Tag Archive for: gluten free recipes

Cold recipes for hot summers: Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons

Since the heat does not leave us this summer, I am constantly looking for cold recipes that can satisfy the palate, be healthy and above all be pleasantly refreshing, which is why I propose the Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons, this time paired with a fantastic wine!

In fact, a dear friend who knows my passion for wines gave me a bottle of Viognier Linea Ars Magna by Omina Romana vintage 2017, for which I wanted to create an ad hoc recipe. So here is my pairing because its intense and complex bouquet of aromatic herbs goes perfectly with the sweet scent of peppers, enlivened by the savouriness of anchovies and slivers of 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano cheese that masterfully reflect the mineral note that the wine draws from the volcanic soils where the vines grow.

The recipe is rich in fibre thanks to the peppers and lentils, it is also an excellent source of vitamins, the anchovies provide us with Omega 3, and the 36-month Parmesan cheese not only allows us to get calcium, but also makes the recipe suitable for those who are intolerant to dairy proteins: in short, a “supplement recipe”  as my friend Alessandra Bosetti, clinical dietician at the Buzzi Hospital in Milan, would call it, just like the Venere rice towers with almond cream and tomatoes.

When staying in the city while others are on holiday, the best way to treat oneself to a few moments of pleasure and relaxation is to indulge in good food and a glass of wine of those that remain in the memory file like photos taken in summer.

Omina romanaViognier

Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons

12.74g carbohydrates per 100g of Cream of peppers and lentils without croutons

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 1kg bell peppers (2 red and 2 yellow)
  • 100g hulled lentils
  • 2 slices of gluten-free wholemeal bread**
  • 30g Parmigiano Reggiano 36 months old
  • 4 anchovy fillets in oil
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • chili
  • salt and pepper
  • edible flowers for decoration

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation of Cream of peppers and lentils

  1. Clean the peppers, cut them in half, remove the stalk, seeds and white filaments, then cut them into quarters and place in the oven under the grill at 200°C until the skin is slightly dark. Seal the peppers in a paper bag and, when cold, peel and set them aside.
  2. Boil the lentils in lightly salted water until cooked: with hulled lentils it will take about 15 minutes. Drain and leave them to cool.
  3. Place a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, melt the anchovies drained from oil and when melted, add the diced wholemeal bread and toast it well on all sides.
  4. Now prepare the cream by putting the peeled peppers and lentils in a blender and when you have obtained a smooth and even cream, add salt, pepper and chilli.
  5. Divide the cold cream into 4 bowls, sprinkle the surface with Parmesan shavings and the anchovy croutons, then top with edible flowers.

crema di peperoni e lenticchie

Version with gluten of Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons

For the gluten-free version of the recipe, replace the gluten-free wholemeal bread with standard bread.

 

/0 Comments/by

Romaine lettuce rolls

,

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.

/0 Comments/by

Autumn at the winery: Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare

,

Also this year the Tuscan Wine Tourism Movement in collaboration with theItalian Food Blogger Association has launched the initiative involving 15 food bloggers to propose a pairing of a Tuscan wine with an autumn recipe, and my proposal is these Gnocchetti with hare. See also my pairing from last year for Christmas Bacchus .

Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare and Monterosola Winery

The winery I was lucky enough to be matched with is Monterosola in Volterra, a winery that has been active since 2013 to realise the dream of a Swedish family, the Thomaeus, to produce wine in a state-of-the-art, hi-tech, eco-sustainable winery in full harmony with the nature of the enchanting Tuscan countryside.

crescendo IGT 2018

Crescendo IGT 2018 – Photo by Lorenzo Moreni

The wine that Monterosola decided to send me is Crescendo IGTa 100% pure Sangiovese from 2018. It is a full-bodied wine that matures 15 months in French oak barrels, preparing itself for an ageing process that certainly does not frighten it. Pouring Crescendo, one is struck by its garnet red colour that goes well with the fresh notes of red fruits and spices, expressed in the mouth by fine tannins, good acidity and a pleasant persistence: definitely a name that is a promise!

When thinking of a recipe, I wanted to find a meeting point between two iconic autumn ingredients, pumpkin and Porcini mushrooms, and a meat with a strong enough personality to stand up to Crescendo. A friend offered me the solution on a silver platter by giving me a hare ready to be cooked! And the perfect connection between the sweet Gnocchetti and the gamey hare is in the slivers of 40-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, which immediately befriended the notes of toasted almonds and spices of the enveloping sips of this impressive red.

