Summer salad of spelt

Here is a summer dish that can be a great dish for the evening, or an alternative to rice salad for a summer lunch.

Ingredients for for two persons:

• 1 cup of spelt
• ½ cup of beans
• ½ cup of peas
• ½ hot pepper round
• 1 small onion
• 15 pearls of mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons of parsley
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Time: 30 to 40 minutes

Cook the spelt in salted water for the time indicated on the package.
If you use frozen peas and beans you can boil them together.
After cooking drain and let cool.
Put in a bowl the spelt, if not already cooked together, add the peas and baked beans.
After add the pearls of mozzarella and mix them together with the onion and chilli finely chopped.
Season with olive oil, parsley and season with salt if necessary.
You can serve immediately or let sit for a few hours in the refrigerator, but remember to keep out for 15 minutes before serving.

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Florida cups (cups of yogurt and fruit)

It'is a summer dessert really easy to prepare and highly effective.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 1 cup of natural yoghurt
• 1 kiwi
• 12 blueberries or strawberries
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• 1 peach
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel bio

To decorate:

• 2 kiwi
• 20 blueberries or strawberries

paper cups in a muffin pan

Mix in a bowl the yogurt with grated lemon peel and honey.
Place the paper cups (or use those silicone) in a muffin pan.
Pour the mixture of yoghurt.
Cut the peach and kiwi into small cubes and put a little for each cup, making them penetrate, but giving someone on the surface.
Garnish with 2 or 3 blueberries (or strawberries) for cup.
Place in freezer for 3 hours, the honey avoids that crystallize too.
Gently remove the paper cups, serve on plates decorated with sliced kiwi and the remaining blueberries (or strawberries).
Before serving, leave them out of the freezer  for 10 minutes.
Recipe taken from: Mary Berry "Best desserts" London,  1991

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Grilled squid

People often think that cooking fish is more difficult than the meat, but if you start with simple recipes, like this, you can get excellent results without difficulty.
The squid in question can cook on the barbecue grill (for convenience, you can put a sheet of aluminum foil) on a cast iron plate (as I did) or just in the pan. The cooking times do not change substantially, but the barbecue cooks more quickly, in this case hold the grid not too close to the fire.

Grilled squid

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 8 fresh squid
• 1 fresh hot chilli
• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 clove of garlic
• a few grains of black pepper
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Clean the squid for convenience cut the tentacles to the base (so that they remain together) and well washed the bag and emptying small pockets and any litter.
Remove the hard eye that is located in the center of the tentacles, if you are impractical or have quickly cut across the initial part of the tentacles, being careful to make sure that the tentacles remain united.
Put the squid in a bowl with chili and onion finely chopped.
Add the basil, a clove of crushed garlic and black pepper .
Season with lemon juice, olive oil (Fig. 1) and let stand in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
At the end put on a well heated pan, a cast iron plate or barbecue grill and cook without drain too much from the marinade (Fig. 2), indeed, brushing occasionally with the same.
Turn them after 5 minutes and cook for a total of 15/20 minutes depending on the thickness of the squid.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve accompanied by grilled vegetables.

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Fruit salad in the pineapple

Fruit salad  in the pineapple

Ingredients for two people:

• 1 pineapple not too big
• 2 kiwi
• 2 ½ melon or peaches
• 15 blueberries
• ½ lemon

Cut the pineapple in half, including the tuft.
Remove the core and slice the flesh into slices.
Reduce a few slices into cubes.
Slice the kiwi and diced melon (or peaches) after cleaning.
In a bowl, season with lemon juice the melon (or peaches), blueberries (except 5) and diced pineapple.
Fill the hollowed out pineapple with fruit salad, to form a fund, and then arrange the slices of kiwi around and do the same thing with the kiwi. At the center add the remainder of salad and blueberries 5 "decorative".
Spray a little lemon and icing sugar if desired.
Serve to each his own half pineapple so prepared.
It is recommended to prepare it at the last minute to avoid that the fruit is oxides.

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Chocolate cake filled with coconut cream

 Chocolate cake filled with coconut cream

Ingredients
For the cake:

• ½ cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 natural or coconut yoghurt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup of cornstarch
• 10 OZ (200 grams) of dark chocolate
• Butter for greasing

For the filling:

• 1 cup of milk,
• 6 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons of acacia honey or wildflower
• 2 tablespoons of starch

To finish:

• 5 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
• ½  cup of whipping cream
• 3 OZ (80 grams) of dark chocolate

Oven at 350° F

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
In a bowl, pour the yogurt and mix the yolks and sugar. Stir vigorously until it forms a froth.
Add oil, flour and the  chocolate. The dough should be smooth enough.
Butter a baking pan 20 cm with zipper.
Spread the dough.
Bake at 350° F  for 20 minutes, cover with baking paper and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted is dry.

