At Home Italian Cooking By JoElaine

Homemade Spinach Ricotta Stromboli by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:

Dough

3/4 cup warm water

1 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling

1Tbsp of olive oil

2 10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

8 cloves of garlic , chopped

1 cup of ricotta

1 cup of mozzarella, shredded

1/2 tsp of oregano

1/2 tsp of salt

Topping

1 egg beaten

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Parsley

Process,

For Dough

1. In bowl of stand mixer put water, sugar and yeast and let it sit for 15 minutes till it's frothy.

2. Add in flour and salt and with dough hook mix on medium speed just until dough comes together. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour.

For Filling

3. Place spinach in a strainer thawed and drain well.

4. Place spinach in a large skillet on medium heat with oil and add your garlic , saute the spinach and garlic till the garlic is a golden color . Cool completly .

5. In a medium bowl mix together all the filling ingredients till combined well. Set aside.

To Assemble:

6. Preheat oven to 400. Turn dough out onto lightly floured piece of parchment paper and roll out into a large rectangle. Spread your spinach mixture over dough until about 1" away from edges.

7. Roll up and transfer parchment paper to a baking sheet. Brush with lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with parmesan and parsley. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve hot .

Enjoy!

Homemade Cinnamin Raisin Bread by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:

Bread

1/4 cup of warm water , 110 degrees

1 packet of active dry yeast

1/2 cup of sugar + 1 tsp

3 1/4 cups of bread flour

1 tsp of salt

4 Tbsps of unsalted butter, room temp.

1 cup of milk , warmed

1/2 cup of raisins

Filling

1Tbsp of ground cinnamon

2/3 cup of sugar

Eggwash

1 large egg

2 Tbsps of milk

Process,

1. In a bowl of a standard mixer with a dough hook add your dry yeast , 1 tsp of sugar , and water. Let stand for 5 minutes till foamy.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour , salt , and sugar. Set aside.

3. With the mixer on low speed , add your butter to your yeast mixture. Then add your flour and milk alternating till combined for 1 minute.Then turn your speed to medium high and mix until the dough forms a ball. Then back to low speed and mix in your raisins .

4. Spray a large bowl with oil and place your dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should be double in size.

5. Make your filling by combining the sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.

6. Spray a large loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.

7. On a lightly floured board , roll out your dough to a 10 x 16 rectangle.

8. Make eggwash by whisking together the egg and milk. Using a pastry brush , brush the eggwash all over the surface of your dough and sprinkle your cinnamon sugar on top.

9. Starting with the shorter side , tightly roll the dough. Place the dough seam down in your prepared loaf pan. Lightly cover and let rise for 1 hour.

10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from your dough and brush the top with eggwash. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes and the bread is a dark brown color on top.

11. Let the bread cool before cutting.

Enjoy!

Pizza Rustica by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:

2 doughs of my homemade pizza dough

12 eggs

1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

6 oz of provolone cheese, diced

6 oz of salami, diced

6 oz of ham, diced

4 oz of prosciutto , diced

Olive oil

Grounded black pepper

Process,

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 10' metal pan with oil, and st aside.

2. In a large bowl, add the eggs, ground black pepper and whisk them well. Add the provolone, parmiggiano, salami, prosciutto and wisk to combine, set aside.

3. Roll one piece of the dough to about a 13" circle and lay it in your prepared pan fill it with the egg mixture, set aside.

Note: Its okay if a little overhangs the sides of the pan.

4. Roll the second piece to about an 11" circle. Lay it over top of your filling, cut off any excess dough and pinch the edges with the bottom piece to seal,, and brush the top with olive oil..

Note : you want the dough big enough to fit perfectly on top with a little extra on the edges.

5. Bake for an hour till the top is a deep golden brown color.

6. Allow to cool some before serving.

Enjoy!

Homemade Mallorcas (Puerto Rican sweet rolls) made by JoElaine ( Balsamo) Quinn recipe by NYT Cooking

Ingredients:

14 ounce dry yeast (1 package)

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of lukewarm milk (110 to 115 degrees)

1 cup of water lukewarm (110 to 115 degrees)

5 cups of all-purpose flour, plus additional as needed

6 large egg yolks

1 stick of butter, melted, plus additional melted butter for brushing

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Note : I added 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of vanilla to this recipe.

Process,

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, granulated sugar, milk and 1 cup lukewarm water. Mix well, sprinkle with 1 cup flour, and mix again until smooth. Cover and set aside in a warm place until batter is risen and foamy, about 45 minutes.

2. By hand, or using a mixer, mix egg yolks into batter one by one until well blended. Gradually add remaining 4 cups flour. Add 4 ounces melted butter and mix until batter is very smooth. Cover and set aside in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Brush two baking sheets with melted butter. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Dust a work surface with flour, and divide dough into 12 portions. Shape each portion into a rope about 12 inches long, and brush lightly with melted butter. Coil gently but tightly to make a slightly rounded bun shape, tucking the inside end of the rope into the center of the bun, and the outside end under the bun. Place buns on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Brush tops with butter, cover lightly, and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Note : I added the salt in step 1 with the flour. I added the vanilla in step 2 with the eggs and butter.

4. Uncover buns and bake until light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and dust generously with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!