PAGNOTTA, Italian Round Country Bread

I baked these two round pieces of PAGNOTTA yeterday after husband and I came back from the park. To bake this bread, I needed a mister so I went to Chinatown (close to our flat) near Walgreens and purchased one.

The bread turned out quite all right. It was quite tasty and authentic in flavor and appearance. It measured to 9" in diamter. Yesterday was just my first time to bake this PAGNOTTA and I did well. The crust is the crispiest crust I ever had! The inside had a nice a bit of salty flavor and has nice holes that say a lot of what a great bread it is. The cornmill and the bread flour mixed and sprinkled over the crust made it more crunchy. After tasting this bread for the first time, it has now become our favorite more than the CIABATTA or FRENCH BREAD. The sourdough sets the difference. The book I am using in baking this is called, "THE IL FORNAIO Baking Book" by FRANCO GALLI. There are shortcuts to do this bread. I watched in YOUTUBE. Some bakers use DUTCH OVEN or LA CLOCHE CLAY BAKER (round). It is like a garlic baker. I baked this the traditional ITALIAN WAY without the aid of these tools, just my plain cookie pan. And it worked just fine.

WHAT IS PAGNOTTA?

PAGNOTTA is a rustic peasant loaf with a hard, deep brown crust and a soft, white center. This bread keeps well for 3 days or more so long as it is kept tight in a ZIPLOC bag. PAGNOTTA is found in northern ITALY. It is baked without a tinge of olive oil so this is a healthy bread to eat.As a beginner in making bread, you may not have the heart for this recipe as it takes a long process to do it. It has 3 rising time before it is baked in the oven. First proofing is for 1 1/2 hours; second is for 1 hour; third and last was proofed for 55 minutes. Baking time was supposedly for 1 hour at 425 degrees Fahrenheit but since my oven's temperature gets hotter than the norm, I only baked my bread close to 27 minutes and by that time, they were done and had a hollow ring when you drum it!

Easter Sunday in San Francisco

We were up early at half past five in the morning. I, for one, was excited! It was our hosting of the hospitality. We left at around 8:30 AM and drove to NDV, parked the van on the street (it is tough to find a parking space in SFO). We brought our stuff as hosts for the Easter Sunday Mass at 9 AM. I baked different kinds of bread for this special day, days ahead. These are the kinds of bread that stays for good days and they still come out to be quite tasty. These are round breads or crusted breads. At the reception, people came in groves at around ten minutes after ten. They were impressed with the hall's decor (done by Mary, Maria and Christianne). The guests loved the food and complimented us all regarding the table setting that had the symbols of Easter: bunny, eggs, candies, etc. At the reception the one thing that went fast was the CIABATTA!!! Well, as a non-professional baker who only learned to bake bread (self-taught) about 3 years ago, I was thrilled! Many complimented me for the great tasting bread they ate yesterday! I made several yields of Greek Humus. The folks ate half of it and left the rest untouched. The brie cheese was barely eaten at all. Husband and I are trying to introduce different kinds of food to orient them with diffrent kinds of food as we are quite diverse, culture-wise. We also noted that most of our regulars and visitors (from other cities and countries) prefer regular sliced cheeses (cheddar and Monterey) as opposed to brie. Anyhow, after our time ended, we left all the food including fruits, candies, et al to the French hospitality group who handles the French mass at 10:30 AM. The Lithuanian Raisin Bread was well-liked by the way. Br. Joe, a Marist- raved about it. I just blushed and said, "Ooooooh. Wow. Thank you!"

Ciabatta

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This is the first of the 2 sets of Ciabatta I am baking right now. The last one is still in the oven. Weare eating this at the moment and boy, what a great tasting bread! It has holes inside it, also known as "OCCHI," (or eyes) made from elastic dough that must be "pulled" into its unique form. It bakes at 425 F oven. However, I made the mistake of setting it to 475!!! But I adjusted the temperature to 425, five minutes after I discovered my error! The baking time was shortened. So, in 25 minutes' time it had this hollow sound when you top it over which meant that the bread is done, baked and ready to cool down on a drying rack. Ciao!

Working In My Kitchen

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PHOTOS: (Morrocan bread with Greek humus); bow spinach pasta, ravioli pasta with white wine and apricot sauce; spinach ravioli; Ciabatta bread (second rising);whole wheat sourdough starter; Ciabatta bread (second rising).

Now that I am done with my quilt, I am quite busy experimenting in my kitchen with various recipes I have at the moment. These are items akin to making bread (CIABATTA and MORROCAN HOLIDAY BREAD), humus (Greek/Mediterannean dip), sourdough starter, flaky crust (using LARD), home-made spinach ravioli and bow pasta plus the delicious white wine with apricot for pasta sauce. As I am writing this, my second version of "CIABATTA" (Italian Slipper Shaped Bread- pronounced as CHEE-YA-BAT-TA) is on to its second rising. This is a different recipe because it does not set to rise (the dough) for 24 hours but rather, the sourdough starter was made to ferment naturally for 3 days. Naturally in what sense? Averagely, you add yeast to make a sourdough and you use regular bread flour or all-purpose flour to do it. However, this sourdough starter from the famous book, "THE IL FORNAIO Baking Book" by FRANCO GALLI only asks you to mix organic wheat flour and water in equal proportion (2 cups whole wheat flour + 2 cups water). And true to its promise, in 3 days' time it fermented quite easily and bubbles formed. For you who do not bake breads, sourdough is needed to add that soury flavor in a bread. In ITALY, sourdough starter is called "BIGA." BTW, three days ago I baked my first CHERRY PIE this spring time- the filling was taken from the whole bunch of cherries I canned last summer 2007. For the pie crust, I used another recipe from an Italian book I borrowed from my North Beach Library (I forgot the title). Alternately, instead of butter- I used LARD (as per suggestion of my sister-in-law GLENDA who lives in Oregon and also upon husband's prodding. And they were right). The crust is so flaky and crunchy!!! Even now, husband raved about it after he had eaten the last piece this morning.

