Fried mini meatballs with sliced beautifully ripe and sweet sliced tomatoes and arugula

Meatballs are a timeless dish of home cooking, loved by both adults and children! With the recipe for rustic fried meatballs, I offer you a delicious variant to serve as an appetizer. Enriched with beautifully ripe and sweet sliced tomatoes and arugula to obtain golden morsels with a soft and juicy texture: a delicious white alternative to the classic meatballs with sauce. Accompanied by a cold beer, the rustic fried meatballs will be perfect to share with friends!

INGREDIENTS

Mortadella to taste

Sausage to taste

Grana Padano to be grated 80 g

Pecorino cheese to grate 80 g

Large eggs 2

Parsley to chop 3 Tablespoons

Garlic 1 segment

Wild fennel to taste

Black pepper to taste

Nutmeg to taste

Fine salt to taste

FOR BREADING AND FRYING

Breadcrumbs to taste

Peanut oil to taste

PREPARATION

To make rustic fried meatballs, first remove the crust from the loaf of bread and cut into chunks. Chop the bread in a mixer until crumbled. In a large bowl, put the minced meat, the shelled sausage and the mortadella that you have previously chopped in the mixer. Chop the parsley and pour it into the dough, then add the herbs: nutmeg, fennel, salt and pepper. Add the grated Parmesan and Pecorino cheese, the minced garlic clove and beaten eggs. Mix the ingredients well until you get a homogeneous, soft and compact dough (If it is too dry, you can add another egg). Finally, add the bread and mix again. Take a large knob of dough and form a meatball. Lightly crush the meatball to obtain an oval shape, then dip it in breadcrumbs. Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and fry the meatballs, turning them occasionally until they are evenly browned. Drain on paper towels and serve the rustic fried meatballs while still warm!

INGREDIENTS

2 tomatoes

oil and salt to taste

oregano to taste

rocket to taste

PROCEDURE

Wash the tomatoes, cut them into slices and season with a little olive oil, oregano and salt. Wash some of the arugula. Happy sliced tomato and rocket to all!

 

Open-Faced Brie and Tomato Sandwich

An ideal stuffed sandwich to put in the backpack for the little ones, ideal to enjoy on a trip? A prosciutto sandwich with brie and walnuts is a great classic, a delicate combination. With the addition of tartar sauce, the snack will become even tastier and full of liveliness.

Ingredients

1 tomato

80 gr Italian prosciutto

70 gr of sliced brie

6 walnut kernels

tartar sauce (mayonnaise enriched with hard-boiled egg yolk, pickled gherkins and capers)

Preparation

Prepare the tartar sauce if you don't already have it, simply blending mayonnaise, pickled gherkins, capers and chives. Cut the sandwich in half and spread each part with plenty of tartar sauce. Place a layer of slices of prosciutto, a layer of sliced brie, a few walnut kernels and another layer of raw prosciutto on top. Close with the second half of the bread and you can enjoy your sandwich!

 

Pumpkin and sausage penne

Pasta with pumpkin and sausage is a delicious and tasty first course, ideal for the lunch of a warm autumn Sunday! The Pumpkin gives this dish sweetness and creaminess while the sausage contrasts it with its flavor, I'm sure you will love it! The recipe lends itself to different variations: the pumpkin, for example, can be cut into small pieces or blended to create an enveloping cream, as in the pasta with pumpkin cream and speck. You can prepare it express or baked, with or without béchamel sauce. Again, you can make this dish more savory and tasty with the addition of cheeses such as provolone and taleggio. In short, a dish that lends itself to many interpretations! As for the shape of pasta, you can choose between the short ones (penne, orecchiette, mezze maniche...) and long, although I prefer short ones. For my pasta with pumpkin and sausage today, I chose penne which, in addition to being a beautiful shape, accompany the sauce without overpowering it. Needless to say, with the same sauce you can also prepare an excellent risotto with pumpkin and sausage... You only need about ten minutes more!

Ingredients

200 gr pumpkin already cleaned

200 gr sausage

180 gr pasta

olive oil

1 clove garlic

chili pepper 

30 ml white wine to deglaze

parsley (or thyme, rosemary, oregano)

Procedure

In a saucepan, pour a drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic clove and chilli. If you want, you can perfume the sauté with 1 sprig of rosemary and 1 sage leaf which you will then remove. Remove the sausage from the casing and add it, crumbled, to the sauté. Let it brown for a few minutes and then deglaze with the white wine (about 30 ml). Let the alcohol evaporate. In the meantime, clean the pumpkin and cut it into small pieces. Add the pumpkin to the sausage and stir. Salt lightly. Add hot water until the pumpkin is lightly covered. Season with chopped parsley (it gives freshness to the dish). Cover with the lid and cook for about 10 minutes. The sausage and pumpkin dressing is ready when the pumpkin has fallen apart and dried the broth. At this point, taste and season with salt. Cook the pasta and, when there are 2 minutes left to cook, transfer it to the saucepan with the sauce. Stir the pasta and add cooking water when necessary. When cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat and add some grated cheese and chopped parsley. Your pasta with pumpkin and sausage is ready to serve!

Note

If you don't want to use parsley, prepare a Chopped Fresh Herbs such as Thyme, Rosemary and Oregano.

