Quick Meal Recipes

Seafood Risotto or Risotto ai Frutti di Mare

noreply@blogger.com (guinesso) — Mon, 8 Oct 2012 18:06:00 +0100

Risotto ai frutti di mare (seafood risotto) is a classic Italian dish which doesn't require any expert Chef skills but with little patience throughout the preparation, the end result will definitely taste outstanding. In this recipe I used mussels, clams, prawns and squids.

Ingredients:

400 gr. Carnaroli Rice

350 gr. Shelled Prawns

350 gr Squids

1 kg. Clams

1kg. Mussels

1 Onion

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Celery

1 Carrot

1 Red Chilli

500 ml. Fish Stock

1 Glass White Wine

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

Preparation:

Start preparing the seafood by cleaning the mussels and the clams keeping in mind to discard any open or broken shell, then soak them in a bawl of cold water for at least one hour.After this time, put them in a pan over high heat and cover with a lid.When all shells are open turn off the heat and strain the water they left trough a sieve and keep aside for later.Shell most of the clams and mussels but keep few with shells to garnish the risotto in the end.

Next step, eviscerate and peel the prawns and squids and wash thoroughly with fresh water.Finely chop all the veg (onion, garlic, celery and carrot) and add them to a hot pan but use only half onion this time and keep the half for later when we cook the risotto.Fry gently on low heat the veg for 10 mins then add the squids which you cleaned and cut into rings earlier and continue frying for another 5 mins before you add the prawns to the mixture.Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for another 5 mins and take off the heat and set aside.

At this point start cooking the risotto by adding oil to a large pan on a medium heat then add the the other half onion finely chopped and fry until translucent. Now add the Carnaroli rice to the pan and let infuse that onion oil for few mins before adding the white wine and let evaporate the alcohol.When the wine is reduced ,start adding the fish stock but 1 or 2 ladles at time.Repeat this process adding little stock until the rissoto is almost cooked aldente and add the mixture of cooked prawns and squids to the pan.Continue cooking for 5 mins and add the shelled mussels and clams and stir over heat everything for couple of mins and turn off the heat.

Finely chop the parsley and sprinkle over risotto and cover with a lid.Leave to rest for 5 mins before serving.

Serve immediately and garnish with few unshelled mussels and clams that I've asked to keep aside earlier .

Enjoy this lovely risotto!

Chicken with Cream and Mushrooms Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (guinesso) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:39:00 +0100

Chicken with Cream and Mushrooms is a delicious,silky lovely dish made with juicy,tender chicken breasts .To make this I was inspired by a French classic called Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons ( sorry my french ) to which I add my little twist ....

Ingredients:

4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts

2 shallots

1 clove garlic

300 g small chestnut mushrooms

200 g fresh double cream

1 spring fresh thyme

300 ml chicken stock

1 glass white wine

1tbs Dijon mustard

20 g plain flour

50 g butter

3 tbs olive oil

salt & pepper

chopped parsley

Preparation:

Start by preparing the chicken and the veg ready to be cook as so,cut the chicken breasts into 2 cm cubes,finely chop the shallots and garlic then,slice the mushrooms .Figure 1

Figure 1

In a preheated pan put the olive oil and the butter and gently fry the shallots and garlic mixture on a low heat for 10 mins until they soften ,then add the chicken .Cook for 10 minutes on all sides and then season well with salt and pepper before adding the sliced mushrooms. Figure 2 & 3

Add the thyme and white wine and cook for 5 minutes to let the alcohol evaporate.

Figure 2

Figure 3

In a different small pan ,melt 20 g butter and add flour to form a roux ,then add the chicken stock stirring continuously .When you finish you should have a nice bechamel sauce. Figure 4 & 5

figure 4

Figure 5

Add the bechamel to the chicken/mushroom mixture ,then add the Dijon mustard and the fresh cream and continue cooking for another couple of minutes until the sauce has thickened. Figure 6 ,7 ,8 ,9

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Make the last adjustments like adding more salt or pepper if necessary ,and sprinkle with the chopped parsley before serving. Figure 10 ,11

Figure 11

Figure 10

Thai Red Chicken Curry with White Rice

noreply@blogger.com (guinesso) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:23:00 +0100

Thai red curry is definitely one of the most fragrant and sumptuous recipe that go well with chicken or shrimps and can be made as spicy you like from mild to very hot.

I will share my own style of red chicken curry recipe I've cooked lately...

