Monday, February 17, 2025
Monte Delle Vigne Malvasia Callas 2020
A tribute to the famous actress and soprano, Callas is the truest expression of the Malvasia grape variety. It fascinates with its aromatic complexity and its fresh and mineral finish. Still Malvasia with a deep straw yellow color with greenish reflections. It offers complex and intense aromas, with floral notes, where white violet and hawthorn stand out. On the palate it is a harmonious and fresh Malvasia di Candia, which combines a good structure and minerality, with the classic varietal aromatic intensity. Callas, the pure aromatic Malvasia di Candia from Monte delle Vigne (Ozzano Taro), returns to win the Tre Bicchieri, the highest recognition in the Gambero Rosso 2022 Guide to Italian Wines. "Thanks to this goal, which is for us a fundamental step in the road traveled so far, in the name of sustainability and attention to the territory, we confirm ourselves among the national wine excellences – comments Paolo Pizzarotti president of Monte delle Vigne – We do it with a wine that together with Nabucco has represented our peculiar characteristic for over twenty years: the production of great still wines in a territory where sparkling wines dominate. It is a path that has led us to achieve this great result, which I believe is essential for the duties we have: our making wine must be based on environmental sustainability to give us increasingly good, healthy products designed for greater longevity".
Tasting notes
At sight: Deep straw yellow colour with greenish reflections.On the nose: Broad and intense, with citrus and mineral notes.On the palate: Excellent structure, soft and balanced with intense and well expressed aromas.
Pear Risotto with Gorgonzola and Raw Ham Roses
A refined and elegant first course proposal. A reinterpretation of an always appreciated classic, the "pear and gorgonzola risotto", which also in this proposed version is confirmed as a winner. A classy and elegant dish, where the strong flavor of gorgonzola is balanced by the sugary sweetness of pears. The presence of raw ham, with its aromaticity, harmonizes and dilutes the peculiar and decisive flavor of blue cheese. A delicious and creamy risotto, perfect to present at the table on a special occasion. There are only a few days left before this holiday, and many of us are looking for an easy, fast, but at the same time chic menu. We want delicious and tasty recipes, but easy to make to amaze our guests. The choice of what to cook originates from the culinary traditions of one's city, region or family. As first courses, both pasta and rice become the protagonists of the culinary proposals for the holidays. They also represent the perfect time to review and refresh traditional dishes with a modern touch. Pears are a fruit that appeals to young and old alike for their unique flavor. There are as many as 3000 varieties of pears, which are harvested in late summer and early autumn. This fruit is a real treasure trove of beneficial properties. It is suitable for inclusion in many diets, including low-calorie, low-cholesterol and for those suffering from diabetes. Pears are low-calorie, high in water, and contain plenty of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. Their origins are lost in the mists of time. Now let's see what we need to make our Pear Risotto with Gorgonzola and Raw Ham Roses.
Ingredients
320 grams of Arborio Rice
1 shallot
1 glass of dry white wine
150 grams of spicy gorgonzola
2 pears
extra virgin olive oil
60 grams of butter
80 grams of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
100 grams of raw ham
Ingredients for the vegetable broth
1 onion
cloves
a few celery sticks
2 carrots
peppercorns
Preparation
Let's prepare the broth
Peel an onion and thread it with a few cloves. Cut 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks into pieces. Put the vegetables in a pot with about 3 liters of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for an hour.
Let's prepare the risotto
In a saucepan, finely chop the shallot and sauté it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the rice and toast it for a few minutes.
Deglaze with white wine. Cook the rice, adding vegetable broth when necessary.
Let's complete the dish
Wash, peel and dice the pears. Blend half of the pear cubes and set aside. Five minutes after the rice is cooked, add the chopped gorgonzola (without the crust), the diced pears and the blended pears.Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and grated cheese. Serve with raw ham roses.
Gnocchi with Seafood and Parsley Pesto
A fresh first course with a strong flavor. Here, the characteristic sweet taste of potatoes, slightly bitter, blends harmoniously with the explosion of flavors of seafood, offering a taste experience that combines the marine scent of molluscs and crustaceans with the delicate creaminess of parsley pesto. This delicious dish captures the scents and flavors of the land and sea, combining them creatively to offer new and surprising sensations to the palate. It is a versatile dish, suitable for any time of the year, capable of transforming an ordinary lunch into an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Today's proposal is a simple pesto, prepared in a mortar, in which the typical Italian aromas and flavors are enhanced. A creative idea in taste that, despite its apparent simplicity, stands out for the delicate flavor that parsley, a simple and humble ingredient, manages to give it, making it ideal both as a condiment for pasta and as an accompaniment to meat or fish. The protagonist is parsley pesto, one of the many variations of the classic basil pesto, a type of sauce similar to green sauce which, with its unique flavor, adds liveliness and a delicate note of freshness to fish dishes, meat, croutons and bruschetta. It is easy to prepare with classic ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and parsley; to taste, for a note of stronger flavor, two anchovies can also be added. Now let's see what we need to make our Gnocchi with Seafood and Parsley Pesto.
Ingredients for the gnocchi
1 kg of old potatoes
300 grams of flour
1 egg
salt
For the dressing
700 grams of mussels and clams
400 grams of shrimp
2 anchovies
1 clove of garlic
1 chilli pepper
1/2 glass dry white wine
salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ingredients for the parsley pesto
40 grams of fresh parsley leaves only
2 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 lemon juice + 2 tablespoons water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt
Preparation
Let's start by preparing the parsley: peel the leaves and wash them under running water. Next, put them on sheets of kitchen paper and dry them gently. Let's move on to the pesto: in the mortar, put a clove of garlic and pine nuts, then start crushing them. Then add the parsley leaves a few at a time. Combine the lemon juice, two tablespoons of water and just enough of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to obtain a creamy sauce. Now let's take care of the mussels and clams: wash them under running water and transfer them to a large pot with cold water and a handful of coarse salt. Let them drain for an hour. After the indicated time, rinse them again to remove excess salt and sand. In a large pot, bring plenty of water to a boil and put the potatoes to boil. When they are cooked, we drain them, peel them and pass them through a sieve.
Put the mashed potatoes on the pastry board and make a hollow in the center where we insert the egg and salt. Add the flour and knead until you get a homogeneous and smooth dough. Take a piece of dough at a time and make 1 cm rolls with your hands. With a knife, cut small pieces of dough and pass them through the floured grater. In a large pan, put a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the garlic clove and the chilli pepper. Bring to the heat and let it flavor, then add the anchovies and let them melt, cook the shrimp for a minute over high heat, and add the mussels and clams. In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to a boil. When the water boils, dip the gnocchi and drain them when they come to the surface. Gently dip them in our fish sauce, then add a few tablespoons of parsley pesto and a few tablespoons of gnocchi cooking water if necessary. Serve with a drizzle of raw Extra Virgin Olive Oil and grated lemon zest.
Risotto with Prosciutto Crudo and Melon
An original and flavorful first course proposal. It is a reinterpretation of a classic summer appetizer: ham and melon, one of the most successful combinations of Italian gastronomy, always current and never old-fashioned. A combination that may seem like a modern gimmick, but which actually has ancient roots. Historical sources take us back 2500 years, to the time of Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician and geographer considered "the father of medicine". According to Hippocrates, every food belongs to one of the four elements of nature: air, water, fire and earth, and is completed with hot, cold, dry and wet, to be balanced to maintain good health. At the time, it was customary to combine foods with contrasting tastes, such as sweet and salty, hot and cold, dry and wet. Ham and melon represented the perfect balance: melon, cold and moist food, was completed with ham, hot and dry. For today's recipe we will use the melon of the Cantaloupe or netted variety, the most widespread and appreciated. Raw prosciutto, on the other hand, offers a good amount of protein and a mix of mineral salts such as iron, calcium and phosphorus, precious for fighting drops in blood pressure and muscle fatigue. It also contains magnesium and potassium, which are essential in summer to compensate for the loss of salts due to excessive sweating. Magnesium, in particular, is essential for proper energy metabolism, promotes a good night's rest and fights tiredness and exhaustion. Today I propose risotto, undoubtedly a protagonist preparation in the kitchen, typical of Northern Italy. This preparation dates back to the 1500s, a period of which there is little historical evidence. The first risotto recipes began to appear only in the first half of the nineteenth century. Now let's see what we need to make our Risotto with Raw prosciutto and Melon.
Ingredients
320 grams of rice
400 grams of melon pulp
150 grams of San Daniele prosciutto
120 grams of goat cheese
1 shallot
1/2 glass of Wine
salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
a knob of butter to cream
marjoram
vegetable broth
Ingredients for the broth
1 onion
cloves
a few celery sticks
2 carrots
peppercorns
Preparation
Let's prepare the broth: let's start by peeling an onion and piercing it with a few cloves. Next, we cut 2 carrots and 2 ribs of celery into pieces. Put the vegetables in a pot with about 3 liters of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for an hour. Let's move on to the preparation of the melon pulp: divide the fruit in half, cut each half into wedges, remove the seeds and the outer skin, and then cut the pulp into cubes of possibly uniform size. Peel the shallot, slice it thinly and put it in a saucepan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Let it flavor, then add the rice and toast it for a few minutes. We blend with the wine from the evaporating the alcohol. We continue by adding, when necessary, a ladle of broth until the end of cooking, which takes about 10-12 minutes. In the meantime, cut the raw ham into strips and make it crispy in a hot non-stick pan. When the rice is cooked, add the melon previously cut into cubes, the raw ham, season with salt and stir in the goat cheese, a knob of butter and marjoram. If desired, we can serve the risotto inside the melon wrapper. In this case, instead of cutting the melon into slices, we leave the fruit whole and empty the pulp with a spoon, creating a sort of melon "cup".
Chickpea Soup
A vegetarian proposal for a first course rich in flavor and genuineness. With its creamy and enveloping texture, this soup gives a perfect balance between the flavor of chickpeas and rosemary and the sweet mellowness of chestnuts. A true comfort food that pampers the palate with its creaminess and rustic and authentic flavor, never boring. It is a dish that we can customize with spices and aromatic herbs, to experiment with new combinations of flavors and aromas. Perfect for winter, the ideal season to rekindle the oven and stove. Now let's see what we need to make our Chickpea Soup.
Ingredients
150 grams of Chickpea
150 grams of boiled and peeled chestnuts
2 carrots
2 shallots
1 spring onion
vegetable broth
salt
black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
rosemary, thyme, chopped parsley to taste
extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients for the vegetable broth
1 onion
cloves
a few celery sticks
2 carrots
peppercorns
You will also need
croutons
Preparation
We start the day before by putting the Chickpeas in a pot, covering them with cold water and letting them rest for 24 hours. The next morning, drain, rinse and cook for about 50-55 minutes. Make side cuts on the chestnuts, put them in a pot with plenty of cold water and a bay leaf; Bring to the heat and cook for about half an hour (cooking time may vary depending on the size of the chestnuts). Once cooked, peel them while they are still hot. Let's prepare the broth: peel an onion and put a few cloves inside, then cut 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks into pieces. Put the vegetables in a pot with about 3 liters of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for an hour. In a large saucepan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add a finely chopped shallot and spring onion, diced carrot, thyme and rosemary, and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the chickpeas, chestnuts and cover with the vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper with freshly ground black peppercorns; Continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and, before serving, stir in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve the soup hot, accompanied by croutons.
