Tag: Prepare

How to prepare the Carnival Cenci: the recipe – Italian Cuisine

Fried or cooked in the oven, the rags are part of the typical sweets of the Carnival days that are prepared throughout Tuscany. They are crispy sheets that are easy to make even at home, with our suggestions

Crunchy sheets covered with icing sugar: the rags they are among the typical sweets of the Carnival of Tuscan tradition. They are fried in hot oil and then covered with powdered sugar, but for the most attentive to the diet there is also one oven baked version, lighter. The rags are made of eggs, flour and sugar only, without adding wine or liqueurs, as is used instead for the Milanese chatter. Here is our recipe for preparing Carnival rags at home.

The recipe for Carnival rags

Ingredients

300 g flour 00, 60 g butter, 60 g sugar, 2 eggs, salt, 2 g baking powder, lemon peel, oil for frying.

Method

Form a fountain with flour and baking powder and place the butter in small pieces, sugar and eggs inside. Then add the lemon zest, a pinch of salt and start kneading until the mixture is smooth and elastic. Let it stand covered for 30 minutes and then roll out the dough with a rolling pin to make a thin sheet. Fold the dough on itself and flatten it again. With a scalloped cutting wheel obtained of rhombs, drill two central holes and fry the rags in hot oil, preferably peanut, being careful not to put too many in the pan. Remove the rags as soon as they are golden and let them dry on a piece of absorbent paper. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

how to personalize and prepare them, even in the oven – Italian Cuisine

If you are planning to prepare homemade Carnival desserts, read these three tips from the chefs of La Scuola de la Cucina Italiana. They may seem simple, but they will surely make the difference.

Zeppole, castagnole, chiacchiere and apple fritters: before Carnival, it is more concentrated in the preparation of desserts rather than in the choice of the perfect costume. At least that's what we hope here at The School of Italian Cuisine. Here are three tips to make the most classic Carnival sweets at home.

1. Alcohol component

We must not underestimate the use of liqueurs in the preparation of desserts, especially in the typical preparations of the Carnival. In particular, for the Chatter it is necessary to insert an alcohol-based liquid into the mixture: the alcohol, in fact, evaporating during cooking, will contribute to the increase in volume and to the formation of the classic bubbles. The advice is to use the grappa, so as to give an aromatic note that is not too predominant.
Also in the preparation of the damselfish the secret, in order not to obtain a too solid dough, is the use of a liqueur: the advice is that, at the end of cooking, to wet the castagnole inalchermes. In this way they will also look like cute pink confetti.

2. Bake Carnival desserts (even in the oven)

Tradition has it that the Carnival sweets are fried in the lard; in fact, they are born from stories of poverty, in which the only fat available in abundance was precisely this. Then the choice is turned on the oil, in particular, seed oil. Our pastry chef's advice is to use thepeanut oil, so as not to add further flavor to the dessert. Alternatively, you can choose theolive oil, whose use will have a higher cost and above all will give the characteristic aftertaste.
To make a healthier alternative, you can bake the Carnival desserts at oven: what is the secret? Follow the exact same recipe; it will simply change the consistency of the cake, but it will certainly be lighter.

3. Choice of ingredients

As in any preparation, nothing must be left to chance: the choice of the ingredients it is as important as the steps to be achieved. In particular, in the realization of the apple fritters it is better to use more mature apples, so they are sweeter to taste and do not have too much floury consistency.
In the mixture of damselfish you can add other ingredients in addition to the classics, according to your taste, such as raisins, candied fruit and chocolate chips. The advice is always to pay attention to the humidity of these ingredients: they should not contain too much water, otherwise frying would be affected.
To enrich the taste of the Chatterfinally, it is possible to dip them in the melted dark chocolate; alternatively, it is possible to realize a decoration by spreading its surface. We must always be careful, however, that the rumors have already been cooked and are dry.

If we have intrigued you with these tips, we will soon be waiting for you at the Carnival Desserts course!

Texts by Caterina Limido

10 tips to prepare a perfect soup – Italian Cuisine

Minestrone is the detox dish preferred by Italians. We explain it in 10 points.

After a period of extravagance to get back into shape, you usually eat the minestrone.
Which are the ingredients? Simply vegetables, water and salt. There is nothing more light in the Mediterranean diet.
The minestrone can be enriched if desired with legumes and someone also adds the cereals to turn it into a soup in all respects, a true single dish. There is no better comfort food for lovers of healthy food.

But how do you make the minestrone?

We want to give you some indications to prepare it correctly and obviously with fresh and not frozen vegetables. The minestrone in the envelope can be an excellent solution when you have little time but try to make one by cutting all the vegetables and you will notice the difference.