Couscous with prawn and courgette curry

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The summer heat is here and our solution to fully enjoy the days outdoors is a fresh and complete recipe: Couscous with prawn and courgette curry.

In this way, you have a unique, tasty dish that is perfect for satisfying a craving for good food without weighing you down and for travelling eastwards with flavours. For your summer, you can also try this Swordfish salad.

The tip: prepare some extra, it will be great even the day after!

Couscous with prawn and courgette curry

Couscous 35g carbohydrates per 100g

Prawn and courgette sauce 4.12g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 500g courgettes
  • 500g milk
  • 400g peeled and deveined prawns
  • 300g water
  • 250 g couscous Bia gluten free**
  • 30g shallot
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp curry
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

  1. First prepare the couscous. Put 300g of water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and heat it, without bringing it to the boil. Pour the couscous into a bowl and cover it with hot water; let it rest for the time necessary to allow all the water to be absorbed and the curry to set.
  2. Put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan and brown the finely chopped shallot. Add curry and turmeric, and toast for one minute before adding the courgettes cut into sticks half a centimetre in diameter and 4cm long. Let it season for a few minutes, then cover with milk, add salt and pepper and let it cook for about ten minutes. At this point, sprinkle with grated coconut, add the peeled and deveined prawns, stir the mixture well and let it cook for a few minutes.
  3. In the meantime, shell the couscous, add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste.
  4. Serve by placing 3 heaped tablespoons of couscous in the centre of a deep dish and the hot prawn and courgette curry sauce all around.
  5. Watch the videorecipe of a very similar preparation.

cous-cous-senza-glutine-uno-che-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Couscous with prawn and courgette curry

Simply replace the gluten-free couscous with a standard couscous, all other ingredients are naturally gluten free.

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Risoni pasta with garden vegetables

This morning the garden had prepared a wonderful surprise: bright green spinach and plump peapods. Thinking of the best way to enjoy these gifts of spring, and wanting to cook our beloved pasta, here is the idea: Risoni pasta with garden vegetables, prepared with Massimo Zero pasta sautéed a few minutes in the vegetable sauce and perfectly al dente. A treat!

One of the convictions that has always guided me in the kitchen is that it is up to us as parents to get kids used to eating vegetables, but we certainly have to work hard to find a variety of ways to make them irresistible. Well this simple pasta is one of the many ways my children can’t say no to!

Risoni pasta with garden vegetables

35g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 400g Risoni Massimo Zero**
  • 100g fresh spinach
  • 70g fresh peas
  • 70g brie
  • 30g shallot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil and salt as needed

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation of Risoni pasta with garden vegetables

  1. Put the sliced shallot in a frying pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and the garlic clove, fry for a few minutes. Add fresh peas and spinach that has been thoroughly washed and chopped, add salt to taste and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes so that the spinach loses its water. Add the Brie without its white rind only when the vegetables are cooked; then let it melt.
  2. In the meantime, bring a pot with water and salt to the boil, cook the Risoni in it, leaving them slightly al dente. Drain, keeping a few ladles of the cooking water, and pour the Risoni into the pan with the vegetable and Brie sauce; season for a few minutes, adding the necessary cooking water to keep them creamy.
  3. Now serve and enjoy!
Risoni con verdure dell'orto

Risoni pasta with garden vegetables

Version with gluten of Risoni pasta with garden vegetables

Only substitute gluten free Risoni pasta with a standard one, no other adaptation is needed.

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Risotto or salt cod? Salt cod risotto

Risotto or salt cod? 

The anser for me is Salt cod Risotto! A few weeks ago I went to Vairano Scalo in the province of Caserta. Before the trip, I had imagined that I would taste wonderful buffalo mozzarella, fantastic artichokes, a long-awaited saffron, but never did I think I would eat salt cod in all its possible preparations!

Yet it is in this very village in Campania that you will find the Osteria del Baccalà where Antonio Ruggiero enchants everyone with the magic he can create with this extraordinary ingredient. And you know what? The experience with his salt cod is so good for the health and good mood that Antonio calls the dinner in his osteria a ‘therapeutic salt cod dinner‘! And I

Well, on those very same days, I read on the page of the Italian Food Bloggers Association that some colleagues from Veneto had organised a contest dedicated to Veneto and risotto entitled: “How do you cream it?” The connection was straight! The recent experience of salt cod and my beloved Veneto could only make me prepare a risotto that combines two of my favourite dishes: so here is my Salt cod risotto.

