BringNonnaBack

June 30, 2015July 16, 2015Uncategorized

Peperonissimi

I love peppers and I love them even more when roasted. They complement any dish, I like them with rice, pasta, fish and meat, although on their own are just perfect! Peppers are very popular in Italian cuisine despite the fact that most people might think they are more prominent in Spanish dishes…..well the truth is that wherever you are, Italy, Spain, UK etc… they taste beautiful, you only need to bring their extra flavour out by adding some simple ingredients. For this recipe capers and anchovies do the trick and at home we all love it!

My Nonna used to fill “peperoncini” ( small type of peppers) with chillies and anchovies or with ricotta cheese and anchovies!

#BringNonnaBack today with my version of her peperoncini!

Serving 4 people

Ingredients

5/6 yellow and red peppers,halved

a handful of basil, finely chopped

a handful of parsley, finely chopped,

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 tin of anchovies, finely chopped

2 tbsp of capers, finely chopped

1 tsp olive oil for drizzling

Preparation

Preheat the oven at 200c (190c fan oven). Halve the peppers and put them on an oven tray. In a large bowl mix the anchovies, basil, capers, parsley and garlic making a thick looking paste. Fill the peppers with the paste, drizzle with a little olive oil and put them into the oven for 15/20 minutes. The smell of roasted peppers will fill your house, wait till you taste them!

They are simply delicious x

You can have this dish as a side to a BBQ, everyone will tuck in!

June 15, 2015September 14, 2015Uncategorized

#BringNonnaBack with Food Revolution

Food Revolution is a new chapter of my passion for wholesome and healthy food! It came along by chance, by following this campaign through twitter and all the other networking engines. As a huge fan of Jamie Oliver I just wanted to get involved as much as I could in making wholesome food real and possible for modern families like mine. I am now an Ambassador for Food Revolution in our area (Benfleet, Essex, East of London). Luckily for me with my traditional Italian heritage I grew up eating fresh food everyday, and when I say everyday, I mean every single day! Fresh herbs from the garden, home made pasta and bread, even home made ice-cream….that was my life as a child living in the south of Italy with a Nonna that would make her own bread and ravioli. She is now 93 years old and due to her age she can no longer use her hands to kneed her dough. It’s a shame and I know how upsetting it is for her to not be able to cook as she used to. Well, I must thank my Nonna for guiding me to wholesome food and I would like to bring back her fresh, wholesome, simple and tasty recipes to the modern families’ tables

#BringNonnaBack is my initiative, my goal, my passion. Bringing Nonna’s dishes and recipes to the table will blend flavours from the past with a modern twist. I am sure it will work!! It worked with me and it will work with the new generations.

After the huge success that our first Food Revolution event had last week during a local football tournament, I am determined to repeat it again and again! A team of some amazing volunteers helped me to feed 53 people including 22 hungry children and their families. 4 trays of Pasta al Forno, 265 lamb and mint Polpette (meatballs) in tomato sauce, Squash-it-Salad in Pitta Bread and Courgette Spaghetti with Pesto sauce. Seeing and hearing all the positive feedback (from parents but MAINLY from the children) made all the preparation and hard work worth while. None of the helpers had any experience in preparing food on a grand scale, just shows what a great team can accomplish! Well done to everyone involved! May this be the start of the Revolution in Benfleet.

The recipe today is from our Food Revolution Day, inspired by a traditional family dish:

POLPETTE DI AGNELLO ALL’AGLIO E MENTA E SUGO DI POMODORO

Serves 4/6 people

Ingredients for the Polpette-Meatballs

500g Lamb Mince, good quality

1 egg

100g bread crumbs

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

handful of parsley, finely chopped

large handful of mint, finely chopped

pinch of salt

sunflower oil for frying

Preparation

In a large bowl place the mince and add the egg, parsley, garlic, mint , salt and bread crumbs. Mix all together with a fork or with your hand making sure you combine all the ingredients. If the mix feels too wet you can add some more bread crumbs, if it feels too dry add a splash of milk. Once the mix is smooth you can start rolling it into small balls, size of a 10p coin. You should be able to make 50 meatballs. I tent to make them a bit small as it’s easier for the children to eat them all in one go!

Option 1: Heat some sunflower oil in a large pan and place 6/8 meatballs at the time. Cook them for 4/5 minutes, keep stirring them until golden. Prepare a large dish with some kitchen roll on the side and once the meatballs are ready to come out the pan, drain them and place them on the kitchen roll to rest and to lose some of the oil. Add a pinch of salt. Keep doing the same until you have cooked all the meatballs.