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts(skinless & boneless)

5 spring onions

200 gr sugar snaps

1 little jar of char-grilled peppers

1 cm piece of ginger

2 cloves garlic

1 or 2 fresh red chilies

1tbs brown sugar

1 lime(zest and juice)

1 can of coconut milk

wilted spinach

3 curry leaves

Preparation:

-For the curry sauce ,cut 3 spring onions into chunks,clean and chop the ginger and garlic and place them in a food processor with a cutting blade attached,together with a the grilled peppers and whiz for few seconds.Add salt and fresh chilies to that,the brown sugar and lime zest and juice and whiz again to form the curry paste.Figure 1 & 2

Figure 1

Figure 2

-Cut the chicken breast into 2 cm pieces and put them in little bowl together with half of the curry paste to marinate for 15 mins.Figure 3

Figure 3

-Heat 3tbs cooking oil in a wok and add the marinated chicken breasts to fry over high heat for few mins,stirring continuously to brown the meat.Figure 4

Figure 4

-Add the rest of curry paste and simmer all stirring occasionally for couple mins before adding the sugar snaps,wilted spinach curry leaves and the rest of spring onions which you previously cut into small pieces.Continue to simmer on medium heat until the chicken and the veg are cooked.Figure 5

Figure 5

-Add the coconut milk and cook all for 1 minute or not too long anyway before serving.Figure 6 & 7

Figure 6

Figure 7

White Rice:

Figure 8

1 mug filled with long grain rice

2 of same mugs of water

1 dash of olive oil

Put the rice in pot and add water twice the rice amount in this case a tea mug of rice/2 mugs of water and a splash of olive oil.Season with salt and cover to simmer on low heat for 8-10 mins allowing the rice to fully cook.Figure 8

Pasta with Mushrooms, Bacon and Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:10:00 GMT

Tortiglioni alla Boscaiola

This is a classic Italian dish, most enjoyed in the fall when you can find the beautiful fresh Porcini mushrooms. But in my recipe I will use chestnut mushrooms with some dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in water.

Ingredients:

(Figure 1)

400 gr pasta (any pasta will do)

1 onion

400 gr mushrooms

300 gr peeled tomatoes

120 gr pancetta

50 gr black olives

olive oil

ground pepper

chopped parsley

Figure 1

Preparation:

Step1:- clean the mushrooms & cut them into slices

-slice the olives and chop the tomatoes after you peeled and seed them

Step 2:- in a hot pan start browning the pancetta, while in another pan fry the chopped onion until soft then add the mushrooms and cook for few minutes(Fig2&3&4)

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Step3:-place the pasta in plenty salted water and cook them al dente (*one minute less then it says on the packet)

-go back to the sauce and add the olives, tomatoes and the pancetta to your sauteed mushrooms (Fig 5)

Figure 5

-cook the sauce for 7-8 minutes, until tomatoes are soft(Fig 6) and by that time the pasta should be al dente

Figure 6

Step4:-drain the pasta and pour into the sauce pan (Fig 7)

Figure 7

-toss well to coat the pasta with the rich sauce and finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley(Fig 8)

Figure 8

Serve immediately with grated Parmesan cheese!!(Fig 9)

Figure 9

Mussels in White Wine Sauce and Cherry Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (guinesso) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:07:00 GMT

Ingredients:

1kg Fresh Mussels

2 x Cloves of Garlic

300g Cherry tomatoes

200 ml White Wine

Basil Leaves

Parsley (chopped)

Preparation:

Step1:Clean well the mussels,unless your fishmonger did already and set them aside in fresh salted water.This will help loose fine grains of sand inside the shells. (Fig 1)

Figure 1

Step2:Add 3 tbs good olive oil in a hot pan and fry the finely chopped garlic on medium heat until turns golden.

Step3:Now add the mussels and the cherry tomatoes cut in half together with the wine and cover.(Fig 2&3&4)

Figure2

Figure3

Figure4

-Let cook on high heat until all mussels shells opened and the alcohol evaporate.

Step4:Sprinkle around the fresh basil leaves and the chopped parsley. Serve immediately with toasted ciabatta !

Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs

noreply@blogger.com (guinesso) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:03:00 GMT

Ingredients:

500g Spare Ribs

1x Egg

Soy Sauce

Honey

Rice Vinegar

Cornflour

Salt

1 cm peeled and chopped piece of Ginger

Preparation:

Step1:-Add 3 tbs of cooking oil to a hot smoking wok and braise the ribs at high heat for 5 minutes as in Fig.1

Then fill the wok with boiling water and continue cooking for 15 minutes until the ribs are 70% cooked.Drain the water and place the spare ribs in a bowl with salt,vinegar,egg and cornflour to marinate for 10 min.

