Tag Archive for: gluten free recipes

Macedonia di pesche con crumble di lenticchie

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Peach salad is a delicious way to enjoy this sweet and soft fruit, enhanced by the contrast with the crunch of the lentil crumble. As I picked peaches from the tree in my garden yesterday, I thought about how I could turn them into a dish that could be used either as a dessert or a fresh breakfast, both perfect versions for hot summer days. Here’s how to do it!

The lentil crumble is a real surprise in terms of its goodness and, at the same time, it allows us to use a pulse flour and almonds in the preparation of a sweet, making it certainly more ‘friendly’ to blood sugar levels.

I invented it a year ago to participate in the Talent for foodcontest, where it had taken me to the finals. This is a slightly simplified version (I removed a few ingredients and changed the proportions) and since then I often use it to top spoon desserts or to mix with the seed mixes that I love to add to yoghurt for breakfast. So, while you are preparing it for peaches, you can double the amount to enjoy it as a snack or many other uses!

Macedonia di pesche con crumble di lenticchie

Peach fruit salad with lentil crumble

      carbohydrates for the crumble 42.75g per 100g

carbohydrates for peaches 6.1g per 100g without sugar

Ingredients for the lentil crumble for 8 servings

  • 55g lentil flour*
  • 55g almonds with peel
  • 3g brown rice flour*
  • 30g whole coconut sugar
  • 20g grapeseed oil or other oil to taste
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 pinch of salt

Ingredients for the peach salad for 8 servings

  • 4 yellow peaches
  • 125g lemon juice (the juice of 2 lemons)
  • 2 star anise berries
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • sweetener* or sugar to taste
  • dark chocolate* (optional)

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

Preparation

  1. Combine the lentil flour, brown rice flour and coconut sugar in a bowl; add the seed oil, egg white and coarsely chopped almonds, then knead with your hands to a crumbly mixture.
  2. Drop the crumbs onto a baking tin covered with parchment paper and bake the crumble in a static oven preheated to 180°C for 10-15 minutes (the time will depend both on the size you gave the crumble and the power of your oven), until the crumble is crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  3. Prepare the peaches. Put a pan of water on the stove and when it comes to the boil, throw in the ripe peaches and boil them for 3-4 minutes. To check that they are blanched just right, use the tip of a knife or a fork to see if the skin starts to peel away slightly from the flesh. Drain the peaches with a slotted spoon.
  4. Cut the peach skin with the tip of a knife, then the skin should come off very easily. Cut each peach into 4 segments, trying to keep the segments as intact as possible, and place them in a bowl.
  5. Pour the lemon juice over the peaches, add the whole star anise and cinnamon, sweeten to taste with sweetener or sugar, stir, and leave the peaches to gain flavour until the serving time.
  6. When it is time to serve the peaches, take two peach segments for each person and place them in a fruit salad bowl, add the crumble on top and, to taste, top with a sprinkling of dark chocolate cut with a knife and serve.

Macedonia di lenticchie vista dall'alto con ingredienti utilizzati

Version with gluten of Peach fruit salad with lentil crumble

The recipe is naturally gluten free, so no adaptations are needed.

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Gazpacho with yellow tomatoes, peppers and crispy prosciutto

Why a Gazpacho with yellow tomatoes, peppers and crispy prosciutto? For the memories and for my love of Spain and peppers.

The first time I heard about the Carmagnola pepper was a few years ago when my neighbour gave me a jar of pickled peppers prepared by her parents who used to travel to Piedmont every year in September to buy the raw material.

I have never forgotten those peppers: the bright colours, the sweet but firm flavour and the crunchy texture made me fall in love at first taste. It was that taste that prompted me to find out where this delicious fruit of the earth came from.

Carmagnola and its pepper

Its land of origin is precisely the Carmagnola area in Piedmont and there are various types (the one I tasted was the ‘Corno di bue’, perfect for preserves). The pepper arrived in this area at the beginning of the 20th century and today it represents a fundamental resource for agriculture and the local economy and is a foodstuff known and appreciated in Piedmont and Italy for its intense yellow or bright red colour, its aroma and its wholesomeness.

