Tag Archive for: vegetariana

Healthy eating: Romanesco broccoli cream

Cold we do not fear you! When the days start to get shorter and the evening air gets crisper, we warm up with something tasty and healthy, just like a Romanesco broccoli cream.

Velvety, fragrant and delicious, here is this very easy recipe to prepare a creamy vegetable soup.

In addition to its characteristic cauliflower flavour that is generally milder than common cauliflower, the Romanesco broccoli looks like a sculpture of oriental art: its florets are so perfect that they are bewitching, and the bright green colour completes the effect.

Try it with just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for seasoning and some croutons for full satisfaction. For other soups, have a look at this lentil recipe.

Romanesco broccoli cream

1.57g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 1 litre of water
  • 650g Romanesco broccoli
  • 165g onions
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and (optional) curry

Preparation

  1. Put the sliced onion in a pan with oil, then add the broccoli florets and, if you want a spicy flavour, half a tablespoon of curry powder.
  2. Let it season for a few minutes, cover with water and cook for about 30 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Blend everything, adjust salt and serve with a drizzle of oil and some croutons.
Crema di cavolo romanesco

Romanesco broccoli cream

Version with gluten of Romanesco broccoli cream

This recipe is naturally gluten-free, so it needs no adaptation.

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Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

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Autumn in the kitchen means pumpkin and pumpkin means Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi! Pumpkin is an ingredient with innumerable properties, a delicate taste that goes well with even daring combinations, but above all with many uses.

And we love it. We like it for its bright colour that brings vitality to dishes, for its full-bodied flesh that lends itself to making any recipe interesting and tasty, for its transformation into sweet or savoury preparations following your creativity.

Today we want to pay tribute to this gift of nature with a very simple yet impressive recipe.

Ready to find out? Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

14.5g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 6 servings

  • 1 kg cooked pumpkin (corresponding to approx. 1 pumpkin of the Delica variety, green skin and orange flesh)
  • 160g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 140g gluten-free pasta flour mix, brand Petra 3**
  • 2 eggs
  • salt, pepper and nutmeg
  • butter, sage and Parmesan cheese for seasoning

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

  1. Cook the pumpkin in pieces in a static oven preheated to 200°C for 20 minutes or in a thick-bottomed pan, adding a bit of water until soft and well-dried.
  2. Mash the pumpkin in a potato masher or blend it in a food processor.
  3. Mix the mashed pumpkin with grated Parmesan cheese, eggs and flour; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  4. Once the mixture is ready, put a pot of water on the stove, bring it to the boil, salt it and then throw in a few teaspoons of pumpkin mixture the size of a walnut at a time. Watch also the video of how to prepare Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi.
gnocchi-di-zucca-senza-glutine-ph-chiara-marando

Cooking pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

  1. When the gnocchi have risen to the surface, let them boil for 1 minute, then drain with a slotted spoon.
  2. Finally, dress them with melted butter, sage and grated Parmesan cheese.

gnocchi-di-zucca-senza-glutine-ph-chiara-marando

How to dress pumpkin gnocchi

Gnocchi di zucca al cucchiaio

The pumpkin gnocchi ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Pumpkin spoon-shaped gnocchi

Replace the Petra 3 flour with 100g of wheat flour and 40g corn or potato starch.

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Leek and Camembert flour dumplings

Today we woke up with the idea of cooking something special for dinner, a tasty dish capable of giving much, much satisfaction to the palate. We had in mind a full-bodied preparation, rich in ingredients and with a strong flavour… in short, a sort of end-of-day prize: the Leek and Camembert flour dumplings were our answer.

Besides being served as a first course, Leek and Camembert flour dumplings can be used as a main course because of their richness, but if you want to opt for a less fatty version, replace the Camembert with lots of seasonal vegetables!

Leek and Camembert flour dumplings

14.98g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 370g milk
  • 200g Camembert cheese
  • 100g leek
  • 90g potato starch*
  • 80g butter
  • 60g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 40g grated Parmesan cheese plus a pinch to dust the surface
  • 20g breadcrumbs**
  • 4 eggs
  • nutmeg, 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. Chop the leek very finely and sweat it in a non-stick pan with a little oil; season with salt and set aside. Then place the Camembert, without the white rind, in a small pan with 100g of milk over very low heat so that the cheese melts. Now add the sweated leek.
  2. Put 270g milk in a saucepan with butter, a grinding of nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and add starch and rice flour together, stirring well so that no lumps form. Let cool, then add the grated cheese and one egg at a time while continuing to mix. Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag with a round tip, approximately 1.5-2 cm in diameter.
  3. Place a pot of water on the stove, bring it to the boil and add salt. With a pastry bag, drop small cylinders 2-3 cm long with the help of a knife (although the dough is very soft, so the knife is only needed to interrupt the flow of mixture) into boiling water and when they rise to the surface, let them cook 1-2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.
  4. Place the dumplings in an oven dish, pour the cheese cream and leeks over them, stir lightly if necessary, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and gratinate in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes.
I parigini porro e camoscio pronti per essere gustati

