Boun Giorno Lovelies,
Today, in my cooking class, we learned about Campania, a southern region in Italy where Naples is located, most famous for their pizza. The dough that the people of Naples use is lievito madre, which is a
natural yeast. The cheese used on the pizza is fior di latte
mozzarella. Today, the menu is:
Pizza Alla Napoletana
Torta Caprese
Pizza Alla Napoletana:
Ingredients
1lb. Plain Flour, sifted
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/2 oz dried yeast
8 fl oz warm water
Pinch of sugar
In a bowl, put 1 pound of flour, the pinch of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. In a second bowl, put some warm water, a pinch of sugar, and fresh yeast. Mix the yeast around with your fingers to dissolve it and dump the yeast bowl into the flour bowl. Mix with your hands, adding more warm water if necessary. Start punching it with your fist until it turns into the right consistency - it should be very soft and almost sticky. Then cover it with a warm, damp towel and let it rest an hour to double. For the sauce, take your tomato sauce and finely chop garlic clove. Then add a big pinch of salt, a drizzle of oil, a pinch of oregano and some hot pepper. Let it chill on the counter. When the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Lightly oil a baking sheet and put the dough on it. Then, cover the dough with the tomato sauce, leaving the edges free for the crust. Put it in the oven at 480 degrees Fahrenheit. When the crust has turned a golden brown, take it out of the oven and place sliced fresh mozzarella on top. Sprinkle oregano on top of the cheese and then put it in the oven again till the cheese is all melted. Take it out and put the basil on top and drizzle with a more olive oil.
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| The colors of Italy, all in one dish! |
Torta Caprese:
Ingredients
100gr Bitter chocolate
100gr butter
3 eggs
100gr sugar
1/2 tbs flour
1/2 tbs powdered sugar
1/2 glass of coffee liquor
1/2 small ecup of espresso
150 grs almond
1/2 tbs baking powder
Melt the 100 grams of bitter chocolate and let cool. Add half a small glass of coffee liquor and half a cup of Italian espresso. In another bowl, mix 100 grams of butter with 100 grams of sugar. Separate 3 eggs and add the yolks one at a time to the butter and sugar. Add the chopped almonds and half a tablespoon each of flour and baking powder. Add the melted chocolate. Whip the egg whites and gently fold them into the mixture. Next, butter and flour a springform pan. Place the mixture inside and bake 40 minutes at 180 Celsius. Then take it out of the pan and onto a serving plate. Then sift some powdered sugar on it - we used a stencil to add some decoration. Add almonds and chocolate shavings as desired.
Buon appetito!
Eternally yours,
Stephanie
