Zia Tata’s kitchen

Tripe you love it or you hate it ! I can tell you my husband and his Friends are loving it. Every year I prepare around 7 kg of it, 7 kg for a group of 10 people not bad hey ! Considering that 2 of them are not eating tripe !!

Ingredients.

• 2 kg of tripe
• A piece of smoked speck
• A carrot
• A leg of celery
• Big onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Some parsley
• 1 /2 cans of pealed tomato’s
• Chilly pepper
• A can of white beans
• Some red wine
• EVO
• Salt and pepper
• 2 stock cubes
• 1 c spoon of tomato paste

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Rinse the tripe, and after you pealed the carrot, celery,garlic and onion chop them in little pieces .

Put some EVO in a large pan, add all the vegetables let them fry for a while . Now you can put in the tripe and stir, poor in the red wine, let evaporate before adding the pealed tomatoes. Add the piece of smoked speck and a chilly pepper . Season with salt and pepper. Put a lit on your pan and leave it on a low heat for 2 hours, stirring one’s in a while

Take off the lit of your pan and let evaporate the sauce,now you can add the white beans, leave in on a low heat for an other 2 hours. So your tripe will be nice and tender.

• 

• 

• 

Serve with some chopped parsley.

Done!

Buon appetito !

The Giarratana onion is a typical Sicilian onion, from the Ragusa area. It’s a sweet, delicate and enormous onion, perfect to accompany both fish and meat dishes. Excellent on focaccia and pizza and why not in a tasty summer salad.

Ingredients.

• 3 Giarratana onions (500/600g each)
• 6 spoons of breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp of pecorino cheese or parmigiano ( I used Ragusano )
• 1 tbsp of capers
• Some origan
• Salt pepper
• Some parsley
• 5 tbsp EVO

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Peel the onions, cut them in half and place them in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

With a knife cut the pulp of the onion making oblique cuts to facilitate the cooking.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated cheese, the chopped capers, origan, a pinch of salt some pepper and the oil

Season the onions with some EVO and salt, cover with the breadcrumbs, dress with a drizzle of EVO

Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees for about 40/45 minutes

Done !

Buon appetito !

• 

• 

• 

Also this year our holiday in Sicily went by in a blink of an eye, every time I leave Sicily I leave a piece of my heart there, but every time I bring back home all the culinary goodies from this beautiful island ! A bit of Sicily in Varese. I have to thank Franca and Emanuele who offered us the Sicilian sun in a crate ! A whole bunch of “ fichi d’india “ such a delight !

Ingredients.

• 2 kg of figs ( cleaned)
• 700 g sugar
• A splash of Zibibbo (Sicilian dessert wine)
• 1 lemon ( zest and juice)
• 5 cm of ginger

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Start by peeling the prickly pear. One thing you need to keep in mind while preparing the fruit is that it is covered with tiny little needles. These tiny spines are so thin that you may not feel them when they penetrate your skin, they are almost invisible that’s why it’s so difficult to get them out. So beware and wear rubber gloves while peeling of the skin

Once you removed the skin, cut the fruits into small cubes,put them in a large pot and cook them, add a splash of zibibbo, stirring from time to time until they are softened.

When they are softened pass them trough a vegetable mill, to eliminate the seeds.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Put everything back into the pot and add the sugar,once it has boiled add the lemon( zest and juice) and the ginger and let simmer for 40 minutes stirring occasionally.

When the jam has reached the right consistency, put the jam in the previously sterilized jars, close them and leave them upside down until they cool completely.

Your prickly pear jam is ready to be placed in your pantry

Done.

Buon appetito !

We just came back home after more than 3 weeks away, helping our daughter to move from Luxembourg to Paris ! Paris ville lumière, city of love. A lot of inspiration for Zia tata’s kitchen, the food, great cheeses, wines, beautiful markets ! Ok ok back to reality, after a 10 hours drive we were a bit hungry, fortunately our garden offered us beautiful zucchini, I bought some bread,milk and eggs and tadaaaa in a blink of an eye our dinner was ready !

Ingredients.

• 4 eggs
• Zucchini
• If you have them you can add the zucchini flowers
• a splash of milk
• Salt and pepper
• Clove of garlic
• Flour
• Ziplock plastic bag
• EVO

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Carefully wash the zucchini,dry them and cut then in rings (more or less 1 cm high).

Put some flour, salt, pepper and garlic in a zip lock plastic bag add the zucchini close the bag and shake well.

Heat some EVO in a non stick frying pan and add the zucchini one by one in the pan. Broil them on both sides and season them at taste.

In the meanwhile beat the eggs in a bowl add a little salt and pepper and a splash of milk.

Poor the eggs on top of the zucchini and cook la frittata, place the zucchini flowers on top and gently turn the frittata upside down ( with the help of a lid or a serving dish)

Serve it hot or lukewarm .

Done !

Buon appetito !

• 

• 

• 

This is an easy super fast and tasty dish !

Onions you love them or you hate them, but Did you know that onions have antioxidant and anti- inflammatory properties .It’s consumption reduces blood sugar, also they are a valid help to combat water retention .

So for all the onion lovers let’s start

Ingredients.

• Spaghetti
• Tropea and white onions
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• EVO
• Fresh thyme
• 4 tbsp milk
• Salt and pepper

• 

• 

• 

Peel and finely slice the onions

Drizzle some EVO into a pan, add the onion, fresh thyme and a bit of salt and pepper.

Cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes over low heat, uncover and at 2 tbsp of milk cover again and continue to cook for another 4 minutes .

Cook the spaghetti in salty water and drain them when they still are “ al dente “.

Season the spaghetti with the onion sauce, add Parmesan and pepper . serve immediately.

• 

• 

• 

Done.

Buon appetito!

