La Marcella – Italian Food and Recipes

Tomato and ricotta “torta salata”

Party recipesSep 11 20130 Comments

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 6 persons):

- 1 roll of puff pastry
- 2 eggs, white and yolk
- 500 g ricotta cheese
- 1 mature savoury round tomato, thinly sliced
- 1 handful of grated Parmesan
- 50 g of Italian Provolone or Scamorza cheese, in tiny chips
- a handful of fresh basil leaves
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- ground pepper (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. Take out the puffy roll from the fridge about 30 minutes before using it.
2. In the meanwhile, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt into a bowl.
3. Add the ricotta cheese, the grated Parmesan and the basil, both chopped into small pieces.
4. Pour the mix on the pastry, and lay the pastry out on a baking tray. Add also the tomato slices, the cheese chips, and some olive oil and pepper (optional).
5. Cook everything in a pre-heated oven (180°C) for about 20 min until the pastry turns gold.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- This is a kind of French ‘quiche’ but lighter. It can be served hot or warm.
- You can use grilled courgettes or peppers in place of the tomatoes.
- Provolone or Scamorza cheeses are not easily found outside Italy. You can select a different savoury mature cheese, such as the Italian Pecorino or the Spanish Cerrano cheese according to your preferences.

‘Saltinbocca’ alla friulana – Manu’s way

SecondiSep 11 20130 Comments

saltinbocca alla romana

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x4 persons):

- 4 thin veal cutlets
- 4 slices of Parma or San Daniele ham, very thinly cut
- 3 tablespoons of non-salted butter
- 2 or 3 sage leaves

WHAT TO DO:

1. Gently melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a deep pan with the leaves of sage.
2. Fry the veal cutlets without adding any salt.
3. Turn them and put a slice of the ham on top of each one. Two minutes per side are enough to get them done.
Serve it warm with the butter sauce.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- You can find the ham in local shops either already sliced in a pack, or sliced for you at the meat counter.
- A nice alternative is to drizzle some dry white wine to the veal, just before adding the ham. This gives a little extra flavour to the dish!

‘Pappa al pomodoro’/Bread and tomato soup

PrimiSep 09 20131 Comment

pappa al pomodoro

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 6 persons)

- 800 g round savoury, fresh tomatoes (or 2 cans tomato ‘salsa’)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 toothpicks
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt/ground pepper
- 1 large bunch of fresh basil leaves
- 6 slices of Tuscany bread (unsalted) or sourdough
- 6 tablespoons of natural yogurt (optional)
- 6 tablespoons of grated Parmesan (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. In case you got fresh, savoury tomatoes, put a deep pan filled with water on a fire, covered with a lid, and let it get up to boil.
2. When boiling, toss the tomatoes into the water for few minutes (until the skin starts cracking).
3. Take the tomatoes out quickly, peel them, and remove the seeds. Roughly chop them in small pieces. If you decide to use the can tomatoes, you should skip these steps of the procedure.
4. Soften the slices of bread for few minutes in a bowl with some water. This is about the time required to be able to tear them into small pieces with your hands.
5. Heat few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and add garlic cloves, each one stuck into a toothpick (this allows you to take it out at the end of the cooking).
6. Add your tinned or fresh chopped tomatoes, then break the tomatoes up with a spoon (if you have the fresh ones).
7. Fill a pot with water, tear the basil leaves, and add some salt. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for about 15- 20 minutes at low heat.
8. When you achieve a thick, creamy, porridge-style texture, remove the pot from the heat.
9. Divide the soup between the bowls and serve them with a little extra basil on top as well as a spoon of olive oil. Serve it warm with a sprinkle of pepper and grated parmesan (optional).
10. If you like a more ‘delicate’ flavour, add to each bowl a tablespoon of plain natural yogurt.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- If you cannot find the Tuscany bread, you can take any other kind of sourdough. It is important not to have other flavours, such as pumpkin, dried tomatoes or black olives, which could alter the final flavour of the soup. If it is salty bread, reduce the salt you have add while cooking.
- When buying the tomato salsa, select one of the Italian traditional brands. The final flavour can be totally ruined by a bad tomato!
- This dish can be served cold in the summer as a tasty first dish. It comes out great when you prepare it with fresh, savoury tomatoes instead of the ones in cans.

‘Scaloppine’ of sole fillets with lemon

SecondiSep 02 20130 Comments

sogliola al limone

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x2 persons):

- 3 fresh lemon sole fillets (around 300 g)
- plain flour
- ½ lemon juice
- 2 glasses of dry white wine
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt, ground pepper (optional)
- 1 handful of parsley, finely chopped

WHAT TO DO:

1. Pour some plain flour on a dinner plate, cover both sides of the sole fillets in flour.
2. Then, in a non-sticky frying pan, fry the fillets in olive oil.
3. When pan fried on both sides, add the lemon juice, let it dry up at high temperature, and then pour the white wine as well as a pinch of salt. At medium temperature let the sauce slowly evaporate and become creamy. It will take few minutes.
4. Serve it warm with freshly chopped parsley and a dip of olive oil and black pepper, if desired.