Fig.1

Step2:.In a different bowl combine together soy sauce,honey and cornflour to make the sauce.

Step3.-Place the wok back on the high heat with 3 tbs of oil and add the marinated spare ribs to cook until they turn golden,then add the sweet and sour sauce.Fig.2

Fig.2

Step4.Toss everything for couple of minutes and serve immediately.

Fig.3

Egg Fried Rice

noreply@blogger.com (guinesso) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:38:00 GMT

This is an Chinese classic dish,tasty and very easy to make.The beauty of it is that the fried rice will gratefully embrace any leftovers from your previous meals.Well,in any situation you have to use boiled and cooled rice,otherwise it will go all sticky.Here I'm doing a plain version of the egg friend rice,but as I said you can always throw in some spring onions or peas according to your taste.

Ingredients:

2 x Eggs

2 x Tsp Sesame Oil

2 x Tbs Vegetable Oil

2 x Tbs Soy Sauce

200g Long-Grain Rice,previously cooked and cooled

Preparation:

Step1:- Beat the eggs with the sesame oil and add to a very hot wok and cook for few minutes as in Fig.1

Stir continuously to break the egg like you do with scrambled eggs Fig.2

Fig.1

Fig.2

At this point you can add your veg or left overs,but as I mentioned my version will be plain.

Step2:-Add the cooked rice and stir fry for couple of minutes until some of the rice begin to caramelize and give a last toss to coat well in oil and mix in the egg.

Fig.3

Step3:-Season well with Soy sauce and pepper and serve immediately.

Stir Fried Noodles with Shrimps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:14:00 GMT

Ingredients:

500 gr rice noodles

150 gr shrimps

2tbs soy sauce

1 tbs sesame oil

1 green onion or shallot chopped

1 carrot finely chopped
1 fresh red chilly finely chopped

Preparation:

Step1:- soak the noodles in warm water for 5-7 minutes
-drain them and set aside
Step2:-warm cooking oil in a wok and add the finely chopped veg (Fig1&2)

Figure 1

Figure 2

-stir fry for 2-3 min before adding the noodles and the shrimps(Fig 3)

Figure 3

-continue cooking for another 5 min and add the soy sauce and the sesame oil

Step 3:- toss everything together and serve immediately (Fig 4)

Figure 4

Beef Stir Fry

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:19:00 GMT

Ingredients:

350 gr Sirloin steak

1 shallot

1 carrot

2 tbs(tablespoon) cornflour

2 cm piece of ginger (peeled and finely chopped)

1 fresh red chilly

100 gr sugar snap peas

Preparation:

Step1:-cut the steaks across the grain into 2-3 cm pieces and then each piece again into wafer-thin stripes (Fig1&2)

Figure 2

Figure 1

-mix the steak stripes with a pinch of salt and cornflour to coat the meat

Step2:-heat 3 tbs of cooking oil in a wok (Fig 3) and fry 5 min to precook and set aside (Fig 4&5)

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

-add again 3 tbs of oil in the same wok and add the mixture of finely chopped carrot, shallot, garlic, chilly and ginger (Fig 6)

Figure 6

Step3:-stir and fry them for 5 min

-add the precooked beef to the veg mix together with the sugar snap peas

(Fig 7&9)

Figure 7

-continue to stir fry until the beef is fully cooked and then add the sauce*

(Fig 8)

Figure 8

Step4:-give a final toss to coat all ingredients with sauce and serve

(Fig 9)

Figure 9

*Preparation of the Sauce:

Ingredients:
1 tbs oyster sauce
1tbs soy sauce
1/2 tbs sugar
1 teaspoon cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon of cornflour
1 dash of sesame oil
black pepper

Mix in a small bowl all the above ingredients(Fig 10)

Figure 10

Green Lentil Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:50:00 GMT

The lentil soup is a delicious warm dish, great for cold winter evenings.

Ingredients:

1 carrot finely chopped

1 celery stick

1 onion finely chopped

350 gr green lentils (soak for at least 2 hours)

1 rosemary spring

1 spring of sage

2 bay leaves

750 ml vegetables stock

200 gr lardons

Preparation:

Step1:-warm olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the chopped vegetables

-fry gently for about 5 min until translucent (Fig 1)

Figure 1

-drain the lentils and add to vegetables. Continue cooking for 5 min, stirring (Fig 2)

Figure 2

Step2:-tie the herbs to make a bouquet garni and add to the pan together with the stock
-simmer the soup over medium heat for about one hour until the lentils are soft
-discard the bouquet garni and set aside 4 spoonfuls of lentils to garnish (Fig 3)

Figure 3

Step3:-blend the soup in a food processor(Fig 4) and push through a sieve (Fig 5)

Figure 4

Figure 5

-pour back into a pan, season to taste and bring back to boil

Step4:-fry the lardons in a different pan with a splash of oil until start to crisp (Fig 6)

Figure 6

-add the bacon to the soup and sprinkle chopped parsley

Serve hot with a splash of virgin olive oil, toasted croutons and grated Parmesan.