After trying this combination, all you need to do is book a visit to the winery!

Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare

10.77g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for Gnocchetti for 6 servings

  • 630g ricotta
  • 200g Parmigiano Reggiano, 24 months, grated,
  • 200g mashed pumpkin, oven baked
  • 200g gluten free pasta flour mix, brand Molino Dallagiovanna**
  • 2 eggs
  • brown rice flour* for dusting
  • salt

Ingredients for hare sauce

  • 1 litre milk
  • 900g boneless hare
  • 100g Crescendo IGT 2018
  • 60g onions
  • 60g carrots
  • 30g celery
  • 30g triple concentrated tomato paste
  • 15g dried Porcini mushrooms
  • 1 bay leaf
  • meat stock
  • aromatic herbs for marinating (rosemary, sage, thyme)
  • garlic
  • spices (coriander grains, chilli, pepper)
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese 40 months to serve

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Marinate the hare in a large bowl completely covered with milk and water with the herbs and garlic. Leave the hare in the fridge for 2 days, turning it once a day.
  2. Remove the meat from the marinade and de-bone the hare so that you have about 900g of meat, which you cut into small pieces of about 1 cm per side.
  3. Prepare the chopped vegetables typical of meat sauce, i.e. chopped onion, carrot and celery, and brown them in a saucepan with a little oil and half a clove of chopped garlic. When the vegetables are browned, add the triple concentrated tomato paste, possibly diluted with a few tablespoons of water, let it flavour for a few minutes, then add the chopped meat.
  4. Seal the meat over a high heat for a few minutes, then douse with the Crescendo IGT and let it evaporate. Add a ladle of meat stock and the bay leaf, put the lid on and lower the flame to the minimum.
  5. Soak the dried Porcini mushrooms, then cut them into small pieces and add them to the meat. Leave to cook for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Preparation of Gnocchetti

  1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together to obtain an even and rather sticky mixture. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.
  2. With a little flour, start forming cylinders with a diameter of about 1.5cm and cut the dumplings; put them on trays dusted with flour.
  3. When the meat sauce is cooked, season with salt and pepper, a teaspoon of ground coriander grains and a pinch of chilli pepper.
  4. Put a pot of water on the stove, salt it and cook the dumplings until they rise to the surface. Drain them with a slotted spoon, toss them in a large frying pan to gain flavour with the hare sauce and serve.
  5. Complete the dish with a few thin slivers of 40-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano.
gnocchetti con ragù di lepre e lamelle di Parmigiano Reggiano 40 mesi

Gnocchetti hare sauce and slivers of 40-month Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Version with gluten of Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare

Replace the 200g of gluten free flour with 220g of wheat flour; no other adaptation is needed.

 

 

/0 Comments/by

50 shades of coffee and the ricotta Gnudi recipe

, , ,

The new book by my blogger friend Raffaella Fenoglio of the blog Tre civette sul comò  entitled ’50 Shades of Coffee‘ has been published and I would share some of its mouth-watering recipes in the section of my blog dedicated to‘Friends’ recipes‘, so here is the first one: Coffee-flavoured ricotta Gnudi with Parmesan fondue

50 Shades of Coffee is a rich guide to this iconic beverage where you will find:

  • 50 curiosities
  • 50 ways to order it
  • 50 works that immortalised him
  • 50 aphorisms
  • 50 places to enjoy it (and how to say it in all the languages of the world)
  • 50 gastronomic-cultural itineraries that combine a recipe (not just sweet!) with a song, a film and a book
  • Infographics, interviews with experts, the reading of coffee grounds, etiquette for savouring coffee, the incredible range of aromas, the most suitable type for each zodiac sign, tell me how you drink it and I’ll tell you who you are: in short, a rich and entertaining dive into this chocolate-coloured world.

Copertina del libro 50 sfumature di caffè

Book cover 50 Shades of Coffee

A few words about Raffaella Fenoglio

With Raffaella I have shared many adventures over the years. Among the first experiences shared, there is certainly the splendid Contest dedicated to the Egyptian onion which I recounted on the pages of my blog during which I was a guest in the beautiful city of Sanremo, but there were many more occasion to meet in my virtual kitchen for cooking courses of which Raffaella herself wrote on her blog.

