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Fettuccine al Limone with Walnuts, Chanterelles and Dill
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[Total: 0 Average: 0]Made by Alessandro Cipriano
Ingredients
For 4 servings
For the pasta dough
- 415 g sifted flour
wheat flour type 405 and 550 / type 00 for pizza dough - 4 large eggs
- 15 ml water (1 tbsp)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Lemon Sauce
- 1/2 onion
- 300 g chanterelles
- some olive oil
- 1 dl dry white wine
- 4 dl half cream
- 2 lemons, grated zest and juice of half a lemon
- 2 sprigs of dill
- 3 – 4 tbsp butter
- Salt pepper
- 1 handful of chopped walnuts
How to do it!
Preparing the dough
I am using the KitchenAid to prepare the dough and the fettuccine. This makes pasta production easy and fun. If you want to make noodles, spaghetti, ravioli, lasagne sheets, etc. KitchenAid makes it possible. This investment is well worth it.
Beat eggs in a glass measuring cup. Check egg quantity; it should be 200 ml. If it is less than 200 ml, add 2 ml of water at a time until the specified amount is reached.
Put the flour and salt in the Kitchenaid mixing bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater. Select speed level 2; Gradually add the eggs and 15 ml of water. Stir for about 30 seconds. Take the food processor out and replace the flat beater with the dough hook.
Set to speed 2 and knead for 2 minutes.
Let the dough rest in cling film for 20 minutes at kitchen temperature. Can also be stored in the refrigerator until the dough is used again.
Before using the pasta roller, divide the dough into 4 pieces on a lightly floured surface and flatten it a little.
Making the Pasta
Attach your pasta roller attachment to the power hub of your KitchenAid stand mixer.
Lightly flour your hands. On speed 2 and setting 1 on the pasta roller, feed one piece of flattened dough through the roller. Once it has gone through, fold the dough into half, rotate and feed through again. Rotating the dough is what makes it rectangular in shape. Repeat this process two to three more times until the dough has a smooth surface. Make sure you always dust with flour so that the dough doesn’t stick and tear.
Now change your roller setting to 2 and feed the dough through the roller once. Keep flouring your hands if dough is sticky.
Keep feeding the dough through on each roller setting (only once) until you’ve reached setting 5. I found this was a good thickness for fettuccine. Set your dough sheet aside on a floured surface and sprinkle with a bit more flour. Repeat these steps for the remaining pieces of dough.
Now add the fettuccine pasta cutter to the power hub of your KitchenAid stand mixer. Grab a sheet of pasta dough and cut it into about 2-3 equal pieces, depending on how long your pasta should be.
On speed 2, feed the pasta dough sheet through.
On a floured baking sheet, place each set of fettuccine on the baking sheet into a pile or a nest shape. Always dust with flower, otherwise the noodles will stick together.
Preparing the Sauce
Heat some olive oil in a pan. Sauté the onions in it, now add the halved chanterelles, then deglaze with the dry white wine. Now add the lemon juice and some lemon zest. Then pour in the half cream. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Let the sauce reduce nicely.
Incidentally, roast the walnuts in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Keep the nuts warm. These are finally sprinkled over the finished pasta.
Cooking the pasta
Prepare a large saucepan with salted water and olive oil. Take around 480 g fresh fettuccine. Put the pasta in the boiling water and cook slowly for 3-4 minutes.
Pour off the pasta, return it to the pan and add a little butter. Mix everything carefully. Arrange the fettuccine in deep white plates. Now pour the finished lemon sauce over it, garnish with the roasted walnuts, some fresh lemon zest, and the dill.
Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and freshly ground pepper from the mill if you like.
Ready to serve, enjoy!
The Magic of Venice, Italy
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[Total: 2 Average: 5]Venice is a unique lagoon city, a city of immense beauty and historical importance, but also unique and not like any other city in Italy. I have now been there for the second time.
We came to Venice directly from Lake Garda. We stayed at the 5 star hotel, Baglioni Luna, 1 minute from Piazza San Marco, with its own gondola station.