 

Drip Cake🎂🍫🍭🎈 

Réalisez un drip cake comme un pro en suivant ce tutoriel simple ! Apprenez à préparer un gâteau au chocolat et ajoutez votre glaçage en toute confiance. Rehaussez rapidement votre gâteau en ajoutant un filet de chocolat sur le pourtour ! Il existe des gouttes de chocolat classiques aux gouttes néon, des gouttes aux couleurs techniques - celles laissées rustiques, naturelles et belles à celles recouvertes de pépites, de bonbons, de feuilles d'or, de beignets, etc. Quel que soit le style que vous choisissez, tous ceux qui ont déjà essayé un gâteau goutte à goutte comprend probablement la douleur et les maux de tête qui l’accompagnent habituellement. Utilisez un glaçage trop liquide qui glisse des côtés et s'accumule au fond du support à gâteau. Trop épais, et vous essayez de forcer, de pousser, de plaider et de supplier vos gouttes d'avoir un aspect naturel et non comme des taches laissées sur le côté de votre gâteau. Maintenant, en tant que goutteur de gâteaux expérimenté, je arrose des gâteaux depuis 2007 lors de mon premier travail en boulangerie.

Ingrédients

10 1/2 onces de farine tout usage

11 1/2 onces de sucre en poudre

2 onces d'amandes moulues

1 cuillère à soupe de levure chimique

1/2 cuillère à soupe de bicarbonate de soude

1/4 cuillère à café de sel

7 onces de beurre non salé, coupé en cubes

3 gros œufs

6 1/2 onces liquides de lait entier + 1 cuillère à soupe de jus de citron

2 cuillères à café d'extrait de vanille

du beurre et de la farine supplémentaires pour les moules à gâteaux

quatre moules à gâteau de 6 × 3 pouces

papier sulfurisé

Instructions

Préchauffer le four à 350 degrés Fahrenheit. Beurrer quatre moules à gâteau de 6 pouces. Tapisser le fond de papier sulfurisé, graisser à nouveau et saupoudrer de farine. Secouez tout excédent. Mettez la farine, le sucre, la poudre d'amandes, la levure chimique, le bicarbonate de soude et le sel dans un robot culinaire muni d'une lame en métal ou dans le bol d'un batteur sur socle. Pulser ou mélanger brièvement pour combiner. Ajoutez le beurre en cubes et mélangez ou mélangez à nouveau jusqu'à ce que le mélange ressemble à de la chapelure grossière. Ajouter les œufs et mélanger jusqu'à incorporation. Vous devrez peut-être racler les parois du bol pour vous assurer que tout est uniformément mélangé. Ajoutez le lait et l'extrait de vanille et mélangez pendant 2-3 minutes jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit lisse. Encore une fois, raclez les parois du bol si nécessaire. Répartissez la pâte uniformément entre les moules à gâteau préparés. Cuire au four pendant 35 à 40 minutes ou jusqu'à ce qu'un cure-dent inséré au centre en ressorte propre et que les gâteaux soient élastiques au toucher. Laissez les gâteaux refroidir dans les moules pendant 10 minutes, puis démoulez-les délicatement sur une grille pour qu'ils refroidissent complètement. . Coupez les « dômes » des gâteaux à l’aide d’un couteau dentelé pour vous assurer que toutes les couches sont uniformes et de niveau.

Pour le remplissage, le glaçage et les décorations

14 onces de mascarpone entier

8 1/2 onces liquides de crème épaisse

10 1/2 onces de sucre glace

1 cuillère à soupe d'extrait de vanille

10 onces de caillé de citron ou de fruit de la passion du commerce

3 onces de myrtilles fraîches

une sélection de fruits frais comme des figues, des cerises, des fraises et des mûres pour décorer

