for 6 sandwiches

ready in 4h

1 kilo boneless pork shoulder

3 tbs bbq dirt (BBQ Dirt recipe)

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs ground pepper

1 tsp salt

1 onion in quarters or 4 full spring onions

half glass of water

half glass of white vinegar (wine/apples or rice at your pleasure)

6 buns (or tortillas)

Clean the meat and cut the skin (but leave the fat).

In a small container mix the dirt with sugar, salt, pepper and garlic, mix well and coat the meat throughoutly.

Ricoprire la carne con questo composto, porre in una casseruola e unire tutti gli altri ingredienti (escluso il pane ovviamente).

Put in a casserole with the oil and add the water and vinegar. Bring to a boil on high heat and then let simmer at very low heat, covered for 3 hours circa, or until the meat is tender and soft.

Let cool. Extract the meat and retain the juices. Shred the meat with a fork (or your hands). Add the juices.

Heat the buns (or tortillas) in hot oven or toast it in a hot pan, fill them with the shredded meat and add any other ingredient of your choice: cheese, tomatoes, salad or bbq sauce (or all of them).

American turkey. Thanksgiving, Christmas, NYE, any day is a good excuse to have a juicy and tasty roast turkey. I tasted it a couple of times in the States and I was always impressed by the incredible taste that Americans can give to the simple boring turkey meat. Anytime I went to the States, as I usually do, I have asked the recipe, the tricks, the way you should cut it, etc. And I have put all suggestions I received together in this recipe. On Thanksgiving usually the turkey can be stuffed with a chestnuts and bread mixture but I prefer this super-juicy and simple version with no stuffing at all. Voice to the meat!

You will need a big roasting pan with a roasting rack into it and  a meat thermometer

Here we go.

Time: 24H to 36H in brine; 3H cooking time

Serves 10

Brine

1 6,5 kilos tureky

1 bunch of rosemary

1 bunch thyme

250 grams salt

150 grams sugar

3 lemons cut in quarters and squeezed

1 tbs pepper grains

2 bay leaves

3-4 liters cold water

1 bunch rosemary

1 bunch thyme

1 garlic head (cut horizontally)

2 onions

5 carrots

4 celery stalks

1 tsp salt

half glass peanuts oil

200 grams of clarified butter

2 tbs maple syrup

salt

water as needed

In a small casserole put half liter of water, and all the ingrdients for the brine. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Bring back to room-temperature.

Put it into a container or a pot big enough to contain the turkey, add the water. Mix well and lower the turkey into the brine – make sure the turkey is fully covered (in case add some extra water).

After 24 to 36 hours, take the turkey out, discard the brine. And drain it completely. Set aside for 30 minutes and then dry it with a clean cloth.

Meanwhile cut the vegetable into chunks (2 cm each), mix them well with the oil and put them into the roasting pan, cover with the roasting rack (the vegetables should not touch the turkey). Retain 1 handful of vegetables (you will need them to stuff the cavity of the turkey).

Pre-heat oven to 180° C (fan off).

Stuff the turkey with the bunch of vegetables you kept aside, the salt the garlic head (cut horizontally), the rosemary and thyme.

Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. And tie the wings as well as close as possible to the back of the bird. Put it on the rack – breast up.

In a small casserole, heat the butter and the maple syrup until all is dissolved. Brush the turkey all over with the butter+maple syrup mixture and place into the oven. After 20 minutes, pour one cm of water into the bottom of the pan and brush the turkey once again with the butter.

Brush the turkey every 20/25 minutes.

Cook for 2H15 minutes – if it gets too dark, cover with aluminium foil. Turn the pan every now and then to cook evenly. After 2H15 ninutes, keep the temperature and turn the function to ventilated (this will make the skin crispier), brush the butter and sprinkle generously with salt. Again, make sure you turn the pan to cook evenly. Cook for furthern 20 minutes. With a thermometer, check the inside temperature – if it is 75° C, the turkey is done. You should insert the termometer in the area between the breat and the thigh.