Every year, in early September, Carmagnola hosts the National Pepper Fair, the largest in Italy dedicated to an agricultural product, offering 10 days of gastronomic, cultural, artistic events, and creative and engaging experiences for all senses and all age groups. Well, this year the fair reaches an extremely important milestone, namely its 70th anniversary, which is being celebrated by collecting recipes that feature pepper as their star. This fresh and fragrant Gazpacho is my way of wishing long life to a product of the earth that often graces our table with its flavours, aromas and colours. All the best, then!

Try also this recipe with Carmagnola peppers: Chicken with peppers and goji berries.

Gazpacho with yellow tomatoes, peppers and crispy prosciutto

12.58g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 500g yellow tomatoes
  • 3 peppers, 2 yellow and 1 red (approx. 270g when cooked and peeled)
  • 100g sandwich bread** or these Rustic loaves
  • 100g sliced Parma ham
  • 100g vegetable stock
  • basil leaves
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • chilli, salt and pepper

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation of Gazpacho with yellow tomatoes

  1. Clean the peppers, cut them in half, remove the stalk, seeds and white filaments, then place them in the oven under the grill at 200°C until the skin is slightly dark. Seal the peppers in a paper bag and when they are cold, peel them and set them aside. Cut ¾ of the red pepper into strips and keep aside.
  2. Place the tomatoes, bread, stock and peeled peppers (except for the red pepper in strips) in a blender to obtain a cream; season with chilli, salt and pepper.
  3. Place the Parma ham in the microwave oven on medium power and short time, and repeat the operation until the ham is crispy.
  4. Prepare small bowls with the tomato gazpacho, pepper strips, crispy ham pieces, a few basil leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Il Gazpacho di pomodori gialli, peperoni e crudo croccante

The Gazpacho of yellow tomatoes, peppers and crispy prosciutto

Version with gluten of Gazpacho with yellow tomatoes, peppers and crispy prosciutto

For the version with gluten of the recipe, replace the gluten-free sandwich bread with conventional bread.

This recipe was submitted for the Contest ‘Carmagnola Pepper: 70 years in 70 recipes’

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Gluten-free potato pizza with olives

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A gluten free potato pizza with olives as an alternative to conventional pizza.

We know that pizza for those with diabetes and coeliac disease is one of the absolute most difficult dishes to manage. It is so because not only are really good gluten free pizzas very difficult to find, but also because people with diabetes have to manage the ‘pizza effect‘, i.e. abnormal rises in blood sugar levels due to the combination of ingredients in pizza (and alas, also high amounts of sugar hidden in the dough and tomato sauce, as well as fairly high amounts of salt), even many hours after eating it.

The potato pizza is a nice alternative; yes, we have to pay attention to the carbohydrates contained in the potatoes, but they are much easier to handle than low quality pizza. Furthermore, it can be a nice idea for a naturally gluten free dinner or snack in the garden! You can serve it with a Swordfish salad.

Gluten free potato pizza with olives

14.27g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 700g potatoes
  • 400g tomato sauce
  • 250g cow’s milk mozzarella
  • 80g pitted green or black olives*
  • 20g spring onion
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

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

Preparation

  1. Peel the potatoes, slice them thinly and steam them for 20 minutes. Put a little oil in a non-stick frying pan, pour in the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and brown them lightly by pressing them down with a fork or a wooden spoon.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce. Put a few tablespoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan, brown the finely chopped spring onion, then add the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper, then cover and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, cover the bottom with the potatoes, then top with tomato sauce and pitted olives in pieces.
  4. Bake in a static oven preheated to 200°C for about 10 minutes, then add the mozzarella and continue baking until the mozzarella has melted.
  5. Serve the potato pizza hot.

pizza-di-patate-olive-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Potato pizza with olives

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

 

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Buffalo ricotta gnocchi with saffron and Egyptian walking onion

What are Egyptian walking onions?

I must admit that my curiosity could not resist such a bizarre name for an onion cultivated mainly in western Liguria, so I expressed my interest to receive a book entirely dedicated to this subject, as well as to receive Egyptian walking onions to experiment with in the kitchen.

