Parmigiana

You would think that parmigiano (parmesan) is absolutely essential for a parmigiana, after all it's in the name, right? It turns out that it might not be as obvious as that, the name parmigiana might not even derive from parmigiano regiano. I made mine with pecorino an mozarella and it was perfect for this. The light tanginess of pecorino and the fact that it's not as hard as parmigiano made it a perfect replacement. A mix of pecorino and parmigano should work good too. The real essential is the aubergine. Here is my take on this Italian classic.

You'll need: (for two individual size pots)
an aubergine
salt
3 tomotoes
half a mozarella
grated pecorino
dried oregano
cinnamon
black pepper
red wine
olive oil

1. Slice the aubergine, spread the slices on a plate, salt them generously and leave for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, boil some water in a kettle and pour over the tomatoes to remove their skins. The task is easier if you cut a cross on their bottoms.
3. Chop the skinned tomatoes and fry on a pan with a clove of garlic cut in half, a splash of olive oil, dried oregano and some wine. Once your sauce is ready put aside and prepare the aubergine.

3. Rinse the aubergine slices from excess salt and fry with olive oil until they brown slightly. Add a pinch of cinnamon (optional).

4. Start layering your pots. Start with a layer of tomato sauce, then aubergines, mozarella, some  freshly ground black pepper, then aubergines again, tomato sauce, pecorno, aubergines, pecorino until you reach the top of the pot.

5. Put the pots in an oven pre-set to 180 degrees (top and bottom heating) and leave there for around 15 minutes until the cheese on top melts and starts to brown. Remove from the oven, leave aside for 5 minutes before you serve it (it will be piping hot at first and if you want to remove your parmigiana from the pots, it's gonna be easier if it cools down a little) Decorate with some fresh basil leaves before serving et voila!

Buon appetito!

Grandi gnocchi di ricotta

Welcome to episode one of lockdown cooking! What better way to spend your time at home than cooking? Maybe it's actually a good time to turn to those traditional grandma recipes that take hours to cook? Now might be the best time to oversee a slow cooked ragu alla Bolognese or take the time to prepare a proper ramen broth that takes 36 hours to cook... Anyway, for the time being I start with something a bit more modest that can be done in next to no time - gnocchi di ricotta con spinaci, prosciutto e pomodori secchi. Come to think of it, my comeback to more classical Italian flavours mind be a sign that mind is far away from Brussels...

You'll need:

250gr ricotta (or Polish twaróg)

1 egg

around 70gr flour

pepper

a bowl of fresh spinach

4cm ginger

prosciutto (my favourite is san daniele)

sundried tomatoes

grated parmigiano regiano or grana padano

1. First prepare the gnocchi mixture by mixing the ricotta cheese (or twaróg) with the egg and flour, adding a generous dose of black pepper. Once kneaded a bit, put it aside in the fridge to harden a bit for around 30 minutes.

2. Finely chop the ginger and the fry it on a pan for 30 seconds or so, before adding the spinach leaves. I usually chop the leaves a little bit even if it is baby spinach to make them more manageable to eat. Don't forget to rinse them first though! Quite often there will be sand on them and you really want to avoid that sort of crunch in your mouth.

3. Boil some water in a pot. Form the gnocchi with the use of two teaspoons into a shape of a quenelle. Add salt into the boiling water before transferring in the gnocchi. Boil them for around two minutes.

4. Assemble the ingredients together, sprinkle some parmigiano/grana padano on top, an extra sprinkle of freshly grated black pepper e voila!

Buon appetito!

Melon Italian Salad

Daydreaming about hot summer days in Italy, I propose a simple salad with ingredients which to me are part of the essence of Italy. Simple, but super tasty thanks to the quality of ingredients.

You'll need:
a quarter of a melon cut into cubes (preferably cold)
prosciutto crudo (my favourite is San Daniele)
spicy gorgonzola
croutons prepared with salt & herbs
fresh lettuce leaves
good quality olive oil

1. Once you assemble the ingredients, all you need to do is mix them together, et voila!

Buon  appetito!

