Lasagne with rocket pesto: very simple and easy to make and delicious to eat!
INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
400 g of Pasta (Lasagne)
100 g of Rocket
40 g of Pine nuts
1/4 of an Onion
Some pieces of Parmesan (Italian cheese)
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Glass of water
50 g of Butter
500 ml of Milk
2 Tablespoons of flour
Some Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
Marjoram
PREPARATION TIME: 20-25 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30-35 minutes
DIFFICULTY: medium
WINE: Pigato Ligure (White Wine)
PREPARATIONWash, peel the onion and chop it. Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add in chopped onion and the pine nuts and let them brown.
Wash and dry the rocket and add it to the pan. Add 1/2 glass of water and cook for about 5 minutes until the rocket wilts. Season with salt, pepper and some marjoram.
Blend the mixture, add some pieces of Parmesan and continue to blend until the mixture becomes a sauce.
Now it's time to prepare some besciamella! In a pan melt the butter, then add the flour and mix. Add some milk, little by little, and continue to mix until you obtain a kind of cream. Pay attention not to make lumps. Then add the rest of the milk, a pinch of salt and some nutmeg. Let the mixture simmer while continuing to stir, until the mixture thickens.
When the besciamella and the pesto are ready, spread the surface of a baking pan with 2-3 tablespoons of besciamella, then make a layer with pasta, spread with 2-3 tablespoons of pesto and with 2-3 tablespoons of besciamella. Continue in this way until the baking pan is full (make about 4-5 layers).
Bake for about 30 minutes until the surface is golden.
This is the result:
BUON APPETITO!
Labels: first course, rocket salad
INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
300 g of Flour
80 ml of water
200 g of Raw ham (Prosciutto Crudo) in thin slices (or Speck or Pork brawn (Coppa)) as you prefer
50 g of Rocket
Some salt
PREPARATION TIME: 5-8 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5-8 minutes
DIFFICULTY: easy
WINE: Pagadebit di Romagna (White Wine)
PREPARATIONIn a bowl put the flour and the water.
Mix all until you obtain a solid dough. If neccesary add some flour or water.
Divide the dough in 4 parts and use a rolling-pin to roll out each part until you obtain a pastry very very thin (only 2-3 mm thick). Now sprinkle a pan with some salt, put in it the pastry and cook for 5-8 minutes until pastry is slightly golden.
In the meantime wash, dry and cut some rocket. Then put piada on a platter, put on its surface, still hot, some slices of raw ham and some rocket.
Serve hot.
This is the result:
BUON APPETITO!
Labels: appetizer, cialda
These are the famous "Biscottini of Prato": typical biscuits of Tuscany. Traditionally Cantucci are served with Vin Santo!They are made of almonds!
INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
250 g of Flour
200 g of Sugar
100 g of Skined almond
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon of Yeast for sweet
1/2 Sachet of Vanilla essence (about 0,25 g)
A pinch of salt
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hour and 20 minutes
DIFFICULTY: easy
WINE: Vin Santo
PREPARATIONIn a bowl put the flour, the vanilla essence, the yeast, the sugar and a pinch of salt.
Mix all the ingredients and then place the mixture on a floured surface and pour in the middle 2 eggs.
Mix all until you obtain a solid and dry dough. Then add the almond and mix until the dough is homogeneous.
Now make 2 or 3 loafs of 5 cm width.
Preheat the oven to 180° C.
Dampen a sheet of a baking paper and put it on the bottom of a cake tin, put on it the loafs and bake for 40 minutes. Then let the sweet cool for 30 minutes.
Cut the loafs in slices of 1 cm thick. Bake for other 5 minutes.
The Cantucci must be rusk and golden.
Serve them with Vin Santo.
This is the result:
BUON APPETITO!
Labels: dessert, traditional recipes
This is a recipe for a first course made of pasta, zucchini, speck and cream.
INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
3 Zucchini
350 g of Pasta (Type Tortiglioni)
125 ml of Cream
2 Slices of speck
Some Parmesan (Italian cheese)
5 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25-30 minutes
DIFFICULTY: easy
WINE: Muller Thurgau (White Wine)
PREPARATIONBoil some water with salt for pasta.
Wash, dry and cut the zucchini into small pieces as matches.
Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add in the cutted zucchini. Cook them until they wilt and become slightly golden.
Cut speck into small cubes. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in another pan, add the cubes of speck and let them brown, then add the cream and stir it with the speck.
Continue the cooking for about 5 minutes.