Besides being a blogger, Raffaella Fenoglio is the author of several books:

  • Abbasso l’indice glicemico 50+4 ricette per contenere l’IG mangiando bene
  • Indice GliceAmico
  • Gala Cox e i misteri del viaggio nel tempo
  • Storia degli strani animali della fattoria dei Monaci Templari e del coraggio della piccola Nicole (e di Claude)
  • Un tè con Mr Darcy
  • Christmas Love. Di biscotti, amore e fortuna

She collaborated on the culinary part of the novel Il gusto speziato dell’amore (The Spicy Taste of Love ) by Silvia Casini Fanucci, and on the L’Astro Narrante series by the same author

In 2021 the following books were published: Il taccuino delle parole perdute, La cucina incantata, ricette tratte dalle anime di Hayao Miiyazaki and 50 sfumature di caffè, segreti, curiosità e ricette sulla bevanda più amata al mondo. Co-authors Casini and Pasqua. 

She is also the creator and coauthor of Upside Down Magazine- Film, Book & Food Love. and with a group of friends in 2007, she founded P.E.N.E.L.O.P.E. odv, an active association for gender equality.

At this point, I think you will be excited to try the recipe I have chosen for you, which is associated with one of my favourite films, Pulp Fiction! Naturally, I have adapted Raffealla’s recipe to the needs of diabetes and celiac disease.

Coffee-flavoured Ricotta Gnudi with Parmesan fondue

11.53g carbohydrates per 100g

 

Ingredients for Gnudi

  • 350g buffalo’s or cow’s milk Ricotta cheese
  • 80g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 80g potato starch*
  • 30g brown rice flour* to flour the Gnudi
  • 15g coffee powder
  • 3 egg whites
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for the Parmesan fondue

  • 250g heavy cream
  • 120g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, mix Ricotta with Parmesan, coffee, potato starch, egg whites, salt and pepper. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
  2. Form balls with 30-40g of the mixture and roll them in rice flour.
  3. For the fondue, place the cream in a small saucepan, bring it to the boil, then remove it from the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese, stirring well so that it mixes well. Season with pepper and place a few spoonfuls on the plates where you serve the Gnudi.
  4. Put a pot of water on the stove, bring it to the boil, salt it and throw the Gnudi, cooking them for about 2 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Drain them with a slotted spoon and arrange them directly on plates, then top them with more Parmesan fondue.

gnudi di ricotta al caffè

Version of gluten of Coffee-flavoured ricotta Gnudi with Parmesan fondue

Prepare Gnudi with 100g wheat flour instead of potato starch and use wheat flour instead of rice flour to flour them.

 

/0 Comments/by

Onion soup au gratin

Here in the Po Valley, the fog has been with us for a few days and do you know what dish I love on these days? Onion soup au gratin.

Hot, fragrant, with melted Pecorino cheese and crispy on the surface, the whole family loves it and it is perfect as a one-course meal.

For the onion soup au gratin, you will only need very few ingredients, a diving mask (I’m joking of course, but it’s the only tool to keep you from crying while slicing the large amount of onions you need!) and a cooking time of 40 minutes, which you will have to plan. After that, enjoy this fantastic dish!

I forgot, you can also follow the recipe step by step in the video that kept us company in the spring lockdown: enjoy the video.

Onion soup au gratin   

11.88g carbohydrates per 100g

 Ingredients

  • 1kg white onions
  • 1lt vegetable or meat stock
  • 200g fresh Pecorino cheese
  • 4 slices of bread** (in my case 160g, i.e. 40g per slice)
  • 50g matured Pecorino cheese
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • 20g brown rice flour*
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Peel the onions and cut them into very thin slices, perhaps with the help of a mandoline. Heat the oil in a crock pot, add the onions, salt and let them stew slowly with the lid on for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Sprinkle the onions with the sifted flour, stir well so that no lumps form, pour in the boiling stock, cover the pan again and cook for another 40 minutes.
  3. Divide the soup among 4 ovenproof single-portion bowls, cover them with a slice of toasted bread with a slice of fresh Pecorino cheese and put the bowls under the oven grill until the cheese has melted. Once removed from the oven, top with grated matured Pecorino cheese and a grinding of pepper.

zuppa di cipolle gratinata

Onion soup au gratin ready to eat

Version with gluten

Simply replace the gluten-free bread with standard bread.