The first time I was here was many years ago, it was January and very cold outside. This year, you can’t say otherwise, thanks to Corona, very few tourists are here, the weather was perfect, sunny and warm. This city really has a magic. The beautiful buildings, the architecture, the history, the many beautiful bridges, churches and of course the canals, the heart of this city. You can reach almost every corner by gondola, boat or on foot. There are also an incredible number of great restaurants, expensive boutiques, galleries and bars in the heart of the city.
What are the best things to visit in Venice? I’d like to share the pictures and stations I have chosen for myself.
Images: © 2020 Da Cipriano- all rights reserved
Palazzo Ducale
A bit of history of the Doge’s Palace
One of Europe’s most beautiful and easily recognizable buildings, the Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) was not only the center of government during the Venetian Republic but also the residence of the Doge. The Doge’s first palace was a wretched, gloomy wooden fortress with massive defensive towers, and after several fires, the castle was converted into a Byzantine-style palace. The one you see today was built mainly in the 14th century, and the façade overlooking the Piazzetta dates from the first half of the 15th century. Although the palace is now a museum, unlike most museums, these paintings were created especially to decorate the Doge’s Palace, not added later. The art works, iconic beauty, and interesting history of the Doge’s Palace make it one of Venice’s major attractions for tourists.
Doge’s Palace was probably built between the 10th and 11th centuries on the basis of a fortified central core. This nucleus was constituted with a central body with towers in the corners forming one of the masterpieces of the Venetian Gothic. In the 12th century, the first restructuring was carried out with the duke Sebastiano Ziani, who transformed the fort into an elegant palace. Later in 1200 a new expansion was realized.
Between 1339 and 1342 during the government of Bartolomeo Gradenigo, the palace began to obtain its present form. The doge Francesco Foscari extended the palace in 1424 towards the side of the Basilica of San Marco. In 1442 the architects Giovanni Bon and Bartolomeo Bon added the Porta della Carta. The inner part houses the apartments of the Doge and was built by the architect Antonio Rizzo after the fire of 1483. Throughout the 16th century there were several devastating fires alternating with restructuring and embellishments like the “Scala dei Giganti” (The Stairs of the Giants) and the creation of the main treasure: the Crucifixion of Tintoretto, painted to replace a damaged mural in one of the fires.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the architect Antonio Contin added the “Prigioni Nuove” (New Prisons), beyond the canal connecting them to the Palace with the Bridge of Sighs, where the convicted went on their way to the new prison. In 1797, after the fall of the Republic of Venice, the Palace was conditioned to house the administrative offices. The prison, called “i Piombi” (the Leads) by the covering of the roof, retained their old function. After the annexation of Venice to the Kingdom of Italy, the palace underwent several restructurings until 1923 when it was destined to become one of the most important museums of Venice. Source
Ponte Rialto
Another Venice landmark, the Rialto Bridge
Rialto Bridge, Italian Ponte di Rialto, stone-arch bridge crossing over the narrowest point of the Grand Canal in the heart of Venice. Built in the closing years of the 16th century, the Rialto Bridge is the oldest bridge across the canal and is renowned as an architectural and engineering achievement of the Renaissance. It was designed and built by Antonio da Ponte and his nephew, Antonio Contino, following a design competition in the city.
The first bridge at that location, known as Ponte della Moneta, was a wooden pontoon bridge designed in 1178 by Nicolò Barattieri. The structure was rebuilt in 1255 and 1264 and, following a number of collapses, was eventually replaced by the Rialto Bridge to provide better access to Rialto, the primary financial centre of Venice. The bridge served as the only fixed structure crossing the Canal until the 1850s; prior to that, pedestrian crossings at other locations were done by gondola ferries.
The Rialto Bridge consists of a single stone-arch span that supports a broad rectangular deck carrying two arcades of shops fronting on three roadways. The lower chord of the bridge is only 83 feet (25 metres) in length, while the width is 66 feet (20 metres). To support the wide stone arch in the soft alluvial soil, 6,000 timber piles were driven under each abutment, and the bed joints of the stones were placed perpendicular to the thrust of the arch. Source
Ponte dei Sospiri
The famous Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri) is a covered and self-contained bridge over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the Doge’s Palace with the Venice prison.
