Tag: stocking

The gluten-free stocking of the Befana – Italian Cuisine

Ideas and ideas for sweets and treats to be included in a gluten-free Epiphany sock, for celiac children of all ages

The Befana comes at night, you know. But if she has to enter the house of a celiac or intolerant child with her broken shoes, things get complicated. What can the good old woman put in the sock of those who cannot consume gluten? Obviously you can select desserts of all kinds among the gluten free guarantee products. Or it can be done in home. Obviously a leading role can be played by fruit, fresh (oranges and mandarins always give color and scent) or dry. And then you can add chocolate and candies, taking care to select them among the "safe" ones. The extra touch, however, what will not make you feel the lack of other products not tolerated, is the realization of small home made delights. Here are some greedy and completely gluten-free ideas

Puffed rice chocolates, pistachios and pine nuts

It starts by melting, separately, 150 g of dark chocolate, 150 g of milk chocolate and 150 g of white chocolate. In a bowl, mix 60 g of safe puffed rice with the same number of shelled pistachios and pine nuts. Each type of chocolate incorporates one third of mixed rice and dried fruit, then arrange the mixture obtained in well-spaced piles on one or more trays lined with baking paper. Put the sweets in the refrigerator to cool until the chocolate has solidified, before transferring them to colored tins or food bags.

meringues

It seems like a complex preparation, but it is not, it only takes a little time. After weighing them, whisk the egg whites of 4 eggs until stiff, with a pinch of salt. We will proceed first at low speed, then gradually at ever higher speed. Got one very swollen and soft mass, a quantity of sugar equal to double the weight of the egg whites is added, little by little. Continue to work until the mixture is firm and shiny. It is placed in bows with a pastry bag on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and baked in the oven at 80 ° C for about 4 hours.

Marzipan sweets

Finely chop 150 g of almonds and mix them with the same amount of sugar, a teaspoon of orange blossom water and 2 tablespoons of unmounted egg white. Work to obtain a firm mixture, adding more egg white if necessary. Divide the mixture into balls, arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rest for a whole night, then brush them with egg white and brown them in the oven at 250 ° C for about 10 minutes.

Candied peels

To prepare the candied peel, you must first peel some oranges and cut the peel into sticks. After putting them in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, bring to a boil and drain. Repeat this operation 4 times, then put the peels back into the saucepan and sprinkle them with sugar: calculate 4 or 5 tablespoons of sugar for the peel of 4 oranges. Add a little water and boil them until they are candied. Let them dry before packing: if you like, you can dip them in chocolate melted dark chocolate, then let them dry again.

Crisp

Briefly toast 500 g of almonds in the oven (or if you prefer hazelnuts, pistachios, or mixed dried fruit). Put 300 g of sugar and a little water in a saucepan, bring to low heat and prepare a rather dark caramel. Pour the dried fruit into the caramel, remove immediately from the heat and pour the mixture into a pan greased with oil. Level with a spatula and let the brittle cool, then cut it into pieces.

What to put in the Befana stocking – Italian Cuisine

Sometimes it takes very little to turn your kitchen into a small candy factory. And the best time to do it is in view of the arrival of the Befana

Discarded gifts, eaten panettone, bottles of uncorked bubbles. One more thing is missing to sweetly end the bailamme of the holidays: the Befana stocking. The shops are now teeming with pre-packaged socks, ready to hang without making the slightest effort. Yet it doesn't take long to turn the kitchen into one small candy factory. At one time it was customary to fill the Befana stocking with sweets, dried fruit and citrus fruits. Bad children, however, had to deal with coal. To decide what to prepare you can therefore start from one revisiting tradition.

Caramelized hazelnuts and almonds

A quick and easy recipe, also useful for recycling dried fruit left over from the festive meals. Just a glass of hazelnuts is one of almonds, a glass of water is one of sugar. Boil the water and sugar in a non-stick pan over low heat. When this has melted, remove from the heat and add the dried fruit. Stir with a wooden spoon, until the hazelnuts and almonds are wrapped in sugar. Put them back on the stove and caramelise them, stirring constantly. Once ready, arrange them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper separate them from each other with a fork before they cool completely.

Candied oranges

In this period, if there is one thing that is not missing in the house, oranges. To make them candied, a kilo is enough, in addition to 600 g of sugar and a liter of water. It starts by dividing the sliced oranges. With a knife remove the pulp and cut the peel into strips. Boil the zest in a saucepan for 5 minutes, drain and allow to cool. In the meantime, put the water and sugar on the fire, melt everything until one is obtained syrup. Add the rinds and boil on low heat for at least a couple of hours. Leave to rest for one night and repeat the operation even the next day.

Sweet coal

Even sweet coal you can do it at home. We start from icing: put two egg whites in a bowl, add a few drops of lemon juice, two tablespoons of pure alcohol, 300 g of icing sugar and whip everything with an electric whisk. At the end add a spoonful of black dye powder and mix until a thick and dark glaze is obtained. Separately, in a steel saucepan, prepare the syrup with 10 cl of water, 300 g of granulated sugar and another spoonful of coloring. After 10-15 minutes pour two tablespoons of bain-marie glaze into the syrup. Stir quickly and immediately pour the mixture into a mold lined with parchment paper. Do harden the coal at room temperature.

Cake Pops

With a view to recycling, cake pops can be prepared, balls covered with chocolate and decorated with sugars. Instead of sponge cake you can use for example panettone or pandoro. 400 g crumbled are needed. Add four spoons of your own favorite jam, stirring with your hands until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Form some balls no larger than a walnut, place them on a dripping pan covered with parchment paper and let them rest for half an hour in freezer. Melt the chocolate, white, dark or milk, according to taste. Stick plastic or wooden sticks into the balls removed from the freezer and dip them in the melted chocolate. Shake them to remove excess chocolate and garnish as desired with hazelnuts, coconut, colored sugars.

Other recipes to celebrate the Epiphany

Salty Befana stocking – Italian Cuisine

Peel and wash the escarole, then let it dry for a couple of minutes in the pot with a little water and the lid.

Drain it well and cut it into pieces.
Prepare a sauté with garlic, oil and chopped anchovies. When the anchovies have melted in the oil, add the escarole.
Let the escarole flavor for about ten minutes, then add the olives cut in half and the capers and let the water dry well.
Finally, season with salt and pepper and let cool.

Overlap the 2 sheets of pastry brisée keeping them separated with a sheet of parchment paper so that they do not stick together, then draw your sock with a sharp blade.
Put aside the scraps of dough, separate the two sheets of brisée and stuffed one of the two stockings, leaving 1-2 cm free along the edges: arrange over the escarole, then add the cheese into pieces.

Gently, take the second sheet of dough and cover the filling, pressing lightly to let the air out.
Then seal the edges well with the prongs of a fork.
Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush the stocking. Use the advanced dough to decorate the stocking, brush the decorations and add the poppy seeds to taste.
Bake in preheated oven at 200 ° C for 30 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Once ready, let your Befana stocking warm up before serving.

TAGS: Salted Befana Stocking Recipe | How to prepare stocking of the Befana salata | Stocking of the Befana salata recipe