GINGER COOKIES

After the holidays, there is a time when I start feeling nostalgic about festivities warmness and joy!
What do I do then?
I bake ginger cookies to sparkle my day again!
Ginger cookies are a bomb of heat because they contain lots of warming spices.
I make them even more powerful adding cocoa powder and chocolate......
....a delicious explotion of joy!
In this form they remind me of Mostaccioli, a sweet Christmas speciality
from my region in Italy.

Here it comes the recepe!

TRADITIONAL GINGER COOKIES

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ginger powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp garam masala or all spices
1/2 tsp cloves powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch of black pepper
1/2 cup sugar (use brown one if you have it)
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 stick butter (120 g)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

In a bowl mix all dry ingredients, then add melted butter, oil and egg.
If it is too dry add a bit of water.
Mix all ingredients well, transfer on a wooden board and knead it.
Shape dough as a ball and transfer in a bowl and cover with cling paper.
Let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Turn on oven at 350 F.

With a rolling pin press dough to half inch thickness.
Cut with a ginger man shape.
Put cookies on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.

Once cooled decorate cookies with icing.

GINGER COOKIES AFTER CHRISTMAS

Add to ingredients 2 tsp of cocoa powder.
Use same procedure except cutting and icing.
Cut in a round shape.

Once baked and cooled dip them in melted dark chocolate.
Put them in a tray on a parchment paper and let the chocolate
cool down.

Enjoy them with a nice cup of tea!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We all know that for Thanksgiving is a MUST to have on the table
a big turkey!
But my Italian origin requires an Italian flair to be added to the feast!
I have prepared "ravioli" filled with butternut.
Here is the recipe:

BUTTERNUT RAVIOLI with BUTTER and SAGE

Ingredients

for pasta:
4 eggs
400 g flour
1 pinch of salt

for filling:
1 butternut (more or less 500 g)
1 cup of grated parmesan
half tsp nutmeg
olive oil
salt
2 amaretti biscuits

Start with cooking the butternut.
Clean it from seeds, slice in big chunks, sprinkle them with oil and salt;
bake in the oven at 350 F for 40 minutes or till soft.
(you can prepare butternut also day before).

For dough,mix well all the ingredients to form a ball.

Let it rest under a ceramic bowl for 10 minutes.

When butternut is cold puree it in a food processor, then add nutmeg, parmesan, crushed amaretti and salt if needed.

Knead the dough, cut a small piece and flatten it
in a pasta machine to obtain a long rectangular stripe.
On one side of the stripe (lenghtwise) align 1 tsp balls of filling,
then cover them with the opposite side of the stripe and cut in squares.

Use all the ingredients.

Once ravioli are ready cook them in boiling salted water for 5/7 minutes.
Melt butter in a frying pan, add sage leaves and when frying add in ravioli.
Sprinkle with parmesan and serve very hot.