STRAPAZZATO
THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA reference : “Strapazzato, or scrambed, eggs and toased rustic bread with sunflower seeds. – Chapter 25
INGREDIENTS
- 6 fresh eggs
- 4 tbsp milk
- Butter, to taste (for greasing the pan)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Crack the eggs into a bowl. Check for freshness by ensuring the eggs have no unusual smell or appearance.
2. Beat the eggs vigorously using a whisk or fork until smooth and slightly frothy.
3. Add the milk, salt, and pepper. Continue whisking until the mixture is well-combined with visible small bubbles.
4. Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat.
5. Add a small amount of butter to lightly coat the surface. Allow it to melt and spread evenly.
6. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Immediately begin stirring with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula.
7. Stir continuously to prevent the formation of a solid layer on the bottom, ensuring a creamy texture.
8. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring gently and constantly, until the eggs are set but still soft and creamy.
9. Once the eggs are cooked but still moist, remove them from the heat. Overcooking will make them dry.
10. Adjust with additional pepper if desired.
11. Serve immediately
Source: https://cookingitalians.com/creamy-italian-scrambled-eggs-uova-strapazzate/
Rustic Bread with Sunflower Seeds
INGREDIENTS
- ⅔ cup warm milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
FOR GARNISH
2 tablespoons melted butter
Sunflower seeds for sprinkling on top
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine honey, milk, sugar, salt, yeast, oil and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in flour and sunflower seeds and mix just until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
2. Pour dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
3. Shape risen dough into an oval (batard shape) and place in a lightly greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F.
5. Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter and sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Bake loaf for about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack before slicing or serving.
Source: https://creative-culinary.com/sunflower-seed-bread-honey-recipe/
Recipes featured in THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA by Lisa Scottoline
An international bestselling author crafts a gothic “thriller with dashes of romance and excellent twists!” (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author) in which a young widow inherits a Tuscan estate from a mysterious benefactor and finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy—twisty, transportive, and haunting, this is suspense with a passport.
Lately, Julia Pritzker is beginning to think she’s cursed. She’s lost her adoptive parents, then her husband is murdered. When she realizes that her horoscope essentially foretold his death, she begins to spiral. She fears her fate is written in the stars, not held in her own hands.
Then a letter arrives out of the blue, informing her that she has inherited a Tuscan villa and vineyard —but her benefactor is a total stranger named Emilia Rossi. Julia has no information about her biological family, so she wonders if Rossi could be a blood relative. Bewildered, she heads to Tuscany for answers.
There, Julia is horrified to discover that Rossi was a paranoid recluse, who believed herself to be a descendent of Duchess Caterina Sforza, a legendary Renaissance ruler. Stunned by her uncanny resemblance to Rossi, and even to Caterina, Julia is further unnerved when she unearths eerie parallels between them, including an obsession with astrology.
Before long, Julia suspects she’s being followed, and strange things begin to happen. Not even a chance meeting with a handsome Florentine can ease her troubled mind. When events turn deadly, Julia’s harrowing struggle becomes a search for her identity, a race to save her sanity, and ultimately, a question of her very survival.