Therefore, we need all the help and stamina we can get to gallop through the day and win our battles. Lentils and Chickpeas are a source of ginormous energy and taste darn good when slow cooked with savory ingredients. I like to combine them with ground lamb, tomatoes, potatoes, cumin and a pinch of smoked paprika for an easy, all-inclusive, one-pot family dish. POW!
1poundlean ground lambyou can also use small cubes
3tbspsherry vinegar
1/4cupred wine
1poundblack lentils, rinsed
1canchickpeas, drained
1tspcumin powder
1/2tspsmoked paprika
3tbsptomato paste
1cupcanned tomatoes, chopped
1tspfresh thyme chopped
1cuppeeled and cubed potatoes
3cupschicken stock
2bay leaves
1salt and pepper
3tbspchopped parsley
Servings: people
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan and add the carrot, celery and onion. Cover and cook for until softened, which should take just a couple minutes. Then add the garlic and lamb and cook, stirring and crumbling the ground lamb or turning the lamb chunks as needed, until browned on the outside but still pink on the inside, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and wine and cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid evaporates.
Add the lentils, chickpeas, cumin and paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, thyme, potatoes, chicken stock and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are soft but not mushy, sorta like cooking pasta until it’s al dente. Stir with a wooden spoon from time to time.
Remove and discard the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with the parsley.
Recipe Notes
Add some sliced avocado and fresh spinach for extra green power. Leftovers are outstanding spooned on flat bread—we call it lamb pizza.
Soft, creamy and cheesy polenta; yellow corn flour cooked until gooey. I don’t need to say much more. I like to serve polenta with a scoop of my always family favorite ragù sauce, or slow cooked ribs, veal stew, and even if you dare, rabbit. But frankly, a bowl of polenta mixed with hot fresh milk and what ever melty cheese you have in your fridge it’s heaven to me.
Bring the water and the milk to a boil in a large saucepan. Add a generous pinch of salt.
Gradually add the polenta in a steady stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. (I find a whisk doesn't work well.) Reduce the heat and gently simmer, stirring from time to time, for about 25 minutes. If the polenta thickens too quickly, add a little more water or milk.
Remove from the heat, add the Parmesan and butter and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Recipe Notes
For an even creamier polenta, use half milk and half double cream instead of water. Or substitute Add blue cheese for the Parmesan and add some toasted walnuts for a side dish that's sure to make everyone happy.
Making your own nut butter is easy, quick and so GOOD! Try making it with all kind of nuts, roasting them or leaving them raw. My favorite is hazelnut butter, maybe because it could become your base for Nutella! Energy packed on a spoon.
2-4tbspsunflower oiluse vegetable oil but not olive oil, the taste would be too overpowering
1-2tbsprunny honey
1/2tspsea salt flakes
Servings: cup
Instructions
Put the nuts in a food processor and pulse until quite fine. Add a tbsp or two of the oil and process until you get a creamy paste. Add a little oil if you need.
Add the honey and salt and pulse. Add a few more nuts at the end of processing if you want a crunchy nut butter. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes
You can experiment by combining different nuts and adding sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds.
Energy-packededamame beans, bittersweet fava beans,salty pancetta, all coated in delicious and healthy olive oil and finished with a squeeze of bright lemon juice. I like to pile this satisfying and pleasingly chewy mixture on thick slices of toasted sourdough. Prep your beans and pancetta ahead of time and store them in the fridge for up to a week, keeping them ready and waiting for whenever you need a quick lunch, side, snack or last-minute and light supper.
Prep your beans and pancetta ahead of time and store them in the fridge for up to a week, keeping them ready and waiting for whenever you need a quick lunch, side, snack or last-minute and light supper.
Prep the beans. Shell the fava beans and edamame. Keep them separate.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add the fava beans. Simmer for 2 minutes and then scoop them out. Squeeze each fava bean out of its outer bitter skin, toss in a colander to drain and set aside. Keep the water boiling. Then add the edamame to the boiling water. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Fry the pancetta or the bacon in a skillet until crisp and brown. Remove from the heat.
When ready to serve, in a large bowl combine the fava beans and edamame, the pancetta, the olive oil and the lemon. Mix delicately.
Toast the bread. Spoon the beans and pancetta mix on the toasted bread, drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Finish with a little sprinkle of chopped mint.
Recipe Notes
Grated Pecorino or aged ricotta would make a nice salty and savory addition to the toast.
