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Summer recipe: Venere rice salad in a glass

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Sometimes it is just an idea that gives a standard dish an extra touch, so a rice salad can turn into a colourful lunch to deal with the summer heat: here is a perfect summer recipe, my Venere rice salad in a glass.

The rule I am following these days with no air conditioning in my kitchen is just one: no oven, unless I have to bake bread. So, here is a one-course meal ready in 30 minutes, unless the cooking time for your rice takes longer.

Furthermore, if you like this summer recipe idea, use your creativity to invent many other rice salads layering them in a glass to make your table unique and fun for your table companions.  Have a look at these Venere rice towers  to find inspiration!

Summer recipe: Venere rice salad in a glass

9.5g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the courgettes cream

  • 300g courgettes
  • 170g water or vegetable stock*
  • 100g leek
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil
  • a bunch of basil
  • some mint leaves
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for the mozzarella mousse

  • 400g cow’s milk mozzarella
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil
  • water

Ingredients for assembling 4 glasses

  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • 100g Venere rice
  • basil leaves
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Cook the Venere rice in lightly salted water and drain it when it has the perfect texture to be eaten, then lay it out to cool quite quickly.
  2. In the meantime, chop the leek and sweat it in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped courgettes, allow them to gain flavour for a minute, then add the water, basil and mint and cook for 12-13 minutes.
  3. Pour everything in a blender, blend to a smooth cream and season with salt and pepper. Put aside.
  4. Place the chopped mozzarella in a large, tall glass, add 4-5 tablespoons of water and start blending with an immersion blender (ideal for the texture is to use a Bamix) while also pouring in the extra virgin olive oil in a trickle. If the mozzarella cream is too hard, add a few more tablespoons of water while continuing to blend until it is soft and creamy like a mousse. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Cut the cherry tomatoes into 4 wedges, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  6. Now assemble the glasses: pour the courgette cream on the bottom, form a layer of Venere rice, a layer of mozzarella mousse, the chopped cherry tomatoes and finally decorate with a few basil leaves.

insalata di riso venere in bicchiere

Version with gluten of the summer recipe: Venere rice salad in a glass

This recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptations are necessary.

 

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Gluten-free fried cream: Carnival sweets

Do you know that we are already in the Carnival period? Pastry shops and bakeries have been swarming with fried desserts for some time now, so here is a recipe for an excellent gluten-free fried cream (which you can easily adapt to the gluten version by following the directions at the bottom of the recipe) prepared with rice flour and coconut biscuits.

If I hardly ever fry during the year, especially sweets, in these cold days with so many limitations for social life, Carnival overwhelms us with numerous and delicious food temptations. So get ready to surrender: even if in moderation, I think it will be impossible not to taste Chiacchiere, Krapfen and this irresistible Fried Cream, a soft heart encased in crispy breadcrumbs.

Gluten-free Fried Cream

30.50g carbohydrates per 100g without icing sugar dusting

Ingredients

  • 500g milk
  • 150g sugar
  • 125g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 50g chopped Le Veneziane coconut biscuits**
  • 50g almond flour*
  • 25g corn starch*
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • grated rind of 1 lemon
  • frying oil, icing sugar*, flour**

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Heat the milk with the vanilla (e.g. an empty pod kept aside) and grated lemon peel. Allow to cool and strain the liquid.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the milk, sugar, 1 yolk and 2 egg whites, add the flour and starch, stirring with a whisk; then bring the cream to the boil on the stove and let it cook for a few minutes.
  3. Pour the cream inside a rectangular steel ring  placed on a sheet of baking paper or in a small square or rectangular baking tin covered with parchment paper and leave to cool.

Uno_chef_per_Gaia_crema_fritta
4. Once ready, cut it into cubes, dip them first in flour, then in the 2 beaten eggs and finally in the biscuit and almond flour mixture.

Uno_Chef_per_Gaia_crema_fritta_senza Glutine

  1. Fry the cubes in hot oil, dry them well with kitchen paper and finish by dusting them with icing sugar.

uno_chef_per_gaia_ricetta_gluten_free_crema_fritta

Version with gluten of Fried cream

Replace gluten-free biscuits and flour for the breading with standard products.

