Italian Kitchen Secrets: appetizer

Visualizzazione post con etichetta appetizer. Mostra tutti i post

7/04/2014

Bell peppers rolls.

It's been a long time since the last time I've written on this blog.
I had a lot to do in real life and I'm always more into my Italian cooking blog mainly because it took me a while to write in english and I'm always afraid to cut a poor figure.
Now and then, anyway, I feel the need to come back and share something: today it's time for bell peppers rolls.
It's the right time of the year for bell peppers and it's a recipe you can serve as appetizer or side dish, it's quite easy but you have to turn on the oven :D

For about 6-7 rolls:

2 bell peppers ( I did one red and one yellow)

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon unsalted capers

2 canned anchovies

1 garlic clove

3 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put in the oven, pre heated at 390°F, the bell peppers.
Let them roast untill they're soft then put them into a sealing bag while they're still hot.
When peppers are warm peel them and cut them in large stripes.
In a mixer put breadcrumbs, capers, garlic, anchovies, salt and pepper and olive oil. Blend untill everything is pulverized.
Put some mixture on the peppers stripes and roll them.
Put all the rolls on a baking pan, sprinkle with the rest of the breadcrumbs mixture and put in the oven just the time to brown the bell peppers.
Let them cool down and serve.

9/17/2013

Chicken roulade with capers and lemon zest.

It's been a long time...

You know: holidays, too hot weather to cook, a lot of work (and that's a good thing!) and I couldn't post anything.

Today I'm back with a really light recipe that still has a summer taste.

I've tried it in a restaurant in San Marino (an indipendent state inside Italy, you can learn something more about it HERE and about the restaurant HERE ) and I really wanted to try this at home.

The result is good even if not just alike the restaurant one (but I didn't have the recipe, just tried all by myself) so I want to share it with you.

It could be a nice appetizer or a light second course.

2 servings:

4 thin slices of chicken breast

1/ cup salted capers

juice of 1/2 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 garlic clove

extra-virgin olive oil

The first thing to do is to unsalt capers: leave them in cold water for about 1 hour changing water now and then.

Peel lemon zest avoiding the white part and chop finely with a knife, then do the same with unsalted capers.

Put them in a small bowl with smashed garlic and a generous pour of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.

Mix with a spoon (you shouldn't need more salt due to capers but just try it and see).

Beat chicken breast with a tenderizer then spread some sauce on it.

Roll it on the longer side and close it in tin foil or any cooking paper than can handle hot temperatures.

Do the same with all the slices then put them in a food steamer or in any pot where you can cook with steam and cook for about 45 minutes.

When the meat is cold cut pinwheels not too thick and cover them with a little sauce before serving.

You can prepare the meat one day in advance and store it in the fridge (same as sauce) but cut it only before serving.

You can decorate with some more lemon zest.

8/04/2013

Blue cheese, bacon and peach salad.

This is just a salad, not even a recipe you can say.

It's true but try this mix and you'll make it over and over again!

Peaches with smoked bacon and blue cheese are a perfect match you'll fall in love with it!

Yuo can use lettuce or baby spinach (the youngest and more tender leaves), I prefer spinach.

For each serve:

a bunch of lettuce or baby spinach

2 tbs diced roasted smoked bacon

1/2 peach (nectarine if possible) sliced in thin slices

1/4 cup diced blue cheese (gorgonzola if possible)

extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

1 tbs balsamic vinegar if you like

1 tbs roasted pine nuts if you like

Wash and dry salad, put it in a bowl and season it wih oil then add all the ingredients, mix and taste: then add salt and pepper if needed.

9/24/2012

Parma ham layered cake.

It's a great appetizer I discovered in a historical gourmet shop in Bologna called Tamburini.

You can learn more about all the great things they sell HERE , it's a place where I often buy something for dinner when I spent my saturday in Bologna's downtown and sometimes I also stop there for luch because it's truly worth a stop if you want to try real bolognese cooking at a fair price.