Option 2: Preheat the oven at 200 degrees, place the meatballs on a flat oven tray and put the in the oven for 25 minutes until golden.

Option3: Once the tomato sauce is ready and has been cooking for a good 1o minutes (see below), poached the meatballs raw in the sauce. Turn the heat down and cook with the lid on for 40 minutes.

For the Sugo-Sauce

Ingredients

Half of a medium white onion, finely chopped

800/900g of plain tomato Passata (You can find passata in any good supermarket, it’s in a carton or in a bottle)

A handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

Olive oil, 2 tbs

Salt, a pinch

Sugar, a pinch (to lower the acidity of the tomatoes)

Preparation

Heat a large pan, add the olive oil and the onion. Simmer the onion only for a few minutes untill golden, don’t cook it for too long as it can easily burn.
Add the passata, the salt and sugar and cover with a lid.

PLAN B: if you haven’t got any passata 2 tins of chopped or plum tomatoes will do! Blend them first if possible and pour them into the oil, follow the instructions as before

Turn the heat down and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring it every now and again.

Finally add your basil and let the sauce embrace the leaves… your sauce is ready!

Place the meatballs into the sauce, make sure they are all covered, put the lid on and keep cooking the sauce and the meatballs for another 10 minutes on a low heat.

Enjoy your Polpette with some fresh bread, pasta or cous-cous. Buon Apettito!

May 22, 2015Uncategorized

Who said Broccoli are boring?

I am lucky as both of my kids love Broccoli, I am always trying new recipes and whenever I make a new dish they are the first to taste it!!! I like to give the kids different healthy options, with Broccoli you can never go wrong.

This is a simple Broccoli Salad with lots of goodness and flavour!!!

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

one broccoli Florette,

one white onion

handful of fennel seeds

1 tin of chick peas

handful of prunes, diced

2 tbs of olive oil

juice and zest of one lemon

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Slice the onion in thick slices and place it into a baking tray with a little olive oil and the fennel seeds scattered on the onions. Put in the oven and cook for 25 minute. Cut the broccoli into small florets and if you don’t want to use the stem, it’s great to add it into soups. Blanch the florets in boiling water (I would add a pinch of course salt). It’ll only take 4/5 minutes as they need to be quite crunchy. Drain the florets and place then on a large dish. The onions should be nearly ready by now, if you feel they are drying out add a splash of water on the dish, not on the onions! Drain the chick peas and scatter them on the florets. Place the onions on the dish, you might find some slices a bit more “caramelised” than others, they give great colour to the dish! Sprinkle the prunes, the lemon zest, the lemon juice and the olive oil……Pronto!!!

Enjoy this fresh new salad with cows-cous, grilled fish and even as a side for a BBQ xx

May 19, 2015September 11, 2016Uncategorized

A STAR!!……… MINESTRONE

I know this might not be a very “refreshing” dish but the weather outside is still a bit uncertain and a warm soup full of stars might brighten up our dinner time. This is what in Italian we call : Minestrone, a classic dish that most of Italian children would eat only because they have to! It’s the dish that every Nonna cooks, it’s a must in school dinner menus and it’s the Godfather of the left overs. You’ll be eating it for days and days!

Based on this introduction I will #Bring Nonna Back!!! Bring wholesome, fresh and healthy food back on the table!!! Hey! It worked with me in the 80’s!! I am now going to celebrate this dish and introduce it to modern families of 2015. Add your children’s favourite pasta shape (Lettere-letters, Conchiglie-shells, Farfalline-butterflies ….), they’ll enjoy it even more 🙂

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

1 stick of celery

2 carrots

half of one onion

1 large potato

2 sweet potatoes

150g lentils

1 tin of plum tomatoes

small handful of fresh basil

1lt chicken or vegetable stock ( gelatine stock cubes are great as well, 1 cube per litre)

150g of pasta for soup ( stars, mini farfalle, conchigliette…. you can find them in any local supermarket)

pinch of salt

tbs of olive oil

Preparation

Boil the kettle and pour the hot water in jug with a gelatine cube. Stir it until the cube dissolves and put it aside. Dice the onion, carrots, celery, potato and sweet potatoes. Into a large pot heat the olive oil and add the vegetables. Simmer for a couple of minutes on a medium heat. Add the salt. Pour the stock in the pot. Put the lid on and cook on a low heat. Place the plum tomatoes in a blender with the basil and blend until smooth. Pour the tomatoes into the pot and stir. Wash the lentils under the tap and add them into the soup. Stir and put the lid back on. Add the pasta as well and cook for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft. Your Minestrone is Pronto! Enjoy with some fresh bread.

