Meal solutions: Pan-fried potato pie

Primi piatti, Secondi piatti

You know, we love trying out new recipes by mixing ingredients and experimenting with different cooking methods and tasty combinations: the Pan-fried potato pie is a perfect example.

Today’s idea is a great one-dish meal because it is hearty and perfect as a complete meal, but also ideal as a tasty main course.

So, let’s start preparing our Pan-fried potato pie, then decide on the best way to enjoy it, perhaps accompany it with Dominican salad.

Pan-fried potato pie

16.4g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

1kg potatoes
100g non-smoked or smoked Scamorza cheese
90g cooked ham*
80g cooked spinach (or frozen and left to thaw)
70g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
2 eggs
butter, salt, pepper, oil

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

Preparation

Boil the potatoes and mash them with a potato masher, then season with a knob of butter, Parmesan cheese and eggs.

2. Now lightly grease a sheet of baking paper with a little oil, then form a disk of mashed potatoes the size of the non-stick pan in which you want to cook the pie.

Cover the disc with the cooked ham, the thinly sliced Scamorza cheese and, finally, the lightly chopped spinach.
Cover the filling with a layer of mashed potatoes so that the pie filling is completely closed. It is a good idea to grease the surface of the pie before placing it in the non-stick pan with the help of the parchment paper and a dish.

Cook over medium heat and, after about ten minutes, turn the whole thing over to the other side with the help of two flat lids, as wide as the pan. When the second side is also golden brown, serve the pie in slices accompanied by vegetables to taste.

Tip: it is excellent also eaten cold.

Version with gluten of Pan-fried potato pie

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients so no adaptation is needed.

October 18, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Traditional Greek recipes: Aubergine Mussakàs

Piatti unici, Primi piatti

The recipe we are sharing today is from the family of a Greek friend, Vassilios, whom I asked to help me give my children a taste of this traditional Greek dish: Aubergine Mussakàs.

Mussakàs can be prepared with aubergines only, or by adding potatoes as well. For carbohydrate reasons, I chose to make it with aubergines only, but given the success of the dish, I think I will also try the mixed version soon.

Of course, we will also share it with you, as well as another recipe with an oriental flavour: Falafel.

The original recipe calls for aubergines to be fried in oil and, in some cases, a little butter. I preferred to grill the aubergines in the oven to make the dish lighter. I also took the liberty of doing the same with the béchamel in terms of both quantity and egg content.

But believe me, the result was very satisfying!

Aubergine Mussakàs

5.5g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

1.5kg aubergines, preferably round
750g minced meat (to taste, mixed is also fine)
500g tomato sauce (or 750g fresh tomatoes in season)
150g Roman pecorino cheese (kefalotyri in Greek), grated
100g onions
100g white wine
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
optional cloves and/or cinnamon, to be added to the minced meat sauce (this is Vassilios’s mother’s secret)

Ingredients for the béchamel sauce

600g milk
60g wholemeal rice flour*
30g butter
2 eggs
5g salt
cinnamon and nutmeg

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

Preparation of Aubergine Mussakàs

Put the minced meat in a pan with the onion and fry well with oil. Stir often so that the meat does not create lumps and does not stick; douse with the wine, then add tomato sauce, parsley, salt, pepper and possibly 2-4 cloves and/or ½ cinnamon stick to be removed at the end.
Bring to the boil and simmer for at least 1.5 hours, until the sauce has thickened… almost like a meat sauce.
Meanwhile, wash and dry the aubergines, cut them into thin slices and grill them in the oven at 180°C until cooked.
Prepare the béchamel sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter, then remove from the heat and add the rice flour to create a creamy mixture; gradually add the milk, continuing to stir with a whisk so that no lumps form, return to the heat adding salt and pepper and stir until the béchamel sauce is thick and almost starts to boil. At this point, remove the pan from the heat and add the already beaten eggs, mixing everything well. Sprinkle half of the grated Pecorino cheese into the meat sauce and mix well.
Now let’s assemble the dish!

Arrange the aubergines in parallel rows in the baking dish and cover them with a layer of minced meat; form a second layer of aubergines and cover them again with a layer of meat.

Finally, finish with a generous amount of béchamel sauce, the remaining cheese and a grating of nutmeg.

Bake the Mussakàs at 180°C for about 40 minutes.

Version with gluten of Aubergine Mussakàs

The recipe given is naturally gluten-free, so no adaptation is needed for the version with gluten.

