Kumquat Jam

One day at our local store a bright orange fruits caught my attention. I went by it once, than came back to the produce section to pick something else and looked at it again, then before I went to the register I came back to the produce section and couldn't resist to put in my basket a couple of kumquat packs. They were so sunny, so cheerful, and so happy looking at me, how could I had left without them?!

I came home, had a few kumquats with all their flavor bursting up to my brain. Then I had a few more, then... well, by the end of the day we finished it. Needless to say that the very next morning I went back to the store and headed straight to the section, where the little sunshine fruits were sitting. I bought a few more boxes with a single thought: "I need to preserve some of it". I didn't know how and what I was going to make, I just wanted a jar of this fantastic flavor to be preserved. 

And here it is, Kumquat Jam. I made it traditionally by pre-soaking sliced kumquats in sugar overnight, then adding some grapefruit juice and cooking for 30 minutes. The hardest part was to slice those tiny fruits into half moons. It took me just two hours to get it done. :) 

See you,
Marina

P.S. It looks like we will be moving back to Washington State in July. And we also have two graduations: our teenager is graduating from high school in May, and my husband is graduating from the residency in June. With all that said, my posts will be sporadic for the time being, until we move and settle somewhere. I also may not be visiting your lovely blogs as often as I'd like to.  But I think of you all often. 

A Sweet Start

Sweet ricotta  handkerchief    

When I was looking for a good recipe to make semolina pasta, I came across some interesting facts. It is a well know fact that pasta's delicious history goes back thousand of years. But what was a discovery to me is that pasta was an elitist food of the wealthy up until the nineteen century, same century when pasta met tomato! 
Two hundreds years later, and pasta is a very affordable food for poor and/or unemployed (like me). 
Another interesting fact about pasta is that at first it was served with sweet seasonings and fruits. I can do it, was my thought this morning. So I quickly stirred up some dough and made my all time favorite (as of today): 

Sweet ricotta on a handkerchief with a strawberry jam... 

Ingredients:

• 7 2x2 inches (5x5 cm) squares of pasta fresca (fresh pasta) -  handkerchief 
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoon strawberry jam (or any other jam)

Cook pasta squares to al dente, drain. Place handkerchief  on a plate, top with a teaspoon of ricotta, then place another handkerchief, another teaspoon of ricotta. Them top with a strawberry jam (it will run down your handkerchief "mountain"). Serve immediately.

Have a sweet week, my friends!

See you, 
Marina