 

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Cabbage, potato and shallot soup

If winter means soups, soups in January mean winter vegetables, of which cabbage and potatoes are surely the most common example, and this Cabbage, potato and shallot soup is also the symbol of peasant cuisine par excellence, enriched with an idea for a zero waste recipe.

Even if the Christmas holidays of 2020 were not all about socialising and big family meals, the rich menus of tradition are too good not to tempt us, and so, as a recipe for Epiphany that makes us turn off the lights of celebrations, I propose a simple dish, prepared with what is hardly missing in the kitchen in winter: the long-lived vegetables that love the cold and dark winter days, namely cabbage, potatoes and various onions.

Added to this is also a necessity. After preparing kilos and kilos of succulent fillings made from stewed meat and Parmigiano Reggiano of two different maturations for Anolini or Cappelletti alla parmigiana, my fridge is full of cheese rinds that it would be sacrilegious to throw away, so I urgently need ideas on how to make the most out of them, and soups are always a good solution.

And since it is customary to consume pulses, particularly lentils, as a wish for wealth and abundance for the New Year, I thought I would complete the soup by adding Barilla Legumottithe fantastic grains made with lentil, chickpea and pea flour, which in just 9 minutes give us the full and authentic flavour of pulses in the form of pasta: you know I am a real fan of Legumotti, which I have also proposed in other mouth-watering recipes.

With the simplicity of a zero waste dish, vegetarian and prepared with few ingredients, I wish you a 2021 of health, serenity and… lots of work for everyone!

Le verdure della zuppa

Cabbage, potato and shallot soup

6.65g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 1lt vegetable stock
  • 500g cabbage
  • 230g potato
  • 125g Barilla Legumotti*
  • 100g shallot
  • 50g rinds of Parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pepper
  • salt

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Cut the shallot into thin slices and brown it in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the finely diced potatoes and chopped garlic clove and season for a few minutes. Finally, add the cabbage cut into strips, mix well and cover with the vegetable stock.
  2. Also add the Parmesan cheese rinds: use a knife to scrape the outer surface to remove any dust, then cut them into pieces of a few centimetres. Put the lid on and cook for 20 minutes.
  3. Adjust salt, throw the Legumotti into the soup and add vegetable stock if there is not enough liquid to cook.
  4. Serve the soup with a drizzle of oil and a grinding of pepper.

Zuppa di cavoli, patate e scalogno

Version with gluten

This recipe is naturally gluten-free.

 

 

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Legumotti Salad with Caramelised Tropea onion

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Salads are a perfect solution for summer and this Legumotti salad mixed in a smooth, velvety Swiss chard cream, completed by sweet caramelised Tropea onions will give you the pleasure of a great gourmet dish.

The recipe is naturally gluten free and is rich in vegetable protein and fibre, suitable to be eaten at lunch or dinner, warm or cold; it is perfect as a main course if eaten in a large portion, or as an appetiser or first course if served in smaller quantities.

The Swiss chard cream will be a real surprise that you can use for so many other preparations: use it as an accompanying sauce for flans and fresh stuffed pasta, roast meat, mixed salads and, of course, as a sauce for pasta dishes (gnocchi with this cream are delicious).

Caramelised Tropea onions don’t need to be introduced. The only attention we have to pay is to the sugar they contain, either naturally or by adding brown sugar to caramelise them. In fact, onions behave like some other vegetables (e.g. carrots and peppers) which, when cooked, considerably increase the amount of carbohydrates per 100g: the raw onion contains 5.7g/100g, whereas once cooked, the value rises to 23.6g/100g.

For this reason, I have given you the carbohydrate value of caramelised onions separately so you can better calculate the carb count when adding them to your dish or preparing them for many other applications. Oh yes, because once you have prepared the caramelised Tropea onion, you can use it to season a pasta dish, fill a sandwich or focaccia, accompany a meat or fish main course, or even to complete a spoon dessert that I happened to taste on one of my culinary adventures.

