Risotto with mushrooms

Persons: 4

Preparation time: 30 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients: 

320gr rice (Arborio)

400gr mushrooms

Olive oil

Half Onion

50gr Parmesan cheese (grated)

Salt

Stock (vegetables or meat)

Steps: 

1. Cook in a deep pan oil and half onion cut in pieces for 1 min.
2. Then, add the mushrooms, rice and salt and stir for 1 more min.
3. Add the stock, a 1/2 cup at a time, stir and wait for most of the stock to be absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup.
4. Once the rice is cooked (approximately 20 min) add the Parmesan cheese. 
5. Let it cook for 1 more minute. 
6. Let stand the rice in the pan (without stir) for 2/3 mins.

Suggestions: you can use the stock left from the bollito.

Fennel, potato and onion soup

This is my mum's new soup recipe. It is excellent and extremely easy to prepare.

Persons: 6
Preparation time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h

Ingredients:
2 fennel (large)
2 big onions
2 potato
100 ml milk
1 cup of water
1 clove of garlic
500 ml vegetable stock

Steps:

1. Cut the fennel, onions and potatoes in small pieces.
2. Place the veggies and all the other ingredients in a big pan.
3. Cover with the lid and cook for 1 hour at low heat.

Suggestions: Toast some bread slides with a teaspoon of olive oil and rosemary. Cut it small pieces and place on the top of the soup.

Pasta with broccoli and anchovies

Persons: 6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients:
2 broccoli
1 anchovies
1 lb short pasta
1 garlic
salt
1 teaspoon of olive oil
hot pepper

Steps

1. Place broccoli in small pieces into a big pan with salt and at least 2 l of water. 
2. When the water boils and the broccoli have changed color (they are greener than before) add the pasta.
3. In a different pan place the olive oil, garlic and anchovies at low heat.
4. When the pasta is cooked (around 10 minutes), add the pasta and broccoli to the anchovies mix and cook for 1 more minutes.

 Suggestions: before serving you might add some hot pepper and olive oil on the top.

Pasta with tomatoes and aubergines

Persons: 4

Preparation: 30 min

Ingredients: 

400 gr pasta

1 aubergine

half onion

400 ml of chopped tomatoes sauce 

Olive Oil

Salt

Sugar

Basil

Steps: 

1. Cut the aubergine in small slices.
2. Add the chopped onion and the aubergine with warm olive oil in the pan adding salt.
3. Cook for 15 min and add the tomatoes sauce with half tea spoon of sugar and some basil.
4. Cook the sauce for 5 mins.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water.
6. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir for less than a minute.

Spezzatino/Beef with Mushrooms

Persons: 2

Preparation time:  30 min

Cook time: 60 min

Ingredients: 

600g of beef cut in cubes

10/15 mushrooms 

Vegetable Stock

Salt

Olive Oil

Onion

Garlic

White wine

Pepper

Steps:

1. In a large stewing pan, heat extra virgin olive oil with half chopped onion and a clove of garlic.
2. Add the beef and cook it for a couple of minutes and add half glass of white wine.
3. Add two glasses of stock and let reduce.
4. Add the mushrooms cut in pieces and salt and pepper.
5. Let the liquid come to boil and cook at low heat. Simmer for an hour adding stock if need.

Suggestion: you can eat it with rice, potatoes or polenta.

Lamb with potatoes and peas

This is a traditional Italian recipe for lamb. My grandfather from Sicily used to prepare it for Easter but I think it is good anytime.

Persons: 4
Preparation time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min

Ingredients:
1 lb of lamb
2 cups peas
5 small potatoes
1/4 cup onion, sliced
Olive oil
1 garlic clove
Salt
Pepper

Steps:

1. Season the lamb with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions and garlic for 1 minute.
3. Add the lamb and the potatoes to the pan and fry for 1 minute.
4. (at this point you can add 1/4 cup of white dry wine, if you like)
5. Then continue to cook at low heat for 40 minutes.
6. Add the peas and cook for 10 more minutes (check if the peas are cooked)
7. Remove from the heat and serve with lots of good toasted bread.