September 23, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Venere rice pasta salad with vegetables

Primi piatti

What could be better in summer than a nice, fresh Venere rice pasta salad with vegetables?

In our opinion, it is the ideal dish for the summer months, perfect for satiating hunger after returning from the beach, but also for an evening out with friends. It can be prepared in advance, in large quantities, and stored to have a great, healthy meal ready immediately.

Let’s prepare this vegetarian recipe then!

Would you like another idea for a summer salad? Try this Swordfish salad or Tomatoes with anchovy flavoured croutons.

Here’s how to prepare it!

Venere rice pasta salad with vegetables

24.65g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

400g Venere rice pasta Amaranto**
300g white mushrooms
250g courgettes
100g yellow pepper
100g red pepper
100g carrots
2 cloves of garlic
extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation of Venere rice pasta salad

Clean and slice the mushrooms and sauté them in a non-stick pan with oil and a clove of garlic.
Next, julienne cut the courgettes and carrots and dice the pepper.
Put a little oil in the wok and cook the vegetables with a clove of garlic, seasoning with salt. When the vegetables are soft, let them cool down.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water; leave it slightly al dente, drain and cool under running water.
In a large bowl, mix the pasta with the vegetables and mushrooms; if necessary, season with salt and, if desired, add a few basil leaves.

Version with gluten of Venere rice pasta salad with vegetables

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

July 29, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Risate&Risotti Contest: my Tuscan risotto

Primi piatti

This past weekend was another very intense one, full of excitement and satisfaction. We were in Lucignano, in the province of Arezzo, for the final of the Risate&Risotti Contest. In the kitchen, I had to invent a recipe with the ingredients found in the mystery box. The result? My Tuscan Risotto.

The result was a fantastic risotto made with simple ingredients that feature the flavours of Tuscany… hence the name Tuscan risotto.

We won’t tell you anything in advance about the tale of these two days of cooking, good food and lots of laughs, you will find the story in the next post. Today we want to reveal the recipe that has given us so much satisfaction!

Tuscan risotto

25g carbohydrates per 100g risotto without bread croutons

Ingredients

1.3 litres of previously prepared meat stock
320g Maremma rice
120g Pecorino Toscano cheese
120g green part of courgette (approx. 2 large courgettes)
50g bread** Tuscan type
40g slices of Tuscan bacon*
40g cherry tomatoes
30g spring onions
1 clove of garlic
30g butter
extra virgin olive oil, meat stock, salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

Wilt the finely chopped spring onion in a saucepan with a little oil and the garlic clove. Add the green part of the courgettes, cut with a coarse grater, and a ladle of stock to cook the vegetables.
In the meantime, remove the crust from the bread and cut it into cubes. Put a little oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the chopped cherry tomatoes, sauté them, then add the bread, a pinch of salt and pepper and fry until crispy.
In another non-stick pan, put the bacon in pieces so that it becomes crispy.
Toast the rice in the saucepan with the courgettes after removing the clove of garlic (I took 3 minutes to have transparent rice grains with a white part in the centre), then start cooking the rice with hot stock. When it is still al dente, add the grated Pecorino cheese and stir in the cold butter.
Plate and serve with a sprinkling of toasted bread and crispy bacon.

I repeated this risotto at home and did not have sliced bacon on hand, so I used 60g of diced bacon sautéed in the non-stick pan without adding anything to make it slightly crispy.

July 5, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Ricotta Cannelloni with asparagus

Primi piatti

We like to cook with seasonal ingredients, we want to create preparations that can release enveloping aromas and flavours. That is why, this time, we chose asparagus for our recipe and the result is a mouth-watering first course: Ricotta cannelloni with asparagus.

This recipe is perfect to be prepared in advance or to be frozen, and it will be ready to be cooked in the oven whenever you need it.

And if you like asparagus, try also Gola Gola asparagus risotto .