Insalata di Legumotti con cipolla di Tropea caramellata

Legumotti salad with Swiss chard cream, caramelised Tropea onion and topped with grated salted ricotta

Legumotti Salad with Caramelised Tropea onion

24.52g carbohydrates per 100g cooked Legumotti pasta with Swiss chard cream

47.62g carbohydrates per 100g caramelised Tropea onion

 

Ingredients for the Legumotti and Swiss chard cream

  • 250g Barilla Legumotti*
  • 300g fresh Swiss chard already cleaned (without the harder white ribs)
  • 80g spring onion
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • salted ricotta
  • marjoram
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for caramelised onion

  • 450g Tropea onions
  • 30g apple vinegar
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil
  • 20g brown sugar
  • salt and pepper

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Start with the caramelised onions, which are the most time-consuming preparation. Cut the onions in half and slice each half into fan shapes. Wilt them in a non-stick pan with extra virgin olive oil on low heat and with the lid on; after 10 minutes, add the apple vinegar and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes, leaving the pan uncovered in case there is liquid on the bottom. Put the onions aside.
  2. Wash and clean the Swiss chard. Put a pot of lightly salted water on the stove and when it boils, blanch the Swiss chard for a minute, drain it and throw it into cold water. Pour it into a colander so that it drains well.
  3. Chop the leek and put it in a non-stick pan with the extra virgin olive oil and the clove of garlic; add the lightly wrung Swiss chard; season with salt and pepper, a pinch of marjoram and leave to gain flavour for about ten minutes. Remove the garlic, transfer the vegetables to a food processor and blend them to a smooth, homogeneous cream.
  4. Put a pan of water on the stove, add salt and when it comes to the boil, cook the Legumotti for 9 minutes. Drain them and put them in a bowl. Dress them with the Swiss chard cream and serve them on individual plates. Complete with caramelised onions and a grating of salted ricotta cheese. You can eat Legumotti warm or cold as you like: I love them in all preparations, so here is another recipe that may interest you, Legumotti with vegetables.

Version with gluten

The recipe is naturally gluten-free, so no adaptation is required

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Insalata di pesce spada

Swordfish salad is a fresh and quick summer recipe. Whether for lunch or dinner, it is naturally gluten free and has a negligible amount of carbohydrates, so swordfish salad is a light main course that brings everyone together and helps us find ideas for eating fish at least 2-3 times a week.

It might sound strange to you, but with my children I had more difficulty in getting them to accept and consume fish than vegetables. Therefore, as vegetables are among the most popular ingredients in our family, I thought of using them to make swordfish welcome as well, and the experiment was successful!

Not only has the swordfish been eaten with great voracity, but I have been asked to prepare it this way a little more often… so I will try to comply! Also because the meal will be ready in just a few minutes.

Insalata di pesce spada pronta per essere servita

Sword fish salad ready to be served

Swordfish salad

carbohydrates per 100g negligible

Ingredients

  • 400g swordfish
  • 300g small courgettes
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • 40g extra virgin olive oil
  • 30 g pitted Taggiasca olives*
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 basil leaves
  • grated lemon zest
  • rosemary, shallot, chilli pepper, salt and pepper to taste

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. First of all prepare the aromatic oil: heat about 20g of oil, then remove it from the heat and add a peeled and halved shallot, 1 clove of garlic and rosemary.
  2. Put a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the julienne-cut courgettes over high heat; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Cut the swordfish into cubes of about 2cm and sauté them in a non-stick pan with the remaining oil.
  4. Now assemble the salad by placing the courgettes, swordfish, sliced cherry tomatoes, pitted olives and chopped basil in a bowl. Stir everything together, then season with salt, pepper, a pinch of finely chopped chilli pepper, a grating of lemon zest and the aromatic oil passed through a colander.
  5. Serve the salad warm or cold to taste. And if you want some ideas for another salad, try this Dominican Salad.

 

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Stuffed picnic baguettes

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Stuffed baguettes are a great idea not only for a picnic, but also for a lunch at work. Unlike what you may think, a sandwich can be healthy and complete, as well as tasty, as in this recipe full of fresh vegetables. These Stuffed picnic baguettes are therefore a solution for young and old, and for all tastes!

If you decide to take them for lunch at the office or for a picnic and you don’t have time to prepare fresh bread, you can freeze the loaves and stuff them as soon as they have softened slightly after taking them out of the freezer, so when it is time to eat them, they will still be soft and fragrant.

The other feature I love about stuffed baguettes is that they have a hearty and succulent filling, but because of the way they are prepared, they are easy to transport and store and the risk of dirtying the basket or other container you put them in is reduced.

And the stuffing? Have fun, dear friends, this is just one idea among thousands possible!