In 2H45 minutes, the turkey is done. (the timing is based on a 6,5 kilos turkey – different size of turkey would mean different timing. Either way the inside temperature at 75° C means done and still juicy).

Take out from oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before serving, Meanwhile transfer into a casserole the vegetables and the liquids at the bottom of the pan.

Add 2 cups of water – season with salti f necessary. Add a tablespoon of butter mixed with a tablespoon of flour. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 2/3 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Carving a turkey is a religion. J

First you cut the full legs separating the thigh and the drumstick. The thigh then need to be deboned and sliced up (1,5 cm thick).

The breast can be sliced directly (but in this case someone will get the biggest portion of crispy skin!). First you cut down the half along the breast bone then slice horizontally or take the half breast off the bones (cut all the way down starting from the central breast bone) and slice it on a cutting board – the slices will be smaller and easier to serve. Last you carve the wings.

Serve with salt or the sauce above.

Another american bakery wonder. If you like them richer, add more chocolate or pair the chocolate with nuts (macadamia nuts pair well with the white chocolate; walnuts or hazelnuts with dark chocolate). Make sure you heat them briefly (20-30 sec) into the microwave before serving – warmed up they become again soft and moist.

600 grams all-purpose flour

220 grams unsalted butter

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

180 grams granulated sugar

150 grams dark chocolate in square chunks (circa 1 cm each)

150 grams white chocolate in square chunks (circa 1 cm each)

a pinch of salt

240 ml milk

Pre-heat oven to 200° C.

Beat the butter with the sugar and vanilla, until pale and fluffy.

Unire metà della farina, un pizzico di sale, il lievito e poco a poco il latte sempre miscelando bene.

Add half of the flour, the pinch of salt, the baking powder and beat in the milk.

Add then the remaining flour kneading well with your hands. Divide the dough into two halves and add respectively dark and white chocolate chunks (retain a few pieces of chalet chunks to decorate the top right before baking – they will look better). Divide again each dough into 2 halves and roll them to 1 cm thick. Divide each round into 4 quarters.

Lay each quarter on the dripping pan (lined with parchment paper), and bake for 12 minutes.

2 celery stalks

1 onion

1 carrot

100 grams mushrooms

2 tbs olive oil

30 grams butter

800 grams minced meat

breadcrumbs (as needed)

100 grams ketchup (+ 50 grams extra)

1 egg

salt and pepper

Slice finely the carrot, the mushrooms, the celery and the onions. Heat the butter and the olive oil, add all the vegatables and fry for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft. Seaosn with salt and set aside (allow to cool).

Put the fried vegetables in a container, add the meat. The egg, the ketchup and the remianing ingredients, mix well with you hands adding breadcrumbs enough to obtain a compact mixture.

Pre-heat oven to 170° C. Coat the bottom and sides of a standard plum-cake tin with parchment paper.

And press the mixture into the coated tin. Brush with some ketchup and bake for 1 hour (brush with the ketchup every 10 minutes).

Take out from oven and allow to sit cool down a little before removing from tin and serving (when cooling down all juices will be absorbed back by the meat).

Serve with Gravy*

Gravy

1 onion

100 grams sliced mushrooms

25 grams all-purpose flour

25 grams butter

250 ml beef stock

50 ml white wine

2 tbs olive oil

milk (if necessary)

Slice finely the onion and fry it with the olive oil, add the mushroom and fry them until the water evaporates. Set aside.

Meanwhile melt the butter in a casserole, add the flour and let it simmer until it gets golden.

Add the wine and the stock. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes. Add the sauteed mushrooms, mix well and serve. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of milk.

Those who know me, know too well that I simply love Hawaii. When my job takes me to that side of the planet I alwasy try to sneak in 3 or 4 days to go back to one of the most magic places on earth.

This recipe comes from my beloved Hawaii, Oahu North Shore. It is a very simple street-food, served two steps from the shoreline (magic picture: isn’t it?).

I suggest you eat them with your hande. Yes, feeling ashamed is possible, but trust me, if you follow my recipe, you will love them even more!

