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Categories
Appetizers Fried Main Rice

Ragù and Peas Rice-balls or Arancini Di Riso from Sicily

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Rice-balls with Peas and Ragù or “Arancini di Riso”

One of the best street-food of Italy from Sicily. “Arancini”, named after the little oranges that these fried rice balls are said to resemble, are best known in this country as a handy way to use leftover risotto. “Arancini” are delicious stuffed rice balls, coated with breadcrumbs, which are fried. They are usually filled with Ragù (meat and tomato sauce), Provolone cheese, and Peas. Perfect street-food in Sicily home-made are simply wonderful.

Ingredients for 6 people

  • 300 grams of Rice
  • 1 LT of Broth
  • 40 grams of Butter
  • a pinch of Saffron
  • 50 grams of Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Egg
  • half Blonde Onion chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 30 grams of Butter
  • 100 grams of Ground Veal
  • 100 grams of Chicken Giblets
  • 150 grams of Peas
  • 1 tablespoon of Tomato concentrate
  • 80 grams of Provolone Cheese diced
  • 1 Egg beaten
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Oil for Fridge
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

1. In a large pot or “Pentola”, cook the rice with half liter of broth. When it is absorbed pour the other part of broth and a pinch of saffron (diluted in half glass of water) and cook until it will be ready, “al dente” and not liquid. Add butter, 1 egg, parmesan cheese and mix well.

2. In a casserole pour 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 30 grams of butter and half blond onion chopped, cook until the onion minutes or until the onion has softened, add the meat and the chicken giblets. Cook over medium heat until all water is absorbed then add 100 grams of peas, 1 tablespoon of tomato concentrate and half glass of broth. Reduce the heat, salt and pepper, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

3. In a bowl pour the cooled rice, take a full tablespoon of risotto and shape it into the bottom of a ball on the palm of your hand. Press a pinch of provolone cheese and the ragù sauce in the middle-top and cover with additional risotto shaping as a ball. Dip the Rice-Balls into the beaten egg, then roll it in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the “Arancini di Riso” and then quickly fry for 3 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove the rice-balls “Arancini di Riso” from the pan and drain them on a kitchen paper. Enjoy warm.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: while Supplì are rice-balls of rice mixed with Ragù and filled with Mozzarella, Arancini instead are rice-balls of white rice with saffron and have the Ragù and Piselli only inside as filling. Very different.

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The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

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Categories
Lunch Main Pasta Vegetarian

Ravioli Pasta with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach or Ravioli Ricotta e Spinaci

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Ravioli with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach filling or “Ravioli Ricotta e Spinaci”, sage and butter sauce

The ravioli with ricotta cheese and spinach are a classic first course. They represent one of the best-known uses of fresh egg pasta. The filling of ricotta and spinach is light and fresh.

This is a simple stuffed ravioli made with a creamy ricotta spinach blend. Ideal for a vegetarian household, this is a special-occasion dish. Ideally for those delicate and sophisticated ravioli a butter and sage sauce would be perfect.

Ingredients for 6 people

Ingredients for Fresh Pasta Home Made

  • 500 grams of Flour “0”
  • 5 Eggs

Ingredients for Ravioli Filling with Spinach and Ricotta

  • 200 grams of Ricotta Cheese
  • 600 grams of Spinach
  • 180 grams of Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg as you prefer

Ingredients for Ravioli Sauce with Sage and Butter

  • 100 grams of Butter
  • Parmesan Cheese grated as you prefer
  • Pepper as you prefer
  • 6 fresh Sage leaves

Preparation of Fresh Pasta Egg

1. By Hand Pasta: on a clean wood surface make a well with the flour with donut shape. In a measuring cup mix the eggs, pour the liquid mixture slowly into the flour and mix slowly in round circles with your fingers until all of the liquid mixture is incorporated. Do not force the dough to take all of the flour. If you are going to use a Pasta Maker machine to roll out the dough you may at this point form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to rest. If you are going to roll this by hand you should knead the dough on a floured work surface for 8 to 10 minutes.

