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Venetian style liver

Fegato alla veneziana (finely sliced liver with gently stewed onions) is one of the most classic Venetian dishes and appreciated also by those who don’t care that much for liver.

prep time 10 min     cook time 45-50 min
ingredients for 4
  • 450 g calf’s liver, finely sliced
  • 2 white onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 Tbls extra virgin olive oil (+ a knob of butter, optional)
  • 1/4 glass of white wine vinegar (optional)
  • salt and pepper
  • finely chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oil (and butter if using) in a large pan, add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly and making sure they don’t brown. Add the vinegar – some use white wine or lemon juice instead of vinegar – and gently cook covered for  additional 30 minutes. 

2. Slice the liver thin and sauté in the pan with the onions, raising the heat.

3. Continue cooking for another four or five minutes, turning the liver slices continually and seasoning with salt and pepper at the last minute.

4. Be sure the liver is cooked to a turn: if overcooked it gets hard and dry, if undercooked it is bloody and sweetish. Serve piping hot, sprinkled with minced parsley, accompanied with slices of grilled polenta, mashed potatoes or greens of your choice. I paired it today with delicious asparagus.

BUON APPETITO!

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Chicken alla diavola

Originally a Roman recipe but every region has a variation of this succulent dish. In the Roman version, which is what I use, the chicken is crushed by a weight against the frying pan for it to better adhere and create its crunchy crust.

prep time 10 min + 30 min marinating    cook time 50-60 min
ingredients for 4
  • 1 kg chicken, whole
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • crushed or powdered peperoncino
  • optional: rosemary/oregano/garlic

1. To cook chicken alla diavola, start by cutting your chicken from top to bottom along the spine. You can also cut it along the chest, but the important thing is that you can then crush it and make it stick well to the frying pan.

2. Flatten the chicken on a work surface and wet the meat with two tablespoons of olive oil to which you have previously added the peperoncino. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let marinate about 30 min, so that it can absorb the flavors well. You can also add herbs and aromas to further flavor the meat, but do not overdo it – you don’t want to obscure its flavor.

3. Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and place the chicken with the split part down. Cover the chicken with a flat plate, I used a round tray, and a weight to keep it pressed while cooking. I used a pot full of water. Keep the chicken in this position and let it cook for 25 minutes over low to medium heat, allowing it to brown without burning the skin. After 25 min turn the chicken and let it cook for another 25-30 min. There is another school of thought which asks you to keep turning the chicken every 5 minutes. I belong to the turn-one-time-only category 🙂

4. Serve the chicken well browned, hot and crunchy!

BUON APPETITO!

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Fusilli with radicchio, gorgonzola and walnuts

This is one of those recipes that you either love or hate due to the strong flavours of radicchio, the Italian red chicory, and gorgonzola cheese which divide opinions quite radically. This pasta is a blend of bitter radicchio, salty gorgonzola and crunchy walnuts. If you find radicchio too bitter for your taste, you can replace it with red cabbage. Not the same thing, but in your kitchen you can be as creative as you like.

prep time 10 min     cook time 10 min
ingredients for 4
  • 360g pasta, I used fusilli
  • small onion, chopped
  • 150g radicchio, a small head
  • 150g gorgonzola
  • 30g walnuts
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • fresh thyme to garnish

1. Wash and dry the radicchio and cut into strips. Cut the cheese into cubes. Cut or crush the walnuts with a knife.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the chopped onion. Cook for a few minutes until translucent and add the radicchio strips. Add a little bit of salt and pepper. Remember that gorgonzola is salty.

3. In the meantime cook the pasta according the instructions on the package.

4. Add the gorgonzola to the pan and also a few tablespoons of the cooking water to help the cheese melt.

5. Drain the pasta and pour into the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Top with the crumbled walnuts and some fresh thyme.

BUON APPETITO!

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Roasted winter vegetables

This is a mixture of comforting winter veggies that can be served on its own, as a side dish or as a component of a frittata or pasta. Add chickpeas and it becomes a whole dish.

prep time 30 min     cook time 35 min
ingredients
  • 2 fennel bulbs
  • 3-4 large carrots
  • 1-2 red onions
  • 1 radicchio (red chicory) head
  • 350g big button mushrooms
  • 1 can (400g) chickpeas
  • salt and pepper
  • rosemary and marjoram (or other herbs)
  • extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C and line a baking sheet or a roasting pan with parchment paper.

2. Cut the fennels into slices, the carrots into rounds and quarter the mushrooms. Wash, dry and cut the the radicchio into strips and slice the onions.

3. Toss the veggies in a large salad bow, add salt and pepper and spread the vegetables in an even layer on the baking sheet.

4. Rinse the chickpeas and scatter them on top of the veggie mix. Add a lug of olive oil and sprinkle the herbs on top.

5. Bake about 30 minutes.

BUON APPETITO!

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Zucchini pie

To make savoury pies you can use puff pastry or traditional pie dough, either home made or store bought. Today I paired zucchini with speck, but you can use a plethora of ingredients.

prep time 10 min     cook time 35-45 min
ingredients
  • 350g puff pastry
  • 500g zucchini, sliced or rounds
  • 100g speck (pancetta or bacon is fine), diced or in strips
  • 2 eggs
  • 100 ml milk (or heavy cream)
  • 30 grated Parmigiano
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 C.

2.  Cook the zucchini in a pan with the oil for 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the speck.

3. Mix the eggs vigorously, add the milk and cheese and a dash of salt and pepper.

4. Roll out the puff pastry into a baking dish, previously covered with parchment paper, prick it with the prongs of a fork and add the zucchini filling.

5. Pour the egg mix on top and place in the oven until golden.

6. Check the time on your oven. Mine always requires more time than the recipes suggest.

Tip: you can replace the egg and milk mixture with 250g of ricotta.