First of all, the name. In reality, the adjective ‘Egyptian‘ has nothing to do with the Egyptian civilisation, so much so that it is also known to the world by many other names, a fact which, in addition to its ease of cultivation, has made it somewhat mysterious, favouring its spread from the 1600s onwards. Already at that time, the onion was present in Russia and particularly in Siberia where it withstands even the cold winter temperatures. This capacity has meant that it has become a valuable source of nutrition for local populations, mainly due to its high vitamin C content, which is not easily available in areas with such hostile climatic conditions.

Yet, the Egyptian onion is also perfectly adapted to the Ligurian climate where, planted in the soil, it is able to produce several onions overhead and for long periods of time. The small bulbs develop in place of the traditional flower and are buried to give rise to other plants that grow easily and without requiring much attention.

If the bulbs are not harvested, the long stems on which they grow bend under their own weight and end up touching the soil where they root, giving rise to new plants. Hence the name of ‘walking onion‘. Economically, this onion has three types of harvest: the green leaves, the underground bulbs (which are left for the following harvest) and the topsets.

Size: a surprise

Reading about all these rather unusual characteristics, my imagination started working on what I could prepare with these perfect strangers, but since onion soup is one of my favourite dishes, my first thought was to use them in this way. But what did I discover when the envelope containing 7 little treasures arrived? First of all, they are really tiny so the thought of soup was instantly erased.

A second aspect that had struck me was reading that in many preparations the long leaves are used, so this time I had thought of a recipe in which the lush, green part was emphasised. My choice? I had thought of empanadas filled with vegetables, including Egyptian onion leaves, and served with a few fried leaves and a grating of hard sheep’s milk ricotta.

You can therefore imagine that, having received the bulbs without the green part, my second idea also tragically stalled. So, having to prepare dinner for two hungry teenagers and a husband well past his teens, but with the same appetite, I decided to use the bulbs as if they were precious little truffles, grating them raw, fragrant and succulent, over freshly made buffalo ricotta small gnocchi. A curiosity: one of the reasons why the Egyptian onion is so popular in cooking is that, even raw, it does not leave its scent in the mouth once consumed!

I don’t know how the other recipes I had thought would turn out, but this use of onion met with our approval. And you know what? I used 4 and planted the remaining 3 in the vegetable garden, so I am hoping for a small harvest in a few months to continue the experimentation!

Would you like some more gnocchi recipes? Try these Gnocchi with hare.

Buffalo ricotta gnocchi with saffron and Egyptian walking onion

carbohydrates 14.8g uncooked plain gnocchi

 

Ingredients for 4-5 servings

  • 600g buffalo ricotta
  • 200g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 160g pasta flour mix, brand Petra 03** or bread flour, brand Nutrifree**
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 50g milk
  • 4 Egyptian onions
  • 0.25g saffron
  • basil, 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 ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, flour and egg, adjust salt and, when even, place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  2. Form cylindrical strips and cut out small gnocchi.
  3. In the meantime, put a few tablespoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the cherry tomatoes cut into quarters and with the seeds removed. Season with salt and set aside.
  4. In a pan, large enough to hold the gnocchi once cooked, pour in the milk and dissolve the saffron together with a few tablespoons of the gnocchi cooking water and a pinch of salt.
  5. Cook the gnocchi in slightly salted boiling water for a few minutes and as soon as they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in the pan with the saffron; allow the sauce to thicken and the gnocchi to gain flavour over medium heat.
  6. Assemble the plates by placing the saffron gnocchi, sautéed cherry tomatoes, a few basil leaves, a grated or very thinly sliced Egyptian onion (I used a Microplane grater to make this sort of carpaccio) and finally freshly ground pepper.
  7. It is a tasty and aromatic dish and above all fresh and perfect for summer.

 

gnocchi-cipolla-egiziana-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia-

Version with gluten of Buffalo ricotta gnocchi with saffron and Egyptian walking onion

Replace the gluten free flour with 180g conventional flour.

 

“This recipe was submitted to the MA CHE CIPOLLA D’EGITTO! 2018″ contest

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Turkey meatballs with saffron

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Our much-loved meatballs are back on the table with these Turkey meatballs with saffron, the perfect dish to please young and old alike. Why? Simply because they contain the right nutrients, they can be prepared with vegetables and have that nice shape typical of goodies that are eaten one after the other.