For this recipe I don't want to give you measures because I do it using the scientific method "a little of this, a little of that"; I'm sure you can follow this method too :D

Parma ham in thin slices

green salad

arugula

processed cheese slices or cheese in thin slices

black truffle sauce or mayo and black truffle

In a pan or on a dish make a layer of ham, put on top black truffle sauce or some mayo plus some truffle then green salad and arugola in small pieces.

Make another ham layer then add the cheese slices, add some more truffle sauce or truffle mayo another green salad and arugola.

End with a last layer of Parma ham.

Let it set for a couple of hour into the fridge covered with clingfilm to let the tastes combine together and serve in small squares of about 1.5X1.5 inches.

If you have a pizza slicer you can use it to make squares, if not use a very sharp knife.

7/11/2012

Cheese cigars.

This is a quick-quick-quick appetizer recipe, you can put the cheese you prefer inside, in the picture you can see cheddar because that was the cheese I had at home at the moment but they're fabulous with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese too or parmesan, a little mozzarella and rosemary.

You need:

toast bread in slices

same amount of cheese slices or diced mozzarella and tomato sauce

a little butter

Cut out the crust from bread slices, pass them under a rollpin to flatten then put on every slice a slice of cheese or a little tomato and mozzarella.

Roll the cigars, melt a small amount of butter in a pan then cook untill golden (first the seam side down to prevent them from open).

Serve hot, if you make the tomato-mozzarella version be aware that the filling will pour a little more than with plain cheese.

5/13/2012

Zucchini bites.

Lovely idea found somewhere on Pinterest: I've tried them, they're simply and delicious.

I prefer them room temperature rather than hot or warm, not tried cold.

I used a mini muffins pan (so hard to find it in Italy...Two friends of mine ordered it and gave to me as Christmas present and I still say thank you!), I don't think they would turn out well in a regoular muffin pan: too big, there's the risk they remain soggy inside.

This week end in my city there's a big flower fair: if you like flowers and gardens give a look to my facebook page, I've posted a lot of pics!

For 12 mini muffins:

1 medium zucchini grated

1/2 onion grated or finely diced

salt & pepper

1/2 smashed garlic clove

1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, if it's seem too liquid add a little more bread crumbs, put the mixture with a spoon into the muffin holes (grease them if you don't have a non sticky pan).

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 F°, serve room temperature.

5/05/2012

Apple & curry dip sauce.

This idea came from my friend Elisa, she said she cook curry chicken with apples, I had some and I've tried.

It turned out a nice dip sauce in which I dip chicken bites and vegetables, I like it very much and it's really simple.

2 sweet apples like renetta

1 onion

curry powder

1 tablespoon butter or extravirgin olive oil

a pinch of salt

Cut the onion in slices and put in a pan with butter (or oil), sautee until golden then add apples in thin slices, let cook until apples are creamy then add curry and salt as much as you like.

To have a smooth consistence blend the sauce and serve room temperature with chicken or vegetables you like.

4/25/2010

Bacon candies (Caramelle al bacon).

I'm back for a while with a giant belly and a nice recipe I still didn't share with you.

It's an appetizer or an idea for a party, they're easy to prepare and really loved by children.

You need very simple ingredients and alluminium foil:

for about 20 candies you need:

a pack of sandwich bread (the white one, rectangular shaped)

bacon or italian pancetta

white creamy cheese like philadelphia

Spread cheese on the first bread slice, top it with another slice and spread cheese again, do the same untill last slice.

Now chop the bread tower with a long knife and make squares, mouth-sized.

Roll on each square a slice of bacon then close it into an alluminium foil giving the shape of a candy.

Do the same with all the squares then put in oven for about 15 min. at medium heat.

Serve hot or warm, they're fantastic!

2/18/2010

Hummus (Chickpeas sauce).

I didn't write for so long but I had a lot to do: it's not only a matter of pregnancy, it's a matter of organization.

Medical check-ups, house revolution to change the guest room in baby room, storms into every baby-related shop to find the right stroller, the right cradle, the right everything.

Today I show you a recipe that's not Italian, it comes from Middle-east and it's common in Arabia as in Turkey as in many other countries around there.

