Recipe by Silvia Baldini – Pay attention on your next walk. You will spot the yellow flowers and bright green leaves everywhere. It's not a weed it is Tarassico or Dandelion in italian. Pick a generous handful, maybe fill one bag, if you have the patience. Wash it. Wash it. And then wash it again. Toss the leaves with a few slices of radishes, a few teaspoons of good olive oil and sherry vinegar. Scatter wedges of 8 minutes boiled eggs on top. Reward yourself with a bitter, crunchy salad.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini – Pay attention on your next walk. You will spot the yellow flowers and bright green leaves everywhere. It's not a weed it is Tarassico or Dandelion in italian. Pick a generous handful, maybe fill one bag, if you have the patience. Wash it. Wash it. And then wash it again. Toss the leaves with a few slices of radishes, a few teaspoons of good olive oil and sherry vinegar. Scatter wedges of 8 minutes boiled eggs on top. Reward yourself with a bitter, crunchy salad.
Triple wash the dandelion leaves, trim the roots and dry. Place in a large bowl. Slice the radishes thin. I use a mandolin or a sharp pairing knife. Scatter the radishes on top of the dandelion.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or a mason jar. Whisk the sherry vinegar with the shallot and Dijon mustard.
In a thin, steady stream, whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Stir in the honey, if using. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
Drizzle a few generous tablespoons of the dressing on the salad and toss gently. You can preserve the remaining vinaigrette covered in the fridge for a few weeks.
Add the sliced eggs on top of the dressed dandelion leaves and serve.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — A gorgeous end of fall and wintery salad, generous in flavor and packed with immune system busting vitamins. The peach and Persian lime dressing ties this simple dish together with an infusion of sweet and sour aromas redolent of the Mediterranean. You can find the ingredients for the dressing at www.thesecretingredientgirls.com
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — A gorgeous end of fall and wintery salad, generous in flavor and packed with immune system busting vitamins. The peach and Persian lime dressing ties this simple dish together with an infusion of sweet and sour aromas redolent of the Mediterranean. You can find the ingredients for the dressing at www.thesecretingredientgirls.com
Peel and section all the citrus. Discard seeds and pith. Slice the fennel thin with a sharp knife or a mandolin. Arrange the sliced fennel on a serving dish then add the citrus slices.
In a cup whisk the Peach Balsamic and Persian Lime Oil with the salt and pepper. Drizzle 3 or 4 tablespoons on top of the citrus. Serve immediately. Reserve the remaining dressing for later use.
2tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar or white peach balsamic
2teaspoonsHoney
sea-salt
4ripe peaches
2large ripe tomatoesor you can use 1 lb mixed tomatoes
8ozfresh ricotta cheese
4-6thin sliced prosciutto torn in to pieces
1bunchfresh basil leaves
1bunch mint leaves
1/2cuptoasted hazelnut
black pepper
sea salt flakes
Servings: people
Instructions
Poach peaches into hot water. Peel and cut in half and stone.
Whisk oil, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl until honey is dissolved; season with salt.
Toss peaches, tomatoes, and half of dressing in a medium bowl; let sit 5 minutes.
Place the ricotta In a medium bowl and whip with a whisk until creamy and fluffy. Swirl at the bottom of a large serving platter.
Top the ricotta with the peaches and tomatoes and drizzle with remaining dressing. Scatter a few torn basil and mint leaves over and season with sea salt and pepper, then finish with the prosciutto slices and the toasted hazelnuts.
Recipe By Silvia Baldini—
A lovely sustaining and tasty fall salad. Sweet roasted and spicy pumpkin is topped with layers of crunchy apples, woodsy pine nuts and a load of spinach. I'm in love with this dish.
Recipe By Silvia Baldini—
A lovely sustaining and tasty fall salad. Sweet roasted and spicy pumpkin is topped with layers of crunchy apples, woodsy pine nuts and a load of spinach. I'm in love with this dish.
1medium pumpkin, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 6-8 wedges
SPINACH
3tablespoons pine nuts
2tablespoonsolive oil
1red onion, sliced
1/2teaspooncrushed chilli flakes
1tart apple (Granny Smith or similar), peeled, cored and diced
2garlic cloves crushed
1teaspoonground cumin
2 teaspoons runny honey
1poundwashed spinach sliced in ribbons
5tablespoonsdouble cream
1tablespoonchopped fresh cilantro
1pinchsalt
1pinchfresh ground black pepper
Servings: people
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400F
Put coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon and chilli with the salt into a mortar and pestle and crush until finely ground. Add the garlic and olive oil and pound to a paste. Rub this spice mix evenly all over the pumpkin wedges. Arrange in a single layer in a roast until tender, about 40 minutes.
Make the spinach topping when the pumpkin is nearly done. Toast the pine nuts in a dry heavy frying pan over the low heat, shaking the pan once or twice, until nutty and golden, about 5 minutes.