Squid ink spaghetti with shrimps and cherry tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 3 Mar 2012 00:41:00 GMT

Spaghetti Nerro di Seppia con Gamberi e Pomodorini

In this recipe I use as you see spaghetti with little twist. Squid ink!..it is just what it sounds like the ink from squids which adds both a sea tag and a lovely black glow to pasta. You can cook it yourself by asking your fishmonger to give you some really fresh squids from which you extract the ink bags. I won`t go through this preparation now as in my recipe I used ready made black ink pasta.

Ingredients:

300 gr fresh shrimps

2 small fresh squids

2 cloves garlic

1/2 glass of white wine

300 gr cherry tomatoes

salt&pepper

dried Chilli flakes

extra virgin Olive Oil

Preparation:

Step1:- start by peeling the shrimps as in Figure 1&2&3- peeling just the tail and leaving the head on. This add more flavor to the sauce and I think that it looks better.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

-clean the squid as in Figure 4:

Grab the squid tail in one hand and the head in the other.

Figure 4

firmly pull apart maybe with a slight twisting motion
the head and the innards should easily slip out
the tentacles and the body tube are edible
cut the head above the eyes and discard the innards

! One thing that I forgot to tell you, actually the ink sac is located in the innards. It looks like a black vein and it is easy to remove with your fingernail.

now back to the squid tube you will see that is covered in a super thin layer of a spotty skin. Although it is edible, I suggest to peel it off as the result will look better. Inside the squid tube you can also see a thin, clear sliver of cartilage like a super thin shard of glass (as you can see in Figure 5) ! It is inedible and must be removed . Simply grab the cartilage with your fingers and pull it from the squid body. It should release fairly easy.

Figure 5

Step 2:- start cooking the pasta in salty boiling water. If the instruction on the package says 10 min, cook it for 9 min, 1 min less to achieve proper al dente pasta.(Figure 6)

Figure 6

Step3:-in a hot large pan, drizzle some olive oil and put the crushed, chopped garlic and a pinch of chilli flakes. Fry gently for couple of minutes and add the squid rings

-continue to fry over medium heat now for another 2 minutes

-add the shrimps. When they start to turn pink add the wine and let to evaporate the alcohol (Figure 7)

Figure 7

-once you did that, add the cherry tomatoes and stir

-let everything cook for 5 min, time in which your pasta should be al dente

Figure 9

Figure 8

Step4:-drain the pasta and transfer to the pan (Figure 8&9)

-toss everything to coat pasta in the sauce and add little chopped parsley or few leaves of basil (Fig 10)

Figure 10

Figure 11- Just for fun, kids!

Serve hot! NO Parmesan :)))

Risotto al Pomodoro - Tomato Risotto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:35:00 GMT

This Risotto is a very simple dish in which the taste of sweet cherry tomatoes are combined with the freshness aroma of chopped basil. Makes a great vegetarian dish but also a delicious meal for everyone else.

Ingredients:

10-15 Cherry tomatoes

400 gr Carnaroli rice (nothing wrong with Arborio)

1 l vegetable stock or chicken stock

100 ml passata or tomato paste

1 medium onion

200 gr butter
Extra virgin olive oil

500 gr grated Parmesan cheese

salt

Preparation:

Step1:- begin to brown the finely chopped onion in olive oil over low heat for about 10 min until the onion become transparent (Fig 1)

Figure 1

-pour the rice and fry for couple of minutes before adding a ladle of stock and let it evaporate (Fig 2&3)

Figure 2

Figure 3

Step2:-add the peeled tomatoes to which you previously added a teaspoon of sugar to remove the acidity and mix well (Figure 4,5,6&7)

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

-add a ladle of stock every time the rice will dry up (Fig 8&9)

Figure 8

Figure 9

-add to taste and color a tablespoon of tomato paste or passata (Fig 10)

Figure 10

Step3:-cook until the rice al dente

-add the chopped basil and season with salt if necessary (Fig 11)

Figure 11

-remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and grated Parmesan (Fig 12&13)

Figure 12

Figure 13

Serve hot, garnished with couple of basil leaves and sprinkle grated Parmesan.

