Buon Appetito! Recipes For An Authentic Italian Meal

Through CEA, we were given the opportunity to participate in an Italian cooking course. Not only do I recommend participating if given the chance, I highly encourage you to make good use of the recipes for years to come – I know I will. Buon appetito!

Eggplant Flan ready for the oven!

Our mouthwatering Antipasto tastes better than it looks, I promise!

Antipasto: Vegetable Flan

300g of consistent bechamel made with milk 

50g butter 

50g flour 00

300g vegetables, baked, fried or boiled

50g parmesan

2 eggs

Put the butter in a saucepan and melt. Add the flour and form a roux, add the milk and quickly whip up to make the sauce very tough. Allow to cool and add all the other ingredients, mix and place in buttered baking container and bake for 20 min at 350°F. Flip onto the plate, garnish and serve.

Il primo: Potato Gnocchi

1000g baked potato

30g semolina 

30g flour 00

30g potato starch

nutmeg, salt, pepper to taste 

Bake potatoes for 45 min at 320°F with coarse salt. Cool, peel and crush. Add flour, spices and start to mix and knead gently. If mixture stays sticky, add flour and continue until it is soft and dry. Cut into pieces and roll. Cut the cylinders into 2cm sections, and cook in salted boiling water to taste. Remove after 2 minutes once gnocchi floats on top of the water.

Can't go wrong with homemade tomato sauce.

Sugo All'Aglione

5 fresh tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

5 fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup white wine

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Remove tomato stems, and cut into cubes. On low heat, add whole peeled garlic, basil and white wine to the sauce pan. Add tomatoes, raise heat and cook for 5 minutes without stirring.

The only thing better than the dessert itself: the aroma!

Folding in the ingredients to ensure an airy and fluffy soufflé!

Dolce: Chocolate souffle

160g 75% chocolate

100g butter

3 eggs

1/2 vanilla bean

45g sugar

30g cornflour

Melt the chocolate with butter and vanilla in a double boiler. Once melted, remove the vanilla and let cool to room temperature. Separate the eggs and whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the cornstarch to the yolks and gently add the chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites and fill greased aluminum cups. Freeze for 1.5 hours, then bake in the pre-heated oven for 12 minutes at 350°F.

Chandler S. is the Fall 2016 CEA MOJO in Florence, Italy. She is currently a junior studying Graphic Communications at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

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Chandler Stroh is the Fall 2016 CEA MOJO Blogger in Florence, Italy, and is currently studying at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.