Put the oil in a large pan over medium heat. When it's hot, add the onion and chilli and cook until soft and wilted, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the apple and garlic ad cook until the apple starts to turn gold, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, honey and two tablespoons of the pine nuts. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 3 minutes, then pour in the cream and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the roast pumpkin onto a serving platter, pour over the spinach sauce and sprinkle over the chopped cilantro and remaining pine nuts. Serve at once.
Recipe Notes
THINK AHEAD
You can bake the pumpkin a day ahead; reheat gently in a 300F oven, about 20 minutes. The spinach sauce is best made just before serving as it loses its bright green colour if you leave it sitting around but it takes only a few minutes if you have your pine nuts ready and toasted and your spinach chopped.
My favorite under 20 minutes summer pasta is a bowl of fresh chopped tomatoes, diced mozzarella, basil and garlic oil tossed with a short cooked noodle, then sprinkled with parmesan. It’s very easy to prepare and it taste better at room temperature or cold. Make sure your tomatoes are ripe and local and choose good quality mozzarella. This is a simple and humble dish but it’s packed with flavor and the whole process is ridiculously easy.
Boil a large pot of water, add sea salt and cook your pasta according to the directions. Drain, quickly rinse under cold water and place in a large bowl. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, toss the tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl with the basil leaves. I like to rip the basil leaves by hand in small pieces. Season with salt and pepper and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside.
In a small pan add the olive oil and the slivers of garlic. Cook on low until the garlic is golden then remove from the heat and set aside.
With a slotted spoon remove the garlic and place on paper towel to drain. Reserve the garlic oil and the slivers for later use.
Toss the tomatoes mixture with the pasta. Add the some of the garlic oil and the parmesan. Add a touch of black pepper and toss well. Serve at room temperature with extra parmesan and the garlic slivers on the side.
Recipe Notes
You can make the garlic oil in advance and keep in a glass container at room temperature for up to three weeks. I like to substitute pecorino cheese to the parmesan. Burrata is a delicious and creamy alternative to regular mozzarella.
This bright, green and crunchy salad is a take on the classic italian side dish of Peas and Prosciutto. I like this nutritious salad, it makes a very yummy power lunch or a delicious side dish and since I care about what I eat but I don’t want to lose sleep over –the past 100 days have been enough of a snooze disruptor — I’m happy when a recipe this balanced takes less than 15 minutes to throw together.
1 1/2 cupscups shelled fresh green peas (from about 1¼ pounds pods), or frozen peas, thawed
12 ouncessnow peas, trimmed and washed
8slices prosciutto, sliced medium-thick
1/2cupsshaved parmigiano
1tablespoonfresh lemon juice
1/2teaspoonDijon mustard
3tablespoonsvirgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
3tablespoonschopped fresh mint
Servings: people
Instructions
Cook green peas and snow peas in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water then drain and dry on paper towels.
Whisk lemon juice and mustard in a large bowl. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly until emulsified; season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
Add green peas, snow peas, and mint to a bowl with vinaigrette and toss until well coated with dressing;
Arrange salad on a platter and top with prosciutto. Add the shaved parmigiano.
Asparagus mimosa is a simple, fresh and super easy way to cook this crisp, sweet vegetable. It’s also one of my Easter brunch favorite dishes. I look for asparagus at the farmers market or my local shops, as soon as March and April come around and I choose spears that are brightly colored and have a compact tip. Asparagus is a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Asparagus is also a brain booster because it’s loaded with vitamin B12, a vitamin with anti-aging property and known to prevent cognitive impairment. Brain power for pretty ladies, now that’s my kind of brunch.
Place your eggs in a pot of boiling water. Simmer for 9 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and after cooling down for a couple of minutes, peel them.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Grate the yolks and the white in two different bowls. I like to use a coarse cheese grater.
Bend the asparagus until the tough bottom end snaps off. Discard the end. With a peeler gently remove some of the tough skin from the stalks.
Place the spears in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for 3 to 6 minutes.
Drain and place in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Top with grated eggs, making sure not to cover thetas of the asparagus.
This salty and addictive anchovy-based dressing-similar to my beloved Italian classic Bagna Cauda is very easy to whip up. Serve it with a rainbow of good for you veggies or with steamed broccoli. Keep it in a jar in the fridge for weeks, ready for when you need some extra flavor. I swear, kids love it.
Put all the ingredients in a glass jar and whiz together with a hand held blender until cream and smooth. I like to leave the dressing aside before using for at least half hour to allow all the flavors to mingle and develop.
Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes.
In a food processor, crumble the stale bread. Then add the beets, tahini, the garlic if using, the toasted walnuts, the cumin, half the lemon juice, salt and pepper and blend to a thick paste. Add the olive oil and pulse a couple of times.
Taste the mixture and adjust for lemon juice and seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for up to a couple days. Bring to room temperature prior to serving.
