (boil potatoes in water till fork tendered, mashed with fork then sift) 

50g olive oil  (10g)

To finish

50g olive oil, shaken together with 50g water 

Sea salt
1 onion, sliced and soaked in a mixture of water and vinegar (optional) 
1 sprig of rosemary, slightly chopped

 Method

1.     Sprinkle yeast on half portion of lukewarm water till frothy (about 5mins).
2.     Dissolve maltose syrup with the balance half of lukewarm water.
3.     Mix yeast water, maltose water and milk together in a jar.

4.     Sift the flour and salt onto a work surface. . Make a well in the centre and add the mashed potato, olive oil and the yeasty milk mixture.

5.     Work the flour and potato into the liquid, working from the inside of the well outwards. Gradually add the rest of the water to bring the dough together

6.     Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until it is soft and spongy. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until it rise double.

7.     Once risen, knock back the dough and place on oiled baking pan and flatten it using hand to a thickness of about 1cm. Then use your fingertips to press down all over the dough, creating lots of little wells. Leave to rise again until for another 30 minutes.

8.     Preheat the oven to 190C (fan forced).
9.     After the dough has risen, generously drizzle over the oil and water mixture and sprinkle with sea salt. Scatter onions and chopped rosemary over the focaccia. Bake for 25mins.

Chicken and Tomato Pasta 番茄鸡肉意粉

The other day i bought a small pot of sweet basil and rosemary plants from Sungai Buloh nursery. The sweet basil still looking good but rosemary already half die..so sad..I prepared this easy and yummy pasta for a lunch the other day, love the nice aroma from sweet basil when toss together with this pasta.

I like to using fresh tomato to cook pasta nowadays, taste better than those ready pasta sauce from supermarket..slightly sour taste from tomato and nice aroma from sweet basil leaves, they just made this pasta tasted so refreshing !!

Chicken and Tomato Pasta 番茄鸡肉意粉
(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

300g chicken breast, cubed
3 large tomatoes, cubed
8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

400g spaghetti
A handful of sweet basil leaves, chopped

Method
1. In a pot with boiling water, add 1tbsp sea salt and 3tbsp olive oil and cook spaghetti until al-dente. Drain and put cooked spaghetti in individual serving plate, set aside.
2. You may cook one serving at a time (taste better!) or cook all in one time. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add in garlic slices and sauté till aroma.
3. Add in chicken meat, stir fry till color changed.
4. Add in tomatoes and mix well. Pour in cooked spaghetti water and cook till tomatoes turned soft, adjust the taste accordingly.
5. Top spaghetti with cooked chicken and tomatoes with the gravy, garnish with chopped sweet basil leaves, Enjoy!!