Bechamel sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:35:00 GMT

Ingredients:

100 gr butter

100 gr flour

1 l milk

salt&nutmeg

Preparation:

Step1:-melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour making it cook for few minutes (Figure 1&2)

Figure 1

Figure 2

-at this point you got what the French call "roux".
-remove the pan from heat, add milk mixing with a whisk or a wooden spoon (Figure 3)

Figure 3

Step2:-return the pan on low fire and cook the sauce for 10-15 min or the time to thicken the sauce stirring from time to time (Fig 4)

Figure 4

Lasagna alla Bolognese

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:22:00 GMT

Lasagna is known at this point as an icon of Italian cuisine. This recipe is the epitome of the richness of the traditional Bolognese sauce and is loved by children and adults as well.

Ingredients:

500 gr Lasagna fresh sheets

300 gr minced beef

250 gr minced pork

1 carrot

1 onion

1 celery stack

1 cup red wine

1 tin of tomatoes and tomato paste concentrate

100 gr bacon

olive oil, Salt&Pepper

500 gr Bechamel sauce*(see the preparation of it on

http://lovermeals.blogspot.com/2012/02/bechamel-sauce.html)

Preparation:

Step1:-preparing the BOLOGNESE SAUCE by adding the chopped onion, carrot and celery in a oiled hot pan

-try to mix for few minutes until soft and then add the finely chopped bacon, followed by minced meats and fry together for few minutes over high heat to brown the meat (Fig 1)

Figure 1

-add the red wine and let to evaporate the alcohol while maintaining the high flame

-add the tinned tomatoes and the tomato paste concentrate the pepper and a pinch of salt and stir continuously for 5 min (Fig 2)

Figure 2

-add 250 ml of stock or water

-let simmer at medium heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and more add more stock if needed

When the Bolognese sauce is ready preheat the oven to 160*C and start assemble the Lasagna

Step2:-spread little butter in a rectangular pan and spread couple of tablespoons of sauce on the bottom

-lay 2/3 Lasagna sheets over it and now add plenty of sauce to spread over the pasta sheets. (Fig 3)

Figure 3

Step3:-sprinkle some grated Parmesan and add also few tablespoons of Bechamel sauce

-cover again with pasta and proceed the same way to achieve few layers in the baking pan until exhausting all the sauce, but save a bit of Bolognese sauce to mix with the Bechamel to spread over the last layer of pasta(Fig 4&5)

Figure 4

Figure 5

Step4:-sprinkle your Lasagna with plenty Parmesan cheese and bake all for at least 30-90 min (Figure 6)

Figure 6

The Lasagna will be ready once you see a golden crust on top. Remove from oven and let to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut and serve until still hot. (Fig 7)

Figure 7

Cream of Mushrooms Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:12:00 GMT

Figure 1

The cream of mushrooms soup (Fig 1) is a very simple and fast recipe to prepare. The mushrooms will give the lovely velvety and unique flavor.

Ingredients:

500gr mixed mushrooms

700 ml chicken or vegetable stock

250 gr diced potatoes

1 medium onion (or 2 shallots)

1 clove of garlic

salt&pepper

1 spring pf parsley

Preparation:

Step1:-start by cleaning the mushrooms with a damp cloth, remove the earth base of the steams

-slice them in order to preserve if possible the shape of the mushrooms (Fig3)

-peel the potatoes and cut them in small cubes (Fig 2) and finely slice or dice the onions (shallots)

Figure 2

Figure 3

Step2:-add a splash of olive oil to a hot pan and throw a knob of butter.

-add the onions (shallots), the garlic and let to brown gently for a couple of minutes

-now add the mushrooms and let it cook for about 10 min at medium heat before adding the potatoes. (Fig 4)

Figure 4

! here I like using potatoes to thicken the soup, but often flour will do the same. That`s your call!

Step3:-season slightly with salt&pepper and add the stock

-simmer for about 15 min until the potatoes are soft

-remove from the heat and save some nice shaped mushrooms slices for decorating the soup later (Fig 5)

Figure 5

Step4:-blend the soup (Fig 6)and finally add the cream and some chopped parsley.

Figure 6

Figure 7

Serve hot with croutons, grated Parmesan and decorate with the mushrooms slices you saved.

In addition, to enhance the flavor add couple drops of truffle flavored oil.

