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Gelatina di Caffè (coffee jello) with Manuela Zangara

9/11/2013

 
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This weekend I'd like to welcome to Good Things another passionate cook and friend in food, Manuela Zangara from Manu's Menu. I've been following Manuela's blog for some time, as week after week she posts the most inspiring recipes, all beautifully photographed. She has also just published her first ebook of Christmas menus.

Manu is married and has two little daughters (6 and 4 years old), and lives in Sydney, Australia, having moved there seven years ago from Milan, Italy.  Her husband is of Indian origin, which is why she often presents Indian recipes. When it comes to food, Manuela says her parents are her greatest inspiration. 'Cooking is all about creating memories with your family...  that's what my parents did with me and that's what I am keen to do with my little ones,' she tells me.  Manuela says her parents are not chefs, but the family used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen together, especially on weekends.  Her dad makes the best Sacher torte ever, he doesn't have a very sweet tooth, but apparently he's very good at baking and decorating cakes. What is her favourite food? Manuela says she has so many favourite dishes, but says Lasagne is on top of the list...  pure comfort food, she says.  It's the dish she makes to cheer herself up when she is down. 'Any kind of lasagne will do (with meat, vegetarian or with pesto)... as long as it has bechamel and cheese, and I am a happy woman,' she laughs.

Manuela has kindly stepped in with this sumptuous Good Things guest post and I know you are going to enjoy her recipe for Gelatina di Caffè or coffee jello. Over to you, Manuela...

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Introducing Manuela Zangara of Manu's Menu

Manuela says:
'I have been blogging for almost three years and whenever someone asks me why I do it, the answer is very easy: blogging about food is a passion and I am a firm believer of doing what you are passionate about in this life. I have been very fortunate to also make some good friends and get to know some amazing people along the way, like Liz. She is such a talented food writer and photographer! I really admire her work, so for me it is a true honour to be here today.' [Lizzy says: 'That is so kind, Manuela, thank you. The admiration is mutual. I am delighted to share your work here'].
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Manuela...
'I grew up in Italy and when I moved to Australia, a country I love, I initially found it hard to get back into the kitchen and cook.  When I arrived here, I had no idea where to find Italian products and it took me a while to be able to start cooking what I had always cooked before.  I still cannot find everything I want, especially regional products. Many people may not know this, but there is no 'Italian cuisine' as a whole.  Italian food is very much linked to the territory and that is why it is so traditional and why Italians are often very jealous of their recipes.  Food touches their roots, their certainties and their own little world. Italy is a small country, but because of its complicated history, each region is culturally very different. The food in the North is completely different to the food in the South. To give you an idea, the food you can eat in some Alpine areas is very similar to what you find in Austria, while food in Sicily is more similar to Middle Eastern and North African cuisines… see what I mean?  I often say that talking about 'Italian cuisine' is not very correct. It would be better to say 'Italian cuisines', plural. That is why I have a section on my site that is fully dedicated to Regional Italian food, where I share regional recipes

I think that the secrets behind authentic Italian food are simplicity and clarity of flavours. When you go to an Italian restaurant and you cannot tell what’s in the dish you are eating, then you are likely not eating at a 'real Italian restaurant'. The majority of Italian dishes only contain a few ingredients and you can usually taste all of them while you eat. To make a great dish with so few ingredients, it is paramount that you use good quality products. So the philosophy behind my cooking style is simplicity, clarity and good quality ingredients. You can’t go wrong with that.
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The recipe I will share with you today is a clear example of that. In fact, you only need four ingredients to make it: coffee, sugar, corn starch and freshly whipped cream. That’s it. The original recipe calls for Italian coffee, made with a moka pot, but I also make it with espresso. If you want to make it with American coffee (or anything lighter than Italian coffee), you may need to adjust the amount of sugar to taste. The coffee has to be sweet, but not overly so. This is a recipe that my aunt would often make during the warm Sicilian summer. It is great for an after meal dessert or for tea time. Serve it with a generous amount of freshly whipped sweetened cream to cut through the slight bitterness of the coffee. This combination is a classic in Sicilian cooking and you will notice how nicely the cream rounds up the coffee flavour. I hope you like it!

GELATINA DI CAFFÈ – COFFEE JELLO
Ingredients (for 6 people):
500 ml – 2 cups freshly brewed coffee
165 g – ¾ cup + 1 tbsp sugar
50 g – 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp corn starch
Sweetened whipped cream (1 to 1 ½ tbsp of sugar per 100 ml – 6 ½ tbsp of cream), to serve

Instructions:
Dissolve the sugar and corn starch in the hot coffee. Put the mixture on the fire and cook, while stirring, until it thickens.
Rinse six moulds and leave them wet (this will help you to unmold the jello). Pour the jello into the moulds and let it cool down.  Refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to serve it, unmold it and decorate it with the whipped cream. Serve cold.'
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'The original recipe calls for Italian coffee, but I also make it with espresso...'

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'This is a recipe that my aunt would often make during the warm Sicilian summer...'

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'Serve with a generous amount of freshly whipped sweetened cream to cut through the slight bitterness of the coffee...'

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Note: all images in this post appear kind courtesy of and are copyright to Manuela Zangara. 

Lizzy says:
Manuela, thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe. It's another one of yours that I will add to my repertoire, I'm sure. 

