Tag Archives: Anna Huerta

Summer lemonade

July 14, 2014

This last days has been really hot and what’s better for a dry mouth than a lemonade this hot afternoons in the garden. I usually make a lemonade concentrate and if there are leftover I pour it in a bottle and save it in the fridge. When serving I couldn’t resist decorating the lemonade with some mallow flowers. If you have extra time on your hand you could also freeze eatable flower in the ice cubes to give it a summery and colorful look.

Lemonade

The recipe will make around 6 cups (14 dl) of lemonade concentrate

Ingredients

2 cups (4.8 dl) caster sugar

2 cup (4.8 dl )water

12-14 lemons or enough lemons for 3 cups ( 7.4 dl) of fresh lemon juice

To serve : Still mineral or soda water and ice

Method:

Start by making a simple syrup.

Warm sugar and water in a small saucepan on the stove, stir until the sugar has dissolved and incorporated into the water, set a side.

Squeeze the juice from the lemons, if you so desire you can strain the pulp from the juice or leave it in.

Combine the lemon juice and the simple syrup stirring to make sure they are full incorporated.

Fill a pitcher or glasses halfway with ice cubes and lemonade concentrate.

Add either sparkling or still mineral water to dilute.

Server immediately!

Lemon curd

June 26, 2014

The other day, while reading over some really tempting summer recipes in the Swedish magazine Lantliv. I realized that I haven’t enjoyed cheesecake for quite some time. This particular recipe included a lemon curd. The lemon tree just outside my door inspired me to make my own curd. The cheesecake and lemon curd was delicious, as for the left overs we’ll indulged ourselves with pancakes the following morning.

Lemon curd

Ingredients
3 Egg (room temperature)
1 Cup (2.4 dl) caster sugar
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) lemon juice
Lemon zest from 1 lemon (use the lemon as part of the juice)
3.5 oz (100 gram) butter

Method
Place a pot of water onto the stove top to use as a water bath.
Over a low heat let it arrive to a simmer.

In a heatproof bowl and mix sugar, eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Cut the butter into small pieces.Whisk the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk continuously, until the curd thickens.
Be attentive so that the eggs not coagulate to become scrambled eggs.
When the curd has thickened, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter chunks.
Pour into jar and let cool. (I suggest that you use the water to boil the jar as to make sure it is clean prior to cooking the curd)
Store the jar in the fridge, should keep for a week.

Zucchini salad

June 23, 2014

June is high season for zucchini in gardens and farm fields all over Sicily. Here in Pantelleria the local name for zucchini is Cucuzze. Every day we harvest boxes of different variety of zucchini. These last few days its been really hot weather by mid day, zucchini salad is the perfect fresh light lunch! Keeps the kitchen cool, it also can be served as a side some grilled fish. I used a white balsamic vinegar but if you don’t have that on hand you can replace it with any white vinegar.

Zucchini salad
Serves 4

Ingredients
marinade
3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Garlic cloves crushed
2 Chilies cut in small pieces and seeds removed
2 Tablespoons shredded lemon zest
1/2 Cup (1.2 dl) extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh grounded black pepper

11/2 lbs (700 gram) zucchini
A handful of basil leaves

Method
Mix all ingredients for the marinade.
Cut the zucchini thinly and add to the marinade, toss to coat the zucchini evenly.
Let the zucchini rest in the marinade for at least 20 minuets.
Mix with basil leaves and serve.