TIPS & TRICKS:

Fresh lemon sole fillets can easily be found at your local shop. If not, you can try the same recipe with another kind of white meat fish fillets you like.

Tomato sauce

Basic recipesSep 02 20136 Comments

salsapom1

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 500 ml Italian tomato salsa
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- a pinch of caster sugar
- fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. In a deep saucepan sweat the onion and the garlic in plenty of olive oil.
2. Pour the tomato salsa in the pan, and adjust it with salt and a pinch of sugar. Let it cook slowly until creamy.
3. Finally, and optionally, add some basil.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- This is the very basic recipe for a homemade tomato sauce. Quick and easy. The sauce can be used and added to many other recipes, such as Parmigiana or pasta in the oven.
- A very nice combination of this sauce is with pasta (any kind), a generous amount of grated parmesan, and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Kids will love it!
- If you do not find a good Italian salsa brand (eg Cirio, Mutti) you can make the sauce by using ‘San Marzano’ tomatoes in cans, roughly chopped. At the end, finely get a cream with an electronic mixer.

Grilled Aubergine Parmigiana

SecondiSep 02 20131 Comment

parmiMelanzGrill

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x4 persons)

- 4 big long purple aubergines
- 200 g mozzarella, in small cubes
- 300 ml tomato sauce*
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt/pepper
- 3 large handfuls of grated Parmesan
- 2 handfuls of basil leaves
- oregano
- 1 handful or plain breadcrumbs

WHAT TO DO:

1. Remove some stripes off the aubergine skin. Then cut them in about 1/2 cm slices. Grill them in a hot griddle, non-sticky pan.
2. In the meanwhile heat up the oven to 180°C.
3. Pour a few tablespoons of tomato sauce on the bottom of an oiled baking dish and put down the grilled aubergines to make a layer. On top of the aubergines slices put some mozzarella cubes, a teaspoon of Parmesan, a pinch of salt and pepper, and 1-2 leaves of basil. When you have done this, repeat the process until you have multiple layers filling up the dish. On the last layer add some breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, olive oil, and oregano.
4. Cook au gratin (grill option in the oven) until crusty.
* For the tomato sauce see correspondent recipe.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- To grill the aubergine, you can alternatively use a deep saucepan. Make sure you grease the pan with a few drops of olive oil before you start grilling.
- It is better to use a hard mozzarella. This will work nicely with your local brand of mozzarella cubes for pizza.
- If you cannot find plain breadcrumbs at your local supermarket, heat up a few slices of left over white bread slices into a pre-heated oven. The bread shouldn’t burn though! When ready and cooled down, crumble them in a mixer into rough small crumbs. If you make a lot of breadcrumbs yourself, keep them in a sealed box or bag for later use.
- You can substitute the tomato sauce with a few round tomatoes . Make sure they are sweet and savoury, and finely chop them into small cubes before putting them in the dish. Discard the seeds in excess.
- If you think the aubergines might be bitter, leave them sliced with some sea salt under a weight (such as under a bowl filled up with water) for about 10-15 minutes. Then rinse the aubergines under running water and dry with a kitchen towel. They should have lost some bitterness this way.
- This is a another version of the traditional Parmigiana recipe which is normally done with fried aubergine. Enjoy it when you want to get something nice without feeling guilty about calories!

Aromatic aubergines in the oven

ContorniAug 28 20130 Comments

melanzane al forno con erbe

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS: (x 4 persons)

- 2 long black aubergines
- 1 handful of parsley and fresh mint leaves
- 1 handful of grated Parmesan
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 handful of plain breadcrumbs (optional)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt/ground pepper
- oregano

WHAT TO DO:

1. Cut the aubergines lengthwise and discard small portions of the skin alternatively, as if you are making small black and white stripes on the skin.
2. Brush both sides of the aubergine with some olive oil.
3. In a separate bowl, make a mix of parsley, mint, garlic, salt and pepper, and breadcrumbs (optional).
4. With a knife, make two cuts on the flat part of each half aubergine so the mix can enter thereby making sure you don’t cut through the skin (I would say, half the depth).
5. In each cut, press the mix using your hands.
6. Add on top of each slice a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.
7. Cook the stuffed aubergines in a pre-heated oven (180°C) for about 20 min covered under aluminium foil, then uncovered for 5-10 extra minutes until golden on the surface.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- They are served better when they are warm, so cool them before serving. I would suggest, for your convenience, to prepare them in advance, perhaps even the day before. In this case store them in a sealed box in the fridge and warm them up before serving.
- If the aubergines are not of good quality (e.g. at the end of the season or imported), you can take the bitter flavour out. Do so by placing them already cut for about 15-30 minutes under a heavy object (but don’t crush them) with a grinding of sea salt. Then, rinse the salt under running water before starting with the recipe, making sure the salt is all out.