PALM SUNDAY- March 16, 2008 at NOTRE DAME, Basque Mass

It was our first Palm Sunday at our parish and our first time to attend a Basque Mass, as participated in by the Basque Community of Bay Area. The mass was said in French, Basque and English. The trumpet music and traditional hymns in Basque were unforgettable. Click, to enlarge *











Who are the Basque People?


The Basque people are the oldest indigenous living group known in Europe. They live in the north central Spain, and there are also a couple of Basque regions in France. Their language, culture, customs, and land are all distinctly different from the rest of Europe. They have their own newspaper, radio, and educational system.


The Basque people have strong traditional ties to their families and to their land. They have an independent spirit, respect for liberty of the individual, and a love of freedom. For that reason, they have struggled to become an autonomous region, with their own government, for years. During the Spanish Civil War, the Basque and Catalan people fought with the Republicans as seperatists groups, in order to try to gain the independence that they have desired for so long. However, when the Republicans lost to the Nationalists, and Franco took over Spain, it looked as if the Basque people would forever remain under the rule of Spanish government. However, the Basque people have now been granted more freedom, such as the right to speak Euskara (the Basque language), the right to educate in Euskara, and the right to teach about the Basque culture. Most Basque people are satisfied with the freedom that they have been granted, but there are still some extremists who are fighting for the right to have an entirely autonomous region. These people are usually associated with the ETA (the Basque seperatists group) and go to extreme measures to try to win what they believe to be rightfully theirs. However, for the most part, the Basque people are willing to make compromises and are happy with what they can get.

San Francisco's St. Patrick's ParadePhotos- Saturday, March 15, 2008

More ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE PHOTOS- March 15, 2008

The gay community is represented by these men in black and red ensemble. They were collecting donations to help give back to the community.

St. Patrick's Day Parade- March 15, 2008 at Market St., San Francisco

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Our handsome mayor, Gavin Newsom, 42nd Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco joined the parade.

We were in Market St. 10 minutes before 11 noon. By exactly 11 AM, the parade started. It was the longest parade I have seen in SFO! Irish folks came by in different costumes as they celebrated St. Patrick's Day! We all joined in. The parade participants threw candies at the crowd. Husband and I enjoyed it so much. Whoah! My share, I put the chocolates and hard candies inside my loot bag while I ate the rest. Haha! Actually, my bag initially contained the chewable lactase enzyme we bought at the specialty shop in Grant. But as the parade progressed, I decided to utilize it to store my goodies! Notice our green and gold beads plus husband's sticker on his jacket? Well, we all got them at the parade. That's the fun side of being a spectator! You get a lot of freebies! Moreover, I got myself a nice key chain and a green rubber bracelet (see photo) as well with Happy St. Patrick's Day embossed in it. At around 4 PM, we walked to Civic Center and joined the crowd there for the party. There was a band playing music I hardly knew. Beer was served of course! Husband and I sat on the pavement and ate our snacks. Coming home, we took Bus 9X and nestled in our flat.

NEWSBIT: St. Patrick's Day used to be celebrated on March 17th but the Catholic law indicated that it cannot be celebrated on the week of Lent. So this year it was moved to March 14 and the parade-on March 15. Not bad. Here are some photos to enjoy. The video files~ I will upload tomorrow. And more photos to come, too. Ciao!

Notre Dame de Victoires' International Food Festival

March 8, 2008- photo taken at the escoile..for $19.50 per head, we had a good meal!

The dinner was prepared by the parents of Notre Dame. Food served was a good mix of Mediterranean, French, Korean, Filipino, Thai, Italian, Iranian, Lebanese, Japanese, Spanish and American food. It was an event well-attended by the parish and school community. Wine was served, part of the cost of the entrance fee. Beer was sold at $4.00 per bottle. The dessert was superb. I enjoyed several pieces of caramel crunch with chocolates. Yum-yum!

The Finished Quilt

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I worked on this king size quilt (my second work) for 3 weeks and four days. This is a beginner's pattern, BTW. Last March 13, I finally finished handquilting this project. Husband thought this is like a great work of art. WOW (sigh)! This Monday, I'd sew over it (at the back) my "quilt label" that would identify my name as the quilter plus the date I finished it and the location included. This gives a bit of info re: how this quilt came about. A quilt is like an heirloom and speaks a lot about its origin. I learned to quilt by myself 8 months ago after buying my first beginner's quilt ("Yellow Brick Road" pattern) in Lincoln City, Oregon.

The Graduates, Class 2008

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Two beautiful nieces of mine graduated most recently. They are ANN (BS Nursing at St. Paul University) and KATIE (Kindergarten 2 at St. Paul College). Ann graduated with a recognition in journalism. Katie, on the other hand, had a special solo number during her stage performance with her classmates! Here are their photos prior to their respective graduation ceremonies.

NOTE: MURIEL's graduation is on March 26 and only then will I be able to upload her photos. She is graduating from 6th grade at O.B. Montessori.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Quilting News

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This is where I am at in terms of my progress with the king size quilt (99" X 100") I am making. I am half way done with it. Piecing together this quilt was done by machine and quilting, is done by hand. So far, hand quilting works for me and it's a lot of fun doing it on days and times I am free. Ciao!