Protein pea pancakes

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When kids ask you for a savoury snack that has to combine several needs, the choice becomes difficult, and if you add a colour game, in my case green, the request turns into a real challenge: the answer is my Pea protein pancakes.

The first request, this time from my son Nicolò, is for protein pancakes because his protein requirement is imposed by daily basketball practice. I turned to a source of vegetable protein and looked for a soy flour with the label gluten-free.

The second request, again from Nicolò, was to include legumes in the preparation, again to better cope with sporting activity having glucose levels as stable as possible.

And finally the game: thanks to theItalian Food Bloggers Association I became aware of a fun initiative entitled Chefs in Colouran online event by Federchimica Ceramicolor dedicated to colour in the kitchen, and since painting is one of my hobbies, I couldn’t help but jump into the fray! My task? Making a green dish, so my pea protein pancakes were just perfect.

And the taste? Delicious and with the sweet and irresistible touch of peas, teased by the saltiness of Greek feta… in short, challenges are like spices for cooking: they add flavour to everything. If you love pancakes, also try these made with chickpea flour.

Protein pea pancakes

8.6g carbohydrates per 100g 

Ingredients for 6 servings

  • 250g peas
  • 100g vegetable stock
  • 100g milk
  • 60g white soy yoghurt*
  • 45g soy flour*
  • 1 egg
  • 20g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 20g leek
  • 4g cake yeast*
  • Greek feta cheese to taste
  • 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. Mix soy and rice flour with milk, soy yoghurt and egg in a bowl using a whisk or blend in a food processor; add baking powder, a pinch of salt and pepper and 50g peas.
  2. Take a steel ring of the desired diameter (I used a 10cm one) and place it on a non-stick pan; pour a little oil inside the ring, then pour in enough batter with the peas to form a pancake. As soon as it has solidified slightly on one side, remove the ring, turn the pancake over and cook it on the other side as well. Continue until all ingredients are used up.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the pea cream. Slice the leek thinly, fry it in a small pan with a little oil, then add the remaining peas and the vegetable stock; bring to the boil. Transfer everything into a blender or use an immersion blender to obtain a cream; season with salt and pepper.
  4. At this point, serve the pancakes accompanied by the cream of peas and crumble Greek feta cheese on top to give a savoury touch.

pancake proteici ai piselli

Version with gluten of Protein pea pancakes

This recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptations are necessary.

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Easter lunch: White meat loaf

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Have you already thought about what to prepare for Easter lunch? Do you have any family recipes that you prepare on this occasion? For Easter lunch at our house, the first course is the ever-present Anolini in meat stock, but we are always on the lookout for a new meat main course that everyone will agree on. So here’s an extra idea that you can cook with me as we watch the video recipe: White meat loaf.

This white meat loaf is very simple and can also be prepared the night before, then cooked at the last minute. The presence of hard-boiled eggs (symbol of new life) makes it nutritionally rich and beautiful to serve on the table with its lively colours.

If you are still looking for ideas for the Easter lunch menu, this meat main course could be a nice solution: naturally gluten-free and without carbohydrates. Happy Easter!

White meat loaf

negligible carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 600g ground turkey and chicken meat
  • 250g fresh or frozen spinach
  • 90g Speck slices*
  • 50g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 4 eggs
  • Pecorino cheese, grated
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Cook the fresh or frozen spinach in a non-stick pan with a little oil; season with salt and leave to cool.
  2. Hard-boil 3 eggs by placing them in boiling water. Let boil for 8 minutes. Once cooked and cooled, shell them.
  3. Place the ground meat in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, grated Parmesan cheese and 1 egg. Mix to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
  4. Roll out a sheet of baking paper, grease it with a little oil and lay the minced meat on it; with the help of a sheet of cling film and a rolling pin, form a rectangle of about 35x25cm.
  5. Form a layer of bacon on top, cover with spinach, season with grated Pecorino cheese, then place the 3 hard-boiled eggs in the centre of the rectangle. Roll it up into a cylinder and seal it tightly at the ends. Wrap the cylinder in the baking paper.
  6. Heat the convection oven to 200°C and bake the meatloaf for 25 minutes, then remove it and brown it quickly in a non-stick frying pan with a little oil. Cut into slices and serve.

