A nice simple summery starter that goes beautifully with crusty bread!
Ingredients
700g Mozzarella (the best quality you can find)
400g Baby Tomatoes
1 small tin of anchovies
1 garlic clove
Olive oil
Olives (with stone if possible)
Oregano
Basil
Salt + Pepper
Method
Chop the garlic finely and fry it in a little olive oil. Now add the tomatoes and cook for around 10 minutes. Chop the mozzarella, olives (remove the stone first) and the anchovies and add to the pan, give a quick stir. To finish chop the parsley and roughly rip the basil, now add both. Season to taste (add salt sparingly as the anchovies will be salty).
This recipe is a great way to make meatballs vegetarian and a little more summery.
Ingredients
500gr boiled potatoes
1-2 eggs
Parmesan
Any vegetables you have (peppers, aubergine, courgette, brocolli)
Breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Wash and roughly chop the vegetables, now cook them in a large frying pan with garlic and oil. Leave to cool Now break up the boiled potatoes and 1 egg, salt and the cheese. Now add the cooked vegetables and enough breadcrumbs to ensure the mix is not runny. If you put too much breadcrumbs in and the mix doesn’t hold add the other egg.
Now make the meatballs and once you are happy with their shape roll them around in the breadcrumbs. At this point heat some oil in a frying pan, it should be medium hot and not smoking, when the oil reaches temperature carefully add the meatballs to it and roll them a few times so that all of the outside is cooked.
I know veal’s not really eaten much in the UK but this dish is simple and absolutely delicious. Give it a shot!
Ingredients
8 veal scallops (50gr each)
40 gr butter
1 glass of red wine
The rind from 1 lemon
3 juniper berries
1 garlic clove
flour
salt and pepper
Method
Flour the scallops and leave them to one side. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the scallops for a couple of minutes on each side. Place the scallops in an oven dish.
Boil the red wine with the lemon rind and add the garlic clove and juniper berries. After a few minutes when the sauce is reduced a bit pass it through a sieve and pour the sauce on the meat. Add salt and pepper and cook in an oven for around 5 minutes at 200°.
Prepare the sauce by heating the butter and Gorgonzola in a frying pan on a low heat, add a little water if the sauce becomes too creamy, season well with the pepper. Now cook the steaks to your liking in a skillet or frying pan, make sure to season them well before cooking. If cooking in a frying pan add a little butter and as your turn the steaks pour the melted butter of them.
Plate the steaks up without the sauce and when you’re happy with the presentation pour 2 spoons full of sauce over the steaks. Pour the rest of the sauce in a jug so those at the table can choose if they want more. Just before serving sprinkle with some finely chopped parsley.
Cesena were promoted to the top flight of Italian football 2 days ago after 19 years. This video has been doing the rounds on a fair few Napoli forums, it’s a scene acted by the legendary Massimo Troisi (a Neapolitan actor). Unfortunatly it’s in Neapolitan so only those of you who speak or undertand Italian will understand it.
Rabbit is a meat that’s not really eaten a lot in this country, however in some parts of Italy it’s very popular, this dish is an old Italian peasant dish and goes well with some lovely crusty bread or as a second course served after a simple pasta dish ( how it would be eaten in Italy ).
Ingredients
800g rabbit
300g passata
1 stick of celery
1 onion
1 carrot
1 sprig rosemary
1 handful of olives with the stone (I think they taste so much better but remember to pit them!)
1 ladle-full of vegetable stock
20g butter
2 spoonfuls of olive oil
50g flower
salt
Method
Wash and dice the celery, carrots and onion. Chop the rabbit into small chunks and flour them then fry them off in a frying pan with oil and butter. Keep turning for rabbit for about 30 seconds and then add all the vegetables and the rosemary(chopped up). Leave the mixture for a minute in order for the flavors to amalgamate. Now add the passata, the olives and the stock.
Now turn the flame right down and cook for about an hour, mix the mixture every now and then. If the dish becomes too dry add a little more rabbit. Salt well and serve hot.
Cut the chicken into chunks that are a couple of cm thick, make sure you remove any excess nerves or fat. Crack the egg in a plate and add the milk, black pepper, a touch of salt and whisk everything with a fork. In another plate mix the rosemary, breadcrumbs and parmesan.
Take each of the pieces of chicken and first dip them in the egg, shake off any excess and then the breadcrumb mix. Now place all the pieces of breaded chicken in an oven proof dish lined with tin foil, sprinkle the olive oil over them. Cook at 180° for around 15 minutes, make sure you turn the chicken half way through. After 15 minutes make sure to check they are cooked through and serve immediately.
You can serve this dish with a nice chilli salsa as a starter or with a summer salad as a main.