When zucchini are ready add to them the mixture of speck and cream and mix all together.
Preheat oven to 180 ° C.
When pasta is cooked, pour the sauce on it, mix all and put all in a deep baking pan of 20 cm diamater, sprinkle with Parmesan and put in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the Paremesan is melted and the pasta is golden.
This the result:
BUON APPETITO!
Labels: first course, zucchini
This is a dessert typical of Naples that in Italy is used to be prepared during the Easter period!
INGREDIENTS:(12 people)
PASTA FROLLA (short crost pastry)
400 g of Flour
170 g of Sugar
90 g of Butter at room temperature
1 Egg
1 Yolk
FILLING580 g of Wheat Grain
350 ml of Milk
A Pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons of orange flower water
1 Grated lemon peel
700 g of Ricotta cheese made from ewe's milk
500 g of Sugar
70 g of Candied lemon
1 g of Vanilla essence
6 Eggs
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME:1 hour and 40 minutes
DIFFICULTY: Medium
WINE:Passito Campano Aleatico
PREPARATION OF THE PASTA FROLLA (short crost pastry)
In a bowl put the flour, the sugar, 1 egg, 1 yolk, 90 g of butter.
Then mix all together until you obtain a solid dough.
PREPARATION OF THE FILLINGIn a pan put the wheat grain, 250 ml of milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of orange flower water and the lemon peel.
Mix all the ingredients and let them simmer for about 10 minutes. Then let them cool.
In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese with 100 ml of milk
and in another bowl mix 6 eggs with 500 g of sugar and 2 tablespoons of orange flower water.
Put the ricotta mixture and the egg mixture in a large bowl. Then add the candied lemon, the vanilla essence and the wheat grain.
Stir all the ingredients until you obtain a creamy mixture.
Preheat the oven to 180° C.
Divide the dough in two parts: one large part is for the base and the other (50 g) for decoration. Dampen a sheet of baking paper and put it on the bottom of a 24 cm diameter deep cake tin. Roll out the first part of the dough 0,5 mm thick and then cover the bottom and the sides of the cake tin.
Pour the mixture into the surface of the dough. Roll out the second part of the dough on a table and cut it into thin strips. Then put them on the surface of the cake.
Bake for 60 minutes at 180° C. Turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for another 30 minutes. Then remove the cake and let it cool.
This the result:
BUON APPETITO!
Labels: dessert, traditional recipes
This is a classical dish: a main course made from stew of veal and potatoes!
INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
2 Sticks of celery
2 Carrots
1/2 of Onion
400 g of Stew of veal
2 Potatoes
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
25 ml of Wine
8 Leafs of sage
PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME:35 minutes
DIFFICULTY: easy
WINE: Alto Adige Colli di Bolzano (Red Wine)
PREPARATIONWash, dry and peel the sticks of celery, the carrots and the onion . Chop and put them in a pan with 3 tablesppons of extra virgin olive oil in order to brown them.
Then add the stew of veal, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let the stew brown. Add the wine and wait until wine is evaporated. Cook for about 5-8 minutes.
Wash, dry and peel the potatoes, then cut them into pieces and add them to the stew together with 1 or 2 glasses of water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Continue to cook for 20 minutes adding some water in order to obtain a sauce.
Serve hot with 2 leafs of sage.
This is the result:
BUON APPETITO!
Labels: second course, veal
This is an alternative way to cook peppers and a very spicy recipe! An easy recipe for a main course made of peppers and bread!
INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)
2 Peppers (yellow or red)
1/2 Pepper for the stuffing
100 g of Bread
10 g of Parsley
210 ml of Milk
25 g of Parmesan (Italian cheese)
1 Clove of garlic
1 Egg
Salt
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Some breadcrumbs
PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY: easy
WINE: Pinot Grigio (White Wine)
PREPARATIONWash, dry and cut each pepper into quarters, then sprinkle with some salt.
Chop the other half of pepper together with 1 clove of garlic and some parsley and put all in a bowl.
Dip the bread in some milk and break it into small pieces, then add it to the pepper mixture. Then add the Parmesan, the egg and some salt and black pepper and mix it all together.
If the stuffing has a runny consistency, add some breadcrumbs.
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C.
Use a teaspoon to fill the pepper quarters with the mixture.
Dampen a sheet of baking paper and put it on the bottom of a baking pan. Arrange the peppers on it. Dress with a drizzle of oil.
Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes until the surface of the stuffing turns golden.
This is the result:
BUON APPETITO!
Labels: appetizer, pepper
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