I eat it quite often because a family friend teached me and I find it delicious on toasted bread or with raw vegetables like carrots, celery, tomatoes...

It's really really easy.

For 4 serves you need:

1 can boiled chickpeas

extra-virgin olive oil

salt

paprika or chili

1 garlic clove mashed

chopped parsley to decorate

1 spoon thaini (it's a paste made from sesame seeds, you can find it in ethnic shops)

Whisk all the ingredients untill you have a smooth cream, if it's too thick add a little water and mix well.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve room temperature or cold with toasted bread or raw vegetables.

Enjoy!!

11/24/2009

Mozzarella shots ( Bicchierini di mozzarella)

Need a quick appetizer?

Do you want a nice "Italian style" entree?

This is what you need!

Take as many liquor glass (so, small and short) as the guests are, then you need:

mozzarella cheese (fresh, good, the one that if you cut you can see the milk dripping, not the plastic balls you find sometimes at supermarket)

a red and ripe tomato (more or less it depends on how many people you have to serve)

fresh basil leaves

extra-virgin olive oil

salt

PLEASE NOTE: this recipe is a lot better with "burrata" that is a special kind of mozzarella filled with milk cream and stripes of mozzarella itself.

It's a great cheese but I suppose it's not so easy to find abroad so I used mozzarella for this recipe.

If you find it anyway don't esitate: use burrata!

Crush the basil leaves with oil and a little salt untill you have a rough pesto alla genovese, put a coffee sppon of this pesto in each glass.

Now chop the mozzarella cheese in very tiny pieces, put them into the glasses, the same quantity in each, fill almost 'till the top.

Cut the tomato in very tiny cubes, season them with salt and oil, add a little spoon of them on top of mozzarella cheese.

Pay attention to put same quantity of the three ingredients in glasses, just to give all of them the same look.

Now you have a nice Italian flag appetizer, enjoy!

7/06/2009

Sauteed clams ( Sautè di vongole)

And once again I post something that fits the summer season.

Here the weather is terrible: really hot but it's raining at least twice a day.

Of course it increases air humidity and the temperature seems even higher.

Me and my husband really love fish in general and in summer we try to eat it often douring the week.

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary (two years, we're still at the beginning of a long trip :D) and almost surely we'll indulge on a romantic dinner in a nice (and a little expensive but hey...the recurrence justifies it!) fish restaurant not far from home.

Probably we'll eat something particular and classy but as starter I almost always ask for sauteed clams: it's a cheap dish but it's so tasty!

For 4 serves you need:

2 pounds and 1/4 fresh clams

1 garlic clove

white dry wine

extra-virgin olive oil

fresh washed and chopped parsley

4 bread slices, grilled as you do with bruschetta bread

Clams must rest in a big bowl filled with cold water and stored in a dark place for few hours to purge the sand: if there's a lot of sand change water once or twice.

After this time put them in a large pan under high fire: it will make them open, dump the ones that remain close, it means they were already dead and then not fresh ( it happens, even if you have the most fresh clams you can reach you always have to throw away some).

In another large pan stirfry garlic with a generous pour of oil, add a little wine, let it evaporate then add 2 spoons of chopped parsley and the juice that came out of the clams filtered with a fine strain (this juice is quite salty, so don't add too much if you have a lot and don't add salt).

Add the clams too and let it sautee for 3-4 minutes.

Put in a soup plate a grilled bread slice then cover with clams and their juice.

Serve hot or warm.

Delicious!!

P.S. : You can serve this dish as a starter or as a main dish, even as complete meal, it depends on quantity.

6/23/2009

Salami nests (cestini di salame)

Today I'm going to post a salami-based recipe.

This is because I've seen my recipe of chocolate salami posted on a site that celebrate the day of salami ( http://www.salamiday.com/ ).

I'm proud when I get quoted and I decided to add another sami-related idea.

This is too easy to be called recipe but it's a great informal party idea.

You just need large diameter salami slices, thin, as many as you need and a muffin mould.