Jewels of the sea

March 21, 2014

2 Replies

Patelle both look and taste divine. In Pantelleria the cliffs are caressed by the sea, and at this union of water and land is where you may find these little mollusks. Patelle in Italian means little pan. In the local Pantescan dialect they are called pateddre, and in English they are known as limpets. If you come across them just enjoy, whether you eat them raw, au gratin or in a pasta! There are several ways to cook pasta with patelle in Pantelleria. On most tables you will see them prepared with a tomato-based sauce, but I prefer a cream based. If you don’t have patelle you can cook this recipe with mussels, small clams (cherry stone or, in Italian, vongole) or any available fresh shellfish understanding that the larger the mollusk the longer it will need to cook and the chewier the meat will be.
With these jewels of the sea on my plate and a glass of crisp white wine in the glass, the weekend can begin.
Wishing you all a good weekend!
Anna
Linguine with Patelle in salsa bianca
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Shallots, finely chopped
1 Small dried chile pepper or a pinch of pepper flakes
3 Tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds (1.4 kg) patelle (or other fresh hardshell clams)
1 Cup (2.4 dl) dry white wine
5 Tablespoon heavy cream
Sea salt to taste
1 pound (450 gram) linguine or spaghetti
Method
Fill a large pot with water and sea salt to taste, cover with lid, place on the largest stove top burner, set on high and allow water to boil.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat on the stove, into it add olive oil, the garlic and shallots. Saute until warm and translucent.
Next add the patelle (limpets or clams) and the wine. Cover and simmer over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally until all the clams open.
Add the heavy cream and chile pepper. Taste the sauce, the juice given off by the shellfish can be salty, sparingly adjust salt to taste.
While the clams are simmering, add the pasta into the pot of boiling water and cook according to the instructions on the package.
Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the Patellle (Limpet or Clam) sauce and toss well.
Serve immediately in bowls with crunchy bread to soak up the sauce!
Dinner plate from Pearl River Mart

Braised chicken with wild oregano and olives

March 2, 2014

It’s still just the beginning of March, but I have the feeling that spring is around the corner. We have been talking walks on Mount Gibele to gather wild oregano. What a blessing! The oregano of Pantelleria is very intense. It is a cross with oregano and marjoram, and it carries the best qualities of both. The oregano is not only a fabulous spice but it also contains a lot of other great things within its oil, namely carvacrol. Oregano contains high amounts of omega-3s, iron, manganese, and antioxidants and it’s super antibacterial, as well as anti-viral and anti-fungal! This subject is something I will write about further in the future, after I have learned more about it. If you interested to read more about the Oregano harvest in Pantelleria, please visit my friends Amy and Peter’s blog http://flourishnourishinpantelleria.blogspot.it/2013/01/tales-from-harvest-of-green-gold-part-i.html , http://flourishnourishinpantelleria.blogspot.it/2013/01/tales-from-harvest-of-green-gold-part-2.html

Anyhow, after our day in the mountains I was craving a hot plate of chicken. With our own olives, bay leaves, celery, lemons from the garden and a splash of the local zibibbo wine this recipe came together.
I hope you like it!
Anna

Braised Chicken with wild oregano and olives
Serves 4
Note: You will need a oven ready pot with lid.

Ingredients
2 lb (1 kilo) Whole roasting chicken cut into quarters, then legs, thighs and wings separated at the joints (optional should you prefer boneless chicken you will need 1 pound (1/2 kilo) of chicken meat cut into eight pieces.) . If you so desire you can remove the skin of the chicken.
1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (for seasoning the chicken prior to searing)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (for searing)
3 Garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
2 Lemons (washed)
1 Leek or 3 spring onions (washed, peeled cut into quarters, using leeks one inch pieces or (2.5 cm)
4 Stalks celery (washed, ribbed, cut into one inch pieces or 2.5 cm)
2 Bay leaves (whole)
3/4 Cup ( 1.8 dl) dry white wine
3/4 Cup ( 1.8 dl) water
20 Olives green or black, green olives will loose their color due to the heat turning brown so if you wish to use a combination for eye appeal cook with black half black olives then add the other half green olives prior to serving.
8-10 Sprigs fresh oregano, if not available high quality dried oregano can be substituted Oregano di Pantelleria
1/4 Cup ( 0.6 dl) olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven at 350 F degrees (180 C).
Gather and prepare all the ingredients as listed and instructed.
Place the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle salt and pepper on it tossing as to make sure the chicken is evenly seasoned.
On the stove top place your oven ready pot in a medium sized burner which is placed on the highest setting and allow if a minute or two to become hot.
Add the two Tablespoons of olive oil. Next place the chicken pieces in the bottom of the pot covering the surface but not over crowding as to all the chicken to sear and caramelize. If you find you have more chicken then room in the pot, sear the meat in stages. Have a plate to remove and place seared pieces and repeat this process until all the pieces are seared.
When chicken is seared add the 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pot and minced garlic. Allow the garlic 10 seconds to cook then add the lemons and rest of the vegetables stirring them as to coat with the garlic flavored oil. Add wine, water, lemons, bay leaves and olives. If you do not have fresh oregano add dried at this time. Place the chicken back into the pot and allow the liquid to come to boil. Turn off the heat on the burner, place the lid on top of the pot and place pot into the oven.