The famous Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri) is a covered and self-contained bridge over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the Doge’s Palace with the Venice prison. The Doge’s Palace housed the court and so the bridge was mostly used by prisoners. Either to get to the court hearing or on the way back, after the sentencing, to take a last look at the lagoon with a sigh. There are two ways to do this, separated by a wall.
It was built between 1600 and 1603 and is much more attractive from the outside than from the inside. A visit is possible in connection with the Doge’s Palace and makes sense, as you can also visit the court and the new prison in connection with it. By the way, the most famous prisoner who was led across the Bridge of Sighs in Venice was Casanova. He is supposed to be the only one who managed to escape – at least he reports about it in detail in his memoirs.
If you only want to take a look at the Bridge of Sighs from the outside, you should do so from the Ponte della Paglia. However, one must always reckon with some crowds here.
The Bridge of Sighs is the declared goal of many couples, who kiss during a ride in a traditional Venetian gondola under the Bridge of Sighs, thus sealing the eternity of their love, provided that this kiss happens at sunset.
Teatro La Fenice
For those who love opera, really must visit the opera house La Fenice. Also worth a visit for non-opera lovers. The unique architecture inspires everyone, it is definitely a must for making your stay in Venice unique.
The visit between the stuccos and gold of its prestigious venues let you take a look at the secrets of the Theater and its stars, tracing its history from its origins to the present day. The name La Fenice (The Phoenix) is a reference to an earlier opera house that burnt down in 1774. History was to repeat itself in 1836 and again in 1996 when the beautiful gilt-encrusted theatre was reduced to ashes in a mysterious blaze. Two electricians, apparently behind on repairs, were found guilty of arson. Venice without La Fenice was unthinkable and worldwide donations poured in, enabling the construction of a €90-million replica, which reopened in late 2003. Some critics had lobbied for an avant-garde design by Gae Aulenti, but regardless, the reprise performance of La Traviata was a sensation.
The Theatre hosts a Maria Callas exhibition focused on her Venetian years. Check out here…
Maria Callas Farewell Concert’ 1973
Basilica Santa Maria della Salute
..is one of the best known in Venice, whose dome is visible from all over the city. It was constructed to celebrate the end of the plague in 1631.
Santa María della Salute is one of the most important religious buildings in Venice. Its striking dome is depicted in most of the city’s postcards.
Salute, as it is commonly known, was founded in 1631. The basilica was built to commemorate the end of a terrible outbreak of the plague that began in 1630, and killed a large portion of the Veneto population. It was dedicated to Our Lady of Health (Salute in Italian).
The architect, Baldassare Longhena, was commissioned to design the church and had also been responsible for the construction of the Ca’ Rezzonico. Santa Maria della Salute took 56 years to build and was completed in 1687.
- Santa Maria della Salute is on the opposite side of the Grand Canal from St. Mark’s Square, near the triangular tip of the Dorsoduro quarter.
Decoration
The Basilica’s interior is octagonal with small chapels on each side of the building. Although the church’s decoration is quite plain, there are several impressive paintings by Titian and Tintoretto.
The most magnificent canvas is called “Marriage at Cana” by Tintoretto. It is located in the sacristy. Source
- Santa Maria della Salute is on the opposite side of the Grand Canal from St. Mark’s Square, near the triangular tip of the Dorsoduro quarter.
Venice Canals
Venice lies at the end of a closed sea and so the lagoon is often the victim of strong fluctuations in water level, which leads to the opposite phenomena of “Acqua Alta”, the flood that submerges the entire city and “Aqua Bassa” that hinders navigation along the lower canals.
In order to experience Venice from all sides, it is advisable to do a canal tour in one day, passing through the Grand Canal and the side canals.
