Traditional Tiramisu

February 4, 2016 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Hello All! It’s February! We have a lot of big things in the work, and we once again apologize for the lack of updates and recipes. But trust us, big things are coming. We have a lot in the works, and are working to make everything come together so we can share and grow Two Young Ladies.

But let’s get on to the good stuff. Recipes! And today’s recipe is not only one of our favorites, it’s a real crowd pleaser. The recipe actually comes from our travels overseas two years ago to Europe. We started in Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome), then went to Barcelona, and ended up in London.

During our time in Rome, we went to the cutest little restaurant near the Catacombs. And while we were there with our tour group, we had the most amazing Tiramisu. And after a little sweet talking, we were able to get a general idea of what the recipe was, and now we’re able to share it with you.

While we chose to make our Tiramisu into a trifle, you’re more than welcome to make it in the traditional form. Either a 8×8 pan or 13×9 pan, it’s really up to you and how your want to layer it and how much you have. You can even do it in individual cups to be fancy!

Here’s a photo of us, in Roma, with our tour director, Andrea. We love him, and hope to go back to Italy to see him soon!

Roma

Tiramisu

Ingredients

2-223g containers of Mascarpone
6 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
2-3 packages of lady fingers
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
brewed espresso (1 1/2 cup or 12 oz. water and 2 tablespoons of ground espresso)
2 oz Kaluha

Step 1:

Leave Mascarpone out to come to room temperature, completely.

Step 2:

Then brew espresso and let it cool. When cool add a tablespoon of cocoa and 2 oz Kaluza. Mix and set aside.

Step 3:

Separate the eggs into different bowls. One of whites and one for yolks.

While separating eggs in the egg shell looks pretty (cause all the pros do that way) we recommend separating with your hands. SO. MUCH. EASIER.

Step 4:

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, put in your egg whites and whisk on a medium speed. When the whites start to stiffen, add a tablespoon of sugar, and continue to beat until stiff peaks. Do NOT OVER BEAT.

Another tip, a lot of recipes says it only takes “a minute or so” for the egg whites to whip up, we think it depends on the machine. Our stand mixer definitely takes at least five minutes to get to stiff peaks. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t happen right away.

Step 5:

While the whites are working, whisk the egg yolks until their air rated. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar to the yolks and whisk until it’s fluffy.

Step 6:

To the yolk mixture, add the mascarpone and incorporate it with the yolks and sugar. Let it be creamy. Add vanilla.

Step 7:

Fold egg whites into mascarpone/yolks mixture. Be gentle. It’s best to fold the whites into the mixture in thirds.

Step 8:

In a shallow baking dish, put the espresso/cocoa/kaluha mixture. Lightly dip the lady fingers in. Don’t get too wet otherwise it will disintegrate.

(We apologize for the blurry photos, we’re still figuring out not only our new camera, but the lighting in our cave like apartment)

Step 9:

Layer lady fingers, fluffy creamy mixture and repeat.

Step 10:

Dust unsweetened cocoa over the top. Serve and enjoy!*

*For this particular recipe, we choose to make a simple whipped cream, and make that the last layer/topping. You’re more than welcome to do that, or leave it and serve it the traditional way.

Grandma’s Italian Meatballs

July 12, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 1 Comment

So yesterday, you (hopefully) made the sauce now today you make the meatballs! We may not be Italian by blood, but we think that we could definitely make any Italian Grandma happy with these deliciously moist meatballs.

Now, a little history on the meatball. In Italy, meatballs aren’t actually called meatballs. In Italy they’re called polpettes, and are normally eaten by themselves as a full meal or in soups and are made with any kind of meat ranging from fish to turkey. If you see spaghetti and meatballs on a Italian menu, it’s likely there to cater towards American tourists.

Come to think of it, neither of us can actually remember encountering spaghetti and meatballs on our Italian trip last year!

Pellegrino Artusi who was a Florentine silk merchant in his early days and retired and followed his passion for food, cooking, recipes and travel. In 1891 Pellegrino published the first modern Italian cookbook and was dubbed the father of Italian Cuisine’. His cookbook which was titled (in English) ‘The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well: A Practical Manual for Families.”