In a saucepan, stir in cold milk, coconut flour, honey and potato starch.
Put the mixture on the stove and bring to boil over low heat until thicken.

Cut the cake in half and fill with the cream warm and reassemble.

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate in a double boiler with cream when it becomes creamy spread  on the cake

Finish the edge of the cake with coconut powder.

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Marinated sardines

Marinated sardines

Ingredients:

• 14 OZ (400 grams) of sardines or anchovies
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 white onion
• 1 fresh hot pepper or ½ teaspoon powder (optional)
• ½ glass of white wine vinegar
• ½ cup of dry white wine
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Clean the fish and open gently removing the central fishbone  and place them on a clean cloth.
If you do not want to eat raw fish (but keep in mind that with the marinade in practice "cooks") you can pour in a pan a little water and white vinegar.
At the time of boiling soak for a few seconds the fish already cleaned and then put them on a paper towel.
Cut the onion and pepper into thin slices.
If you prefer you used the fish raw.
In a basin pour a little oil and arrange a layer of fish and a few slices of onion and red pepper. Continue with another layer of anchovies or sardines and then pepper, onion.
At the end, after having sprinkled with parsley, pour over the vinegar, wine and olive oil to cover.
Mash the garlic cloves and put it among the minnows.
Cover with foil and stored in a refrigerator for 24 hours, to become tasty.
Serve with slices of toasted bread.

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Crostata ruffiana (perché piace proprio a tutti!!)

 Crostata ruffiana marmellata e nutella

Ingredienti

• 250 gr di farina
• 100 gr di burro
• 80 gr di zucchero
• 2 tuorli d'uovo
• un pezzettino di scorza di limone
• un pizzico di sale
• mezzo cucchiaino di lievito
• 80 gr marmellata di albicocche
• 80 gr di nutella

Forno: 180°C
Tempo: 45' + mezz'ora di riposo

Impastare il burro freddo a pezzetti con lo zucchero e i tuorli.
aggiungere la farina e la scorza del limone, sale e vanillina.
io per rendere la pasta frolla più morbida metto anche mezzo cucchiaino di lievito per dolci, se invece voglio un pasta più compatta non lo aggiungo!
Impastare velocemente a mano o nell'impastatrice, il risultato deve essere un composto che si sbriciola, m non troppo.
Compattare il tutto in una palla e avvolgerlo nella pellicola per cucina.
Lasciare riposare mezz'ora o più.
Trascorsa la mezz'ora stendere su l'impasto lasciandone da parte 1/3.
Prendere una teglia tonda da 24 con il fondo apribile, toglietelo e usatelo come dima per misurare la base della crostata, tagliatela con un coltello.
Imburrare la teglia e appoggiateci sopra la base.
Con un coltello incidete una scacchiera sul fondo della pasta e poi riempite, alternando, un quadrato con la marmellata e uno con la nutella, fino a completare la scacchiera.
Con l'impasto che ancora avete da parte ricavatene 7 strisce, con 3 delle quali con le quali formerete il bordo schiacciandole bene contro le pareti della teglia  e incrociate le altre 4 a formare la tipica decorazione delle crostate.
Cuocete nel forno a 180°C per 20/25 min, lasciate raffreddare e sformatela delicatamente.
Spolverizzatela con zucchero a velo.

Visualizza la ricetta in PDF stampabile

One tart for all!

1 tart for all with apricot jam and nutella

Ingredients

• 8.80 oz (250 grams) of flour
• 3.50 oz (100 grams) of butter
• 2.80 oz (80 grams) of sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• a piece of lemon peel
• a pinch of salt
• half teaspoon of baking powder
• 2.80 oz (80 grams) of apricot jam
• 2.80 oz (80 grams) of nutella or chocolate cream

Oven: 350 ° F
Time: 45 '+ half hour of rest

Mix the cold butter into small pieces with the sugar and egg yolks.
Add the flour and the lemon zest, salt and vanilla.

If you want the dough softer also put half a teaspoon of baking powder, but if I want a firmer dough does not add it!
Quickly knead dough by hand or with mixer, the result must be a compoundthat crumbles, but not too much.
Pack it all into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap for food.
Let stand an half an hour or more.