Gondolas and it’s Gondoliere
What would Venice be without its gondolas? The image of the canals is dominated by the gondoliers and with a little luck you will meet a singing gondolier on the Canal Grande.
Those who can afford it should treat themselves to this unforgettable experience. The beautifully dressed gondoliers with straw hats drive the guests with their jewellery like gondolas through the silent canals between the palaces of the city, have to bend down to avoid getting a bump on the low bridges.
Each of the gondolas is handmade by local craftsmen and richly decorated. In the past, the gondolas were brightly coloured and magnificent, but this is forbidden today. So all gondolas are painted black. If you look closely at the gondolas, you will see that they are not symmetrical, but that the rear end is slightly bent, which makes it easier for the gondolier to drive straight ahead.
Saint Mark’s Basilica
A Brief History Of St. Mark’s Basilica
The St. Mark’s Basilica was constructed back in the 9th century. It was built to house the remains of St. Mark’s corpse that was smuggled in from Egypt by Venetian merchants. The original building was torched to the ground in 932, but was rebuilt to become the magnificent structure that the world admires today. This new structure is made of layers of white marble that were procured from the Middle East. They say, the Basilica we see today is a cosmopolitan version of the original. It also has several elements from Byzantine architecture, making it remarkably exquisite. The structure is well known for having a Greek cross layout and for using a great amount of gold in each of its attractions. Due to this, the St. Mark’s Basilica is often called the Church of Gold.
Inside St. Mark’s Basilica
Designed in the shape of a Greek Cross, St. Mark’s Basilica has splendid marble inlays on the floor arranged in a geometric pattern along with animal designs. The interiors have 8000 sq.m of gilded mosaics over its walls and ceilings. It is said that the mosaic used is enough to cover over 1 and a half American football fields! Below are the highlights of the Basilica’s interiors you cannot miss! Source
The Best Hotel on Lake Garda, Italy
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[Total: 1 Average: 5]Grand Hotel Fasano, Gardone Riviera
I visited Lake Garda for the first time a long time ago. I only knew it from my drivings through to Verona. The drive itself was already breathtaking and beautiful. We drove over the South Tyrol. When I got to Lake Garda, I already felt at home. The nature, light and of course, the lake, created the most fantastic view.
We made a reservation for 5 nights at the Grand Hotel Fasano in Gardone Riviera. The hotel is simply a dream. When you get there, you are immediately welcomed in a very friendly and obliging way. Since many German speaking tourists spend their vacations at Lake Garda, the staff speaks German relatively well. For me, Italian is of course my priority.
The hotel is located at the picturesque Lake Garda, in a 12,000 square meter park full of palm and banana trees. The legendary hotel complex, at the edge of the Dolomites, between Venice and Milan, has been offering its guests top class services since the 19th century. The Grand Hotel Fasano was once a magnificent residence, which served as a hunting lodge for the Austrian Royal Family. Today, the family-run hotel offers an oasis of travel experiences within exotic surroundings. Tradition and modernity harmoniously merge in this retreat center.
The rooms and suites impose great taste, with warm cream tones, which creates elegant brightness that promotes well-being. Enjoy your day by relaxing at the hotel’s pools, swimming in the lake, and taking a deckchair where you can linger and relax all day long. Take a stroll through the lush gardens, or enjoy an Italian meal made with regional products in the beautiful dining room under the original ceilings of the 19th century residence. You can keep yourself busy all day long.
Address: Corso Giuseppe Zanardelli 190 | 25083 Gardone Riviera BS, Italy
T. +39 0365 290220 | Homepage
We had a room with a lakeview, you could enjoy the sunrise and sunset, depending on the weather.
If there is good weather, the beautiful terrace invites you out to have a drink, a glass of wine and a snack. The staff is very attentive and try very hard to fulfill your every wish.
There are also many other things that you can do and get to now outside the hotel. Gardone Riviera is a pretty little town with many nice little restaurants.
The hotel staff can guide you very well on places to go. We had dinner at the hotel’s own restaurant, called “La Darsena”, which is a few minutes from the hotel.