brins de romarin frais pour décorer

Pour le goutte à goutte

3 1/2 onces de chocolat blanc de bonne qualité, finement haché

3 onces liquides de crème épaisse

Colorants alimentaires en pâte molle Americolor

Instructions

Mettez tout le mascarpone, la crème épaisse, le sucre glace et l'extrait de vanille dans le bol de votre batteur sur socle. Fouetter à basse vitesse pour combiner. Augmentez la vitesse au maximum et fouettez pendant une minute. Arrêtez le batteur et raclez les parois et le fond du bol. Fouettez à nouveau jusqu'à obtenir des pics fermes* environ une minute de plus. Transférez le glaçage dans une grande poche à douille munie d'un embout rond uni. Mettez la crème de citron dans une autre poche à douille. Ajoutez un peu de glaçage sur votre support à gâteau ou votre assiette pour fixer la couche inférieure du gâteau. Disposez un anneau de glaçage sur le pourtour du gâteau. Pochez un rond de crème de citron à l'intérieur, puis un autre rond de glaçage et enfin un point de crème de citron. Parsemez le caillé de myrtilles fraîches. Répétez cette opération jusqu'à ce que vous ayez utilisé tous les calques. Ajoutez une grosse cuillerée de glaçage sur le dessus du gâteau et utilisez une spatule coudée ou un grattoir à pâtisserie pour l'étaler sur le dessus du gâteau en une couche uniforme, puis sur les côtés du gâteau. Ajoutez plus de glaçage sur les côtés du gâteau si nécessaire et utilisez un grattoir à pâtisserie pour le lisser afin que les couches transparaissent pour un effet de gâteau nu. Il est préférable de le faire en utilisant un plateau tournant à gâteau. Refroidissez le gâteau pendant au moins 30 minutes. Mettez le chocolat blanc et la crème épaisse dans un bol et passez au micro-ondes par rafales de 10 secondes jusqu'à ce qu'il commence à fondre. Remuer jusqu'à ce qu'il soit complètement lisse et brillant. Ajoutez une petite quantité de colorant alimentaire en gel (ou des combinaisons de couleurs) jusqu'à obtenir la teinte souhaitée. J'ai utilisé Americolor en rose électrique, violet et bleu. Laisser refroidir la ganache * mettre au réfrigérateur 20 minutes si vous êtes pressé. À l'aide d'une cuillère ou d'un flacon souple, ajoutez un peu de ganache près du bord du dessus pour qu'elle coule sur les côtés. Testez d’abord une petite quantité pour voir comment elle coule sur le gâteau afin de pouvoir contrôler l’effet. Une fois que vous en êtes satisfait, ajoutez des gouttes sur le côté de tout le gâteau. Remplissez le dessus du gâteau avec la ganache, en commençant par le centre vers l'extérieur. Refroidissez le gâteau jusqu'à ce que la ganache soit presque prise avant d'ajouter vos décorations. Il est préférable d’ajouter des fruits frais, etc. à la dernière minute avant de présenter le gâteau. Disposez astucieusement des fruits frais * figues, mûres, fraises et cerises * sur le dessus du gâteau. Ajoutez quelques brins de romarin pour une touche rustique et préparez-vous à épater vos invités!

Préchauffer le four à 350 degrés Fahrenheit. Beurrer quatre moules à gâteau de six pouces. Tapisser le fond de papier sulfurisé, graisser à nouveau et saupoudrer de farine. Secouez tout excédent. Mettez la farine, le sucre, la poudre d'amandes, la levure chimique, le bicarbonate de soude et le sel dans un robot culinaire muni d'une lame en métal ou dans le bol d'un batteur sur socle. Pulser ou mélanger brièvement pour combiner. Ajoutez le beurre en cubes et mélangez ou mélangez à nouveau jusqu'à ce que le mélange ressemble à de la chapelure grossière. Ajouter les œufs et mélanger jusqu'à incorporation. Vous devrez peut-être racler les parois du bol pour vous assurer que tout est uniformément mélangé. Ajoutez le lait et l'extrait de vanille et mélangez pendant 2-3 minutes jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit lisse. Encore une fois, raclez les parois du bol si nécessaire. Répartissez la pâte uniformément entre les moules à gâteau préparés. Cuire au four pendant 35 à 40 minutes ou jusqu'à ce qu'un cure-dent inséré au centre en ressorte propre et que les gâteaux soient élastiques au toucher. Laissez les gâteaux refroidir dans les moules pendant 10 minutes, puis démoulez-les délicatement sur une grille pour qu'ils refroidissent complètement. Coupez les « dômes » des gâteaux à l’aide d’un couteau dentelé pour vous assurer que toutes les couches sont uniformes et de niveau. Mettez tout le mascarpone, la crème épaisse, le sucre glace et l'extrait de vanille dans le bol de votre batteur sur socle. Fouetter à basse vitesse pour combiner. Augmentez la vitesse au maximum et fouettez pendant une minute. Arrêtez le batteur et raclez les parois et le fond du bol. Fouettez à nouveau jusqu'à obtenir des pics fermes* environ une minute de plus. Transférez le glaçage dans une grande poche à douille munie d'un embout rond uni. Mettez la crème de citron dans une autre poche à douille. Ajoutez un peu de glaçage sur votre support à gâteau ou votre assiette pour fixer la couche inférieure du gâteau. Disposez un anneau de glaçage sur le pourtour du gâteau. Pochez un rond de crème de citron à l'intérieur, puis un autre rond de glaçage et enfin un point de crème de citron. Parsemez le caillé de myrtilles fraîches. Répétez cette opération jusqu'à ce que vous ayez utilisé tous les calques. Ajoutez une grosse cuillerée de glaçage sur le dessus du gâteau et utilisez une spatule coudée ou un grattoir à pâtisserie pour l'étaler sur le dessus du gâteau en une couche uniforme, puis sur les côtés du gâteau. Ajoutez plus de glaçage sur les côtés du gâteau si nécessaire et utilisez un grattoir à pâtisserie pour le lisser afin que les couches transparaissent pour un effet de gâteau nu. Il est préférable de le faire en utilisant un plateau tournant à gâteau. Refroidissez le gâteau pendant au moins 30 minutes. Mettez le chocolat blanc et la crème épaisse dans un bol et passez au micro-ondes par rafales de 10 secondes jusqu'à ce qu'il commence à fondre. Remuer jusqu'à ce qu'il soit complètement lisse et brillant. Ajoutez une petite quantité de colorant alimentaire en gel (ou des combinaisons de couleurs) jusqu'à obtenir la teinte souhaitée. J'ai utilisé Americolor en rose électrique, violet et bleu. Laissez refroidir la ganache * mettez-la au réfrigérateur 20 minutes si vous êtes pressé. Utilisez une cuillère ou un flacon souple pour ajouter un peu de ganache près du bord du dessus afin qu'elle coule sur les côtés. Testez d'abord une petite quantité pour voir comment elle coule sur le gâteau, afin de pouvoir contrôler l'effet. Une fois que vous en êtes satisfait, ajoutez des gouttes sur le côté de tout le gâteau. Remplissez le dessus du gâteau avec la ganache, en commençant par le centre vers l'extérieur. Refroidissez le gâteau jusqu'à ce que la ganache soit presque prise avant d'ajouter vos décorations. Il est préférable d’ajouter les fruits frais, etc. à la dernière minute, avant de présenter le gâteau. Disposez astucieusement les fruits frais * figues, mûres, fraises et cerises * sur le dessus du gâteau. Ajoutez quelques brins de romarin pour une touche rustique et préparez-vous à épater vos invités !