Risotto with Royal Shrimps

Risotto, my favorite meal for Saturday lunch!

Persons: 2

Preparation time: 30 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients: 

2 glasses of rice

10/15 Royal Shrimps

Oil

Half onion

Butter

Salt

Stock

Steps: 

1. Cook in a deep pan oil and half onion cut in pieces for 1 min.
2. Then, add the shrimps, the rice and salt and stir for 1 more min.
3. Add the stock, a 1/2 cup at a time, stir and wait for most of the stock to be absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup.
4. Once the rice is cooked (approximately 20 min) add a teaspoon of butter. 
5. Let it cook for 1 more minute. 
6. Let stand the rice in the pan (without stir) for 2/3 min.

Potato Gateau - Gatto' di patate

Persons: 6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min

Ingredients
1 kg potatoes
50 gr grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste
200 gr mozzarella sliced
100 gr cooked ham (cut)
nutmeg

Steps

1. Place potatoes  in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook until very tender (either you can microwave them for 10 minutes). 
2. Preheat oven at 180C (350F).
3. Drain, then mash the potatoes with a fork. 
4. Mix the potatoes with the eggs, 3/4 of grated Parmesan, salt, nutmeg and pepper.
5. Add to the mix the mozzarella and the ham.
6. Layer the mix on a oven plate.
7. Dust the top with 1/4 of grated Parmesan.
8. Cover with an aluminium paper and place in the oven.
9. After 20 minutes remove the aluminium paper and broil for 5 minutes. 

Fish Fillet au gratin

Persons: 2
Preparation time: 20 min
Cook time: 20/25 min

Ingredients:
2 white fish fillets
breadcrumbs
oil
capers
salt
sage

Steps:

1. Cover the upper side of the fish fillets with olive oil, now add the breadcrumbs to cover fillets.
2. Add salt, 2 teaspoons of capers and sage.
3. Cook in oven at 180C for 20/25 min.

Suggestion: As side dish, cook with the fish some potatoes (cut in small pieces) so they can be ready at the same time.

Pomodori ripieni / stuffed tomatoes

Persons: 2
Preparation: 30 min

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes
8 anchovies in oil
breadcrumbs
half mozzarella
oil
salt
oregano

Steps:

1. Cut the upper part of the tomatoes and remove their internal part
2. In a bowl place 8 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, anchovies, a teaspoon of olive oil, half mozzarella cut into small pieces, salt and oregano.
3. Fill the tomatoes with this mixture and add a piece of mozzarella on the top of each tomato.
4. Cook in oven for 20 min at 180°C.

Bigoli in salsa - Spaghetti with anchovies

This a traditional sauce for pasta in Venice. It requires few ingredients and it is excellent in many occasions. The best type of pasta for this sauce are "bigoli" although, it is not easy to find them outside Italy. A good alternative are thick spaghetti.

Persons: 4
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 large onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 anchovies
500 grams of spaghetti (bigoli, bucatini or other thick pasta)
1 bunch flat leaf parsley (chopped)
1/4 dry white wine

Steps:

1. Finely chop the onions (the onion should melt into the sauce).
2. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the very finely chopped onion over a low heat until you have a soft, golden mush - about 15/20 minutes. 
3. Add the anchovies finely chopped and the wine, stir it in and let the mixture cook for 20 minutes at very low heat.
4. When this has come together as a puree, take the pan off the heat.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in abundant salted water according to the packet instructions, removing a ladleful of cooking liquid just before you drain it.
6. Tip the drained pasta into the anchovy and onion sauce and add the reserved cooking water to help lubricate the pasta. 

Option: you can sprinkle over the parsley, just roughly chopped or some ground pepper.