Energy packed edamame beans, bittersweet fava beans, salty pancetta, all coated in delicious and healthy olive oil and finished with a bright squeeze of lemon juice. I like to pile up this satisfying and chewy medley on thick slices of toasted sourdough. Prep your beans and pancetta ahead of time, you can store them in the fridge for up to a week, keep them waiting and ready for lunch, side, snack or a last minute lite supper.
Prep the beans. Shell the fava beans and edamame. Keep them separate.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add the fava beans. Simmer for 2 minutes and then scoop them out. Squeeze each fava bean out of its outer bitter skin, toss in a colander to drain and set aside. Keep the water boiling. Then add the edamame to the boiling water. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Fry the pancetta or the bacon in a skillet until crisp and brown. Remove from the heat.
When ready to serve, in a large bowl combine the fava beans and edamame, the pancetta, the olive oil and the lemon. Mix delicately.
Toast the bread. Spoon the beans and pancetta mix on the toasted bread, drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Finish with a little sprinkle of chopped mint.
Recipe Notes
Grated Pecorino or aged ricotta would make a nice salty and savory addition to the toast.
This salty and addictiveanchovy-based dressing is similar to my beloved Italian classic, bagna cauda. It’s very easy to whip together and you can keep it in a jar in the fridge for weeks, ready for whenever you need some extra flavor. Serve it with a rainbow of good-for-you veggie crudités or with simple steamed broccoli. 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.
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.
Who needs boringand fatteningpound cake when you can havemenopause cake? This dense and not-so-sweet cake, adapted from a Women’s Weekly recipe, is packed with ingredients that can help minimize menopausal and menstrual symptoms. It uses all the healthy goodness of soy, oat flour, and almonds along with the sweetness of sweet potatoes, banana, prunes and figs. One slice a day is all you need for pure girl power bliss!
1mediumsweet potato (about 5 oz)peeled and chopped
3 1/2ozdried figs roughly chopped
3 1/2ozsoy flour
3 1/2ozself rising wholemealSee note below
3 1/2ozoatmeal
1 1/34ozflax seedsGround
1 1/34ozpumpkin seeds
1 1/34ozground almonds
3 1/2 ozchopped walnuts
1tspground allspice
4ozchopped pitted prunes
1tbspgolden syrup or molasses
2largeeggs
7 1/2fl ozskim milk
1medium or largeripe banana, mashed
Servings: slices
Instructions
Preheat the oven at 350°F and line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
Microwave the sweet potato pieces on high in 1 tablespoon water for 5 minutes or until soft, and then use the back of a fork or spoon to mash the sweet potatoes with the water. Soften the figs in 4fl oz of hot water for 10 minutes and then mash the figs and the water with a handheld blender.
Meanwhile, combine the flours and oatmeal in a large bowl. Stir in the seeds, nuts, the allspice and then the chopped prunes.
In another bowl, combine the syrup or molasses with the eggs and milk. Stir in the sweet potato mash, the fig purée and the mashed banana and combine well (you can whizz in the blender, if you like).
Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake in the oven at 350°F for 1 hour or until nicely golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack and then remove the cake from the pan and cut into slices. You can store leftovers (if there are any!) in an airtight container or wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and then place in a resealable plastic bag and freeze.
Recipe Notes
If you cannot find self rising whole meal flour you can easily make it at home. Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup all wheat flour, 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened but not colored, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, saffron, turmeric, and chicken and cook gently, stirring until the chicken has absorbed the spices and is colored nicely. About 5 minutes.
Add the olives, pour over the lemon juice, the chicken stock and tip in the lemon slices. Simmer gently until the chicken is cook through. About 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley.
Combine the couscous with the boiling water in a large heatproof bowl, cover; stand for 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed, fluffing with the fork occasionally.
Toast the pine nuts in a heated dry pan. Cool off.
Add the olive oil and the lemon juice, the grated peel and gently mix. Fold the spinach and the pine nuts in the couscous and season with salt and pepper.
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.
When it’s grey and snowy outside, I crave sunshine. Sliced papaya does the trick for me. Full of vitamins A, C, and B as well as calcium, iron and phosphorous, papaya not only gives me my warm weather fix but helps in weight loss and fighting cellulite. It’s the ultimate breakfast, snack or dessert. I like to add lemon, lime and some passionfruit pulp to brighten the tropical taste.
