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Fried friggitelli peppers in tomato sauce

Friggitelli peppers are small, slender, mild flavoured southern Italian peppers which are great for frying.

They can be just fried adding a fair amount of salt on top which is the way I usually serve them. But this time I wanted something a little different so I made them southern Italian style with tomato sauce.

prep time 10 min     cook time 15-20 min
ingredients for 4-5
  • 500g friggitelli peppers
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • 200g (small can) crushed tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • peperoncino optional
  • salt
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • peanut oil for frying

1.  Wash and dry well the peppers one by one. The authentic way to cook these is to leave the stem and seeds on.

2. Pour peanut oil until it covers the bottom of a large skillet and heat it over high heat. Fry the peppers in two batches until they are turning brown (about 3-4 min) on all sides.

3. Remove them and add a fair amount of salt.

4. Clean the skillet and heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic and after a few minutes add cherry tomatoes cut in half. After a few more minutes add crushed tomatoes and some salt and let cook on low for 15 minutes.

5. Add peppers to the pan and let simmer for a few minutes more.

6. Serve with crusty bread and be sure to wipe up all the sauce. I make this always as a main but if served as a side dish, this amount yields more.

FOR GLUTEN-FREE option, leave out the bread or use appropriate bread.

BUON APPETITO!

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Fig salad

This is so yummy I could eat it almost every day!

prep time 10 min
ingredients for 2
  • a bag (125g) of leafy greens or arugula
  • 4-5 figs
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1/2 avocado
  • a few button mushrooms
  • a handful of walnuts
  • sunflower and pumpkin seeds
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

1. Place the leafy greens on a large salad plate or tray.

2. Wash and slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin strips with a mandolin or a cheese slicer and add to the plate.

3. Clean the figs and quarter them. Peel and slice the avocado. Clean and cut the mushrooms. Add all to the salad.

4. Add walnuts, seeds and a little bit of oil, salt and pepper.

Tip: a very delightful add-on would be crumbled feta cheese or slices of Grana cheese of Parmesan.

BUON APPETITO!

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Fried zucchini rounds

Fried zucchini rounds are almost as good as fried zucchini blossoms 🙂 The batter I make with flour and cold sparkling water gives the fried zucchini a very light and crispy coating almost like tempura.

prep time 15 min     cooking time  10 min total
ingredients
  • 1-2 zucchini
  • 3-5dl peanut oil
  • 1dl flour
  • 2 dl COLD sparkling water/mineral water
  • pinch of salt

Disclaimer: the quantities are very approximative.

1. Wash and cut the zucchini into thin even slices with a mandoline slicer  or a knife and pat them dry.

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

3. In the meantime make the batter: 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.

4. Dip or soak the zucchini rounds in the batter and fry them in batches for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.

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

BUON APPETITO!

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Nourish bowl

An extremely healthy lunch option with various raw veggies and legumes.  Add some good condiment, preferably good extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice or white wine vinegar. For a completely vegetarian alternative, leave out the tuna/chicken.

prep time  15 min
ingredients
  • tuna/cooked chicken
  • carrots
  • cucumber
  • avocado
  • baby spinach
  • pickled beetroot
  • hard boiled eggs
  • cannellini beans
  • red peppers
  • cabbage
  • pomegranate seeds

other options:

  • sweet corn
  • peas
  • string beans
  • artichoke hearts
  • arugula
  • button mushrooms
  • nuts and seeds
  • tomatoes
  • zucchini
  • olives

Chop, slice and cut your veggies and eggs, arrange them in a large salad bowl to your liking.  Add tuna or chicken, pour on top your condiment and voilà, your nourish bowl is ready to go.

BUON APPETITO!

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Strawberry tiramisù

Tiramisù is one of my all time favourite desserts and the summer version with strawberries is to die for.

prep time 20 min     refrigerating time up to 3 hrs
ingredients for 6
  • 250g mascarpone
  • 250g whipping cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 200g Pavesini cookies
  • 500g fresh strawberries
  • 5 tablespoons sugar
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • a few mint leaves to garnish

1. You start with making the strawberry juice in which to dip your Pavesini cookies. Take half of the strawberries, clean them and cut into small pieces. Pour over them the lemon juice and 3 Tbls of sugar and mix well. Put into the fridge for at least for 6 hrs, better yet overnight. Blend it the next day.

  

2. Whip 2 yolks and 1 whole egg with 2 Tbls of sugar. Some whip the yolks and the whites apart, I don’t think it has a great impact on this dessert.

2. Add mascarpone and whip a few rounds more.

3. Whip the cream aside (you can use heavy cream or lactose-free whipping cream) and fold it into the whipped mascarpone mixture..

    

4. A word about the Pavesini cookies. Some use Savoiardi biscuits/cookies (lady fingers) but I find them too thick and mushy. You can substitute Pavesini with sponge cake cut into layers.

  

5. Start assembling your tiramisù in a 20cm x 20cm glass dish with a layer of the cream mascarpone mixture. Then dip the Pavesini in the strawberry juice and layer them in the dish. I added some water to thin the juice. I also had used too many of the strawberries for the juice so I didn’t have enough left to garnish the dish.

  

6. Keep alternating the cream mixture and the cookies for 4 layers leaving one last layer of cream mixture. Place half of the strawberries cut into slices on top with some mint leaves for garnish.

7. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours. When it is really hot I place the dish first in the freezer for half an hour or so and then in the fridge.

BUON APPETITO!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!