E-tu-come-lo-mantechi

Any other pleasant coincidences? The fact that I had gone to Vairano to prepare a risotto for the students of the ISISS Marconi hospitality school and that this is the season of asparagus, of which Veneto is a famous producer. I thought it was a bit daring, but since everyone at home liked this risotto, here is the recipe for you to try it too!

Salt cod risotto

23g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • approx. 1.5 litres of previously prepared vegetable stock
  • 360g Carnaroli rice
  • 200g desalted cod
  • 200g milk
  • 16green asparagus
  • 60g Prosecco from a winery of your choice
  • 40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 60g extra virgin olive oil
  • 30g spring onion
  • 30g fresh cream
  • 4 g parsley
  • 1 clove garlic
  • salt

Preparation

  1. Cook the cod covered in water and milk with the garlic clove for about 20 minutes.
  2. Remove the skin, garlic and any bones, then place the cod in a blender with the washed parsley leaves. Start blending by adding 50g of oil in a trickle, as if you were whipping mayonnaise. Also add the cream while continuing to whip and finally add salt to taste.
  3. Prepare the asparagus. Wash them, remove the woody ends, then separate the tips from the rest. Place the tips in a non-stick pan with a little oil and let them soften, then season with salt and set aside. In a saucepan, pour 10g of oil and the chopped spring onion, allow it to soften, then add the asparagus spears, allow them to take on flavour for a few minutes, then cover with water and cook. Once cooked, blend the asparagus to a perfectly smooth, stringless cream. Set it aside.
  4. Now let’s prepare the rice. Dry-toast the rice in a large pan (it took me 3 minutes to get the grains nice and transparent with a white kernel in the centre). Add Prosecco and allow to evaporate stirring until you can no longer smell the wine alcohol. Start adding the boiling stock. Continue stirring and only add stock when the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid. When the rice is still al dente, remove from the heat and start adding the creamed salt cod, continuing to stir the rice well so that the starch is released to form a nice creamy mixture, add the grated Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until it is completely incorporated. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
  5. Plate the risotto: with the help of a piping bottle or pastry bag, place little tufts of asparagus cream on the surface and 4 asparagus tips on each plate.
  6. Serve the risotto and enjoy!

Risotto-al-baccala-uno-che-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Salt cod risotto

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

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Tagliolini with rocket and almond pesto

How can you give up a good plate of Tagliolini? Then, you cannot but try Tagliolini with rocket and almond pesto.

In our opinion, it is practically impossible! Whether simply with tomatoes or with other more complex ingredients for seasoning, pasta is the first course par excellence and one of the symbols of our Mediterranean identity.

Our Tagliolini with rocket and almond pesto is, needless to say, a gluten free recipe that can be considered a complete dish: it contains vegetables, carbohydrates and the health-promoting oils of dried fruit. Any other ideas for pasta? Definitely Amatriciana!!!

Tagliolini with rocket and almond pesto

carbohydrates 40.98g per 100g without the sautéed vegetables

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 400 g corn gluten-free Tagliolini Verrigni**
  • 70g rocket
  • 35g almonds, peeled
  • diced mixed vegetables to taste
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper as needed

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the rocket pesto. Put water on the stove and bring it to the boil, add a pinch of coarse salt and blanch the rocket for 1 minute. Drain the rocket and throw it into a bowl with cold water, or water and ice.
  2. In a blender, blend the almonds to a flour.
  3. Remove the rocket from the water and place it in a tall glass to be used with an immersion blender. Add about 30g of extra virgin olive oil and blend well, if necessary add 1-2 tablespoons of water; finally add chopped almonds and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Chop up some vegetables (we made a brunoise with leek, courgette, carrot, red pepper, yellow pepper and green beans) and sauté them for a few minutes in a non-stick pan with a little oil, a pinch of salt and pepper.
  5. Cook the Tagliolini in plenty of salted water, drain them al dente, keeping some of the cooking water. Season with rocket pesto and serve with the sautéed vegetables.
  6. This recipe does not use cheese so it is suitable for lactose and dairy protein intolerant people as well as vegetarians and vegans.

tagliolini-verrigni-senza-glutine-pesto-rucolo-mandorle-uno-chef-per-gaia

Tagliolini with rocket and almond pesto

Version with gluten of Tagliolini with rocket and almond pesto

Replace gluten free Tagliolini with standard ones.

