POLENTA PIE WITH VEAL

Entree - Complete meal - Celiac safe - Lactose intolerant safe and vegetarian (see notes below)

2 cups Italian Polenta flour
3 onions, 1/2 minced and the remaining sliced.
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb veal tenderloin, cubed
2 sage leave
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 oz parmigiano, grated

Bring 8 cups of water to boil and add salt. Slowly pour polenta flour into boiling water, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Stir for a couple minutes more, then lower heat, cover with lid and simmer for 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-heat, sautee the minced onion with 2 tbsp of olive oil until translucent, then add sage and veal cubes and sautee until meat is well browned. Deglaze skillet with wine, season with sale and pepper and simmer for 45 minutes.

In another skillet warm the remainig olive oil, then add sliced onions and sautee until golden: don't burn them or they'll become bitter, if needed, add a few tbsp of water or broth.

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a deep baking dish and layer polenta, onions and parmigiano until you finish all ingredients. Bake until cheese is golden. Serve immediately with veal.

This recipe serves 4-6 people.


- If you avoid cheese this recipe is Lactose intolerant safe.
- This recipe is safe for celiacs.
- If you are vegeterian, you can substitute veal with broccoli or cauliflower and adjust cooking time. You can also layer them directly with onions and polenta.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND RICE SOUP

Soup - vegetarian - Celiac and lactose intolerant ssafe (do not use Parmigiano) - dietetic

After Christmas eating, here's something light and filling....


2 1/2 qt of broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 lb Butternut squash, cleaned and cut into 1/4" pieces
1 cup Italian Carnaroli rice
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp extravirgin oive oil
4 tbsp Parmigiano reggiano, grated
1 tsp chopped sage
1 tsp chopped rosemary
Salt


Bring broth to a boil.

Warm olive oil in a large saucepan (with lid) over medium heat. Sautee onion, rosemary and sage until onion is translucent, then add squash. Stir for a couple of minutes.

Add boiling broth, cover, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir rice in and raise heat to medium again. Cook for about 20 minutes or until you reach your desired tenderness.

Serve immediately in individual bowls, drizzled with some extravirgin olive oil and sprinkle with Parmigiano reggiano!

This recipe serves 4


- You can cook squash a little longer and blend it before adding rice (if you don't like pieces). In this case remember to stir it almost constanty because the thickness of the soup will cause sticking to the bottom.
- Remember not to overcook rice (or pasta): if "al dente" or slightly undercooked they'll be easier to digest and will not raise your blood sugar as much as an overcooked one.
- You can add chopped pancetta with onion and herbs at the beginning: with this option use only 1 tsp of extravirgin olive oil. If you use bacon, cut some fat away before chopping it: bacon is fatter than pancetta.

BAKED FISH, POTATOES AND FENNEL BULBS

Fish entree - Celiacs and Lactose intolerants safe

1 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/4" slices
2 fennel bulbs with fronds
1 1/2 lbs cod fillets, cut widthwise into 1" pieces
1/4 cup Italian dried black olives, roughly chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt


Bring water to a boil, add salt and potatoes and boil for 4-5 minutes; drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice fennel bulbs thinly and chop fronds.

Line a baking dish with a large sheet of foil; layer fennel slices on bottom and season with salt, then arrange fish and fennel fronds, drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. End with potaoes, olives, the remaining olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Cover with another sheet of foil, crimp edges of both sheets together tightly to create a sealed pouch.

Bake for about 20 minutes, open foil and serve imediately with a fresh, green salad.

This recipe serves 4

- This recipe is safe for Lactose intolerants and celiacs
- You can use any white fish: Tilapia, Monkfish, Swai....
- You can add an extra kick sprinkling with a pinch hot pepper flakes, if you like the taste.

PACCHERI WITH TOMATO AND RICOTTA

Pasta entree - vegetarian

1 lb paccheri

1 24-oz bottle of Italian crushed tomatoes

7 oz fresh ricotta

1 carrot, chopped

1 small onion, chopped,

1 celery stalk chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp chopped basil

Salt

Bring a very large pot of water to a boil.

While you wait, in a large non-stick saucepan (with lid) over medium heat warm olive oil and sautee chopped vegetables for about 3-4 minutes; add tomatoes and season with salt, lower to simmer, cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Add ricotta, stir and remove from heat.

When water boils, add salt and pasta and cook until al dente, about 10/12 minutes.

Drain pasta and arrange it in the saucepan, srinkle with chopped basil and sautee for 2-3 minutes.

Serve immediately sprinkled with Parmigiano, if you like it.

This recipe serves 4-6 people, depending on whatelse is gooing to be served.

- Paccheri are similiar to rigatoni, bigger, that flatten down after you cook them.

- You can also arrange them in an oiled baking dish, sprinkle with parmigiano and bake at 375 until golden.

- You can make your sauce with whole peeled tomatoes, if you like.

- Instead of tomato sauce, you can succesfully use meat sauce.

PANDORO RICCO (rich pandoro)

Dessert - vegetarian - definitely NOT dietetic

Pandoro is the other Italian Christmas cake, star shaped, less known than panettone but, many times, more loved!