500 grams clean shrimps

half head of garlic, minced

juice and grated zest of one lemon

80 grams unsalted butter

1 tbs all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground black pepper

a generous pinch of salt

Steamed rice:

200 grams rice

300 grams water

Soak the rice and wahs it with running water for 3 or 4 times (until the water is clear). Put i tinto a casserole, add the water and bring to a boil. When it boils, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to minimum, cook for 3 / 4 of time of direction.

Dry the shrimps with a clean cloth. Put them into a container and mix them well with all ingredients (excluding the butter). Set aside and marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat the butter in a pan at high heat. When melted add the shrimps, and stir fry them for 3 or 4 minutes. Retain the shrimps (and set aside).

Continue instead frying the sauce for further 7/8 minutes or until the garlic gets golden. Put shrimps back, season with salt if necessary and serve with the steamed rice.

Inspired by the famous NYC Hillstone restaurant I managed to find the right balance. Honestly speaking, sorry if I am not modest now, this is much tastier than the one I tried there. LOL.

400 grams boiled and drained spinach

200 grams boiled artichokes

1 big onion

2 garlic cloves

200 grams sour cream

1 tbs all purpose flour

200 grams cheddar cheese

100 grams grated romano cheese

50 grams grated parmesan cheese

1 glass of milk

1 tsp chilli powder

salt and pepper

Extra vrigin olive oil

Chop roughly the artichokes and chop the spinach. Slice finely the onion and chope the garlic and fry them with 3 tbs olive oil, for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the flour and mix well.

Add then the artichoke, the chilli powder and the spinach and stir well. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add the milk (more if necessary) and bring to a boil, boil for 3 minutes until creamy.

Then add the sour cream and cheeses. Low heat, let the cheese melt down gently stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper if necessary and serve with Tortilla chips.

You can easily heat the cream into the microwave.

NYC BAGEL

There are so many recipes of bagel and all of them decalre it is the ‘original’ one.

Even though the ‘original’ one would taste like something we would never appreciated today (as if we were tasting cheese made exactly as they made it 100 years ago!).

So I got rid of the originality and reading and researching I made my own version. The result is great: a soft but firm bagel, very good and even better when toasted.

Everything is in the proofing process. The consistency of a bagel is due to the boiling part. Boil the dough stresses and shocks the proofing process creating this world famous breakfast treat.

A few rules for a perfect result:

1) contrarily to any bread the bagel dough should be compact, sticky but not too much (after kneading the dough should detach from your hands easily);

2) The first proofingshould be as long as need to have a dough which has grown 3 times its original size (1 hour in summer, maybe 2 hours in winter). The trick is: Summer: 30 minutes outside; 1 hour refrigerated; Winter: 1 hour and a half outside; 1 hours refrigerated.

The refrigeration reduces the proofing intensity. Out of the fridge you can make the bagels.

3) the second proofing (when the bagel are already in shape) should be interrupted as soon as the yeast activates again (10/15 minutes in summer to 30 minutes in winter), at sight they will look bigger and at touch they will feel soft.

Out of the fridge, punch the dough and knead gently just to pull the extra air out.

Roll the dough into 10cm diameter balls and make a hole in the center with your hand

4) boiling is a shock to the yeast and it reduces dramatically the proofing. The water should be salted and boiling hot, add a teaspoon of soda bicarbonate (it helps in making them darker).

It has to be boiled upside down onto the water for 30 seconds, and 30 seconds on the other side. Put on a clith to absorb exceeding water. Bagels should not be boiled for more than 30/40 seconds per side – this will allow the hart of it to have stilla live dough capable of proofing when baking in the oven.

500 grams strong flour

250-300 ml lukewarm water

1 tsp salt

7 grams dried yeast

1 tbs malt syrup (if available)

2 tsp granulated sugar

To boil:

water

2 tbs salt

1 tbs soda bicarbonate

In half glass of warm water, put the dried yeast (do not mix, let it stand on the surface), and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a container instead, put the flour and all the dry ingredients, add the melted yeast and mix with a fork first and with your hands later. Add as much water as needed to have a soft but consistent dough. Knead for 10 minutes at least.

