Easy Chicken Rolls

Involtini di Pollo facili

The greatness of the chicken rolls lies in their fillings; this dish will taste great if you use the best quality Italian sausages you can find. Once you master this recipe you may get creative and try some other versions filled with slices of ham, mortadella, smoked cheese, peppers and more! The chicken rolls are perfect if served with a side dish of sautéed peas or a fresh green salad.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: about  1 hour

Serves  2-3

Ingredients:

6 thin slices chicken breast
6 slices bacon
3 Italian fresh sausages, cut in half
5-6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
4-5  sprigs fresh rosemary
1 glass white wine
water
about 1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Method:

1.        Lay the slices of chicken breast flat on the table.  Place a slice of bacon over each chicken slice and half sausage over the bacon. Roll up and close the rolls with 1 or 2 toothpicks. 
2.        Heat the oil in a pan just large enough to hold the rolls in one layer; then brown the chicken rolls on all sides.
3.       Add onion, carrots, rosemary, white wine, warm water as necessary[1], salt and pepper to the pot with the chicken rolls. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until the liquid slightly thickens. Turn the rolls occasionally. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
4.       Remove the chicken rolls from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. With an immersion blender[2], blend the sauce remained in the pan and spoon it over the rolls.

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[1] The chicken rolls must be only half covered by the cooking liquid.

[2] You can mash the ingredients with a fork instead to blend.

Crunchy Salad

Insalata croccante

Try this delicious healthy raw salad.

Ingredients:
1 yellow Bell Pepper
1 green apple
a bunch of spicy arugula leaves
2 tbsp. flax seeds
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
a pinch of salt
black pepper to taste

Method:

1.       Finely slice the bell pepper and the green apple. Put them into a large serving bowl. Add arugula, flax seeds, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and balck pepper, and gently mix all together[1].

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[1] At  this point, taste the salad in order to decide if to add more salt.

Roasted Chestnuts

Castagne arrostite

In this season, here, in South Italy we eat a lot of chestnuts.

This is the secret recipe of my mum:
The day before to roast the chestnuts, soak them. After inspecting and rinsing them, with a sharp knife, make an incision through each chestnut shell, just into the flesh of the nut. Then transfer them to a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave overnight. In the morning, rinse and drain.
Preheat your oven’s broiler to 390° F (200° C).
Place the chestnuts  into a baking pan and spread 1\2 glass of white or red wine on them. Broil the chestnuts about 3 inches (7–8 cm) from the heat for 20–25 minutes (depending on the kind and the size of the chestnuts). Take care to turn and mix them several times with a wooden spoon. At this point, taste the chestnuts to make sure they are cooked (when they are cooked they taste slightly sweet and have a buttery texture. Undercooked chestnuts  are hard and taste bitter). Serve the roasted chestnuts when they are still warm, so that your guest can peel and eat them as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

The Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The season to make olive oil has arrived. Most Italians buy their oil at the store. But in my area, outside of Rome, there are a lot of olive trees that many people use to make their own extra virgin olive oil.  The olives are usually picked in the month of November and taken to a place called a Frantoio, where they are cold pressed to extract the extra virgin olive oil. The last year I helped  harvest some olives, and I was immediately in love with the oil that we got. Its color was a green-yellow so intense and deep; it was so healthy, rich, flavorful and delicious that I named it “drops of gold”! However, I use a lot of extra virgin olive oil in my recipes.  I often like to use it raw because its taste is stronger and delicious.  Regular consumption helps the body and its functions, making the skin soft and elastic. At the grocery stores in Italy, it is easy to find very good and high quality extra virgin olive oil.

Oven-Baked Whole-Grain Pasta with Ham and Béchamel Sauce

Pasta Integrale al Forno con Prosciutto e Besciamella

This is a recipe of my book Perfectly Pasta. It is a dish so delicious and so easy to make any time of the year. The béchamel sauce is a delicious white creamy sauce that’s super easy to make with ingredients you already have on hand, and it tastes great.

Preparation time: about 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour

Serves 5–6

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups (1 liter) whole milk
Salt, about 1 teaspoon + 1½ tablespoons
Pepper to taste
Pinch nutmeg
10 cups (2½ liters) water
1 pound (450 grams) whole-grain rigatoni pasta
4 ounces (110 grams) smoked cheese, chopped
1 cup (250 milliliters) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese
4 ounces (110 grams) ham, shredded
6 ounces (170 grams) ham, thinly sliced

Method:
1.        Prepare the béchamel sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, stir rapidly, and let cook for a few minutes until the mixture is uniform and smooth. Remove from the heat.
2.        Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Return to the heat and, stirring constantly, cook on medium-low heat until the sauce thickens. Add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix well, turn off the heat, and set aside. At this point, taste the sauce and add salt if needed.
3.        Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1½ tablespoons of salt, add the pasta, and boil it, stirring often. Drain the pasta about 2 minutes before the cooking time suggested on the package and return it to the pot. Add the sauce, smoked cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and shredded ham. Mix well.
4.        Preheat the oven to 390° F (200° C). Line a baking dish with baking paper. Line the top of the baking paper with the ham slices.
5.        Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish over the ham and use a spatula to distribute it evenly over the surface. Bake for about 30 minutes.
6.        Allow to rest for a while. Flip onto a large serving plate, remove the baking paper, and serve.

Notes:

·         You can use penne or other kinds of Italian pasta in place of the rigatoni.