CHICKEN ROLLS WITH ASPARAGUS SERVED ON A BED OF ASPARAGUS VELLUTATA

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ROLLS:

Chest of chicken 500g

asparagus 250g

 ham of turkey 100g

cheese squares 5

olive oil

Salt

pepper

INGREDIENTS FOR SOUP:
asparagus 250g
Cream 100 ml
50g grated cheese
Olive oil

salt         

pepper

PROCEDURE

 Cut off the ends of the asparagus, peel 4 cm below the bud.

FROSTED PEAR AND CHOCOLATE

Ingredients for the “pan di spagna”:
- 6 organic eggs
- 300 g organic flour
- 300 g sugar
-24 g yeast
-100 ml fresh milk
-150 g unsweetened cocoa powder

Ingredients for the pie filling:
Chocolate ganache:
-250 ml organic fresh cream
- 250 g black chocolate without gluten
- 30 g organic  butter without preservatives
- 2 spoons of “Ameretto di Saronno” liqueur

Ingredients for candied pears:
-3 middle-size pears
- 100 g sugar
-50 g organic brown sugar
- the juice of ½ lemon
- cinnamon to taste

Ingredients for the chocolate frosting:
-500 g black chocolate without gluten
-50 g organic butter without preservatives

PREPARATION:

FOR “PAN DI SPAGNA (Sponge cake)":

Break the eggs into a bowl, add sugar, and mix well. Add slowly the flour and baking powder previously passed through a sieve. At the end add the milk and the cocoa powder  also sieved. When the mixture is smooth, bake at 180° C for at least 35-40 minutes.

For Chocolate Ganache:

Melt the chocolate bain-marie with butter, when the mixture is liquid and homogeneous pour it gently into the whipped cream very softly and previously sweetened.

Continue to whip, add the Amaretto Di Saronno. When the cream is liquid, continue to mount for a few moments and then put in the refrigerator to let  it thicken. The Ganache will be ready in few minutes, when it has  the appearance of  mousse.

For Caramelized pears:

Peel the pears, cut into quarters and then into slices of 3-4 mm. In a pan put the sugar, brown sugar, lemon juice and start to cook on medium heat. Add the pears and cook for 10-15 minutes, so that they become crisp, add cinnamon to taste and then remove from heat and let chill for a few minutes.

Chocolate Icing:

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler until it becomes smooth.

COMPOSITION

Once the sponge cake has chilled, cut into 2-3 slices. Take the first slice, place it on the tray, get the slice wet with milk then lie slices of caramelized pear top with the Ganache. Repeat this step for the other layer of pie filling.

At the end cover the whole cake with chocolate frosting, place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes and when the frosting will be hard, sprinkle with some dusting of sugar and serve.

POTATOES GNOCCHI WITH ROCKET LEAVES

This is a variation of the original recipe "Potato gnocchi with nettles."

We decided to replace the nettles with the rocket salad because some researches we did showed us that this plant (nettle) is not tolerated by all organisms.

We have therefore decided to use the rocket as a variant of the nettle.

The small town of Oreno, a fraction of Vimercate, has always been known as a country of potatoes: here a particular type of white potato is grown, the Kennebec Canadian, perfectly suited for its compactness to be used for gnocchi, pasta and mashed potatoes. The Potato Festival is held in September since the sixties of the twentieth century, with tasting dishes and preparations made ​​from potato. The characteristics of the Oreno's potato: it is a white-fleshed potato, powdery, particularly rich and intense in flavour, ideal for gnocchi as it is especially suitable for its flesh consistency because it allows you to mix the ingredients well.

POTATOES GNOCCHI WITH ROCKET LEAVES

•        Serves 6 people;

•        Oreno's potatoes, 1Kg

•        all prupose flour

•        rocket salad cooked and dried, 200g

•        Egg, 1

•        Tomato Sauce, 300 ml

•        Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon

•        Sale, q.b

•        Basil, q.b

Method:

Wash the rocket and boil it in a little water.  Cool and drain.

Do not throw away the cooking water, set aside. Wash and boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, putting them in a pot with the water still cold. Meanwhile, prepare on the table the  flour and a pinch of salt.

Chop the rocket salad well and add it to the floor. Peel the potatoes when they are still hot, mash with a potato's masher.     

Add the mashed potatoes, a whole egg, a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt, knead until you reach a consistency similar to a firm dough and velvety to the touch.  

Cut a piece of dough and shape it in the form of a long worm and, with the help of a knife, cut into pieces not too big of approximately 1.5 cm in length.

Pour the gnocchi into the boiling water, put a tablespoon of olive oil and when they rise to the surface they are ready, season it with a simple tomato sauce and fresh basil.