Ricotta Cannelloni with asparagus

19.36g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 12 cannelloni

500g asparagus (about 1 bunch)
400g ricotta cheese
350g cannelloni** (12 pieces branded Farabella)
40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
25g leek
1 egg
10g extra virgin olive oil
extra virgin olive oil, salt and a few mint leaves

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

Wash the asparagus and remove the whitish woody part. Separate the tips (also leaving a green part) from the spears. Sauté them in a non-stick pan with a little oil and a pinch of salt until slightly cooked, but still crispy. Boil a saucepan of lightly salted water and cook the asparagus spears (not the tips). When they are cooked, drain but keep the cooking water.
In a small pan, sweat the leek with a little oil and a bit of cooking water. When the leek is soft, put it in a blender with the asparagus spears and blend to a cream; add cooking water if necessary and adjust the salt.
Put ricotta cheese in a bowl and mix it with the Parmesan cheese, egg and chopped asparagus tips.
Boil a pot of salted water and cook Cannelloni: I cooked them for almost 9 minutes, then threw them in cold water and drained.
Fill a pastry bag with the ricotta and asparagus mixture and stuff the Cannelloni well.
On individual plates, form a layer of asparagus sauce, lay the ready cannelloni on top and garnish with a spoonful of asparagus sauce. Place the dishes in the microwave or conventional oven to warm the Cannelloni and the filling, then season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and two mint leaves.

Version of gluten of Ricotta Cannelloni with asparagus

Replace the gluten-free Cannelloni with standard Cannelloni.

June 17, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

May and cheese Risotto opens the door to the final

News, Primi piatti

The adventure of the Rice Food Blogger Contest of Risate&Risotti continues we are very happy to announce that we will participate in the final on 2 July in Lucignano, in the province of Arezzo!

But before we think about the next appointment, let’s go back a few days to discover how this incredible weekend went during the semifinal that took place at the Campus Etoile Academy in Tuscania!

The semifinal at Campus Etoile Academy

“When you drive along the road to Tuscania, you have the feeling of being lost in a silent countryside where only fields and olive trees speak. Then, suddenly, St Peter’s cathedral looms at the horizon with, a few metres away, a corner of paradise for those who, like me, love food and what it means: the Campus Etoile Academy.

Here, young people come to learn the art of what the school’s founder, Chef Rossano Boscolo, calls ‘the most beautiful job in the world’, that of a chef or pastry chef. And here, driven by the affection for an event that has won me over (Risate&Risotti), and curiosity for something I had never done before in my life, I landed to participate in the semi-final of the Rice Food Blogger Contest, launched by the organisation that makes rice and fun its flag.

Gaia and I arrive tired and unaware of what awaits us, but happy for the simple fact of spending two days just us, away from the world and daily commitments. In addition to the overwhelming scent of jasmine, we are greeted by beautiful smiles and pieces of pastry history that bring the tuff walls of the former 16th-century convent to life. And this is only the beginning.

At 6.30 p.m. the appointment is with the host, chef Rossano Boscolo, who overwhelms us with his passion, his strength and his infinite knowledge: leafing through the pages of Bartolomeo Scappi’s 16th-century work that is the Bible of Italian cuisine, he is moved and, while he tells us its value and meaning, his hands delicately caress those words and drawings.

The chefs’ school gives us great emotions

The classrooms of the school are not just any classrooms, they are jewels of technology and antiquity that smell sweet. Yes, because the smell of pastry is too strong to contain it within the walls. The vegetable garden, the room in which to enjoy a glass of wine in company, a basketball court between the tuff walls of what should become (bureaucracy and all-Italian paradoxes permitting) the school’s main entrance, lead us to the final destination of the evening: the demonstration room where the brigade led by Chefs Francesco Triscornia and Antonio Paolino is waiting to amaze the eyes and palate.

For Gaia, sitting at the table with all the other semi-finalists and enjoying the same food is such an immense gift that she confesses to me: “You know, I could live here!”

The technique and creativity taking shape before our eyes is such that I wonder if I will still have the courage to cook the next morning! But the greatness of art is that, through its beauty, it makes you grow and learn, and so this dinner has earned a permanent place in my heart.

On Saturday morning, we are all ready, as excited as before an exam, but I have a special nourishment: Gaia, who is the real and only reason why I am here. Armed with a camera and excited as only kids can be, she is always in the front row.

When everyone is at their cooking station, the chef sets out the rules: you can choose the ingredients you personally want but, in addition to the taste of the dish, he will judge also food waste, cleanliness, orderly execution and presentation.

And then the decision: with all these ingredients I could make at least 30 different risottos, so which one should I make to meet the judges’ taste?