If you decided to use boneless chicken in about 30-40 minutes the dish should be complete. Remove the pot from the oven and carefully remove the lid as to check on the meat. If boneless it will be firm to the touch, if on the bone the meat should be firm and able to come off the bone easily. If you see any red or uncooked meat place the lid back on the pot and place the pot back in the oven to allow 15 more minutes of cooking time. After 15 minutes repeat the aforementioned process.

This dish can be served over cooked rice or potatoes or in a bowl alone with crunchy bread and a nice glass of white wine.

Ceramic pot from Crate and Barrel
Dinner dinner plate from Pearl River Mart
To buy Origano di Pantelleria http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/origano-di-pantelleria
To order Origano di Pantelleria in America, contact Jim Dixon at www.realgoodfood.com

Parmesan nibbles with oregano

February 25, 2014

1 Reply

This recipe is a savory twist of the butter shortbread dough. The addition of Parmesan cheese, Oregano, with the butter and a bit of spice, results in a savory delight , you just can’t go wrong! This is a great nibble to serve with drinks or cocktails before dinner. I usually make them bite sized, but if you so desire you can shape them more like a cookie or biscuit sized by adjusting the thickness and end shape of the dough. You can make the dough before hand and keep in the fridge or in the freezer. If you don’t finished this nibbles all at the same time, store them in a container or a paper bag in a dry place.

Ingredients
makes about 60 bite sized nibbles
1 Cup (2.4 dl) all purpose flour
3.5 Oz (100 grams) grated parmesan
3.5 Oz (100 grams )soft butter
1 Egg yolk
1 teaspoon Origano di Pantelleria http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/origano-di-pantelleria (or other dried oregano)
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 Egg
2 Tablespoon of pine nuts
Some extra oregano to sprinkle before baking

Method
Mix all ingredients together until the dough forms a clump and kneed.
Divide in 4 piece and roll out each piece into a cylinder.
Using plastic wrap roll the dough into a cylinder form and place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 min.
Heat the oven at 400 F (200 C )
Cut the cylinders into coin shapes thickness of about 1/2 inch (1 cm).
Arrange an oven tray lined with nonstick baking paper .
Beat the egg and brush on to the cookies, place one pine nut on each and sprinkle with some oregano.
Bake for about 12-15 min, they should be light golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Swedish magazine Lantliv and a pie from the lemon tree

January 26, 2014

4 Replies

Friends, I have news! I will be contributing the food portion for a blog in the Swedish Magazine Lantliv http://www.lantliv.com/category/bloggar/anna-huerta/. The recipes will be in Swedish and there are three posts already! And make sure to check out my fellow bloggers Leija Kortesaari, Victoria Skoglund and Bella Linde all very interesting in their different fields http://www.lantliv.com/bloggar/
Under the Almond Tree will continue to be published in English. My hope is that you will continue to follow our posts whether you choose the Swedish version at Lantliv or Under the Almond Tree.