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Cabbage and spinach bread balls

Epiphany is coming and with it the end of the holiday season. Along with a stocking full of tempting sweets and games for the little ones, you can celebrate this anniversary with something really good and tasty: gluten-free Cabbage and spinach bread balls.

This dish is just what we need when we have some leftover bread, it is a typical peasant food that gives us simple yet extraordinary flavours. And peasant foods mean not only no-waste cuisine, but also easy-to-find and inexpensive ingredients, so you can’t wish for more!

For gluten free Cabbage and spinach bread balls you will just have to be a little patient when making the bread balls because the dough will be rather soft and sticky, but remember that when you eat them you will not regret the effort for a second!

Cabbage and spinach bread balls

carbohydrates 20.55g per 100g of cooked bread balls without seasoning

Ingredients for 9 bread balls

  • 150g stale bread** (I used this Mixed leavening bread)
  • 130g milk
  • 100g cooked spinach
  • 100g cabbage
  • 2 eggs
  • 40g multi-purpose flour mix, brand Maximum Zero**
  • 30g shredded cheese (I used pecorino romano cheese I had in the fridge)
  • 30g leek
  • 1 clove garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil, pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, butter, sage, salt and nutmeg to taste

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Cut the stale bread into cubes and soak it in milk, turning it occasionally.
  2. In the meantime, sauté 1 clove of garlic and the chopped leek with a little oil in a non-stick pan, then add the thinly sliced cabbage and the cooked (or frozen) chopped spinach. Season with salt and pepper and cook. Remember to remove the garlic.
  3. Put the vegetables in a food processor, chop them well, then add the soaked bread and continue chopping for a few seconds to reduce the bread to small pieces. Add the eggs while stirring, the cheese cut into very small pieces and the flour to a fairly firm texture.
  4. Let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes.
  5. Now form the bread balls.
  6. There are two ways to proceed: lightly grease your hands and form balls of about 5cm in diameter to be placed on a tray, or cut out squares of cling film, place a spoonful of the mixture on them and form the ball by closing the film. The second option is to freeze the dumplings, so it will be very easy to remove the foil when you decide to cook them by throwing them directly into boiling water.
  7. In a small saucepan, melt a piece of butter with a few leaves of sage.
  8. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, cook the dumplings in it for about 15 minutes, drain them with a slotted spoon.
  9. Season the bread balls with grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of sage flavoured butter, then serve.
canederli-verza-e-spinaci-senza-glutine-ph-chiara-marando

Cabbage and spinach bread balls

Version with gluten of Cabbage and spinach bread balls

Replace gluten free bread with standard bread.

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Simply Red Risotto at the Merano Wine Festival

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We have returned from the Merano Wine Festival full of enthusiasm and happy with the wonderful experience. Needless to say, being at one of the nation’s most important food and wine events had an invigorating effect. I was accompanied by Luca Puzzuoli,  the promoter of  Risate e Risotti .

Simply Red: a risotto for the Merano Wine Festival

uno-chef-per-gaia-al-merano-wine-festival

I delighted the audience with a risotto that pays homage to taste, Italy and the pleasure of savouring a simple yet tasty and refined dish.

What did I prepare at the Merano Wine Festival?

The Simply Red Ristotto with Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, Infinito extra virgin olive oil, raspberry compote with Monti Cimini chilli and Ciro Flagella tomatoes.