P.S. Any vegetable you have in your fridge will add extra flavour, you can never overload your Minestrone….kale, courgette, broccoli, peas, green beans, cauliflower, butter nut, pumpkin…….

May 11, 2015May 11, 2015Uncategorized

The Sexiest and Simplest Prawn Salad

After being chosen as an Ambassador for Food Revolution in my area I just had to come up with a dish to celebrate this great achievement. What better than a salad with some of my favourite ingredients all together? Since Food Revolution is to do with the idea of cooking freshly and healthily, which is basically what I love doing, I am very proud to be part of this huge initiative and I hope I can inspire other Mums with my recipes and cooking skills. Healthy food for healthy and happy children!!!!

Ingredients

4/5 medium prawns, cooked and peeled

2 medium tomatoes

couple of cherry tomatoes

handful of iceberg lettuce

handful of rocket

handful of red cabbage

150g natural cottage cheese

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (or glaze if preferred)

handful of basil leaves (half finely chopped, half kept whole)

Serves 1 person

Preparation

Have your lettuce and cabbage washed and chopped. On a plate start placing the lettuce, cabbage, rocket and the cherry tomatoes. Add the prawns. Slice the medium tomatoes in three and place them on the side of the plate. Use a tea spoon to scoop some of the cheese and put it on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the basil and add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the rest of the leaves on the salad. Dress with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar….Pronto!!!!

P.S. If you like the combination cottage cheese/ tomatoes, you can always try it with all types of tomato and instead of basil you can sprinkle some dried oregano. They are great as a small appetizer, bite sizes are even better for dinner parties! Did you know cottage cheese has got less fat than mozzarella cheese? 98 calories per 100g against 280 calories per 100g in mozzarella ….. a great alternative 🙂

March 30, 2015April 28, 2017Uncategorized

A Classic……PASTA with PESTO

So many different versions of Pesto, I know, but this classic Italian recipe is really really easy to make and extremely tasty. I would make enough to store it in the freezer ( an ice cube tray is ideal ) so it’s fresh every time I need it and my Nonna would say : FACCIAMO PROVVISTA ( Let’s stock up) … Of course it goes with Pasta (we love it with Tagliatelle!) but it’s that kind of sauce that would go with ANYTHING: fish, chicken, roasted vegetables, bruschetta, panini, mozzarella, green salad, fresh tomatoes, potatoes, even pizza! If you have a nut allergy you can miss the pine nuts out and perhaps add some grated parmesan cheese instead. If you want to make it a little bit more adventurous you can add a handful of rocket or for a spicy kick you can add some fresh chillies.

Serving 4 people

Ingredients

Basil, a good handful, you can’t ever have too much basil!

Parsley, handful half the size of the basil

Garlic, one small clove

a pinch of salt ( you can add a little more if you like 🙂

20g pine nuts

50ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

300g Pasta (Tagliatelle or your favorite type of pasta)

Preparation

You can either put all of your ingredients into a blender and whisk it up until you get a smooth texture or as an authentic Italian recipe you should use a pestle&mortar. Pesto in Italian means bashed up and that is exactly what you would do with a pestle&mortar, you bash all the lovely ingredients together until you get a smooth texture and your arm starts aching from the strenuous movement while stirring 😉 It’s definitely a good workout too!

Although I said you need 50ml of olive oil you can always add a little more if you feel it looks too dry (just play it by ear).

In a saucepan bring some water to the boil, add a tbsp of salt and put your pasta in, follow the cooking time on the packet. Drain your pasta and mix your pesto in, stir it and add some grated parmesan for some extra flavour. Pronto!!!

March 25, 2015March 26, 2015Uncategorized

Micro-Frittatas

…….. or Savoury Muffins as baked in a muffin tray!!!

Great for lunch, light dinner or as a snack. Dead easy to make, you need 2 silicon muffin trays, eggs and all your favourite vegetables!

