Italian Food Recipes

This is a typical dessert of Tuscany served in the Carnival period!









INGREDIENTS (for 8 people)

400 g of Flour
50 g of Sugar
30 g of Butter
3 Eggs
5 Tablespoons of Vin Santo (Italian wine)
Pell grated of 1/2 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Sugar
Salt

PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes

COOKING TIME: 1 hour and 20 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

WINE: Vin Santo

PREPARATION
Put in a bowl the flour, the sugar and the peel of 1/2 lemon and mix all.


In a pan let the butter melt.
Then place the mixture of flour on a floured surface and pour in the middle the eggs, the Vin Santo and the melted butter.



Mix all with the help of a fork; knead with the hands for 15 minutes until you obtain a homogeneous dough. If the dough is too sticky add some flour. When the dough is ready let it sit for 1 hour.



Use a rolling pin to roll the dough 2-3 mm thick on a floured surface; then cut it into rectangle of 8 cm width and 12 cm length. In the middle of the rectangle make 2 incisions of 10 cm length.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and fry the cenci until they golden.



Then put them on a napkin in order to remove the excess of oil.
Serve them hot or cold accompanied with a cream of lemon.
This is the result:



BUON APPETITO!

Who said pesto must be made with basil? Here is a delicious pesto made of rocket salad!




INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

160 g of Pasta (Spaghetti)
100 g of Rocket salad
40 g of Pine Nuts
1/4 of Onion
50 g of Parmesan (Italian cheese)
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Glass of water
Salt & Pepper
Marjorama
2 Sweet cherry tomatoes

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

WINE: Pigato Ligure (White wine)

PREPARATION
Wash, peel 1/4 of onion and chop it. Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add chopped onion and pine nuts and let them brown.

Wash and dry 100 g of rocket salad, put it into the pan and cook it for 5 minutes until rocket wilt. Add 1/2 glass of water and cook until water boils. Season with salt, pepper and some marjorama.

Then whip all, add some pieces of Parmesan and continue to whip until the mixture become a sauce.

Boil some water with salt for pasta, add pasta and cook it for 8 minutes.
When spaghetti are ready, pour pesto on them, mix and serve hot with 1 sweet cherry tomato.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

My Mum cooks this delicious main course: this is her recipe!

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

300 g of Mixed minced meat of pork and beef
1 Egg
50 g of Bread
100 ml of Milk
Salt & Pepper
30 g of Grated Parmesan (Italian Cheese)
30 g of Breadcrumbs
Extra virgin olive oil
Some rocket salad
4-5 Sweet cherry tomatoes

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME:20 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Teroldego Rotaliano (Red wine)

PREPARATION
Put the mixed minced meat of pork and beef in a bowl. Add the egg, some Parmesan, salt and pepper and mix all.

Break bread into small pieces and dip it in some milk, then add it to the mixture and mix.


Now make meatballs.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan, put in it the meatballs and let them cook until they become brown.
You can serve them with some rocket salad and some fresh sweet cherry tomatoes.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This coulored sweet is a great idea for every party!









INGREDIENTS (to make about 50 small balls)

100 g of Mascarpone
50 g of Butter
100 g of Sugar
60 g of Sweet cacao
130 g Biscuits
1 Egg yolk
1 Small glass of cognac
50 g of Small coulored confections

PREPARATION TIME : 3 hours

DIFFICULTY: easy

PREPARATION
Crumble the biscuits.

Mix the mascarpone with the butter. Add the sugar, the egg yolk, the sweet cacao, the cognac and the crumbled biscuits.

Mix all together and put the mixture in fridge for 2 or 2 hours and an half.

Then form small balls and sprinkle them with small coulored confections.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This simple recipe, typical of Campania, is a good idea to use some stale bread to make a tasteful main course.




INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

8 Slices of 1 cm thick stale bread
1 Mozzarella (Italian cheese)
1 Egg
0,5 dl of Milk
Some Flour
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
50 g of Mixed salad

PREPARATION TIME: 10 min

COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Gavi (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Cut the mozzarella in 4 slices and put them on a napkin to dry them.


Compose 4 sandwiches using two slices of stale bread and 1 slice of mozzarella for each one.


Hull the egg and mix it in a pot with some milk and a pinch of salt until you have an homogeneous mixture.
Put the sandwiches in the flour and then in the mixture to make every side of them soaked.


Put some oil in a frying pan, put it on the cooker and wait until it gets hot. Put the sandwiches in the hot oil and wait until they get brown.


When they are ready, leave the sandwiches to dry and serve with some fresh mixed salad.
This is the result:

BUON APPETTITO!

Another good recipe with walnuts and speck.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

160 g of Pasta (Fusilli)
1 Slice of speck 1 cm thick
80 ml of Cream
10 of Walnuts
1/4 of Onion
Salt
Pepper
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Saffron

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Merlot (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Boil some salted water for pasta.
Wash, peel the onion and chop it. Cut the speck into small cubes. Crush and chop the walnuts.
Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add the chopped onion, the cubes of speck and the walnuts and let them brown. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cream and stir it with the other ingredients and continue the cooking for about 5-10 minutes. Add saffron and mix all.