Lazy Saturday, let’s make some lasagna all’ortolana with a splash of pesto, I bought the lasagna ( told you I was lazy )! All vegetables from our garden ( apart from the peas). Nice tasteful and summery !

Ingredients

• Lasagna, this time I bought them, but you can follow my recipe for homemade pasta that I posted a while ago.
• 2 zucchini
• Some runner beans
• Frozen peas
• 1 clove of garlic
• Onion ( half)
• Zucchini flowers
• Splash of white wine
• 2 tbsp of pesto
• Salt and pepper
• EVO
• For the béchamel or white sauce
• 2 tbsp butter
• 100 g flour
• 1 l milk
• Salt an pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese

• 

• 

• 

Wash peel and chop all the vegetables in small pieces, heat some EVO in a pan add the vegetables and the garlic and a splash of white wine, season with salt and pepper. Let simmer, toss gently. When de vegetables are tender but still firm to the bite, add 3 tbsp of pesto, remove from the heat and leave it for a few minutes so all flavors can mellow together.

For the béchamel or white sauce.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, bring it to a boil add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook while stirring for 3 to 5 minutes more.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Now we start the assembly job.

To assemble, spread some béchamel on the bottom of a baking dish, cover with the lasagna sheets, put the vegetables on top, cover with béchamel and Parmesan, continue alternating layers of vegetables, sauce, lasagna sheets and Parmesan cheese.

Put the baking dish in a preheated oven (180C) and bake for 25 minutes . Done

Buon appetito!

Who doesn’t want to have some sunshine on his plate during winter ? that’s why I get in action now by preparing fresh tomato sauce. It’s so easy to make and freeze . Giving us a taste of summer on our plate throughout the winter.

Ingredients.

• Datterini tomatoes
• Garlic
• Basil
• Chili pepper
• EVO
• Salt

• 

• 

• 

This recipe is as easy as blend,simmer and enjoy ! Wash carefully your tomatoes, place them in your blender together with the basil, garlic, chilly pepper, some salt and EVO, and blend all together for a minute, the blender creates a smooth base . You can add oregano or other herbs at your taste.

• 

• 

• 

Put the tomato sauce in a pan with a bit of EVO and let simmer for more or less 30 minutes over low heat .

Let the sauce cool completely to room temperature. Divvy in small plastic containers , mine are from cuki, perfect quantity of sauce for 2 and they are reusable.

Ready! You can put them in your freezer and enjoy all winter !

Buon appetito !

• 

• 

Last week zia tata was not in her kitchen . I was away for a few days enjoying the seaside !

When I came back our garden offered me a whole bunch of zucchini. So what to do with them … considering that my last post was homemade pesto let’s continue the trend with homemade zucchini pesto.

Ingredients.

• 2 medium zucchini
• 30 g Pine nuts
• 40 g Parmesan cheese
• 60 ml EVO
• 20 g basil leaves
• 1 clove of garlic
• Some thyme
• Pinch of salt

Take the zucchini and grate them with a grater ( large holes) and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes, put them in a tea towel squeeze them ( so you press out the liquid )

Put the grated zucchini, basil leaves,pine nuts, garlic, the thyme ,half of the EVO in a food processor or blender.

Blend everything together for one minute, now add the Parmesan cheese and the remaining oil, blend again until you get a creamy and homogeneous sauce .

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Store in a tightly sealed jar, covered with a thin layer of olive oil.

Done !

Buon appetito.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The first basil harvest !

There is no greater purpose for a big bunch of fresh basil than to make pesto .

Today the traditional way using the mortar and pestle, requires a bit of work, but enhances the scent of the basil and gives a great texture. You can use your food processor, you will end up with a good result, but nevertheless I prefer the traditional way.

Ingredients.

• 25 g the basil leaves
• 35 g grated Parmesan
• 15 g grated pecorino
• 8 g pine nuts
• 50 ml EVO
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 pinch coarse salt

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

It’s Important to say that the basil leaves are not washed, but cleaned with a soft cloth.

Start preparing the pesto by placing the peeled garlic in the mortar together with a pinch of coarse salt ( helps to break up the fibers and maintain a nice bright green color)

Crunch the basil against the walls of the mortar by rotating the pestle from left to right and at the same time rotate the mortar in the opposite direction ( right to left ) continue like this until a bright green liquid comes out of the basil leaves, at this point add the pine nuts and start beating again to reduce to cream . Add the cheese little by little, stirring constantly to make the pesto even more creamy, and lastly the EVO, which will be poured slowly, always mixing with the pestle, until you get a homogeneous sauce.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Your pesto is ready

Use the sauce immediately or store it in a tightly sealed jar, covered with a thin layer of olive oil. It will keep for about a week in the refrigerator

Buon appetito !

This weekend we had some good friends over for dinner, (what a treat after more than a year with no social life whatsoever ) on the menu for our main dish, roast-beef under a salt crust aka roast-beef a l’inglese . You can prepare everything ahead nice and easy. Perfect on a warm summer evening (or day) with a salad or vegetables on the grill.

Ingredients

• 1kg of sirloin
• 2 to 3 kg of sea salt
• Black pepper
• A bit of water

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Massage the beef with pepper lots of pepper, if you want you can ad some fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, but today I only used the black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

Spread a layer of salt on the bottom of a pan. ( about 4 cm)

Place the meat on top of the salt and then cover it completely, including the sides.

Moisten the salt with a little water.

Put your pan in the preheated oven, and bake. You have to calculate 20 minutes every 1/2 kg of meat. So 1kg of meat means 40 minutes. Adjust accordingly to the weight of your meat.

After cooking, remove the meat from the salt by braking the crust and gently scrapping off the excess salt.

Cut the meat into thin slices, I use a slicing machine, this will give you the perfect result

Done

Buon appetito !

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•