This week’s post is from our garden, home to an amazing lemon tree. The name for this tree is Limone Lunare. Upon the full moon, it makes new lemons. Picking the fruits releases their perfume, a magical scent, fresh and sweet at the same time. The tree provides us with fruit year round, but during the hottest summer months when rain is in short supply it adjusts its production accordingly. Late January through April the tree is full of yellow lemons. I have a weakness for all sweets and desserts made with lemon. The first time I ever tasted this lemon pie was after a dinner served by my friend Sara, a master of desserts and baked goods. She generously gave me her recipe. Over the years and many pies, I have changed it a little bit by adding more lemon cream and including some vanilla to the crust.
10 years later, this pie remains a favorite to all. Enjoy!

Lemon pie
9 Inch ( 24 cm) cake tin
Serves 8 portions

Ingredients
Pie crust
7 Oz (200 grams) butter
1 1/4 Cup ( 3 dl) All-purpose flour
5 Tablespoon caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla powder or other vanilla extract
Lemon cream
6 Eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 Cup (3.75 dl) caster sugar
1/2 Cup (1.2 dl) sifted flour
1 Cup ( 2.4 dl) fresh lemon juice

Method
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C) degrees.
Melt the butter over low to medium heat on the stove.
In a bowl mix the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar.
Pour the butter over the flour mixture and stir to a smooth dough .
Place the dough into the cake tin. Using your fingers, make a thin crust by pushing the dough evenly across the cake tin as well as up a bit on sides of the tin.
When finished, place the tin to rest for 10-15 minutes in the fridge. (this will allow the butter to harden when baking the crust the butter melts creating steam and making the crust flaky.)
Place the pie crust on the lower rack in the oven bake pie crust at 400 degrees F (200 C) for about 7-8 minutes remove and allow to cool.

In a bowl, whisk sugar and eggs to soft peaks, sift the flour into the bowl slowly alternating with whisking to make smooth batter, last add in the lemon juice.
Fill the crust with the lemon cream and bake for 10 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven.
Let pie cool before serving, this allows the cream to sit and gel a little bit.
Serve with whipped cream .

Plate from Anthropologie http://www.anthropologie.eu/anthro/index.jsp

Pumpkin cake for Halloween!

October 31, 2013

Here in the very south of Italy I have experienced that cakes are made with vegetable oil…not my thing at all. I’m a Swede, I love butter! I need my butter ! So my cakes are made with butter, basta. But if you, like all people I know here in Pantelleria, prefer baking with oil, you can exchange the butter in this recipe to sunflower oil. If you do so, use 1 cup ( 2.4 dl) of oil instead of the 7 oz (200 grams) butter. I used a square cake tin sized 8 x 8 x 2 inches ( 20 x 30 cm) and if you are using a round one a good size would be 9.5 inches (24 cm) by diameter.

Have a happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Cake
Make 10 pieces
Square cake tin 8x8x2 inches (20 x 30 cm) or a round cake tin 9.5 inches ( 24 cm)

Cake ingredients
4 eggs
1 1/2 Cups (3.7 dl) sugar
7 oz (200 grams) butter or 1 cup (2.4dl ) of sunflower oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons cardamom (powder)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 Cups (3,7 dl) flour
2 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger (if not available ginger powder can be used 1 Tabelspoon)
2 cups (4,8 dl) of fresh grated pumpkin (canned pumpkin can be used if you cannot find fresh)

Frosting ingredients
2 oz (56 grams) soft butter (room temperature
5.5 oz (155 grams) cream cheese (soften slightly room temperature)
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar)
1 lemon, zested and minced or grated
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

Method
Preheat the oven 300 F (150 C) degrees.
Line the baking tin with nonstick oven paper.
Grate the pumpkin using the a largest hole size on the grater .
Grate the ginger using a smallest size on the grater. (Halloween hint if you wrap the grater with plastic film prior to grating the ginger and or lemon. Proceed as normal this step will allow the grated ginger or lemon to stay on top of the plastic and not become caught in the grader and difficult to remove your spice and clean up the grader)
Mix these two together ingredients together using a fork.
Melt the butter.
Mix all the dry ingredients.
Beat the egg and sugar white and fluffy and mix with the rest of the ingredients until batter is smooth.
Pour the batter in the cake tin and bake for 50- 55 min.
Check the cake with a wooden toothpick to make sure it’s ready.
The cake should be soft but not sticky inside.