Asparagus RISOTTO

PrimiAug 26 20131 Comment

Risotto agli asparagi

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 1 large white onion (or 2-3 shallots), finely chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 glass of dry white wine
- 1 liter of hot vegetable or chicken stock
- a large bunch of thin green asparagus
- 320 g of risotto rice (Vialone Nano or Carnaroli type)
- 40 g of unsalted butter
- salt, ground pepper
- 1 rich handful of freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 handful of fresh parsley, thinly chopped

WHAT TO DO:

1. As a first step, chop the asparagus into small pieces after cutting off and discarding the woody stalks of the spears. Keep the tips of the asparagus separate. Few of them could be used to decorate the dish.
2. In a deep, heavy-based saucepan, sweat the onion in olive oil plus 10-20g of butter over a low heat, until they get soft and slightly brown (10-15 min).
3. Add the asparagus with a pinch of salt and let them steam until soft and tender. The asparagus tips should be added slightly after you are cooking the chopped spears as they cook more quickly. This procedure will take you around 20-30 min according to the stiffness of the asparagus.
4. When the risotto base is ready, add the rice and the white wine. Let it dry out over a medium-high heat.
5. Add 1 or 2 spoons of stock, just to cover the rice, stir and put the fire low. Keep on adding the stock and stirring. Never let the risotto base absorb all the stock. Continue this way for about 20 min until the rice is soft, tender and creamy while the grains are still firm in the centre.
6. Add the remaining butter and some Parmesan, stir it and let it rest for few minutes out of the heat.
7. Serve it on large plates, grate some extra Parmesan on top, as well as some ground pepper and a few heads of asparagus for decoration.
8. Finish with ground pepper and parsley.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- To shorten the procedure of preparing the risotto base, you can quickly blanch the asparagus spears in hot boiling water for few minutes and rinse them in cold water.
- Substitute the chicken or vegetable stock with stock cubes in hot boiling water to have a quickly-made bouillon.
- As a variation, if you want to give to the dish some extra flavour, add on top of the risotto a single slice of thin prosciutto S Daniele or Parma.

Stuffed grilled peppers in the oven

ContorniAug 23 20132 Comments

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons)

- 4 large peppers
- 10 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
- 2 large handfuls of grated Parmesan
- 1 handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, thinly cut
- salt, ground pepper
- 3 teaspoons small capers

WHAT TO DO:

1. Grill the peppers in an oven or on a barbeque.
2. Once the skin is blackened, allow the peppers to cool down.
3. Then steam them for few minutes in a covered pan.
4. Peel them carefully and deseed them. Place them on a separate plate.
5. Using a bowl get the filling ready by mixing the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, capers, garlic, a few teaspoons of olive oil, and salt/pepper.
6. Cut the grilled pepper in three or four parts making sure they keep a kind of ‘boat’ shape.
7. Stuff each pepper ‘boats’ with the mix. Finish with a some olive oil and ground pepper.
8. Grill au gratin into an oven at 170°C for 10-15 minutes until crusty on the surface.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- These stuffed peppers are easy to do and give a great final result, believe me!
- They are fantastic as a starter or as a party recipe.
- You can serve the peppers warm or cold as a summer dish. They are even better if they are prepared slightly in advance so they can rest and get the flavour of the stuffing.

Courgettes boats /“Barchette di zucchine”

AntipastiAug 23 20130 Comments

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 long courgettes
- 2-3 shallots, finely chopped
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 4 slices of speck, already thinly cut in slices
- 1 handful of grated Parmesan
- 1 bunch of mint and basil leaves, roughly chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt/pepper

WHAT TO DO:

1. Cut the courgettes in two symmetric parts, lengthwise. Take out the core or inside of the courgettes and put this aside. We will use this later.
2. Stain the ‘boats’ with little oil, scatter them with some salt and put them empty in a pre-heated oven (180°C) for about 10-15 min.
3. In the meanwhile, sweat the shallots in olive oil in a frying saucepan, add the rest of the courgettes with a pinch of salt. Let them simmer with a lid on the pan until slightly soft.
4. When ready, mix it with the ricotta, Parmesan, mint and basil, speck in small pieces, and salt/pepper.
5. Take out the ‘boats’ from the oven, stuff them with the mixture and pour on top some oil.
6. Put them back into the hot oven and let it cook until a small crust has appeared on top.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- Speck is typical smoked ham from the Alps region, mainly Tyrol. You can easily find it in local supermarkets, otherwise you can substitute it with few slices of honey roasted ham.
- If you want to get a more crusty result, add on top of the ‘boats’ a fistful of plain breadcrumbs mixed with some grated Parmesan.


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