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Blueberry Risotto with Burrata
Represents an original and delicate first course proposal. This dish goes beyond the classic flavor combinations to which we are accustomed, leaving us pleasantly surprised. The surprising and captivating recipe skilfully combines the fresh, sweet and sour flavor of blueberry, with its evocative wild notes, with the strong, strong and at the same time salty sweet of burrata, thus creating a marriage of flavors, textures and colors that evoke the wonders of the mountains. Its realization is extremely simple, but at the same time refined, making it perfect both for the most important occasions and for summer evenings in the moonlight, in pleasant sharing with friends. This dish, which evokes the scent of summer, is a real must for those who love the combination of fruit with savory dishes, with that touch of refinement and elegance that knows how to amaze and intrigue. Appetizers, first courses, and meat main courses that meet the acidic notes of berries, the sweetness of pineapple, melon and figs... Ideas for dishes that are never banal, to amaze with contrasts that give joy to the palate, with flavors that tend to be sweet and sour. The fruit protagonist of our recipe is blueberry, one of the berries, elixir of life for its nutritional virtues. A great culinary must for the summer, perfect for a light lunch in combination with green salads and savory cheeses, in cold pasta and white meat salads. This small round fruit with a purplish color is a great panacea for our health, rich in vitamins A, D and E, folic acid, mineral salts such as potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, organic acids, polyphenols, and five different anthocyanins with important antioxidant properties.
Ingredients
320 grams of rice
150 grams of fresh blueberries + 2 tablespoons of water
1 spring onion
1 glass of dry white wine
salt
extra virgin olive oil
a knob of butter
a sprig of rosemary
vegetable broth
Ingredients for the broth
1 onion
cloves
a few celery sticks
2 carrots
peppercorns
Ingredients for the burrata sauce
1 buffalo burrata of 300 grams
2 tablespoons of fresh cream
extra virgin olive oil
salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon of rice starch
Preparation
Let's prepare the broth: let's start by peeling an onion and piercing it with a few cloves. Next, we cut 2 carrots and 2 ribs of celery into pieces. Put the vegetables in a pot with about 3 liters of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for an hour. Let's now dedicate ourselves to the burrata cream: put the burrata in a mixer with the liquid cream, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of rice starch, salt and pepper, and work until you get a velvety cream. Divide the cream into two parts: 1/3 for creaming and the rest for decoration. In a saucepan put the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of water, bring to the heat and cook for a couple of minutes, then blend more than half with an immersion blender. Peel the spring onion, slice it thinly and put it in a saucepan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Let it flavor, then add the rice, toast it for a few minutes and then deglaze with a glass of dry wine. As soon as the wine evaporates, add the blended blueberries. Continue by adding a ladle of broth when necessary until cooked, about 10/12 minutes. When the rice is cooked, add the unblended blueberries and the third of burrata cream. Season with salt and stir in a piece of butter. All that remains is to serve with the burrata cream and rosemary in fantasy. Our Blueberry Risotto with Burrata is ready to be served.
Leek and Shrimp Risotto with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A fish first course with a delicate and refined flavor, a timeless classic perfect to conquer the palate of our guests. A rich dish, characterized by delicate aromas and pastel colors, perfect for enhancing the leek. Although it can be found all year round, this vegetable has its ideal harvest period from early autumn until February. An alchemy of taste and aromas, where the sweetness of the leek goes wonderfully with the protagonist of the dish: the prawns. These come together to create an intense and unforgettable flavor, capable of transporting diners to the shores of the sea. The prawns, with a tender and slightly elastic consistency, with their sweetly mineral flavor, are enhanced by the grated lemon zest that gives freshness to the dish. A classy dish, perfect to present on a special occasion when we want tasty and easy-to-make recipes, to amaze our guests. Now let's see what we need to make our Leek and Shrimp Risotto with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Ingredients
360 grams of rice
3 leeks
600 grams of Prawns
Mixed for sautéing: 1 onion, 1 carrot, a celery stalk
2 l cold water
1 glass of dry white wine
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lemon grated zest
parsley to taste
fish broth
Preparation
Let's prepare the fish broth: after washing and cleaning the shrimp, put the carapace and heads in a saucepan together with a carrot, an onion, a celery stick and a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Brown everything and, with a fork, crush the heads of the shrimp. Add two liters of cold water, salt and cook over low heat for about an hour. In a large saucepan, put the leeks previously cleaned, washed and cut into slices, together with a drizzle of oil. Let it flavor, add the rice and toast it for a couple of minutes, then deglaze with the wine. When the wine has evaporated, add the broth filtered through a sieve, a ladle at a time, until the rice is cooked. Meanwhile, in a pan with a drizzle of oil, cook the prawns for a minute. At the end of cooking, add the prawns to the risotto, add a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, parsley and serve with grated lemon zest. Our Leek and Shrimp Risotto with Extra Virgin Olive Oil is ready to be enjoyed.
Mezze Penne with Pumpkin with Bacon and Porcini Mushrooms
A first course with a delicate and enveloping flavor, the perfect emblem of the autumn season. This dish brings together two seasonal wonders: pumpkin and fresh porcini mushrooms. Their balance of flavors is impeccable, with the sweetness of pumpkin that blends harmoniously with the strong taste of porcini mushrooms, all enriched by bacon, which with its sweet and slightly smoky flavor further enhances the whole. Mushrooms, in particular, hold a special place in kitchens around the world. They are fascinating beings, without leaves, flowers or roots, and have over three million species, many of which have not yet been studied. A mysterious kingdom, neither animal nor vegetable, which has fascinated man over the centuries, surrounded by myths and legends. According to the Greeks, it was believed that when Jupiter, deity of the sky, lightning and rain, threw lightning at his wife Juno, queen of the gods, at the point where the lightning fell, mushrooms were born. Now let's see what we need to make our Mezze Penne with Pumpkin with Bacon and Porcini Mushrooms.
Ingredients
320 grams of Mezze Penne
1 kg of raw pumpkin
100 grams of fresh porcini mushrooms
100 grams of sweet bacon cut into cubes
2 cloves of garlic
1 chilli pepper
1 sprig of rosemary
Parmigiano Reggiano
2 tablespoons of cream cheese
salt
extra virgin olive oil
fresh parsley to taste
Preparation
Prepare the porcini mushrooms by removing the earthy part at the base of the stem with a knife and cleaning the head and stem with a damp cloth (porcini mushrooms should never be washed under running water). Cut them in half and add a pinch of salt to let out any unwanted guests. Let them rest for about ten minutes, then remove the salt with a cloth. Cut them into slices or cubes, depending on your preference. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with a clove of garlic, making it brown. Add the porcini mushrooms, deglaze with a glass of white wine and let it evaporate. Cook the mushrooms for 15-20 minutes, then add the chopped parsley. Wash the pumpkin thoroughly, removing any traces of soil with a toothbrush. Cut it in half and, with a spoon, remove seeds and filaments. A piece of advice: let's not throw away the seeds! We can toast them in the oven with a little salt to obtain a delicious snack. Cut the pumpkin into quarters, remove the zest and cut it into cubes. In a saucepan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with a clove of garlic, chilli pepper and a sprig of rosemary. Let it flavor for a few minutes, then add the pumpkin and enough water to cover it. Cook over low heat, with the lid on, until the pumpkin softens. Remove the rosemary and blend the pumpkin with a mixer, then add two tablespoons of cream cheese and mix. Cut the bacon into cubes and brown it in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until crispy. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook our Mezze Penne. Drain them al dente. Add the pasta to the pan with the pumpkin cream and sauté for a few minutes. Add the bacon, porcini mushrooms, parsley and let it flavor. Serve the dish with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese.
Risotto with Cream of Scampi, Burrata and Lemon
A first course with refined and elegant flavors, capable of blending the freshness of the sea with the sweet creaminess of burrata. This risotto, with its enveloping aromas and distinctive flavors, offers a true Mediterranean experience, elegant and classy. It is a creative and modern reinterpretation of a great classic, risotto with burrata, which will win you over with its simplicity and refinement. A first course with delicate tones and a fresh aroma, where the natural sweetness of the scampi is combined with the softness of the burrata, for a well-balanced organoleptic result, enhanced by the citrus note of lemon. Those who like to experiment can also replace lemon with orange or bergamot, creating equally pleasant variations. The combination of burrata, lemon, and langoustines might seem unusual, but it's absolutely delicious. In fact, at one time, certain gastronomic rules "forbade" combinations such as fish and cheese, considered a gamble, even without any historical basis justifying such a prohibition. Both of these ingredients, appreciated individually, together aroused perplexity, so much so that some considered them a "bickering of flavors". According to some, in fact, the strong flavor of the cheese risked covering the delicacy of the fish. However, this theory is easily debunked: there are delicate cheeses, such as primo sale, ricotta and burrata, which caress and embrace the taste of fish; while there are tastier fish, such as sardines, which go perfectly with more intense cheeses, creating a sea-mountain contrast appreciated even by the most demanding palates. Now let's see what we need to make our Risotto with Cream of Scampi, Burrata and Lemon.
Ingredients
320 grams of rice for Carnaroli risotto
800 grams of scampi
3 tablespoons of fresh cream
1 small clove of garlic
1 spring onion
lemon juice
1 burrata
salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
parsley
For the fish stock
disguise the head and the carapace
1 small glass of cognac
1 liter of water
1 spring onion
garlic
parsley a bunch
tomato paste
peppercorns
salt
Ingredients for the burrata sauce
1 buffalo burrata of 300 grams
2 tablespoons of fresh cream
extra virgin olive oil
salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon of rice starch
Preparation
Remove the carapace from the scampi, remove the intestines and wash them under running water. With the head and carapace we prepare a fish stock: in a saucepan we heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with the sliced spring onion and the peeled and crushed garlic, brown over high heat, then add the scampi scraps and deglaze with cognac. Add parsley, water, a pinch of salt, a few peppercorns and two tablespoons of tomato paste. Cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.Now, let's move on to the scampi cream: heat a drizzle of oil in a pan with a clove of garlic to flavor. When the garlic is golden, remove it and add the scampi, cooking them for a minute on each side. Deglaze with the juice of a lemon, then transfer the scampi to the mixer, adding the cream and a ladle of fish stock, and blend until smooth. Now let's prepare the burrata cream: in the mixer add the burrata, liquid cream, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of rice starch, salt and pepper, and blend until you get a velvety cream. Divide this cream into two parts: 1/3 we will use it for creaming, while the remaining part will be used to decorate the dish. For the risotto, fry the finely chopped spring onion, add the rice and toast it. Cook by adding the fish stock a little at a time. When cooked, add the scampi cream, burrata cream, grated lemon zest and chopped fresh parsley. Plate the risotto, completing with the burrata cream as a decoration.
