Archivi delle categorie:Senza categoria

It all started with a gift from my neighbor Luciano . From his garden came a fiery treasure: the habanero peperoncino ,one of the hottest peppers on earth. Bright,fierce,and dangerous if handled carelessly. Gloves on ,mask in place, because one touch of this pepper could burn for hours.

• Ingredients
• 10/15 habanero peppers (the hotter the braver)
• 1 small onion
• 1teaspoon origano
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 teaspoons of evo
• 2/3 teaspoons of water
• Salt to taste

Before touching the peppers gloves and mask on,the habanero is not a pepper to be taken lightly. With a sharp knife I split the peperoncino open, and I chopped them finely, you can feel the sting in the air even through the mask . To soften the fire, I diced a small onion ,crushed the garlic and sprinkled the origano in a pan, added the oil and water and stirred gently. The mixture began to simmer,releasing an aroma of sweetness, spice, aroma -heat and sharpness all dancing together. Once the seasoning was ready,I poured it into a clean glass jar, sealed the jar tight and sterilized it in boiling water trapping all the flavors within. This winter I will open the jar and release just o drop into my cooking, a single drop carries the warmth of summer and the fiery soul of the habanero.

Done.

Buon appetito!

Little eggplant pizza, an easy recipe the whole family will love. Full of flavor but healthy and delicious, and on top of that you will have that holiday feeling of the Mediterranean sun on your plate !

Ingredients.

• A round eggplant
• A few spoons of passata ( tomato sauce)
• Mozzarella
• Parmigiano
• Oregano
• EVO
• Salt
• basil leaf

Cut the aubergines into slices and arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, make some cuts on each one, add some salt and a drizzle of EVO.

Put the tray in a preheated oven at 180° for about 10 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and season your aubergine slices with the Parmesan cheese,oregano, a bit of passata and mozzarella,to finish a little drizzle of EVO.

Put the tray back in the oven for another 8/9 minutes ( they are ready when the cheese is nicely melted)

Nice with a salad, as an aperitivo or just like that.

Done !

Buon appetito.

We have reached the middle of summer, our garden has been taken over by summer’s most abundant vegetable “the zucchina “ It’s an incredible versatile vegetable, it can be cooked,grilled,roasted,boiled but today we are making a kind of lasagna, it’s delicious,easy, healthy and on top of that done in no time. let’s start !

Ingredients:

• Zucchini (I used 5 small ones)
• 2 zucchini flowers
• Some cooked ham
• Grated parmigiano
• Cheese slices ( I used parmareggio sottiletta)
• EVO

Slice your zucchini lengthwise in thin slices ( thinner slices means less water )

First spread some evo onto the bottom and sides from the casserole dish.

Now make your first layer zucchini horizontally.

Sprinkle some grated parmigiano, and on top of the zucchini put a slice of ham and on top of the ham you put some cheese slices.

Now repeat but this time you put your zucchini vertically.

Last layer you can put the zucchini flowers and some grated parmigiano ( if you don’t have the flowers no problem you can leave them out.

Put the dish for 25 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees

Done !

Buon appetito.

To make your homemade mustard you only need 3 ingredients!

Ingredients.

• 70 g mustard seeds ( I used yellow and black seeds)
• 60 g cider vinegar/ white wine vinegar
• 60g of water
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• A pinch of turmeric

In a jar put your mustard seeds,water ,vinegar,salt, and a pinch of turmeric mix everything together with a spatula.

Close the lid or cover your jar.

Let it rest for at least 72 hours at room temperature, for better fermentation you can leave it up to 5 to 6 days ( I waited for 5 days )

With your home blender mix everything by adding 75 g of water until you obtain o homogeneous mixture, add the water gradually to adjust the strength of the mustard. You can Olson not completely grind the seeds ( just like I did ) in order to preserve them to make old fashioned mustard.

Place in jars. And preserve in the refrigerator.

Done !

Buon appetito.

Stracciatella is a simple broth soup, simple because there are only 3 ingredients; meat broth in which a mixture of eggs and grated Parmesan cheese is briefly cooked. I added a touch of nutmeg to flavor the stracciatella. It’s a quick and easy recipe perfect for a cold winter day.

Ingredients.

• 4eggs
• 80gr grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 liter of meat broth
• Nutmeg
• Pepper

Beat the eggs together with the grated Parmesan cheese and a touch of nutmeg, bring the broth to a boil pour the mixture in the broth and stir with a whisk, reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes while stirring well.

Done !

Buon appetito.

Puttanesca pasta is a typical dish of Neapolitan cuisine, also widespread in Lazio where it is enriched with anchovy fillets. It’s a quick and easy preparation, according to tradition spaghetti are used but if you prefer short pasta you can use for example penne.

Ingredients.

