Sesame Sicilian cookies

Ingredients:

400 g khorashan wheat flour (who isn't celiac but wheat sensitive as me, should tolerate khorashan wheat)
100 g potatoes starch
150 g margarine
3 tablespoons olive oil
150 g fruit sugar
2 eggs
juice of half lemon
half glass of lactose free milk
a small saffron bag
Outside:
sesame seeds
half glass of lactose free milk to dip cookies

I put all ingredients in the bread machine just to knead : khorashan wheat flour,
potatoes starch, margarine, olive oil, fruit sugar, two eggs and melted saffron in half glass of lukewarm milk.

I let it knead for about 20-30 minutes.
Then I put the dough in the freezer for 1 hour.
I make cylinder-shaped cookies, hand-working easily because the dough is very cold and margarine doesn't melt during the working.
I roll them in the milk and then in the sesame seeds.
I bake in pre-heated oven at 200° (medium-high temperature) for 15 minutes then turn down to 180° for other 15 minutes.
Last 10 minutes cooking au gratin.
Hot and smelling good, these sesame cookies are perfect at breakfast (but often they don't remain for it).

Couscous with shellfish sauce

Ingredients for two:

250 g corn and rice couscous
extra virgin olive oil
2 medium tomatoes
300 g mix of shellfish
a lemon zest
half lemon juice
parsley
a clove of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
a bag of saffron
roasted sesame seeds

Preparation:
I prepare the sauce, putting in a pan an unpeeled clove of garlic, chopped parsley, extra virgin olive oil,chopped tomatoes and I let fry slowly for five minutes, then I add the fresh mix of sellfish.
I add the lemon juice, a little bit of water and I let cook for 10 minutes.
Before turning off; I grate the zest of lemon and I stir into the sauce (attention: the sauce doesn't be so reduced, because couscous isn't wet like pasta and needs more liquids to be dressed well).
I use corn and rice couscous and I follow instructions on the back of the pack.
In the boling water that I use to dip couscous , I melt saffron.
Once ready , I stir carefully the sauce with couscous.
I serve every dish  with roasted sesame seeds on.

You can match it with a lot of sauce, but in any case corn and rice couscous is good as wheat one.
 Let me know your try.

Eggplant's cutlet

I had started not long before (just only few months)this culinary adventure (it's too sad calling it  strict diet) and we were (my husband and I) on holiday at Lerici (Cinque Terre area) when I discovered in a deli shop very close to central square, this version of cutlet with eggplants.
I was amazed to find ready-made food right for me and all my food limits.
It was simple to do and thanks to this recipe I started using corn flour in different ways that I didn't think until then.
Using corn flour like bread crumbs and as cover for a lot of food.
This discover pushed me to open my mind to experiment new food, new recipes...changing classical versions.
I understood that it depended on me, reinventing my cooking way without depriving myself of joy coming from a good dish, a good recipe, a good result!

Ingredients:
A big eggplant (I prefer round ones)
2 eggs
Rice flour
 Medium fine Corn flour (like fioretto type in Italy)
Salt
Olive oil

Preparation:

I cut the eggplant in slices in a bowl and  I sprinkle with generous pinches of salt each level of slices.
I place a pan full of water on top, so to be heavy and let coming the bitter black water out from them.
Then I wash the slices and I drain with a dishcloth.
 I roll the eggplant slices on rice flour dish, then in beaten eggs dish and last on corn flour dish.
I put them in a baking pan covered with greasing paper previously oiled and I bake, turning upside down until making golden in both sides.
I serve these cutlets hot.
They are crunches and not so oiled outside.
You can serve them with a dressing...but I prefer simple and crunch as they are.

NB: Rice flour was an extra addition respect the original recipe...thanks to another discover ,another experiment...another recipe.

Therapy pumpkin pie

Who knows how many times happens to arrive at the end of the day very nervous.
And you need to convey bad energy in good one.
My pumpkin pie recipe comes out from one of these days.
I needed to whip and beat carefree.
When I cook, I can switch off my thoughts and focus only on preparation.