When pasta is cooked, drain it and pour the sauce on it, mix, add some walnuts and serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

Some lovely sweet hearts for your Saint Valentine's day dinner!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH (for 2 people)

200 g of Flour
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
20 g of Yeast
150 ml of Milk
Salt

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING ( for 2 persons)

4 Anchovys
100 g of Cheery sweet tomatoes
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 Clove of garlic
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Red or yellow pepper
3-4 Small artichokes pickles

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour and 45 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

PREPARATION
Heat the oven to 200 °C.
Put the flour in a bowl.
Pour the milk in a cup and dissolve in it the yeast. When yeast is dissolved add the milk to the flour together with the extra virgin olive oil and some salt.

Now mix all together until you obtain a solid dough. If the dough is too soft add some flour and continue to mix.
Put the dough in another bowl, make a cross on its surface, cover with a napkin and let it rise for about an hour.

When the dough is rised, divide it into 8 small pieces and give them the shape of heart.
When all the hearts are ready put them in a bakin pan covered with a sheet of a baking paper.


Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan.
Wash, peel and chop 1 clove of garlic. Add it to the oil and wait until it gets brown.
Wash and cut into pieces the cherry sweet tomatoes and add them to oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

When the sauce is ready put it on the surface of the hearts.
Wash 1/2 of red or yellow pepper, cut it into strips and put them on some hearts. Dress the other with some anchovy or some small artichokes pickles.


Bake for 15 minutes at 200 °C.
Serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

A tart with hearts, what a delicious dessert to share with your Valentine!

INGREDIENTS

120 g of Sugar
1 Egg
70 of Butter at room temperature
250 of Flour
8 g of Yeast for sweets
250 g of Peach jam
10 Macaroons
25 ml of Passito wine

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

WINE: Passito

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 220°C. Put the flour, the sugar, the egg, the pieces of butter, the yeast and the wine in a bowl. Then mix all together until you obtain a solid dough.

Divide the dough in two parts: one large part is for the tart base and the other (50 g) for decoration. Dampen a sheet of baking paper and put it on the bottom of a cake tin of 20 cm diameter and 4-cm thick, then roll out the first part of the dough 1 cm thick and place it on the bottom and the sides of the tin.
Crush the macaroons and spread them on the surface of the dough.

Then add the peach jam. Now roll out the second part of the dough on a table and use a cookie cutter heart shape to cut the remaining dough with the form of hearts. Then put them on the surface of the peach jam to obtain a lovely result...

Bake for 30 minutes
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

An unusual mix between fish and bacon, one dish that you have to try!

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

2 Fillets of monkfish
2 Slices of bacon
1/4 of onion
Salt & Pepper
200 g of Spinach
3-4 Walnuts

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

WINE: Fiano di Avellino (White wine)

PREPARATION
Wash, clean and cut the stem end of spinach. Put some water, some salt and the spinach in a pot, let the water boil and cook spinach for about 5 minutes. Then drain them.
Wash, peel the onion and chop it. Heat 3 tabòespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add in it onion, let it brown and then add spinach together with the walnuts. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.


Now blend spinach in order to obtain a sauce.



Envelop the fillet of fish in 1 slice of bacon and cook it in a pan without extra virgin olive oil because the bacon will release its fat. If the fillet of fish is too large cut it into half and continue in the same way. Cook for 10 minutes until bacon is golden.



In a platter pour the sauce of spinach and add the fish.
Serve hot.
This is the result:



BUON APPETITO!

A delicious dish of pasta, sweet and spicy as love!

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

160 g of Pasta (type penne)
1 Slice of speck
80 ml of Cream
80 g of Shrimps fresh or frozen
1/4 of Onion
Salt
Pepper
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Fiano di Avellino (White wine)

PREPARATION
Boil some water with salt for pasta.
Wash and boil the shrimps into water for 5 minutes. Drain them and wait until they get cool.
Wash, peel the onion and chop it. Cut the speck into small cubes.
Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add onion and the cubes of speck and let them brown. Then add the shrimps and sauté them. Season with salt and pepper.


Add the cream and stir it with the other ingredients. Continue the cooking for about 5-10 minutes.

When pasta is cooked, pour the sauce on it, mix and serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This recipe is for a first course made of rice, Scamorza (Italian cheese) and speck. This dish is typical of the winter period.


INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

160 g of Rice
1/2 Vegetable stock-cube
1/4 of Onion
Extra virgin olive oil
100 g of Speck
100 g of Scamorza (Italian Cheese)
Parmesan

PREPARATION TIME: 10 min

COOKING TIME: 15-18 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

WINE: Alto Adige Schiava (Red wine)

PREPARATION
Prepare broth with water and ½ stock-cube vegetable in a pot.
Peel and chop the onion and cut the speck into cubes.
Heat extra virgin olive oil, put in it the chopped onion and the cubes of speck and wait until they get brown. Add rice and make it roast.