STUFFED EGGPLANTS LIGURIAN STYLE

Ingredients for 6 persons

• 6 Eggplant; 
• Clove of garlic; 
• Cup of oil; 
• Pepper to taste
• 1 Onion; 
• basil  to taste
• 600g of minced pork
•  2 Tablespoons chopped parsley;
• 200gLigurian crescenza cheese;
• salt to taste 
•  250g-pesto; 
• Grated Malga's pecorino cheese to taste

METHOD

Wash the eggplants and cut them into halves for the length by removing the ends. Pull out the flesh of the eggplant using a spoon and set aside. Salt the inner part of the eggplant and let the water drain ,for about 30 minutes.

Chop the onion and shallow fry it in a pan with olive oil and a clove of garlic, then add the minced meat and let it shallow fry.

When the meat starts to brown add the inner part of the eggplant chopped and drained well, add salt and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add half of the pesto and switch off the fire.

Let the mixture cool and then fill the eggplant alternating a layer of compound with a layer of crescenza cheese. Arrange the eggplant side by side on a baking pan previously greased or covered with baking paper, top each one with a spoonful of pesto and sprinkle with the grated Malga's pecorino cheese; bake the eggplant for about 30 minutes at 180 ° C.

Serve hot.

CURIOSITIES
  
Genovese style pesto

Genovese style pesto is inserted between the traditional Ligurian food products recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The name "pesto" is subject to a specification developed by the Consortium of Genovese style pesto. Often in large distribution points (especially outside of Liguria). 

Malga's pecorino cheese

Sweet table cheese aged in  cylindrical shape with flat side. The Ligurian sweet cheese crust has smooth, thin, white or pale yellow, white paste, soft, compact or sparse holes, sweet or slightly sour. The Ligurian cheese aged crust has the most consistent, straw-colored to brown with increasing maturation, paste white or pale yellow. It is a sweet table cheese with semi-hard paste, made with whole milk, to which is added rennet.  Produced in High Arroscia, and other valleys of Imperia.

GNOCCHI DI PATATE ALLA RUCOLA

Questa è una variante della ricetta originale “Gnocchetti di patate all’ortica”.

Abbiamo deciso di sostituire le ortiche con la rucola perché dopo esserci documentati siamo venuti a conoscenza del fatto che  questa pianta (ortiche) non viene tollerata da tutti gli organismi.

Siamo dunque giunti alla conclusione, per evitare eventuali problemi, di utilizzare la rucola come variante all’ortica.

Il piccolo centro di Oreno, frazione di Vimercate, è conosciuto da sempre come paese delle patate: qui viene coltivato un particolare tipo di patata bianca, la Kennebec canadese, adattissima per le sue caratteristiche di compattezza a essere utilizzata per gnocchi, pasta e purè. La Sagra della Patata è organizzata a settembre già a partire dagli anni Sessanta del Novecento, con sfide tra le contrade, rievocazioni e manifestazioni in costumi e degustazioni di piatti e preparazioni naturalmente a base di patata.                                                                               Le caratteristiche della patata di Oreno: è una patata a pasta bianca, farinosa, dal sapore particolarmente ricco e intenso, ideale per gli gnocchi in quanto è particolarmente indicata per gli impasti perché la consistenza consente di amalgamare bene gli ingredienti.

INGREDIENTI:

Dosi per 6 persone;

• Patate di Oreno,  1Kg
• Farina 00,  250/300g  a seconda dell’umidità dell’impasto
• Rucola cotta e asciugata, 200g
• Uovo, 1
• Salsa di pomodoro, 300 ml
• Olio extra vergine d’oliva, 1 cucchiaio
• Sale, q.b
• Basilico, q.b

PROCEDIMENTO:

Lavate e bollite la rucola in poca acqua. Fatela raffreddare e scolatela, strizzandola bene con della carta assorbente.

Non buttate l’acqua di cottura, tenetela da parte. Lavate e bollite le patate per 20 minuti, mettendole in pentola con l’ acqua ancora fredda. Nel frattempo preparate sulla tavola la fontana di farina e un cucchiaio di sale.

Tritate la rucola ben asciutta e aggiungetela alla fontana. Sbucciate le patate ancora calde, passatele con lo schiacciapatate.

    

Aggiungete le patate schiacciate, un uovo intero, un cucchiaio d’olio e un pizzico di sale; impastate fino a che non raggiungerete una consistenza simile a un impasto compatto e vellutato al tatto.

Se si appiccica troppo al tavolo aggiungete ancora un poco di farina senza esagerare.

    

Una volta ottenuto il panetto, tagliatene un pezzo e lavoratelo per ottenere un lungo verme che, con l aiuto di un coltello, taglierete a pezzetti non troppo grossi all'incirca1,5 cm di lunghezza. Dopo averli tagliati eliminate la farina in eccesso.
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Nell'acqua di bollitura mettete un cucchiaio d’olio e buttate gli gnocchi. Quando salgono in superficie sono pronti conditeli con un semplice sugo.