Address: Via Privata Eugenio Bravi | 8 Barbarano | 25087 Salò BS, Italy
T. +39 0365 21806 | Check it out…
La Darsena
You can also go on a nice day trip to Verona. It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes (67.6 km) by car if you take highway A4/E70.
After our stay at Lake Garda, we went to Venice.
Mainau Island, Lake Constance
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[Total: 0 Average: 0]The island of Mainau is a place to visit at any time of the year. The unique location and the flower paradise enchants young and old. I go 3 times a year, in spring, summer and autumn. If I were you, I would leave early in the morning. If you are looking for a meaningful day trip, then Mainau Island is just the right place. You can also buy the tickets conveniently online, then you don’t have to queue so long at the ticket office. The island of Mainau is very easy to reach by car, whether you come from Switzerland, Germany or Austria. From Konstanz to Mainau Island it takes between 15 to 20 minutes.
Take an island tour, have a drink or lunch in one of the good restaurants.
The flower island Mainau offers beauty all year round with 45 hectares of impressive gardens, restaurants and shopping facilities. It is home to the second largest butterfly house in Germany, which invites you into a tropical world with colourful butterflies and flowers. The Mainau’s theme gardens include a rhododendron slope, the Italian Rose Garden, the Dahlia Garden and the Hydrangea Trail, the Herb Garden.
The Mainau Society
The island of Mainau is operated by a limited liability company, Mainau GmbH. The island and all its possessions were incorporated into this company in 1974 by Count Lennart Bernadotte and his wife Countess Sonja Countess Bernadotte. Mainau GmbH has 150 employees all year round, and 300 employees during the flower season from March to October. Park and garden are open all year round. The departments of the GmbH are the profit centres “Park, Garden and Forest”, “Gastronomy” and “Souvenir” as well as the corresponding internal service providers. As a private company without public subsidies, Mainau GmbH (annual turnover approx. 27 million euros) operates according to market-oriented principles. The sole shareholder of Mainau GmbH is the Lennart-Bernadotte Foundation, a non-profit foundation under civil law with legal capacity.
Contact Mainau Island
+49 (0) 7531 303-0
email : info@mainau.de
Grandma’s Apricot Hazelnut Cake
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[Total: 0 Average: 0]Made by Alessandro Cipriano
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500 g flour, sifted
- 200 g butter soft
- 300 g of sugar
- 100 g eggs (2 pcs.)
- 1/2 sachet baking powder
Layer
- 1 kg fresh pitted apricots
- some butter for the cake pan
- 3 tbsp of ground hazelnuts
- 1 handful of chopped and roasted pistachios
Filling
- 1dl milk
- 1 dl cream
- 1 egg
- 150 g curd cheese
- 50 g of sugar
- 1 Lemon zest
Glaze
- 400 g apricot jam
- 2 tbsp water
How to do it!
Put the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until foamy.
Add the soft butter and keep stirring.
Now add the sifted flour with baking powder.
Stir everything to a compact dough. Do not knead. Depending on the use, shape the dough as a ball or a rectangle. Wrap with Cellophan and put in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C
Brush a rectangular cake pan with butter.
Roll out the dough on a little flour and place it in the cake pan.
Spread the ground hazelnuts and pistachios on the dough base. Now spread the pitted apricots halves on the cake base.
Mix the milk, cream, egg, and sugar with the lemon zest and stir in the curd cheese. Pour the mixture over the fruits.
Bake the cake, mid-height, at 200 °C top and bottom heat for approx. 35-45 minutes.
Let the cake cool down on a wire rack.
Apricot Glaze
Bring the apricot jam with the water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. The liquid should stick to the spoon. Now strain it through a wire sieve into a small bowl, press well with a spatula. Apply the glaze hot to the cooled cake with a pastry brush.
Preparing the Apricot Glaze for the Cake
Ready to serve, enjoy your teatime!