In this book he brought together a lot of regional Italian cuisines and made them accessible for all. He was also the first to write for the home chef and make cooking easy for all. He talks about the Polpettes in the book and said “Don’t think I’m pretentious enough to teach you how to make meatballs. This is a dish that everybody can make, starting with the donkey.”

So how did Polpettes become what we know as meatballs? The Italians came to America and were able to spend more money on food. They went from spending 75 % of their income on food to only 25%, and meat which went from being a rare luxury, to a every day staple.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 whole egg
1 small red onion, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup bread crumbs, divided into half cups

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2:

In a medium bowl mix together onions, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Grate in the parmesan and mix together.

Step 3:

In a large bowl, mix together both meats gently, hehe. Add the breadcrumbs mixture and again gently incorporate the meat and breadcrumb mixtures.

Step 4:

Put the remaining 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs into a bowl. Weigh out 1.5 oz balls and then coat them with breadcrumbs in the bowl. Place on mini muffin pan holes. hehe.

Step 5:

Bake for about 20 minutes, more if they are still pink in the center. If you want to finish the meatballs in the sauce for a few minutes afterwards. EAT THEM!

We dedicate this post to our Grandmas who are no longer with us, but we think about all the time. Especially when we’re in the Kitchen .

Christie with her Mom and Grandma Prieto

Christie and Marlee with Grandma Alyce Hunka in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Marlee with her Grandma Parrish in Texas.

Velvety Marinara Sauce

July 11, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

It’s Saturday and you know what you should make? Our classic and delicious marinara sauce. We know traditionally, most Italian’s make their sauce (or gravy) on Sundays but here at TYL, we’re a little non traditional so Saturdays are marinara day!

Besides, any good chef (or home cook) knows that a sauce, gravy, chili, stew, etc. tastes better the next day…so break out of the norm and make this sauce today!

There are many theories as to the origins of marinara sauce. Most people would just assume that the moment Italy was formed BAM! there was marinara sauce, but no! It first appeared in an Italian cookbook in 1692. Apparently the tomato was a fruit of the New World, and according to some theories, were brought over by Spanish explorers to Naples, a major port city. Marinara means mariner or sailor, so some believe that tomato sauce was something that the sailor’s wives made when their husbands returned from sea to feed them.

Others believe that the sailors themselves made the sauce to bring with them to sea because the high acid content kept the food edible longer. One last theory is that tomatoes were used in place of a different fruit that might have been previously used in a pasta sauce, such as figs or apricots. Weird to think that tomato sauce is actually a savory fruit sauce!

Also, one possibility as to why some people call it tomato gravy, is because of the mother sauce tomate, where a roux is used to start the sauce. A roux is traditionally used to make a gravy, hence, tomato gravy! Soon we’ll do an entire post just about the mother sauces, so stay tuned for that!

Ingredients

4 roma tomatoes
olive oil
garlic salt
pepper
1 small red onion, mined
1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup of red wine
dried basil
dried oregano
3 tbsp of tomato paste
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
Grated Parmesan

Step 1:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Cut Roma tomatoes in half and place them in a bowl together, pour some olive oil on top and season with garlic salt and pepper. Toss them around until all the tomatoes are coated. Place them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 2:

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom pot. Put smashed garlic into the oil until you can smell it, about 2 minutes. Then take it out of the oil and keep it until later. Add the onions and season with salt, dried basil and dried oregano. (add some rosemary salt if you want! Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 3:

Open the can of crushed tomatoes and add it to the pot with the onions. Use a swish of red wine to clean out everything in the can. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 4:

Add 1 cup of red wine, but we always follow Queen Ina’s philosophy of there could never be enough wine! But if you aren’t as big of a fan of wine as Ina Garten, then feel free to omit it, and add more tomato paste in it’s place. Let it simmer again for 10 minutes.

Step 5:

Now that the Roma tomatoes are out of the oven, with a spatula transfer the tomatoes to the pot. Also, add the smashed garlic that you save from the beginning. Let them all party in the hot tub for another 10-15 minutes.

Step 6:

Turn off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Grab the blender, and blend the sauce mixture in batches. Return to the pot, taste, add grated parmesan to your liking and any seasonings you feel need to be there. Enjoy!

Cultured Swines

Cookbook Lovers, Recipe Hoarders, Travelers, Sisters, Best Friends

italian food

Traditional Tiramisu

Grandma’s Italian Meatballs

Velvety Marinara Sauce