FERRAGOSTO PICNIC

SOME IDEAS FOR THE FERRAGOSTO PICNIC

RICE SALAD

INGREDIENTS

IT SERVES 4

250 g rice

125 g tuna , a jar of mixed vegetables in oil, drained, 50 g emmenthal cheese, ( a Swiss Cheese) diced,

some artichoke hearts , drained and quartered,

lemon juice,

salt

PREPARATION

Boil the rice, cool it down under running water and put it in a large mixing bowl. Flake in the tuna, then mix in the vegetables in oil, cheese, artichokes and olives, if you're using them.

Stir through the lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste. Cover the bowl with cling film or place in a large plastic container and chill thoroughly before serving.

Simple, quick, easy to make when you don’t feel like cooking and it’s very hot, especially on Ferragosto!

CROSTATA Italian jam tart

 

 

Crostata is the most classic rustic dessert in Italy, it is a jam filled pastry crust. You can find this on the table of almost every family. In our area the most popular jams are apples. This is the recipe

 

125 g butter

250g flour

50g icing sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

drop of grappa, rum, brandy, anything you like

favorite marmalade/jam, about 250g depending on your taste

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in all the eggs and vanilla.

Sift together all the dry ingredients.

Incorporate the flour into the butter and egg mixture with a few strokes of a wooden spoon forming a dough. Leave it to cool in the fridge for at least half an hour. Take 1/3 of the dough and press into a pan.

Generously spread jam on the shell.

To make the lattice work top:

Pull off a pinch of dough and roll into a long snake. This is an easy dough to work with if it breaks just pinch it back together. This is a rustic tart. Continue until you have enough to make your lattice top.

Bake in a preheated 180 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the top is nice and brown, the bottom is cooked and the dough should shrink away from the pan a bit.