Note

Les gâteaux peuvent être préparés jusqu'à deux jours à l'avance et conservés, bien emballés, à température ambiante. Une fois le gâteau garni, il est préférable de le consommer le jour même. Assurez-vous d'ajouter les fruits ou toute autre décoration juste avant d'être prêt à présenter le gâteau à vos invités.

Sicilian-style tuna 

Tuna is a very tasty second course of seasonal fish. It is a simple recipe to prepare with Mediterranean ingredients with strong flavors and inevitable in Sicilian cuisine. It is an excellent dish for the whole family, even for the little ones. This is a typical Sicilian way to cook tuna. The taste is amazing and strong! It’s perfect for dinner, Sunday meal and other occasions. I suggest to combine the dish with a strong and flavoured white chardonnay.  Learn the steps to prepare Sicilian-style tuna.

Ingredients

Tuna steaks, about 5 ounces each

2 Fennel bulbs, thickly sliced lengthwise

2 Red onions, sliced

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Crusty rolls, to serve

Marinade

1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

4 Garlic clove, finely chopped

4 Fresh red chili peppers, seeded and finely chopped

Juice and finely grated lemon rind

1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Put the tuna steaks in a large, shallow dish and spoon over a tablespoon of the marinade, turning until well coated. Cover and let marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Set aside the remaining marinade. Heat a stovetop grill pan over high heat. In a separate bowl, put the fennel and onions, add the oil and to toss to coat well. Add to grill pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side until it barely starts acquiring color. Transfer to four warmed serving plates, drizzle with the remaining marinade, keep warm. Add the tuna steaks to the grill and cook, turning once, for 5 minutes until firm to the touch but still moist inside. Transfer to the serving plates and serve immediately with crusty rolls

 

Prawns in puff pastry crust

Prawns in puff pastry crust, an exquisite appetizer, simple to prepare and ready in a few minutes. Perfect to serve on holidays and beyond. Crusted prawns are very easy to make, delicious, tasty, elegant and your guests will love them. They are within everyone's reach and by using frozen products, of good quality, you can bring them to the table without spending a fortune! Today we will prepare them together with the technique explained step by step, if you are curious to know it, follow me in the kitchen, you will see how simple it is!

Ingredients

10 King prawns (fresh or frozen)

1 rollof puff pastry (half will be enough at the end)

Sesame seeds

1Egg (for finishing)

Preparation

Rinse the prawns under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the heads (don't throw them away, you could make a comic for the risotto) and peel them without detaching the tails. Unroll the puff pastry and cut 1cm thick strips from the short side. Roll a strip around each shrimp, add half more if needed. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, place the prawns on it, brush them with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 180°C fan, for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Mussels Marinara 

Mussels marinara style with cherry tomatoes and white wine...

A classic of Italian cuisine, simple, cheap and very tasty, suitable to be both an appetizer and a main course and perfect when you want to make a good impression without committing too much. You can prepare mussels marinara with or without cherry tomatoes, but you can't help but add garlic, parsley and white wine, for the rest the dish is really simple and can be prepared in a moment, as long as you have cleaned and purged mussels. If you have never cleaned black mussels, don't worry, with some precautions, by reading the recipe, you will find out how to do it perfectly and without stress! But are you ready to follow me? Let's go to the kitchen then!

Ingredients

2 kg mussels

extra virgin olive oil

parsley

1 clove garlic

150 g cherry tomatoes

chili pepper

80 g white wine

Preparation

Leave the mussels for an hour in lightly salted water, after the time has elapsed rinse them, remove the byssus, i.e. those filaments that keep them attached to each other. Rub the mussels with salt, better coarse if you have it and remove all the encrustations, alternatively use an abrasive scouring pad. Rinse again under running water and leave to soak for another fifteen minutes in plain water, they will remove the excess salt. Sauté the garlic and parsley in a large pan, add the washed and halved cherry tomatoes and a little chilli, let them wilt and add the mussels, turn up the heat and deglaze with the white wine. Let it cook for about 7 minutes with the lid on, without adding salt, because it is not needed and stirring halfway through cooking. As soon as the mussels are opened, turn off the heat and bring to the table still hot, sprinkle with a little parsley.

Stromboli 

Stromboli is a type of baked turnover filled with various Italian cheeses (typically mozzarella) and usually Italian cold cuts (typically Italian meats such as salami, capocollo and bresaola) or vegetables served hot. The dough used is either Italian bread dough or pizza dough. Stromboli was invented by Italian-Americans in the United States in the Philadelphia area.The name of the dish is taken from a volcanic island off the coast of Sicily. A stromboli is similar to a calzone or scaccia, and the dishes are sometimes confused. Unlike calzones, which are always stuffed and folded into a crescent shape, a stromboli is typically rolled or folded into a cylinder, and may sometimes contain a thin layer of tomato sauce on the inside.