If you're done with kale, start thinking papaya. Full of vitamins A, C, and B as well as calcium, iron and phosphorous, papaya helps in weight loss and fighting cellulite. The ultimate breakfast, snack or dessert. I like to add lemon, lime and some passionfruit pulp to thick slices for a bright mouthful.
If you're done with kale, start thinking papaya. Full of vitamins A, C, and B as well as calcium, iron and phosphorous, papaya helps in weight loss and fighting cellulite. The ultimate breakfast, snack or dessert. I like to add lemon, lime and some passionfruit pulp to thick slices for a bright mouthful.
If you're done with kale, start thinking papaya. Full of vitamins A, C, and B as well as calcium, iron and phosphorous, papaya helps in weight loss and fighting cellulite. The ultimate breakfast, snack or dessert. I like to add lemon, lime and some passionfruit pulp to thick slices for a bright mouthful.
If you're done with kale, start thinking papaya. Full of vitamins A, C, and B as well as calcium, iron and phosphorous, papaya helps in weight loss and fighting cellulite. The ultimate breakfast, snack or dessert. I like to add lemon, lime and some passionfruit pulp to thick slices for a bright mouthful.
Steaming salmon, or any kind of flaky fish, keeps it moist, healthy and packed with flavor. Add this simple burnt orange glaze and you not only get your omega-3s and antioxidants but you have a truly tasty dinner ready in less than 20 minutes. You can serve it with sticky rice or brown rice for a little starchy comfort.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini— Salmon is a beautiful fish with moist and tender flesh as long as you don't' over cook it. Wild salmon comes mostly from the North Pacific and is a better choice that farmed. It has so much flavor that all it really needs is a hot skillet and a sprinkle of salt.
However farmed salmon is less expensive, and it’s very fatty. That makes not only for pretty good eating but also for extremely forgiving cooking: you can overcook farmed salmon a bit, and it won’t be that dry.
I usually oven cook a whole side of salmon with the skin on at 350 degrees in oven for 14 minutes. It always comes out moist and pink inside. A sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon are enough for weeknights dinners or you can dress it up with this simple burnt orange glaze.
I use the leftovers for salads, pasta and fish cakes.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini— Salmon is a beautiful fish with moist and tender flesh as long as you don't' over cook it. Wild salmon comes mostly from the North Pacific and is a better choice that farmed. It has so much flavor that all it really needs is a hot skillet and a sprinkle of salt.
However farmed salmon is less expensive, and it’s very fatty. That makes not only for pretty good eating but also for extremely forgiving cooking: you can overcook farmed salmon a bit, and it won’t be that dry.
I usually oven cook a whole side of salmon with the skin on at 350 degrees in oven for 14 minutes. It always comes out moist and pink inside. A sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon are enough for weeknights dinners or you can dress it up with this simple burnt orange glaze.
I use the leftovers for salads, pasta and fish cakes.
Stir the sugar, water and honey in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and simmer, without stirring, until the mixture is a light caramel color. Watch it carefully and don't let it burn. The caramel will go from not quite done to burnt very quickly if you’re not paying close attention.
Immediately remove the pan from the heat, let the bubbles subside and carefully stir in 1 teaspoon orange zest and 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice. (You’ll want to stand back a little as the mixture may splatter.) Return the pan to low heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly until any caramel bits that may have formed completely dissolve. Add the oil and vinegar and gently simmer, stirring almost constantly, for 1 minute.
Pre-heat the oven at 350 Fahrenheit. Place the salmon skin down on a lined oven tray. Season with salt and pepper. Liberally spoon the orange glaze on the salmon and bake for 14 minutes. Serve with the leftover glaze on the side.
Recipe Notes
Add some ginger and minced garlic to the glaze for extra flavor. Substitute the orange juice with lemon or grapefruit.
Everyone has a favorite pancake recipe and this is mine. It rises high and with a soft, sponge like texture, ready to soak up creamy butter and syrup. Add bananas, or berries and a dollop of whipped cream for a truly decadent breakfast. Sometimes I have the kids prepare and weight all the ingredients the night before. Wet ingredients in a bowl and dry in another bowl, even the eggs. Then in the morning we are ready to go.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a bowl. Put the milk, eggs, and cooled melted butter into a second large bowl and mix with a whisk.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently combine. Do not overwork the pancake batter. It doesn't matter if the batter isn't smooth. Rest the batter for at least half hour for higher and fluffier pancakes.
Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a pat of butter and reduce the heat to medium-low or low. When the butter is melted, pour the batter into the pan in batches of 3 or 4 rounds and cook for 1 minute, until small bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Turn the pancake and cook until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve with butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar or even whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
You can add a sliced banana or some berries to the batter right before cooking or some chocolate chips, a teaspoon of poppy seeds and honey.
Home-cured salmon is an elegant starter for a dinner party or a beautiful day-after-the-cocktail-party breakfast. No cooking required, which is a great thing when spending a lot of time in the kitchen isn’t high on your agenda.
Toast the fennel and coriander seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and add the juniper berries, sugar, salt and orange and lemon zests.
Place the salmon, skin side down, on a large sheet of parchment paper set on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pack the spice cure on the flesh side of the salmon, pressing so it adheres.
Toss the beets and chopped dill in a medium bowl and combine. Spread this onto the flesh side of fish and again press. Fold the sides of the parchment over the salmon and then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Set another baking sheet on top of salmon and weight it with three 28-oz. cans or the equivalent in cookbooks or other heavy things you have in your kitchen. Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours before slicing and serving.
A jar of my marinated goat cheese makes an easy, tasty and lovely gift for the holidays. It’s spectacular simply slathered on crusty bread, crumbled on salads, even grilled and sandwiched in a baguette. It doesn’t require any cooking but it sure shows a lot of love. Give it as a hostess gift and share some yumminess.
2tbspfresh rosemarythyme, oregano are really good substitutions
4smallchili peppers
1largelemon
2tbspfennel seeds
4clovesgarlicpeeled
2cupsolive oilenough to cover the cheese in the jar
Servings: large jars
Instructions
Divide the cheese among 4 sterilized jars. Add the bay leaves and the rosemary sprigs to the jars.
Cut the chilis in half. Cut 8 strips of zest from the lemon. Arrange the lemon strips and the chili next to the cheeses in the jars. Add the fennel seeds and the garlic cloves to the jars.
Pour in enough olive oil so the cheeses are completely covered. Seal the jars and place them in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Eat with some crusty bread or crumble on salads or grill on slices of baguette for a quick and easy crostino.
2tbspfresh rosemarythyme, oregano are really good substitutions
4smallchili peppers
1largelemon
2tbspfennel seeds
4clovesgarlicpeeled
2cupsolive oilenough to cover the cheese in the jar
Servings: large jars
Instructions
Divide the cheese among 4 sterilized jars. Add the bay leaves and the rosemary sprigs to the jars.
Cut the chilis in half. Cut 8 strips of zest from the lemon. Arrange the lemon strips and the chili next to the cheeses in the jars. Add the fennel seeds and the garlic cloves to the jars.
Pour in enough olive oil so the cheeses are completely covered. Seal the jars and place them in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Eat with some crusty bread or crumble on salads or grill on slices of baguette for a quick and easy crostino.
Combine pasta, tomatoes, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, salt, pepper, and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 to 10 minutes or according to direction on the box
Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan.
Recipe Notes
sliced white or yellow onion, black olives can be added
1/2cupshredded cabbageSavoy or what ever is in season
Servings: people
Instructions
Melt the butter with the oil in a pan over low heat. Add the onions, garlic and carrot. Cook gently until softened but not colored, about 10 minutes. Add the apples the celeriac and potato then the stock. Turn the heat to medium and bring to the boil. Season.
Simmer for 20 minutes. Cool for a while.
Put the soup in a food processor or use a hand held immersion blender and pulse until silky smooth.
Return the soup to a rinsed pan over medium heat, thin if necessary with water or stock. Reheat until simmering. Add the pancetta and cabbage and simmer until the cabbage is bright green about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I have had this Julia Child picture, framed and hanging on my wall for years. It makes me smile, it reminds me to slow down, and it’s a delightful prompt for someone like me who has a bit of a hard time asking for help.
“Back to School” is one of those times I wish I had a team of professional handlers, shadowing me and making my life just a little less muddy. I don’t. Therefore the last couple of weeks have been, more or less, hell and spent arming the whole family with new soccer shoes, tennis outfits, cellos, violins and let’s not forget, discovering the virtues of my new favorite, Mode Podge Glue and did I mention consulting about new cute outfits?
I also have had to organize 2 birthday’s celebrations, inclusive of multi-layered, glittery cakes, I have been at one open house, a welcome back coffee, I had a drum stick drama and I worked on a lengthy time line project. I cannot wait for week 3 in September.
