Spinach and Blue Cheese Frittata

Frittata di Spinaci e Gorgonzola

There are only a few recipes as quick and rich as this one is. The combination of spinach, blue cheese, and eggs makes a frittata that tastes great and is very healthy.

Preparation time: about 15 minutes
Cooking time: about 15–20 minutes

Class: economy, healthy

Serves: 2–3

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ lb. (220 g) fresh spinach
Salt (about ¾ tsp. total)
2 oz. (50 g) blue cheese
5 eggs
4 tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheeseVegetable oil (just enough to generously oil the skillet)

Method:

1. Sauté the onion in the extra virgin olive oil. Add spinach and a pinch of salt, cover, and cook for 10–12 minutes or until tender.
2. Add the blue cheese to the pan with spinach, stir well, and cook all together for another few minutes or until the cheese melts.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with Parmigiano cheese and ½ tsp. of salt. Then add the mixture of spinach and blue cheese to the eggs and mix well.
4. Heat a large, nonstick, oiled skillet and pour in the egg mixture. Shake the pan gently or use a spatula to distribute it evenly over the surface. Cover and cook the frittata on low heat for a few minutes until the bottom is light golden-brown¹ and the top has started to firm up. Then flip onto a large lid and slide back into the pan to cook the other side.
5. Slide onto a serving plate and serve immediately with bread.²

1 You can check by lifting the edge of the frittata with a fork.

2 You may need to season with salt.

Gratinated Bell Peppers

Peperoni al Gratin

The gratinated bell peppers is a great side dish, healthy, simple to make and perfect if accompanied with slices of whole grain bread. This is my mother's recipe. I think it is the best one!

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about  50 minutes
Class: economy-healthy

Serves  3-4

Ingredients:
6 large red and yellow bell peppers

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

6–7 black olives

3 tbsp. capers, well rinsed

1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt, about ½ tsp.
3 tbsp.  extra virgin olive oil

3-4 tbsp. bread crumbs

Method:

1.     Preheat broiler to high and place the peppers below the broiler, turning them often until blackened all over. Remove from the oven, put the peppers in a glass bowl and immediately cover it with aluminum foil. Set aside until the peppers are cool enough to handle.

2.     Peel the peppers, remove the stems and seeds, then tear into strips and place in a bowl. Add the garlic, olives, capers, oregano, salt and oil, and gently mix all together. Then, add the bread crumbs and mix again. At this point, taste the peppers and add more salt if needed.

3.     Again preheat the oven to 390° F (200° C).

4.     Arrange the peppers and all the ingredients on a baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the surface browns a little.

5.     Allow to cool before serving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Eggplant Pies

Tortini di Melanzane

Hello, finally I am back after a long break due to the fact that we moved to another house!  What a stressful time!!!

The summer has started and I can't wait to make a lot of new amazing dishes!

This is a fresh and tasty summer dish; I often use fire roasted eggplants and the result is great as well. One of the best things about this recipe is that you can make the mini eggplant pies ahead of time, keep them in the fridge and heat them in the oven when you are ready for dinner.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: about  20 minutes
Class: economy-healthy

Serves  2-3

Ingredients:

3-4 large eggplants
some cups vegetable oil (enough to fry the eggplants),
salt to taste
3-4 fresh round tomatoes
¼ lb. (110g) mozzarella cheese, finely chopped
a bunch basil leaves, chopped or shredded
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp.  extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1.        Cut eggplants into round slices, approx.  ½ inch (1.50 cm) thick .
2.        Meanwhile heat the vegetable oil.
3.        Fry the eggplant slices until golden brown; place on paper towel and season with salt.
4.        Cut tomatoes into thin round slices, season with salt and set aside. 
5.        In a bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, basil, oregano and extra virgin olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt.
6.        Preheat oven at 430° F (220°C) and brush a baking pan with oil.
7.        Start to build the pies: On the bottom of the baking pan, place several eggplant slices, cover each one with a tomato slice, then spread 1 tbsp. of cheese mixture over each tomato slice. Place a second eggplant slice on the cheese, then another tomato slice, then spread another tbsp. of cheese mixture on the tomato slices and finish with an eggplant slice on top.
8.         Continue to build pies, alternating the layers in this manner until all the ingredients are used up.
9.        Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool for some minutes before serving. Garnish with basil if desired.

