Posted on

Roasted orange chicken with fennel

This is my new favourite chicken recipe. It is a more winter-y recipe since it has oranges and fennel, both more in season in winter, but I just had to try it. The original recipe calls for blood oranges but I couldn’t find them in June. In my opinion any kind of oranges would work.

prep time 15min     cook time 45 min
ingredients for 6
  • 1,2 kg chicken thighs or pieces
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons flour
  • 1-2 fennel bulbs
  • 1 big onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 3 oranges
  • big handful of olives of your choice
  • rosemary sprig
  • a cup of chicken stock (or water)
  • half a cup of white wine
  • salt and pepper

1. Turn on the oven to 175 degrees.

1.  Brown the skin-on pieces of chicken in a hot pan in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and let  simmer for a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate. Sprinkle with flour. Remove the chicken and the juices to a large glass ovenproof pan.

2. Slice the fennels, save the fronds for garnish, slice the carrots, peel and chop the onions and garlic and add to the pan.

3. Peel two of the oranges with a sharp knife and segment them taking care of removing all the white pith and also the membranes. Add the segments and also the juice of the third orange to the pan.

4. Add the olives, rosemary and pour the chicken stock over the chicken.

5. Place in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through.

6. Serve with rice, quinoa or couscous.

FOR GLUTEN-FREE option use appropriate flour

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Italian frisella

Italian frisella is a quick and light lunch option, or a light dinner option too for that matter, if you are not in a mood to cook anything.  There are many options for the topping: tomatoes, tuna, anchovy, feta or other cheese or even grilled vegetables. My favorite ones are with tomatoes and tuna or tomatoes and feta with olives and capers thrown here and there.

prep time 10 minutes
ingredients for 1 frisella
  • 1 frisella
  • 80g tuna, broken into bits
  • 5-6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 2-3 artichoke hearts in oil, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • a handful of capers
  • salt
  • dried oregano

1. Soak the frisella under a running cold water for 15 seconds and put in on a plate.

2. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the toppings with some salt, a little more olive oil and oregano.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Tuna potato salad

I love potatoes, well I should since I am a Finn! This tuna potato salad is perfect for these sunny summer days. It is easy to make in advance, great for a main course or as a side dish if you have planned a big lunch. Easy to make and bring to a party too.

prep time 15 min
ingredients for 6
  • 1 kg potatoes, boiled in advanced with skin on
  • 160-180g of tuna
  • 3 hard boiled eggs
  • 3-4 tablespoons capers
  • 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4-5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • fresh loose leaf parsley and thyme to garnish
  • salt and pepper

optional add-ons:

  • artichoke hearts in oil/vinegar
  • pickled cucumbers
  • sweet corn
  • boiled green beans
  • cannellini beans
  • cucumbers
  • olives

1. Peel and cut cold potatoes into cubes and start adding them to a large mixing/salad bowl. I make this salad in layers.

2. Season with salt and pepper to taste and a few tablespoons of olive oil and a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Red wine vinegar tends to colour the potatoes.

3. Add the tuna, broken into smallish bits, the capers and one or more of the optional ingredients if using. This time I used artichoke hearts, cannellini beans and a few leftover mini pickled cucumbers.

4. Add another layer of the ingredients and season each layer with salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar to your taste and keep layering until you are finished with the ingredients.

5. Garnish with hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges and sprinkle with chopped parsley and thyme. Let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes and then serve at room temperature.

tip: I don’t toss the salad in order not to break up the potato pieces.

tip: As for any potato salad, make sure to use yellow-fleshed waxy potatoes, not the ‘mealy’ kind you would use for gnocchi or baked potatoes. So new potatoes, Red Bliss and Yukon Golds are all good choices, while Russets are not.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Farfalle pasta with smoked salmon, zucchini and tomatoes

Another quick and delicious pasta recipe. I make this all year round but cherry tomatoes are now ripe and at their sweetest and of course more affordable.

prep time 10 min     cook time 10 min
ingredients for 4
  • 400g farfalle pasta or pasta of your choice
  • 200g smoked salmon
  • 2 zucchini, cut in rounds
  • 12-14 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 garlic glove
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • parsley to garnish

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions but drain it 2 minutes before it is cooked. Save a glass of the pasta water.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over medium high and add  garlic clove and let cook for a few minutes before adding tomatoes cut in half. Cook them for a few minutes at high heat, don’t forget to add some salt and pepper.

3. Add the zucchini rounds to the pan and let cook for a few minutes. Don’t cook too long, the zucchini should be a little crunchy.

4. Add the salmon cut in small pieces and let it cook only for 1-2 minutes until it has changed colour.

5. When the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the pan, mix thoroughly with the condiment and let simmer for 1-2 minutes.

6. Serve with some chopped loose leaf parsley.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Couscous salad

This couscous salad is quick and easy to prepare even beforehand if need be. This is just one variation, you can add different ingredients every time.

prep time 15 min
ingredients
  • 150g precooked couscous
  • 1 big cucumber or 2 small
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • can of corn
  • 100g artichoke hearts in oil
  • capers
  • 80g olives
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • juice from half a lemon
  • parsley
  • 2 cans of tuna (optional)
  • 12-14 sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
  • 80g mushrooms in oil (optional)
  • 100g feta (optional)
  • salt and pepper

1. Tip couscous into a large salad bowl, pour boiling water over, cover and let absorb for 5-8 minutes until fluffy. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice.

2. Dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes and cut the artichokes and dried tomatoes (if using). Add these and all the other ingredients to the salad and mix gently. Add parsley on top.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Fried zucchini flowers Roman style

I love fried zucchini flowers. There are many ways to prepare zucchini flowers depending on the cook and the region. My favourites are Roman style deep fried flowers. There are also different ways to prepare the batter. Mine is prepared with flour and cold sparkling water to obtain a very light and crispy coating.

Fry up a batch, enjoy them fresh, then do more. That way they stay crisp and light. You want male flowers which have stems. Females are attached to the squash. Ask for flowers at farmers’ markets and in specialty food shops. Be sure the blossoms are from zucchini as other squash flowers often have strong, unpleasant flavors.

If you need to wash the flowers, do it very gently and dry them suspended upside down. I never wash them, gasp! Use a cold-pressed vegetable oil (peanut or grape seed oil are best), if possible.

prep time 10 min     cook time 15 min
ingredients for 12 flowers
  • 12 male zucchini flowers
  • 3-5dl peanut oil
  • 1dl flour
  • 2 dl COLD sparkling water/mineral water
  • 12 pieces, about 1 cm, of anchovy
  • 12 pieces, about 1 cm, of mozzarella
  • salt

It is very hard to give exact quantities because I make the batter without measurements so bear with me. I’ll illustrate with photos.

Take the water out of the fridge just before using it. Blend the batter to the consistency of a heavy cream.  Add a pinch of salt.

Gently remove the pistil from each flower. Here it is removed.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pot or pan over medium high until the oil is hot but not smoking.

Place one piece of anchovy and mozzarella in each blossom.

Dip the blossoms in the batter

Fry two to three blossoms at a time on both sides for a few minutes until crispy and golden brown.

Drain on paper towels or better yet on brown paper sheets for fried food, season with salt and serve hot.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Sheet pan chicken, broccoli and carrots

The secret of this one sheet pan chicken and broccoli recipe is the balsamic vinegar seasoning.

prep time 15 min     cook time 25-30 min
ingredients for 4
  • 1,2kg chicken breast and/or drumsticks
  • 400 g broccoli florets
  • 3 carrots in sticks
  • 1-2 red onions, quartered
  • 250g baby bella mushrooms, quartered
  • 10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • thyme and origano

1.Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

2. Prep all of your chicken and veggies and dump them on a sheet pan or an oven proof glass dish.

3. In a small bowl add 2/3 of oil, 1/3 of balsamic vinegar, spices, salt and pepper.  Whisk together.

4. Pour the oil mixture over the chicken and veggies and mix well.  Lay out in a single layer.

5. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Leafy green salad with green apples

I love to mix veggies and fruit in my salad. The slightly tart flavour or the green apple goes so well with the leafy greens.

prep time 10 min
ingredients
  • 1 bag (125g) leafy greens
  • 1 green apple, cored and sliced
  • 4-5 big button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 small cucumber, sliced
  • a handful of pomegranate seeds
  • 1 can (80g) tuna
  • salt and pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil and balsamico for the dressing

1.  Place the leafy greens on your salad tray/bowl.

2. Add the apple, mushrooms, cucumber and tuna and mix lightly.

2. Add your dressing and salt and pepper.

3. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on your salad.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Chicken veggie bean soup

This soup is easy to make like most of my recipes. It is full of flavour and very filling especially if you add rice or couscous or even tiny pasta to cover your grain/carb intake. You can easily add or substitute some of the veggies.

prep time 10 min     cook time 40 min
ingredients for 4
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 big onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 500g skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 green peppers
  • 125g baby spinach
  • 4-5 big button mushrooms, halved or quartered
  • 1 can (400g) drained red beans
  • 1 small can (200g) diced or crushed tomatoes + some water
  • peperoncino (optional)
  • basil and or parsley
  • salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and chicken and sauté for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Add carrots, peppers, peperoncino if using, and tomatoes. Rinse the can and add the water on top. Bring to a boil and let simmer. Add salt and pepper.

3. After 15 minutes add drained beans and mushrooms and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add baby spinach and basil (and/or parsley)for the last few minutes.

5. Serve hot adding the grain of your choice.

6. Keeps well in the fridge up to 2 days.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Chickpea salad

I have a yummy salad recipe for you today: chickpeas, leafy greens and eggplant. This is one of those salads where you can use whatever veggies you have at home, and it is always good and filling.

prep time 10 min
ingredients for 2
  • 1 can (400g) chickpeas
  • roasted eggplant slices
  • 1 small cucumber
  • either a bag (125g) leafy greens or bag (125g)of baby spinach or both
  • handful of radishes
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • balsamic vinegar

1. Place the leafy greens on your salad plate or bowl.

2. Drain the chickpeas and place the on top of the leafy greens.

3. Wash cucumber and radishes, slice them and add to the salad.

4. Halve the roasted eggplant slices and add to the bowl.

5. Make the dressing with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and toss the salad with it.

tip: like I said, you can use different ingredients. Here I have halved cherry tomatoes and celery rounds, but no radishes nor leafy greens.

BUON APPETITO!