Meatballs are also a practical solution for household supplies: when you make them, you can make extra amounts and, once cooked, you can put them in the home freezer to have them ready in minutes in case of emergency. You can defrost them first in the microwave oven and then heat them in a non-stick pan, or simply wait for them to defrost and heat directly on the stove.

Today’s proposal is a light, delicate and lightly spiced recipe: Turkey meatballs with saffron.

Prepare your shopping list with these ingredients and fire up the cooker… let’s get started!

Turkey meatballs with saffron

6.9g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 6 servings

  • 700g ground turkey meat
  • 450g milk
  • 250g leek
  • 100g robiola cheese
  • 80g breadcrumbs**
  • 40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 sachet of saffron
  • rice flour*, extra virgin olive oil, salt, herbs

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Chop the leek very finely and sweat it in a non-stick pan with a little oil.
  2. Place the minced meat in a bowl, add the stewed leek, season with salt and add the Parmesan, robiola cheese, breadcrumbs, egg and chopped herbs, then mix well.
  3. Form patties 3-4 cm in diameter, roll them in rice flour and brown them on both sides in a non-stick pan with a little oil. Now dissolve the saffron in the milk, add a little salt and pour it over the meatballs. Cover and cook, allowing the saffron sauce to thicken well.

polpettine-di-tacchino-allo-zafferano-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Turkey meatballs with saffron

Replace gluten-free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs.

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Simply Red Risotto at the Merano Wine Festival

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

Simply Red: a risotto for the Merano Wine Festival

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

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

What did I prepare at the Merano Wine Festival?

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

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

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

 

Simply Red Risotto at the Merano Wine Festival

carbohydrates 31.5g per 100g without raspberry compote

Ingredients for 4 servings

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

Preparation

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

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Finding a product that is perfect for both the needs of diabetes and celiac disease is a rather rare occurrence, so discovering Barilla Legumotti on supermarket shelves was more than a surprise: it was a real joy and I decided to cook Legumotti with vegetables.

In fact, the label of Legumotti with red lentils, chickpeas and peas shows only these three ingredients in the quantities of 60%, 20% and 20% respectively. The total carbohydrate value of Legumotti is 48.3g per 100g of dry product, which is then half as much once cooked, as they double their weight by absorbing some of the cooking water. By adding the vegetables, we then provide lots of fibre which will slow down the absorption of the complex carbohydrates from the pulses… and this is what made our day with perfect blood glucose levels!

But all with a truly unexpected treat for the palate: my children expressly asked us to unleash our creativity to bring this ‘mini-pasta‘ (which reminds us so much of the Sardinian fregola that we love, but have never found in a good gluten free version) to the table at least once a week.

I’d say we really like this challenge, since with the kids on summer holiday the need to prepare a midday meal as well needs an extra effort of organisation and imagination!

Legumotti with vegetables

14.94g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 350g courgettes
  • 300g Barilla Legumotti*
  • 200g carrots
  • 100g semi-hard cheese
  • 90g cherry tomatoes
  • 60g pitted black olives
  • 50g onions
  • 1 clove garlic
  • basil, 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. Chop the onion finely and sauté it with the garlic clove over high heat in a wok or non-stick pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, stirring constantly. In the meantime, cut the carrots into rather small cubes and the courgettes into slightly larger cubes (so that the cooking time is the same, as the carrot generally takes a little longer) and add them to the onion.
  2. Always keep the heat fairly high and stir occasionally so that the vegetables cook quickly without burning. Once ready (they should remain crispy), season with salt, remove the garlic and set aside.
  3. Cook the Legumotti in salted water, drain them and stop cooking by running them under cold water for a few seconds.
  4. Pour the Legumotti into a bowl, add the sautéed vegetables, quartered cherry tomatoes, pitted olives, diced cheese and season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, chopped basil to taste and a pinch of salt if required.
  5. Serve the Legumotti warm or cold.

legumotti-alle-verdure-barilla

Version with gluten of Legumotti with vegetables

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

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Mediterranean Risotto

Behind the scenes of my Mediterranean Risotto: towards the final of the Rice Food Blogger Contest

When you have an unforgettable experience, you are afraid to try to repeat it for fear that it will disappoint you and spoil the fairytale atmosphere of your memories. With the ‘Chef Giuseppina Carboni’ Rice Food Blogger Contest this was not the case: the second experience not only did not disappoint expectations, but even gave us surprises and emotions that were totally unexpected: let’s discover the behind the scenes of my Mediterranean Risotto.