Many American pizza shops serve a stromboli using pizza dough that is folded in half with fillings, similar to a half-moon-shaped calzone. At other establishments, a stromboli is made with a square-shaped pizza dough that can be topped with any pizza toppings and is then rolled into a cylindrical jelly roll shape and baked. Other variations include adding pizza sauce or deep-frying, in a similar manner as a panzerotti. 

There are several claims regarding the origin of the usage of the name stromboli for food in the United States. Romano's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria claims to have first used the name in 1950 in Essington, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, courtesy of Nazzareno Romano, an Italian immigrant. The pizzeria owner had experimented with "pizza imbottita", or "stuffed pizza", and added ham, cotechino sausage, cheese and peppers into a pocket of bread dough. His future brother-in-law suggested he name it after the recently released movie Stromboli, notorious for an off-screen affair between married actress, Ingrid Bergman, and married director, Roberto Rossellini, resulting in a love child.

In 1954, Mike Aquino of Mike's Burger Royal in Spokane, Washington, says he also named a turnover after the same movie. However, Aquino's version appears to only share the same name as the commonly accepted version of the stromboli and is significantly different from the Philadelphia turnover version that is usually defined as a "stromboli". Aquino's "stromboli" consists of capicola ham and provolone cheese covered in an Italian chili sauce on a French bread roll. Variations also exist in Indiana.

Ingredients

 

1 lb pizza dough

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese , divided

1/3 lb ham slices , or prosciutto

12 slices fresh mozzarella cheese 

1/3 lb large deli pepperoni slices

12 slices Provolone cheese , (8 oz package)

▢1/3 lb large deli salami slices

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

egg wash (1 egg white mixed with 1 Tbsp water)

Tomato or pizza sauce , for dipping

Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, with a pizza stone or baking sheet inside. Roll out pizza dough into a large thin rectangle (about 18’’x12’’)

Season dough: Spread with a thin layer of olive oil over the top and sprinkle generously with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese. Layer deli meats and cheeses: Leaving a 1’’ border around the edge of the dough, layer ham slices, slightly overlapping (like roof shingles) across the top. Repeat with Mozzarella slices, then pepperoni, provolone, and salami. Sprinkle oregano over the top. Roll up: Fold the long edge of the dough closest to you over the fillings a few inches. Roll/fold the dough away from you to form a log. When you near the end edge of the dough, stop, and pull that dough up and over, towards you. Pinch together to the ends and fold them under, to seal the roll. Bake: Place Stromboli, seam side down, on a piece of parchment paper. Brush outside of dough with egg wash. Make 3-4 slits on top, for steam to escape. Sprinkle remaining parmesan on top. Bake for 25 minutes on pizza stone or parchment on prepared baking sheet. Remove from oven and use a paper towel to blot excess grease away, if needed. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, with tomato or pizza sauce on the side, for dipping.

Cheesesteak  Sandwich

I had always thought that the inhabitants of the historic cradle of the Independence of the United States, the rigorous and elegant city founded by the Quaker William Penn on the shore of the Delaware, were refined lovers of refined and elegant cuisine, while in reality they eat like hungry dragons. This is demonstrated by the "Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich".

Roast 1 pepper in the oven, remove the skin and seeds and cut into strips. Sauté 1 onion cut into thick slices in a pan with a little oil. Add the pepper and let it flavor. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, cook 7-8 sliced button mushrooms. They are briefly browned on a lightly oiled griddle (a grill or a griddle), 300 gr of slices of beef, turning them once. Keeping them on the griddle, they are divided into two heaps, on top of each one place 80 gr of slices of provolone cheese and melted. Transfer the sautéed, salted and peppered vegetables to 1 baguette cut in half, opened in half and heated on the griddle, cover with meat and cheese and complete with spicy ketchup sauce and mayonnaise.

If you have a stopover in Philadelphia and you have some time waiting for your connecting flight to the next one, at the airport I recommend you try this sandwich, which is very famous. If, on the other hand, you are planning to really visit the city and not just take a peek at it from above, to admire the Liberty Bell, visit Congress Hall or Independence Hall and look closely at the Declaration of Independence, you can also eat it in the Museum's cafeteria.

If you have never considered visiting Pennsylvania, never mind, but think about it because here, in Lancaster County, which is only 120 km from Philadelphia, there is the most populous Amish colony in America. In the meantime, however, for a Sunday lunch in the garden or on the terrace, rather hungry and willing to grease yourself a little, now you know how to prepare a perfect Philly Cheesesteak! And don't forget the fries...

 

Saracen lasagna with cabbage and cinnamon pumpkin cream

Bring to the table a real creamy and tasty cuddle for your palate. We are talking about Saracen lasagna with cabbage and cinnamon pumpkin cream. Today I present you a vegetarian main dish full of taste and very simple to make. We are talking about the Seracen lasagna with Savoy cabbage and cinnamon pumpkin cream. It is a soft and delicate delicacy that is a real tasty treat for the palate. This delicacy is very popular with both adults and children of the house: for this reason, you can write down this recipe in your notebook among the simple ones that allow you to make your children eat vegetables without feeling the usual tantrums. But this delicacy is also perfect for a tasty lunch break from work that will fill you up without weighing you down.