Gaia looks at me nervously because she reads my uncertainty, but it is her worried little face that removes any doubt: which risotto would I have cooked at home today for lunch? Yes, because Saturday lunches are our rendezvous with risotto, a kind of reward, since for Gaia’s diabetes, rice, which we all love but which has a high glycaemic index, is best eaten at lunchtime. When I left home yesterday, beautiful courgette flowers were shining in my garden – that’s what I would have used if I had been home!

I decide to prepare two heart-shaped Parmesan crisps because Parmesan cheese is where I come from and the little heart is my children’s favourite decorative element (because you have to remind yourself often that you love each other: it’s good for your health!). I am also thinking of adding another seasonal vegetable, peas, but I want to make a cream with these, because Gaia does not like them when they are whole. However, I would like my sauce to be a little sour because the courgette flowers are rather sweet, so a hint of contrast will help to liven up the dish; among the ingredients, I have my eye on yoghurt, which is just right for me.

Due to the strange combinations of workstation sequences, I will be the last one to submit the dish to the judges and I find myself alone with Gaia cooking my risotto. I adjust salt, stir to the best of my ability and serve our ‘May and cheese’, because the name of the risotto already sums up its ingredients.

As I climb the stairs to reach the three chefs who will taste what I have prepared, my legs shake and all the doubts assail me, leaving me with bated breath until Chef Boscolo states in a firm tone: “Good, really good!” That’s enough for me, if it is good for him, it would also be good for my family.

The rest of the race was a bit like when you are asleep: you hear your name and Gaia cheering, you make arrangements about the final, you say goodbye, then you find yourself awake driving the car home, back to the real world. This time, however, even our pesky guests, called diabetes and celiac disease, decided to play the part of the good guys in our beautiful dream, giving us wonderful food and perfect blood sugar levels.

At this point, we will be in the final in Lucignanoin the province of Arezzo, on 2 July 2016, hoping to live another beautiful dream.”

And now here is our recipe to try!

May and cheese risotto

21.23g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

approx. 1.3 litres of previously prepared vegetable stock
320g Carnaroli rice
140g courgette flowers
100g fresh peas
60g grated Parmesan cheese (plus the one for the heart crisps)
40g plain yoghurt
30g leek
30g butter
20g shallot
1 clove garlic
extra virgin olive oil, mint leaves, salt and pepper

Preparation

First of all prepare the pea cream. Put a little oil in a saucepan with the thinly sliced shallot and garlic clove. Let the shallots and garlic soften and brown, then add the peas and a ladle of stock; let it cook and add chopped mint to taste. If necessary, add more stock to cook the peas.
Once ready, remove the garlic and blend everything with an immersion blender. If there are any chunks left, pass the cream through a fine sieve. Then, adjust the flavour by adding yoghurt, salt and a pinch of pepper. The cream is now ready and you can set it aside.

If you want to prepare cheese crisps, it is worth proceeding before making risotto.
Put a non-stick pan on the stove and form a light layer of grated cheese: I tried to give it a heart shape!
When the cheese starts to melt and become crispy on one side, turn it over and let it melt slightly on the second side as well. Remove the crisp from the pan and allow it to cool.

Start preparing risotto. Put a little oil in a pan and sweat the thinly sliced leek in it. After about 15 minutes, add the rice and toast it on a high heat (it took me 3 minutes to have transparent rice grains with a white core in the centre).
Add the chopped courgette flowers after removing the pistils, stir and start adding the hot stock. Continue stirring and add stock only when the rice has absorbed almost all of it. When the rice is al dente, remove from the heat, cover the pan with a tea towel, let it rest for 1 minute and then cream it.

Add 30 grams of butter, stirring well to release the starch so that a nice cream forms, add the grated cheese and continue stirring until it is completely incorporated.
Let the pea cream cool down and put it in a piping bag with a very thin tip.
Serve the risotto on hot plates and spread a small amount of pea cream on the surface, forming a spiral pattern from the centre outwards.
Finally, put the Parmesan hearts and a few mint leaves in the centre.

This recipe participates in the “Rice Food Blogger 2016 – Chef Giuseppina Carboni” contest

May 31, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Sardinian Culurgiones ravioli

Primi piatti

This time in the kitchen I was together with Maria Elena, a friend who really has a lot to teach about traditional food. Let’s say that she has ‘magical hands’ because she manages to create little culinary masterpieces, such as Sardinian Culurgiones ravioli.

Thanks to her Sardinian roots, she wanted to propose some traditional recipes that I have reinterpreted in a gluten free way.
We will discover them little by little, but today we are beginning from an extremely tasty first course: gluten-free Sardinian Culurgiones.

