Cookaholics Bulletin Board

The book for this week is Mediterranean Street Food by Anissa Helou. I got it as a gift years ago and maybe did some grill stuff from it but nothing else. I think I will do Turkish Meat Bread, little tear-shaped pizzas with a ground lamb topping. I love these things but have never tried to make them.

For the weekend, I am being a bit more adventurous. There is a recipe for an artichoke pie (Torta Pascqulina from Genoa). This is filo filled with artichoke hears, soffrito, porcini, eggs, ricotta and Parmesan. You then make little indentations in the filling and fill with whole eggs, top with more filo and bake. This sings to my heart. One thing confuses me, the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups crumbled ricotta cheese." In my experience, ricotta is not at all crumbly and it doesn't seem like they mean the dried version.

I think both of these need nothing more than a salad to accompany them. Does anyone else have this book? Or have you made similar recipes and could share your experience or give some tips?

Mary

Mary
This sounds like so much fun. I think I will have to join in. Way more fun than cooking from the freezer!!!!!

we did defrost the freezer this week & I know we have enough food to feed many peeps for 2 years!

Mary, when I hear crumbled I think ricotta salata, not the moist one. but this version of the recipe (http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2012/ ... asqualina/) uses the fresh too.
hth, sounds delish!

Yea, Kathy too!

Jean, it is 100% not ricotta salata. It just wouldn't work. I thought maybe it was a 3rd type that I never heard of. The recipe looks great, I hope it lives up to its promise.

Mary

Okay, I'm in. Seems as good an impetus as any to finally cook some things from my Foods of the World series. I'll probably do just twice a month, though. Also it'll be awhile before I get to the first recipe since I have one of those mouth-breathing head colds that completely kill your ability to tell one food from another.

Selelcted book and recipe - Boulangerie by Paul Rambali, Cherry Clafouti. Simple recipe. but I had some cherries in the freezer. All ready to go before I noticed the amount of sugar ...
"0 teaspoons plus more for sprinkling" What????

So I'll use one of Julia's recipes and call it a day. Shame, it's a very informative book about the bakeries in Paris.

fitzie

Ugh, get better JB. Can't wait to see what globe trotting delights you will be serving up.

Fitzie, sounds like one of those lo-cal books. My favorite is when they tell you to reserve something and don't tell you what to do with it. I have never made clafouti. My dessert repertoire is sorely lacking.

So what are we cooking next?

Mary,

I have gotten ricotta at the Italian market that was much dryer than that from supermarkets, but it wasn't ricotta salata, which is much harder. It was not quite as dry as a feta cheese, and was crumbly, but very moist. Maybe you could drain some regular ricotta, to get some more whey out?

Mary,

I have that book.

I've made: Potato Boreks, Saj Borek, and Grilled Pepper and Tomato Salad. All were pretty good; add sumak to the Potato Borek for an interesting flavor and a spectacular color. I've meant to make "Chickpea Snack" for ages, but never gotten to it.

Let me know how the recipes you've chosen turn out.