Reverse the mould on a baking pan (this is to avoid salami's grease spreading on the bottom of you oven) then put a slice of salami on each mould's dome and press a little to give the shape of a little basket/nest.

Put in the oven for 10 minutes at 325 F°, the salami must be thick and crispy when you take it out of the oven.

Gently take the slices off the mould and now you can fill them with...

Whatever you want I can say.

Chips, olives, cheese cubes, mushrooms salad, russian salad...

Of course the nests must be prepared not too early and keep them fresh stored!

5/27/2009

Veal rolls with Parma ham and dates (Involtini di vitello con prosciutto e datteri)

Im back with an unusual recipe, it's so tasty and could be served as warm starter or a second dish (well, I prefer it as starter).

For 4 serves you need:

4 thin veal slices

4 whole slices of Parma ham

8 dates (more or less, it depends on how big they are)

salt

black pepper

sage

mustard sauce

Beat the meat if necessary to make it regoular and thin.
Spread on each slice some mustar sauce, cover with a slice of parma ham, add a date (without stone) and roll the meat.
Close with a toothpick or even better with those silicone laces that close so well and can be removed without break the roll.
Add salt and pepper, heat a pan with some extra-virgin olive oil and sage, cook rolls and serve warm.
If rolls are too big for an appetizer cut them in half with a well sharped knife.

5/07/2009

Fillo pastry rolls with cheese and honey (Caramelle di pasta fillo con formaggio e miele)

I'm back with a really easy recipe great as appetizer or part of a buffet table.

For about 10-12 serves you need:

1 roll of fillo pastry

1 pack stringy cheese

honey

extravirgin olive oil

Cut the fillo pastry in little squares, sized them to fit the mouth in one bite.

Brush the fillo's sheets with olive oil, then put a cube of cheese and close the roll (the shape you prefer).

Bake in oven 120 F° for about 10 minutes then brush them with some honey while they're still hot then serve.

3/24/2009

Beans, tuna and red onion salad ( Insalata tonno fagioli e cipolla)

Nothing easier, nothing faster this recipe is a informal appetizer or a quick single course.

It's common along all the Peninsula but you will not easily find it in restaurants because it's considered a little bit coarse...

But the taste is great and almost everyone, at home, prepare it now and then.

Of course you can omit onion if you don't like it or use the white one if you can't find the red.

For 4-6 serves:

4 cups cooked beans (Cannellini or Borlotti, in this preparation I prefer Borlotti but it depends on you; the canned ones work great)

2 medium cans oil packed tuna

1 small red onion sliced thin as much as possible

salt and pepper

extra-virgin olive oil

Drain beans from their water and tuna from its oil, put the beans in a big bowl and crush tuna to avoid too big pieces and add it to beans.

Add the sliced onion and season with salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil.

Mix well and serve.

If you want you can add a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

2/17/2009

Shrimps cocktail ( Cocktail di gamberetti)

This is probably a recipe well known worldwide, I'm not even sure it has Italian origins but surely it's a common find in fish restaurants' menus.

To tell the truth sometimes you find places where the shrimps cocktail is made of lot of lettuce, lot of sauce and 3 shrimps...

So why don't do it at home?

For 4 serving you need:

1 pound shrimps, without heads and tails, well washed.

2 spoons finely chopped fresh parsley.

8 1/2 oz. mayonnaise.

1/2 tablespoon cognac.

1/2 tablespoon sugar.

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce.

2 tablespoon ketchup.

some fresh and washed lettuce leaves.

Mix all the ingredients with mayonnaise, adding cognac at last.

Cook shrimps in salted hot water for 5 minutes, drain them and let getting cold.

Mix shrimps with sauce, put the mixture on lettuce leaves and sprinlke with parsley.

If you like you can also take a mature avocado, cut it in cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice and add it to cocktail mix.

You can choose to serve the cocktail on a dish or, even better, into a glass goblet: really chic and up to date.

It's a perfect entree' for a fish themed dinner, just pay attention to calories because shellfishes and mayonnaise (and avocados) are fatty!