BUON APPETITO!

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Baked Crispy Chicken Wings

These easy crispy chicken wings go well with fries, veggies or a salad but they are even more fabulous as an appetizer .

prep time 10 min     cook time 45 min
ingredients for 4
  • 1 kg chicken wings
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 eggs
  • bread crumbs
  • salt and pepper
  • flat leaf parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.

2. Sprinkle salt on the wings.

3. Whisk the eggs, add a little salt and pepper, then the zest of the lemon and the juice of half the lemon.

4. Chop parsley and add it to the bread crumbs.

5. Dip the wings in the egg mixture, then coat them in breadcrumbs and place in an ovenproof dish previously covered with parchment paper.

6. Cook for about 45 min or until the wings are cooked through, flipping them once halfway through.

You can serve them with a sauce of your choice but at my house no sauce is needed. They are gone in a blink of an eye!

BUON APPETITO!

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Baked pasta with artichokes and zucchini

Baked pasta is one of the easiest dishes to make and you can use almost anything to mix into it. I was making it with artichokes but added two leftover zucchinis. I also used two different kinds of pasta.

prep time 15 min     cook time 25-35 min
ingredients for 6
  • 500g pasta, I mixed rigatoni and fusilloni
  • 5-6 artichokes, cleaned and chopped
  • 2 zucchini, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 500g besciamella
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • breadcrumbs
  • grated Parmigiano

1. Preheat oven at 200 C.

2. If making your own besciamella, here is the recipe. If using store bought besciamella, skip this step.

3. Cook the pasta according to the instructions in the package but leave it al dente.

4. Clean and then chop or slice the artichokes. You can read about cleaning them here. Then cook them in a pan with the oil for about 10 minutes. Add the sliced zucchini, season with salt and cook for additional 2-3 minutes.

5. After the artichoke mixture has cooled for a few minutes, stir in the besciamella sauce. Then add the cooked pasta and pour into a greased oven proof dish.

6. Sprinkle generous amount of grated Parmigiano and some breadcrumbs on top.

7. Cook for about 30 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.

BUON APPETITO!

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Pork chops in the oven

These are the best and most succulent pork chops I’ve ever tasted. I have tried pork chops numerous times, made by me or others, and I’ve found them almost always too dry. With this easy recipe your pork chops will never be dry again.

prep time  5 min     cook time  5 min + 25-30 min in the oven
ingreients for 3-4
  • 4 thick pork chops
  • flour to coat the chops
  • knob of butter
  • lug of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (or dry), needles chopped
  • half a glass of white wine
  • salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Pat dry the pork chops, rub salt and pepper on them and let rest for 15min.

2. Heat a large pan, preferably one that goes also in the oven, add a knob of butter and a few Tbsp of oil. When hot add garlic and rosemary and flour coated pork chops. My pan wasn’t big enough to hold them all without crowding the pan, so I seared them two at a time.

3. Cook 2 minutes on both sides, add the wine and baste the chops with the wine and oil mixture. Remove from the pan to an oven proof pan. My cooking pan does not go in the oven. Repeat with the remaining 2 chops and then place them also in the oven pan pouring all the liquid on top.

4. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

5. Serve hot with oven potatoes or a salad.

BUON APPETITO!

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Zucchini parmesan

This is a light version of zucchini parmesan, no frying or grilling and no tomato sauce. Maybe we should call it zucchini casserole. In any case it is very easy to make with just 4 main ingredients.

prep time  10 min     cook time 35-40 min
ingredients
  • 500g (3 medium) zucchini
  • 300g mozzarella or scamorza cheese, diced or coarsely grated
  • 100g ham, shredded or thinly sliced
  • 3-4 Tbsp grated Parmigiano
  • salt
  • bread crumbs
  • parsley, minced
  • extra virgin olive oil

1. Slice thinly the zucchini with a mandolin or a knife.

2. Mix the parsley, a little bit of salt and the grated Parmigiano into the breadcrumbs. Coat the zucchini slices on both sides with the breadcrumb mixture.

3. Put some oil in a baking dish and start with the zucchini slices then add ham and mozzarella. Make two more layers. Sprinkle a little bit of the remaining breadcrumbs and some Parmigiano on top.

4. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and cook at 180C for 25 minutes. Take the foil off and keep cooking for another 10-15 minutes until golden.

BUON APPETITO!

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Nectarine cake

Hot summer days are perfect for enjoying this fresh nectarine cake. You can make it with nectarines like I did or use fresh peaches. Easy to make and the yogurt makes it moist. Super simple ingredients, super easy to make.

prep time 20 min     cook time 45-55 min
ingredients
  • 5 nectarines or yellow peaches
  • 200g flour
  • 150g plain yogurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g sugar + 2 Tbls on top
  • 50 ml vegetable oil
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or seeds from half a pod
  • 16g or 1 1/2 Tbsp of baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease and flour a springform pan. Mine is 24cm.

2. Start by dicing 3 nectarines and slicing 2. Measure all your ingredients into bowls.

3. Beat the eggs with sugar, vanilla and lemon zest for a few minutes to obtain a frothy and light batter.

4. Add the oil and then the yogurt (I only had strawberry so I made do with that) and keep beating. Then add the flour where you have sifted the baking powder.

5. Add the diced nectarines to the batter and mix with a wooden spoon.

6. Pour the batter into the springform pan and place the nectarine slices on top.

7. Bake at 180C for 45-55 (my oven required a full hour) until the nectarines are caramelised and the toothpick or cake pick comes out clean.

8. When the cake is still warm, sprinkle 2 Tbsp of sugar on top. Let cool for 15 minutes, then move to a serving plate.

BUON APPETITO!