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Stir fried yellow bell peppers

Peperoni alla Nonna is one of the all time favourites in our home. The recipe is from my late mother-in-law hence the name Grandma’s peppers. Super easy to make and can be used as an appetizer or a side dish.

prep time 10 min     cook time 20 min
ingredients for 4
  • 3-4 yellow bell peppers
  • 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • handful of Gaeta olives
  • salt
  • 4-5 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1. Cut peppers into strips and pat them dry.

2. In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Start frying your peppers in batches. Do not crowd the skillet. You may find a splash guard useful at this time.

3. After 4-5 minutes on high heat, turn the heat to medium and turn the strips. Season with salt. The peppers need to start turning brown.

4. Keep cooking until peppers are soft, about 8-10 minutes.

5. Move the first batch onto a plate and repeat with the others.

6. When done, put all the peppers in the skillet once more and add the olives, pitted if you want. Now add the “secret” ingredient which is the grated Parmesan. Stir to coat and turn off the heat after 1-2 min.

7. Serve warm or cold.

BUON APPETITO!

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Lentil soup with kale

When I went to the farmer’s market this morning, I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to make for lunch. I opted for Tuscan kale also called Lacinato kale or black kale or Nero Toscana and decided to make a soup.

To trim the kale take each leaf of kale and run a sharp knife down both sides of rib, starting at fat end and sliding the knife down. Repeat for the entire bunch and discard ribs. Or do as I do and grab the stem with one hand and run your index finger and thumb of the other hand along the rib and pull from the fat end to the top tearing the leaves. Quicker.

prep time 10 min     cook time 45-50 min
ingredients for 6
  • 350g lentils
  • 2 l of water or vegetable broth
  • 1 bunch of Tuscan kale
  • 1 celery stick, cut into rounds
  • 1 carrot, cut into rounds
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • mix of aromatic herbs minced: oregano, marjoram, loose leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons extra vergin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • slices of crusty bread

1. Destem and chop the kale and rinse the lentils.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add in the onion, garlic and herbs and cook for 3-5 minutes until translucent.

3. Add in the celery and carrot and cook for 2 more minutes.

4. Stir in the lentils and add salt and pepper.

5. Top with vegetable broth and tomato paste.

6. Lower heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes. The cooking time depends on the variety of lentils you use.

7. Stir in kale and cook for 5-8 minutes until kale has wilted.

8. Serve warm with bread.

Tip: For your carbs instead of bread you can use soup pasta like ditalini or conchigliette.

Tip: A little bit of peperoncino will give this soup some kick 🙂

FOR GLUTEN FREE ALTERNATIVE use appropriate bread or pasta

BUON APPETITO!

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Fasolakia

The traditional Greek green beans recipe (Fasolakia giaxni) is hearty, healthy and bursting with fresh and vibrant colors and flavors. You can find many variations of this traditional Greek dish, with the most popular being the classic version with green beans only and others with broad beans with potatoes or sweet potatoes and sometimes with zucchini. Feel free to experiment by adding different types of vegetables.

The traditional fasolakia recipe falls under the category of Greek dishes called “Ladera”, meaning Greek dishes prepared only with olive oil, with no addition of other fat. So make sure to use some good quality extra virgin olive oil, which will give its own, unique taste to this dish! Enjoy this delicious fasolakia as a hearty vegetarian meal or as a delicious side dish. 
prep time 10 min     cook time 40 min
ingredients for 4
  • 50-70 ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (400ml) crushed tomatoes
  • 500 g green beans or Romano pole beans or flat beans
  • 1 carrot, cut into rounds
  • 500g potatoes or sweet potatoes, in chunks
  • 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 4-5 tablespoons fresh mint, dill, oregano finely chopped
  • 0,5 l water
  • salt and pepper to season
  • 200 g feta

1. Trim, wash and drain the beans.

2. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and cook till soft, about 2-3 min. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 min. The traditional recipe for Greek green beans calls for fresh ripe tomatoes, but you can substitute them with canned chopped tomatoes.

3. Add the potatoes and stir thoroughly to combine. Add some salt and pepper. Add the beans ON TOP of the potatoes but do not stir.

4. Add herbs and enough water to just cover the beans. Allow to cook for 15 min, stir all the ingredients, season with more salt and pepper and lower the heat to a low setting. Cook for further 30 min (45 min total) till the beans are tender.

5. Serve it with a block of feta cheese and good crusty bread. It’s mandatory to use the bread to wipe up all that beautiful sauce.