I have commiserated with many of the parents and apparently I’m not the only one with these kinds of issues. Generally speaking back to school is a war zone for all.
One place where I do better than the organizational inferno of my kids closets and their activities, it’s the kitchen. My pantry is ready to go and my fridge and freezers are stocked up for lunches, snacks, dinners and post games hunger freak-outs—I didn’t know, before becoming a mother and a wife, men turn in to famished werewolves immediately after sport practice.
Furthermore, since I suspect, you are like me at home and don’t employ a swarm of chefs and pot washers ready to chop, prep and clean at your command, I thought you might enjoy learning about my 5 favorite, ready to go meals and pantry helpers that make my life easier and my dinners more enjoyable.
Roasted Tomatoes Sauce– It’s a simple, healthy, quick but brilliant way to make a tomatoes sauce. The full power, garlicky flavor and the smooth consistency make it a perfect versatile companion for pastas , soups and a phenomenal base for sauces and stews. I make it in large batches and freeze it in my latest obsession, stand alone ziplock bags.
Bolognese- We all have a bolognese recipes. This is my version and It reminds me of home. My kids know the taste so well by now, if I change the recipe even by one ingredient they complain. It’s a slow cooked project I usually do once a months on a weekend. I like to lace a mix of equal parts of double ground veal, pork and beef with a small amount of cumin and nutmeg and once it’s cooked and cooled I freeze it in pre weighted portions. I use it on pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, polenta or semolina.
Olive Oil Frozen Herbs- This is my favorite last minute flavor trick and a great way to preserve all the herbs I grow in summer. I wash, dry and chop finely my leafy herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro and tarragon. I put them in ice cube containers packing at least half of the cube and cover them with good olive oil. I then freeze them, pop them out and keep them in ziplock bags ready to use in sauces and sautés. Read more about Olive Oil in my sharing corner post about Alina Lawrence, she is the fab owner of Olivette.
End of Summer Minestrone-I make huge pots of this healthy and hearty minestrone. It’s loaded with beans and good vegetables. I add cooked orzo, barley, pasta or rice and finish it with parmesan and crispy pancetta for a full power one dish meal.
Mashed Potatoes for the week-I keep a container of home made mashed potatoes in the fridge. They last for a good 5 to 7 days. They are a smart and efficient way to produce a meal in less than 10 minutes. Just add bolognese, cheese, a fried egg, peas and bacon, sausages for a cozy dinner or use them to top left over stews, grilled salmon, or really what ever you have in the fridge, sprinkle them with a mix of cheddar and parmesan, then brown them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
So welcome back to school with an empathizing nod to all of you trying to get a last minutes cello delivered to your door!
Halve the tomatoes and arrange them in an oven proof dish lined with parchment. I like them tightly packed but not on top of each other.
Season with the salt, drizzle the olive oil evenly. Scatter the garlic and basil on the tomatoes.
Roast for 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and lightly charred. Pass through a sieve or a food mill and discard the seeds and the skins. Use immediately as a great pasta sauce or preserve in zip lock bags and freeze.
Recipe Notes
The seeds and skin of the tomatoes are best removed as they can cause allergies and irritate the stomach.
Tomatoes cook and taste better if the pepper is added after cooking.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — I make meat sauce every week. It's our to-go meal. We use it on pasta, veggies, polenta and mashed potatoes. I like to mix veal, pork and beef and I slow cook it for a couple of hours.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — I make meat sauce every week. It's our to-go meal. We use it on pasta, veggies, polenta and mashed potatoes. I like to mix veal, pork and beef and I slow cook it for a couple of hours.
1 bouquet garnitie bay leaves, parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme together
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Servings: people
Instructions
Warm a couple of table spoon of olive oil in a large heavy bottom pan. Add onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until soft but not browned. Add prosciutto/mortadella and keep cooking for an extra 10 minutes on a low flame. Rise the heat to medium high add veal, pork and beef. Cook stirring occasionally until browned.
Add wine, cook the alcohol out for a couple of minutes on a low the flame.
Season with a sprinkle of nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper. Add tomato concentrate and cook for a couple of minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, stock and the bouquet garni.
Cook on slow heat for at a couple of hours or until the sauce is nicely reduced and compact. Taste for seasoning and discard the herbs before serving or freezing.
