04 April

Archived Posts from this Category

April 21, 2013

In Ovis Apalis

Posted by HI Cookery under 04 April | Tags: , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

In Ovis Apalis

(Roman Boiled Eggs)

Roman Eggs

April 21: Birthdate of Rome (753 BC)

Highlander chose to spend his 50th birthday in Italy (Rome, Florence and Venice) a few years ago as a most memorable milestone trip. We went all over The Eternal City (churches, piazzas, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, the Vatican, cafes and more) and were awed by the history, art, architecture and culture!

On Capitoline Hill, we saw the famous statue of the she-wolf suckling twins Romulus and Remus, the mythological symbol of the founding of Rome. According to the popular legend, the unwanted twin sons of the war god Mars and a Vestal “virgin” were cast off into the River Tiber. A she-wolf found the babies and nursed them as her own, until a shepherd came and raised them. When the brothers grew up, they fought over a site where they were to establish a city. Romulus killed Remus and became king of the Italian capital that bears his name.

Romulus and Remus

In observance of the birthdate of Rome, we ate an ancient appetizer called In Ovis Apalis (boiled eggs with a pine nut sauce). There is an old Latin saying “ab ovo usque ad malum” which translates to “from the egg to the fruit,” suggesting the courses of an Italian meal from the beginning to the end (or from antipasti, primi, secondi and all the way to dolci).

Do as the ancient Romans did and eat In Ovis Apalis to celebrate Rome’s birthday!

Recipe

(Adapted from PBS)

Ingredients

  • 4 boiled eggs
  • 2 ounces stone pine kernels (pine nuts)
  • 2-3 tablespoons vinegar (we used white wine vinegar)
  • 1-2 teaspoon honey
  • pinch of ground black pepper

Directions

Boil the eggs. Cool down. Remove the shells. Cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside to make the sauce.

Roman Eggs

Toast the pine nuts by sautéing them in a pan till lightly browned (about 5 minutes or less). Remove to cool. In a measuring cup or little bowl, combine the vinegar, honey and pepper. Stir in the pine nuts. Place the sauce in a small dish or serving boat to accompany the boiled eggs. Pour the sauce on the eggs and eat immediately to avoid making the yolks soggy.

Roman Eggs

Notes

  • In Ovis Apalis is also a good recipe to use up leftover boiled Easter eggs.
  • Ancient Romans added a pinch of lovage (celery leaf) to the sauce recipe.
  • We toasted the pine nuts to accentuate its flavor. Soaking them in the sauce somewhat tones down the acid in the vinegar.
  • Highlander’s birthday is on April 20. Our trip to Italy for his 50th year coincided with Roman (and national) celebrations around the week of April 21. Several museums and public events were free or discounted then, allowing us to take advantage of what the country’s tourism industry had to offer.
  • Search our blog for other Italian recipes.
 

April 1, 2013

Chick-in-Eggs

Posted by HI Cookery under 04 April | Tags: , , , , , , , |
[2] Comments 

Chick-in-Eggs

Chick-in-Eggs

April: Easter Week

We dress up deviled eggs as little devils after Halloween, on November 2, National Deviled Eggs Day. But around the Easter season, we make special spring chicks because they look so cute cracking out of their shells.

Eggs are festive food this time of the year as they are symbolic of transformations. The dead of winter is reborn into the hope of spring; the rising of Jesus from the dead represents new life; yolks turn into yummy appetizers.

Do deviled eggs differently during Easter Week and decorate them as spring chicks! Blessings to all our blog readers on Easter!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 hard boiled eggs, cooled and shelled
  • 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
  • carrot sliver
  • black food gel tube

Directions

Boil, cool and shell the eggs. Slice a little piece off the bottom of an egg so it could stand on its own. Slice the egg 1/3 from the top, making the bottom 2/3 larger.

Chick-in-Eggs

Remove the yolks to a mixing bowl. Use a sharp paring knife to cut triangular “cracks” from the top and bottom of the egg whites. Set aside. Add mayonnaise and curry powder to the egg yolks and mash with a fork until smooth.

Chick-in-Eggs

Generously fill the bottom of the egg whites with a mound of the yolk mixture (we used a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip). Cap off with the top egg whites. Peel a small part of a carrot. Cut out into tiny triangles for the beaks. Position them on the egg yolks. Lightly touch the tip of the black tube frosting to make the eyes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chick-in-Eggs

Notes

  • Thanks to Lisa L. for the idea of decorating our deviled eggs into spring chicks.
  • Knead the black tube icing and squeeze out the excess liquid on a napkin before decorating the chick-in-eggs to avoid runny smears on the yolk filling.
  • Search our blog for other Easter and egg recipes.
 

April 28, 2012

Blueberry Pie Pockets

Posted by HI Cookery under 04 April | Tags: , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

Blueberry Pie Pockets

Blueberry Pie Pockets

April 28: National Blueberry Pie Day

We posted a recipe for cherry pie pockets for National Cherry Pie Day. Now we are blogging about blueberry pie pockets for National Blueberry Pie Day. The portable, petite pies seem to follow the mini-treats trend. Islander used her $10 toy, a lattice pocket pie mold, that Highlander got for her from the Williams-Sonoma store. The mold makes it quick and easy to prepare the pies. The blueberry filling may be substituted for any other favorite flavor (fresh fruits or canned pie filling) and the lattice crust may be made from scratch or rolled out from refrigerated pie dough. For a sweet snack, prepare something “as easy as pie” and bake blueberry pie pockets for National Blueberry Pie Day.

Recipe

(Inspired by Williams-Sonoma)

  • 1 package refrigerated pie dough, thawed
  • 1 can blueberry pie filling, partially drained (see Notes)
  • 1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water
  • sanding or turbinado sugar (we used Wilton brand white sparkling sugar) 

Directions

Unroll the pie dough on a slightly floured surface. Press out pairs of solid pieces and the lattice tops using the Williams-Sonoma mold. Partially drain the blueberry filling (optional).

Blueberry Pie Pockets

Put the solid side of the dough on the pie press. Place about two heaping tablespoons of the blueberry pie filling in the middle of the dough.  Brush the edges with egg wash. Top with the lattice side of the dough. Press the mold down to seal.

Blueberry Pie Pockets

Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough and blueberry pie filling. Freeze all pocket pies for at least an hour. Remove from the freezer and transfer to a lightly greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the lattice with egg wash. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling bubbles slightly and the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the blueberry pie pockets cool completely on a wire rack.

Blueberry Pie Pockets

Notes

  • Drain half of the liquid syrup from the can of blueberries so the filling is not so runny.
  • If not using the Williams-Sonoma mini lattice pie press, use a large cookie cutter to cut shapes in the dough. Pair them up, place filling in the middle, seal the edges by pressing down with the tines of a fork and brush the sides and tops with egg wash. Cut a few slits on the top as vents. Freeze until firm. Bake as directed above.
  • Do not deep fry the lattice pie pockets. They may be deep fried if both sides of the dough are solid pieces.
  • Re-roll out the pie dough to make more solid pieces and lattice tops.
  • July is National Blueberry Month. Search our blog for more recipes containing blueberries. 

 

 

Next Page »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 62 other followers