BUON APPETITO!

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Spicy pork and sausage stew with chickpeas

This is one of those dishes that leaves you begging for more. That’s what happened with my son and godson who both told me beforehand that they do not eat chickpeas. Well, they did and helped themselves to another portion and maybe even to a third one.

prep time 20 min     cook time 3 hrs

ingredients for 8-10
  • 1.2 kg pork neck (or shoulder) cut into 3-4cm chunks
  • 400 g Italian sausage, cut into chunks
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 5 carrots, chopped
  • 6-8  garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 l water (2-3 cans)
  • peperoncino
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1-2 teaspoon hot paprika
  • 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • salt
  • 2 (400g) cans chickpeas
  • 1 bunch loose leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the pieces of pork shoulder and the sausages in batches. If there is a fatty side, put that side down on the pan to help render out the fat. Sprinkle some salt over the pork while it cooks. Once cooked, set the pieces aside.

2. Sauté onions and carrots in the pan making sure to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and peperoncino seeds and skin and cook for another minute. The quantity of peperoncino is up to you, start with a few seeds and add more to your taste.  If you prefer, you can use hot Italian sausage and leave out the peperoncino.

3. Add the pork, sausage, crushed tomatoes and water, then stir to combine. Stir in the various paprikas. Add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook at low for at least 2 hrs or until the pork is melt-in-your-mouth tender.

4. Add the chickpeas and parsley, stir well and adjust the salt. Cook for 5 more minutes. Excellent served with crusty bread and red wine. This dish also freezes well.

BUON APPETITO!

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Roman style puntarelle

Puntarelle is the name given in Italy to tender sprouts of Catalogna chicory (or asparagus chicory). They can be eaten boiled, sautéed or raw. Puntarelle alla Romana is crunchy, curly chicory salad dressed with anchovy vinaigrette.
photo from the internet
On the left the Catalogna chicory plant, on the right it is trimmed and cleaned, which is the way I prefer to buy it 🙂 If you want, you can find instructions on the internet on how to clean and trim the chicory. Puntarelle is a lovely side dish and especially good with lamb or pork.
prep time 10 min
ingredients for 4
  • 500g cleaned puntarelle
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets (drained)
  • 3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt

1. Dry the ribbons and place in a large bowl.

2. Combine the anchovies, crushed garlic, red wine vinegar and emulsify with oil to make the vinaigrette. Or just mix the cloves and anchovies to the salad and add the oil and vinegar like I do. Some people use lemon instead of vinegar. I am not one of those even though I love me a good lemon or two almost anywhere. Here I think the slightly tangy taste of puntarelle calls for red wine vinegar. Adjust salt – you probably don’t need it at all depending on your anchovies.

BUON APPETITO!

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Two winter salads with spinach and fruit

Today I have two variations of the same winter salad to present. Just changing the legumes and a few other ingredients you obtain another salad. In the first one I’ve used cannellini beans and in the second chickpeas as protein.

prep time 10 min
ingredients for 2
  • 1 bag (125g) baby spinach or 1/2 baby spinach and 1/2 mixed lettuce
  • 1 can (400g) cannellini beans
  • 1 grapefruit
  • 1 avocado
  • 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes
  • handful of almonds
  • 4-5 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
  • 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • salt

1. Rinse the beans, peel and cut the grapefruit into mouth size bites, cut tomatoes into stripes, deseed the pomegranate unless you have done it previously and slice and peel the avocado.

2. Place all the ingredients apart from the dressing on a bed of baby spinach and toss them together with the dressing.

variation

Substitute the cannellini beans with chickpeas and the almonds with sunflower seeds. Omit the sun dried tomatoes.

BUON APPETITO!

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Creamy pumpkin soup

Creamy pumpkin soup or as they say in Italian vellutata di zucca is sooo good. Creamy, delicate, slightly sweet with the addition of spices this soup is an ultimate comfort food.

prep time 20 min     cook time 35 min
ingredients for 4
  • 1 kg pumpkin
  • 1 large potato
  • 1 l vegetable broth
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra vergin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • dash of cinnamon
  • dash of nutmeg
  • fresh thyme to garnish
  • 50 g pancetta or bacon, strips or cubes
  • a few slices of toasted/grilled rustic bread

1. Clean, deseed and cut the pumpkin into relatively small cubes. Peel and cut into cubes also the potato.

2. Warm the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat and add chopped onion. Let cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes over medium heat. Don’t let it burn. Add pumpkin and potato and as much broth needed to cover the vegetables. Adjust salt and pepper.