To make this dish more delicious, you can do as I do and embellish it with a pumpkin cream made by blending 60 g of the pulp of this typical autumn vegetable with a little cooking water. In addition, you could add chunks of pumpkin toasted in a pan without any seasoning but scented with sprigs of rosemary to your liking that with their slight crunchiness would make this soft and delicate lasagna even more delicious. But, of course, you can also follow the instructions of the recipe to the letter: the result will still be excellent.

Ingredients

1 L Soy milk

350 g pumpkin

300 g Savoy cabbage

200 g cauliflower

180 g buckwheat flour

25 g potato starch

50 g cornstarch

12 boiled chestnuts

a shallot

rosemary

nutmeg

Procedure

For the recipe for Saracen lasagna with cabbage and cinnamon pumpkin cream, peel the pumpkin and cut it into cubes. Peel the shallot, brown it in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil for a couple of minutes, add the diced pumpkin (keeping aside about 50g), a pinch of salt, cover with water and cook for 25-30 minutes. Cut the cauliflower into small florets and boil them in salted water for 5-6 minutes. Peel off the cabbage and remove the central rib from each leaf; Cut the leaves into strips and brown them in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt for a couple of minutes. Pour 200 g of soy milk into a bowl and dissolve the cornstarch in it. Bring the rest of the milk to a boil in a saucepan with a pinch of nutmeg, pepper and salt; When it boils, add the milk with the starch and mix well with a whisk until you get the consistency of the béchamel sauce: it will take 3-4 minutes. Blend the pumpkin with a little cooking water and a pinch of cinnamon to obtain a smooth cream. Knead the buckwheat flour with the potato starch and 125 g of hot water to form a dough. Roll it out immediately, one piece at a time, so as to obtain 3 mm thick sheets; Cut them into lasagna, blanch them in salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain them and season them with a drizzle of oil. Mix the béchamel sauce with the cabbage, 8 chopped chestnuts and cauliflower, pour a little on the bottom of a baking pan (about 20x20cm), continue with a layer of pasta and repeat in this way until you run out of ingredients, finishing with a little béchamel sauce. Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes. Roast the diced pumpkin in a pan with a little rosemary; When they are golden, remove them and brown the other chestnuts in the same pan. Remove the lasagna from the oven, cut into slices and serve with the cinnamon pumpkin cream and the diced pumpkin and roasted chestnuts.

 

Risotto with chestnuts and thyme 

Although it's not that cold, the new season is now in full swing and with it have come the autumn recipes to bring to the table. The medium and long cooking that we had abandoned during the summer season is finally back in vogue for the preparation of intense and tasty dishes. Roasts, frying, glazing, stewed and au gratin dishes.... What more could you want? Autumn is the season of transition to winter, gently taking us from hot summer to cold winter, with its grace of colors and scents. Autumn smells of woods, fires and warm embraces. It's time for village festivals, roasted chestnuts in the street and invigorating herbal teas.

Many new ingredients are back in our kitchens, with more or less strong flavors, with properties suitable for the new season. The alternation of rain and sun gives us mushrooms, from porcini mushrooms to chanterelles, always welcome in the kitchen as an accompaniment to tasty first and second courses. And then pumpkin, broccoli and cabbage. Craving hot soups and soups and imaginative Sunday roasts, but not only. The table is set with joy, the days are getting shorter, but the time together does not have to be limited - just light a fireplace (for those who can) or an extra light, and we bring the sun into our cheerful hearts of passionate cooks!

Ingredients

320 g rice

160 g peeled boiled chestnuts

thyme

butter

grated cheese

extra virgin olive oil

salt

Procedure

For the recipe for risotto with chestnuts and thyme, toast the rice dry, in a saucepan, then salt it and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Wet it with boiling water and cook it, adding water, a little at a time, in about 15 minutes. Add the chestnuts two minutes before turning off the rice. Stir in 40 g of butter and 4 tablespoons of grated cheese. Complete the rice with plenty of thyme. 

Ricotta and pumpkin cake filled with chocolate

Ricotta and pumpkin cake filled with chocolate simple and soft dessert, filled with lots of delicious chocolate, also ideal as a Sunday dessert. This is one of the cakes that I make in autumn and that I really like. From the simple realization, this cake can be enriched with many other ingredients, such as milk cream, hazelnuts or chocolate chips in the dough. Let's prepare it, the ricotta and pumpkin cake filled with chocolate is also very light because it does not contain butter.

Ingredients

300 g flour

180 g Sugar

3 Eggs

80 ml Peanut oil

50 ml Milk

200 g Pumpkin

150 g Cow's milk ricotta

1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

1 sachet Baking powder

50 g walnuts, finely chopped

200 g chocolate spread

Preparation

Blend the ricotta with the milk and set aside. Just stew the pumpkin in a pan with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of water, then blend it and let it cool completely. Whip the eggs with the sugar until frothy. Add the oil a little at a time, then the ricotta, vanilla and pureed pumpkin. Add the sifted flour and baking powder. Add the finely chopped walnuts and stir with a spatula until all combined. Pour the mixture into a buttered 22 cm diameter pan and bake at 180°C for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. Once the cake is cool, divide it in two. Fill it with chocolate cream, sprinkle with icing sugar, add walnut kernels, cut into slices and serve.