Preparation of Ravioli Filling

2. Wash the spinach and let them boil for 10 minutes in boiling water. When cooked, drain them well and let cool before you chop. It’s very important that spinach are well drained. Prepare the filling by mixing in a bowl the ricotta, spinach, 2 eggs, Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg until you have a smooth mixture.

3. Take the dough, divide the dough in half and roll each part into two layers with a thickness of about 2 mm, with the aid of a rolling pin or a “Pasta Maker” machine. Spread the filling on the pastry with ricotta cheese and spinach in piles equidistant. Cover with the other sheet and cut out the ravioli with the toothed wheel or with the form ravioli.

Preparation of Ravioli Sauce

4. You can now dress the ravioli ricotta and spinach with a simple tasty sauce: with butter and sage in order to bring out the best of the filling flavor from your ravioli. Heat 100 grams of sliced butter in a pan over low heat and add the fresh sage leaves. Sauce is ready! Brush up directly in the pan the ravioli just drained and serve hat, complete the dish with a grinding of fresh pepper and of course a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

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The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

 

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Categories
Appetizers Fried Rice

Ragù and Mozzarella Rice-balls or Supplì al Telefono Roman Style

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  Rice-balls or “Supplì al Telefono”

One of the best dish of our region Lazio, originally from Rome. Supplì are Italian snacks consisting of balls of rice with tomato sauce, mozzarella and raw egg, typical of Roman cuisine.

The story of the name is funny, the term “Supplì” comes from the French word surprise, but “Supplì al telefono” literally means “Supplì on the phone”, because if you open them, when still warm, the cheese inside that has melted while cooking, will stretch between the 2 halves similar to the wire of a telephone.  This dish is a great surprise and we are pretty sure that it will be very difficult to stop eating!

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 300 grams of Rice
  • 200 grams of Tomato canned
  • 100 grams of Ground Beaf
  • 20 grams of Butter
  • 100 grams of Mozzarella Cheese
  • 50 grams of Breadcrumbs
  • 1 Onion Blonde
  • 1 Carrot
  • a Stalk of Celery
  • 5 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 glass of White Wine
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

The sauce preparation

In a casserole make a “soffritto”: pour 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add carrot, onion and celery previously chopped and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the “soffritto” has softened. Add the meat and cook slowly for 5 minutes, add the white wine and when it is evaporated add the tomato canned, salt and pepper. Cover and cook a medium heat fo 1 hour.

In the meantime in a pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the rice, fry, stirring, over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and add the vegetable stock, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, the rice should be cooked al dente. In a bowl pour the rice, the butter and the ragù sauce, mix well and let rest for 1 hour, better if you place it into the fridge.

Now we make a Suppli

Take a heaped tablespoon of risotto and shape it into a ball (it seems as croquettes) between the palms of your hands. Press a pinch of mozzarella cheese in the middle and cover with risotto. Dip the supplí into the beaten egg, then roll it in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the supplí, and then quickly fry for 3 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove the supplí from the pan and drain it on absorbent kitchen paper.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: while Supplì are rice-balls of rice mixed with Ragù and filled with Mozzarella, Arancini instead are rice-balls of white rice with saffron and have the Ragù and Piselli only inside as filling. Very different.

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Categories
Christmas Dinner Gluten free Veal

Delicious Veal with Tuna Sauce or Vitello Tonnato

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  Veal with Tuna Sauce or “Vitello Tonnato Tradizionale”

The Veal with Tuna Sauce or Vitel Tonné is a very Italian dish typical of Piemonte cuisine. Tasty and very fresh ideal for a starter in a gala dinner or even in the summer as a main course. A popular starter,  “Vitel Tonné”, which despite the French resemblance, is a dialectal form of Italian Vitello Tonnato which is basically a carpaccio of veal meat with a rich tuna sauce. Simply one of the most beautiful and classic dishes of Italian cuisine. This beautiful veal dish is festive and tastes superb. You can eat Vitel Tonnè as a main dish, or as an appetizer, it is a very appreciated cold dish in Italy.