Cream of Carrot Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:28:00 GMT

Ingredients:

450 gr sliced carrots

300 ml chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 clove of garlic
1 chopped celery stick

1 chopped onion

1 potato (peeled and chopped)

Preparation:

Step1:-in a sauce pan melt butter and saute the onion, garlic,chopped celery and the carrots for 5 min (Fig 1)

Figure 1

-add the potato and the broth and cook for 20-30 mins until the veges are tender (Fig 2)

Figure 2

-remove from heat and let cool (Fig 3)

Figure 3

Step2:-transfer the soup into a food processor and blend (Fig 4)

-add salt&pepper to taste (Fig 5)

Figure 4

Figure 5

Serve with a dash of cream and grated Parmesan!

Cannelloni with Spinach&Ricotta

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:09:00 GMT

Figure 1

Cannelloni are a typical first course of Italian tradition, very tasty and easy to cook. Cannelloni are made by rectangles of pasta rolled with filling of ricotta and spinach. (fig 1)

Ingredients:

200 gr fresh lasagna pasta sheets

2 eggs

400 gr ricotta

500 gr spinach

100 gr Parmesan cheese

1 large pinch grated nutmeg

500 ml Bechamel sauce*
(See how to prepare it on http://lovermeals.blogspot.com/2012/02/bechamel-sauce.html )

Preparation:

Step1:-for FILLING, wash the spinach and boil in very little water and salt

-drain and squeeze them in order to remove more water as possible

-chop with a knife or a food processor and place them in a bowl with Ricotta crumbled, the nutmeg, the egg, the ground pepper and grated cheese. (fig 2)

-mix well and stir evenly all,then season with salt.

Figure 2

Step2:-put your fresh rectangular sheets of pasta in boiled water for 1-2 min and dry them on a clean towel

-put at the center of each a spoon full of filling and roll the dough to form cylinders (fig3&4)

Figure 3

Figure 4

Step3:-oil or butter a large pan enough to hold all Cannelloni forming a single layer and spread 2-3 table spoons of Bechamel sauce on the bottom (fig5)

Figure 5

-immediately after add the Canneloni and then cover them with Parmesan and bake at 200*C for 25 min using the grill for the last 5 min to brown the top. (fig 6)

Figure 6

Pasta ai Broccoli

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:21:00 GMT

Ingredients:

300 gr Broccoli florets and trimmed stalks

pasta Linguine (in my case, but any other kind of paste works fine)

3 cloves of garlic

salt&pepper

olive oil

Preparation:

Step 1:- add approx 1-2 l water, season with salt and bring to boil into a deep pan

Step 2:- add the broccoli and pasta together and cook till the pasta aldente

-while broccoli and pasta is cooking, into a saute pan add olive oil and gently fry the finely chopped garlic

Step 3:-drain the pasta and broccoli through a sieve and save one cup of that starchy water to add later in your sauce

Step 4:-toss to combine well and if needed add a bit of starchy water if the sauce is too dry

Serve with grated Parmesan.

Roasted Tomato Cream Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:05:00 GMT

Ingredients:

1kg mixed tomatoes (cherry tomatoes+plum tomatoes+vine tomatoes)

1 or 2 onions

1 head or couple of clove of garlic

1 carrot

1 celery stick
300 ml vegetables stock

pinch of salt&pepper

Preparation:

Step 1 -turn the oven on to 200*C/400*F/gas6
-put all ingredients in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt flakes(Fig 1)

Figure 1

-leave to roast till the tomatoes are starting to peel and the rest of the vegetables are nicely roasted.(Fig 2)

Figure 2

Step 2 - chuck the tomatoes and the veg in a pan (Fig 3) and add the vegetables stock (Fig 4)

Figure 3

Figure 4

-simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes (Figure 5&6)

Figure 5

Figure 6

-discard the vines from tomatoes.
-blend everything and pass through a sieve (Fig 7)

Figure 7

Step 3- add salt and pepper and serve with cream and croutons!(Fig 10)

Step4- Preparation of Mozzarella topped croutons:

Figure 8

-cut Ciabatta in 2 cm thick slices
-drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt flakes
-rip a Mozzarella Bocconcino and put over the Ciabatta slices (Fig 8)
-bash the garlic head and scatter around the tray with some rosemary and thyme sprigs
-roast in oven for around 10-15 min until croutons are lovely golden and the mozzarella melted nicely (Fig 9)

Figure 9

Figure 10

Broccoli and Stilton Cream Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:04:00 GMT

Ingredients:

350 gr broccoli, florets and stalks

1 onion finely diced

1 celery stalk

50 gr Stilton

pinch of grated nutmeg

salt&ground black pepper

50 gr butter

Preparation:

Step 1:-heat the butter in a pan and gently fry the diced onion and the chopped celery stalk till soft

-add to the mixture the broccoli florets and the stalk which you peeled and chopped

-stir well and add the broth and let simmer for 10-15 min

Step 2:-add the Stilton and the grated nutmeg, season to taste with salt&pepper

-allow to cool slightly then blend the soup

Step 3 serve with croutons and top with cream and grated Parmesan

Minestrone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:03:00 GMT

Minestrone soup is a light and healthy dish, simple but quite long and laborious to prepare because of cleaning and cutting of the many veges that compose it. Even so, believe me that it will worth it!