Veal Ossobuco Gremolata
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[Total: 0 Average: 0]Made by Alessandro Cipriano
Ingredients
For 4 servings
- 4 veal shanks (approx. 250 g each)
- 4 extra marrow bones
- 1 tsp salt
- little pepper
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- peanut oil for frying
Braising liquid and sauce
Cut the vegetables in jardinière. Approx. 5 mm edge length
That means, in medium sized cubes.
- 1 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 large carrots
- 1 small celeriac
- 2 medium sized tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 dl red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- some thyme
- 3 dl veal stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Gremolata
- 1 bunch of parsley chopped
- 1 lemon, zest and finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- some sea salt
How to do it!
Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper, then brush each side with the mustard. Now let the peanut oil get hot in a dutch oven or casserole. Fry the meat and the marrow bones very hot on both sides. Remove and set aside, then add a little oil.
Now add the vegetable cubes including the tomatoes. Roast the vegetables well, then add the tomato paste. Continue roasting until the tomato paste becomes dark, not black, then deglaze with some red wine, allow the liquid to reduce again and again, always add some red wine until the vegetables have a nice dark brown color. Now dust with flour and mix everything well.
Finally add the thyme and the bay leaf, now fill up with the veal stock. Add the shanks and the marrow bones, bring everything to the boil and cover and simmer for approx. 1.5 hours in the lower half of the oven, preheated to 180 ° C. Before serving, make sure that you take out the thyme and bay leaf.
Gremolata
Chop all ingredients and mix with the sea salt. Spread the mixture on the veal shanks when serving.
*As a side dish I served fresh made mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.
Ready to serve, enjoy!
Sunday Butter Zopf (Bread)
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[Total: 0 Average: 0]Made by Alessandro Cipriano
Ingredients
For the dough
This recipe makes 2 plaits
- 1 kg white flour
- 20 g salt (1 tbsp)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 150 g butter soft
- 42 g yeast=1 cube
- 5 dl milk lukewarm
- 1 egg yolk, a pinch of salt, sugar and a dash of milk
How to do it!
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add butter. Now add the milk/yeast mixture and knead everything into a smooth dough. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise to double its volume at room temperature for about 1.5 hours.
Quarter the dough, form each piece into strands of approx. 70 cm length. It is important that they have a smooth surface. Cover the strands with plastic foil and let them rest for 5 minutes. Important! Always give the dough plenty of time.
Now lay the strands diagonally on the table and braid them into a plait.
The left end on the right and the right end on the left side. The top end down and the bottom end up. Finally roll the end of the braid inwards.
Whisk 1 egg yolk with a little salt, sugar and a dash of milk. The sugar gives the plait a nice shine.
Place the finished plait on a baking tray covered with baking paper, brush with egg milk mixture, let it rise for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. (convection oven)
Brush with egg milk again.
Bake in the lower part of the oven at 180°C for 50-60 minutes.
Baking test: Tap the Bottom –The bread will sound hollow when it’s done. Take it out and let it cool down on a rack.
Ready to serve, enjoy!
Check out!
Walnut Bread, Le Creuset Dutch Oven
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[Total: 0 Average: 0]Made by Alessandro Cipriano
Ingredients
For the dough
- 400 g spelt flour
- 400 g white flour
- 12 g salt
- 30 g yeast
- 1 tbsp honey
- 5 dl water lukewarm
- 180 g walnuts
How to do it!
Mix the two types of flour and the salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Crumble the yeast and mix with the honey and ½ of the lukewarm water. Pour this mixture into the well. Mix it with some flour from the edge to a dough and dust it with flour. Let the pre-dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
In the meantime, roughly chop the nuts.
After 45 minutes rising time pour the remaining water to the pre-dough and knead everything for 5 minutes to a smooth dough. After about 3 minutes add the nuts. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave the dough to rise in a warm place to double its volume.
Form the dough into a round loaf. Cover the bottom of the pan with baking parchment cover it and place the pan on the lower half of the cold oven. Preheat the oven to 230 °C. Put the dough into the pan, cut the surface into a diamond shape, cover and bake for about 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for about 15 minutes at 180 °C. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Ready to serve, enjoy!