The day of the final

There were 12 of us, the semi-finalists of the contest, at the Chef Academy in Terni to challenge each other to the sound of risottos created from a mystery box designed by chef and jury member Roberta Massoli of the La Pergola Restaurant in Magliano Sabina.
My mystery box contained strawberries, goat cheese, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and Maremma rice.

The result: my Sweet Thoughts Risotto, cooked with strawberries, creamed with a goat’s cheese cream and served with a parmesan and pine nut crumble that I loved. Actually, the jury, composed of Chef Academy director Ronny Albucci, Chef Roberta Massoli, Chef Matteo Barbarossa, the winner of the last edition of the Contest, Cristiana Curri, and the event organiser Luca Puzzuoli , also liked it, and in addition to choosing me among the 5 finalists, they declared my risotto the best of the semifinal!

And do you know what was at stake? A real chef’s jacket from the prestigious host cooking school, the first one I have ever worn.

Foto vittoria semifinale

Furthermore, the products of the initiative’s sponsors have been gracing our table for several days: Maremma rice, Parmigiano Reggiano, Flagella tomatoes, Verrigni pasta and Infinito extra virgin olive oil.

A great surprise of this edition was the lunch organised at the Italyheart oil mill in Fornole di Amelia: a masterpiece from start to finish! In addition to a divine lunch, where my children for the first time tasted wild boar meat and pigeon with anchovy paste, there was a very interesting mini-lesson by Angela Canale – agronomist, panel head, olive oil expert – on Italian extra virgin olive oil and a tasting dedicated to the Infinito oil produced by the oil mill that welcomed us.

Many products for one risotto: my Mediterranean Risotto

Waiting for the highly anticipated final on 21 July in which I will see the other finalists, Bianca and Marta, Angela, Alessia and Sara, I couldn’t help but create a risotto with the extraordinary products that the organisers and sponsors have given us… I must admit that if the mystery box of the final contained these ingredients, few palates would be able to resist!

Enjoy this risotto!

Mediterranean Risotto

21.6g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • approx. 2 litres of previously prepared vegetable stock
  • 360g Carnaroli rice
  • 300g Flagella tomato sauce
  • 85g cow’s milk mozzarella
  • 65g Stracchino cheese or another cream cheese
  • 60g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 60g extra virgin olive oil
  • 30g carrots
  • 30g leek
  • 30g water
  • 15g celery
  • salt, oregano, basil and Infinito extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Preparation

  1. First prepare the tomato cream. Put about 20g of Infinito extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan with the chopped leek, carrot and celery. Let the vegetables soften and brown, then add the Flagella tomato sauce, a pinch of salt and a ladle of stock; let it cook for about 15 minutes and whisk to obtain a homogeneous sauce, finally set aside.
  2. Prepare the cream cheese with mozzarella, stracchino cheese and 30g water; whisk for a few seconds until smooth and allow to rest at room temperature.
    Start preparing the rice. Put a little oil in a pan and toast the rice on a high heat (it took me 3 minutes to get the grains nice and transparent with a white kernel in the centre). Start adding the boiling stock. Continue stirring and only add stock when the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid. After about 5 minutes, add the tomato sauce and continue to cook the risotto.
  3. Turn off the heat, leaving the rice still al dente, and start stirring in about 40g of extra virgin olive oil so that the starch is released and forms a nice creamy texture; then add the grated Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until it is completely incorporated. Let the risotto rest for at least 1 minute covered with a dish towel.
  4. Serve by placing a spoonful of mozzarella cream at room temperature in the centre of the plate; pour a few drops of extra virgin olive oil over the cream, place a basil leaf on top and sprinkle with a pinch of oregano.
  5. Serve and dream of summer in one of our beautiful Mediterranean countries!
risotto-mediterraneo-senza-glutine

Mediterranean Risotto

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Rice cabbage rolls au gratin

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Cabbage and Savoy cabbage have been with us all winter and have given us an incredible variety of preparations. One of our favourite recipes is Rice cabbage rolls au gratin and it is for several reasons.