 

 

Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Ricotta Cheese

Pasta con Salsa e Ricotta

This dish is tasty and so easy to make. I learned this recipe from my lovely grandma Graziella, who always enjoyed cooking healthy and funny meals for her little grandchildren. My kids love it.

Preparation time: about 5 minutes

Cooking time: about 35 minutes
Class: economy, healthy

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 can Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately 14 ounces (400 grams)
Salt, about ½ teaspoon + 1 tablespoon
Pepper to taste
8 cups (2 liters) water
½ pound (approximately 250 grams) penne rigate pasta
½ pound (220 grams) ricotta cheese
2 ounces (50 grams) Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese

Method:

1.        Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sauté. Add the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender, blend the tomato sauce. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
2.        Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the tomato sauce. Let cook together for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta cheese and mix well.
3.        Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each serving of pasta and serve immediately.

Notes:

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

 

Grilled Pumpkin

Zucca alla Brace

My husband thinks that this is our best way to cook the pumpkin!

 

 

Peel and thinly slice the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin slices on the grill and cook them for a few minutes on each side. Place the grilled slices in a serving plate, add minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve with Italian bread. Buon appetito!

Gnocchi

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is one of our most popular dish, known in every restaurant in Italy and abroad. Some people think that to make gnocchi is such a difficult thing but the traditional recipe is so simple and quick. I prefer to boil the potatoes the day before so that the next day the process to make gnocchi is faster but also for another important reason: I have seen that if I keep in the refrigerator the boiled potatoes (with skin) for 1-2 days, they become more dried, so that at the moment to make the gnocchi, they absorb less flour and the gnocchi are more soft and tasteful. In fact, it’s important to use only the minimum amount of flour because more flour you add, less flavorful the gnocchi will be. But I must say that many people (my mum also) like to boil the potatoes just before to make the gnocchi and their gnocchi are delicious too.

I recommend to master the recipe because in the next weeks I will publish my recipe of pumpkin gnocchi; it isn’t a traditional recipe but it’s a delicious dish and very suitable for this season.

  

 

Preparation time: 40  minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

For the gnocchi:

1 ½ lb. (700g) potatoes

2 cups (500ml) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

For the tomato sauce:

7 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cans Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately 14 ounces (400 grams) each
½ cup (120 ml) water
Salt, about 1 tsp.
Pepper to taste

To boil gnocchi:

Water, about 10 cups (2 ½ L)
2 tbsp. salt

About ½ cup (120 milliliters) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese

Method:

1.        Prepare the gnocchi: Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until just tender. Drain well, cool and peel them. Then mash with a fork or a potato masher.
2.        In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, flour and salt. Then use your hands to knead until a soft dough forms. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour.
3.        Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take a small piece of dough at the time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about the thickness of your thumb.
4.        With a knife, cut the rolls into pieces about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) long. To shape the gnocchi, hold a fork in one hand and using your fingertip, roll each piece of gnocchi over the tines of the fork pressing gently to form a slight “C” (good for catching the sauce).
5.        Set each gnocchi in a flat serving plate, dusted with flour.  Dust with a bit more flour and then place the plate in the refrigerator.
6.        Prepare the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sauté. Add the tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper; stir well and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. Then, with an immersion blender, blend the sauce and set aside.
7.        Meanwhile, boil the gnocchi: bring 10 cups (2 ½ L) water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 tbsp. salt. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, two-three at the time, to avoid that they can stick together, and boil them, gently stirring occasionally, until they rise to the surface of the water. Continue cooking gnocchi at the surface for about 1 minute, then remove with a large slotted spoon, drain well, and transfer to the pan with the tomato sauce. Let cook all together 2–3 minutes, gently stirring.
8.        Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each serving.