Since I do not only want to make you curious, but I would also love you to try this treat, here is the recipe to prepare it!

uno-chef-per-gaia-al-merano-wine-festival

 

Simply Red Risotto at the Merano Wine Festival

carbohydrates 31.5g per 100g without raspberry compote

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • approx. 2 litres of previously prepared vegetable stock
  • 360g Carnaroli rice
  • 120g fresh cherry tomatoes or Ciro Flagella cherry tomatoes
  • 80g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 60g Parma ham, more than 15 months’ maturation
  • 30g butter
  • 30g onions
  • 10g brown sugar
  • raspberry compote from Monti Cimini with chilli, Infinito extra virgin olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Slice the ham into rather thick slices, about 1-2 mm, then put them in the freezer for at least 3 hours: you will see that they will not freeze, but, thanks to the salt content, they will simply become very cold and rather stiff.
  2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, place them on a baking tin covered with parchment paper with the cut side down and sprinkle with brown sugar, oil, salt, pepper and thyme leaves.
  3. Put them in a convection oven preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  4. Take a rather large non-stick pan and sprinkle it with 20 g of grated Parmesan cheese so that it covers the entire surface. Place the pan on the heat and allow the cheese to melt without burning, then remove the pan from the heat and allow the cheese to cool: you have your cheese crisp.
  5. For the risotto, put about 20 g of extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan with the chopped onion. Allow the mince to soften and brown, then add the rice and toast it on a high heat (it took me 3 minutes to get the grains nice and transparent with a white kernel in the centre). Start adding the boiling stock and continue stirring, adding more stock only when the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid.
  6. In the meantime, place the ‘frozen’ ham in a very sharp food processor and blend it into a kind of coarse flour.
  7. When the rice is cooked, but still al dente, turn off the heat, add the blended ham and mix well. At this point, stir in the very cold butter and the remaining grated Parmesan cheese. Let the risotto rest for at least 1 minute covered with a dish towel. Serve and complete each plate with some confit tomatoes, a piece of Parmesan crisp and a few pinches of chilli raspberry compote.
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Paccheri filled with artichoke cream

For us, cold weather means hearty, complete and richly flavoured dishes, recipes capable of warming up the moments at the table while letting us savour the days with family and friends: this is what our Paccheri filled with artichoke cream feature.

Time constraints every day certainly don’t help, but this time we have come up with a proposal that can be made and stored in the freezer ready-made… all you have to do is warm it up when needed.

Ready to cook Paccheri filled with artichoke cream? And if you love artichokes, try also Gnocchetti with lentil flour.

Paccheri filled with artichoke cream

14.02g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the filling

  • 400g mixed ricotta
  • 200g cream of artichoke*
  • 150g gluten free Paccheri**
  • 30g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for the béchamel sauce

  • 250g milk
  • 20g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 10g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 10g butter
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the filling by mixing ricotta cheese, artichoke cream (you can choose your favourite, we used Prontofresco Greci artichoke cream ) and the Parmesan cheese; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, cook Paccheri in boiling salted water and drain them when slightly al dente. Put them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Let them barely dry, fill them with the ricotta cream and place them horizontally in an oven dish.
  3. Prepare a béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a pan, add the flour and stir well with a whisk so that no lumps form. Next, heat the milk on the stove and, when it is close to boiling, remove it from the heat and pour it into the pan with the butter and flour while continuing to stir with a whisk.
  4. Put the pan back on the heat, season with salt and pepper and, when it comes to the boil, remove from the heat and let it cool down.
  5. Cover Paccheri with the béchamel sauce and put in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes.

paccheri-ripieni-ai-carciofi-senza-glutine-ph-chiara-marando

Filled Paccheri ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Paccheri filled with artichoke cream

Replace gluten-free Paccheri with standard Paccheri, all other ingredients remain unchanged.

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Healthy eating: Romanesco broccoli cream

Cold we do not fear you! When the days start to get shorter and the evening air gets crisper, we warm up with something tasty and healthy, just like a Romanesco broccoli cream.

Velvety, fragrant and delicious, here is this very easy recipe to prepare a creamy vegetable soup.

In addition to its characteristic cauliflower flavour that is generally milder than common cauliflower, the Romanesco broccoli looks like a sculpture of oriental art: its florets are so perfect that they are bewitching, and the bright green colour completes the effect.

Try it with just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for seasoning and some croutons for full satisfaction. For other soups, have a look at this lentil recipe.