 

Scalloped potatoes 😍😍 

Potatoes au gratin with béchamel sauce and cooked prosciutto are a rich winter side dish. It is a very easy recipe, perfect accompaniment to meat main courses, for a simple but tasty lunch. Served in a more generous portion, with a green salad, the au gratin potatoes become a delicious main course. Very simple to prepare and really delicious, au gratin potatoes are one of those recipes that already after the first taste enter the top ten of favorite dishes. It is a rich and hearty autumn side dish prepared with blanched potatoes, béchamel sauce, cooked prosciutto and Parmesan cheese, to be passed in the oven. A side dish that easily turns into a main course: just increase the portion and add a fresh salad. 

INGREDIENTS

800 g potatoes

400 ml béchamel sauce

grated Parmigiano Reggiano

100 g sliced cooked prosciutto

salt

black pepper

PREPARATION

To make the au gratin potatoes, start by peeling and washing the potatoes well. Cut them into slices about 5-6 mm thick. Blanch them in salted water for 6-8 minutes, then drain and let them cool. In the meantime, grease the bottom of a baking dish and cover it with a few tablespoons of béchamel sauce. Place a first layer of potatoes in slightly overlapping slices and follow with béchamel sauce, freshly ground pepper and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Spread the ham cut into thin strips on top. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used up. Sprinkle the last one with plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the potatoes from the oven, let them settle for a few minutes and serve.

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs

MEATBALLS STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA IN TOMATO SAUCE are a simple but at the same time delicious second course. A rich alternative, to the traditional tomato meatballs, which everyone loves. In this recipe, enrich the inside of each meatball with a cube of mozzarella, which after cooking in the pot, turns into a warm and stringy "heart" with every bite! And thanks to GRANDMA'S TRICK the meatballs will remain soft and not dry. A recipe that will appeal to everyone, adults and children alike. Also, prepare the bread for the scarpetta because it will be difficult to resist their goodness. You can replace the mozzarella with provolone or scamorza cheese. In addition, if you have lactose intolerance problems, you can use a lactose-free cheese.

Meatballs, usually after frying them, are cooked in tomato, using the sauce to season the pasta and meatballs as a second course. In this recipe I stuffed them with mozzarella cooked with tomato, but baked and served only as a main course. One leads to another. 

Ingredients

400 g minced veal

2 Eggs

1 clove Garlic

4 tbsp Parmesan cheese 

1 tsp Parsley (chopped)

80 g Breadcrumbs 

6 tbsp Water (approx.)

Salt

1 Mozzarella (125 gr)

700 ml Tomato puree

Half an onion (chopped)

Basil

Preparation

To prepare the MEATBALLS STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA WITH TOMATO SAUCE, start with the basic meat: Put the breadcrumbs and water in a bowl. Leave it aside. This step will make your meatballs soft and not dry. You can also replace it with milk. Pour the minced meat into a bowl and season with a pinch of salt, grated cheese, crushed garlic clove, chopped parsley and eggs. Stir and finally, add the breadcrumbs soaked in water. Knead all the ingredients well until a compact meat is formed. Take a piece of meat and place a coarse cube of mozzarella in the center. Swirl the meat between your hands, until it forms a round stuffed meatball. Proceed in this way until you have used up all the ingredients available. At the end, fry the chopped onion in a large pot, with a drizzle of olive oil. Make it transparent. Then add the MEATBALLS STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA and cook them for a few seconds, until they are fried on all sides. Add the tomato puree, a pinch of salt and the basil leaves. If you like, you can also add some peas. Dilute the  MEATBALLS STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA WITH TOMATO SAUCE with about half a glass of water and cover the pot with a lid. Cook over low heat for about 35 minutes, checking the cooking from time to time. At the end of cooking, turn off the heat and serve the MEATBALLS STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA WITH SAUCE hot, with a little of its cooking juices.

 

Rice and chickpea soup

The simple recipe of a perfect dish to keep fit and, above all, healthy. For cooking, it is preferable to use a pressure cooker and cook the chickpeas for at least 10-15 minutes from the whistle. Essential ingredients: carrots, celery, onion and tomato. A typical recipe simple, genuine and without wasting any product, is the rice and chickpea soup. Very healthy and very simple to prepare, in a time not exceeding an hour (you must then add a few minutes to let it rest), according to the recipe I present here.

Rice and chickpea soup is a poor recipe, but extraordinarily good. It is a rustic first course, of the peasant tradition, simple to make and which, during cold days, warms not only the body, but also the heart. A simple rice that, with the addition of chickpeas, cooked previously, becomes a really tasty and nutritious dish, as well as creamy: a real comfort food. 

INGREDIENTS

250 gr of chickpeas

100 gr of brown rice

1 onion

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

1 tomato or 1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp oil

Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

Let the chickpeas soak for at least a day, then rinse them and place them in a pressure cooker covered with cold water. Cook for about 15 minutes from the whistle and then continue cooking as normal. Add the rice and, after 15 minutes, the sliced onion and celery, diced carrots, shredded tomato or concentrate diluted in hot water. Season with salt and as soon as the rice and chickpeas are cooked, season the soup with oil and pepper.

 

Eating healthy 

The world changes quickly, and lifestyles with it. Meals take out for school and work reasons are increasing, but at the same time we are no longer willing to have just any lunch, as long as it is quick. We want a balanced diet without giving up the taste that, as Italians, we have taught to the whole world. 