Lemon chicken with a frittata

Sunny flavours of the summer and the holidays at the beach closed up in a dish that is deemed to bring to mind some very good memories. Each of the elements could be a dish of its own, but the trick is in the combination of the flavours and in how well they go together. Perhaps slightly unusually, the frittata is prepared extra thin to keep it light and to be eaten within one seating.

You'll need (a portion for two):

For the lemon chicken:

one chicken breast

juice from 1/2 lemon

half a glass white wine

30gr butter 

a spoon of flour

salt & pepper 

oil

For the frittata:

one potato, evenly sliced

one onion, sliced

two eggs

30gr butter

one clove of garlic

fennel seeds

chili flakes

salt&pepper

tangy semi-soft cheese (I used Lombardian Bel Paese; Lancanshire or Cheshire cheese should go well too, although they are more crumbly)

oil

1. Warm up some oil on a pan and add the sliced onion. Allow to fry for a few minutes before adding sliced potato, evenly distributing it over the pan. Add some butter and fennel. The potatoes will take some 10 minutes to fry, depending on the thickness of the slices. Turn them to the other side when they start to brown.

2. In the meantime, warm up oil on a second pan, add the chicken breast, cut into smaller, thinner pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper.

3. A minute after turning the chicken to the other side add lemon juice, wine and butter and continue to simmer the chicken over medium heat.

4. Once the potato slices are almost ready, add finely chopped garlic.

5. Beat up the eggs, seasoning them with salt, pepper and chilli flakes.

6. Chop (or grate) the cheese into fine cubes.

7. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and onions and turn the heat to minimum.

8. Add the cheese on top and allow to settle. Since this version of the frittata is very thin, it is not necessary to turn it upside down, just cover it with a lid if necessary.

9. Remove the chicken from the pan, add flour to the remaining sauce and stir vigourously making sure that all the flavours from frying of the meat go into the sauce.

10. Once your frittata settles, serve it cut into half together with chicken with the lemon wine sauce poured over the top.

Buon appetito!

Vellutata di ceci

...or chickpeas cream. With this recipe you can enjoy Tuscan flavours within minutes. It really needs a generous dose of fresh rosemary to do the trick, do not replace it with a dried version. Luckily, I can pick up mine straight from the garden.

You'll need:
one can of chickpeas (400g)
one medium onion
one garlic clove (optional)
fresh rosemary
1 spoon of tomato concentrate
300ml broth (or half a stock cube and water for a student version)
grated grana padano (optional)
freshly grated black pepper
bread to make croutons with
herb salt

1. Chop the onion and fry it in a pot.
2. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary and add them to the onion.
3. Add chickpeas and fry everything together for a moment before adding broth.
4. Add tomato concentrate and stir.
5. Allow the soup to simmer while you prepare the croutons. Cut the bread and fry it on hot oil (do not add too much or they will become oily) seasoning it with herb salt.
6. Let the soup cool down a bit before blending it into a velvety cream.
7. Warm it up again before pouring into a bowl.
8. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top, grate some black pepper over it, add the croutons, e voila!

Bon appétit!

Chicken cacciatore con polenta

...or hunters stew. This Italian dish can be prepared in many ways, the only common denominator really is the presence of wine and tomato sauce. Today, I propose a rustic northerly version with white wine (in the south red wine is apparently preferred). Serving it with polenta gives the dish an additional Italian touch.

You'll need:
6 chicken thighs
a glass of white wine
3 spoons of tomato puree
4 carrots
1 medium onion
fresh salvia
3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs
a bay leaf
sweet paprika powder
a glass of stock
olive oil for frying
salt

polenta
grated parmesan
butter

 

1. Start off by by browning the chicken thighs, previously seasoned with paprika and salt. Once they brown, transfer them into a casserole dish. You can make cuts on the thighs, so that they better absorb the flavours while in the oven.

