Posted on

Chicken with bell peppers

Chicken with bell peppers or pollo coi peperoni is a Roman dish, typically from the Castelli region. It is succulent and the smell while it’s cooking will make you salivate. It’s also very easy to prepare which is a bonus.

Prep time  10 min     Cook time  50-60 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 4-5
  •  1,2 kg (2.5 lbs) chicken cut into pieces
  • 3-4 big red bell peppers
  • 400g can of crushed tomatoes or fresh ripe ones
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 glass of white wine
  • extra vergin olive oil
  • basil
  • salt, pepper

1. Wash the peppers, remove the seeds and pith inside, cut in strips and dry.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan with garlic, add the washed and dried pieces of chicken and fry for a few minutes on all sides. Add some salt.

3. Add the wine and let simmer for a few minutes.

4. Add the peppers and tomatoes with some salt and pepper.

5. Cook at medium heat for 40 minutes with a lid on.

6. Add the basil and let the sauce reduce for 10 minutes without the lid.

tip: I sometimes use red and yellow peppers even though the original recipe calls for red peppers.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Easy peasy oven salmon

I love fish and particularly salmon. This next recipe is so easy and fast that you’ll have a delicious meal in a pinch. No sauces nor heavy cream required so it’s also a healthy option.

Prep time  5 min     Cook time  20 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 5-6
  • 1 kg salmon fillet
  • rock salt, rose pepper, dill

1. Place the fillet with skin under into a pan covered with wax paper.

2. Rub rock salt onto the flesh, add whole rose peppers or alternatively black peppers or lemon peppers and dill.

3. Place in a preheated oven at 200°C (390 F) for about 15-20 minutes.

4. Serve with baked or mashed potatoes, broccoli or a salad for a lighter option.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Greek dakos

Here is another recipe for a fast and fabulous lunch. Greek dakos, also called koukouvaia, is made with few ingredients and requires no cooking. It can be used as an appetizer as I do when I hold a Greek dinner at my house, or as an easy and fast lunch. It is more appropriate in spring or summer but when I’m in a hurry and don’t feel like cooking, dakos is what I make as long as I find sweet tomatoes.

Prep time  10 min

63-365

INGREDIENTS FOR 2
  • 2  large round barley rusk (sometimes I use Italian frisella)
  • 3-4 ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated, discard skin (I chop them and leave the skin)
  • 4-5 heaping tablespoons of feta, crumbled or grated
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • oregano
  • (olives)

Run the rusk under a spray of water to moisten. Drizzle oil on it. Grate (or chop) the tomatoes and spread them on the rusk. Top with crumbled feta. Sprinkle a generous amount of oregano and drizzle with oil. Add olives if you like them.

A fancier alternative as seen on the main image is to use Greek mizithra cheese and add some pickled rock samphire also known as sea fennel (kritamo). I pick it every time I go to Crete and pickle it to use on my dakos, frisella or salad.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Pasta with pesto and tomatoes

One of the easiest pasta dishes and at the moment my favourite is pasta with homemade pesto and fresh tomatoes. If you don’t have homemade pesto I guess you could use store bought pesto, gasp! Just kidding, use whatever you have on hand.

Prep time  5 minutes     Cook time 10-12 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 2
  • 160 g pasta of your choice
  • 3 heaping tbls of pesto
  • 8-10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Save a glass of the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile warm the oil in a medium size skillet over medium high heat with the garlic clove. Add the tomatoes, stir to coat and sprinkle with  1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the pesto to the tomatoes – I used 3 cubes of my frozen pesto (I freeze my pesto in an ice cube tray) and warmed it in the micro wave before adding it to the skillet.

3. Drain the pasta 1 min before it’s cooked al dente and pour in the skillet, stir to coat and add a little bit of the pasta water that you have previously saved, and finish cooking.

4. You may want to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on your plate.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Mascarpone mousse

Delicious and super fast dessert which makes it one of my favorite. It’s an all year round dessert which makes it even better.

Prep time  15 min + 2-3 hrs to refrigerate
INGREDIENTS FOR 6
  • 500g mascarpone
  • 200 g whipped cream
  • 4 yolks
  • 70g powdered sugar

to garnish

  • 2 cookies
  • grated dark chocolate
  • almond slices and/or grated white chocolate

1. Whip the cream and set aside.

2. Blend the yolks with the powered sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in the mascarpone gently.

3. Fold in the whipped cream and divide into 6 bowls.

4. Garnish with cookies, grated chocolate and almond slices.

5. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Spaghetti alla chitarra with lemon pesto

We love pasta and have it almost every day and I constantly need new pasta recipes. Lately I’ve tried different pesto recipes and this one was perfect for our evening pasta.

Prep time 10 min    Cook time 8-10 min depending on your pasta
INGREDIENTS FOR 4
  • 320g pasta alla chitarra (tonnarelli)
  • 1 lemon –  preferably organic
  • 30 g between fresh basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley, mint
  • 30 g peeled almonds
  • 30 g grated Parmesan
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of coarse salt

1. While cooking the pasta, prepare the lemon-herb pesto.

2. Grate the zest of 1/4 of a lemon (avoid the white part, it will make your pesto bitter), squeeze the juice of a half a lemon, add all the ingredients in a bowl and use a mixer or a hand blender until the pesto is quite smooth. Check for taste. I grated too much of the zest  therefore my pesto was too lemony at the end. I kind of liked it but will definitely use less zest the next time. Of course it depends on the size of your lemon. So start with less and add if needed.

3. Drain the pasta 1-2 minutes before it’s al dente and pour it into a pan. Mix the pesto with the pasta, add some pasta water and let simmer for 1 minute.

4. Sprinkle the Parmesan on your pasta.

Tip: keep always a glass of your pasta water to add into the pan if necessary while you mix your pasta with the sauce

Tip: no need to use all the above mentioned herbs or you could use others

BUON APPETITO!