A perfect dinner for St Valentine

 Antipasto - Entree 

Insalata di spinaci con pancetta e pomodori secchi - Baby spinach with dried tomatoes and crispy bacon

Ingredients:
2 cups of baby spinach
1/2 cup dried tomatos
2 slides of bacon

Steps:

1. Cook at low heat the bacon, it takes 5 minutes to become crispy. Dry it with a paper towel and cut in small pieces
2. Place baby spinach in a plate, on the top place some dried tomatoes and the crispy bacon.
3. Use olive oil, ground pepper and salt as dressing.

Suggestions: you can substitute the baby spinach with arugola and the crispy bacon with small pieces of speck. You can also add more ingredient such as flakes of Parmesan cheese and black olives.

Primo piatto - Main course (I)

Linguine al salmone - Linguine with Salmon

Ingredients: 

2 fresh salmon filets

200 gr of linguine or spaghetti

Oil 

Lemon

Salt 

Peper

Parsley

Steps:

1. Cut the salmon filets in small pieces
2. Place them in a pan with two table spoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley and cook for nearly 5 min. After that, add 2 teaspoon of lemon juice and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook linguine in boiling water (do not overcook).
4. When ready, add them to the salmon and cook all together for 1 min.

Secondo piatto - Main course (II)

Branzino al forno con patate, pomodorini e olive taggiasche - Branzino with potatoes, cherry tomatos and black olives

Ingredients:
1 Branzino
4 big potatoes (you can use even more, potatoes are delicious with fish)
1 piece of garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt
ground pepper
12 whole Kalamata olives
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup dry white wine

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut in slices potatoes and place them in a baking pan covered with a bake paper.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes, olives and the garlic. 
4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
5. Check that the oil is everywhere in the pan.
6. Add the fish to the baking pan and drizzle with white wine.
7. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the branzino is just opaque in center, about 40 minutes. 

Suggestions: I would avoid the use of lemon in order to better taste the branzino itself.

Dessert

Biscotti al cuore - St Valentine biscotti

Ingredients: 

300gr flour

250 gr butter (room temperature)

200 gr sugar

4 egg yolks

chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Place in a big bowl the flour, sugar and butter.
2. Add the yolks and chocolate chips 
3. Mix everything with your hands (don't worry it will take some times and at the beginning you might think it is not working, it will!) just until it forms a ball.
4. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
5. Preheated oven at 180°C.
6. Flatten the pastry into a disk and then knife cut the disk in small hearts.
7. Bake for 15/20 min.

♡  Enjoy ♡

Meat-Stuffed Peppers - Pepperoni ripieni

The beauty of this recipe is that it works with absolutely any kind of meat. You can decide either to add more ingredients to what I have used or opt for only few of them. Finally, you can use the meat-stuffed to prepare a meat loaf!

Persons: 8
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
4 bell peppers (the greens seem the best for this recipe, although I have in the fridge reds and I used them)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup of chopped carrots
2 small potatoes (smashed)
1 Italian sausage (in small pieces)
6 black olives
1 lb ground meat
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 slide of bread toast
1 slide of ham (in small pieces)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Steps:

1. Toast the bread and great it.
2. Cut tops off peppers, remove seeds and membranes. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine onions, carrots, sausage, ham, olives, meat, bread (previously grated), cheese, milk, nutmeg, salt and teaspoon pepper. 
4. Mix well. 
5. Preheat oven to 350º.  
6. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a baking dish. 
7. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes (the peppers have to be soft, not burn). 

Chicken with citrus fruits

An easy and tasty way to cook chicken!

Person: 2
Preparation: 20 min

Ingredients:
3 chicken breast
1/2 lemon
1 orange
flour
a tea cup of milk
salt
oil

Steps:

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces and cover with flour.
2. Put them in a pan with a little olive oil
3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by squeezing the orange and half lemon and add the milk.
4. After the chicken is half-cooked add the sauce to the pan and cook for further 5/10 minutes until the sauce has dried.

Suggestion: Eat with Basmati Rice

Turkey with potatoes, cherry tomatoes and capers

My new recipe for turkey. It is good if you are on a diet but you want something tasty. Buon Appetito!