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic

1 large onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

50 gr cauliflower

1 small courgette

1 medium potato

100 gr frozen peas

50 gr leeks

100 gr beans

40 gr smoked bacon

100 gr small pasta

parsley&basil

Preparation:

Step1:- bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the small pasta until al dente.

-drain and save it for later.

Step2:-start preparing your veges by washing, peeling and dice finely the onion and chop the carrot, celery,and the courgette

-put them to gently fry in a large pot with olive oil

-add the cauliflower florets and the sliced bacon on saute all until soft

-after 10 min add also the peas and beans then cover all with cold water and bring to boil

-add some Parmesan rinds for flavor and season with salt

-cover the soup and let simmer until the vegetables are cooked

Step3:-add your cooked pasta, parsley and chopped basil and complete with a round of olive oil and ground pepper (if you like)

Serve hot and top with grated Parmesan!

Peas and Ham Creamy Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Figure 1

(4 portions)

...a lovely tasty soup with the simplest ingredients.

Ingredients:

500 gr frozen peas

250 gr ham cubes

1/2 l chicken stock

1 large chopped onion

1 celery stick, chopped

1 chopped carrot

Preparation:

Step1:- heat butter in a large sauce pan and add chopped onion, carrot and celery and let to soften

-add the chicken stock and let to simmer gently for 10-15 min

Step 2:-in a heated pan add the ham cubes and let fry for 2-3 min and set aside

Step 3:-back to the soup, check if the veges are cooked to your likely and add the peas

-let to simmer for another 5 min just to slightly soften the peas but keep the lovely green color

Step 4:-let to cool a bit and liquidize the soup and strain all through a sieve

-to finish add the browned bacon cubes to the soup and serve with croutons and grated Parmesan. (fig 1)

Homemade Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:21:00 GMT

Originated in Napoli(Naples), Italy, Pizza has become popular and loved everywhere in the world! With the simplest ingredients I will show you how to cook gorgeous, delicious pizza at home.

The pizza dough is a basic preparation made from flour, water, yeast, oil and salt that will be needed to realize all the pizza you fancy, as thin or higher you desire.

Remember to start preparing the dough at least 2 hours before baking the pizza, so it allows to prove (good leavening).

Ingredients:

(for 4 pizzas)

1kg flour

5 gr yeast

600 ml water

5 tablespoons olive oil

20 gr salt

1 teaspoons sugar

*Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

1 tin peeled tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

pinch of salt&pepper

olive oil

Preparation of the tomato sauce:

-put the olive oil in a hot pan together with the crusted clove of garlic and fry until the garlic is slightly browned (Figure 1)

Figure 1

-pour over the peeled tin tomatoes and leave to simmer on a low heat to reduce (Figure 2)

Figure 2

-season with salt&pepper and crush the tomatoes with a potatoes masher to form a dense consistency sauce. (Figure 3)

Figure 3

Preparation of dough:

Step1:- place the flour in a large bowl and make a hole, a well in the center. (Figure 4)

Figure 5

Figure 4

Step2:-take another bowl, pour 300-400 ml warm to dissolve the yeast and the sugar

-stir well until dissolved and insert at the center of the flour

-now in another little bowl dissolve 20 gr salt in lukewarm water, add the oil to that and pour over the flour in the little well

-save apart a bit of flour and warm water which will help you reach the desired consistency which must be soft and elastic

Step3:-start to knead, work until the dough is smooth and soft but consistent with whom you will form a ball (Figure 5&6&7) that you are going to lay in a large bowl dusted with flour to prove cover the bowl with cling film and a clean tea towel and store it in a warm place away from drafts for one hour and 30 min. (Figure 7a)

Figure 7

Figure 6

Figure 7a

-after that your dough must double in size (Figure 8)

Figure 8

Step4:-now proceed to portion the dough in 4 balls (Figure 9)

Figure 9

-place the 4 dough balls in a tray with quite a distance between them

-drizzle them with olive oil and cover again with cling film and tea towel and leave them again in a warm place to raise again for minimum 3 hours. (Figure 10)

Figure 10

Step5:-after 1 hour the dough balls are well leavened (Figure 11)

Figure 11

-take one ball and roll it out to form circle with a diameter of about 30cm (Figure 12)

Figure 12

-place it on a pizza tray after you drizzled it with oil

Step6:-start generously stuffing the pizza as you desire

-FIRST put the tomato sauce* and then diced mozzarella and followed by any ingredients you want. (tomato sauce and mozzarella make a Pizza Margherita)

Calzone Pizza-Figure 13 (a-e)
-olives,
-ham,
-pepperoni,
-mushrooms

Figure 13b

Figure 13a

Figure 13d

Figure 13c

Figure 13e

Figure 13

In the next part I will share with you some of my favorites.