Whip the frosting ingredients together in the order presented above until you get a smooth cream. When the pumpkin cake has cooled after baking, spread a thick layer of frosting over the pumpkin cake, cut pieces and serve, yum yum!

Under the Almond Tree celebrates it’s first year anniversary!

October 28, 2013

It’s been one year since I struggled with the technology, persisted, and, finally, managed to put up my first blogpost here at Under the Almond tree. It was pomegranates season in Pantelleria and I’m lucky to have a full tree just outside my office in the garden. So the first recipe was, of course, my all-time favorite cocktail – Pomegranate Martini! http://www.underthealmondtree.com/2012/10/26/pomegranate-martini/

To celebrate Almond Tree’s first anniversary I opened a little web shop. As many of you already know, Pantelleria is famous for their capers Capperi di Pantelleria. They are considered the best capers in the world and are quality marked IGP, which stands for Indicazione Geografica Protetta, meaning Protected Geographical Indication. It’s a quality mark that is given to food and agricultural products for which a particular property, its reputation, or other characteristic is due to the geographical origin and whose production and processing takes place in a limited geographic area. Whoever does IGP products must follow strict rules of production, determined by the Disciplinary Board for production. I am totally addicted to the capers from Pantelleria, and as a result, so are many of my friends who have visited me and got introduced to them. If you are curious to try them and determine that they are the world’s greatest or you finished your stock, you don’t have to make the journey to Pantelleria anymore, just go to the shop and order http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/capers

These capers are organically grown and are handpicked one by one. They are cured and conserved in sea salt by the local farmers of Pantelleria. When you are cooking with this capers, you first rinse them in cold water to get rid of excessive salt using a colander, strainer or your hand. When cooking you will notice that this capers are incredibly rich in flavor. You will have a part of the essence of the island Pantelleria in your meal!

This year has been so much fun cooking, photographing, receiving responds and cheering from You readers. This really inspires me to go on. I’m very lucky to have great and talented people to back me up, without them I would probably just posted far too many photos with confusing text and nonsensical recipes.

I want to thank Amy Burke and Peter Lambert for contributing their knowledge and time helping me out and editing the text and the recipes.
Will Macdonald my technical savior, what would I do without you?!
Ines Lommatzsch for all our excursions and adventures out there on the field.
Mari Strenghielm Nord for always reading my mind and packaging everything beautifully.
Carlo and Igor for being who you are.

All of You readers out there who cooked the recipes, wrote to me and shared your enthusiasm and support, without you this would be meaningless.

A Big Hurray for You all!

/ Anna

Photographs taken summer 2013 during the caper harvest in Pantelleria Sicily.
Buy your Capperi di Pantelleria here http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/capers

Pear and walnut salad with gorgonzola

October 21, 2013

I got these really sweet pears from Giovanni, a farmer from Rekhale. When he’s not working his land, on Saturdays you can find him selling his fruit and vegetables at the Farmer’s Market In Pantelleria. With these lovely Pantescan pears I made a yummy salad. The sweetness of the pears blend so very well with the toasted walnuts and the saltiness of the gorgonzola.

Pear and walnut salad with gorgonzola cheese
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 garlic clove
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T honey
24 walnuts
4 sweet pears
1 T olive oil for the pan
7 oz (200 grams) of gorgonzola
4 oz (110 gram) arugula or any other lettuce of your choice.

Method
Press and chop the garlic very finely
Mix with the other dressing ingredients
Dry toast walnuts in a dry pan
Slice the pears, add a splash of olive oil in the frying pan and fry them briefly to soften a little bit and sprinkle some sea salt on top.
Crumble the gorgonzola cheese in pieces.
Organize the plates with tossed salad and sprinkle some dressing over, add the gorgonzola pieces, toasted walnuts, pears and serve.