3. Let simmer on low for about 25-30 min checking from time to time and adding broth. When the vegetables are cooked, blend the soup with immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Ladle the soup into bowls.

4. Fry the pancetta strips and add them with some fresh thyme and grilled bread to your bowl.

FOR VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE: leave out the pancetta

FOR GLUTEN FREE ALTERNATIVE: leave out the bread or use appropriate bread

BUON APPETITO!

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Pumpkin, sausage and mushroom risotto

Pumpkin risotto is one of the many variations on the classic Italian slow-cooked rice dish, which is made with a type of rice that releases some of its starch into the cooking liquid, creating its own sauce. In order for this risotto, or any risotto for that matter, to cook, you must use short, roundish and chubby grains of rice with copious amounts of starch.  Carnaroli or  vialone nano are the best options, arborio will do if you can’t find the first two. Stirring is key, so be prepared to stand and stir, looking, smelling, and tasting — you can’t do anything else at the same time.

prep time 15 min     cook time 40 min
ingredients for 4
  • 360 g carnaroli rice
  • 1,5 l vegetable broth
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 400 g pumpkin, cubed
  • 300 g sausage
  • 300 g mushrooms (button or portobello)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 glass of dry white wine
  • 2 knobs butter, cold
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 bayleaf
  • handful of grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring the broth to a boil and reduce the heat to steady simmer.

2. Clean the pumpkin and cut into fairly big cubes. Wipe the mushrooms and slice them. Remove casings from sausages and crumble them. Chop the onion.

3. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat and add onion. After a few minutes add crumbled sausages, stir and keep cooking for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin and mushrooms, stir to coat and keep cooking for another 3-5 minutes. Add the bayleaf.

4. Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated in fat and become translucent. Do not let them brown. Add the wine and stir constantly until it is absorbed and the alcohol has evaporated. The grains must be heated through before you add the wine – “it should sizzle as it hits the pan”.

5. Start ladling broth on top and keep adding 1-2 ladles at a time stirring constantly after each addition and adding the next amount only after the previous one is fully absorbed by the rice.

6. Taste the rice. You are looking for al dente, with the grains just a bit toothsome (a little resistant to the bite) but cooked — not hard or powdery. Check the salt.

7. When the rice is done, which might take up to 30 minutes, turn off the heat. Add the butter and the cheese and cover, let rest for 2 minutes. Uncover and stir quickly. This is called mantecatura.

8. Serve immediately. Risotto is not a make-ahead dish. Even if you finish it 15 minutes before serving and simply allow it to sit, risotto turns into a paste.

BUON APPETITO!

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Chicken strips with broccoli rabe

I love this for a quick and healthy lunch. Broccoli rabe might not be everyone’s choice since it is a little bit bitter but I like it a lot. You can replace it with chicory greens, also somewhat bitter or spinach.

Prep time  5 min + blanching time      Cook time  15-20 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 2
  • 300 g of chicken breast
  • 400-500g of broccoli rabe
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4-5 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • peperoncino or crushed red pepper

1. Trim and rinse the broccoli rabe and blanche it max 5 min in boiling salted water. This can be done in advance. Also if the broccoli is very young and tender, there’s no need to blanche it.

2. Cut the chicken breast into strips. Heat 2 tbls of oil in a large skillet and fry the strips on high heat for a few minutes on both sides. Put them on a plate.

3. Heat 2 tbls of olive oil in the same skillet, add the garlic cloves whole or cut in halves, add a few peperoncino seeds and some skin and let cook until the garlic starts to brown.

4. Add the blanched greens in two or three handfuls tossing to coat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, add the strips with their juices from the plate and cook for another 5 minutes. Check that the meat is cooked through.

BUON APPETITO!

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Red cabbage and orange salad

This salad combines the crunchy texture of the cabbage and the sweet flavor of oranges for a delicious side dish. It’s quick and healthy and oh so pretty.

prep time 10 min
ingredients for 2
  • a very small red cabbage or half of a bigger one
  • 1 orange
  • a handful of cashews
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • salt

1. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage,  cut in half and take out the hard core. Slice into thin slices either with a knife or a mandolin.

2. Peel the orange taking off all the pith. Then either cut into segments or slice into rounds. Note that the juices tend to run so place your salad dish underneath.

3. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. Toss  through the salad and add the cashews.

BUON APPETITO!