SPAGHETTI WITH 2 TOMATOES

Pasta entree - lactose intolerants - vegetarian


1 lb spaghetti
1 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil and drained
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp capers, packed in salt, carefully rinsed
2 cups cherry tomatoes (about 9 oz.) quartered
3 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, grated
2 tbsp basil, chopped


Bring a tall pot of water to a boil.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. In a blender combine both tomatoes, capers and olive oil; puree until smooth. Add a couple tbsp of warm water to help blending, if necessary. Transfer this pesto to a large serving bowl, stir in cheese and basil and set aside.

When water boils, add salt and pasta and cook it until "al dente", about 8 minutes. Drain it and transfer it into the bowl with the pesto, toss until well combined and serve immediately.

This recipe serves 4-5


- You can use grape tomatoes, or other you like, instead of cherry ones.

- If you like, you can use chopped parsley or chives instead of basil.

MIXED SALAD WITH LOBSTER

Salad - Diabetic, lactose intolerant, celiac safe


Court Bouillon:
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1 onion
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme


Salad:
2 lobster, about 1 1/2 lb each
4 small cuttlefish, cleaned
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 scallions, chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 green beans, boiled and cut into 2" pieces
1 lettuce head, shredded


Seasoning:
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon juice
Salt and pepper


Prepare the court bouillon putting all vegetables and herbs listed in the ingredients in a big pot with water.
Boil on high heat for 20 minutes, then add lobster and cuttlefish, lower to medium high heat and boil for 20 more minutes.
Set aside and let the fish cool in the court bouillon.

Prepare the salad. In a large bowl combine all vegetables, except for lettuce, and fish.
In a small bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper; mix well until salt dissolves, pour over the sald and toss to coat evenly.
Set in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Arrange the shredded lettuce onto a serving platter, top with vegetables and fish and serve immediately.


This recipe serves 4



- You can use shrimp or prawns instead of lobster and squid instead of cuttlefish (adjust the cooking time in the court bouillon because they're both quicker to cook).

- You can use a good balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice if you like.

- If you desire a more flavorful lettuce, prepare more seasoning and divide it between lettuce and salad.

CROSTATA DI PESCHE FRESCHE

(Fresh peaches tart)

Desert - Vegetarian


For the dough:
1 1/3 cup of Italian 00 flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 extra large egg
3 tbsp butter, diced and chilled
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt

For the filling:
2 big yellow peaches, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp sugar
6 amaretto cookies, crumbled
2 tbsp pinenuts


Prepare the dough: in a bowl arrange all dry ingredients and mix them to combine evenly. Add butter and mix it roughly with flour mixture; form a well and put the egg in it.
Mix all ingredients well but quickly in order not to warm up butter too much (which would result in a "hard" dough), you have to obtain a smooth "ball".
Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

Prepare the filling: place butter and peaches in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and sautee for about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 tbsp of sugar, along with pinenuts.

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease and dust with flour a 9" tart pan (or line it with parchment paper).

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll it on a lightly floured surface until you obtain a disc about 1/4" thick.

Place dough in the tart and punch the bottom with a fork in order to allow steam to escape.

Line bottom of the dough with half of the crumbled amaretti, pour peaches over them, then finish with the remaining amaretti crumbles and sugar.

Bake on central rack for about 35 minutes (or until edges become golden brown).

Remove from oven and from pan and let it cool down on a rack.

You can serve it as is, dusted with a little cocoa powder or with some ice cream.


It will serve 8 people at least.


- If you want, you can use sliced almonds instead of pinenuts.

- You can use 1 large egg, adding 1 tbsp butter or 2 tbsp chilled milk

- White peaches are sweeter, if you use them, consider adjusting sugar: 1 tbsp in the skillet and 1 on top should be more than enough.

TUNA AND EGGPLANT ROLLS

Appetizer - Celiacs safe - Lactose intolerant safe


8 slices eggplant, about 7 oz. total
1 big tomato, ripe
20 black olives
8 oz tuna, packed in olive oil
4 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oi


Brush eggplant slices and grill them until desired doneness. Set aside to cool.

In the mean time, remove seeds from tomato and dice it; arrange it in a bowl along with basil and tuna, drained and crumbles.