Polpettone di carni bianche

White Meatloaf ready to taste

Version with gluten of White meat loaf

This recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptations are necessary.

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Romaine lettuce rolls

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Rolls are a bit like meatballs: one leads to another! Here is an idea for preparing delicious Romaine lettuce rolls with a tasty and colourful filling that you can also prepare with me by by watching the video recipe.

I wanted to propose a vegetarian filling because we know that healthy eating guidelines recommend consuming meat no more than 3 times a week (1 time red meat, 2 times white meat), so I am always looking for tasty alternatives to meat so that the rest of the family will not notice its absence. Another idea? Also try the Vegetable au gratin.

Even the choice of lettuce is designed to change the flavours as much as possible, in short, variety is the key!

Romaine lettuce rolls

14.91g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 250g Romaine lettuce
  • 200g grated cheese (choice of Caciocavallo, Parmesan, Pecorino, etc., also mixed together)
  • 100g breadcrumbs Nutrifree**, and a little more to dust the surfce with
  • 2 eggs
  • 50g dried tomatoes
  • 15g dried Porcini mushrooms
  • vegetable stock
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Wash the leaves of Romaine lettuce and blanch them for less than a minute in slightly salted boiling water. Drain the leaves using a slotted spoon and plunge them in very cold water. Take the leaves out of the water and lay them on a tray or cloth so that they drain a bit.
  2. Prepare the filling. Heat the stock and use it to scald the breadcrumbs, which should be moist but not creamy. Let it cool down.
  3. Blend the dried Porcini to a powder; chop the dried cherry tomatoes.
  4. Add 170g grated cheese to the breadcrumbs, also incorporate cherry tomatoes, Porcini mushrooms and the whole eggs. Stir and add pepper (salt should not be needed).
  5. Take the lettuce leaves, remove the centre rib, place a roll of stuffing in the centre and wrap it, forming a roll for each leaf. Place the rolls in an oven dish, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese, breadcrumbs and a drizzle of oil and bake au gratin in a static oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes.

involtini di lattuga

Version with gluten of Romaine lettuce rolls

Replace the Nutrifree breadcrumbs with an equal amount of conventional breadcrumbs, while all other ingredients remain unchanged.

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Calamari in fish soup with ‘nduja

It is my friend Anna Gallo who takes me on a journey to her native land, Calabria, giving me a beautiful bread bag from the art textile workshop Mario Celestino of Cosenza. And that is how I came up with the idea of preparing a dish that combines land and sea, a dish where squid meets ‘nduja, the undisputed queen of the tip of our boot: Calamari in fish soup with ‘nduja.

Calabria is definitely the region where red is the colour that paints the table, and it does so with chilli, the star ingredient of the ‘nduja, the sausage prepared by mixing pork meat and other spices, but also of the Sardella, a spicy cream made from whitebait, as well as many other specialities, and textiles and local handicrafts.

So let’s paint our tables red and add a little spice to life!

Calamari in fish soup with ‘nduja

negligible carbohydrates per 100g without bread

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 1kg squid, cleaned
  • 100g white wine
  • 30g slivered almonds*
  • 20g ‘nduja*
  • 1 sprig of parsley
  • 2 small sprigs of marjoram
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/2 lemon with edible peel
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • homemade bread**

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Cut the cleaned squid with beaks and eyes removed into strips and sauté them in a frying pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and the chopped clove of garlic. Sprinkle them with white wine and let it evaporate.
  2. Add the ‘nduja and cook for 5 more minutes: taste the squid and turn off the heat when they are soft because prolonged cooking makes them rubbery.
  3. In the meantime, toast the slivered almonds and use them to top the squid, also season with chopped parsley, marjoram leaves and a grating of lemon peel.
  4. Serve the fish soup with slices of toasted homemade bread.

calamari in brodetto alla nduja

Version with gluten of Calamari in fish soup with ‘nduja 

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

 

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Stracotto for Christmas Cappelletti

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Preparing the Stracotto stew for Christmas Cappelletti is a big responsibility because expectations for the most anticipated meal of the year are always very high. This is how I prepared it to bring my whole family to the table… definitely feeling everyone’s eyes on me!

