Daily Archives: July 5, 2011

Nonna’s sauteed potatoes

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One of the best things about having started a food blog, is the chance to connect with food lovers world-wide and exchange recipes and culinary traditions and adventures.

I recently posted on my Italian blog an article about roast potatoes and one of my readers, Sandro, shared his Nonna’s recipe and I felt compelled to try it.

Nothing could taste or look as good as his gran’s dish, but I was very pleased with the result and he seemed happy too.

Sandro’s Nonna used to put potato chunks in a metal frying pan (I used a non-stick scanpan…I hate doing the dishes…)with some water, salt and a 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Then she’d put the lid on to allow the steam to cook the potatoes through and make them fluffy. After about 20 minutes, she’d take the lid off to let the oil and the heat create the crunchy, irresistible crust.

This is what they looked like when I made them.

My Nonna Irene used to make them in a very similar way, they were so delicious and my siblings, my cousins and I used to fight over that last bit of slightly burnt potato, stuck to the pan and drenched in oil…

This post is dedicated to her and all the beautiful Nonnas in our lives.

I miss you…

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Lemon and Almond Cake with Vanilla frosting

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It seems like every cake or cookie I make these days has to have lemon in it. This new-found obsession may be directly linked to my incredibly generous lemon tree.
This year it’s going crazy and there are only so many Gin&Tonics a breast-feeding mother can have…what to do with the rest of the lemons? Boil a few for two hours and blend them togther with eggs, sugar and almond meal and make yourself a deliciously moist lemon cake. And, yes, it goes well with Gin&Tonic, if you were wondering…

INGREDIENTS, serves 8

For the cake

2 large lemons, whole

250 gr of sugar

250 gr of almond meal (almond flour)

5 egg yolks

1 teaspoon of baking powder

5 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks

HOW TO

1. Boil two large lemons for two hours then blend them, whole, in a food processor with 250 gr of sugar, 250 gr of almond meal and 5 egg yolks.

2. Add a teaspoon of baking powder. Whisk 5 egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold in the lemon mixture.

3. Pour onto a greased and floured cake tin and bake at 170 degrees Celsius (338 degrees Fahrenheit) for 40/45 minutes.

Cool down in the tin, then reverse onto a cake stand and ice with vanilla frosting.
For the vanilla frosting

75 gr soft butter
375 gr icing sugar ( I know, it’s a lot. Keep your kids away or they’ll be bouncing off the walls within seconds!)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. milk

HOW TO

1. Blend butter and sugar until creamy then add vanilla and milk. Beat for a couple of minutes on medium speed, until frosting is smooth.

2. Spread frosting onto your cooled cake and decorate with toasted pistacchio nuts and lemon zest.

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