Italian Kitchen Secrets

Time for a new post!

It's sunday afternoon, my son is playing alone (miracle) with his Legos and I had the time to post this on my Italian blog La mora Romagnola, now I hope to have spare time enough to translate and post the recipe here too.

These rolls are easy and tasty, vegetarian (or vegan if you avoid feta cheese) and gluten free if you use GF breadcrumbs.

I loved them and I must admit I've eaten almost half before dinner. B)

4 servings:

3 big and long zucchini

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup feta cheese

zest from 1 organic lemon

5-6 mint leaves

extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Using a vegetable slicer slice zucchini the long side, you have to end with long and thin "ribbons" made of zucchini.

Put them on a soup bowl, cover with a dinner plate, put in a microwave and microwave 2-3 minutes at medium power.

In a mixer put breadcrumbs, feta, lemon zest, mint leaves, salt and pepper and oil enough to have a crumbled mixture.

Once zucchini ribbons are cold put them 3 in a row on the short side to make a longer ribbon, spread the mixture then roll carefully.

Fasten the roll with a toothpick.

Do the same with all the zucchini ribbons, put them on a baking pan, if you have spare mixture add it on top of the rolls then bake untill golden at 350°F (about 15 minutes).

You can serve them warm or cold, I'm sure you'll like them!

A delicious pasta dish, easy to prepare but with a sophysticated allure due to the basil and lemon notes.

It's seriously one of my favourite for the spring-summer season.

Ingredients for 4:

14 oz. pasta (farfalle but you can also use fusilli or penne)

3 oz. creamy cheese like robiola or philadelphia

3 small zucchini

1 bag saffron powder

2 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil

salt & pepper

4-5 basil leaves

lemon zest

Cut zucchini in small dices, sautee in a pan with oil, salt and pepper.

When zucchini are golden add saffron, mix then add the cheese and the basil leaves roughly cutted, mix again.

Bring salted water to boil then cook your pasta, drain it and pour into the pan with 2-3 tablespoon of cooking water.

Turn the fire on and mix very well.

Put your pasta into dishes then add lemon zest on top.

Can't be easier uh!?



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.

This recipe is a must of holiday dinners, expecially in my zone ( Rimini- Adriatic Riviera).

It's so tasty, surely not dietetic but you know, when you're on holiday calories don't count...

You can see whole families at restaurants sharing generous portions of this fried mix: the most common mix is made of shrimps and squid rings but you can add anchovies (fresh, not salted), little fish of any kind, even some vegetables like courgettes' sticks.

For 4 serves you need:

7 oz. squid rings

7 oz. cleaned shrimps (just leave tails)

5 oz. anchovies

5 oz. courgettes chopped in sticks

flour

2 lemons

salt

frying oil

If the fish is wet dry it with kitchen paper, pass it in the flour and shake a little to keep exceeding flour off.

Do the same with courgettes' sticks.

Fry fish and vegetable in a large pan filled with hot frying oil, not too much fish altogether, rember that courgettes need few minutes more than fish to get ready.

Drain the oil putting the fried fish on kitchen paper, add salt and serve immediately with lemon segments.

In Italy there are many different fried mix, this is the most famous but sooner or later I'll post even others ^^.

This is a great recipe for vegetarian and for children who don't love vegetable.

It's easy, quite quick and tasty, you can prepare mixture in advance.

For 4-6 serves you need:

about 2 lb mixed vegetables ( carrots, leeks, spinach, courgettes, green beans...)

7 oz. potadoes

2 eggs

1 egg white

4 tablespoons grated cheese

breadcrumb

basil

salt and pepper

frying oil

Boil potadoes in salted water.

Clean vegetables, chops them in pieces and boil "al dente".

Drain them then mince and let the remaining water drain.

Pass potadoes in the potadomasher.

Mix vegetables with potadoes, add eggs , cheese and minced basil plus salt and pepper.

Create little burgers, pass them into the egg white then in breadcrumb.

Heat oil in a pan then cook burgers untill they're gold on both sides.

Serve hot with a plain salad or into a sandwich like a meat hamburger.

This recipe comes from a cooking magazine I book every month: it's pocket, well organized and it's also have menus and shopping list for the whole month.

It's called "Cucina no problem", Mondadori ediction: maybe you can find it abroad, I see on the first pages foreign prices...

For this recipe you need:

a tureen plum cake shape

9 onces ricotta cheese

7 onces robiola cheese (or philadelphia or any similar creamy cheese)

4 courgettes

3 eggs

nutmeg

5 spoons of grated parmesan

1 garlic clove

butter

extravirgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Wash and clean courgettes, cut in thin slices, then stirfry them in a pan with oil and the garlic clove for about 3-4 minutes.

Keep off garlic and add salt and pepper.

Open eggs in a bowl, add ricotta cheese, robiola or philadelphia, 5 spoons of grated parmesan, a little grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Mix ingredients with a fork untill you have a smooth cream.

Pass butter on the tureen walls, cover bottom with the cream, then add half of the courgettes and another cream layer and finish with courgettes.

Cook putting the tureen in another saucepan with a little water ( it's called "bagnomaria" here in Italy) at medium heat in the owen for about 45 minutes.

Let it getting warm before serving, you can decorate with chopped mint leaves if you like or put ham or bacon between layers.

Light and healthy but tasty!!