First, we like the name in Italian, “Valigini” meaning small suitcases, trolleys, because a small suitcase always contains something we take with us on a trip and maybe even a gift from a faraway place when we return… it gives us a foretaste of surprise. Then, we like it because it is an explosion of colours in a season that is not very lively.

Moreover, it is a delicacy that can be easily served as a one-course meal, both for its satiating power and for its nutritional composition: carbohydrates, vitamins and proteins. And finally, for the delicate but, at the same time, full and rich flavour of those surprises kept in our little suitcases: the sweetness of the raisins enhanced by the unmistakable savouriness of the pecorino cheese, the crunchiness of the cashews and the tenderness of the soft green cabbage that envelops them.

In short, a preparation that makes adults happy and makes kids forget that they are eating the often ‘hated’ vegetables.

Rice cabbage rolls au gratin

13.74g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 800g cabbage cooking water
  • 370g green cabbage (the 6 largest outer leaves)
  • 150g purple cabbage
  • 200g Carnaroli rice
  • 50g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 50g raisins
  • 40g red wine
  • 30g cashews or Brazil nuts
  • 30g Pecorino cheese, grated
  • 25g extra virgin olive oil
  • 25g spring onion
  • 10g butter
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Take 6 large leaves of green cabbage. Wash them and blanch them in boiling salted water for a few minutes; drain and throw them in cold water. Wait a few moments, drain them well on paper towels and keep the hot cooking water as vegetable stock.
  2. Put a little oil in a pan, soften the thinly chopped spring onion, then add the thinly sliced purple cabbage in small pieces; after lightly browning, add a drop of water and cook the cabbage almost through, allowing the liquid to evaporate.
La preparazione del riso

Rice preparation

  1. Throw the rice in the pan with the cabbage and toast it well. Pour red wine and allow to evaporate, when the smell of alcohol has disappeared, start stirring the rice using the cooking water from the outer leaves. Add the soaked raisins and lightly chopped cashews and continue to roll the rice.
Il riso pronto per la mantecatura

The rice ready for the stir-frying

  1. When the rice is almost cooked, but still rather al dente, cream it with butter and Parmesan cheese; let it cool and spread it out on a rather large plate so that the rice does not brown: in this way, the risotto should be cooked to perfection after gratin.
  2. Take the blanched leaves and cut them in half, removing the harder, thicker central rib. Place a heaped spoonful of risotto on each half and roll the cabbage forming a cylinder.
La preparazione degli involtini

Preparing the rolls

Gli involtini prima della gratinatura

The rolls before baking au gratin

  1. Place the rolls in an oven dish, sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese and drizzle a little oil on the surface.

Gratinatura

  1. Grate under the oven grill at 220°C for about 10 minutes until the pecorino is lightly browned.
Gli involtini pronti per essere gustati

The rolls ready to be enjoyed

This recipe participates in the Contest “Rice Food Blogger 2017 – Chef Giuseppina Carboni“

Risultati immagini per risate e risotti Risultati immagini per chefacademy Risultati immagini per chef&maitre Risultati immagini per aifb

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Our recipe for Baccalà mantecato

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Baccalà mantecato, i.e. creamy salt cod, is a dish with an enveloping taste that is present in many Italian gastronomic traditions. From Vicenza to Trieste, every cuisine has its secrets for making this speciality a tasty main course.

Perfect with a slice of toast, it is also an extraordinary condiment for pasta or rice: try my Salt Cod Risotto.

Here is today’s recipe!

Baccalà mantecato

negligible carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 400g salt cod already soaked with salt removed
  • 80g extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 sprig of parsley
  • 1 clove garlic
  • water, milk, salt

Preparation

  1. Cook the cod in a pot covered with water and milk, with the addition of a clove of garlic for about 20 minutes.
  2. Remove the skin, garlic and any bones, then place the cod in a blender with the washed parsley leaves. Start blending by adding the oil in a trickle, exactly as you do with mayonnaise.

ricetta-baccala-mantecato-uno-chef-per-gaia

ricetta-baccala-mantecato-uno-chef-per-gaia

  1. Add salt if necessary and adjust the creaminess by adding a dash of milk.
  2. You can serve it on its own, with croutons or roasted polenta.

ricetta-baccala-mantecato-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Baccalà mantecato

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

 

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