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Appetizers Healthy Lunch Sides Vegetarian

Vegetarian Baked Zucchini Gratin or Zucchine Gratinate

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  Baked Zucchini Gratin or “Zucchine Gratinate”

An easy and very healthy Italian recipe of zucchinis topped with bread crumbs, parsley, garlic. Vegetarians and omnivores will love them. Perfect as an appetizer, as a side dish to meat, or as a second self, Zucchini Gratin are light appetizers and rich in vitamins, that will add a touch of color and flavor to your table.

Ingredients for 6 people

  • 6 Zucchini
  • 60 grams of Breadcrumbs
  • sprig of Parsley
  • 1 sprig of Basil
  • 1 clove of Garlic
  • 3-4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

1. Wash and trim the zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, taking care not to break them, and with a teaspoon drain the zucchini flesh and put in a bowl.

2. Chop the parsley, basil and garlic and pour into the bowl with the zucchini flesh and add the breadcrumbs. Season with oil, salt and pepper and mix all ingredients well.

3. Stuff zucchini with the mixture, place in a baking dish, sprinkle on top with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, bake at 170° degrees for 40 minutes. Delicious and Healthy vegetarian option!

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Categories
Healthy Main Pasta Vegetarian

Easy Auntie Anna’s Fusilli Pasta with Pesto of Zucchini

How to prepare the real Auntie Anna’s Italian recipe of “Fusilli Pasta with Pesto of Zucchini”

A good alternative to the classic pesto sauce, this recipe from Tiziana’s auntie Anna, is a simple recipe an easy option for an healthy Sunday lunch with family and friends. This Pesto is made with Zucchini or Courgettes, Basil, Parmesan or Pecorino, Pine Nuts and of course Extra Virgin Olive Oil. A deliciously simple Pesto of Zucchini pasta that is full of fresh flavors, also perfect for a weekday evening meal. Any pasta will taste great with this recipe, so just pick your favorite and enjoy.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 320 grams of Fusilli Pasta
  • 300 grams of Zucchini
  • 1/2 cloves of garlic
  • 50 grams of Pine nuts
  • 60 grams of Parmesan Cheese or Pecorino Cheese
  • 100 grams of Basil
  • 125 grams of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

1. In a pan heat 50 grams of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with garlic until becomes blonde – not burned -then add the zucchini (or courgettes), previously cut round and thin, cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes until are stiffened (if necessary add half glass of water).

2. In the other pan toast the pine nuts, when ready add to the zucchini with parmesan, a pinch of salt and the fresh basil mix well. Fresh basil is an important ingredient not to forget! Put the zucchini mix in a blender with 65 grams of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, mix all together until the sauce is creamy.

3. Cook the Fusilli or Spaghetti Pasta, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8 to 10 minute as from instructions and always until al dente. Do not overcook pasta! Drain and mix with the zucchini sauce, serve.

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Pasta with zucchini pesto.

Categories
Gluten free Healthy Lunch Sides Vegetables Vegetarian

Grand Mix of Yellow and Red Peppers or Peperonata

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Grand Mix of Peppers or better “Peperonata”

A great classic of the Italian cuisine, the origin of this Grand Mix of Peppers is from Sicily: SICILIANS DO IT BETTER! It is very tasty and you can enjoy it hot or cold better with toasted bread, it is a healthy vegetarian combination of flavors.

“Peperonata” is a very tasty pepper stew. You can find the ingredients all year round. You can enjoy it warm in the colder months; and during the summer, you can use it as a topping for your toasted bread to make a delicious “bruschetta” on top of some slices of toasted bread. “Peperonata” is perfect for vegetarians but not only. It is simply delicious.

Ingredients for 6 people

  • 1 kg of Pepperoni
  • 500 grams of fresh Tomatoes
  • 2 blonde Onion or better red Onion
  • Parsley
  • 50 grams of Capers
  • 100 grams of black Olives, better “Gaeta” Olives
  • 1 tablespoon of Origan
  • 6 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

1. In a pan heat the oil with the onion, previously cut into strips of about 1 cm, until it has softened, after add the pepperoni previously cut into strips of 1 cm, the fresh tomatoes, the capers, the black olives, 1 tablespoon of origan, a bit of parsley, salt and pepper.

2. Cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

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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
Appetizers Christmas Dinner Eggs Main Vegetarian

Russian Salad or Insalata Russa

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Russian salad or “Insalata Russa”

A typical recipe for a family Christmas dinner but you can prepare it anytime and maybe for a nice dinner with friends. This is a typical cold appetizer. A recipe grandmothers use every time there’s a family gathering or a special occasion. The Russian Salad flavor and texture  differs from the standard salads, as it uses boiled veggies rather than raw ones It is an easy a vegetarian dish.

