Risotto with black salsify and gorgonzola cheese

It was bound to happen ... today is y last empty workless day as tomorrow I (and I need to add here finally) start my new job! Quite a change as I have left a company where I was for about 8 years in order to do something which merges my experience and my latest done MBA with my enthusiasm for innovation. Sure I am thrilled ... but also sort of worried. I guess it is normal. But this is only change number one (new house, new town, first baby on the way ;-))

Anyway, here is yet a winter dish! Yes winter as here in Belgium is still bloody winter (but getting better). If you do not fancy salsify try to replace it with some asparagus, potatoes and/or artichokes ... since this is their taste. Sure is if you use salsify you get the right balance (and less things to buy).This dish can also be made vegetarian very easily by using a vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock. Just use a very neutral one.

Ciao and I wish everybody a nice week ... if not as exciting as mine (and yes I start on April's fool!).

(Leggi la ricetta --- Read the recipe)

Pears and Chocolate cheesecake

Now that the snow is gone and rain has replaced it, I kind of miss all that white around. Bah! Such is life sometimes. I guess we appreciate things more once their are gone. Jut like for this cheesecake ... I wish we still has a bit left to eat in these gray days.

I believe it was about two weeks ago, when I saw Sciopina posting about her wanting to do a Pastiera (traditional Easter cheesecake from Napoli) but ending up making a pear and chocolate tart. I really wanted to do it ... but I am no so great fun of cakes with pastry on top. 

And so this cheesecake came to be. It is a fairly lighter cheesecake in the sense that it has less calories, much less eggs and  it tastes less fatty. We enjoyed a lot the way the bitter chocolate (with caramelized bean chips in it) goes with the light ricotta cheesecake, the (still) crunchy pear pieces and the spicy cookies. Much better than the other recipe I posted sometime ago. Sure that one is different, but we both preferred this one (despite I still used a very dark chocolate Elke does not fancy too much).

For the italians (or who else can find it), consider using the 85% chocolate Venchi here since it is dry and has a bit the taste cocoa beans (I did not use it since I had little left and wanted no to use it up).

(Leggi la ricetta --- Read the recipe)

We had a ...white white Easter!

We are back from the Easter break ... and what an unusual Eater. 

Spring? Well ... here we had more than 15cm of snow this morning! Tonite ... well, there is only water left! Better this way!

I hope you all spent a nice Easter ... ciao!!

Spaghetti, spices and lamb

It is Easter time ... or better Easter break like for most bloggers. Therefore, this is my last post for a few days as we will tomorrow morning drive towards the Belgian coast (somewhere near Ooostende or Ostend in English) where to spend a lazy (and alone) Easter. Nothing special also given that the pregnancy does not allow much (including no flying!).

This dish is a bit on the Easter theme as it features lamb seasoned with two mains spices. A curry mixture that everybody knows ... and dried wild fennel flowers, which not many know. I was lucky enough to receive some of it from a friend (Minouche of La Tomaterie) who (hopefully) will start importing it in Belgium. Before this dish I did not know how well these two ingredients go together. A perfect match with lamb and the pine-nuts as well.

Well, enough talking. I wish everybody a Happy Easter and hopefully with better weather than here!

(Leggi la ricetta --- Read the recipe)

Casatiello

This is the quintessential Easter Recipe from Napoli. I did it only once before at my mum's house (4 years ago I think), when I actually acted as a kneading machine more that anything else. Since my mum & pap came to Belgium for a few days last week-end, she was so nice to bring along some homemade strutto and italian cheeses ... yes, you read well: homemade strutto! It took them 5 hours to make this spreadable lard derived from pork fat, but it was worth is as it is much more delicate than the industrial one.

Back the casatiello, it is something done in Napoli (and surroundings) for Easter to be eaten on the Saturday before Easter. This time we followed the traditional recipe from my Aunt Pina (sister of my Dad) adjusted with the the kneading technique of my mum's Aunt Olga ... and the result is a stunningly light (but extremely caloric) rolled bread with cheese, ham and salami. Very delicious on it own and even better with some more italian charcuterie.

I am so sad it is finished!!! Why why why only on Easter!

(Leggi la ricetta --- Read the recipe)

Pollo ai peperoni - Chicken with bell peppers

After so many personal posts which are probably boring to most (but luckily not all) ... here at TFT (as Francesco likes it call this blog) we are back on food! And back in style or better with a different cook for once: Francesco's Mum!

This time Elke and myself only helped my mum (visiting us with my dad for the MBA award ceremony) cooking a traditional and tasty dish which requires some butcher skills and good ingredients. It was the first time for Elke to eat it ... and she actually clened up her plate with some bread better than a dishwasher (a super scarpetta!!).

(Leggi la ricetta --- Read the recipe)

And yesterday I closed a 2-year (only) chapter!