 Ingredients for 6 people

  • 1 kg 500 grams of Veal
  • 1 blonde Onion
  • 1 sprig of Celery
  • 2 cloves of Carnation
  • 1 Carrots
  • 5 stalk of Parsley
  • 2 leaves of Bay
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Ingredients for the sauce

  • 300 grams of Tuna Canned
  • 3-4 Anchovies
  • 30 grams of Capers
  • 4 tablespoons of Mayonnaise
  • 1 Lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 sprig of Parsley
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

1. Bring to a boil in a saucepan with salted water, onion, cloves, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. Immerse the meat, previously tied with kitchen string and boil for about 2 hours. Once ready, drain and keep the broth, I recommend let cool wrapped in aluminum foil. Wipe the meat thoroughly, remove the wire and only when it is well-chilled cut into very thin slices and arrange on a serving platter.

Now we prepare the sauce

2. Rinse the capers, to remove the excess salt, wash and clean the anchovies, drained tuna oil. Blend all ingredients together slowly adding the meat broth, previously filtered, until a creamy consistency, cover the veal cut into slices with the sauce and decorate as desired with slices of lemon and parsley.

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Categories
Pasta Seafood

Spaghetti with Clams or Pasta con le Vongole

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Spaghetti with Clams or “Spaghetti con le Vongole”

Spaghetti Pasta with clams is one of the most famous dishes of the Campania Region but loved throughout Italy from north to south.

Ingredients for 6 people

  • 600 grams Spaghetti Pasta (like De Cecco)
  • 2 kg of Clams
  • 5 cloves of Garlic
  • Parsley as you prefer
  • 7 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Chilly as preferred

Preparation

1. One hour before cooking the clams leave them to soak in a bowl with water and salt, in order to remove the excess of sand, then wash them very well. Add to a pan about 5 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 3 cloves of garlic, add the clams and cook until all will be open. Garlic and chilli will be softened in a pan, with clams and white wine, and left to steam for few minutes.

2. Remove the cooking water from the clams, and filter it carefully, all shelled clams, just leave some with the shell for the presentation of the dish if you wish, and fry them in a pan with two tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 2 cloves of garlic, chilly, include a large sprig of parsley and chilly or pepper as you wish. Once the shells are open and pan-fried, the whole lot is added to the pasta, in this case, spaghetti “al dente”, sprinkled with chopped parsley, and served. Do not forget to allow the pasta to rest in the sauce for a minute or so to absorb it, improving the flavour of the entire dish.

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The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

 

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Categories
Appetizers Dinner Fried Vegetarian

Fried Mozzarella Sandwich or Mozzarella in Carrozza

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Fried Mozzarella Sandwich or “Mozzarella in Carrozza”

“Mozzarella in Carrozza”, literally, mozzarella cheese in a carriage, is one of the rustic glories of Neapolitan cuisine. It’s a kind of savory French Toast or a kind of grilled cheese sandwich but fried. If you have a short time to cook, then this recipe is the ideal fast and super tasty solution, better with friends.

 

 

Ingredients for 1 person

  • 2 slices of Mozzarella Cheese, use Italian imported “mozzarella di bufala” if preferred
  • 2 slices of white Bread
  • Flour
  • 3 Egg yolks
  • ½ glass of Milk
  • a pinch of Salt
  • Oil to fry

Preparation of the Fried Mozzarella Sandwich

1. Cut 2 slices, not very thin, of mozzarella cheese and white bread. Take the slices of white bread, then place a slice or two of mozzarella cheese between two of the bread slices to make a sandwich. Make sure that the mozzarella slices are smaller than the bread slices so that you have a good margin around the slices, to prevent the cheese from falling out as it melts during cooking.

