Making tarallini

 Tarallini are Italian crackers, similar to bread sticks and pretzels in texture. They are with a circumference of 3.8 to 7.8 cm (1.5 to 3 inches) and can be sweet or savory. They are often accompanied by a glass of wine. Once baked, can be stored in an airtight container for several months.

Some weeks ago I bought a small amount of them at a local supermarket and I was immediately sold. Since I prefer eating things in which I know what the ingredients are, the idea to make my own came naturally. Searching the Internet for the right recipe I could only conclude that they consist of flour, olive oil, white wine and seasonings. Beyond these, everything else is experimenting. So experimented I. Here's what it resulted in.

For this recipe (30 to 40 tarallini ) you will need:

• 2 cups of plain flour (you can use any type, really)
• half a cup olive oil
• half a cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• seasoning of your choice - I used chilli

Preparation:

Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Mix the seasonings and salt with the wine and olive oil in another bowl. Let the salt dissolve and pour the liquid into the flour. Mix very well until a ball of dough is formed. Knead the dough for 15 minutes by hand, cover it with foil and let it sit for half an hour.

While the dough sits, prepare a large pot and your baking dish, lined with paper. Put 2 liters/ 0,5 gallons of water to boil. Add a liiiiitle bit of salt in it, since we already salted the dough. Prepare a big kitchen towel and a slotted spoon next to the pot. Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 392 F.

Once you have all that and half an hour has passed, it;s time to form the tarallini. You can see that it's pretty easy - you cut a ball from the dough, make it into a thick stick, cut the stick into pieces, make each piece into a smaller, thinner stick again and form in into a circle. Basically you repeat this process until all the tarallini are done. 

When you have made about 10, put them one by one into the boiling water and wait until they come to the surface. Take them out with the slotted spoon and lay them on them towel so they remaining water can be absorbed. (see the pictures below)

When you have boiled all the pieces, put them on the baking paper and bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Let them cool and store in an airtight container. Enjoy with a glass of white wine!

Protein smoothie/ice-cream

This is a creation of mine, which I eat after working out. It's super rich in proteins

and low in carbs. If you are a clean-eater, this is exactly for you. 

Here's what you need:

300g / 10 oz cottage cheese (low fat, if possible)

a small cup of frozen berries of your choice

1 scoop protein powder, any flavor, but not chocolate

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients in a blender and add water, if it's too thick for the machine. I don't add, because I like to eat it with a spoon, like melted ice-cream. You can put it in the fridge for an hour, stirring it from time to time and you have perfectly creamy, healthy, delicious and low-calorie ice-cream.

You can make a chocolate version of this one, just skip the berries and use chocolate flavored protein powder.

Enjoy!

Wine & cheese

I've always been a dedicated lover of everything French, to begin with cheese. It's literally a thing I can eat endless amounts of. A cheese plate dinners are something usual in my family and the frindge always hides a cheese of some sort.

The most famous ones are:

Brie - soft, white cheese

Camembert - soft, white, similar to the Brie, but with a different smell and fuller taste

Blue - soft cheese with a typical blue mold

Chevre - goat cheese, usually soft one

Munster - strong cheese with a typical odor, soft

So, what's the anatomy of the perfect cheese plate?

First, cheese, of course - you can mix a lot of cheese or you can choose 3 types - it's recommended to put a cheese of every type - soft, hard, blue. You can of course add cheese from Italy (mozzarella, parmigiano, etc.) Switzerland, Germany and so on. Most of the cheese reveal their true aromas and tastes after staying in room temperature for at least 30 minutes, so don't forget to take them out of the fridge before dinner.

Once you have you cheeses set, you need fruit. You can use fresh or dried. Pears, figs and grapes are the perfect companions, but there's nothing wrong with trying our own alternatives like peaches (good with mozzarella) or apples ( good with blue cheeses).

So we have cheese and fruit, now we need crackers or bread. Here the choice is entirely up to you,there are no rules. Maybe just don't pick very seasoned crackers and you won't lose the taste of the chosen cheeses.

The last thing for the perfect cheese plate are the nuts - walnuts, preferably. Of course, nothing is mandatory here, you can choose whatever you want. In addition, olives are also a good company in this plate.

Now hat you need to do is to open a bottle of wine, light the candles / fireplace, take your loved one and enjoy a romantic and very tasty dinner. Cheers!