First of all, the stew should be prepared with three types of meat: beef, veal and pork. It’s a bit like doing no wrong to any of these meats, which at different times of the year brighten up our tables with extraordinary dishes.

As the name stracotto implies, the meat is cooked for such a long time that it falls apart simply by piercing it with a fork.

Once ready, the stew is blended or finely minced and the boiling cooking juices are used to wet the breadcrumbs that will be used to prepare the legendary Christmas Cappelletti, the meat-filled version of Anolini in broth.

And believe me, the type of filling is by no means an irrelevant matter! The tradition of eating one type of stuffing instead of the other is so ingrained that restaurants are obliged to put one or the other version on the menu according to boundaries dictated by custom, or else the menu would flop completely!

Here then is how to prepare Stracotto for fans and supporters of the meat version of this stuffed pasta, namely Cappelletti.

Stracotto for Christmas Cappelletti

negligible carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 350g beef
  • 350g pork
  • 300g veal
  • 300g red wine
  • 50g onions
  • 50g carrots
  • 30g celery
  • 30g tomato paste
  • 30 g butter
  • 1/3 clove of garlic
  • 3 cloves
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • water
  • salt

Preparation

  1. Put the butter in a pan or earthenware casserole and melt it; add chopped onion, carrot and celery and brown it.
  2. Add the tomato paste and a third of a clove of chopped garlic, let the paste caramelise slightly, then place the three types of meat in the vegetable base, sealing the meat on all sides. Stick a clove into each piece of meat.
  3. Add the wine and pour in enough water to cover the meat, season with a pinch of salt, put the lid on and leave to cook on a low heat for at least 4 hours.
  4. After the time has elapsed, remove the cloves and add salt to taste. Remove the meat and put it in a food processor. Strain the cooking juices through a colander, add the remaining vegetable pieces in the colander to the meat in the processor and chop finely.
  5. Heat the liquid from the stew well and use it to scald the breadcrumbs of the Cappelleti filling.

stracotto

Version with gluten of Stracotto for Christmas Cappelletti

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

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Homemade sofficini: irresistible gluten-free

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It is indeed true that there are some recipes that are simply irresistible, and homemade Sofficini are a perfect example.

Simple, versatile, mouth-watering, in short, the tasty dish whose only problem is that you can never get enough and would never stop eating it. In addition, homemade Sofficini are perfect to let our imagination run free in stuffing them to suit any season and, why not, whatever ingredients are available in the fridge at home.

Remember that using béchamel sauce as a ‘wild card’ ingredient to keep the filling soft without it leaking out during cooking (as is easily the case when using a melting cheese) is a good solution. Watch the video about how to prepare homemade Sofficini step by step so it will be even easier to cook them.

And if you want to accompany them with a delicious salad, try this Dominican Salad.

sofficini fatti in casa

Homemade Sofficini   

32.40g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 15 pieces

Ingredients for the dough

  • 250g gluten free bread flour mix, brand Nutrifree**
  • 210g water
  • 40g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • 7g brewer’s yeast
  • 5g salt
  • rice flour* for dusting

Ingredients for the filling

  • 200g milk
  • 120g cooked ham*
  • 80g breadcrumbs*
  • 40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cherry tomatoes
  • 20g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 15g extra virgin olive oil
  • a pinch of salt
  • extra virgin oil to cook the Sofficini

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Put the flours in a planetary mixer and add the water with the dissolved brewer’s yeast. While mixing the ingredients, add salt and extra virgin olive oil. Continue mixing until the mixture is even and fairly compact, pulling it away from the sides of the planetary mixer from time to time.
  2. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with cling film; leave it to rise in a warm place for about 2-2.5 hours or until it has doubled in volume.
  3. Prepare a firm béchamel sauce. Pour the extra virgin oil into a saucepan, mix it with the rice flour, then dilute with milk gradually so that no lumps form. Put the saucepan on the heat and let the sauce thicken. Remove from the heat and season with a pinch of salt and grated Parmesan cheese.
  4. When the Sofficini dough has risen perfectly, take pieces of dough and roll them out to a thickness of about 2mm. Cut discs 10cm in diameter and stuff them with cooked ham, 2 pieces of seedless dates and 1 teaspoon of béchamel sauce.
  5. Put a bit of water in a small bowl, dip a finger in it and wet half the circumference of each filled disc with it. Fold each disc in half so that the edges coincide and form a half-moon, pressing well to seal the Sofficini perfectly.
  6. Beat 1 egg in a bowl, dip the Sofficini in it, then cover them with breadcrumbs.
  7. Put a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and when it is hot, brown Sofficini on both sides. Wipe the non-stick pan well with paper towels between cooking different batches of Sofficini so as to remove breadcrumbs remaining in the pan that may burn.
  8. Lay the Sofficini on kitchen paper and serve hot.