2. In a bowl, beat 3 eggs with milk and salt. Fill a large skillet with oil, enough for a semi-deep frying session, about 2cm/1 inch deep. While the oil is heating up, add the sandwich into the flour and then into the eggs. Make sure that the sandwich absorbs all the eggs and then fry in hot oil. When they’re all done, golden color, but not burned, sprinkle the sandwiches with salt and serve hot immediately.

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Categories
Christmas Dessert

Yellow Bread or Pangiallo Romano

 How to prepare the real Italian recipe of “Pangiallo“

Yellow Bread or “Pangiallo” is an old and very traditional Holidays cake, which in Rome at Christmas should never miss. Pangiallo is one of the most ancient Christmas cakes from Italy. The Yellow Bread is a Roman speciality similar to the Tuscan panforte. And in spite of the name, it is more a dessert than bread. Some do add saffron to give to the dough a golden tint. Originated during the imperial age, it combines all the nuts, dried fruits, honey and spices you could think about. An elegant and delightful rich Italian cuisine experience.

Ingredients for 4-5 people

  • 300 grams of Flour
  • 20 g of Yeast
  • 30 g Candied Orange peel
  • 20 grams of Pine Nuts
  • 30 g shelled and peeled Almonds
  • 50 g of Raisins
  • Cinnamon, Saffron, Sugar
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Place the flour on a pastry board, add the yeast dissolved in a sugar syrup and warm water, mix well. There should be a dough a little softer than the one of bread.
2. Combine orange peel, pine nuts, almonds, raisins (previously soaked in warm water), and a pinch of cinnamon. Knead and form a loaf to rise covered with a napkin, in a warm place for 12 hours.
3. Then prepare a batter with water, a tablespoon of flour, a little oil, a pinch of saffron. Spread this batter on the loaf and put in a moderate oven (180 °) for 40 minutes.

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Categories
Healthy Lunch Pasta Vegetarian

Vegetarian Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Cannelloni Pasta with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach or “Cannelloni Ricotta e Spinaci”

A delicious healthy vegetarian recipe. Cannelloni pasta is a classic dish of the Italian cuisine ideal for a Sunday Family Lunch. Stuff rolled lasagne sheets with creamy spinach and ricotta, baked with tomato and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients for 12 Cannelloni Pasta

  • 12 sheets of Egg pasta
  • 400 grams of Ricotta Cheese
  • 500 grams of fresh Spinach
  • 300 ml of Besciamella or Béchamel
  • Half liter of Tomato sauce
  • 50 grams of grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 Besciamella or Béchamel Sauce

  • 50 grams of Butter
  • 50 grams of Flour
  • Half liter of Milk
  • Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg as preferred

Preparation of the Besciamella or Béchamel Sauce 

1. Melt the butter in a pan add the flour and cook for 3 minutes; meanwhile bring the milk to a boil with salt pepper and nutmeg, stir in the butter and flour and simmer for five minutes.

SECRET: the Béchamel is ready just when you put the spoon into the sauce and when you take it out the sauce remains firmly attached to the spoon.

Preparation of Cannelloni 

2. Clean very well the fresh spinach, rinse them thoroughly and boil them in a little boiling water for a few minutes. Drain, squeeze and chop with a food processor. Boil a few at a time the sheets of pasta in boiling salted water with the addition of a tablespoon of oil for about two minutes each. Drain them, put them to cool in cold water and place them on a clean cloth and let them cool without overlapping.

3. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese chopped spinach and grated Parmesan. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix everything well. Fill each pastry with a bit of dough with ricotta and spinach and roll in on themselves to form the cannelloni. In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of oil and tomato sauce. Cook covered for about 20 minutes. Arrange the cannelloni in a baking dish lightly oiled covering them with the béchamel, tomato sauce and sprinkle with a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 200 ° C for 35 minutes.

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The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

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