1bunchkale leaves or large spinachcleaned and deveined
2mediumzucchinicubed
2cupsgreen beans sliced in small sections
salt and pepper
1bouquet garnitie together rosemary, parsley, thyme, 1 bay leaf
Servings: people
Instructions
Warm olive the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add garlic, onions, celery and carrots . Cook 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Add the bacon or pancetta and crisp.
Stir in the beans. Stew slowly for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and bouquet garland season. Add the parmesan rind.
Bring to a boil and slow simmer for 25-30 minutes until soft vegetable are soft.
Remove from heat. Discard the bouquet garni and parmesan rind and with an immersion blender whiz to a chunky consistency. YOu can also use a blender or a food processor.
Return the soup to the pot on a medium/slow heat and add remaining
vegetables. Cook for 15/ 20 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but with a bit a of a bite.
Serve warm or room temperature. Garnish with pesto, crunchy pancetta, a grain and some parsley.
Recipe Notes
Freeze before adding kale, beans and zucchini for up to 6 months.
Halve the tomatoes and arrange them in an oven proof dish lined with parchment. I like them tightly packed but not on top of each other.
Season with the salt, drizzle the olive oil evenly. Scatter the garlic and basil on the tomatoes.
Roast for 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and lightly charred. Pass through a sieve or a food mill and discard the seeds and the skins. Use immediately as a great pasta sauce or preserve in zip lock bags and freeze.
Recipe Notes
The seeds and skin of the tomatoes are best removed as they can cause allergies and irritate the stomach.
Tomatoes cook and taste better if the pepper is added after cooking.
1bunchkale leaves or large spinachcleaned and deveined
2mediumzucchinicubed
2cupsgreen beans sliced in small sections
salt and pepper
1bouquet garnitie together rosemary, parsley, thyme, 1 bay leaf
Servings: people
Instructions
Warm olive the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add garlic, onions, celery and carrots . Cook 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Add the bacon or pancetta and crisp.
Stir in the beans. Stew slowly for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and bouquet garland season. Add the parmesan rind.
Bring to a boil and slow simmer for 25-30 minutes until soft vegetable are soft.
Remove from heat. Discard the bouquet garni and parmesan rind and with an immersion blender whiz to a chunky consistency. YOu can also use a blender or a food processor.
Return the soup to the pot on a medium/slow heat and add remaining
vegetables. Cook for 15/ 20 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but with a bit a of a bite.
Serve warm or room temperature. Garnish with pesto, crunchy pancetta, a grain and some parsley.
Recipe Notes
Freeze before adding kale, beans and zucchini for up to 6 months.
“A good dinner is of great importance to good talk. One cannot think well, love well, sleep well,
if one has not dined well.
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
Words I live by and the opening quote for “Time Table. A Tavola Nei Secoli”, a spectacular exhibition at Palazzo Madama, and the Queen Palace in Turin, my hometown in Italy. The show is a time travel through the centuries of table’s settings, manners, social rites and a showcase of stunning china and objects created by artists and artisans to adorn meals and dining tables. It takes place in the palace from June 24 to October 18.
Since I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to table settings I feel lucky to have been invited to see a preview of the show the week before its opening, when I’ll be a guest speaker at TurinEpi a 3 day food event organized by a true Food Goddess and friend Lucia Hannau. Lucia is featured this week in my Sharing Corner where you can read about her, her cooking tips and her food philosophy.
Immediately following the talks, and the eye feasting at Palazzo Madama, I intend to plant my self at Mulassano, one of the oldest bars in the historical center and quickly put my mouth to a more concrete use, and enjoy a full scale aperitif and to dig in to as many tramezzini, salatini and a negroni or two, while checking out the beautiful and well dressed passers by.
Tramezzini, shot by Silvia Baldini
While Torino and Piedmont are known for big wines, truffles, and a variety of truly impressive dishes, tramezzini are by far my favorite treat when I go home. They are the perfect food to share at a meal that is casual but refined. They are small and delicate and they showcase local ingredients in combinations that range from classic pairings to more surprising and complex combinations.
Of course no cutlery is necessary, but they should be served on fine-looking china, showcased on gracious trays, with pretty pressed linens.
They, at times, require some operational dexterity and manners when eaten while gossiping, checking out the latest fashion under the portici or chatting about the malevolence of the Euro, but they are sure to please the palate and the eye, something very necessary in Italy, a country where food is as important as “Bella Figura”.
It’s important to remember, when making tramezzini, the bread must be fresh, soft and never dry.