Eggplants Parmigiana

Parmigiana di Melanzane

One of the most famous dish of the Italian cuisine! Known in all the world, Eggplants Parmigiana is one of the most delicious vegetarian dish of our cuisine.  Some foreigners think that there is a secret ingredient in this dish because it’s not easy to believe that it is made with cheap and poor ingredients like tomatoes, eggplants, eggs and cheese. It is said  that Eggplants Parmigiana originates in Naples but today it can be found on the menus of the Italian restaurants in all the world. The following is the authentic recipe, the one that, in the past, my grandmother used to make, and my mother and I make today also.  You can prepare it the day before; the next day is even better.

Preparation time: about  30-40 minutes
Cooking time: about  1 ½ hour total

Serves  4-5

Ingredients

for the tomato sauce:
6 tbsp.  extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and  finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cans Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately  14 oz each (400g each), mashed with a fork
1 cup (250ml) water
1 ½ tsp. salt

for the eggplants:
vegetable oil (enough to fry)
about 3-4 eggs
about 10 tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese
about 1 cup (250ml) all purpose flour
4-5 eggplants (about 1 ½ lb. or 680g), thinly sliced lengthwise
about ½ lb. (220g) mozzarella cheese, finely chopped
a few basil leaves

Method:

1.        Prepare the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the garlic and the onion and sauté. Add the tomatoes, water and salt; stir well and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. Don’t worry if the sauce is a little watery; that is how it is meant to be.
2.        Meanwhile heat the vegetable oil, and prepare the eggplants: Whisk the eggs with 4 tbsp. of Parmigiano cheese. Put the flour in a bowl. Coat each eggplant slice with the flour, then dip into the eggs mixture and fry until golden brown. Drain the eggplant slices on paper towels and set aside.
3.        Preheat oven at 395° F (200° C).
4.        Build the Parmigiana layers: On the bottom of a baking pan (about 9 x 13 inches or 22.8 x 33 cm), spread about 1-2 spoonfuls of tomato sauce. Lay a flat layer of eggplants over the sauce. Spread  half of the chopped mozzarella over the eggplants, spread about 1-2 spoonfuls of tomato sauce over the mozzarella, and then sprinkle 1-2 tbsp. of Parmigiano cheese on top.
5.        Cover with a second layer of eggplant slices. Spread  the remaining chopped mozzarella over the eggplants, spread about 1-2 spoonfuls of tomato sauce over the mozzarella, and then sprinkle 1-2 tbsp. of Parmigiano cheese on top.
6.        Cover with the last layer of eggplants, spread the remaining tomato sauce over them, and sprinkle the basil and the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.
7.        Bake  for 35-45 minutes. Allow to cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes:

·         You can use mild white cheddar cheese  in place of the mozzarella cheese.

 

Broccoli Frittata

Frittata di Broccoli

This is a recipe from my book Simply Frittata. Like most Italian frittatas, this is easy to prepare and very cheap, the perfect combination for the vegetarians. You might make it with things you already have in the house or with the vegetables leftover from lunch or dinner the day before. I suggest to use organic broccoli.

 Preparation time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking time: about 15–20 minutes

Serves: 2–3

Ingredients:

About 4 cups (1 L) water
Salt (about 1 ½ tsp. total)
½ lb. (approx. 250 g) broccoli, cut into large pieces
5 eggs
5 tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese
Pepper to taste
¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil (just enough to generously oil the skillet)

Method:

1. Bring a pot of water with 1 tsp. of salt to a boil. Add broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 10–12 minutes or until tender. Drain with a colander. Then cut them into smaller pieces and mash a little bit with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the eggs with cheese, ½ tsp. of salt, and pepper. Add heavy cream and broccoli and mix well. Add flour and stir again.
3. Heat a large, nonstick, oiled skillet[1] and pour in the egg mixture. Shake the pan gently or use a spatula to distribute it evenly over the surface. Cover and cook the frittata on low heat for a few minutes until the bottom is light golden-brown[2] and the top has started to firm up. Then flip onto a large lid and slide back into the pan to cook the other side.
4. Slide onto a serving plate and serve with bread.[3]

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[1] Some people find it easier to use a smaller skillet to make 2–3 frittatas instead of 1 large one.

[2] You can check by lifting the edge of the frittata with a fork.

[3] You may need to season with salt.