2. Slice the carrots and the onion and add to the casserole.

3. Pour over the wine and the stock mixed with tomato puree.

4. Add a bay leaf, fresh salvia leaves and rosemary.

5. Put in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

6. In the meantime prepare polenta, using the instructions on the packet and stir in the parmesan and the butter.

7. Assemble everything on a plate, e voila!

Bon appétit!

Pappa al pomodoro

 

You have some leftover stale bread? This typically Tuscan recipe comes to the rescue! Never again will you be faced with the problem of having to get rid of stale bread. In fact, this primo piatto (first dish) is so yummy that you might want to put some fresh bread aside just to make pappa al pomodoro again :)

You'll need:

500g stale white bread

400ml tomato passata or 4 fresh tomatoes

1 medium onion

1 garlic clove

olive oil

salt & pepper

1. Warm up some olive oil in a pot and fry some previously chopped onion on it. Once the onion starts to turn golden, add garlic and fry for 30 seconds more, being careful not to burn it. 

2. It is best to add fresh ripe tomatoes at this point and cook everything until the tomatoes reach a saucy consistency, but if you want to speed things up you can take a shortcut and add a tomato passata.

3. Cut the bread into small cubes and add to the pot. Add also some water and stir. Let the bread absorb the liquids and dissolve into a gluey smooth consistency. Add some more water as you go along if need be.

4. Season with salt and pepper for taste and add fresh basil leaves (these should be added only towards the end of the cooking as otherwise basil will loose its colour and characteristics).

5. Sprinkle some extra vergin olive oil on top before serving, decorate with a basil leaf, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Fettucine with pumpkin

For those not afraid to try sth different ;) a veggie friendly idea for lunch/dinner.

You'll need:
fettuccine pasta
100g of pumpkin
1 red onion
100ml of cream
some freshly grated parmesan (or other hard cheese)
parsley
nutmeg
salt & pepper
oil or butter for frying

1. Slice the onion and fry it.
2. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 2-3cm cubes. Add to the frying pan with the onion and allow to cook slowly under cover until soft (so for around 10-15 min). The secret of this recipe rests with slow frying of the pumpkin - this way it will give out all its sweetness.
3. Add cream and half of the parmesan cheese. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper for taste.
4. Chop the parsley and add it at the end, so that it doesn't lose its beautiful green colour.
5. Serve with pasta.
6. Add a sprinkle of parmesan on top, et voila!

Bon appétit!

*Recipe taken from kwestiasmaku.com, modified.

Fetuccine con zucchini e pomodirini

 
In Italy a starter is usually followed by primo piatto (first dish) which might be pasta (secondo piatto is usually a meat dish). Today I propose fettuccine (a type of long, flat pasta) with zucchini and pomodorini (cherry tomatoes). A simple recipe ideal for people in a hurry.

For this recipe you'll need:

fettuccine
1 medium zucchini
100g of  cherry tomatoes
3 or 4 spoons of basil pesto
around 5 cashew nuts, crushed or finely chopped
some freshly grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese
olive oil


1. Start by cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters. Put them on the den of a baking dish, sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and put in the hot oven set for 180 degrees for around 10-15 minutes.

2. In the meantime boil some water for the fettuccine and cut the zucchini into thin slices along the length of the zucchini and fry them on a hot pan until they become soft.

3. Once your fettuccine is al dente, transfer it to the frying pan with the zucchini, add pesto and cashew nuts and stir. I know that some ready-made basil pestos already contain nuts, but I added some cashew nuts separately on purpose to add to the structure of the dish.
4. Transfer the mix from the pan into the baking dish on top of the tomatoes and allow another 5-10 minutes in the oven.
5. Transfer into a plate, sprinkle with cheese, et voila!

 

Bon appétit!

Bruschette al pomodoro

I decided to start my Italian adventure with a a very simple antipasti (starter), which to my mind has at its heart the essence of Italy. Bruschetta in its simplest form is just a piece of grilled white bread rubbed with garlic sprinkled with some prime quality olive oil. The most popular form is served with a salad of chopped tomatoes and basil:

Veramente fantastico!!

(truly fantastic)