Start to add 1 ladle of hot broth stirring until it is absorbed continue in this way, adding ladles of hot broth, for about 15-20 minutes.

At the end of the cooking the rice must be slightly firm to the teeth.
In the meantime cut Scamorza (Italian cheese) into thin slices and make a layer on the bottom of a platter.

When rice is cooked add it to scamorza. Serve hot together with some Parmesan if desired.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This recipe is for a first course made of pappardelle (typical Italian egg pasta) and mushrooms. Believe me, this dish is delicious!

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

150 g of Pappardelle (egg pasta)
150 g of Mushroom fresh or frozen
Some parsley
Salt
Pepper
2 Cloves of garlic
Some Parmesan (Italian cheese)

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Greco di Tufo (White Wine)

PREAPARATION
Boil some water with salt for pappardelle.
If mushrooms are fresh, clean and cut it into large cubes. Instead, if mushrooms are frozen, only wash them.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pot, add 2 chopped cloves of garlic and let them brown, then add the cubes of mushrooms and cook them for 10-15 minutes. The mushrooms will produce a sauce, let it slightly dry.

When cooking is complete add chopped parsley.
Pour the sauce on the pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

4 Slices of pork (type loin)
Some parsley
2 Cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
4 Toothpick
50 g of Butter
A bunch of rosemary
Some wine

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

WINE: Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Cut pork in 4 slices and season them with salt, pepper, parsley and 2-3 slices of garlic only on one side.


Roll up and close with the help of a toothpick as a roulade.

Baste a pan, place in it the roulades and brown them on a low heat.
Pour the wine and let it evaporate on a high heat (about 5 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 200 C° and when the roulades are browned add 1/2 cup water and bake them for almost 20 minutes.
Place 2 roulades onto a platter, add a bunch of rosemary and serve.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

This recipe can be a main course but also a side dish. This dish joins the spicy taste of tuna fish with the sweet of courgettes.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

2 Large courgettes
1 Clove of garlic
1/4 of Onion
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 Egg
1 Tin of tuna fish
Some breadcrumbs
Some parsely
Salt
Pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

DIFFICULTY: medium

WINE: Colli di Luni Vermentino (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Wash, dry and cut the stem end of the courgettes, then cut each one horizontally in half. Now with a teaspoon scoop out the center of each half leaving at least 1/2 inch shell all around.



Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan, add chopped onion and let it brown. Then mince the pulp of the courgettes finely and add it to the browned onion together with chopped garlic, parsley and the tuna fish. Let the mixture cook for almost 10 minutes.
Remove the mixture and wait until it gets cold. Then add the egg and mix all together. If the stuffing has a runny consistency, add some breadcrumbs. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.



Baste a pan, place in it the courgettes, put on the bottom of them some butter and stuff them with the mixture.



Sprinkle with some breadcrumbs and bake for 15-20 minutes until the top of the courgettes get lightly browned.
Serve hot.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

This is a recipe for a dessert made of pear, walnuts, honey and gorgonzola (Italian cheese)

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

2 Pears
6-8 Walnuts
2-3 Tablespoons of honey
125 g of Gorgonzola (Italian cheese)

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

PREPARATION
Crack and chop the walnuts.
Wash, dry and peel the pears. Then cut them in quarters.
Place in a platter the quarters of the pear as you can see on the picture.
Position the walnuts and some gorgonzola between the cloves.
At the end spread with honey.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

This recipe is for a main course made of pork, ham and Emmental. Cooked in this way pork, that sometime can become dry, is very spicy and tender.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

4 Slices of pork
4 Slices of ham
8 Small slices of Emmental
Salt
Pepper
50 g of Butter
A bunch of rosemary

PREPARATION TIME : 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Dolcetto d'Alba (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Cut pork in 4 slices, season them with salt and pepper only on one side. Then
put a layer with 1 slice of ham and another with 2 slices of Emmantal on this side of the slice.

Roll up and close with the help of a toothpick as a roulade.

Baste a pan, place in it the roulades and brown them on a low heat.
Pour red wine and let it evaporate on a high heat (for about 5 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 200 °C and when the roulades are browned add 1/2 cup of water and bake them for almost 20 minutes.
Place 2 roulades onto a platter, add a bunch of rosemary and serve.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This recipe is for a first course made of pasta, aubergine and tomatoes.


INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

1 Dark large aubergine
250 g of Sweet cherry tomatoes (ciliegino)
Some leafs of basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
160 g of Pasta (type mezze maniche)
Parmesan (Italian cheese Grana padano)

PREPARATION TIME : 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Friuli Grave Tocai DOC (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Clean, peel and cut aubergine into cubes.

In a frying pan with some extra virgin olive oil cook the pieces of aubergine for 5 minutes.
Clean and cut tomato in half.

While pasta is cooking in salty boiling water; add tomatoes, salt and pepper to the aubergine and let the cooking complete, this should last 10 more minutes.
When pasta is ready (after almost 10 minutes of cooking), drain it, put it in the frying pan and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Compose the dishes and add some basil at the end.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!