Golden Love-Letters from Santa

"Buste di Natale" con Ricotta, Scorza di Cedro, Mirtilli Americani, Miele, Cannella & Pistacchi

"Christmas Envelopes" with Ricotta, Citrus Zest, Cranberries, Honey, Cinnamon & Pistachio

Like litte, sweet, gold and emerald-studded love-letters from Santy Claus- these parcels of film pastry have a delicious message inside- which is indeed "I Love You"- and I am sure that you will love eating them too!

I didn't fuss over the preparation or presentation, I kept these little beauties simple and let them be whatever they would be- because as in real life- the true beauty lies within!

You could roll these up into tubes, make little boats out of the film pastry in a muffin tin and fill them with the creamy filling... just as long as you make this lovely, simple, citrus, cinnamon and cranberry ricotta mix, you know whatever you do is going to taste delicious!

Any regular lemon or lime will do, but I had this lovely Cedro, all the way from Sicily... and how could I refuse taking a tablespoon of zest from it? That's all I needed for 3 parcels- 1 tablespoon of citrus zest, 3 tablespoons of fresh ricotta, 1 egg yolk, 1 handful of cranberries, 1 tablespoon of coarsely chopped pistachio, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I chose to use just a little olive oil for my parcels, as I love the flavor of citrus and olive- but you can also use melted butter of course if you prefer.  

And of course, silly me- 6 sheets of filo pastry! (2 per parcel).

Light, flaky, refreshingly citrus flavored with a rich cinnamon touch and those fruity cranberries... and then honey and pistachio?!? Boy- are you ever in for a treat with these!

Begin by turning on your oven to 200°C to get nice and hot, then, chop up the cranberries and add them with the zest, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of honey to the 3 tablespoons of ricotta and stir together thoroughly. No need for a machine or whist of any sorts- a simple spoon will do!

Once the mixture is nice and smooth, ad the egg yolk and work this in- this will keep the mixture smooth and creamy tasting later on.

To make the parcels, I simply spooned out 1/3rd of the cream filling in a diamond form in the center of the pastry.

And then folded the pastry together diagonally too- tucking-in the excess length to keep things tidy. I the brushed the pastry lightly with oil before folding it shut from each side.

All I needed to do then was to fold each side shut and to brush one last time, lightly on the outside with oil... and then into the hot oven they went for 10 minutes on the middle shelf until they were lightly brown from one side. 

I then carefully flipped them over and baked them for a further 5 minutes until the top of the pastry had dried out too.

Once the pastry was dry but not yet browned, I trickled the final tablespoon of honey over them in a criss-cross pattern and sprinkled them with the chopped pistachios, before returning them to the oven for a final 5 minutes... until they were a lovely golden brown.

And there they are- after at least 15 minutes to cool- preferably longer... golden, crispy and totally delicious!

Or alternatively you can of course enjoy them nice and hot- like me!

Golden, flaky, light... but rich and delicious without being overpoweringly sweet! Perfection!

I'll Bake You a Pasta You Can't Refuse!

Pasta al Forno con Bietole, Carne, Pomodoro & Ricotta Fresca

Pasta Bake with Swiss Chard, Ground Beef, Cherry Tomatoes & Fresh Ricotta

You want rich-tasting without loads of fat and satisfying comfort-food flavor without hours of preparation? That's funny! That's exactly how I felt and exactly what I prepared for my supper this evening!

If you have a little ground beef at home, tomatoes, cheese and some swiss chard, you can make this delicious baked pasta dish- if you have some fresh ricotta, you can make it even better still! And of course- if the cheese you have is Parmesan- then you are already half way to perfection!

All silliness aside- if you have the chard, you can make some version of this easily enough, using just a few basic, everyday ingredients and not obsess for ages over a sauce that needs hours to cook. I promise, this is a good quick-fix that will make you happy.

Of course, I was only cooking for one... but I made a portion big enough for two... because it didn't take much... and I just knew it was going to be good!!

I used around 150g of ground beef- just enough for a burger, basically, 1 Spring onion, a small and tender head of chard (awww- how sweet!), 5-6 cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, 2 tablespoons of fresh ricotta, a little parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg and yes, a nice grating of Parmesan cheese just before baking!

Yes, yes, if I had made this using a béchamel sauce as well as the simple tomato sauce, it WOULD have been nicer- I'll admit it! But it would have been more complicated, more fattening and... well- just more work!

So- I did it my way- which I found to be a good way! I'm sure you will too!

Start off f course by boiling your pasta water and turning on the oven... gotta get things hot before you can start cooking anything after all!

Whilst that is happening, fry the ground beef together with the finely sliced Spring onion with no extra fat. By all means add a little garlic if you so wish- it would be great- I just didn't do it!

And of course- regular onion is also more than fine- maybe even better than this...but I find, for a single person, for this kind of use- a Spring onion is a convenient and waste-reducing option.

In the meantime, add your tomato puree and the cherry tomatoes to the pan and stir them in to get them sizzling and developing their full aroma.

Season with salt, pepper and plenty of nutmeg and add a good pinch of finely chopped parsley.