/0 Comments/by

Venere rice turrets with almond cream and tomatoes

When you don’t know what to do and are in the mood for a tasty, beautiful and complete and balanced first course or one-course meal, Venere rice turrets with almond cream and tomatoes are definitely a possible answer, even fun to prepare together with me.

Discovering Venere rice

Did you know that Venere rice is an all-Italian product? It is the first Italian brown rice born, cultivated and processed exclusively in the historical rice-growing lands of Piedmont and the beautiful Tirso Valley in Sardinia.

It was the seed co-operative Sapise (Sardo Piemontese Sementi) that in 1997 crossed a very hardy local white rice variety with a black Asian variety that could not be cultivated in Italy, resulting in this rice that was named Venere after the planet in our solar system, but also after the goddess of love for its alleged aphrodisiac powers (in Asia, these properties are attributed to the black colour of the rice!). The trademark is registered and you can find all the information by clicking on this link: https://www.risovenere.it/

Personally, I find the aroma and taste of Venere rice irresistible, which makes me overcome any reluctance in the face of the long cooking time, which is the characteristic of all wholegrain rice types. Well, we know that brown rice has a much lower glycemic index than white rice, so this characteristic also makes it preferable to other options.

The quantities I propose for the almond and tomato cream, will certainly leave you with a little more than you need to serve the turrets, but I think it is worth making more so you can combine it with vegetable Pinzimonio and croutons as a healthy and delicious dip.

One last note that certainly never hurts: Venere rice turrets are also a treat for the eyes!

My recipe for Venere rice turrets with almond cream and tomatoes    

11.26g carbohydrates per 100g

 Ingredients for 4 turrets

  • 160g Venere rice
  • 300g cow’s milk mozzarella
  • 300g San Marzano tomatoes
  • 40g peeled almonds (soaked in water for a few hours)
  • 30g bread**
  • 12 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon of anchovy sauce or a few anchovies in oil
  • 1 bunch of basil
  • basil leaves to complete
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • apple vinegar
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Boil the rice in salted water, drain it and season it with lemon juice and anchovy sauce or 2 anchovies melted in olive oil in a heated pan for a few minutes, then let it cool. Cut 6 slices of mozzarella and let them drip. Take some square cutters 6-7cm long and fill with a layer of Venere rice, one of mozzarella then one of rice and press the layers down. Let it rest.
  2. Drain the almonds and put them in a food processor with the chopped San Marzano tomatoes, a pinch of salt, a handful of basil leaves and the crumbled bread. Blend until creamy.
  3. Cut the cherry tomatoes and season them with oil, salt and apple vinegar.
  4. Unmould the rice and mozzarella turrets, garnish with cherry tomatoes and a quenelle of tomato and almond cream on top of the turret. Complete with a few basil leaves, a drizzle of oil and a grinding of pepper.

Foto delle Torrette di riso venere con crema di mandorle e pomodori

Version with gluten of Venere rice turrets with almond cream and tomatoes

Replace the gluten-free bread with an equal amount of standard bread.

/0 Comments/by

Parma Accoglie: Savoury biscuits with Parma Ham mousse

,

This Savoury biscuits with Parma Ham mousse  is my second recipe dedicated to the project Parma Accoglie that I presented in the recipe dedicated to Parmigiano.

Why Food Valley?

Have you ever wondered why Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma Ham come from the same area? This is certainly no coincidence and the link between them should make us reflect on the sustainability of the supply chain. In fact, the whey left over after making Parmigiano cheese (thus a product that would be processing waste) is one of the main foodstuffs in the diet of the Po Valley Heavy Pig intended for the production of ham and the rich range of deli meats that take their name from the villages in the province of Parma where they are made, a veritable map of specialities (Culatello from Zibello, Salame from Felino, Spalla from San Secondo).

Parma ham, especially with the lengthy maturation as in this recipe, is extraordinary as it is, and the best advice may be to handle it as little as possible in the kitchen. For this reason, I thought I would propose a recipe in which the ham is not cooked, but on the contrary is kept cold because that does not alter its aroma and flavour.

An unusual use of Parma Ham

It may seem like a waste to put a 24-month Parma ham in the freezer, but beware: thanks to the presence of salt and the scarcity of water, the ham will not freeze, it will merely become cold and harder. This way, we can blend it to obtain what I like to call ‘grated ham’, without it heating up and changing its smell and taste (see how to use it in other recipes).