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Langhe DOC Arneis
The Langhe DOC Arneis colour is a strong straw yellow with greenish reflections. It smells as a bouquet of exotic flowers, hawthorn and acacia honey. It is captivating, soft, with the acidity giving freshness and being a flavor-enhancer.
Tasting notes
The Langhe DOC Arneis colour is a strong straw yellow with greenish reflections. It smells as a bouquet of exotic flowers, hawthorn and acacia honey. It is captivating, soft, with the acidity giving freshness and being a flavor-enhancer.
Alcohol content
12.5%-13,5% vol.
Service temperature
10-12°C
Serving suggestions
Served very cold, the Arneis is an excellent appetizer. Great with fish starters, light first courses, and generally with fish in general.
Tagliatelle with Prawns and Zucchini
A delicate and tasty first course, perfect for those who love simple and genuine flavors. A great classic of home cooking, which combines the tradition of homemade tagliatelle with the aromatic delicacy of zucchini, enhanced by the fine meat of the prawns, with a refined and unmistakable flavor, once considered "aristocratic food". The combination of shrimp and zucchini is not only a winner from a taste point of view, but also nutritionally. Zucchini, in fact, provide only 15 calories per 100 grams, with a balanced protein and carbohydrate content. Prawns, on the other hand, contain about 80 calories per 100 grams, making it a light food, similar to white fish, also ideal for those who follow a controlled diet. This culinary proposal, rich in flavors and colors, envelops us with its beauty and taste, recalling hot summer days, but also adapting perfectly to autumn and winter menus. Now let's see what we need to make our Tagliatelle with Prawns and Zucchini.
Ingredients for the tagliatelle
400 grams of re-milled durum wheat semolina
200 ml of warm water
salt
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients
Noodles
3 zucchini
300 grams of fresh shrimp
1 clove of garlic
salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 small glass of cognac
a knob of butter
100 grams of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Preparation
To prepare the tagliatelle, you need to put all the ingredients indicated in the planetary mixer and start the mixer. It is recommended to knead the dough for a long time until a smooth and homogeneous consistency is obtained. Once ready, it is advisable to cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for about 10 minutes. After the resting time, proceed to roll out the dough with a rolling pin until a thin sheet is obtained. The dough can then be rolled up on itself and cut with a knife according to the desired thickness. Next, the zucchini are washed and cleaned, which are cut in half lengthwise and then into thin slices, and then set aside. In the meantime, you need to wash and clean the shrimp, removing the carapace. Then sauté them in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic. It is important to deglaze with the cognac and cook until the alcohol has completely evaporated. The prawns can then be removed from the pan and set aside. In a pot with plenty of boiling salted water, cook the tagliatelle until they reach an al dente consistency, keeping in mind that the cooking time varies according to the thickness of the noodles. In the same pan in which the prawns were cooked, place a knob of butter together with the garlic, browning it. Then add salt and chili pepper to taste, remove the garlic and add the tagliatelle with a little cooking water, mixing with the Parmesan cheese. Finally, the prawns are added.
Pumpkin Soup with Rosemary Scent with Brandy Prawns and Black Sesame Seeds
A simple but delicious proposal, perfect for a warm and comforting first course, ideal for autumn lunches or dinners. This dish, despite being made with simple ingredients, is refined and elegant, thanks to the quality of the products used, such as the pumpkin. It is perfect to serve as an entrée in an important lunch, perhaps in mini portions in glass glasses, or as a first course for special occasions. Pumpkin soup is a dish that has its roots in the healthy and genuine recipes of the peasant tradition, where with a few simple ingredients it was possible to bring to the table a tasty, nutritious dish full of benefits. Now let's see what we need to make our Pumpkin Soup with Rosemary Scent with Brandy Prawns and Black Sesame Seeds.
Ingredients for the soup
400 grams of Pumpkin
2 potatoes
1 sprig of rosemary
500 ml vegetable stock
2 spring onions
40 ml of extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
You will also need
12 prawns
50 ml of brandy
lime peel
1 clove of garlic
salt
extra virgin olive oil
black sesame seeds
Ingredients for the vegetable broth
1 liter of water
a carrot
celery stalk
onion
a tomato
Preparation
Prepare the vegetable broth: put 500 ml of water, carrots, an onion, a celery stick and a tomato in a saucepan and bring to a boil. For the pumpkin soup, peel the pumpkin, cut it into slices and then into cubes. Wash and peel the potatoes, cutting them into cubes as well. Peel the spring onions and slice them thinly; Put them in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil and a sprig of rosemary, letting them brown. Add the potato and pumpkin cubes, stir and add enough broth to cover the vegetables. Cook for thirty minutes, remove the sprig of rosemary and blend everything with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of oil. Wash the prawns under running water. We can remove the head and the internal black thread or, if we prefer to keep the head, gently lift the carapace under the head and remove the black thread with a toothpick. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, brown a clove of garlic and, as soon as it is golden, remove it. Add the prawns, deglaze them with the brandy and add salt and lime zest. Serve the soup, placing the prawns in the center and completing with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.
Orange and Shrimp Risotto
A simple first course but with a refined and elegant flavor, perfect for special occasions to share with friends and family, to give them an unforgettable culinary experience. The genuineness of the ingredients makes this dish unique, with authentic and natural flavors that come together in a perfect combination: ideal for the most demanding palates, looking for refined and exclusive gastronomic experiences. This risotto, with its aromas and flavors, is classy and elegant. The orange, with its bright color, unmistakable scent and sweet and intense flavor with sour notes, combines perfectly with the flavor of the sea, harmonizing with the sweetness of the shrimp. A lucky encounter, which allows you to appreciate the liveliness of both ingredients. Now let's see what we need to make our Orange and Shrimp Risotto.
Ingredients
420 grams of Rice
2 oranges
350 grams of fresh shrimp
1 glass of dry white wine
1 small leek
a clove of garlic
a knob of butter to cream
extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley to taste
vegetable broth
Ingredients for the vegetable broth
1 liter of water
a carrot
celery stalk
onion
a tomato
Preparation
Let's prepare the vegetable broth: in a saucepan put 500 ml of water, a carrot, an onion, a celery stick and a tomato, bringing everything to a boil. Wash and peel the leek, chop it finely and put it in a saucepan with a clove of garlic and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil; let it brown, then add the rice Riso Carnaroli Organic Quanto Riso and toast it for a few minutes. Deglaze with dry white wine and let it evaporate, then continue cooking the rice by adding hot broth to ladles, when necessary. Squeeze the oranges and grate the zest. Rinse the prawns under running water. We can remove the head and the internal black thread, or, if we prefer to keep the head, we gently lift the carapace under the head and remove the black thread with a toothpick. Halfway through cooking the rice, add the orange juice and season with salt and black pepper. Five minutes after the end of cooking, add the prawns, the grated zest of the oranges and chopped parsley. Turn off the heat and stir in a knob of butter. Our Orange and Shrimp Risotto is ready to be served.
Linguine with Anchovies and Walnuts
A first course with a strong, creamy and enveloping taste, capable of evoking the authentic flavors of the Mediterranean. This recipe is a creative reinterpretation of a classic of the Roman tradition: the "Pasta ajo ojo e alici alla Romana", a Capitoline variant of the famous Neapolitan recipe based on garlic, oil and chili pepper enriched by the addition of anchovies. Both of these preparations are symbols of Neapolitan cuisine, a gastronomic tradition celebrated worldwide as a unique cultural heritage. This cuisine expresses history, passion, culture and an incredible richness of flavors, enhancing fresh and genuine ingredients typical of one of the most popular Italian regions. It is a healthy and genuine recipe, at the same time simple but elegant, ideal for surprising with its authenticity. It is perfect for making a table special on any occasion, even as an alternative to the classic "midnight spaghetti" to share with friends. Now let's see what we need to make our Linguine with Anchovies and Walnuts.
Ingredients
320 grams of Linguine
2 cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper
8 anchovy fillets
80 grams of walnut kernels
extra virgin olive oil
finely chopped parsley
For the toasted bread crumbs
50 grams of breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic
salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
In a large pan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and add the peeled garlic cloves, the chili pepper cut into small pieces and the anchovies. Bring the pan to the heat and let it flavor over low heat, stirring until the anchovies have melted, creating a creamy and tasty base. In the meantime, cook the Linguine in plenty of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package. Once drained, transfer them directly to the pan with the anchovy-based sauce, so that they can finish cooking by absorbing all the flavors. At this point, add the coarsely chopped walnuts and a handful of chopped fresh parsley, stirring gently to mix all the ingredients. To make the dish even more inviting, I suggest serving it with toasted bread crumbs, which will give crunchiness and a rustic touch. Let's prepare it like this: Mix the breadcrumbs with a teaspoon of salt and a sprinkling of black pepper.
In a pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil together with a clove of garlic. When the garlic is golden, remove it and add the breadcrumbs.
Stir continuously over low heat to prevent burning, until the bread is golden brown and crispy. For the plating, we distribute the linguine on the plates and complete with a generous dose of toasted bread crumbs.
Spaghetti alla Corte di Assisi
Spaghetti alla Corte di Assisi is a proposal for a rich, tasty and tasty pasta dish, very simple to make that is based on the use of only three simple ingredients: spaghetti, tomato sauce and chilli, similar in execution to the classic pasta all'Arrabbiata one of the iconic dishes of Italian gastronomy. A dish that sees its origins in the Ionian province of Reggio Emilia and stands out for a rather original and unusual name. The story is set in Calabria and precisely in Marina di Gioiosa Jonica, back in 1958 in one of the most famous restaurants of those years: the Hotel "Da Rocco" Restaurant. The head chef of the restaurant was chef Gaetano, a brilliant young and imaginative chef. One day an important judge after a court hearing decided to go for a bite to eat with his collaborators and they went to the place mentioned above. Chef Gaetano was asked for a dish of pasta specialty of the restaurant, driven by creativity the young cook invented this sauce for spaghetti. The well-known professional liked the dish very much, he was pleasantly surprised by the various degrees of picanity that each bite offered. But when he was asked the name of the dish he admitted that he had invented it there and then and it was then that the judge, strong in his decision-making role, and inspired by his profession baptized the dish "Spaghetti alla Corte d'Assisi" in reference to the lack of leniency in the sentences of the various trials in the Court of Assisi. Now let's see what we need to make our Spaghetti alla Corte di Assisi.
Ingredients
320 grams of spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic
5 fresh chili peppers of medium spiciness
500 ml of tomato sauce
220 grams of Pecorino cheese
finely chopped parsley
salt
extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
In a large pan put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the two cloves of garlic and the chillies and bring to the heat; Turn on the flame and over low heat let it flavor. Now add the tomato sauce, chopped parsley and continue to cook the sauce. In the meantime, bring plenty of salted water to a boil, dip our spaghetti and cook. Drain the pasta 5 minutes before the cooking end indicated on the package and put them in the pan containing the sauce to finish cooking. With the heat off, mix with the pecorino cheese and more parsley to taste. Our Spaghetti alla Corte di Assisi are ready to be served.