Stuffed picnic baguettes

65.81g carbohydrates per 100g unstuffed baguette

Ingredients for the baguette starter dough

  • 400g water
  • 330g flour mix for bread, brand Caputo Fioreglut**
  • 170g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 5g brewer’s yeast

Ingredients for the baguette dough

  • 200g flour mix for bread, brand Nutrifree**
  • 110g water
  • 50g buckwheat flour*
  • 40g milk
  • 10g brewer’s yeast
  • 10g salt
  • brown rice flour* for dusting
  • extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for stuffing

  • 9 slices of Primosale cheese
  • 9 lettuce leaves
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 avocado
  • ½ lemon
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • tuna in oil (optional)
  • salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil to taste

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

    1. Knead the ingredients for the starter dough to obtain an even mixture; place it in a large bowl, cover it with cling film and place it in the refrigerator to rise for 12 hours.
    2. Take the starter dough and mix it with all the ingredients for the dough; knead well, if possible in a planetary mixer, then cover again with cling film and leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
    3. Place the dough on a lightly floured cutting board and divide it into 9 pieces.
    4. Flatten each piece into a rectangle of about 10x15cm, roll it from the short side to form a cylinder; brush the mini-baguettes with extra virgin olive oil.
    5. Let the mini-baguettes rise for another 30 minutes, then bake them in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for about 35 minutes.
    6. Let the mini-baguettes cool down and prepare the avocado sauce. Put the pulp of a ripe avocado in a blender, add the juice of half a lemon, a small tuft of chopped parsley, salt and pepper, then blend to a smooth, even sauce.
    7. Take the mini-baguettes, cut them in half, remove the crumb from both halves and start stuffing the lower half of the baguette.
    8. Come tagliare le baguetteCome svuotare le baguetteBaguette svuotate pronte per essere farcite
  2. Put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on the lower half, a pinch of salt, a grinding of pepper; form a layer with a slice of tomato, cover it with the avocado cream, place a slice of Primosale on top, put another layer of avocado sauce and a slice of tomato.
  3. Now take the top of the mini-baguette without crumb, lightly drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil and flavour with a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper. Cut a slice of lettuce into strips and compress it well inside the baguette cavity; if you decide to put tuna fish, place it on top of the lettuce; close the mini-baguette and seal it with a string or foil so that it is tight.
  4. Let the mini-baguettes rest tightly sealed until ready to eat, when you can cut them in half to see the contents and be able to bite into them easily.

Baguette farcite

Version with gluten

For the starter dough, replace the Caputo flour and rice flour with a bread or pizza flour and mix it with 275g water; for the dough, replace the Nutrifree flour and buckwheat flour with 100g water without adding milk.

 

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Basmati rice with curry, tuna and peppers

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Even though the air is still cool, I have now entered the mood of summer and colours and I can’t go back to grey, neither with my clothes nor with my food! Basmati rice with curry, tuna and peppers fully expresses this feeling.

And it is nature that helps us to be colourful, because going shopping at the greengrocer’s is a real feast for the eyes with all the vegetables in season. Peppers always make me very happy, not to mention the first cherry tomatoes from the south of Italy.

So I decided to add another splash of colour to the vegetable palette: curry, a spice that everyone in the family loves and that I buy from some Indian friends when they return from their country.

The carbohydrates in the dish come almost exclusively from basmati rice (remember that the cooked peppers are also counted in the preparation as they have 24.3g carbohydrates per 100g of product once cooked), a long-grain rice with an intense aroma and a slightly lower glycaemic index than the types of rice more suitable for risottos… not surprisingly, it does not release the starch that is essential to give creaminess to Italian risotto.

Have fun preparing this one-course meal, a kind of rice salad, a perfect summer recipe that will brighten up your table, your palate and certainly your well-being too. If you like curry, also try the Cous cous with prawn and courgette curry.

Riso basmati al curry con tonno e peperoni

Riso basmati al curry con tonno e peperoni

Basmati rice with curry, tuna and peppers

12.92g carbohydrates per 100g


Ingredients 

  • 300g tuna in oil
  • 300g vegetable stock
  • 220g yellow pepper
  • 220g green pepper
  • 200g Basmati rice
  • 200g peeled tomatoes
  • 15g spring onion
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder*
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Cut the peeled tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut the rest into cubes, which you place in a bowl with the chopped tuna, sliced spring onion, a pinch of salt and 20g of oil. Wash the peppers, cut them, remove the seeds and white filaments and dice them, setting them aside.
  2. In a saucepan, heat 20g oil, toast the rice for a few minutes, add the curry, stir well, then add the hot stock, put the lid on and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Add the peppers without stirring, put the lid back on and cook (another 5 minutes or so until the liquid has been completely absorbed).
  3. Divide the rice into 4 single-serving bowls, let it cool and top with the tomato and tuna mixture.