As the ham returns to room temperature and you serve the Savoury biscuit with Parma ham mousse, the ham releases all its wonderfully sweet aromas. I adore the combination of those with the notes of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar produced a few kilometres further east.

If you want to discover the secrets of how Parma Ham is madein addition to enjoying it in local trattorias and restaurants during your visit, you can come back during the Prosciutto Festival held every year in early September in the town of Langhirano towards the Apennines (unfortunately not in 2020) or organise a visit to one of the 200 ham factories. I assure you that after seeing the level of care and detail put in its production, it will taste even better!

And to find out what to do in and around Parma, explore some suggestions on the blog posted by my friend Aura.

I biscotti salati con mousse di Prosciutto di Parma e gocce di Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale

Savoury biscuits with Parma ham mousse and drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Parma Accoglie and my recipe for Savoury biscuits with Parma ham mousse

43.45g carbohydrates per 100g of savoury biscuits

2.6g carbohydrate per 100g mousse

 Ingredients for the savoury sablé dough (you will need half)

  • 200g flour for bread and yeast BiAglut** (or wheat flour for those who can have it)
  • 130g butter
  • 60g almonds
  • 1 egg white (approx. 40g)
  • 30g wholemeal teff flour*
  • 30g corn starch
  • 7g salt

Ingredients for the ham mousse (15 single portions)

  • 220g real or vegetable cream
  • 80g Parma ham matured for 24 months in a single slice and placed in the freezer
  • 5g gelatine sheets*
  • Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena or Reggio Emilia
  • parsley leaves for decoration

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Prepare the mousse, which needs to rest for at least 1 hour in the freezer. Soak the gelatine in a small bowl of cold water. Place the ‘frozen’ Parma ham in the  food processor and blend it finely, but without it heating up. Add 100g of cream to the grated ham.
  2. Pour 20g of cream into a saucepan and heat it; add the soaked gelatine so that it melts completely, then pour it into the container with the ham.
  3. Whip the remaining cream and fold it in the ham mixture with a spatula. Fill the chosen moulds with the mousse (I chose these), determine the size according to the sablé biscuit you will be making. I chose a 5cm diameter) and place in the freezer until the mousse is hard enough to be taken out of the moulds without difficulty.
  4. Prepare the sablé dough for the biscuits that will serve as the base for your mousse. This dose is about twice as much as you will need, but, unless you use pasteurised egg whites, it cannot be divided. So take advantage of this to make extra savoury biscuits that you can combine with dips and soft cheeses for your aperitifs. Mix the flour with the butter to form crumbs, then add all the other ingredients to form a smooth, compact mixture.
  5. Take two sheets of baking paper and place the sablé in between; with the help of a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 4mm and, leaving it on the paper and placing it on a tray, put it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 20 minutes. When the sablé is firm, cut small disks with a 5cm diameter biscuit cutter and place the disks on a perforated silicone mat. This way you will be able to knead and cut the dough very well.
  6. Bake the biscuits in a static oven preheated to 160°C for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  7. Remove the mousses from the moulds. If you are going to serve them soon, keep them at room temperature for about 30 minutes before finishing them or store them in the fridge until you need them: they will last perfectly for 2 days.
  8. Take a biscuit, place the mousse on it and top with a few drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena or Reggio Emilia. Decorate with a parsley leaf.
Il biscotto e la mousse: perfetti finger food

Biscuits and mousse: a perfect finger food

Version with gluten of Savoury biscuit with Parma ham  mousse

Simply replace the 200g of gluten-free flour for the savoury sablé biscuit with an equal amount of wheat flour.

 

/0 Comments/by

Parma Accoglie: Crème brûlé with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

,

When something good happens you cannot keep it to yourself, you have to share it and rejoice in it all together. And the project ‘Parma Accoglie‘ is really something beautiful. It is a simple, yet extraordinary way to say thank you to the people who made themselves available to the community during the Covid emergency.

What does the ‘Parma Accoglie’ initiative consist of? Federalberghi Parma in collaboration with Ascom Parma, Consorzio Albergatori Promo Parma, FIPE – Pubblici Esercizi and Parma Quality Restaurant, with the patronage of the Municipality of Parma, have decided to offer a stay of up to two nights free of charge in a local hotel with the possibility of a typical Parma dinner, at a special price, in one of the participating restaurants to health, medical, nursing, volunteer, Civil Defence, Public Assistance and  Italian Red Cross personnel.

Any ideas of what you’ll do while in Parma? In the meantime, here are some shots of the city taken by my photographer friend Francesca Bocchia then I will share some activity proposals with you shortly!

And I hope to contribute to your desire to come to my city through the extraordinary products that have made it world-famous and through a few recipes that you will certainly not find in the city’s restaurants… because you absolutely must try the fresh stuffed pasta and the deli meats and cheese platters!

A land of great products

To tell you about my land, I have decided to propose recipes in which Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma (here is the recipe) are used in an unusual way as I am sure that the ‘usual way’ will be known even to those who are not from Parma!

My ‘obligatory’ starting point is Parmigiano Reggiano, the product I was born and raised with, as my family has been producing it since 1895. It is natural that I adore the product that has accompanied me for as long as I can remember and that has marked the rhythms of my family’s life, but Parmigiano has remained a table companion even after diabetes and celiac disease entered our lives, so it is even more precious to us!

Parmigiano Reggiano contains no carbohydrates and is allergen-free. It is also suitable for those who are intolerant to milk proteins if it is purchased with a maturation of 36 months or more. And to alleviate the guilt in case we are overwhelmed by its goodness and can’t stop ourselves in front of its fragrant slivers accompanied by fresh fruit, bread, nuts or a glass of full-bodied red wine, you should know that Parmigiano is a semi-fat cheese as it is made with half of the milk partially skimmed (find out how)!

My recipe to try to make you forever prisoners of the Parmigiano Reggiano spell and continue to welcome you to Parma? A soft cream enveloping fruit and enclosing it under a crunchy caramelised crust… after all, popular culture has warned us: don’t let the farmer (and us) know how good cheese with pears is!

La crème brûlé pronta per essere gustata

Crème brûlé ready to be enjoyed

Parma Accoglie and my recipe for Crème brûlé with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

10.93g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 6 servings

  • 250g ripe pear (or white grapes)
  • 300g real or vegetable cream
  • 100g milk
  • 50g grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 40g egg yolk (2 yolks)
  • 30g brown sugar
  • ½ lemon
  • ½ vanilla pod

 Preparation

  1. Bring the cream and milk to the boil with the seeds contained in half a vanilla pod. In a bowl, whip the egg yolks until stiff and pour the hot milk over them in a trickle. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and incorporate well.
  2. Cut the pear into small pieces, put it in a non-stick pan with the juice of half a lemon and let it soften slightly, allowing all the lemon juice to dry.
  3. Take 6 mini-mouldsput the pear pieces or cut grapes on the bottom, pour the milk, egg and Parmesan mixture on top and put the moulds on a baking tin containing hot water that should reach halfway up the moulds.
  4. Bake in a static oven preheated to 120°C for 1 hour. Remove and allow to cool, then transfer the moulds to the refrigerator until serving time.
  5. At this point, sprinkle the surface with brown sugar and caramelise it with the special torch. Serve the crème brûlé immediately.
La superficie caramellata della crema

The caramelised surface of Créme brûlé

Version with gluten of Crème brûlé with Parmesan cheese

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

 

 

/0 Comments/by

Peach pudding with coconut and mint with no added sugar

,

Peach pudding with coconut and mint is a fruit salad disguised as a dessert and is the answer to two needs: the first is to find an alternative to ice cream for Gaia and Nicolò on long, sultry summer days, the second is to use the very sweet peaches my greengrocer friend gave me before closing for the holidays.

In fact, this Peach pudding with coconut and mint can be prepared without adding sugar to what the sweet seasonal fruit already contains, or, as I did to make the preparation really resemble a real dessert, I added a few drops of liquid sweetener in the preparation of the pudding.

By using coconut milk (strictly natural and unsweetened) I have avoided adding fat to the preparation, the carbohydrate intake per 100g of coconut milk is only 2.7g and, a gift we can give to friends who cannot consume dairy products, it is also lactose free.

Finally, a touch of freshness with the mint that grows in the corner of aromatic herbs of my vegetable garden at home could not be missing… even if the sprig gave me a lot of trouble by twisting itself around the whisk I used to make the pudding… check it out!

Any other soft desserts? Take a look! 