Friday, February 14, 2025
Cake with Blended and Fresh Figs
Is a very soft dessert, a triumph of one of the sweetest and most sugary fruits that the summer gives us; Easy to make All the ingredients are put in the blender. A dessert with a special flavor with a fruit, the figs that we find in the market stalls in summer from June to September; Depending on the variety, they have a skin whose color varies from green to dark purple and the pulp has a color from light to dark red and have a pleasantly sweet taste with creamy pulp rich in seeds.
Ingredients
200 grams of fresh figs
3 eggs
100 grams of granulated sugar
60 ml of seed oil
200 grams of white flour
1 organic lemon grated zest
a pinch of salt
1 sachet of baking powder
Recipe
Let's start by washing the figs under running water, remove the stalk and dry them carefully; put them in the blender together with the sugar and blend them. Add the eggs, seed oil, lemon zest and finally the flour previously combined and sifted with a pinch of salt and baking powder and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a cake pan with a diameter of 22 centimeters and bake at 180 degrees for about 50 minutes. When it is cooked, let it cool and if you like you can decorate it with icing sugar or with a sugar glaze and lots of fresh figs. Our Cake with Blended and Fresh Figs is ready to be served.
Pan Cake with Berries
The Pan Cake with Berries is a simple and genuine dessert proposal, a classic among traditional home desserts, soft and soft to be enjoyed for breakfast or snack made without using the classic oven cooking. The perfect dessert when it's so hot, we don't want to turn on the oven, but we want a dessert for breakfast, in fact its peculiarity lies precisely in the cooking method that takes place in a non-stick pan. The dough is always the classic with eggs, granulated sugar, white flour, yeast and berries as in today's proposal; half an hour of cooking, we turn it over only at the end of cooking and our dessert is ready to be enjoyed. Now let's see what we need to make our Pan Cake with Berries.
Ingredients
2 eggs at room temperature
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
4 tablespoons of white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
berries, a 125-gram tub of raspberries and one of blueberries
powdered sugar
Recipe
Put the two eggs in the planetary mixer and start whipping them, add the granulated sugar and work for a long time until you get a swollen straw yellow mixture; Also add the sifted flour with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder, finally some floured berries. Butter a pan and line the bottom with baking paper, pour our dough and put on a small flame with a flame spreader, cover with a lid and cook for about thirty minutes. After the indicated time, check its cooking with a toothpick, however it is indicatively ready when the edges are darker. Once cold, decorate it with icing sugar and berries. Our Pan Cake with Berries is ready to be served.
Pumpkin Tart with Cinnamon, Ginger and Nutmeg
The Pumpkin Tart with Cinnamon, Ginger and Nutmeg is a dessert proposal with the flavor, colors and aromas of Autumn; the month that accompanies us from warm and sun-kissed days to cold winter days. And the classic flavors of this season return to our tables, pumpkin, mushrooms, chestnuts. So here is a proposal with one of the most loved and appreciated vegetables of the season; The perfect pumpkin for desserts and savory dishes, always good that everyone likes. Today's recipe sees a crumbly shortcrust pastry base that welcomes a soft pumpkin cream with many spices that give a unique flavor. Now let's see what we need to make our Pumpkin Tart with Cinnamon, Ginger and Nutmeg.
Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry
350 grams of white flour
100 grams of butter
2 eggs
100 grams of granulated sugar
1/2 sachet of baking powder of 16 grams
1 orange grated peel
a pinch of salt
Ingredients for the pumpkin filling
400 grams of pumpkin
80 grams of granulated sugar
100 ml cream
2 eggs
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
1 grated nutmeg and ginger
Recipe
Let's prepare the crowd: put the 350 grams of flour with the 100 grams of butter in the planetary mixer. Start kneading and add the 2 eggs, 100 grams of granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, the grated orange peel and half a sachet of yeast. We work to obtain a smooth and compact dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prepare the filling and peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and bake for 30 minutes. Once cooked, puree it with a mixer, add the 2 eggs, 80 grams granulated sugar and 100 ml of cream for desserts. Perfume with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Take the pastry, roll it out with a rolling pin and put it in a tart mold with parchment paper; With the leftover shortcrust pastry, make leaf-shaped biscuits. Prick the base with the tines of a fork, place a sheet of parchment paper and dried beans on the surface. Bake at 180 C degrees for 12 minutes. After the indicated time, remove from the oven, put the filling and bake again for 1 hour at 160 degrees. Once cooked and cold, decorate it with the leaf-shaped biscuits and serve it. Our Pumpkin Tart with Cinnamon, Ginger and Nutmeg is ready to be served.
Cocoa and Hazelnut Cake
Is a delicious and inviting dessert dessert proposal; a classic base that sees a rich and full-bodied filling made with a cream, the Mousseline cream a traditional French preparation. Similar in the preparation to custard, it sees among the ingredients the addition of butter at the end of preparation when it is cold. It is then whipped with an electric whisk acquiring a silky consistency, so velvety perfect for decorations and for filling desserts, cream puffs, or the Paris Brest a classic dessert composed of a choux pastry dough, a dessert that was born in a pastry chef Louris Durand in 1891 on the occasion of the commemoration of the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race.
Ingredients
7 eggs at room temperature
200 grams of granulated sugar
150 grams of butter
80 grams of bitter cocoa
180 grams of 00 white flour
50 grams of starch
a pinch of salt
1 sachet of baking powder of 16 grams
100 grams of chopped hazelnuts
Ingredients for the Mousseline cream
500 ml of milk
3 eggs only yolks
160 grams of granulated sugar
3 level tablespoons of cornstarch
the seeds of a vanilla bean
200 grams of butter
You will also need
chopped hazelnuts
raspberries
Recipe
First of all, prepare the cream and cut the butter left at room temperature into small pieces; Put the 500 ml of milk in a saucepan together with the seeds of the vanilla pod, bring to the heat and heat until it starts to boil, then turn off the heat. Put the egg yolks in the planetary mixer and whip them together with the granulated sugar, work them until you get a swollen and creamy mixture to which we add the cornstarch and milk in a trickle; Transfer everything to a saucepan and bring to the heat to thicken. With a kitchen thermometer check the temperature must not exceed 90 degrees, turn off the heat and let it cool. Then cover with cling film and once cold, add the butter at room temperature, work with an electric whisk until you get a homogeneous, smooth mixture. Before using it, put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Prepare the cake and separate the 7 yolks from the egg whites and whip the latter until stiff with a pinch of salt. In the planetary mixer we put the egg yolks and start whipping them, add the granulated sugar 200 grams and work to obtain a swollen, frothy mixture with a straw yellow color. Add the melted and cold butter to the mixture. Prepare the powders, add the flour, 180 grams, 50 grams of starch, 80 grams of unsweetened cocoa, the sachet of baking powder, the hazelnut powder, 100 grams and a pinch of salt. Add them to the egg mixture, a little at a time. and add the whipped egg whites. Butter and flour a cake pan with a rectangular hinge and bake at 180 degrees for 1 hour. Once cooked and cold, cut it in half, fill it with the cream and decorate it with the remaining cream, decorate with chopped hazelnuts and raspberries. Our Cocoa and Hazelnut Cake with Mousseline Cream is ready to be served.
Pandoro pudding with apples and cinnamon
How many times do we find ourselves with a few slices of Pandoro, perhaps of various types – one classic, one with chocolate chips or cream – or even with Panettone that no one wants to eat after a few days? So here is a simple and creative idea to give new life to these desserts, transforming them into an irresistible proposal that will conquer the whole family again. I chose to add apples, but even in this case there is room for creativity: replace them with pears or, for a more exotic touch, with pineapple in syrup. For the decoration I opted for a veil of powdered sugar, but you can give free rein to your imagination: whipped cream, melted chocolate or any other delicacy that inspires you. Let's see together what you need to prepare our Pandoro Pudding with Apples and Cinnamon.
Ingredients
300 grams of Pandoro
300 ml of milk
1 small glass of rum liqueur
1 apple
3 eggs
40 grams of sugar
a pinch of cinnamon
Recipe
Let's start by cutting the Pandoro into slices about 2 centimeters thick. Butter a bundt cake mold and cover it with slices of Pandoro, which we brush with a little rum. (Alternatively, you can replace the rum with cognac or, if the dessert will be consumed by children, with sweetened orange juice). Cover the slices of Pandoro with the sliced apples and add a sprinkling of cinnamon to flavor. Whip the eggs with the granulated sugar and, once the mixture is light and fluffy, add the milk brought to a boil, mixing well. Pour half of the mixture over the apples and create a second layer with other slices of Pandoro, apples, cinnamon and cream. We conclude with a last layer of Pandoro. Cover the mold with aluminum foil and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. After that, remove the aluminum and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Once cooked, turn off the oven and let the pudding cool directly in the mold. Only when it is completely cooled, we can unmold it. Our Pandoro Pudding with Apples and Cinnamon is ready to be served and delight everyone!
Tiberi – La Torre Rosso 2022
La Torre Rosso of Tiberi Winery is a red wine, from Merlot and Alicante grapes, hand-harvested in small boxes. Spontaneous fermentation in an old wooden vat for six days without controlling the temperature and daily manual pressing. After the press, the wine is aged in an old oak barrel with one decanting in February. In Spring, it is bottled by hand without adding sulphites and without filtering. We do not use chemicals either in the vineyard or in the winery.
Umbrian red wine in a juicy but serious style. The fruit is concentrated but nicely balanced with the mouthwatering acidity, a medium body and fine tannin. It is mainly dark fruits in the nose with plum and black cherries in the front. A subtle spicy note in both the nose and taste creates a bit of complexity.
Tasting notes
La Torre Rosso is ruby red in color. The nose offers a beautiful bouquet, mainly composed of fruity flavors, among which the hints of cherry and plum stand out. In the mouth is it fresh and flowing, medium-bodied and with good persistence. Nice controlled acidity, wild notes... earthy. Nice spiced plumb on the nose, acidic and balanced with full body and dark fruit.
Braised Beef Cheek with Sweet and Sour Onions
Is a gourmet second course with an intense flavor, which combines tradition and refinement. This recipe represents a perfect balance between the authentic flavors of the past and the new trends of modern cuisine, giving an enveloping and satisfying taste experience. The cheek instead turns out to be a true culinary treasure. After careful marinating and long slow cooking, it becomes tender, succulent and irresistibly tasty. A blend that transforms, enhancing the richness of its sauce and blending harmoniously with the wine, for a refined and enveloping result. The dish is served in slices, with the blended cooking juices (consisting of wine and vegetables), which adds extra depth of flavor. The sauce, in addition to flavoring meat, can also be used to season a good pasta dish, making it even more special. Although traditional preparation takes time, there are now faster variations, such as cooking in a pressure cooker or versions without marinating. To get a beef cheek that melts in your mouth, it is essential to follow a few simple tricks. First of all, an initial browning over high heat allows you to seal the juices inside the meat, preventing them from being dispersed during cooking. After that, a long cooking over low heat allows the fibers to gradually soften, making the meat remarkably tender. In this recipe I want to offer you a great classic among the side dishes for meat main courses: sweet and sour onions. Simple to prepare, they are appreciated for their inviting aroma and the perfect balance between the sweetness of sugar and the pungent note of vinegar. And now let's discover together the ingredients needed to prepare our Braised Beef Cheek with Sweet and Sour Onions.