Next, pop your pasta into the boiling water with a generous pinch of salt and begin boiling.

After 3 minutes of the pasta boiling, add the chard, chopped into smile, bite-sized pieces and let the pasta and greens continue boiling for a further 3- minutes or so.

When the pasta has boiled for say, 6 minutes and the chard is nicely blanched, add them to the frying pan and the meat and tomatoes and continue boiling and bubbling away together for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly.

After that time, the pasta will have absorbed all of the water, which in turn has combined with the tomato puree and tomatoes to create a sauce... and everything is right there, beautiful and ready to bake!

Pour your pasta into a baking dish and add a little blob of ricotta here and there- sprinkle the ricotta lightly with salt and grate with a little nutmeg- this will make it taste terrific!

Grate Parmesan cheese over everything- you can add more than me if you so wish, but I found this amount to be perfect. 

Bake in a hot oven, at 200°C for 15-20 minutes until crispy and bubbly and golden brown on top and serve piping hot!

Now, to me... a platter of pasta like this is preeettty irresistible! How do you all feel about it? Hehe!

Chard, nutmeg, tomatoes, meat, cheese and pasta are the best of friends... you should get to meet them! I think you will all get along really well together!

Nope- after the first bite, I am sure you will bond for life and you will make this over and over again... In fact- i am REALLY sure! This one is a true winner!

Green Velvet

Vellutata di Cavolo Verde & Pastinaca con Pancetta Croccante & Semi di Finocchio

Velvety Kale & Parsnip Soup with Crispy Bacon & Fennel Seed

Soup is always a good thing in the Winter- but it can also be a great thing if you use a little imagination! Using a few simple, fresh ingredients and combining the flavors well... that is all that it takes! And you can make any number of variations of deliciousness from even the most humble of vegetables.

Case in point- the remainder of the kale that was there, sitting in my fridge and challenging me to DO SOMETHING with it! And so, I added a couple of parsnips to give some good, savory flavor, bacon to take it over the edge and the basic, classic vegetable base to give substance- and this lovely, emerald, velvety creation was put together in just 30 minutes! Which made the whole thing even better still!

Add a single potato and you have an instant thickening agent, carrot, celery and onion and you have the classic foundation of almost every Italian soup... and by adding the crispy bacon bits, toasted fennel seed and the parsnip chips at the end, the added texture and flavor make this otherwise simple leafy green soup into a real treat! And yes- that fennel seed make the greens easier to digest as well as tasting fantastic!

I managed to get 3 good bowls of soup from just 2 parsnips, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, 1 small potato, 1 handful of finely chopped bacon and 1 small head of kale. The only seasoning I needed was salt, pepper and about 1 teaspoon of fennel seed and the only other flavor I added came from the olive oil... but then again- that is already a lot of flavors right there in those ingredients!

A food mixer, blender or immersion blender and some raw olive oil at the end transform these lovely vegetables into a velvety-smooth pureed soup in next to no time and with no effort at all- and just look at that color! What's not to love about every aspect of this dish?!?!

I say- let's get cooking!

Start off by cutting yourself a few paper-thin slices from one of the parsnips, to fry with the bacon later on, but otherwise by coarsely chopping the vegetables and sautéing them together with a little olive oil, just until the onion becomes translucent.

No need to fuss at all here- everything is going to get blended together later anyway... remember? Just cut the pieces rather small, so that they cook more quickly.

Season simply with salt and pepper , then top up with enough boiling water to cover everything, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to boil for around 15 minutes.

Next, add the kale, removed from the toughest stalks and coarsely torn into slightly smaller pieces. pop this on top of the vegetables and broth, season with salt, push down well, return the lid and continue cooking/steaming for a further 10 minutes.

After around 25 minutes, everything should be cooked through, most of the water absorbed into the vegetables- and everything will be ready to be blended together.

Once you do blend your vegetables, you will find that there is much more liquid in them than you think and you will have a lovely, emerald green soup like this. Should it be thicker- easy- add a little water and then season accordingly. If it is just right- as this one here was, simply add a drizzle of olive oil and a last touch of pepper and give it a last whizz... and you will see how the oil help it emulsify and become smooth and dreamy! 

Set your finished soup back onto the stove top to keep it warm... and take care of that bacon and parsnip... so that you can serve it up and enjoy!

With no added fat, stir-fry the bacon, parsnip slices and fennel seed together until everything is wonderfully golden brown... and then serve them, piping hot, on top of your hot soup! 

And if this does't warm the cockles of your heart on a cold Winter night... then nothing else will either!

I preferred to not use a too-deep bowl, so that I didn't need to stir-in the bacon, fennel and parsnip, to enjoy it... this way, I was able to have a bit of each ingredient on each spoonful and enjoy each and every single flavor and texture... making it an absolute joy to eat!

See that spoon right there? That is for you... so that you can try this out for yourself! Go ahead... get into your kitchen and make this right now! You know you want to!

I Did It My Way!

Melanzane alla Francesco-al Forno

Francesco's Baked Eggplant

Yes- just like Sinatra... I Did It Myyyy Wayyyy! That is- I made these wonderful baked eggplant wedges this evening- baked in the oven, juicy, healthy and totally delicious!