Chop the olives and add them to the tomato mixture, season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.

Spread this mixture on the eggplant slices, roll them and arrange on a platter lined with lettuce leaves.

Keep refrigerated until it's time to serve.

This recipe serves 4.



- You can grill 8 more slices and spread them with some pesto, alternate them with the tuna filled ones on the platter and serve in a mixed appetizer.

VITELLO TONNATO

Meat entree

Veal tenderloin in tuna sauce

3 lbs veal tenderloin, in a single piece
2 cans tuna in olive oil, drained
2 tbsp capers, packed in salt and rinsed
3 anchovy fillets, packed in olive oil
2 hard boiled eggs
warm broth, at least 1 qt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Tie meat with butcher's string in order to retain its shape.

In a saucepan with lid, over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and brown all sides of your meat. Add broth, cover with lid, lower heat to minimum and simmer for about 1 hour; a longer cooking at low temperature will have a tender meat as result. Season with pepper (if desired) and salt, carefully because of the other ingredients.

Let meat cool down into the pan.

Peel eggs and cut them lengthwise, remove yolks and save the halved albumen.

Prepare the tuna sauce.

In a food processor combine tuna, capers, anchovies and yolks. Blend, adding meat cooking juices little by little, until you obtain a smooth cream. You shouldn't need salt in this sauce, due to tuna, capers and anchovies.

Thinly slice meat, not thicker than 1/4", and arrange slices on a serving platter, slightly overlapping them.

Cover with tuna sauce, reserving a little to be usedto fill the halved albumen served as appetiser.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, in order to allow meat to absorb the tuna sauce flavor.

Serve with a fresh green salad.


I can't actually determine how many servings are in this recipe, I suggest to slice the meat, use the amount you need and freeze the remaining in airtight plastic container, along with some of its cooking juices, so you'll have a dinner ready when you haven't time to cook.


- You can use beef or pork tenderloin, as long as they're lean and tender

- You can use 2 tsp of anchovy paste instead of anchovy fillets

_ You can use about 1/2 cup mayo (or a mix of mayo and plain yogurt), instead of the hard boiled eggs with the cooking juices; the original version is obviously lighter.

PANZANELLA SALAD

Salad - vegetarian - lactose free

This is a Tuscan peasant style dish, created to get rid of stale, old bread during summer time; the winter version is a soup called ribollita that you can find in our blog.



1/2 ciabatta, dry and cut into 4 parts
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 big and ripe tomatoes, diced
10 basil leaves
1/2 cup red or white wine vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt


Fill a bowl, big enough to contain all bread, with cold water and vinegar and soak bread in it.

When bread is soaked enough to be handled, pull it out and squeeze it really well, in order to remove all water, crumbling it and arrange it in a different bowl.

Add all vegetables and basil, season with olive oil, salt and some more vinegar if desired.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

This recipe serves 4.


- This is the original recipe, you can add any other vegetable you like: cucumbers, lettuce, celery stalks, etc. all thinly sliced.

- To have a complete meal you can add tuna in olive oil or hard boiled eggs; I avoid mozzarella because of vinegar.

- The more ingredients you add, the more people you'll serve; you might also need to add some more bread.

- Use only high quality extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar in oder to give a better flavor and taste to your dish.

SHRIMP, CANNELLINI AND CHICK-PEAS SALAD

Appetizer - salad - gluten and lactose free


1 lb shrimp, boiled and peeled
1 can Italian cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Italian chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 tbsp parsley, chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper (optional)


First of all, prepare the salad. In a bowl, combine shrimp, cannellini and tomatoes, season with salt, pepper (optional), half of the olive oil and lemon juice. Mix well to combine all ingredients; sprinkle with 2 tbsp parsley and set aside.

Prepare the chick-peas cream. In a blender, arrange chick-peas with the remaining oil and blen until a smooth cream forms; if it's too thick, add a few tbsp of chicken or vegetable broth to thin it, do not use more oil and do not add too much liquid: you need to have a cream.

To serve: line 4 individual small plates with the chick-peas cream and top with the salad, evenly distributed.

Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.


This recipe serves 4.