Ingredients
4 beef cheeks weighing about 800 grams / 1 kilo
Wine
1 clove of garlic
Mixed for sautéing: a celery stalk, 2 carrots, 2 white onions
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
2 juniper berries
rosemary, sage
extra virgin olive oil
a knob of butter
salt
peppercorns
Ingredients for the sweet and sour onions
400 grams of onions
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
20 ml of water
40 grams of butter + 20 grams of butter at the end of cooking
1 sprig of thyme if you like
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Wash and peel the onions, then dry them gently with a sheet of kitchen paper. In a pan pour 20 ml of water and add the two tablespoons of sugar. Bring to the heat and let the sugar dissolve completely. Add the butter and mix until you get an amber-colored mixture similar to caramel. At this point, add the onions, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then deglaze with vinegar and let it evaporate. If desired, we can add a sprig of thyme, which we will remove at the end of cooking. Cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, adjusting the time according to the size of the onions. If necessary, add a drop of water during cooking to prevent them from drying out too much. At the end of cooking, incorporate the last 20 g of butter and mix well. In a saucepan, melt a knob of butter with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then brown the meat on all sides until evenly browned. Once well sealed, remove it from the saucepan and keep it aside. In the same pot add the carrots and the washed, peeled and chopped onion, together with the garlic and herbs: juniper berries, bay leaf, cloves, a sprig of rosemary, a few leaves of sage and peppercorns. Let it flavor, then put the meat back in the pot and deglaze with 300 ml of wine. Lower the heat, add salt and continue cooking over low heat for at least 3-3 and a half hours, until the meat is tender and juicy. Once cooked, separate the meat from the cooking juices and blend the sauce with an immersion mixer until you get a smooth and velvety sauce. Serve the meat cut into slices, sprinkled with its sauce, accompanied by sweet and sour onions.
Pumpkin Tortelli
This dish, rich and inviting, represents a specialty of the winter season, a typical delicacy of the Lombard tradition and, in particular, of the city of Mantua. Pumpkin tortelli are a festive recipe that has its roots in the peasant tradition, when lean ingredients were used in the kitchen. From the very first taste, our tortelli gently pamper the palate, impressing with their filling and providing a complete culinary experience. The contrast between the sweet flavor of pumpkin and the spicy, savory fragrance of fruit mustard creates a perfect balance between sweetness, flavor and delicacy, resulting in a harmony of flavors. Our rich gastronomic tradition offers a varied menu that, from north to south, offers unique experiences to the palate. We prepare dishes with love, dedicating ourselves to unusual preparations that are surprising both visually and tastefully. Today's recipe, Mantuan pumpkin tortelli, is a dish with ancient historical origins, which have their roots in the princely parties, abundant and sumptuous, at the court of the Gonzagas, a family that played a central role in Italian and European history from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. Mantua, a city rich in history, artistic and cultural heritage, was the fulcrum of the Italian Renaissance and boasts a culinary tradition that combines noble dishes, the result of the art of court cooks, with simpler recipes, belonging to popular cuisine, made with the products of the earth. A happy meeting of these two worlds can be found in this dish, where pumpkin, a poor and peasant ingredient, blends with spices imported from the East, typical of stately cuisine. Now let's see what we need to make our Pumpkin Tortelli.
Ingredients for the puff pastry
500 grams of semolina flour
2 eggs
1/2 glass of warm water
salt
Ingredients for the filling
Pumpkin
200 grams of fruit mustard
150 grams of grated Grana Padano cheese
80 grams of amaretti biscuits
Ingredients for the dressing
butter to taste
sage
Preparation
Prepare the pasta for the ravioli by putting 500 grams of semolina flour, 2 eggs, a pinch of salt and half a glass of warm water in the planetary mixer. We operate the mixer and work until we get a smooth, homogeneous and well-blended dough. Cover with a napkin and let it rest for 30 minutes. Now let's move on to the filling: pour the Pumpkin into a bowl, add the mustard cut into small pieces, the crumbled amaretti biscuits and the grated cheese. If the dough is too soft, add crumbled amaretti biscuits and increase the dose of grated cheese. Cover the bowl and put in the refrigerator to cool. Take the dough, divide it into 4-5 parts and, with the help of a pasta machine, roll out fairly thin sheets. We can roll out the dough with a rolling pin. On the pastry place a knob of filling, close carefully and form the ravioli with a pastry cutter. Place the ravioli on a tray sprinkled with durum wheat semolina. Bring a pot with plenty of salted water to a boil, cook the ravioli for a couple of minutes, drain them and transfer them to the pan where we have melted the butter with the sage leaves. Add the grated Grana Padano and serve the ravioli while still hot.
Bruschetta with pork curry
Bruschetta with pork curry is an excellent solution to offer a "reinforced aperitif": they are in fact bruschetta, but nice substantial, practically a second course, but served as finger food and therefore very convenient to serve (and eat!) even when there are many of you. Bruschetta with pork curry is prepared in no time and is very easy to make. I am also an unconditional lover of oriental scents and I love curry, capable of making even a simple grilled chicken breast special! 😉
Ingredients
1 loaf of bread
300 g pork tenderloin or loin
100 ml fresh liquid cream
1/4 onion
1-2 tablespoons curry
Olive
oil Salt
Preparation
Cut the meat into very small cubes (as if they were corn kernels) removing the fat. Finely chop the onion. Sauté the onion in olive oil, add the meat, sauté for a few minutes, salt and then add the cream, curry (the amount depends on your taste) and 1/2 glass of water. Allow the sauce to tighten. Cut the loaf of bread into slices and brush with an emulsion of water and oil on both sides. Bake at 200° C for 5 minutes.Season the bread slices with the curry pork cubes and serve!
Prawns with sesame seeds and poppy seeds
Dear friends, today we are going to prepare together a refined and very easy to make finger food, ideal for an important dinner prawns with sesame and poppy seeds, a real delicacy! Strictly fried, these prawns have a light crust based on egg white to which the seeds are added externally: a minute in boiling oil and they are ready! To make the breading adhere better to the prawns, I first pass them from the flour, but if you want to make a gluten-free version you can also use cornstarch or potato starch. The prawns with sesame and poppy seeds are excellent on their own, served hot, or as an accompaniment to balsamic vinegar, vinegar glaze or soy sauce: the choice is yours! Let's see together the few simple steps you need to prepare them.
Ingredients
12 king prawns
3 egg whites
50 g sesame seeds
50 g poppy seeds
300 ml peanut oil
salt
parsley
Procedure
First, arm yourself with gloves and clean the prawns: detach the head and remove the carapace while leaving the base of the tail. Cut the surface of the prawns and remove the central wicker. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat them with a whisk or fork: they should soften and become frothy but not whipped. Prepare 3 more bowls, one with flour, one with sesame seeds and the other with poppy seeds. Dip the prawns first in the flour, then in the egg white and finally in the sesame or poppy seeds. When you have breaded all the prawns, put three fingers of oil to heat in a saucepan. When it is hot, dip the prawns (a few at a time to avoid lowering the temperature of the oil). Cook for a maximum of 2 minutes and remove the prawns from the saucepan, then place them on absorbent paper. Complete with a sprinkling of salt and a handful of chopped parsley and serve your prawns with sesame and poppy seeds hot, alone or accompanied by sauces of your choice.
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Negroamaro Rosso IGP Bibèo
Tasting note
100% Negroamaro Puglia red wine with an intense ruby red color, characterized by a full and velvety taste, with an intense flavor of plum and black cherry, nuanced by hints of tobacco.
ALCOHOL CONTENT
13 % vol
SERVING
TEMPERATURE 15-18°C
RECOMMENDED GLASS
Ballon whose shape facilitates good oxygenation of the wine with the enhancement of the bouquet and aromas.
MATCHING
It goes well with red meats and game, aged cheeses. First and second courses based on red meats typical of the area.
Orecchiette with Chop Ragout
With this recipe I take you to Puglia, a region rich in culinary traditions that are expressed through art, folklore and food and wine specialties. Land of sea and land, Apulian cuisine is made of love, handed down from generation to generation from mother to daughter. Apulian dishes are simple but rich in flavor, an expression of the Mediterranean diet, born from the genuineness of local products grown in the fertile lands overlooking the sea, as well as in the harshest areas of the hinterland. And, of course, the delicious seafood, such as fresh fish, mussels and shellfish. Traditional Apulian cuisine makes use of ingredients that best express the flavors of the territory. The tradition is mainly based on local products such as wheat, oil, vegetables and fish, which are combined with genius to create delicious and genuine dishes. Preparing this dish is simple, and success is guaranteed. The cooking times are a bit long, but believe me, it's really worth it. It begins with the preparation of chops, called "brasciole" in the local dialect: meat rolls, originally from horses, now replaced by beef, such as veal rump or priest's hat. The thin slices are beaten, stuffed with a filling of garlic, parsley and pecorino cheese, tightly closed and cooked for a long time in a tomato sauce. The result is a full-bodied, rich and tasty ragout, which becomes the ideal condiment for orecchiette. Now let's see what we need to make our Orecchiette with Chop Ragout.
Ingredients
400 grams of beef or horse slices
450 grams of fresh orecchiette made of durum wheat semolina
200 grams of lard
2 cloves of garlic
1 glass of wine
a pack of tomato puree
30 grams of grated pecorino cheese
30 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
parsley
Preparation
Peel a large onion, slice it thinly and put it in a saucepan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few slices of lard. Turn on the heat and let the onion wilt gently, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning. In the meantime, prepare the rolls: arrange the slices of meat on the work surface. Peel the two cloves of garlic, chop them finely and mix them with the parsley, 30 grams of pecorino cheese, 30 grams of parmesan cheese and the lard cut with a knife, until you get a homogeneous mixture. Stuff the slices of meat with the prepared mixture, roll them up carefully and seal them using kitchen twine. Add the rolls to the saucepan with the wilted onion and brown them on both sides until evenly browned. Deglaze with the Negroamaro Puglia Rosso IGP Bibèo wine from the Pere Rosse Estate, then pour in the tomato puree and a couple of tablespoons of water to adjust the consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, bring to a boil and lower the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid and let it cook over low heat for a few hours, turning the rolls occasionally and adding a little water, if necessary, to prevent the sauce from shrinking too much. When cooked, turn off the heat and remove the string from the rolls. Bring a pot with plenty of salted water to a boil, dip the orecchiette in it and cook them for the time indicated on the package. Drain them and season them with the sauce and chops.