So let’s get started… hands in the dough! And if you like homemade pasta, you can also try Pisarei e fasò.

Gluten-free Sardinian Culurgiones

27.5g carbohydrates per 100g raw Culurgiones

Ingredients for the dough

500g gluten-free fresh pasta mix, brand Nutrifree**
320g water
8g xanthan gum*
1 pinch of salt

Ingredients for the filling

500g fresh sweet Pecorino cheese, grated
400g boiled and mashed potatoes
30g medium-aged Pecorino cheese, grated
30g extra virgin olive oil
10g chopped mint
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
milk and salt

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation of gluten free Sardinian Culurgiones

Prepare the dough by mixing flour, xanthan gum and water. In no time, you will obtain a smooth and elastic dough. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest.

The dough for Culurgiones

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Place the grated cheese and the mashed potatoes in a bowl and mix well to form an even mixture. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and as soon as it is hot, add the chopped garlic.
Let it rest for a minute, then pour the aromatic oil over the potato mixture and sprinkle with Pecorino cheese.
Mix well, add salt to taste and, if the mixture is too thick, soften it with a few tablespoons of warm milk.

Now take the dough and roll it out with a pasta sheeter to the last-but-one hole; with an 8cm diameter pastry cutter, cut circles.

The discs for making Culurgiones

5. With the help of a teaspoon or your hands, place the filling in the centre of the disc, then close the Culurgiones in the shape of a ‘spike’, i.e. pinch the outside starting from the right end or simply pinch the disc edges together to make them stick well and cut them off with a toothed cutter.

The closing of the Culurgiones

Bring the water to the boil, salt it lightly and gently toss in the Culurgiones.

The pinched closure of Culurgiones

After a few minutes, drain them and dress them with melted butter, grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, or tomato sauce and cheese.

I culurgiones pronti per essere mangiati

Culurgiones ready to be eaten

Version with gluten of Sardinian Culurgiones

Replace the gluten free Nutrifree flour with semolina and knead it without xanthan and with the necessary amount of water to obtain a smooth, elastic dough.

May 3, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Revisiting tradition: Vegetarian rice cake

Primi piatti

Rice cake is a dish that takes me back to my childhood. It was indeed a special celebration dish as it needed a special ingredient, pigeon, but also a lot of time to make, so my revisited recipe is this Vegetarian rice cake.

To tell the truth, when I think back to what I felt when I ate it, the taste of that dish still remains clear and contrasting: I remember how delicious the meat sauce prepared with pigeon meat cut into small pieces was, but the rice around the meat was a bit dry and too much (for me as a child) since it filled the large, high-sided pan, the one perfect for being slipped into the Petronilla (the Dutch oven, the only one we had) so that the surface, sprinkled with breadcrumbs, could brown and become crispy.

Well, many years later, I came up with the idea of revisiting our Rice cake to adapt it to today’s needs (i.e. to replace a meat that is not readily available with healthy, light vegetables) and, why not, to eliminate what I considered to be a defect, i.e. to reduce the ratio of rice to filling, thus obtaining a pleasant juicy sensation in a nice crispy envelope. And if you like preparations in the frying pan, try myPan-fried potato pie.

Vegetarian rice cake

22.37g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

540g vegetable stock*
270g Carnaroli rice
150g Scamorza cheese
1 egg
200g small courgettes
120g carrots
50g red pepper
50g yellow pepper
50g spring onion
40g breadcrumbs**
Grated Parmesan cheese, 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)

The ingredients of the Vegetarian rice cake

Preparation

Cook the rice in the vegetable stock and turn off the heat when it is still rather al dente, then let it cool and season with egg and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese.
In the meantime, julienne cut courgettes and carrots, dice the red and yellow pepper into approximately 1cm cubes and thinly slice the white part of the spring onion.

Chopped vegetables

Heat the wok, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, pour in the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on for a few minutes so that a little water escapes from the vegetables, which will allow them to cook. Cook until the vegetables are slightly soft.

Cooking vegetables in the wok

Spread half of the cooked and seasoned rice on a sheet of parchment paper lightly greased with oil and form a circle the diameter of the non-stick pan in which we will cook our cake (approx. 26cm); sprinkle the surface with breadcrumbs.