They took a while to prepare- but boy, were they worth the wait! And after just a little prep-work, they just took care of themselves in the oven anyway... so all I had to do was to put my feet up, sip on a drink, relax and wait!

Stuffed with aromatic herbs, mint, cheese and tomato, these were packed with the flavors of Sicily yet again- surprise-surprise! But, well, hey! We know a thing or two about preparing eggplant down South- and now that I have come up with this... we know of one more method to prepare these purple beauties!

So- my simple but awesomely delicious supper consisted of 1 beautiful, Sicilian eggplant- but any kind of eggplant will do, 4-5 cherry tomatoes, 2 spring onions, the juice and zest of 1 small lemon, Provolone cheese for grating and filling, fresh mint and basil, dried oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Crispy, juicy, succulent, delicious and non-greasy... these made a change from those typical fried eggplant dishes and that made them much more to my taste. And I am guessing that you will all like them too!

Preparation is pretty simple- basically you need to cut the eggplant into quarters, and then to make 4-5 deep cuts into the eggplant, as you can see right here. But- before you start getting too busy- turn on your oven to the highest setting to get it nice and hot and ready!

Open the cuts a little and sprinkle a little salt inside and out and then put a little slice of cheese, a slice of cherry tomato, a slice of Spring onion and a few leaves of mint and basil into each cut. I used the back of the blade of my knife to slice the leaves into the cuts.

I then sprinkled the eggplant with salt, plenty of pepper, oregano, a little lemon zest and juice, poured a little boiling water into the bottom of my baking dish, covered them with foil and baked/steamed them for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, they were pretty well cooked, but pale and in need of assistance!

I drizzled them with a little olive oil and sprinkled them with a little grated Provolone. Had I added it at the beginning, it would only have melted and stuck to the aluminum foil- and that wouldn't be of any use to anybody!

Back into the oven they went, on the top shelf, to continue baking for a further 20-25 minutes until they were golden brown and crispy topped and delicious!

I served them with fresh leaves of mint and basil to brighten up the flavors and to make everything look as appetizing as it tasted.

And fear not- those dark looking leaves are not burned- they are simply wonderfully dehydrated, crisped-up, crunchy and delicious... and better still, enjoyed in combination with the fresh ones too!

Doesn't that just look a whole lot more appetizing than fried eggplant? Yeah- you betcha it does!

Crispy outside, soft and juicy within... and what's not to like about that!?!

Green Dreams

Fritelle di Cavolo Verde con Pastinacca, Carote, Zenzero & Formaggio

Cheesy, Kale, Parsnip, Carrot & Ginger Fritters

So many, so-trendy kale recipes... who needs yet another one? Well, maybe you do and maybe you don't! But in any case, here is what I made using kale as the main ingredient this evening... without a recipe mind you! But here to share with all of you in case you care to try it!

I made these simple fritters using shredded kale, with a little parsnip and ginger to add some depth of flavor and carrot to add a little sweetness... and also plenty of cheese to make them rich and super-delicious!

These lovely little fritters are soooo packed with flavor- and best of all, there is no flour or breading in there- just fresh vegetables, a little egg and plenty of cheese and some chili flakes and red pepper to liven them up!

Using 5 good leaves of kale, 1 parsnip, 1 carrot, 1 Spring onion, 1 egg, a little ginger and plenty of grated Provolone cheese, I managed to produce a yield of 10 little fritters- which isn't bad! And it was a perfect "first time" effort, I must say!

These would be great as a part of a party spread or as a side dish to any number of Winter meals... and it is always nice to have something a little different don't you think? Especially when they are so easy to make!

Peel and grate the parsnip, carrot and about 1" of fresh ginger and finely chop the Spring onion.

Wash, shake dry and finely chop/shred the kale, sprinkle with salt and then "mash" together using your hands- this will change the structure and soften the kale considerably. Use plenty of force when doing so- I found the best method to use both hands and to "wring out" the kale as if it were a sponge... works great!

When the kale is nice and soft, add the other ingredients, the egg and about a handful of grated cheese- don't add it all at this point as it will probably all clump together, being the softest of the ingredients. Season with a little more salt and chili flakes or pepper to taste and stir together into a nice even mix.

You could also use something like a cheddar or gouda cheese as an alternative- something quite soft and mild that will melt easily and crisp up as it fries. 

Once it is nicely, thoroughly mixed, add another good handful of cheese, stir this in and then knead together using your hands until the mixture becomes firmer and more compact.

Once it holds together like this, it will be fine to shape into patties and fry.

Simply take a pinch of the mixture and squeeze it into a ball firmly- then press down flat on the palm of your hand and then fry in a little olive oil at a moderate heat. 

Flip the patties over after 2-3 minutes and put on the lid whist the second side cooks, so that the steam rising from them will be trapped and they will cook through more thoroughly, Flip over again as necessary until they are nice and brown from each side.

I enjoyed mine with a little more grated cheese and some crushed red pepper flakes- and they were lovely and rich and savory- and just delicious as can be!