Strangozzi with Wild Boar Ragout
This dish encapsulates the authentic and genuine flavors of Umbria of the past, a region that, despite being one of the smallest in Italy, is known as the "green heart of the country". Umbria fascinates with its enchanting landscapes, dense forests, characteristic medieval towns perched on the hills, lush valleys shaped by rivers and villages rich in history. It is a land rich in food and wine excellence that contribute to making our country unique in the world. Umbrian cuisine knows how to excite with its strong and robust flavors, inspired by the peasant tradition. Simple dishes, prepared with quality ingredients, which are handed down from generation to generation, maintaining a deep bond with the territory. Among the first courses, fresh pasta occupies a prominent role. Prepared with water and flour, without eggs, it has a rough, rustic and slightly coarse texture, strictly handmade. This pasta goes perfectly with sauces with a strong flavor and, although it is always the same dough, it takes different names depending on the city. Even if Christmas has passed, there is always a reason to surprise a distant friend we didn't get to see during the holidays, or to treat ourselves to a moment of pleasure. These extraordinary products, full of goodness and health, are unique and inimitable specialties.
Ingredients
1 pack of Strangozzi
1 pack of Boar Sauce
Preparation
Bring plenty of water to a boil, salt it and dip our Strangozzi, cooking them for the indicated time, about 19 minutes. Once ready, drain them and transfer them directly to a pan where we have already heated our wild boar sauce. Mix well to flavor the pasta. Distribute the Strangozzi on plates and serve them on the table, hot and steaming. Our Strangozzi with Wild Boar Ragout are ready to be enjoyed.
Tagliolini with octopus and prawns
This dish, with simple and genuine flavors, enhances the home tradition with fresh pasta wrapped in a delicious sauce based on octopus and shrimp, enriched by the lively aroma of grated lemon zest. Perfect for both informal family lunches and special occasions, this dish becomes even more memorable when accompanied by a wine of fine organoleptic characteristics, turning into a refined choice to celebrate moments of conviviality. The undisputed protagonist of the recipe is pasta, which for us Italians is not just a food, but a cultural and identity symbol. Loved for its slightly sweet taste, perfect texture and ability to adapt to infinite combinations of condiments, pasta offers new sensory experiences every time. It is a simple food, made of semolina, water and love, humble and accessible, but at the same time extraordinarily versatile, rich in history and culture. Its origins date back to ancient times, when man abandoned nomadism to become a farmer, learning to sow and harvest wheat. Prawns are an excellent source of protein and vitamins, are low in calories and are an ideal food for a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, they are rich in selenium, a mineral that contributes to cancer prevention, strengthens the immune system and helps limit the formation of free radicals. Although this dish may seem sophisticated, I can reassure you that the preparation is simple. It starts with the cleaning of the octopus and shrimp. The octopus can be cleaned when cooked or raw; Personally, I prefer to make it raw. First, rinse it under cold running water, rubbing it with your hands to remove any traces of sand, paying particular attention to the suction cups. Then let's move on to the head: turn it upside down and, with a knife, remove the bag carefully so as not to break it. Remove the entrails and wash the octopus again under running water. We then proceed to remove the beak and extract the eyes without breaking them. Finally, beat the octopus with a meat mallet to soften the meat and make it more tender. Now let's see what we need to make our Tagliolini with Octopus and Prawns.
Ingredients for the tagliolini
400 grams of re-milled durum wheat semolina
200 ml of warm water
salt
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients for the dressing
400 grams of octopus
300 grams of shrimp
200 grams of cherry or plum tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 glass of white wine
salt
freshly ground black pepper
chilli to taste
extra virgin olive oil
fresh parsley
Preparation
Let's start with the preparation of the fish: wash and carefully clean the octopus and shrimp following the instructions already described. Bring a pot of water to a boil and, when the water starts to boil, immerse and withdraw the octopus a few times, until the tentacles curl. At this point, immerse it completely and let it cook for about 40 minutes with the pot covered. Once cooked, let it cool in its cooking water, then drain it and cut it into pieces. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil with a clove of garlic. Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and let it flavor for a few minutes. Add the chopped octopus and the cleaned prawns, deglaze with the white wine and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Now let's move on to the preparation of the dough: put all the ingredients in the planetary mixer and operate the mixer. Work for a long time until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes. After resting, roll out the dough with a rolling pin until you get a thin sheet. Roll up the dough and cut it with a knife, creating tagliolini of the desired thickness. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the tagliolini for a few minutes, until they are al dente. Drain them and transfer them directly to the pan with the octopus and shrimp sauce. Stir well to flavor the pasta, then turn off the heat and stir in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Complete with a sprinkling of pepper and chopped parsley.
Valentine's Day Hearts with beetroot and gorgonzola on walnut cream
Valentine's Day is a holiday that, over time, has become popular and is celebrated all over the world with rituals and traditions. In Italy, in several regions, the symbol of the holiday is the orange, a fruit used to decorate streets and statues depicting the Saint, protector of lovers. Originally, Valentine's Day was celebrated on February 15 and had its roots in the pagan celebrations of Lupercalia, rituals dedicated to the god Faun Luperco, protector of sheep and cattle. The aim was to guarantee fertility to the fields, flocks and population. These celebrations, very engaging, continued until Pope Gelasius I suppressed them in the fifth century AD, Christianizing the fertility rite. We all love to celebrate Valentine's Day, but its origins are shrouded in different theories. One of the most fascinating tells that the Saint, while walking in his garden, saw two young people arguing. She then picked a rose and handed it to the man, inviting him to make peace and praying that the love between the two would always remain alive. Later, the couple was united in marriage thanks to Valentine's Day. Originally Christian in nature, Valentine's Day is now a popular celebration and, in recent years, also a commercial one: it is customary for lovers to exchange gifts, flowers, chocolates or cards with sweet promises of eternal love. Now let's see what we need to make our Valentine's Day Hearts with beets, gorgonzola and walnut cream.
Ingredients for the heart ravioli
400 grams of flour + re-milled semolina flour
250 grams blended beetroot
salt
For the filling
200 grams of soft gorgonzola
60 grams of walnut kernels
40 ml of milk
40 grams of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Ingredients for the walnut sauce
100 grams of walnuts
20 grams of pine nuts
80 grams of grated Grana Padano cheese
30 grams of sliced bread
3 tablespoons of milk
80 ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
salt
coarsely chopped walnuts
parsley to taste
Preparation
Let's start by preparing the dough: place the flour in a fountain on the work surface, create a hole in the center, add the salt and pour the blended beetroot a little at a time. Knead everything until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough, then cover it with an upside-down bowl and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Now let's dedicate ourselves to the filling: put the gorgonzola in small pieces in a bowl, add the milk and grated cheese, then mix. Finally, add the chopped walnuts and mix everything well. After the resting time, take the dough, divide it into small pieces and roll it out with the pasta machine to a thin thickness. On half of the sheets we arrange, well spaced, the piles of filling; Fold the dough, cover the filling and seal the edges well. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out our hearts and place them on a floured tray with re-milled durum wheat semolina. Now let's prepare the sauce: put the walnut kernels, pine nuts, garlic, sliced bread and a drop of milk in the food processor. Add the Grana Padano and pour the extra virgin olive oil in a trickle, until you get a homogeneous cream. Bring a pot with plenty of salted water to a boil and cook our hearts for a few minutes. Drain them gently and season them with our walnut pesto. Serve with a sprinkling of coarsely chopped walnuts and fresh parsley.
Sunday, February 9, 2025
Artichoke cream
Artichoke cream is a condiment, very simple and really tasty. Ideal for seasoning pasta, for seasoning croutons or as a basic condiment for savory pies or various rustic pizzas. Very simple and really tasty, a few ingredients for an amazing result. Let's see what we need to prepare the artichoke cream.
Ingredients
6 Artichokes
1 Onion
4 anchovy fillets
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Preparation
Start the preparation by cleaning the vegetables. Remove the toughest leaves of the artichokes, remove the internal beard and reduce them to small pieces. Put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan, let the oil heat then add the finely chopped onion. Let it brown for a few minutes then add the desalted anchovy fillets and artichokes. Stew everything for about 10 minutes, the artichokes should be soft. Season with salt and pepper. When the artichokes are soft, still hot, transfer them into a blender, or the mixing bowl of the immersion blender and blend everything until everything becomes a cream. If the water remains dry, add one or two tablespoons of hot water. When everything is uniform and creamy, it will be ready to be used.
Homemade tomato puree
Homemade tomato puree is a preparation that is made in summer when the farmer's tomatoes, or in my case, grandfather's are ripe, juicy and tasty as only the summer sun can do. Let's see what you need to prepare homemade tomato puree.
Ingredients
5 kg San Marzano tomatoes
1 l Water
10 glass jars with caps
Preparation
The preparation of homemade tomato puree is really simple, however some steps must be followed. First of all, carefully wash the tomatoes you have chosen, in this case I chose San Marzano tomatoes. Remove the stalk and rinse them under running water. Place the tomatoes in a large pot with a liter of water. Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. When these come to a boil, let it simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes, after which let it cool. Pass the cooked tomatoes through a vegetable mill a little at a time, thus obtaining a thick pulp. Place the tomato puree inside the glass jars, previously washed and dried well, then seal with the cap. Place the jars of homemade tomato puree into a large pot in the bottom of which a tea towel has been placed in order to prevent the bottles of homemade tomato puree from banging together during cooking. Once the jars have been arranged, fill with water, making sure that the latter exceeds the cap by at least 5 cm. Let it boil for at least 2 hours, then turn off and let it cool completely inside the pot. The next day, take the jars of homemade tomato puree out of the pot and put them directly in the pantry for the winter.
Artichokes stuffed with walnuts, cheese and bread
Artichokes are vegetables that lend themselves to being cooked in many different ways. Artichokes stuffed with walnuts, cheese and bread are a second course rich in flavor and simple to prepare. Excellent variant if you want to avoid the classic meat-based filling. Let's see what we need for the preparation of Artichokes stuffed with walnuts, cheese and bread.
Ingredients
8 artichokes
120 g stale bread
50 g walnuts
50 g Parmigiano Reggiano
fine salt to taste
black pepper to taste
50 g milk
1/2 lemon
chopped parsley to taste
extra virgin olive oil to taste
water to taste
1 onion
Steps
Start the preparation of the Artichokes stuffed with walnuts, cheese and bread from the filling. Remove the crust of the stale bread, then cut the crumb into cubes. Transfer everything into a bowl, then add the milk, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Finely chop an onion then put a non-stick pan on the heat, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fry it for a few minutes. Once the onion has taken on an amber color, turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. With a knife, chop the walnuts and add them to the soaked bread. Add the egg, grated Parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh parsley. Finally, add the onion and mix everything. Once you have prepared the filling, devote yourself to cleaning the artichokes. Remove the toughest leaves, then cut off the tips with a knife. Also remove the beard inside and immerse the artichokes in water acidulated with the juice of half a lemon, this will prevent the artichokes from blackening. Remove the stems of the outermost hard layer and place in the bowl. Boil the artichokes in salted water for about 15 minutes, then when cooked, drain them and let them cool for a few minutes. Stuff the artichokes then place them inside a baking dish greased with oil. Add the stems of the artichokes cut into chunks. Sprinkle the top of the artichokes with parmesan cheese and finally add about 50 ml of water, then season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 250°C for about 20 minutes. When cooked, take it out of the oven and serve the artichokes stuffed with walnuts, cheese and bread to your diners.