Ingredients for 6 people

  • 3 large Potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
  • 4 Carrots peeled and diced
  • 200 grams of shelled Peas
  • 200 grams of green Beans boiled and cut in small pieces
  • 400 grams of Mayonnaise
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of Mustard
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer
  • “Prezzemolo” or Parsley to decorate

Preparation

1. Clean well the carrots and the potatoes, wash and chop into little cubes of the same size. Clean the green beans and cut them into small pieces.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add potatoes and carrot. Cook until potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Boil all the vegetables in salted water, add them when the water is at boiling temperature. Drain very well so that you eliminate all the water, pour into a bowl and mix the mayonnaise with the mustard, salt, and pepper.

3. In the meanwhile boil 3 eggs and once cooled, remove the shell and cut them in slices, you will need them to garnish the dish. Let the Russian salad rest refrigerated for 1 hour, decorate with the eggs and serve.

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Categories
Appetizers Christmas Dinner Eggs Vegetarian

Crème Brûlée with Parmesan Cheese

Creme Brulee

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  “Creme Brulee with Parmesan” or Creme Brulee al Parmigiano

This is a savory version of the traditional Crème Brûlée, easy to make and flavored with Parmesan cheese. A revisitation of the classic french creme bruleé but with a salty taste all Italian. One of the simplest recipes to impress your guests.

Ingredients for 8 small pudding molds

  • 200 ml of Milk
  • 200 ml of liquid Cream
  • 6 Egg yolks
  • 60 grams of Parmesan Cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Nutmeg, Salt and Pepper as you prefer
  • 2 tablespoons light brown Sugar as you prefer

Preparation

1. In a saucepan heat the cream with the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg and bring to boiling temperature. Turn off the heat and let it cool, meanwhile beat the 6 egg yolks and incorporate them into the mixture previously cooled, distribute into the small pudding molds and bake for 25-30 minutes at 90°.

2. Remove from the oven, let it cool, for a savory and sweet taste, sprinkle with the brown sugar and bake with grill mode for 1 or 2 minutes, based on the kind of oven.

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Categories
Chicken Dinner Main

Hunter’s Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora

 

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Roasted “Pollo alla Cacciatora” or Hunter’s Chicken Stew

One of the oldest recipes of the Italian cuisine, mainly from Tuscany region, this chicken olives and anchovies recipe is a great evening meal for all the family. A succulent dish with an ancient Italian heritage.

Ingredients

  • 1kg 200 grams of cut Chicken
  • 1 glass of Red Wine
  • 400 grams of fresh Tomato
  • 80 grams of Black Olives
  • 30 grams of Anchovies
  • 4 Bay leaves
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 clove of Garlic
  • Rosemary, Salt and Pepper as you prefer
  • 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

1. In a pan add 4 tablespoons of oil, garlic and let the chicken cook for about 10 minutes, add the black olives let it cook for about 4 minutes, then add a glass of red wine and let it evaporate.

2. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and rosemary, cooking then over medium heat for 30 minutes until the meat is tender. Enjoy.

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Categories
Lunch Main Pasta Seafood

Lasagna with Fresh Salmon or Lasagna al Salmone

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of “Lasagna with fresh Salmon or Italian Lasagna Recipe with Salmon”

The Classic Lasagna with Salmon is a delicious and easy dish, a luscious variation of the classic starter of the traditional Italian dish.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 250 grams of fresh Lasagna or Barilla lasagna (Italian brand)
  • 250 gram of fresh Salmon
  • 500 grams of “Besciamella” or Béchamel
  • A sprinkling of Black Pepper
  • 3 tablespoons of White Wine
  • 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 100 grams of grated Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients for the Besciamella or Béchamel Sauce

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

Preparation of The 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.

OUR SECRET: how to check if the béchamel is ready, when you put the spoon into the sauce and you take it out the sauce stays firmly attached to the spoon, sticky.

Preparation: Salmon

2. Pour in a pan 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Salmon, previously cut into small pieces, and brown for a few minutes, add 3 tablespoons of white wine and let it evaporate. In a large pot pour the water and bring to a boil. Once you reach the boil, dip one by one the sheets of lasagna, dip for 3 second no more.

Now we can assemble the lasagna and bake it

3. Start by placing a little bit of béchamel sauce on the bottom of the casserole, then build the 4 layers of lasagna, alternating pasta, salmon with béchamel and grated parmesan and than for 3 layers more. End the lasagna with the salmon and béchamel and grated parmesan. Bake uncovered at 200°degrees.

4. Once ready take them out from the oven and leave in the pan for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Lasagna al salmone