Pizza Anchovies Fig 14
-Anchovies
-Pitted black olives

Figure 14

Pizza Quattro Stagioni Figure 15(a-b)

-Black olives

-Prosciutto cotto

-Pepperoni

-Mushrooms

-Chilly

Figure 15a

Figure 15b

Figure 15

Special for children! :) (Figure 16&17)

-Ham

-Mushrooms

-Frankfurters (sausages)

Figure 16

Figure 17

Parma & Rocket (Fantasia)....called this because it can look as you like using your fantasy. Fig 18 (18a&18b)

-Proscitto Crudo(Parma Ham)
-Ruccola (Rocket)
-tomatoes
-Pamesan shavings

Figure 18a

Figure 18b

Figure 18

Pizza Ricotta and Potatoes Fig 19 (a-c)
-Ricotta
-Provolone
-Cooked potatoes
-Pancetta slices

Figure 19a

Figure 19b

Figure 19

Figure 19c

Linguine ai Frutti di Mare

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:42:00 GMT

(4 portions)

This is a simple but very tasty seafood pasta dish so much appreciated by all fish lovers. The flavor of its sauce is enriched with tomato, garlic and a mix of seafood, originated from south Italy.

Ingredients:

500 gr pasta Linguine

400 gr large shrimps

300 gr squids, cut into rings

4 large Langoustines (fig 2)

3 cloves of garlic

200 gr tomatoes peeled and seed

parsley

Figure 2

Preparation:

Figure 3

Step1:- in a large pan add virgin Olive Oil and a crushed clove of garlic and let to sizzle until soft

-add the 4 langoustines to the pan and let to cook gently for 5-10 min

-just before they cooked add a splash of brandy and let infuse

-finish with a bit of chopped parsley (figure 3)

Step 2:-in another large pan heat 3tbs virgin Olive Oil ,then add the rest of the crushed garlic cloves and a fresh chopped chilly followed by the squid rings and the shrimps and let cook for 5 min (Figure4)

Figure 4

-add the chopped tomatoes and let them to soften, over low heat

Step 3:- now place the pasta in boiling salted water and cook al dente (figure 5)

-when ready, drain the pasta and add them to the seafood sauce

-stir well everything until pasta is coated in sauce

Figure 5

To serve, put the pasta in a plate together with seafood sauce add a large Langoustine and sprinkle chopped parsley on the top. (figure 6)

Figure 6

Five Spices Duck Breast

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:26:00 GMT

Ingredients:

4x200g duck breasts

Chinese five-spice

Dried thyme

1 fresh red chilli

1/2 a lemon

bunch of fresh mint

ciabatta bread

a small bunch of rosemary

5 cloves of garlic

1 pomegranate

1x100g bag of prewashed lamb`s lettuce or rocket

2 carrots

a small bunch of radish

1 punnet of cress

Preparation:

Step 1-Duck :-we start by dusting the breast with the five spice after we scored the skin of the duck`s breast in a crisscross way.

-put them skin down in a hot frying pan and press down with a small lid and let to cook till crispy for around 10-15 min and turn side and cook to your liking.

- when done to your liking take the duck to rest on a chopping board while we finally chop the chilli with and the mint and we drizzle the board with olive oil and the juice of the lemon, season with salt.

- slice the breast and coat them with the chilli and mint dressing

Step 2- Croutons: -cut the ciabatta into 3 cm thick slices and put them into a roasting tray

- drizzle over some olive oil, tear in a few of rosemary branches and crush 5 unpeeled cloves of garlic over the ciabattas. Add a good pinch of salt&pepper.

-toss them around and bake 15 min in the oven

Step 3-Salad- release the seeds from 1/2 of the pomegranate with a spoon by bashing the back of it

-add to the bowl the lamb`s lettuce or rocket and few mint leaves

-top&tail the carrots and speed-peel them in

-slice the radishes

Salad dressing: a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with a good splash of balsamic, salt&pepper and 1/2 juice of the lemon.