Pumpkin soup
Pumpkin soup is a very simple and comfortable preparation. With low temperatures, a hot dish regenerates the spirit and mind. A recipe that is not too caloric, quick and really tasty. Let's see what we need to prepare the pumpkin soup.
Ingredients
200 g Yellow pumpkin
1 onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
2 Potatoes
100 g Stale bread
1 sprig Thyme
salt and pepper
Preparation
Start the preparation of the pumpkin soup by carefully washing the vegetables, remove the skin of the onion, potatoes and pumpkin, then reduce everything to coarse pieces. In a large saucepan, add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, add the celery, carrot and onion, then let it brown for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Add a liter of cold water and turn up the heat. When it starts to boil, add the potatoes and let it boil for about 15 minutes, after which add the pumpkin and finish cooking for another 15 – 20 minutes. When the potatoes and pumpkin are soft, then turn off the gas and blend everything with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper and let it cool. Cut the bread into 1 cm cubes, brown them in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (they just need to become crispy, so it takes a few minutes) and a sprinkling of pepper. Place the pumpkin soup in small bowls with a sprinkling of pepper, a few thyme leaves and the crispy croutons.
Potatoes Capricciosa
Potatoes alla capricciosa are a delicious and simple second course to prepare. Excellent second course with very few ingredients. In this recipe, we will use the ingredients of the capricciosa pizza to create a potato salad that is rich in taste. Also perfect for a meal out of town. Potato salad is a versatile recipe that allows you to indulge your imagination.
Ingredients
400 g potatoes
3 artichokes
50 g black olives
50 g cooked ham
100 g mozzarella
extra virgin olive oil to taste
fine salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Steps
Start the preparation of the Potatoes alla capricciosa by boiling the tubers. Place the potatoes in a pot with cold water and cook for about 45 minutes. The cooking time depends on the size of the potatoes. When cooked, drain them, remove the peel then cut them into chunks. Let cool completely. Clean the artichokes and cut them into slices. Put a non-stick pan on the stove. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic. Heat for a few moments then place the artichokes in the pan. Season with salt and cook the artichokes for about 10 minutes, adding a drizzle of water if necessary. To speed up the process you can use artichoke hearts in oil. When the potatoes are completely cold, add them to the artichokes. Add the black olives, the cooked ham cut into strips and the mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper, then season with extra virgin olive oil. Stir and enjoy the Potatoes alla capricciosa together with your diners.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Ratafia with cherries
Ratafia with cherries is a very simple liqueur to prepare, delicious cold in summer or to warm up the coldest evenings. A fruit macerate that is prepared in summer with very few ingredients. A liqueur with an ancient flavor that warms the heart and gives that sense of harmony, typical of the old times. The forgotten flavors of the past. Let's see what we need to prepare the Ratafia with cherries.
Ingredients
1 kg Organic cherries
1 l Pure alcohol at 95° (alternatively grappa)
1.5 kg Sugar
1 l Water
Preparation
Pick cherries or sour cherries, they must absolutely be organic, so if you can't find them on the market, look for a farm or a farmer who has organic them. Once the cherries have been harvested, wash them with running water, then place them inside a tablecloth or cloth and let them dry for 4 – 5 hours. They must dry out and lose a little intrinsic moisture. Place the dried cherries in a glass container with a kg of sugar and close hermetically. Let it rest in the sun for 40 days. After the days, filter the macerate with a sieve and put the filtrate in a large bottle. Boil the remaining sugar with the water, when you have created a syrup let it cool completely. Combine the alcohol with the cold syrup and pour everything into the container with the cherry macerate. Mix everything together and let the cherry Ratafia rest for at least a month before consuming it. The cherry Ratafia requires a bit of work, but I assure you that the result will be really optimal.
Tagliatelle with mixed mushrooms
Mushrooms become the protagonists, along with many other seasonal delicacies, of our tables. I love mushrooms, in all shapes, colors and of course flavors. The thing I particularly love is to collect the species from me that I then cook, having a trusted friend who is a mycologist, before cooking them I take them to certify from him. That said, I leave you the recipe for my Tagliatelle with mixed mushrooms, I hope you like them.
Ingredients
250 g Flour
2 eggs
100 g Porcini mushrooms
200 g Chanterelle mushrooms
2 cloves Garlic
100 g Speck
Parsley
salt and pepper
Preparation
Start the preparation of the Tagliatelle with mixed mushrooms from the pasta. In a bowl, combine the flour with the eggs, mix everything and knead until you get a solid mixture that can be worked on a pastry board. At this point, let the dough for the tagliatelle rest for 15 minutes covered, then roll it out with a rolling pin 5 mm thick and cut them into tagliatelle. I leave the greatness to you, feel free to cut them as you want. In this case I cut them slightly wider than the classic tagliatelle. Once ready, set the Tagliatelle aside. Wash and peel the mushrooms, place them in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and diced speck, cook for at least 20 minutes, then season with salt and pepper, then remove from the stove. Boil the tagliatelle in plenty of salted water, when they are cooked, drain them, keeping aside a ladle of cooking water, then add them to the sauce. Sprinkle everything with freshly chopped parsley and serve the Tagliatelle with mixed mushrooms hot.
Stuffed onions with sausage
Stuffed onions with sausage are a super tasty and simple second course. Tasty and with few ingredients. The sweet flavor of onions pairs perfectly with the flavor of sausages.
Ingredients
9 golden onions
300 g sausage
150 g stale bread
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
40 g grated Parmesan cheese
parsley to taste
salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil to taste
rosemary to taste
pepper to taste
Steps
Start the preparation of the stuffed onions with sausage from the filling. Cut the stale bread into cubes. Place it in a bowl, then add the milk. Stir and let it rest for about 15 minutes. After the time necessary for the bread to absorb the milk, squeeze it and transfer it to another container. Add the sausage, salt, pepper, chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese. Stir vigorously until you get a homogeneous mixture. Once the filling has been prepared, devote yourself to cleaning the onions. Remove the peel, then remove the central part with a knife. Finely chop the onion pieces that remain from creating the space for the filling. Add the chopped onions to the bread and sausage mix. Add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs and mix again. Stuff the onions with the filling, then place them in a baking dish. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, rosemary and grated Parmesan cheese. Finally, add about half a glass of water. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 45 – 50 minutes. When cooked, take it out of the oven and enjoy the stuffed onions together with your diners.
Nutella and custard glasses
Nutella and custard glasses are a very simple dessert to prepare, perfect for ending a meal. This delicious dessert can also be prepared a few hours in advance and left to rest in the fridge. Let's see what you need for the preparation of Nutella and custard glasses.
Ingredients
For the composition
200 g Dry biscuits
100 ml Fresh liquid cream
100 g Nutella
30 ml Milk
30 g Vanilla icing sugar
For the custard
2 egg yolks
200 ml Milk
25 g Cornstarch
75 g Sugar
50 g Fresh liquid cream
1/2 sachet Vanillin (or a vanilla bean)
Preparation
Start the preparation of the Nutella and custard glasses by separating the yolks from the whites. Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Add the vanillin, sugar and cornstarch. Mix everything until you get a homogeneous cream. Put the milk in a saucepan and put it on the heat. When the milk comes to a boil, remove it from the stove and pour it slowly into the bowl of egg and sugar cream. While pouring the milk, stir the mixture vigorously with a whisk. Transfer the cream to the saucepan and put it back on the heat. Let it thicken, stirring constantly and when the cream has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a container and immerse it in cold water to lower the temperature quickly. While the cream cools, stir constantly. Once the custard has been prepared, place the biscuits in a food processor and reduce them to flour. Mix the biscuits with the milk until you get a sandy consistency. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and then start the composition of the desserts. On the bottom of the glass, form a layer of biscuits, place a generous layer of custard on top. Level with a teaspoon and form another layer of biscuits on the cream. Complete the dessert with whipped cream and a generous dose of Nutella. Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, when they are cold, serve the Nutella and custard glasses to your diners.
Artichoke and ricotta lasagna
Spring, desire for new flavors, excellent aromas and above all healthy. Artichoke and ricotta lasagna is a very simple first course made with very few ingredients, all in season, cheap and rather light, compared to other lasagna. Very good even the next day if you have leftovers as a cold dish. Let's see what we need to prepare the artichoke and ricotta lasagna.
Ingredients
3 – 4 Artichokes
100 g Parmigiano Reggiano
1 onions (preferably a fresh spring onion)
500 g egg puff pastry
250 g cow's milk ricotta
500 ml béchamel sauce
Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Start the preparation of the Lasagna from artichokes. Take the vegetables and wash them well, remove the stem and the toughest leaves until you get the heart. Open in two and remove the internal beard. Put some extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan to taste, let the spring onion fry and add the coarsely chopped artichokes. Let it cook for about 15 minutes and season with salt and pepper. If necessary, add water to soften them. Once cooked, let them cool. When they are cooled, put them in a blender and mix everything creating a cream together with the béchamel sauce. If necessary, add milk to homogenize everything. You can leave a few pieces of artichoke to mix with the cream. Pour the cream into a bowl, add the grated Parmesan cheese and cow's milk ricotta, then mix everything well. If you like, you can also add some coarsely chopped fresh parsley and, if necessary, more milk (only if the cream is dry). Take a baking sheet, insert a layer of puff pastry (previously boiled and cooled) and the artichoke cream with ricotta. Continue the preparation of the artichoke lasagna by completing the layers until all the ingredients are used up. Sprinkle the last layer with Parmesan cheese then bake at 200°C for about 30 – 45 minutes. Once ready and golden brown, take them out of the oven and let them cool, then serve the artichoke and ricotta lasagna to your diners. If you like, you can also add mozzarella between the layers or cooked ham to flavor even more.
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Vegetable meatloaf
Vegetable meatloaf is a simple and tasty vegetarian main course. Excellent versatile recipe in which you can put the vegetables you like best. Meatloaf is a recipe that finds its roots in the Italian culinary tradition.