Romanesco broccoli cream

1.57g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 1 litre of water
  • 650g Romanesco broccoli
  • 165g onions
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and (optional) curry

Preparation

  1. Put the sliced onion in a pan with oil, then add the broccoli florets and, if you want a spicy flavour, half a tablespoon of curry powder.
  2. Let it season for a few minutes, cover with water and cook for about 30 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Blend everything, adjust salt and serve with a drizzle of oil and some croutons.
Crema di cavolo romanesco

Romanesco broccoli cream

Version with gluten of Romanesco broccoli cream

This recipe is naturally gluten-free, so it needs no adaptation.

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Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

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Autumn in the kitchen means pumpkin and pumpkin means Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi! Pumpkin is an ingredient with innumerable properties, a delicate taste that goes well with even daring combinations, but above all with many uses.

And we love it. We like it for its bright colour that brings vitality to dishes, for its full-bodied flesh that lends itself to making any recipe interesting and tasty, for its transformation into sweet or savoury preparations following your creativity.

Today we want to pay tribute to this gift of nature with a very simple yet impressive recipe.

Ready to find out? Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

14.5g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 6 servings

  • 1 kg cooked pumpkin (corresponding to approx. 1 pumpkin of the Delica variety, green skin and orange flesh)
  • 160g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 140g gluten-free pasta flour mix, brand Petra 3**
  • 2 eggs
  • salt, pepper and nutmeg
  • butter, sage and Parmesan cheese for seasoning

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

  1. Cook the pumpkin in pieces in a static oven preheated to 200°C for 20 minutes or in a thick-bottomed pan, adding a bit of water until soft and well-dried.
  2. Mash the pumpkin in a potato masher or blend it in a food processor.
  3. Mix the mashed pumpkin with grated Parmesan cheese, eggs and flour; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  4. Once the mixture is ready, put a pot of water on the stove, bring it to the boil, salt it and then throw in a few teaspoons of pumpkin mixture the size of a walnut at a time. Watch also the video of how to prepare Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi.
gnocchi-di-zucca-senza-glutine-ph-chiara-marando

Cooking pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

  1. When the gnocchi have risen to the surface, let them boil for 1 minute, then drain with a slotted spoon.
  2. Finally, dress them with melted butter, sage and grated Parmesan cheese.

gnocchi-di-zucca-senza-glutine-ph-chiara-marando

How to dress pumpkin gnocchi

Gnocchi di zucca al cucchiaio

The pumpkin gnocchi ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

Replace the Petra 3 flour with 100g of wheat flour and 40g corn or potato starch.

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Leek and Camembert flour dumplings

Today we woke up with the idea of cooking something special for dinner, a tasty dish capable of giving much, much satisfaction to the palate. We had in mind a full-bodied preparation, rich in ingredients and with a strong flavour… in short, a sort of end-of-day prize: the Leek and Camembert flour dumplings were our answer.

Besides being served as a first course, Leek and Camembert flour dumplings can be used as a main course because of their richness, but if you want to opt for a less fatty version, replace the Camembert with lots of seasonal vegetables!

Leek and Camembert flour dumplings

14.98g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 370g milk
  • 200g Camembert cheese
  • 100g leek
  • 90g potato starch*
  • 80g butter
  • 60g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 40g grated Parmesan cheese plus a pinch to dust the surface
  • 20g breadcrumbs**
  • 4 eggs
  • nutmeg, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Chop the leek very finely and sweat it in a non-stick pan with a little oil; season with salt and set aside. Then place the Camembert, without the white rind, in a small pan with 100g of milk over very low heat so that the cheese melts. Now add the sweated leek.
  2. Put 270g milk in a saucepan with butter, a grinding of nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and add starch and rice flour together, stirring well so that no lumps form. Let cool, then add the grated cheese and one egg at a time while continuing to mix. Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag with a round tip, approximately 1.5-2 cm in diameter.
  3. Place a pot of water on the stove, bring it to the boil and add salt. With a pastry bag, drop small cylinders 2-3 cm long with the help of a knife (although the dough is very soft, so the knife is only needed to interrupt the flow of mixture) into boiling water and when they rise to the surface, let them cook 1-2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.
  4. Place the dumplings in an oven dish, pour the cheese cream and leeks over them, stir lightly if necessary, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and gratinate in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes.
I parigini porro e camoscio pronti per essere gustati

The leek and Camembert flour dumplings ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Leek and Camembert flour dumplings

Replace the gluten-free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs, no other adaptation is needed.

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