At least three meals a day, and don't give up breakfast. Learn how to shop without waste. Many portions of fruit and vegetables, for lunch and dinner. Don't overdo it with meat consumption.

HEALTHY EATING

Eat healthy and spend little: this is one of the goals of a lifestyle inspired by my Do Not Waste diptych. It's not difficult, and once it becomes a habit, you won't be able to give it up. For the pleasure and well-being it brings. Eating healthy does not only mean choosing the best foods for this result, but also having regular meal times, having "appetite-breaking" snacks and not giving up physical activity. What does it mean to eat healthy? Someone, mistakenly, links this concept to the idea of eating little, very little, and losing weight. It's not like that. Eating healthy means protecting one's health, and therefore we can consider it as the most important form of prevention. Without sacrificing the pleasure of food, taste and genuineness of the products. Eating healthy, from this point of view, is a choice of balance, not a mental obsession that then stresses you out and makes you feel like an alien. Balance, for example, in the weights related to the derivation of the calories that our body needs: 50-60 percent from carbohydrates, 20 percent from proteins, and yet another 20 percent from fats. That's why, if you keep these numbers in mind, it becomes almost automatic to consider the Mediterranean diet as the healthiest of all.

But healthy eating isn't just related to the quality and quantity of food. It also concerns the ways in which we eat (swallowing in a hurry, or perhaps being glued to a smartphone, is simply not good for you), the times (fasting too long are counterproductive) and even the choice of company (being good at the table with others increases the well-being of good food).

DIET FOR HEALTHY EATING

It doesn't take much to eat healthily without spending large amounts of money and above all without sacrificing the quality of the food: all with an eye to diet. In fact, there are a wide variety of inexpensive foods with high nutritional value. Here are some simple tips for spending that is nutritionally rich but not wasteful in terms of cost:

Eat at least three meals a day without ever neglecting breakfast. For lunch and dinner, choose mainly plant-based products such as seasonal fruit and vegetables, legumes and cereals, even better if produced locally in the farmers' markets in the city. Try to never miss at least 5 servings a day of fruit and vegetables. Take a detour to the market when the stalls close: you will find vegetables and fruit at even lower prices. Always introduce, at lunch or dinner, at least a portion of cereals and derivatives such as bread, pasta, rice, corn or potatoes. Also add a good portion of vegetables, cooked or raw. The classic pasta with tomato sauce. Very quick to prepare, it is a complete and inexpensive dish. Good and inexpensive condiments: the classic one with tomato and basil, olive oil and grated cheese. Ban ready meals and caloric snacks and at least twice a week, make sure that legumes appear in your diet. So there is room for chickpeas, beans, lentils, broad beans and peas. Don't forget that with cereals you can also create many tasty unique dishes such as pasta and beans, easy to prepare, healthy and decidedly low cost. Don't overdo it with the consumption of meat, just consume it once/twice a week and preferably white. Same thing for fish. Don't consume too many sausages, dairy products and cheeses. Also avoid buying cured meats already sliced and in trays: they generally cost more than those asked for at the counter. In addition, this way you will avoid buying more than the necessary amount. The best alternative to meat? Legumes: they can be prepared as a first or second course. The legume soup with a handful of rice or barley or the chickpea burger accompanied by a side of vegetables are excellent.

WHAT TO EAT AS HEALTHY FOOD?

Certainly the list of healthy foods must include fruits, vegetables, legumes, extra virgin olive oil, fish and white meat. But other foods can also help a lot to have a healthy diet, while some products, such as sugary drinks are really harmful.

Eggs, cheap proteins. You can cook them in so many ways. Enjoy them fried in a drizzle of oil accompanied by a side of vegetables (e.g. asparagus), in the form of a zucchini or onion omelette or hard-boiled in a fresh salad. Choose small eggs, which are less expensive, but little different from large ones. Choose, where possible, tap water and avoid the consumption of carbonated or sugary drinks, which are unhealthy. Favor the use of extra virgin olive oil both for cooking and as a raw condiment. Also plan your weekly menu by writing a shopping list: you will arrive at the store with a list of the things you really need in mind and you will avoid being enchanted by the various promotions in progress, which are not very convenient if the food purchased then remains in the fridge. Try to reuse everything you have available. For example, if strawberries are overripe, you can reuse them to make a tasty homemade ice cream. Leftover vegetables for dinner become the basic ingredient for a delicious risotto. Finally, how can we forget that healthy eating habits must always be accompanied by some physical activity, preferably in the open air. The more you walk or run during the week, the more positive health benefits you have. As recent research finds, both running and walking lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

Eating healthy food doesn't have to be a compulsion or a duty. But simply a desire and a pleasure. As usual, it's just a matter of introducing good habits, like the ones we've seen, and eliminating others that have the opposite effect in terms of well-being for our body. In particular, to get closer to healthy food, we just need to get used to the following things. Reduce sugar and salt, according to the respective desire. Don't overdo it with coffees, which we also usually use to accompany meetings throughout the day. Eat a balanced diet, which is always the best way to stay in shape and not gain weight. Break your appetite later in the day with snacks of yoghurt, fruit and nuts. Always pleasant. Do physical activity that helps you have an appetite, but eat foods that do not automatically lead to weight gain.