Ingredients
1 g carrot
1 celery stalk
1 onion
1 zucchini
1 bell pepper
1 eggplant
200 g peas
salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil to taste
pepper to taste
parsley to taste
120 g crumbs (chopped)
2 eggs
1 potato (about 200 g)
40 g Parmesan cheese
Steps
Start the preparation of the vegetable meatloaf by finely chopping a carrot, a celery stick and an onion. Put a high-sided pan on the stove. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté over low heat. Remove the skin from the potatoes, then grate them with a large mesh grater. Place the potato in the pan and stir. Cut the aubergine into cubes. Add it to the other vegetables, stir and continue cooking over low heat. Repeat the process with the pepper, then finally with the zucchini. Cover with the lid and cook over low heat for another 10 – 15 minutes. When cooked, transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and let cool. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Blanch the peas in salted water, then add them to the vegetables. Add the eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and chopped stale bread crumbs. Mix until smooth. Brush a sheet of parchment paper with extra virgin olive oil. Transfer the mixture to it. With the help of two spoons, form the meatloaf. Wrap in parchment paper, compressing and shaping with your hands. Close the meatloaf like a candy. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 35 – 40 minutes. When cooked, remove from the oven. Open the parchment paper and let it cool.
Potatoes alla pizzaiola
Potatoes alla pizzaiola are a delicious and quick second course. Excellent dish with very few ingredients that will conquer the palate of young and old.
Ingredients
400 g new potatoes
300 g tomato puree
150 g mozzarella
extra virgin olive oil to taste
1/2 clove garlic
salt to taste
dried oregano to taste
Steps
Start the preparation of the Potatoes alla pizzaiola by cooking the potatoes. Remove the skin from the new potatoes, then cut them in half. If they are large potatoes, cut them into slices 2 centimeters thick. Rinse them with running water. Put them in a pot with water. Cook for about 10 minutes from when the water starts to boil. When cooked, drain and let cool for a few minutes. In a saucepan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add half a clove of grated garlic and fry for a few moments. Add the tomato puree, then stir. Add the dried oregano, then season with salt. Cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes over low heat. Place the potatoes on the sauce. Cover both sides with the sauce. Cut the mozzarella into slices, then place it on the potatoes. Add a few leaves of dried oregano, then cover with the lid. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes over low heat. Enjoy the Potatoes alla pizzaiola together with your diners.
Chestnut gnocchi with butter and sage
Chestnut gnocchi with butter and sage are a very tasty first course with few ingredients. Excellent recipe perfect for the autumn period. The simple seasoning highlights the flavor of the chestnuts in the dough. Let's see what we need for the preparation of chestnut gnocchi with butter and sage.
Ingredients
150 g chestnut flour
150 g water
1 pinch fine salt
75 g flour
50 gbutter
4 sage leaves
50 g Parmigiano Reggiano
Preparation
Start the preparation of the chestnut gnocchi with butter and sage by sifting the two flours into a bowl, first the chestnut flour then the flour. Add a pinch of salt and mix everything with a fork. Pour in the water and work the ingredients initially with a spoon then with your hands. When you have obtained a homogeneous dough, form a ball, wrap it in tissue paper and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cook the gnocchi in salted water until they rise to the surface. Put a pan with butter and sage leaves on the stove. Fry for a few moments then add the chestnut gnocchi and half a ladle of cooking water. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and mix everything with a wooden spoon to promote a homogeneous seasoning. Serve in bowls, add more grated cheese and serve the chestnut gnocchi with butter and sage to your diners.
Alternatively, you can season the gnocchi with cheese sauces such as fontina, taleggio or gorgonzola. Another variant can be obtained with a porcini mushroom sauce. Those with a sweet tooth can add shelled sausage to mushrooms.
Tagliatelle with prawns, squid and zucchini
Tagliatelle with prawns, squid and zucchini are a delicious first course, perfect for family lunches or dinners. A simple dish to make and yet incredibly tasty. Let's see what we need for the preparation of Tagliatelle with shrimp, squid and zucchini.
Ingredients for egg pasta
220 g flour
2 eggs
Ingredients for the dressing
300 g squid
300 g prawns
2 zucchini
100 g cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic
extra virgin olive oil to taste
fine salt to taste
parsley to taste
Steps
Start the preparation of the Tagliatelle with shrimp, squid and zucchini from the egg pasta. Pour the flour on a pastry board. Form the classic fountain and insert the eggs in the center. Work everything initially with a fork, then with your hands. When the egg pasta has reached a homogeneous and compact consistency, form a dough then wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes. After the time, roll out the dough with a rolling pin and once it has reached the desired thickness, roll it up on itself, then cut the tagliatelle with a knife. Clean the squid and cut them into slices. Also clean the prawns and set them aside momentarily. Put a non-stick pan on the stove. Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of finely chopped garlic. Fry for a few moments then add the cherry tomatoes. Cut the zucchini into cubes and add them to the pan. Season with salt and finally add the squid and prawns. Cook everything over high heat for about 5 – 7 minutes. Cook the tagliatelle in salted water, stirring occasionally. Drain them al dente and finish cooking in the pan. Add cooking water if necessary. Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley and serve in bowls. Enjoy the Tagliatelle with shrimp, squid and zucchini together with your diners.
Zucchini rolls with cheese and salmon
Zucchini rolls with cheese and salmon are a delicious and fresh appetizer. The simple process and the easily available ingredients make this recipe perfect even for lunches or dinners at the last minute.
Ingredients
2 zucchini
180 g cream cheese
200 g smoked salmon
extra virgin olive oil to taste
Steps
Start the preparation of the zucchini rolls with robiola and salmon by washing the vegetables with running water. Then dry the zucchini with paper towels and cut slices about 2 – 3 millimeters thick with a knife. Brush both sides of each slice of zucchini with extra virgin olive oil and then grill them on a hot griddle. After about 2 minutes of cooking on one side, turn the zucchini to continue cooking on the other side as well. When cooked, place the grilled zucchini on a plate and let them cool. Place a slice of grilled zucchini on the work surface. Spread a tablespoon of cream cheese on it. Then form a final layer of smoked salmon. Roll the zucchini on itself thus forming the roll. Enjoy the zucchini rolls with cheese and salmon together with your diners.
Bigoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Anchovies, Breadcrumbs and Marinated Black Olives
A first course with a strong taste, which brings with it the distinctive flavors of the Mediterranean. This dish represents a creative reinterpretation of a classic of the Calabrian tradition, combining the characteristic spicy flavor of sun-dried tomatoes with the salty of anchovies, the intense slightly bitter flavor of olives and the crunchy note of toasted bread crumbs. The inspiration for this dish comes from a traditional Calabrian first course, originally prepared with simple ingredients from peasant cuisine, such as garlic, anchovies, chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and bread crumbs. The pasta traditionally used for this dish was the "stroncatura" or "struncatura", a type of bronze-drawn pasta with a rough surface, usually prepared with wholemeal flour and durum wheat. This particular shape of pasta, unfortunately, is no longer produced as it was obtained from the external part of the grain, the bran, which was discarded during the milling process. Although some pasta factories in the Reggio Calabria area produce a similar pasta, complying with current hygiene regulations, the original format has been prohibited due to its unhygienic production practices. As an alternative, I opted for bigoli, a long pasta shape typical of the Venetian tradition, made with soft wheat flour, water and salt. Now let's see what we need to make our Bigoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Anchovies, Breadcrumbs and Marinated Black Olives.
Ingredients
500 grams of fresh Bigoli from Veneto
7 anchovies in oil
1 clove of garlic
1 chilli pepper to taste
80 grams of sun-dried tomatoes
Marinated Black Olives
extra virgin olive oil
stale bread to taste
Preparation
Remove excess oil from dried tomatoes using a sheet of paper towels and cut them into strips. Remove the crust from the piece of bread and coarsely break up the crumb. In a large pan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add a clove of garlic and chilli, then fry. Once golden, remove the garlic and chilli pepper and add the anchovies, melting them over low heat. We also add the dried tomatoes in strips and the Marinated Black Olives. In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the bigoli for the time indicated on the package, draining them al dente and keeping a few ladles of cooking water. Add the bigoli to the previously prepared sauce, adding a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water to flavor. Mix the bread crumbs with a teaspoon of salt and a little black pepper. In a pan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic, frying. When the garlic is golden, remove it and add the breadcrumbs, stirring well to prevent burning. Keep the heat low to prevent the bread from burning easily. Bake until the bread is golden brown. Plate and serve the dish with a generous dose of bread crumbs on top. Our Bigoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Anchovies, Breadcrumbs and Marinated Black Olives are ready to be enjoyed.
Gnocchi with Seafood and Parsley Pesto
A fresh first course with a strong flavor. Here, the characteristic sweet taste of potatoes, slightly bitter, blends harmoniously with the explosion of flavors of seafood, offering a taste experience that combines the marine scent of molluscs and crustaceans with the delicate creaminess of parsley pesto. This delicious dish captures the scents and flavors of the land and sea, combining them in creative ways to offer new and surprising sensations to the palate. It is a versatile dish, suitable for any time of the year, capable of transforming an ordinary lunch into an unforgettable gastronomic experience. The Italian culinary tradition, after the great success of pesto alla Genovese, has been enriched over the years with numerous tasty alternatives, ranging from the north to the south of the country, satisfying every taste. Today's proposal is a simple pesto, prepared in a mortar, in which the typical Italian aromas and flavors are enhanced. Now let's see what we need to make our Gnocchi with Seafood and Parsley Pesto.
Ingredients for the gnocchi
1 kg of old potatoes
300 grams of flour
1 egg
salt
For the dressing
700 grams of mussels and clams
400 grams of shrimp
2 anchovies
1 clove of garlic
1 chilli pepper
1/2 glass dry white wine
salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ingredients for the parsley pesto
40 grams of fresh parsley leaves only
2 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 lemon juice + 2 tablespoons water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt
Preparation
Let's start by preparing the parsley: peel the leaves and wash them under running water. Next, put them on sheets of kitchen paper and dry them gently. Let's move on to the pesto: in the mortar, put a clove of garlic and pine nuts, then start crushing them. Then add the parsley leaves a few at a time. Combine the lemon juice, two tablespoons of water and just enough of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to obtain a creamy sauce. Now let's take care of the mussels and clams: wash them under running water and transfer them to a large pot with cold water and a handful of coarse salt. Let them drain for an hour. After the indicated time, rinse them again to remove excess salt and sand. In a large pot, bring plenty of water to a boil and put the potatoes to boil. When they are cooked, we drain them, peel them and pass them through a sieve. Put the mashed potatoes on the pastry board and make a hollow in the center where we insert the egg and salt. Add the flour and knead until you get a homogeneous and smooth dough.Take a piece of dough at a time and make 1 cm rolls with your hands. With a knife, cut small pieces of dough and pass them through the floured grater. In a large pan, put a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the garlic clove and the chilli pepper. Bring to the heat and let it flavor, then add the anchovies and let them melt, cook the shrimp for a minute over high heat, and add the mussels and clams. In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to a boil. When the water boils, dip the gnocchi and drain them when they come to the surface. Gently dip them in our fish sauce, then add a few tablespoons of parsley pesto and a few tablespoons of gnocchi cooking water if necessary. Serve with a drizzle of raw Extra Virgin Olive Oil and grated lemon zest.
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