sofficini fatti in casa

Version with gluten of homemade Sofficini

To prepare homemade Sofficini with gluten, replace the gluten free flour with an equal amount of wheat flour and reduce the amount of water in the dough so that it is firm and not sticky, about 160g of water should be sufficient.

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Potato and courgette patties with Parma ham

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I don’t know about you, but with the kids home from school, the need to cook lunch and dinner every day makes it difficult for me to find solutions to satisfy their appetite, desire for variety and time available, so try these Potato and courgette patties with Parma Ham.

Boiling potatoes will be the longest step, but the rest will only take you a few minutes. Obviously you can replace Parma ham with another ham you like, but it is important to remember that by combining a source of fat and protein with potatoes, you will slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, so it will be helpful to avoid glycaemic peaks.

You can accompany these Potato and courgette patties with a side dish of vegetables for a complete and balance meal. And if you love pies, but don’t want to turn on the oven, try this Pan-fried potato pie.

 

Potato and courgette patties with Parma ham  

14.41g carbohydrates per 100g of patties without Parma ham

Ingredients

  • 700g potatoes
  • 350g courgettes
  • 80g spring onion or leek
  • 60g breadcrumbs**
  • 40g butter
  • Parma ham
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

  1. Boil the potatoes in a pot of water, then peel and mash them with a potato masher, add butter while they are still hot so that it melts well, then set them aside.
  2. In the meantime, put a few tablespoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan, brown the finely chopped spring onion or leek, then add the courgettes grated with a coarse-hole grater, season with salt and pepper, then cook for about 10 minutes, making sure that the courgettes are nice and dry.
  3. Add the cooked courgettes to the mashed potatoes, mix well and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
  4. With the help of a 6cm diameter cutter, form 2cm thick patties; roll them in breadcrumbs very carefully because they are quite soft, then brown them in a non-stick frying pan with a few tablespoons of oil until very crispy on both sides.
  5. Top each patty with a slice of freshly sliced Parma ham and serve.

Pizzette di patate e zucchine al prosciutto

Version with gluten of Potato and courgette patties with Parma ham 

Replace gluten free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs

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Vegetarian main courses: No-cook stuffed tomatoes

We could write pages and pages of recipes with tomatoes, so let’s start with this one: my No-cook stuffed tomatoes, a vegetarian, tasty, fibre-rich preparation that does not require the oven.

The main trick to make good stuffed tomatoes is to drain them and let them lose their water by sprinkling them with a pinch of salt and laying them ‘upside down’ on a surface covered with kitchen paper. Furthermore, it is important to choose perfectly ripe and firm tomatoes to get the best out of this preparation.

And if you like fresh fillings for summer, try my Travel Caprese.

No-cook stuffed tomatoes

6.64g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 720g approx. tomatoes (4 ripe, firm salad tomatoes)
  • 170g yellow and red pepper
  • 50g peas
  • 40g onions
  • 30g breadcrumbs**
  • 30g pitted black olives*
  • 8g capers
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Cut the tops off the tomatoes, empty them, add a pinch of salt, then place them on a tray covered with kitchen paper to drain the water they produce. Use the inside of tomatoes to add to a soup or sauce.
  2. Meanwhile prepare the filling. In a frying pan, sauté the sliced onion, then add the peas and diced pepper, and cook. Remove from the heat and add the breadcrumbs, capers, chopped olives and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Stuff the tomatoes with the vegetable mixture and serve.

Pomodori ripieni senza cottura

Version with gluten of No-cook stuffed tomatoes

Replace gluten free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs; no other adaptation is needed.