The leek and Camembert flour dumplings ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Leek and Camembert flour dumplings

Replace the gluten-free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs, no other adaptation is needed.

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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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Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

Today we are going to bake mixing good and tasty ingredients to prepare an equally tasty dessert: Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips.
A creamy, fresh and delicate filling enclosed in a soft and fragrant short pastry. A mix of flavours that make this dessert a real temptation for every moment of the day. Want another breakfast idea? Try these Rice and buckwheat biscuits.

Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

41.84g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry

  • 300g flour mix for bread, brand BiAglut**
  • 150g butter
  • 100g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 100g sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 8g baking powder*
  • 1 pinch of vanilla pod

Ingredients for the filling

  • 400g mixed ricotta
  • 80g dried apricots
  • 20g chocolate chips*
  • 3g powdered sweetener* or a few drops of liquid sweetener*

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Knead all the ingredients for the shortcrust pastry until you obtain a firm, smooth ball. Cover the dough with cling film, then let it rest in the refrigerator for the time needed to prepare the filling.
  2. Mix the ricotta until it is perfectly creamy and lump-free; add the sweetener (or sugar to taste), chopped apricots and chocolate chips, then mix well.
La preparazione della treccia di ricotta, albicocche e gocce di cioccolato

Preparing the braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

  1. Roll out the shortcrust pastry to form 3 rectangles measuring approximately 25×20 cm. In the centre of the rectangle, parallel to the long side, form a cylinder of ricotta filling. On both sides of the filling, cut the pastry as if forming a fringe. Starting from one end, fold the first two strips of shortcrust pastry, crossing them over each other in a braid-like manner; continue until complete.
La treccia di ricotta, albicocche e gocce di cioccolato prima di essere infornata

Braid before baking

  1. Place the 3 plaits on a baking tin covered with parchment paper and bake them in a static oven preheated to 180°C for about 20 minutes.
La treccia di ricotta, albicocche e gocce di cioccolato pronta per essere gustata

Braid ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

Replace the BiAglut flour with an equal amount of wheat flour. No other adaptation is needed.

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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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After-eight egg pasta triangles

Sweet and savoury together, but also mint and chocolate coming together, our recipe today is a mix of flavours and contrasts: After-eight egg pasta triangles.
A pleasant pasta enclosing a soft filling with an intense flavour. In short, an appetising first course to surprise with something new and unexpected.

If you love fresh pasta, also try Sardinian Culurgiones a work of art of workmanship and taste!

 

After-eight egg pasta triangles

29.48g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the egg pasta for 8 persons

  • 500g fresh pasta flour mix, brand Molino Dallagiovanna**
  • 5 eggs
  • 15g bitter cocoa powder*
  • 40g water
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil
  • 3g salt

Ingredients for stuffing

  • 400g boiled and mashed potatoes 300g freshly grated sweet Pecorino cheese
  • 30g grated medium-aged Pecorino cheese
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • 10g chopped mint
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • milk and salt as needed

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

  1. Prepare the dough by mixing flour, eggs, cocoa, water, oil and salt by hand or in a planetary mixer. In no time, you will obtain a smooth and elastic dough. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
    Put the grated cheese and the mashed potatoes in a bowl and mix well until an even mixture is obtained. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and as soon as it is hot, add the chopped garlic and stir; turn off the heat and add the chopped mint. Let it rest for a minute, then pour the aromatic oil over the potato and Pecorino mixture. Mix well, add salt to taste and, if the mixture is too thick, soften it with a few tablespoons of warm milk.
  3. Now, take the dough and roll it out with a pastry cutter to the penultimate or third last hole; with a toothed cutter, cut 8cm squares.
    Using a teaspoon, or your hands, place the filling in the centre of the square, then close forming a triangle and pinching the edges together to seal the ravioli tightly.
    Bring the water to the boil, salt it lightly and gently toss in the triangles. After a few minutes, drain them and dress them with melted butter together with a few mint leaves and grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.