 

Version with gluten of Basmati rice with curry, tuna and peppers

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

 

 

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Torta soffice di mele e cannella

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In addition to bread and jam, one of my favourite breakfasts is with Soft apple and cinnamon cake, although I love any baked desserts made with this fruit that accompanies us all year round and which – especially at this time of spring when we are waiting for the great gifts of the warm season in terms of fruit – is one of the few seasonal products of Italian origin.

Although I like all apple desserts, for breakfast soft cakes are definitely the ones I enjoy the most, combining them with yoghurt, granola and my ever-present strong coffee: a pampering that I find really indispensable to get the day off to a good start.

I suggest you use cinnamon in the recipe, do you know why? Have you ever wondered why in all cultures of the world there are so many sweets containing cinnamon? This is by no means a coincidence.

In fact, this spice slows down gastric emptying time, which also slows down the absorption of blood sugar immediately after meals, i.e. cinnamon has a ‘hypoglycaemic’ function. This does not mean that the consumption of cinnamon can be considered a therapy for diabetes, but there are numerous studies showing its favourable effect on blood glucose control in people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes (for some more information, you can read this article). So in addition to giving our preparations an unmistakable aroma, cinnamon also has a positive effect on our well-being!

Torta soffice di mele e cannella

Soft apple and cinnamon cake

 Soft apple and cinnamon cake   

40.10g carbohydrates per 100g

 Ingredients

  • 350g Granny Smith or rennet apples already cleaned and peeled (2 apples)
  • 200g brown sugar (+ 20g for sprinkling, optional)
  • 125g low fat plain yoghurt
  • 100g gluten free multi-purpose flour mix, brand Massimo Zero**
  • 100g corn starch*
  • 80g almond flour*
  • 70g butter
  • 30g coconut milk*
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 lemon
  • 16g baking powder*
  • a bit of vanilla from the pod
  • cinnamon powder

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Peel and core the apples and sprinkle them with the juice of half a lemon so that they do not get dark.
  2. In a planetary mixer, whip the eggs with the brown sugar until white and frothy, then add the creamy butter, vanilla and the powder ingredients, i.e. almond flour, corn starch and the Massimo Zero mix; add the yoghurt, a pinch of salt and finally the baking powder and coconut milk. Remove the mixture from the planetary mixer and complete with grated lemon zest.
  3. Wet a sheet of baking paper and line a 24cm-diameter hinged cake tin. Pour in the mixture, level it and start covering it with the sliced apples, creating a pattern on the surface so that all the apples are used.
  4. To complete and if you wish, mix 30g brown sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon, then sprinkle the apples with the mixture before placing the cake in a static oven preheated to 180°C for 40 minutes.
  5. Remove the cake from the oven, allow it to cool, then take it out of the mould, remove the baking paper and place it on a cake tin. Watch the video recipe!

Version with gluten of Soft apple and cinnamon cake

Replace the Massimo Zero flour mix with an equal amount of conventional cake flour and do not add 30g of coconut milk.

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Assortment of white bread

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During National Coeliac Disease Week, I couldn’t help but share a recipe for a wonderful gluten-free assortment of white bread, the food that is the main challenge in the daily lives of those who cannot eat gluten.

My choice went to a fibre-rich preparation, Preparato Universale per prodotti da forno Massimo Zero, because fibre is a valuable ally in controlling blood sugar levels when we consume gluten free bread, which is generally high in carbohydrates and low in fibre.

While the presence of fibre in the mixture is very useful from a nutritional point of view, it makes it slightly ‘harder’ to work with, so having a kneading machine or robot at hand makes the task easier and ensures really good results.

This is precisely why I thought that sharing a video recipe could be extremely useful to prepare a tasty bread without any difficulty. So enjoy viewing and cooking!

Assortment of white bread  

44.19g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 500g gluten free multi-purpose flour mix, brand Massimo Zero**
  • 240g water
  • 240g milk
  • 50g mixed seeds* (to be soaked in 50g water)
  • 40g extra virgin olive oil
  • 17g brewer’s yeast
  • 5g salt
  • brown rice flour* for dusting
  • extra virgin olive oil to brush the surface
  • water to soak the mixed seeds

Preparation

  1. Put the mixed seeds in a small bowl and barely cover them with water, then let them rest while you knead the bread so that they completely absorb the liquid.
  2. Shake the bag of mix well before pouring it into the jar of the planetary mixer, then run it for a few minutes at low speed with the flour mix alone.
  3. Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in warm water, pour it into the planetary mixer and add the remaining water and milk. Mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes, then add salt and oil. Stop the planetary mixer to detach the dough from the sides of the pot and run it at high speed for a few seconds so that the oil is perfectly incorporated into the dough. When the dough is smooth and homogeneous, stop the planetary mixer and remove half the dough by placing it on a lightly floured cutting board.
  4. Add the seeds to the remaining dough in the planetary mixer and mix at high speed so that they are fully incorporated.
  5. Shape into loaves or braids of the desired size (I formed 4 loaves with the white dough and 5 braids with the dough with seeds), differentiating the shape according to the type of dough. Brush the surface with extra virgin olive oil and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or in the oven with the proving function for about 1 hour and fifteen minutes.

Shaping the dough

  1. Bring the oven to 200°C, brush the surface of the bread with oil again and bake. Let it bake for about 40 minutes, keeping an eye on the baking time, which varies slightly depending on the oven and, above all, the size of the bread.
  2. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool before cutting it.
  3. Portate il forno a 200°C, spennellate nuovamente la superficie del pane con olio e infornate. Lasciate cuocere per circa 40 minuti tenendo controllata la cottura che varia leggermente in base al forno e, soprattutto, alla pezzatura del pane.
  4. Togliete dal forno e lasciate intiepidire il pane prima di tagliarlo.
L'interno dei panini

The bread crumb

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Soft potato focaccias

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Soft potato focaccias for me are indelibly linked to my paternal grandmother. In fact, for many years, the tradition in our house was to make bread once a week, in large quantities, to be baked in the wood-fired oven on the farm.

The thing I remember most pleasantly is the time when we could eat ‘Torta del forno‘, a version of soft potato focaccias that my grandmother prepared by adding a boiled and mashed potato, extra virgin olive oil and salt to a loaf of bread. The new small dough (or sometimes large dough for everyone’s desire to eat this amazing food) was rolled out with a rolling pin, cut into strips of about 15x7cm and thrown onto the bricks of the wood-fired oven to test its temperature. Indeed, our wood-burning oven never had a thermometer, so based on the colour of the surface of the bread strips we could tell if the oven was too hot, and so we had to wait to bake the bread, or was not hot enough, and so we had to burn more wood inside.

These scones are a tribute to that flavour, although baking in a wood-fired oven certainly gives different aromas and flavours. However, I can assure you that my grandmother really liked this version.

Soft potato focaccias

43.66g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 400g water
  • 300g potatoes
  • 220g gluten free multi-purpose flour mix, brand Massimo Zero**
  • 170g flour mix for bread, brand Caputo Fioreglut**
  • 60g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 30g buckwheat flour*
  • 40g extra virgin olive oil
  • 16g yeast
  • salt, oregano, cherry tomatoes, olives, rice flour for shaping

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Boil the potatoes, peel, mash and let them cool.
  2. Knead the remaining ingredients, form a dough ball, brush it with a little oil, cover it with cling film and let it rise for 1.5 hours or until doubled in volume.
  3. Knead again with the planetary mixer adding the mashed potatoes, mix quickly well, then take spoonfuls of the mixture, roll it out first with your hands, then with a rolling pin using plenty of rice flour, and with a pastry cutter cut out discs about 2 cm thick and 10 cm in diameter. Place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper and let them rise again for about 30 minutes.
  4. Brush the surface with a little oil and season to taste with oregano, olives, tomatoes, etc.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 40 minutes.
  6. To watch the video recipe, click here

Version with cluten of Soft potato focaccias

Replace the Massimo Zero and Caputo flours with wheat flour and reduce the amount of water to 300g.

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