What does this mean? Yesterday with other 84 people I was awarded an MBA ... or better defined as a 2-year suffering-sweating-not_sleeping-studying-having_fun chapter of my life

I guess with all these closing chapters ... you might expect a post on an opening one. Yes it will come in a  couple of weeks :-) And in between (finally) some more recipes!!

In the meantime ... se what effect a certificate has on people? I was looking weird! My mum was happy holding my diploma. My dad was taking photos. And my wife was observing smiling.

Ciao ciao!

Today I am closing an 8-year chapter

Today is a very special day, so allow me not to post a recipe (once again).

On the 1st of August 2000 I joined Philips Research ... today is my last day at NXP Semiconductors, which was previously known as Philips Semiconductors. Almost 8 years I have been working in Eindhoven ... surrounded by the same (but changing) buildings. And surely, I am much less of a scientist I was then. 

Today I am closing this chapter. Another one will be opened soon (and not only professionally) ... still, it is strange to do a change which implies not seeing the same people, place, city, etc etc.

So allow me a moment of though about it.

In the meantime, let me know what you think this photo is about. Of course, ex-colleagues, please say nothing.

A week-end in Luxembourg

Last week-end we went to Luxembourg, which is not too far from home but far enough to feel a bit like a small holiday. The place is rather small but with many historical and beautiful restored buildings, like the ducal palace or the government one (see the photos). Lot of shops .... from body shops - which looks like selling icecream (see the photo) but sell soaps - to luxury goods - I mean the Gucci, LuisVitton, etc, etc.

It is not a bargain city/state, since everything is more expensive despite having lower VAT. I mean ... I looked at Nikon lenses and they were constantly 20% more expensive that average-Joe shop in Belgium.

But the best shop must be a new chocolaterie (Oberweis) we found. You know .. Belgians are proud about their chocolate, but even Elke was impressed. I took away a bar of their New Guinea dark chocolate ... mmm ... so smooth, powdery, full of flavor including roasted moka and spices. Really a treat! I should have bought more! I now declare Luxembourg a chocolate-lover dream-land!

Eating there is something tricky, or better somewhat disappointing considering it sits near France and Belgium. Long ago we enjoyed a very nice meal in a restaurant now no longer in existence .... lately we only got rising bills with lowering taste. This time I even got served (for a considerable price) frozen fish which appeared to me as microwaved. Kind of ridiculous considering the posh-ness of the place (le jardin du president) we were!

Overall, Luxembourg is worth a short stop but not a dedicated trip ... except when you live (like us) nearby. If you are in its neighborhood, maybe consider to stop there for a night. Beware ... it might be cold in winter!

Fun from YouTube ... Kruger battle

Since our honeymoon in Africa, I feel in love with Safari's. I know that since our first baby is coming in a few months ... there won't be any chance for one for a very very long time.
Still I dream about going back to Africa or doing one in India.
We were talking about it at lunch, when one of my colleagues (well almost ex- .... two days to go) mentioned an amazing video taken in Krueger Park (South Africa) with a battle between buffaloes, lions and crocodiles. And here it is .... if you have not seen it, this is simply amazing footage. I wish I were there to experience it!

Pear and chocolate tart

Am I on a kitchen-blog-roll (gosh this sounds like a weird sentence)? No, simply so many recipe I wanted to share ... but it was so painfully slow with the old mac. Or better sort of boring, now I can enjoy listening to music (Midnight by Joe Satriani right now) while downloading something and writing my blog. A luxury ... but a nice one.

(now music moves to Patience by George Michael ... reminiscence of my youth)

I wanted to share this recipe for a while now. I found it in an old number of Cucina Moderna, an Italian magazine we used to be subscribed to. I liked more than Elke ... but I honestly love the pear and bitter chocolate combination. Elke prefers less bitter chocolate. Next time I will use a sweeter 55% chocolate instead of the 80% one ... and she will love this tart too.

Do not be fooled by its appearance .... it is, like all other desserts, rather caloric and not very filling!

(Me. & Mrs. Jones by Ami Winehouse playing .. gosh like a step back in time)

PS: I think I forgot to follow up on some meme ... if so, please remind me and my apologies.

(Leggi la ricetta --- Read the recipe)

Traditional Belgian Meatballs

It is done! What is done? The migration of all my files to the new mac. I now enjoy my new super fast machine, rather silent (when I turn off the noisy external drive) and leopard ... which seems to have less bugs than windows as usual (but a few more than Tiger :-( ). I love its back-up solution. So easy!

Anyway, what a better way to restart posting food (finally food) than using a traditional Belgian recipe. It is simple and it looks similar to the italian meatballs recipe ... but the taste is rather different. Of course it is! There is absolutely no cheese in it, but boiled eggs. They cook a longer time! Etc etc!

And of course ... this is and was done by my sweet wife! Ciao !!!

(Leggi la ricetta --- Read the recipe)