I often place a humid piece of cloth on the bread while working and preparing them and I take care to wrap them in film immediately after making them; I also always keep them sealed in the fridge until I’m ready to serve them.
White Bread, By Silvia Baldini
Butter, mayonnaise or a sauce has to be used for flavor and to keep the fillings in it’s place. The ingredients must be fresh and of good quality because there is not too much cooking involved and the flavor comes from the produce not the technique.
Fresh Ingredients By Silvia Baldini
Below is the top ten lists of my favorite combinations, the recipe for a good home made mayonnaise and the link to a Negroni recipe from the NYT made with Punt e Mes a vermouth invented in Torino by the Carpano family. I also have updated my Tray Chic page with some new ideas for table settings.
Place the egg yolks, the mustard, the salt and pepper in a blender. Blend at medium speed. When all combined and emulsified start pouring the olive olive with the motor going slowly. Add the lemon and the vinegar and taste for seasoning. If your mayonnaise splits, add one or two spoon of warm water and an extra egg yolk, then blend again.
Yesterday I woke up with no will nor power for fussy cooking.
I have been in the kitchen non-stop for the past 3 weeks testing and tasting for clients and projects, the thought of spending additional time preparing dinner was unquestionably out of the question. Yet it was a lovely afternoon and I wanted to treat my family to a good meal and spend some precious time with the kids outside. We are very taken by badminton at the moment and my son had an explosive science project he wanted to show me. The science project was explosive indeed. It required a large amount of my cornstarch and soda water, we survived in one piece and dinner turned out even more explosive and a slam-dunk with the family, something I feel is,
at times, more rewarding than a Michelin star.
What I made was insalata di riso. That’s a very Italian rice salad. It’s a classing dish made on summer days and it mostly appears at large gatherings and picnics.
The rice is boiled for 15 minutes with fresh or frozen peas and rinsed in cold water to cool it off and to get rid of most of the starch. Then the fun starts. The classic recipe calls for good canned tuna in olive oil, hard boiled eggs, diced tomatoes, some green olives, pickled vegetables, roasted peppers and yes, don’t run away, wusterls. They are the German or the Italian equivalent to the American hot dogs. Once you taste them sliced , cold and combined with all the other goodies, you’ll be forever hooked, because I strongly, believe, one cannot always feed on balsamic reductions.
In the end the whole thing gets dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, a sprinkle
of chopped parsley, some basil, parmesan slivers and if you feel frisky also with a couple of spoons of good mayonnaise. It’s best to let it rest it in the fridge for at least an hour to combine all the flavors but a full stop overnight makes it even better.
Of course as you can imagine, the variation are many. You can boil the rice with aromatics or saffron to get a flavor kick, change the rice to a black or a red rice, add all sorts of ingredients like shrimps or swordfish or humble chicken or substitute the wurstel for a cured fancy salame or prosciutto, but who has time or the will to go to Brooklyn and run in one more bearded artisanal butcher. Besides I love the original recipe too much to change it.
I made the insalata di riso, in less the 25 minutes, if you are smart and organized you can chop all the ingredients while the rice is cooking and cook the eggs in the rice water during the last 10 minutes .
I also poached some sweet cherries in red wine, then since I cannot help myself, I made a vanilla budino. It was a great meal, everybody was happy and my kids kicked my derriere at badminton. I posted the pictures on facebook and instagram and this morning I was inundated with requests for the recipe, so here it is.
I hope you have a great lazy and tasty 4th of July and for once don’t spend too much time in the kitchen.
1/2cupparmesan sliversdiced fontina or pecorino are good substitute
2 teaspoonschopped parsley
6leavesbasilteared in small pieces
1mediumlemon juice
3tablespoonsolive oil
salt and pepper
2tablespoonsmayonnaiseoptional
Servings: people
Instructions
Boil the rice in salted water for 15 minutes, add the peas during the last 7 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water.
Reserve in a large bowl. Meanwhile cook the eggs for 9/10 minutes till hardboiled. Peel and cut in to eights. Cook the hot dogs for a couple of minutes in boiling water, then drain and slice in small rounds. Add the tuna, the tomatoes, the olives, the peppers, the pickled vegetables, the sliced hot dogs, the parmesan to the rice. Dress the salad with the olive oil, lemon salt pepper and mayonnaise if using. Add the chopped herbs mix well, and lastly add the eggs. Cover with film and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Overnight is better.