Persons: 2
Preparation: 25 min

Ingredients:
3 turkey breast
2 potatoes
15 cherry tomatoes
3 tea spoon of capers
Olive Oil
Salt
Oregan or Basil

Steps:

1. Peel the two potatoes and cut them in slices. Put them in boiling water for 5 min
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes and place them in a pan adding two spoons of Olive Oil, salt, oregan or basil
3. Now cut the turkey breast in pieces and add them in to the pan
4. take the boiled potatoes out from the water and put them in the same pan.
5. Now cook all together for 5/10 min until the turkey is ready.

Tilapia fillet with Brussels Sprouts

This is a healthy and quick way for a seafood dish. 

Persons: 2

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

3 Tilapia fillets 

20 Brussels Sprouts

1/4 Onion

Soy sauce

Thyme 

Sesame seeds

Salt

Pepper

Lemon Juice

Olive oil 

Steps:

1. Clean the sprouts and steam them for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Cut onions is small pieces then stir-fry with olive oil and soy sauce.
3. Then stir-fry the sprouts with onions.
4. In another pan cook at low-medium heat the tilapia fillets with a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of lemon juice, fresh pepper, salt, thyme and sesame seeds for 7 minutes on both sides.
5. Ready!

Crepes with French beans and pesto sauce

This is a quick recipe, low calories and vegetarian!

And if you have kids around, they will love to help you to prepare and eat the crepes.

Persons: 2

Time of preparation: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

French beans

Pesto sauce

4 eggs 

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup pf milk

salt

Steps:

1. Steam green beans (you can either use the traditional steamer basket or in the microwave with 3 table spoon of water for 5 minutes).
2.  Once the beans have cooked, transfer them to a pan and add two table spoon of pesto sauce. Cook at low heat for 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Beat in flour mixture until smooth. Add salt (and pepper).
4. Heat a pan over medium high heat (you can add either oil or butter, but I have tried without anything an it was great and more healthy). 
5. Scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides.
6. When the crepes are ready, add the beans and roll. 

I have also prepare a side sauce with some pesto left and Greek yogurt and it was delicious!

Linguine with Dry tomatoes and bread crumbs

There are hundreds of way to prepare an excellent pasta. This is one of my favorite. The recipe is originally from my grandpa from Sicily.

Person: 2
Preparation: 15 min

Ingredients:
200 g of Linguine
12 dry tomatoes
2 full spoons of bread crumbs
Pepper

Steps:

1. Cook Linguine in boild water with salt for 10 min (check them and do not overcook!).
2. In a pan add the 12 dry tomatoes cut in small pieces, 4 tea spoon of their oil (or if you prefer olive oil) and the 2 spoons of crumbed bread and cook it until it get hot.
3. Add Linguine to the pan and mix all together with pepper for less the one minute.

Beef stew with potato - Bocconcini di manzo con patate

I was not in the mood of preparing the Italian spezzattino, too long!
So I have opted for something easier but very good.
The amount of ingredients used for this recipe varies according how much beef available you have.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
Flour
Beef
Lemon
Tyme
Red potato
Pepper
Butter

Steps

1. While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. 
2. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. 
3. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan with a teaspoon of olive oil and lemon juice. 
4. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides (it takes around 40 minutes)
5. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and serve.
6. As side dish I prepare red potatoes backed with butter.

Suggestions: If you do not have time, place your potato in a microwave bowl, cover them and cook at maximum power for at least 4 minutes (time depends on the amount of potatoes).

Cous cous and Salmon

This a Mediterranean way to prepare salmon.

Persons: 2
Preparation: 20 min

Ingredients:
2 salmon fillet
3 peppers
1 onion
2 cups of cous cous
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Oregan

Steps:

1. Cut peppers and onion in pieces and place them in a pan with oil, salt, pepper and oregano. 
2. Place the pan in the oven for 20 min at 180°C.
3. Grill the salmon in a pan (you do not need oil) add salt and oregano.
4. In boil water (should be nearly 1cm over the cous cous) add the cous cous and wait until the cous cous absorbs the all water.
5. Mix the cous cous with peppers and onion.

Enjoy!