• Spaghetti
• 400 gr peeled tomatoes ( I used the ones I prepared from our garden)
• Black olives ( if you can find “Gaeta olives” top for this sauce
• A handful of capers
• 1 clove of garlic 2 fresh chilly pepper ( or dry chilly flakes)
• 3 anchovy fillets
• E V O
• Some fresh parsley
• Salt at taste

Poor the oil, garlic and chilly into a pan ad the anchovies, let them melt with the help of a wooden spoon , add the peeled tomatoes and capers cook the sauce over medium heat. Meanwhile cook your spaghetti Al dente in salted boiling water. just before the sauce is ready add the olives. Drain the spaghetti into the sauce and cook for the last 1 or 2 minutes into your sauce adding a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water. Your pasta is ready to be served you can add some freshly chopped fresh parsley at taste

Done !

Buon appetito.

These preserved figs, a delicious way to enjoy this delicate fruit after summer is long gone. Ideal with goat cheese, foie gras, in yogurt or a a dessert.

Ingredients.

• 1kg of figs, firm not to ripe
• 300 gr sugar
• 1 glass of apple vinegar
• 1/2 glass water
• A splash of vanilla
• 2 tbs of rum
• Lemon zest

Wash and dry the figs without peeling them.

Put the figs in a pan large enough to arrange them not to tight to each other. Add the sugar, vinegar,water,vanilla and rum and Lemmon zest.

Cook them on a low heat, do not stir, let everything melt and from time to time drizzle the figs with their sauce. When you obtained a nice syrup and your figs are soft but still firm, turn off the heat and pour the still hot figs in previously sterilized jars, close them and turn them upside down till the are completely cold.

Done !

Buon appetito.

This time of year the garden

Apricot jam is among the most appreciated along the jams. A great classic, easy to prepare. You will have summer on your plate all winter long . Ideal to spread on bread or toast for your breakfast, an other recipe like “ la crostata di albicocche ” just a pure delight. Also to accompany savory dishes like cheeses. Apricot jam is a versatile jam even your little ones will love !

You start by the sterilization of your jars where you will store the jam.

Now you carefully wash the apricots, dry them and remove them from their stones.

Put them in a bowl adding the sugar and the filtered lemon juice and the lemon peels and add the splash of vanilla essence.

Let marinate at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours.

Put the fruit in a iron cast pan and let it simmer over a very low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time. Take your time it’s important that it cooks slowly so that the fruit doesn’t burn or darken.

You can choose if you want to leave some pieces in jour jam or if you prefer a velvety consistency,if you prefer the velvety one blend with your hand blender and let thicken for an other 20 minutes on a very low heat. The right consistency is when you pour a drop on a spoon when it gels and it doesn’t drips it’s ready.

Poor the still boiling jam in your jars close them and turn the jar upside down till they are completely cold.

Done !

Buon appetito.

Ingredients.

• 1 kg apricots ( net weight)
• 500 gr sugar (I used special sugar for jam)
• 1 lemon ( juice and peel)
• A splash of vanilla

Luciano our neighbor has a new entry in his garden “ the gherkin il cetriolino “ perfect for home made pickles ideal with meat, fish, salad or just like that. Easy to make and nice to have in your pantry.

Ingredients.

• 1kg gherkins for pickling
• 3 to 4 shallots
• 2 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• Some dry chili flakes
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• Some fresh fennel greens
• You can add fresh herbs from your garden and some garlic all to your taste
• 1 l white wine vinegar (this time I used 1/3 of white wine vinegar and 1/3 of Apple vinegar)
• 250 gr sugar

Preparation.

Wash the gherkins very well under cold running water, use a soft toothbrush to remove the spines of the pickles, in a large pan with fresh water and salt ( 75 gr salt per liter of water), let the pickles soak for 36 hours, rinse them well under fresh running water . Heat the vinegar with the sugar and the herbs ( without the shallot and the fresh fennel greens) let cook for 10 minutes. Fill the sterilized jars with as many pickles possible pressing them down and top with the sweet and sour spiced vinegar. Screw the lid on tightly and turn them upside down till they are completely cold. Leave them for at least one month in a cool and dark place.

Done.

Buon appetito !

Agretti, friar’s beard or cappuccino’s beard, so many names for the same vegetable. A simple spring vegetable, with multiple uses in the kitchen, you can serve them as a side dish, goes well with salmon, perfect in an omelette, they can be used in pasta dishes ( spaghetti with agretti,olives dried tomatoes and basil ) sautéed with garlic and anchovies, or as a salad.

Ingredients.

• Agretti
• Salt and pepper
• EVO
• Lemon / vinegar

Clean the agretti, use a small knife to remove the harder end and yellow parts of the stems, wash them carefully in cold water.

You can steam them or boil them,emerge them for a couple of minutes in boiling water. You can also choose to sauté them with garlic and anchovies.

Done !

Buon appetito.