Il budino di pesche al cocco e menta pronto per essere gustato

Peach pudding with coconut and mint

Peach pudding with coconut and mint with no added sugar    

7.56g carbohydrates per 100g

 Ingredients for 6-7 puddings

  • 400g coconut milk
  • 300g peach pulp (approx. 2 peaches)
  • 30g rice starch*
  • 8g gelatine sheets*
  • a sprig of mint plus a few leaves for garnishing
  • sweetener* or sugar to taste

Ingredients for the sauce

  • 125g blackberries
  • 125g raspberries
  • ½ lemon, juice
  • slivered almonds*
  • sweetener* or sugar (optional, I did not add anything)

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

Preparation

  1. First of all, soak the gelatine in a bowl with cold water.
  2. Peel the peaches and cut them into coarse pieces which you put in a food processor with some of the coconut milk. Blend to obtain a homogeneous and perfectly smooth mixture.
  3. Mix the rice starch in a saucepan, gradually adding the remaining coconut milk while stirring with a whisk; add a sprig of mint and place the mixture on the heat; when it is lukewarm, pour in the blended peach and when the cream starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and add the squeezed out gelatine, stirring well with the whisk so that the gelatine melts and is perfectly incorporated.
  4. Allow the peach cream to cool, stirring occasionally, then, when the container is cool enough, cover it with cling film and chill for a few hours in the refrigerator.
  5. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Put the berries in a non-stick pan with the juice of half a lemon and cook on high heat. When the fruit has released its liquid, turn off the heat and allow to cool.
  6. Remove the peach cream from the refrigerator, remove the cling film, and mix the cream with a spatula in bottom-up movements. Using a ladle, transfer the pudding into serving cups and top with a spoonful of berry sauce and almond slivers to taste. Garnish with mint leaves.

Immagine ravvicinata del budino pronto

Version with gluten of Peach pudding with coconut and mint with no added sugar

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

 

/0 Comments/by

Tuna loaf with green sauce

, ,

Tuna loaf with green sauce is the dish that answers my question ‘what to cook for dinner in the summer‘. If there are many cold dishes that can bring us pleasant relief when the heat is almost unbearable, tuna loaf does it very well (here is how to prepare it).

To prepare it, you need six ingredients and they are all ingredients that I generally have in my pantry at home: tuna, anchovies, capers, olives, egg white and Parmesan cheese.

It also meets dietary requirements: all ingredients are naturally gluten free and the amount of carbohydrates is well below 1g per 100g of finished recipe. Furthermore, the recipe is lactose free (Parmesan is lactose free, but remember that in case of dairy protein intolerance you will have to buy Parmesan matured for at least 36 months), so it is also suitable for those who cannot consume dairy products.

As it is suitable for using creativity when plating, this recipe is perfect if you have guests. You can also prepare it the day before so you can devote yourself to other dishes and then slice the meatloaf at the last moment.

Finally, the green sauce is very quick to prepare and is also excellent to accompany other dishes or to be used as a dip for vegetables!

  

Tuna loaf with green sauce

carbohydrates per 100g negligible

 Ingredients for the tuna loaf for 4-6 servings

    • 400g tuna in oil
    • 2 egg whites
    • 20g anchovy fillets
    • 20g pitted green olives*
    • 20g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
    • 10g salted capers
    • pepper

    Ingredients for the green sauce

    • 50g extra virgin olive oil
    • 30g pitted green olives*
    • 10g parsley leaves

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

    Preparation

    1. Drain the tuna and put it in a blender or robot with the egg whites, capers fully desalted under running water, anchovy fillets, olives, Parmesan cheese and lemon peel. Blend everything together to obtain an even mixture.
    2. Take a sheet of baking paper, wet it and wring it out, then roll it out and pour the tuna mixture in the middle, forming a kind of cylinder. Wrap the cylinder with paper and close it at the ends with two metal hooks.
    3. Put the meatloaf on a baking dish, cover it completely with water, then bring it to a gentle boil and cook over a low heat for 45 minutes. Pour off the water and let the meatloaf cool down.
    4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Put parsley and olives on a cutting board or in a food processor and chop everything to the desired size. Transfer the mince to a small bowl and coat it with extra virgin olive oil.
    5. Slice the meatloaf, arrange the slices on a serving platter, season with a teaspoon of sauce and serve with fresh vegetables or pickles.

Polpettone di tonno con salsa verde affettato

Version with gluten of Tuna loaf with green sauce

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

/0 Comments/by