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Fresh and light: Un-tuna veal

Are you looking for light summer recipes? This Un-tuna veal will not disappoint you. But why un-tuna? Because it looks like veal with tuna sauce, which is a very traditional north Italian dish, but instead of tuna I have used an aubergine cream prepared only with vegetables and grated Pecorino cheese to prepare the recipe.

Aubergine cream is an idea that you can use not only to accompany veal, but also to top delicious Bruschettas, as a cream for vegetarian lasagna or as a sauce for a pasta dish, perhaps complemented by other diced vegetables. In this way, we can avoid using mayonnaise, which, although fresh and tasty, is very high in fat and calories, which, especially in summer, makes us very ‘uneasy’.

The final touch to the dish is definitely given by the capers: try Salina capersa product that has also become a Slow Food Presidium and give a flavour boost to all preparations.

More light summer recipes? Try Cherry tomatoes with bread and anchovies.

Un-tuna veal

negligible carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 6-8 servings

  • 900g rump of beef
  • 2 large aubergines (approx. 500g pulp once cooked)
  • 40g Pecorino cheese, grated
  • 35g onions
  • 1 clove garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • capers
  • salt and pepper
  • vegetables for cooking the veal (1 carrot, 1 celery leg, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, parsley)

Preparation

  1. Cook the meat loin in salted water with the vegetables cut into large pieces for about 1 hour, skimming off the stock from time to time. Let it cool down.
  2. In the meantime, cut the aubergines in half lengthwise, score the flesh to form a sort of grid and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Lay the aubergines on a baking tin covered with parchment paper with the cut side down. Bake the aubergines in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for 40 minutes.
  3. In a small non-stick pan, put a little oil with the chopped onion and the clove of garlic and brown them lightly; remove the garlic and put the cooked onion in a blender.
  4. With a spoon, scoop out the aubergine flesh and put it in the blender with the onion; purée, then add the grated Pecorino cheese and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Slice the rump and arrange the slices on a serving platter or individual plates, then season the meat with the aubergine cream and desalted capers. Serve with a grinding of pepper, a drizzle of oil and, if desired, fresh vegetables.

Finto vitello tonnato

Version with gluten of Un-tuna veal

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

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Herb-marinated chicken salad

You know those recipes you can no longer do without? Herb-marinated chicken salad is definitely one of them. I therefore decided to share it at the beginning of summer because it will be the ideal solution for many occasions, from a trip to the mountains, to a lunch on the beach or in the office, this cold dish has an irresistible aroma and a flesh as soft as tuna.

Another not insignificant aspect is that you can prepare the chicken and marinate it in the aromatic oil even one or two days in advance and the result will be even more extraordinary because the meat will be even tenderer.

In addition to the courgettes in the marinade, serve the Chicken Salad with any other seasonal vegetables and you will have solved a naturally gluten free and virtually carbohydrate free meal. A possible pairing could be Cherry tomatoes with bread and anchovies.

Herb-marinated chicken salad    

negligible carbohydrates per 100g

 Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 800g boiled chicken breast
  • 300g courgettes
  • 150g extra virgin olive oil (which you will re-use once you have eaten the chicken)
  • 30g Pantelleria capers in salt
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 star anise berries
  • 1 tuft of thyme
  • oregano
  • chili
  • salt
  • lettuce and mixed leafy greens to taste

Preparation

  1. Cut the courgettes into ribbons with a mandoline and grill them for a few minutes on a grill or in the oven at 200°C on a baking tin covered with parchment paper. Put the oil in a saucepan, add the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, thyme, salt, chilli and peeled garlic in fillets. Let everything gain flavour on a low heat for about 10 minutes, taking care not to fry the spices.
  2. Desalt the capers, cut the cooked chicken into pieces, put it in an airtight jar with the capers, the still-warm aromatic oil and the courgette ribbons, possibly adding more oil to cover the chicken; close the container and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  3. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator a few hours before serving, mix well, season with a pinch of oregano and serve accompanied with lettuce and other mixed leafy greens to taste.

Note: the marinade oil remaining in the container will be excellent for dressing other salads and as a base for preparing other dishes.

L'insalata di pollo pronta per essere gustata

Version with gluten of Herb-marinated chicken salad

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

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