Dear Readers, please join me in welcoming Manuela to Good Things and make sure you pop in to Manu's Menu and sign up for her regular newsletters and recipe updates. Now tell me, do you enjoy coffee-based desserts?
Liz link
7/11/2013 11:17:25 am

Wow, what a gorgeous, adult-flavored jello! Manu is such an artist when it comes to food! So nice to see our sweet friend guest posting for you :)

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:09:16 pm

Liz, I agree! A beautiful recipe, and so kind of Manu to step in for me when I need time out to recuperate from being unwell. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.

Catherine@farmhousehome link
7/11/2013 02:00:38 pm

What a beautiful recipe, I love the decoration with the cream. I think my husband would love this dessert and was interested to see there's no gelatine but is thickened with cornflour. Thank you Manuela, looking forward to visiting your blog.

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:09:41 pm

It is, isn't it Catherine. Peter's eyes lit up the moment he saw it too!

Manu link
7/11/2013 07:58:57 pm

Thank you so much for having me over Lizzy! It was both a pleasure and an honour to write this post on your wonderful site! <3

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:10:05 pm

Manu, it is my absolute pleasure and an honour to showcase your work here, thank you! xox

Jamie link
7/11/2013 09:22:42 pm

What a gorgeous dessert! I love love coffee desserts but have never made anything like this! I am intrigued and fascinated and want to make this. Perfect! This will also be the perfect coffee dessert for those who want to avoid too much heavy cream in the usual coffee puddings, panna cottas and pots de crème. Beautiful and bookmarked. As someone who has lived in France and Italy these past 26 years, I find your observations about the cuisines spot on and well stated.

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:10:40 pm

It sounds divine, doesn't it Jamie! Manu is a gem and such a delightful cook! Thank you for stopping by. xo

Rosa link
7/11/2013 10:24:37 pm

A wonderful post! Both the pictures and dessert are delightful.

Cheers,

Rosa

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:10:46 pm

Aren't they, Rosa! : )

john @ kitchen riffs link
8/11/2013 10:07:36 am

Wow, what a wonderful looking dish! Coffee jello? Why haven't I thought of that? And why haven't I had that! Good stuff, terrific guest post. Thanks so much.

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:11:09 pm

Looks and sounds exquisite, doesn't it John! Thanks for stopping by.

InTolerant Chef link
8/11/2013 12:51:34 pm

I do like the sound of this one, very nice indeed!

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:11:19 pm

Me too, Bec, me too!

Maureen | Orgasmic Chef link
8/11/2013 01:13:43 pm

I was expecting gelatine like you'd find in panna cotta but cornstarch - how easy is that? It looks beautiful.

Lizzy
8/11/2013 01:14:56 pm

It is as easy as your latest cake and cream… Maureen… aren't we bloggers wonderful, sharing such beautiful, easy and delicious dishes!

Adri link
9/11/2013 01:54:01 am

Oh my heavens, yes, but I do know this dish. It is a summertime favorite in our home. I use gealtin to set mine, but the goal is the same - to produce a quivering, chilled coffee, perfect for a summer quench. I first enjoyed this on a night train from Milan in the early seventies, and I have made it ever since. This is a lovely post, with some truly stunning photography!

Lizzy
9/11/2013 08:15:44 am

Oh wow, Adri, how about that! I am so delighted that you love Manuela's work as much as I do.

Lisa the Gourmet Wog link
9/11/2013 08:04:14 pm

like Maureen, I was expecting gelatine in the ingredients but corn flour is so much easier! Looks spectacular Manu!

Lizzy
10/11/2013 06:48:30 pm

Thanks Lisa, Manuela has provided a beautiful dessert.

e / dig in hobart link
10/11/2013 11:18:05 am

thank you lizzy for introducing us to Manuela, i can't wait to go thru to her blog.
i don't even like coffee but this looks amazing! darkly glamourous.

Lizzy
10/11/2013 06:48:49 pm

My pleasure… and thank you to Manu for this guest post!

Zsuzsa link
11/11/2013 03:35:55 am

Oh my I think I will be in love with coffee jello

Lizzy
11/11/2013 06:24:48 pm

Me too, Zsuzsa, Manu has provided such a beautiful recipe!

Kiran @ KiranTarun.com link
13/11/2013 09:52:42 pm

Love Manu and her beautiful blog. This coffee jello looks scrumptious!

Lizzy
14/11/2013 06:28:10 am

Thanks Kiran, me too!

Kyrstie @ A Fresh Legacy link
13/11/2013 10:44:35 pm

I am so pleased to have now discovered Manuela's blog. Thanks Lizzy. I love her insight that ..."the secrets behind authentic Italian food are simplicity and clarity of flavours". So true. That is exactly what I discovered on our wonderful trip there earlier this year and it has elevated my love of Italian food to a new level.

Lizzy
14/11/2013 06:28:38 am

My pleasure Kyrstie… Manu's blog is beautiful and her recipes are delicious!


Comments are closed.

    Welcome...

    Üdvözölöm
    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
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Photos used under Creative Commons from alantankenghoe, riptheskull, David Jackmanson, Amani Hasan, SuntanMidori, oropeza, Annie Mole, Vegan Feast Catering, avlxyz, jeffreyw, mockstar, jenly, Syeefa Jay, pizzodisevo (therapy - terapia - Therapie), ginnerobot, cliff1066™, Jim, the Photographer
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