CANNOLI FILLING

SICILIAN CANNOLI FILLING

Dessert

10oz. Ricotta
4.5oz. Sugar
3.6oz. dark chocolate chips
1 shot glass of rum
1 lemon's grated peel

In a bowl put the Ricotta, the sugar and the rum and mix well; add the chocolate chips and the grated lemon peel; stir well to combine.
With this mixture you can fill around 12 cannoli (depending on the size).
Put in the fridge but not for too long otherwise the filling will wet the shell.
If you're afraid that the filling is too much, start with half quantities.
To fill the cannoli the perfect item is sac-a-poche (Cone-shaped canvas bag used in pastry to achieve dense or semi-dense fillings); if you don't have one, you create a single-use one cutting an angle of a freezer bag, fill it with the filling and squeeze it in the shells.
If this dessert goes to kids too, you can use milk instead of rum.

Luciano's

Luciano's: our favorite Italian Restaurant here in Reno.

You can enjoy a wide selection of Italian dishes such as:

Melanzane alla parmigiana (pamesan eggplant)
Antipasto misto (mixed appetizes)
Insalata di alici (anchovies caprese salad)
Zuppa di pesce (fresh seafood soup)
Penne all'arrabbiata (Pasta with HOT tomato sauce)Gnocchi al pomodoro e basilico (potato dumplings with tomato and basil sauce)
Petto di pollo alla Toscana (chicken breast and mushrooms in a white wine sauce)
Scottadito alla montanara (grilled lamb chop in Sangiovese wine with porcini mushrooms and artichoke heart sauce)
Filetto al balsamico (filet of beef grilled and topped with melted gorgonzola cheese with aged balsamic reduction)

And many more!!!!!

Not all dishes are available for both meals; they also have special dishes every day!!!

Mozzarella etc.....

After a long search, trying to satisfy our Valued Customers, we finally got some fresh cheeses:

Mozzarella (2/4oz or 1/8oz packs) - perfect for Caprese salad, pizza, salted pies and many more plates

Mascarpone (8oz cups) - obviously great for Tiramisu and plates that need to be creamier

Ricotta (12oz cups) - great as light cheese, spread on bread, light sweet mousses, can be used to make plates creamier (avoiding mascarpone calories)

I'll soon put recipes here to make plates with these cheeses (even some you never thought of)

See you soon!

QUICK MIXED LEGUMES SOUP

First course - Main entree

Ingredients:
1 jar (12.3oz) of cannellini white beans
1 jar (12.3oz) of butter beans
1 jar (12.3oz) of pea beans
1 can (14oz) of lentils
1 can (14oz) of chickpeas
2 potatoes
1 onion and 1 carrot finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
2 peeled tomatoes or 2 tablespoons of strained tomatoes
Sage, rosemary, olive oil
Preparation:
In a 5-qt saucepan put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently sauté onion and carrot for 5 minutes; dice the potatoes in small cubes and add them in the saucepan together with the tomatoes, sage, rosemary and garlic, stir and add at least 3 qt of water, when it boils, add salt. After 25-30 minutes (the potatoes will be almost done) add all the legumes drained from their water and rinsed to take away the excess of salt, stir and cook for 5-10 minutes. Take the soup out of heat and remove garlic, sage and rosemary.
If you like a creamier soup, blend a part of the legumes/potatoes with an immersion blender.
You can cook rice or pasta in the soup or you can also toast some Italian bread, dice it, put it in individual bowls and pour soup over it; drizzle with olive oil and enjoy your soup.
With these quantities you can make about 8 portions of soup, depending if you use it with pasta/rice or not; you can put it in small containers and freeze it, you’ll always have a ready to eat soup and, for sure, you’ll know what’s in it because you made it.
It’s a good idea for summer too because you can eat it cold with toasted bread; it’s a complete meal, if with pasta/rice or bread.
I avoid the use of parmesan because of garlic (they shouldn’t go together).
Remember that, being a thick soup, when you cook rice or pasta in it, they tend to stick to the bottom so it’s better to stir frequently. If the soup thickens too much, it's useful to have some salted boiling water to eventually add to it.