1 Pandoro

1 3.5 oz Italian dark chocolate bar

1 8 oz mascarpone

3 eggs

3 tbsp sugar

Cream or milk

Chopped almonds, hazelnuts or pinenuts

Slice the Pandoro vertically, dividing all points of the star in half (always vertically); this should create 14 slices.

Arrange them in the oven and toast at 250 until they become crisp but not too crunchy.

In the meantime, prepare the mascarpone cream.

Divide the eggs and put sugar in the yolks, whisk until they become pale yellow, then add mascarpone and whisk for another minute or twon, until combined.

Add a pinch of salt in the whites and whisk until soft peaks hold, then carefully fold them into the mascarpone mixture, always stirring from bottom up.

Melt chocolate, broken into pieces, in the microwave with 3 or 3 tbsp of cream or milk.

Compose the dish: line the bottom of your dish with mascarpone cream, arrange slice over it (you can cut it in 2 parts, since it's long), drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

You can finish with confectioner's sugar, that is included in the cake's box.

- You can use one kind of nuts or a mix of them.

- You can prepare the cream in advance (not earlier than the evening before) and finish the dish just before eating it.

- The cake can be eaten by itself, sprinkled with the sugar it comes with.

- Panettone is not suggested for this dish pecause of the fruits in it.

- This cream is the same used for tiramisù

- Yes, we have the pandoro in stock (and also the chocolate).

LILIANA'S MEATLOAF

Meat entree

Liliana is one of my best friends in Montepulciano, and this is her recipe (I made it succesfully several times).

1.1 lb ground mixed meats (pork, beef, chicken, turkey, veal: whichever you prefer)

1/2 cup ricotta

2 cups boiled vegetables (diced zucchine or carrots, peas and more)

1 big slice of ham or 2-3 slices of prosciutto (depending on size)

4 tbsp parmigiano, grated

2 tbsp chopped parsley or basil (or both)

1 egg

2 slices of bread, crust removed

Breadcrumbs (real Italian ones), nutmeg, salt, milk or broth, pepper if you like it.

Soak bread slices in milk or broth for a couple minutes, then squeeze it.

In a big bowl arrange ground meats, soaked bread, ricotta, egg, 3 tbsp of parmigiano, herbs and mix well until all ingredients are combined.

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly grease a pound cake baking pan and dust it with breadcrumbs; transfer half of the meat mixture into the pan and press it, line with ham or prosciutto, top with boiled vegetables and finish with the remaining meat mixture.

Mix 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs and the remaining parmigiano and sprinkle meatloaf with it.

Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove foil and finish baking for 10-15 more minutes, until golden on top; total baking time should be 45-45 minutes.

Serve with fresh salad.

This recipe serves about 6 people.

- You can chop ham or prosciutto and mix it to meats, as well as vegetables.

- You can steam vegetables, instead of boiling them; you can also use jarred small and sweet Italian peas (drain and rinse them).

- A friend from Reno added about half jar of the artichoke bruschetta topping we sell here saying it was unbelievably good: thanks Karin!!

- You can make a fast tomato sauce: sautee garlic or onion (or both) in extravirgin olive oil, add one 24-oz bottle of Italian crushed San Marzano, season with salt and basil; cook for about 10 minutes and serve your meatloaf with it. If you have leftover of the sauce use it the day after or freeze it for future use.

- You can make a bigger meatloaf, slice it in portion-size slices and freeze them separately: they'll be a perfect last minute dinner or a take-to-work lunch.

ARTICHOKE PIE

Appetizer - Entree - Vegetarian

For the dough:

2 2/3 cup 00 flour

6 tbsp butter, diced really cold

2 eggs

salt

For the stuffing:

1 1/2 jar Italian marinated artichokes, draine

3 tbsp plain Italian breadcrumbs

4 eggs

1 8oz mozzarella diced

1/2 cup Parmigiano, grated

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

First of all, prepare the dough: in a bowl mix flour and a pinch of salt; add butter and eggs; mix quickly to combine all ingredients but not too long otherwise the butter warms up and the crust will become hard.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it the refrigerator for 30 minutes, at least.

Prepare the stuffing: in a skillet over medium-high heat, sautee garlic in olive oil until lightly golden, then add artichokes and sautee for about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400.

Take the dough out of the fridge and divide in 2 parts, one slightly bigger than the other. Roll the bigger one over a flour-dusted table, thick about 1/4".

Repeat with the smaller part.

Put the bigger disk you obtained in a pie-pan (buttered and dusted with flour or with parchment paper) and poke it with a fork.

Sprinkle the bottom with breadcrumbs and spoon artichokes in it; in a separate bowl beat eggs with salt, parmigiano and mozzarella.

Cover with the smaller disk, pinch edges tighly, and make 5-6 cuts in order to let steam escape.

Bake for about 10 minutes, then lower to 350 and bake for about 30 more minutes (or until golden).

This recipe serves 6

- This recipe can me made also with unsweetened frozen puff pastry, which will save time, just defrost it and follow recipe.

- It's a vegetarian dish that can be served as appetizer or entree.

- You can add shredded prosciutto, but it would no longer be vegetarian; also, in this case, you need to adjust the quantity of salt.