Set aside and allow the first proofing (part outside and part inside the fridge) unitil it triplicates its original volume – you should follow the below instructions:

Summer (temperature above 25° C) > 2H15 (1H15 outside fridge; 1H into the fridge)

Winter (temperature below 22° C) > 3H30 (2H/2H30 outside fridge; 1H into the fridge)

When triplicate, punch the dough and knead for a couple of minutes.

Divide the mixture into 12 portions (it should be 85 grams each). Make a ball out of each and with a pressure of the thumb and the index make a hole and enlarge it up to 3 centimeters.

Put the bagels on a dripping pan covered with parchment paper and allow second proofing for further:

Summer > 20/25 mins

Winter > 40/45 mins

After this timing, pre-heat the oven to 210° C.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil and add the salt and bicarbonate.

With a kicthen shovel, take gently the bagels and put them into the boiling water (upside down), let cook for 30/40 seconds, turn it and cook for further 30/40 seconds. Drain with a slotted spoon and put on a cloth to absorb the exceeding water.

Put again on the parchment paper and bake for 12/13 minutes or until golden.

Lemon Drizzle

115 gr all-purpose flour

half tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

5 eggs

vanilla extract

225 gr granulated sugar

1 tbs grated lemon zest

1 tbs grated orange zest

350 gr almond paste*

225 gr unsalted butter

* recipe here: Almonds Paste

syrup

60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

60 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

225 gr granulated sugar

Pre-heat oven at 170° C.

In a container mix the sugar and the lemon+orange zests. Set aside for 10 minutes. Then add the flour and the baking powder.

Add and mix to the dry ingredients the almonds paste and the softened butter.

Beat the eggs in a container and add them slowly to the mixture above.

Coat a plum cake tin with baking paper and put the mixture into it.

Bake for 60 minutes (check doneness with a toothpick).

The cake out from oven, prepare the syrup: just mix juices and sugar. Do not prepare the syrup before hand.

Pour the syrup on top of the cake (still warm and still in the plum cake tin) unitl it is all well absorbed. Wait 20 minutes and serve.

Country Apple Cake

5/6 big apples

120 gr granulated sugar

2 tbs ground cinnamon

1 tbs grated orange zest

670 gr all-purpose flour

670 gr granulated sugar

1 and 1/2 tbs baking powder

a pinch of salt

360 ml vegetable oil

4 eggs

90 ml squeezed juice orange

1 tsp and 1/2 of vanilla extract

Peel the apples, slice them in small bits. Put them in a container and add cinnamon, orange zest and sugar. Mix well with your hands. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven at 180°. Coat with butter and dust with flour an angel food cake pan.

Put all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) in a container. Mix them well.

In a container put the eggs the vegetable oil, the vanilla extract and the orange juice. Beat lightly to mix all ingredients.

Add the egg mixture to the dry one slowly and mix well with a whisk or a mixer.

Add the apples (but discard the juice).

Pour into the cake pan and bake for 1H30 mins at least (check doneness with a toothpick – it will always be wet but make sure no mixture is still sticking to it).

Let cool down into the pan for 30 minutes before pulling it out.

5 carrots

320 grams all-purpose flour

230 grams granulated sugar

4 eggs

300 ml vegetable oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1,5 tsp baking powder

120 gr walnuts (chopped roughly or flour)

Frosting:

250 grams cream cheese

140 grams butter room-temperature

60 grams icing sugar

half tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven at 170° C.

Grate finely the carrots.

Beat gently the eggs with the sugar until fluffy.

Add the vegetable oil. Beat for a couple.

Fold in the carrots.

Sift into the mixture the flour, the baking powder and the cinnamon.

Now add the walnuts chopped (flour is also good).

Pour into a greased pan (21×21 cm if square; 23 cm diameter if a round one).

Bake  for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile in a container beat the butter with the cream cheese, add the icing sugar and the vanilla extract and mix again for a couple of minutes.

When the cake is cold, top it with the icing.