Preparation of the rice disc

Brush the frying pan with oil and tip the rice disc into it so that the side with the breadcrumbs is in contact with the pan. Sprinkle the disc with part of the Scamorza cheese lightly chopped in a food processor, cover with the vegetable sauce and add the remaining Scamorza.

The stuffing

Prepare another disc with the cooked rice, this time without sprinkling it with breadcrumbs. With the help of parchment paper, lay it on top of the vegetables and, once in place, break off the parchment paper to remove it, leaving the disc to top the cake. Alternatively, cover the vegetables by creating a layer of rice with your hands directly on top of them. In this case, the layer of rice may not be perfectly even, but this will not compromise the flavour of the preparation.

When the base of the cake is golden brown, use two lids as big as the cake to help you turn it over and put it back into the pan upside down. Let the second side of the cake brown as well and serve it hot.

Version with gluten of Vegetarian rice cake

Replace gluten-free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs

This recipe participates in the “Rice Food Blogger 2016 – Chef Giuseppina Carboni” contest

April 19, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Soup of pulses and vegetables

Primi piatti

What could be better than warming up with a tasty soup? Creamy, thick and full of good, wholesome ingredients, these are the characteristics of the recipe we recommend today: a delicious Soup of pulses and vegetables.

All the flavour and properties of natural, healthy foods that will make this first course extremely enjoyable in the colder months. And remember that pulses and vegetables are the best ingredients to prepare recipes for people with diabetes and celiac disease since they are both gluten-free and low or no-sugar.

Here is how to prepare it!

Soup of pulses and vegetables

9.42g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

1250g water
300g dry mixed pulses (beans, chickpeas and broad beans)
250g seasonal vegetables
200g tomato sauce
salt and oil

Preparation

Soak all the dried pulses in water for about 12 hours so that they soften.
Once they are ready and rinsed, put them in a pot with water and cook them for about 40 minutes on low heat.
Skim off the brown foam released by the pulses, add all the chopped vegetables and tomato sauce. Season with salt and leave to cook for another hour.

To obtain a creamy mixture, blend some of the vegetables with an immersion blender.
Finally, serve the soup with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Version with gluten of Soup of pulses and vegetables

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

March 14, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli

Ravioli with prawns and cherry tomatoes

Primi piatti

On Women’s Day, we thought of offering you an alternative idea to the usual mimosas, a gift for the eyes and the palate: Ravioli with prawns and cherry tomatoes.

Yes, today we want to share a recipe to prepare for the woman you love, but also for a dinner with women friends. In short, for an evening dedicated to the world of women.

Curious?

Very well, then get ready to cook some delicious ravioli with that extra touch: a romantic heart shape.

Ravioli with prawns and cherry tomatoes

18.48g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for egg pasta

300g gluten free flour mix, brand Petra 3**
5 eggs
10g bitter cocoa*
1 pinch of salt
water

Ingredients for the filling

400g boiled and peeled prawns
300g boiled and peeled potatoes
100g Robiola cheese
salt and pepper

Ingredients for the dressing

500g cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes
30g extra virgin olive oil
3 basil leaves
salted ricotta cheese, salt, extra virgin olive oil

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation of Ravioli with prawns and cherry tomatoes

On a cutting board, make a well with the flour and crack the eggs in the centre, add oil and salt.
Start by beating the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the flour so that the liquids do not spill out, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary.
Continue stirring until the mixture is fairly compact.
Now knead the dough with your hands until it becomes smooth and firm. Cover it with cling film and leave it to rest while you prepare the filling.
Mash the potatoes and mix them with the chopped shrimps, robiola cheese, salt and pepper.
Now assemble the ravioli.
Roll out the dough, cut it with a heart-shaped cutter and place the filling in the centre. Finally, close the ravioli by placing another layer of pasta on top. To seal the two parts, you can help yourself with the tines of a fork.
Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to the boil. In the meantime, sauté the halved cherry tomatoes and basil leaves in a non-stick pan with a little oil, seasoning with salt.
Cook the ravioli in salted water and, once cooked, drain them, dry them on a towel and serve on a plate with the sautéed cherry tomatoes, a generous grating of salted ricotta and a drizzle of mild extra virgin olive oil.

Version with gluten of Ravioli with prawns and cherry tomatoes

Replace the 300g gluten-free flour with wheat flour and knead it with 3 whole eggs and a few tablespoons of water, if necessary.

March 8, 2016/0 Comments/by Ilaria Bertinelli