Ingredients:
600 g cooked pumpkin
100 g rice flour
2 eggs
60 g potato starch
50 ml almond unsweetened milk
100 g grated Parmesan cheese
100 g Provolone dolce cheese
(I cannot eat lactose, but I can eat seasoned cheese,first among everything Parmesan cheese)
a pinch of grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons corn flour
a sprig of rosemary
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt as required
20 g margarine

I mash the pumpkin with a fork, then I add two beaten eggs, rice flour and potato starch, beaten a lot so to add air to the batter.
I dilute it with almond milk (so the taste is similar to the filling of "tortelli di zucca" , that is fresh pumpkin filled pasta).
Last I add grated Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.
I pour half of the batter in a baking pan, I put on provolone cheese and I cover with the remaining batter.
to cook au gratin I sprinkle some tablespoons of medium fine corn flour and small pieces of margarine and a sprig of rosemary in the middle of the pie.
I bake for 20 minutes at 200 °(medium-high temperature).
when it is out of the oven, I let it cool down for some minutes and I cut it in slices.
You can sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese only,changing the cheese inside and putting cold cuts (gluten, lactose, sugar free...)
Every time finishes in a trice.

And I feel better.

With this recipe I participate to contest Zucche alla riscossa by Staffetta in cucina

Rice dumplings (gnocchi) for lunch break

If you have one hour -lunch break, what do you cook?
You cannot eat in a rush , being content with what remains in the fridge.
But time goes fast in any case and here you find a very quick dumplings (gnocchi) all things considered not so bad to be prepared in 20 minutes!

Ingredient for one person:
150 g rice dumplings (it is possible to find it in supermarket)
15 cherry tomatoes of my vegetable garden
3 tablespoons crushed olives (Italian taggiasche types)
oregano
olive oil
a clove of garlic
Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
I put in a pan the cherry tomatoes (if they are very small, you don't need to cut them), olives, the unpeeled clove of garlic, the oregano and olive oil and a pinch of salt (very little,because olives are very tasty so it doesn't need much).
I sweat them for 5 minutes and then I add a glass of water and I let the sauce cook for 10 minutes.
In a pan with boiling salted water, I pour my gnocchi and I drain them very quickly when they go above water (two-three minutes normally).
I pour them in the pan with the sauce (where which I remove the garlic, very tasty but asocial, if you have to come back to the office later).
I serve my  hot gnocchi with melted Parmesan cheese shavings.
It's not a gourmet recipe but it satisfies your mouth and your stomach, for sure!

Khorasan wheat yeast-free focaccia bread with pears

In my vegetable garden there are two pears trees.

This year they made a lot of pears.
As I wanted to taste them in a savoury recipe, I thought to try on focaccia bread.
I was sure that the flavor was good and I didn't risk a disaster, thanks to an old Italian proverb:
"Don't let the farmer know how good cheese is with pears"

Here you find a recipe that you will love.

Ingredients:
Dough:
350 g khorasan wheat flour
50 g potatoes starch
100 ml lactose free milk (you must adjust the quantity according the type of khorasan flour and how much liquid absorbs).
5 extra virgin olive oil
300 g provolone dolce cheese
3- 4 medium pears (it doesn't matter the type. They mustn't be ripes.)
a sprig of rosemary
extra virgin olive oil
salt
a pinch of fruit sugar

Preparation:
I use my bread machine to knead only , kneading for 40 minutes.
If you want to make it by hand or if you don't have the bread machine, I can say that time is very long.
Anyway the result must be elastic.
Since when I have the bread machine , I stopped to knead by hand. It's such a comfort!
I roll the dough helping with hands and extra virgin olive oil.
I salt a little the surface of focaccia bread.
I sprinkle with chopped rosemary and then I put provolone cheese very thin slices on all the surface of the focaccia bread.
The same with pears very thin slices.
I pour a drizzle of oil even on to make shiny the surface and a pinch of salt.
Other chopped rosemary to flavor it more.
I bake the focaccia bread for 20-25 minutes about (it depends on oven) at 200° medium high temperature and I serve it hot and melting.
I cannot say how delicious it is.
That proverb was right!