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Today I want to take you on a trip to the mountains of the Abruzzo region to discover artisan liqueurs created, as if by magic, by a family of nature and food lovers, which I want to propose to you in this recipe, also lactose-free, to prepare my Prawns with cream of Cannellini beans flavoured with Ratafià.

Artisan liqueurs in the kitchen

Let me introduce the liqueurs by the Scuppoz company starting with the name. The term ‘Scuppoz’ is an onomatopoeic word from Abruzzo that sounds like glasses clinking for toasting and celebrating, but today, Scuppoz is an artisan company that produces liqueurs using what the land of the mountains has to offer: wild herbs, berries and a lot of creative energy.

Before I met the Scuppoz liqueurs, I met Anna, the irrepressible wife of the second generation of herb alchemists whose passion in telling about the battles and challenges of making liqueurs in the hostile mountains of Abruzzo conquered me to the point that I couldn’t but find out about these ‘strong and gentle spirits’, as the motto of the ‘Medicinette’ liqueur collection reads.

Le "Medicinette" dell'azienda Scuppoz

The “Medicinette” collecion by Scuppoz

Ratafià: black cherry liqueur from the hills and Montepulciano wine

For my recipe, I chose the black cherry liqueur Ratafià made with black cherries from the hills and Montepulciano wine, ingredients that give the liqueur a powerful structure. Scuppoz Ratafià can be enjoyed by people with coeliac disease because it is prepared only with red wine, sour cherry juice and alcohol, i.e. without the addition of flavourings (here you will find the AIC rules for choosing gluten-free liqueurs).

Where does the name Ratafià come from? From the Latin expression‘ut rata fiat’, let the deed be ratified, because it was customary to drink this liqueur (prepared by women, but drunk mostly by men) immediately after signing a notarial contract to sanction its validity.

Scuppoz liqueurs are a journey of aromas, flavours and mountain stories, which I have brought to you in this recipe so that even the little ones at home can fully enjoy the experience without taking the alcoholic part for which they will have to wait a while!

And remember to follow Anna’s adventures on social media (https://www.instagram.com/scuppoz_spirits/ ): you won’t regret it!

gamberi con crema di cannellini al ratafia

Prawns with cream of Cannellini beans flavoured with Ratafià

14.10g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 400g red onion from Acquaviva delle Fonti (or Tropea onion)
  • 400g cooked chickpeas
  • 8 prawn tails
  • 2 shallots
  • vegetable stock
  • Ratafià – Scuppoz black cherry liqueur*
  • 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. Slice the red onion and brown it in a non-stick pan with a little oil for a few minutes, then cover with vegetable stock and let it cook without browning.
  2. When the onion is soft and the stock has evaporated, deglaze with 4-5 tablespoons of Ratafià, add salt and pepper and let the liquor thicken for a few minutes, then turn off the heat.
  3. Prepare the Cannellini cream. Put the chopped shallot in a non-stick pan, let it brown, then add the cooked Cannellini beans and let them season for about 5 minutes.
  4. Transfer the Cannellini beans to a blender, add the necessary amount of stock to obtain a thick cream and blend. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Transfer the onion cooked in Ratafià to a bowl so that you can use the frying pan to cook the prawns: leaving the cooking juices of the onion, cook the prawn tails for a maximum of 2 minutes on each side.
  6. Now assemble the dish: with a ring, form a disc of Cannelli cream, place the Ratafià flavoured onion on top, then 2 prawns and finish with a grinding of pepper and a very light drizzle of oil.

gamberi con crema di cannellini al ratafia

Version with gluten of Prawns with cream of Cannellini beans flavoured with Ratafià

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

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.

 

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.

The holidays are coming and many of us are already thinking about what to prepare on Christmas Eve. So, to follow the tradition of having a ‘meatless’ dinner on the 24th of December, we recommend a very easy and tasty recipe featuring one of the most popular fish on Christmas tables: Salmon au gratin.

It is such a simple preparation that it is almost a non-recipe, but accompanied by a side dish of vegetables, it is truly worthy of the Christmas table and will win over even the youngest members of the family. Have a look at Ravioli with prawns and cherry tomatoes which could be perfect to complete your dinner.

Salmon au gratin

10.29g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 600g salmon in 4 slices
  • 100g breadcrumbs**
  • Parsley, extra virgin olive oil and salt as needed

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Place the breadcrumbs in a deep dish and mix with chopped parsley, salt and oil to form a sort of paste.
  2. Place the salmon slices on a baking tray covered with baking paper; cover with the aromatic breadcrumbs and press them down so that they stick well to the fish.

salmone-gratinato-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

  1. Place in a static oven preheated to 200°C for about 10 minutes, so that the bread browns slightly.

Now serve and enjoy!

salmone-gratinato-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Salmon au gratin

Version with gluten of Salmon au gratin

Replace the gluten-free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs.