Giada's Ricotta and Orange Marmalade Pound cake

We all know the secret to making a deliciously moist pound cake is adding sour cream to it.In this recipe sour cream is replaced with Ricotta cheese which is a smooth ,creamy, mild cheese .The results are a deliciously light,moist  and fluffy pound cake. Orange marmalade and zest add a lovely citrus flavor  and lightness to it.This is one of Giada's recipes.The only change I have made is replaced 1/4th cup sugar with 2 tbsp orange marmalade .

cake ingredients

making the batter

prepared cake

Amaretto Italian  liqueur(if you don't have it,replace with 2 tsp Vanilla extract)

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups cake flour (to make your own cake flour add 2 tbsp cornstarch to 3/4 th cup of sifted all purpose flour)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter (room temp)
 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar,
2 tbsp orange marmalade
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons Amaretto (Almond flavored Italian liqueur) I have used Disarono Italian liqueur here
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1/2 cup strawberries quartered.

Directions


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch round pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla , orange zest ,orange marmalade and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. If the cake is still moist at the center  move it to a lower rack in the oven and bake for an additional 10 mins.Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with strawberries.

Giada's Italian Style Doughnuts -Orange Zeppole



Italian Doughnuts -Orange Zeppole




I was going through Giada's recipe book and came across these delicious looking Italian doughnuts .I was a little skeptical in trying out the recipe because I've never made doughnuts before  and more so because  Dunkin Donuts is right outside my home so never bothered to make at home :) Anyways,decided to try them out and followed the recipe exactly and were they good !!! They got wiped out in less than 10 mins ,everyone loved them the kids more so.They taste way better than store bought  .Try them out follow the recipe exactly and you cannot go wrong.I left out the chocolate sauce as the doughnuts tasted great just as is.



Ingredients :

For the doughnuts

1 stick butter ( 1/2 cup )

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest

Vegetable oil, for frying

Orange Sugar:

1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tbsp sugar

Directions :
For the Orange Zeppole:





In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take the pan OFF the heat and stir in the flour. Return the pan to low heat and stir continuously until the mixture forms a ball, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Add the orange zest and beat until smooth. Set aside.






For the Orange Sugar:

Place the orange zest and sugar in a bowl and mix together 


Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat


Using 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot oil. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked zeppole to the dish with the Orange Sugar. Roll to coat in the orange sugar. Finish making  the remianing similarly and grab a couple for yourself as these will quickly disappear :)



fry to a golden brown

the cooked dough should look like this before you add the eggs

this is how the batter should look finally

orange zest

Giada's Spinach,Peas n Mushroom Stuffed Manicotti Pasta

This is a modified version of one of Giada's signature recipes.She made this with Swiss chard but since it's not in season right now I replaced it  with spinach and also added cremini mushrooms.Since this is a pretty elaborate recipe if you follow all directions ,I've  replaced some ingredients of the Fontina Fonduta sauce with a jar of Bertolli white Alfredo sauce as I didn't have Fontina cheese and also to cut down cooking time.The results were fabulous and the kids n hubby polished off their plates .A great  way to get the kids to eat spinach and mushrooms.
Here's a link  if you want to follow the original recipe :

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/swiss-chard-and-sweet-pea-manicotti-winter-recipe/index.html


My recipe :

Ingredients :

2 tbsp olive oil
8-10 Manicotti pasta shells
1 jar of Bertollini Alfredo sauce
1/4th cup shredded Mozarella cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped spinach
6-7 cremini mushrooms
1 cup green peas
2 cloves of chopped garlic.
1 medium onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 cup Marinara sauce

For the white sauce :
1/2 cup milk
1/4 th cup whipping cream
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/4th cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions :

Boil 8-10 cups of salted water in stock pot .When it comes to a rolling boil add the Manicotti pasta shells and cook till tender but firm around 8 mins .Remove the shells with tongs and keep aside.

Filling :
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan .Saute the onion till transluscent .Add the finely chopped garlic and saute for 30 secs. Add the spinach ,salt ,pepper and saute for 5 mins .Add the sliced mushrooms and green peas and lemon -pepper seasoning and cook for another 5 mins.Add  the Bertolli Alfredo sauce and blend well with the vegetables for another 5-7 mins till the sauce bubblles and mixture thickens .Turn off the heat and let it cool down (cool enough to be handled).


For the white sauce :
In a thick bottomed non-stick pan heat the milk and cream till bubbles form .Reduce the heat and add Ricotta cheese stirring continuously till mixture thickens ..around 5 mins .Add the chopped basil leaves to it.

Preheat oven to 400 F.Grease a 13x 9 inch baking pan liberally with butter.Fill the cooked Manicotti  pasta shells  with the prepared spinach mixture using a spoon as shown in the picture below .Hold the Manicotti diagonally to prevent the mixture from slipping out.Keep the prepared Manicotti on the buttered dish. Finish preparing all in a similar way and arrange  them on the baking dish.Pour the prepared white sauce over it.Sprinkle the shredded Mozarella cheese on top .Bake for 35 mins till the top is golden brown .Serve hot with marinara sauce .

The Manicotti dish before you put it in the oven



Ingredients :Manicotti pasta,shredded Mozarella cheese,peas,spinach,Ricotta cheese,Bertolli Alfredo sauce,cremini mushrooms




Filling the Manicotti



Preparing the mixture



The dish after baking