Triangoli-di-sfoglia-after-eight-ph-chiara-marando

Version with gluten of After-eight egg pasta triangles

Replace gluten-free flour with wheat flour and reduce the amount of water used to 15g.

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Pumpkin and lentil soup with paprika

Dense, creamy and delicious! Definitely Pumpkin and lentil soup with paprika is a tasty way to get children to eat vegetables and pulses.

The sweetness of pumpkin, combined with the unmistakable flavour of lentils, makes this soup perfect also for children, while if you want to give a twist to sweetness, paprika or, why not, chilli pepper, will be the ideal solution.

A light, balanced and tasty meal!

Do you love soups and creams? Try my Cabbage, potato and shallot soup.

Pumpkin and lentil soup with paprika

3.75g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 1.3 litres of water
  • 700g pumpkin
  • 375g onions
  • 50g lentils
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • ½ tsp turmeric (optional)
  • 1 pinch of chilli pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Cut the pumpkin and onion into small pieces, season with oil, salt and pepper and place in a baking dish covered with parchment paper; bake at 200°C for 20 minutes and set aside.
    Put water on the stove with garlic, bay leaf and lentils; cook for about ten minutes. Now add the baked pumpkin and onion, keeping a few pieces aside to decorate the dishes.
  2. Finish cooking the lentils and vegetables, remove the garlic and bay leaf, then blend and season with spices, salt and pepper. Finally, add the vegetable pieces left whole.
  3. Serve with a drizzle of oil and croutons to taste.

vellutata-di-zucca-e-lenticchie-alla-paprika-uno-chef-per-gaia-ph-chiara-marando

Version with gluten of Pumpkin and lentil soup with paprika

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

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Aperitif time: Guacamole Salsa

Aperitif is more and more an Italian ritual, a way to enjoy some food with a good drink with family and friends. So, even early in the week, we may be thinking about the Friday night aperitif and, this time, we have decided it will be homemade.
So we share with you a recipe for an appetising salsa to enjoy with crispy nachos: Guacamole Salsa. You can also accompany it with Teff crackers.

Do you like the idea? We are already anticipating it.

Guacamole Salsa

1.86g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 200g avocado (the pulp of 1 avocado)
  • 30g lime or lemon juice
  • 10g onion or spring onion
  • 3g salt
  • 2g coriander or parsley
  • 1-2 g finely chopped garlic
  • pepper, chilli and chopped tomato to taste

Preparation of Guacamole Salsa

  1. Place the avocado pulp in a blender, add the lime or lemon juice and blend well. Then add all the other ingredients chopped very finely.
  2. Season with salt, pepper and chilli and, if you want, add a chopped tomato.
    Serve the guacamole salsa with nachos or use it to stuff tortillas together with tasty Chilli con carne.

salsa-guacamole-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia-ph-chiara-marando

Version with gluten of Guacamola Salsa

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

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Mexican dinner: Vegetarian Chili

How about organising a fun Mexican dinner? We have done so and would like to recommend a recipe that is going to be a true success, with intense, spicy flavours suitable for all palates: Vegetarian Chili.

Would you like to accompany the recipe with an aperitif? Try the Guacamole Salsa.

Let’s begin!

Vegetarian Chili

7.41g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 400g tomato sauce
  • 300g yellow pepper
  • 300g red pepper
  • 250g carrots
  • 250g cooked Mexican black beans (about 120g dry soaked in water for at least 12 hours)
  • 200g cooked yellow soy (approx. 100g dry soaked in water for at least 12 hours)
  • 100g water
  • 40g onions
  • 1 piece of chilli pepper
  • paprika, parsley or coriander, extra virgin olive oil, salt

Preparation

  1. Put the beans in water and cook them for the time necessary for them to remain firm. Once cooked, drain them and set them aside. Repeat the same operation with the yellow soy.
  2. Chop the onion fairly finely and sauté it in a slightly high-sided pan with a little oil, adding the garlic clove and a pinch of chilli pepper according to personal preferences for spiciness.
  3. In the meantime, slice the carrots into rounds and dice the pepper, chop the parsley (in Mexico, coriander is used, but its specific flavour is not liked by all), then add all the vegetables and tomato sauce to the stir-fry, then season with salt and paprika.
  4. Let the vegetables cook for about 15 minutes. Finally, incorporate the soy and beans and let everything gain flavour for another 5 minutes before serving.

Chili-vegetariano-senza-glutine-uni-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Vegetarian Chili

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

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