Put the dough in the refrigerator half an hour
Take a baking bowl 24 with the bottom opening, remove it and use it as a template to measure the base of the tart, cut with a knife.
Butter a baking dish and put in the dough.
With a knife, carve a checkerboard (Fig. 1) on the bottom of the dough and then filled, alternately, with the jam and nutella, to complete the board (Fig. 2).
with the other dough make 7 strips , with 3 of them form the margin and press them near the sides of the pan. With the other 4 form the typical decoration of tart  (Fig. 3).
Bake in oven at 180 ° C for 20/25 minutes, let cool and put out gently.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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“Calzoncini” cooked in the oven

the stuffing

Ingredients for 10 shorts

• bread dough
• 1 mozzarella
• 2 tomatoes
• 3 slices of ham
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 150 gr of parmesan cheese
• salt and oregano 

Oven at 350° F

Roll out bread dough to obtain a thin sheet.

Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and dress with oil, salt and oregano.

Also cut the mozzarella into small cubes and slices of prosciutto in half.

With a little cup (like those for fruit salad) cut 10 disks, if you prefer you can then use the shapes of ravioli (plastic ones), then put in 5 rounds a little tomato and mozzarella.

Do the same with the other 5 with ham and Parmesan cheese.

Seal them well with a fork and adding in a cup 2 tablespoons of water and oil and a brush them .

Bake for 15 minutes at 180 ° C together with a pot with water.

As soon as they crisp and golden brown you can serve!

With the scraps of dough to form rolls of type short sticks and brush with oil and salt and cook 10 minutes.

See the recipe in printable PDF

Ice cream cake "home made"

Ice cream cake

Ingredients

• ¾ cup flour
• ¾ cup potato starch.
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate ice cream
• 1 cup vanilla ice cream and mozzarella
• 2/3 cup raspberry
• ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon of agar agar

Oven: 350 ° F

Whip eggs with sugar with the mixer until creamy frothy.
Add the starch and flour slowly, the dough should be smooth enough, if it was too hard to add one or two tablespoons of milk.
Add the vanilla and baking powder.
Grease a round cake tin with zipper.
Spread the mix evenly.
Bake at 350 ° F for 15/20 minutes, must just browning.
Remove from oven and let cool completely (Fig. 1).
Remove from pan and place in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Now take the ice cream (if you have an ice cream machine can do it yourself)
Take the base of the refrigerator cold, place it in a large baking sheet and let it pass without the ring of the pan bottom. Place them on a plastic support (Fig. 2) that can you place in the freezer.
Started to spread a layer of vanilla ice cream (Fig. 3) and then put in freezer for 10 minutes. Then put a second layer of chocolate, if desired between one layer and another add few raspberries (Fig. 4).
Let sit in freezer for 10 minutes while you prepare the natural gelatin by boiling in pots until the raspberries and sugar, add 1 tablespoon of water. In a small cup reefs a teaspoon of agar agar and two of water and pour the mixture into the pan with the raspberries. Cook for a minute. The jelly is ready. Let cool a bit, taking care not to let it harden too much and then spread it on the cake (Fig. 5). Please note that the contact with the cold jelly made ​​with agar solidifies instantly, so you have to be quick!
Decorate with meringue crumble the entire board and the top ones.
Leave in the freezer and take it 10 minutes before serving.

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Pasta with aubergine and tuna (super fast!)

Pasta with aubergine and tuna

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pasta like penne or fusilli

• 1 aubergine

• 1 large tomato

• 3,50 OZ (100 gams) of tuna in olive oil

• 1 onion

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• salt

• pepper to taste.

Time: 25 minutes, 15 with the pressure cooker + 20 minutes if you want to remove the bitterness from the aubergine.

Peel the aubergine and cut into cubes, if you prefer put the cubes in a colander with the salt for 20 minutes to remove the bitterness.

Boil the pasta water with salt (2 tablespoons) and in a regular pot or pressure fry put the chopped onion, then add the drained tuna, aubergine and tomatoe cut into small cubes.

Allow to simmer covered for 20 minutes or alternatively close the pressure cooker and cook for 8 minutes from time.

Finish cooking the pasta, once cooked the sauce open the pressure cooker (or normal) pour the drained pasta, add a little hot pepper and / or basil to taste, leave the flame a couple of minutes turning frequently.

Serving, in summer as a main dish, followed by a mixed salad and a fruit salad.

See the recipe in printable PDF