Serving 4 people

Ingredients

6 large eggs

leek, half, diced

6 asparagus, chopped, 2cm long

4 medium mushrooms, chopped

smal handful of parsley, finely chopped

handful of spinach

1 chilli pepper, chopped (optional)

pinch of salt

tbsp of olive oil

Preparation

Preheat the oven at 200c (190c fan oven). In a large bowl whisk your eggs, add the salt and mix thoroughly. On a non stick pan add a little olive oil and put it on a medium heat. Put the asparagus in the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Put them aside. Put the mushrooms and parsley in the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Put them aside. Place the spinach in the pan and simmer for 2 minutes (add a little olive oil if too dry ). Now all your vegetables are half cooked, a part from the leek which will cook in the oven. Fill your tray with the vegetables by adding a little of your ingredients in each case, you can have one topping or more than one in the same case. Make sure your vegetables are equally placed into the tray (you should fill 9 cases). You can add a couple of slices of chillies for a nice kick! Pour the eggs on each case and put them in the oven for 15/20 minutes until the eggs are cooked (put a knife inside your frittatas to check if they are completely done). Pronto!!!

P.S. You can add some grated cheese, pancetta or ham but make sure you cook the pancetta first. You can serve them with a salad and you can eat them hot or cold ( I usually make enough to have them the next day and they still taste delicious!!!).

March 21, 2015March 23, 2015Uncategorized

Poached Rock-Egg

All my healthy and sporty friends will be very pleased to find this recipe: protein from the egg and the goodness of green vegetable like asparagus, rocket and avocado! This is great for lunch or a light dinner.

AVOCADO:

What you need to know

It provides slow burning and protective monounsaturated fats for a healthy heart;

It’s an anti-inflammatory and helps cholesterol reducing;

It contains powerful antioxidants to reduce free radical damage that leads to ageing and diseases;

Also it contains broad spectrum of vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin E, Vitamin K and B vitamins like B5, B6 and folic acid.

ASPARAGUS:

Did you know?

It is a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.
This herbaceous plant—along with avocado, kale and Brussels sprouts—is a particularly rich source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals. This is why eating asparagus may help protect against and fight certain forms of cancer, such as bone, breast, colon, larynx and lung cancers.
Asparagus is packed with antioxidants, ranking among the top fruits and vegetables for its ability to neutralize cell-damaging free radicals. This, according to preliminary research, may help slow the aging process.

ROCKET:

Did you know?

Rocket is an excellent source of vitamin A. Studies found that vitamin A and flavonoid compounds in green leafy vegetables help protect from skin, lung and oral cavity cancers.

This vegetable also rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), and pantothenic acid those are essential for optimum cellular enzymatic and metabolic functions.

Fresh rocket leaves contain good levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful, natural anti-oxidant.

EGGS:

What you need to know

Whole eggs are incredibly nutritious, containing a very large amount of nutrients compared to the calorie load.

The nutrients are found in the yolks, while the whites are mostly protein.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein, with all the essential amino acids in the right ratios.

Eggs for breakfast can help you lose your body fat

Serving 1 person

Ingredients

1 egg, free range

rocket, handful

4 medium asparagus

avocado, one half

mint, hand full (finely chopped)

juice of a lime

1 tbs of olive oil for dressing

a pinch of salt

Preparation

For the Egg: Fill a deep pan with water and bring it to the boil. Once it starts boiling, create a gentle whirlpool in the water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.
Crack the egg open and slowly tip it into the water, white first. Leave to cook for three minutes. Give the water a stir making a circle with the egg in the middle. Remove with a slotted spoon, cutting off any wispy edges using the edge of the spoon. Drain onto kitchen paper.

For the Asparagus: On a grid pan (or non stick pan) drizzle a little oil and put it on a medium heat. Halve the asparagus and put them on the hot pan to sizzle. Toss them a couple of times and add a pinch of salt. Keep tossing them and a minute before you take them off the heat, add the mint.

Put the asparagus aside and start placing the rocket (once washed and dried) on a plate. Peel the avocado, slice it and place it on the rocket. Gently place your egg on the avocado. Put some of the asparagus on the side of the plate while 2 asparagus will lie on the egg. Drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt and the lime juice. Pronto!

March 16, 2015December 19, 2020pasta

LARA-SAGNA :)

This is the Italian Sunday dish, the celebration dish, the dinner party dish, the dish that will feed up to 10 people in one go, the dish that all Italian Mums make with or without a reason, the dish you can make the day before and still tastes delicious the next day, hot or cold. Right! and this is my very dish, recreated with the ingredients that you can find in any English supermarket. It is important for me to keep my Italian origins whilst I am cooking and using Italian produce is essential. However I found that sometimes we can swap parmesan cheese (quite dear) for cheddar cheese and have almost the same result……….I said “almost” as, if my Nonna knew I am using cheddar instead of parmesan, she would not be very impressed!!!!!

but Hey ! sometimes it’s ok to make exceptions, isn’t it?

