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Those times I'm practicing making the recipe of a very unusual dessert, which is, however, traditionally eaten in the Costiera Amalfitana (near Napoli) during the summer period. I'm speaking of Melanzane al Cioccolato (Eggplants with Chocolate), a recipe which always intrigued me just because of its unusual mix of ingredients. Contrarily to my expectations, this recipe produces something that's not only edible, but even yummy!
So, I had the idea of a thread focused on those desserts which are based on unusual ingredients-meant as ingredients which are generally included in savoury dishes.
Those are the first two coming to my mind:
MELANZANE AL CIOCCOLATO (Eggplants with chocolate), of course
Ingredients:
-About 2 lbs eggplants
-200 gr bitter chocolate in bars
-100 gr candied orange and cedar peel
-80 gr peeled almonds
-80 gr dried Amaretti
-2 egg yolks
-250 gr wholemilk
-1 tbsp rum or coffee liqueur
-150 gr sugar
-1 tbsp cinnamon
-grated rind of 1 lemon
-frying oil
Peel the eggplants, cut them in large slices about 1 cm thick, sprinkle with salt and let them drain until they have thrown out their water, then rinse and wipe them.
Fry in oil the eggplant slices until tender, drain on kitchen paper and roll them, while they're still warm, into a mixture of sugar/cinnamon/grated lemon rind. Cool them down.
Make the filling: coarsely grind the almonds, chop the candied orange/cedar peel and 25 gr of chocolate, crush the amaretti and moist them with the liqueur. Mix everything until smooth.
Make the sauce: melt the remaining chocolate with the milk over a low heat or a bain marie, then add the egg yolks one at a time. Cook, stirring continuously, until it starts thickening.
Spread some chocolate sauce on the bottom of a deep serving dish. Make a layer of fried eggplant slices, then a layer of filling, then a layer of chocolate sauce. repeat the procedure and top with the remaining chocolate sauce.
Seal tightly with plastic wrap, put in the refrigerator and forget it for 3 days as flavors need a lot of time to amalgamate. Serve chilled.
Other variations call for Ricotta in the filling; in this case, the dessert must be baked before refrigerating. I also tried this version, but to my taste it's too heavy ( "una mappazza" I should say
)
The other recipe I'll mention isn't Italian but Turkish:
TAVUK GOGSU (Chicken breast pudding)
Ingredients:
-1/2 medium size chicken breast
-4/5 cup rice
-5 cups milk
-1/3 cup sugar
-water
-cinnamon to taste
Cover the chicken breast with water, boil over a low heat until tender. Drain and bone the chicken, then tear the flesh into very thin fibers. Cool it down.
Cover the rice with warm water for 2 hours. Drain, place it in a food processor and process until ground. Mix the rice with milk and cook over a medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly.
Stir in the chicken, cook for other 5 mins, add the sugar, lower the heat and cook until it's dissolved, always stirring.
Pour the pudding into individual bowls and chill in the refrigerator. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
Other inputs?
Pongi
So, I had the idea of a thread focused on those desserts which are based on unusual ingredients-meant as ingredients which are generally included in savoury dishes.
Those are the first two coming to my mind:
MELANZANE AL CIOCCOLATO (Eggplants with chocolate), of course
Ingredients:
-About 2 lbs eggplants
-200 gr bitter chocolate in bars
-100 gr candied orange and cedar peel
-80 gr peeled almonds
-80 gr dried Amaretti
-2 egg yolks
-250 gr wholemilk
-1 tbsp rum or coffee liqueur
-150 gr sugar
-1 tbsp cinnamon
-grated rind of 1 lemon
-frying oil
Peel the eggplants, cut them in large slices about 1 cm thick, sprinkle with salt and let them drain until they have thrown out their water, then rinse and wipe them.
Fry in oil the eggplant slices until tender, drain on kitchen paper and roll them, while they're still warm, into a mixture of sugar/cinnamon/grated lemon rind. Cool them down.
Make the filling: coarsely grind the almonds, chop the candied orange/cedar peel and 25 gr of chocolate, crush the amaretti and moist them with the liqueur. Mix everything until smooth.
Make the sauce: melt the remaining chocolate with the milk over a low heat or a bain marie, then add the egg yolks one at a time. Cook, stirring continuously, until it starts thickening.
Spread some chocolate sauce on the bottom of a deep serving dish. Make a layer of fried eggplant slices, then a layer of filling, then a layer of chocolate sauce. repeat the procedure and top with the remaining chocolate sauce.
Seal tightly with plastic wrap, put in the refrigerator and forget it for 3 days as flavors need a lot of time to amalgamate. Serve chilled.
Other variations call for Ricotta in the filling; in this case, the dessert must be baked before refrigerating. I also tried this version, but to my taste it's too heavy ( "una mappazza" I should say
)The other recipe I'll mention isn't Italian but Turkish:
TAVUK GOGSU (Chicken breast pudding)
Ingredients:
-1/2 medium size chicken breast
-4/5 cup rice
-5 cups milk
-1/3 cup sugar
-water
-cinnamon to taste
Cover the chicken breast with water, boil over a low heat until tender. Drain and bone the chicken, then tear the flesh into very thin fibers. Cool it down.
Cover the rice with warm water for 2 hours. Drain, place it in a food processor and process until ground. Mix the rice with milk and cook over a medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly.
Stir in the chicken, cook for other 5 mins, add the sugar, lower the heat and cook until it's dissolved, always stirring.
Pour the pudding into individual bowls and chill in the refrigerator. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
Other inputs?
Pongi