1/03/2009

Italian style onions omelette ( Frittata alle cipolle)

It's an old old dish, often prepared in the past in the countries of Italy from North to South, it's made with simply and cheap ingredients that every family could afford.

Nowadays it could be a complete meal served with fresh salad and tomatoes or an informal appetizer if cutted in tiny blocks sticked on a toothpick.

you need:

6-8 egg for 6-8 for 4-5 persons

a nut of butter

salt and pepper

3 little red onions

2 tablespoons of water

2 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil

3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

Put in a pan the butter, turno on medium heat, cut in very thin slices the onions then put them in the pan.

Let them stir-fry, add a little water if needed, when they are soft and golden let them warm.

In a bowl beat eggs with salt, pepper and parmesan.

Put another pan on the fire with extravirgin olive oil, add onions to the bowl with eggs, mix then pour in the hot pan: shake a little to let the mixture spread, cover with a lid, turn the fire to light then wait.

When the omelette is solidified you have to turn it on the other side: how it's up to your ability...

If you're a good at you can rotate it in the pan with a good wrist movement, if you're like me (not so skilled in acrobatic cooking) put a dish on the omelette, keep it firmly then turn the pan.

Now the omelette is on the dish upside down, let it slip in the pan once again, add a little more oil if needed, finish the cooking.

If you want to cut the frittata let it get cold, if not you can serve it hot or warm, as you like.

Frittata, like omelette, is a versatile food: the one with onions is typical here but not the only one.

You can add mozzarella cheese cubes, chopped stirfried bacon or ham, stuffed broccoli, stirfried courgettes or leeks, sausage and everything you want.

If sometimes any pasta left from a lunch or a dinner, the next meal often present a "frittata di pasta " (pasta omelette): with the same procedure just add the pasta left (spaghetti are the best) mix well with the egg mixture then pour in the pan.

It's yummy!!

12/24/2008

Bruschetta (Toasted garlic bread)

I think Bruschetta is one of the most famous Italian appetizer worldwide: it's simple, low cost, yummy, customizable.

Count about 2 slices per person, the bread must be sliced in thick pieces (approximately 3/8 inch ).

The oil is the king of the ingredients in this recipe so you absolutely need extra-virgin olive oil, a good one.

You also need salt and a garlic clove.

Preheat an oven, broiler, or toaster; grill the bread on both sides until golden brown.

Lightly rub the garlic on the surface of the bread.

Pour a thin stream of olive oil on the bread, and sprinkle with salt.

Serve hot or at least warm.

This is the basic bruschetta but surely not the only way to serve this kind of bread: on top you can add thin slices of pork lard (like Colonnata lard) and Rosemary, tomatoes chopped in tiny cubes with some basil leaves, sliced green olives, sundried tomatoes in slices, dried red pepper powder or slices and whatever else your fantasy and your taste decide.

11/22/2008

Rosemary ( Rosmarino )

It's time to speak about another herb: Rosemary.

Frequently used in Italy, well known abroad too; it is a resistant plant, it growns especially in Mediterranean zones but it's acclimated to colder places.

You can cultivate it in the garden or even on terraces or just out of the window in small pots.

From flowers you can obtain good honey, Rosemary is famous for its medical properties ( it's a good tonic and purifyier).

Rosemary is great on roasted potadoes, on red meats (especially on roasts), with some kind of fish, on bruschetta, on borlottis' or chickpeas' soup.

Yesterday evening I ate a good appetizer: on a thick slice of bread there was a spoon of grated cheese (Parmesan ), then a spoon of porcini mushrooms stirfried in a pan with butter, then a generous sprinkle of Rosemary needles: the "crostino" was crisped in the oven.

I don't love the marriage mushrooms/Rosemary but with Parmesan and good bread it's really an happy mix.

You can also prepare a plain bruschetta and add some Rosemary on top.

So tasty!

Soon I'll post the many variations I know to make crostini and bruschetta: they're a must as appetizer in my zone you could be sourprised because of the variety!