#BringNonnaBack

Serving 8 people

Ingredients for the Ragu’ sauce ( Bolognese sauce)

5/6 medium carrots

5/6 celery sticks

half of a white onion

2 cloves of garlic

500g mince meat (good quality)

2 bottles of tomato passata

1 teaspoon of sage (fresh or dry)

or 1 handful of rosemary (fresh or dry)

1 pinch of salt

3 tbsp of olive oil

Preparation

Blend the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the “soffritto” (the onions, celery, carrots and garlic) and sweat over a medium heat until the vegetables are soft but not browned, (about 10 to 15 minutes). Add the mince and stir into the vegetables. Cook the mince until it is completely cooked. Add the tomato passata, rosemary and sage and simmer over medium-low heat for 25 /30 minutes. Season with salt and taste, remove from the heat.

Ingredients for the Besciamelle sauce

150g butter

150g flour (plain)

700ml milk

salt, a pinch

1 teaspoon nutmeg, grated

150g cheddar cheese, grated

Preparation

In a deep non stick pan heat the butter on a low/medium heat and gently melt it. Add the flour little by little keeping stirring with a wooden spoon. Once you have used all the flour start adding the milk, little by little and keep stirring. You should get a a very smooth mixture and by adding the milk the mixture will become smoother and runnier. Make sure you keep stirring it as it could easily stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the salt and the nutmeg. Gradually mix the cheese and stir it gently. Your besciamelle sauce is coming together! It should not be too runny or too thick! If it feels too runny, bring it to the boil and keep stirring it until it thickens up. If it’s too thick, add more milk little by little until it feels creamy and soft.

Now you are ready to assemble your Lasagna!

I would use pre packed Lasagna sheets, unless of course I made my own one (next time I will write about making your own spinach Lasagna sheets!). Any good quality Lasagna sheets are ok to use and you can find them in any supermarket. You will need 2/3 sheets per layer…5 layers is plenty!

In a large tray place 2/3 sheets of lasagna (depending on the size) on the bottom and pour on some of the ragu’. Gently pour some besciamelle sauce and with a spoon spread the sauce all over the lasagna sheets. Take another 2/3 sheets and place them on top forming another layer. Pour the ragu’ and the besciamelle on top. Repeat this 4/5 times depending on how many layers you want or until you run out of sauce! I would make a mini lasagna for my little one using a smaller dish, it tastes as good as the big one and it looks great! Kids love being spoilt and this is a great way to make them feel special at dinner time.

Dust your Lasagna with some grated parmesan cheese or cheddar and place it into a preheated oven at 200 degrees (190 fan oven) for 20/22 minutes. A good test to check if the Lasagna is cooked through is to put a knife in, if it is soft all the way through your Lasagna is ready. Pronto!

March 10, 2015October 8, 2015Uncategorized

My Uni Tagliatelle

This is the dish that made me realise how much I enjoy cooking for other people. The passion for food has always been there but my (Spanish) flatmates at “Uni” helped my passion to become a real “THING”…….simple ingredients made a dish that still today is one of my fortes. Gracias Merce, Virgi y todas las cumpañeras de piso de Greenstead!

TAH-LLYA-TEH-LLEH (Tagliatelle) ai Funghi e Pancetta

Pancetta and Mushroom Tagliatelle

I would normally make my own tagliatelle but it’s just as tasty (and quicker) using the pre-packed one. Any local supermarket would sell it! Follow the cooking time on the packet and make sure you add some course salt in the water as it starts to boil. Instead of the pancetta you can use cooked ham (finely chopped). Or if you want to make this dish vegetarian you can completely miss out the pancetta……it’s still extremely tasty and simple.

Serving 4 people

Ingredients

350g fresh tagliatelle (roughly 2 nests per person)

150g closed up mushrooms, finely chopped

150ml double cream (single cream for less fat content)

1 glove of garlic, finely chopped

1 handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

130g smoked Italian pancetta (cubes)

olive oil 2tbsp

salt, a pinch

Preparation

In a large saucepan pour some water (1/1.5 l) and bring it to the boil. Add a large tablespoon of coarse salt and put the pasta in.

Put the olive oil on a pan, add the pancetta and cook for a couple of minutes until the pancetta is crispy. Add the mushrooms and gently mix together. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes on a low heat. Add the garlic and the parsley keep stirring and cook for a minute. Pour the cream and cook with the lid on for a couple of minutes.

The tagliatelle should be cooked by now! Drain the pasta, put it onto a large serving dish, pour the sauce and mix together. Add some parmesan cheese…..Pronto!