MY STYLE POTATOES AU GRATIN

Side dish - Gluten free - Vegetarian and lactose free (read bottom notes!!)

4 potatoes, medium-big
1/2 cup chopped prosciutto
1 cup Parmigiano reggiano, grated
1 big onion, chopped
4 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup warm vegetable broth


Boil potatoes, whole with skin on, for about half of the usual cooking time, drain and let the cool down enough to handle them

In the meantime, in a small non-stick skillet, warm 2 tbsp of olive oil and sautee onions, until translucent, add chopped prosciutto and broth; cook for a 2-3 of minutes, then remove from heat.

When potatoes are cooled down, peel and slice in 1/4" thick rounds.

Preheat oven to 375

With the remaining olive oil, grease a 9x13 baking pan, arrange potato slices, slightly overlapping them, on a single layer; pour onion-prosciutto-broth mixture all over the potatoes. Season with salt and sprinkle with parmigiano.

Cover with tin foil and bake for about 20 minutes, remove foil and broil until golden.

Serve immediately.


- It's a perfect complement for roasts or grilled meats or fish.
- You can substitute prosciutto with mortadella or ham or pancetta (or avoid it, for a vegetarian dish).
- Baking time will depend on the size of your potato slices.
- Substitute parmigiano withplain REAL Italian breadcrumbs for a lactose free version.

SUPER EASY PEACH CAKE

Dessert - no baking necessary

For the custard:
2 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk

Italian ladyfingers

3 medium peaches

1 lemon
2-3 tbsp sugar


First of all, prepare the custard.

Warm the milk without letting it boil. In a saucepan, with heavy bottom, combine the sugar, the flour and the eggs, whisking to prevent knots. On medium heat add the warm milk in a slow stream, always whisking and bring to boil, whisking continuously; it will take about 5-8 minutes (the warmer the milk, the quicker the cooking). Never stop stirring, otherwise your custard will stick to the bottom and burn, giving it an unpleasant taste.

Set aside, sprinkle with a little sugar and let it cool down to room temperature.

Squeeze lemon. Peel peaches and cut in thin wedges and mix them with sugar and lemon juice, this will prevent oxidation.

Line the bottom of a cake pan with ladyfingers quickly dipped in milk.

Pour custard on top of ladyfingers, then top with peache wedges, drained from lemon juice.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

This recipe is for a 9x9 square pan (or round).


- You may have some custard and peach leftovers, jus make some individual small bowls with them. You can get to a 9x13 rectangular pan with these quantities.
- You can make it with any fruit you like.
- It's a very easy cake that doesn't require baking, only the time to prepare the custard, so perfect for summertime.
- Use ONLY Italian ladyfingers, they're one of the key ingredients to have a great result.

RICE SALAD (Insalata di riso)

Main entree - lactose and gluten free - vegetarian (read notes below)

1 lb Carnaroli Italian rice
1 cup peas, frozen
4 egg, hard boiled and peeled
2 5-oz can Italian tuna in olive oil
1/4 cup Italian capers, packed in salt
2 big ripe tomatoes, dices
2 cucumbers, diced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, grilled and peeled
6 oz marinated artichoke hearts
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt


Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add salt and rice, stir and cook until al dente.

In the mean time defrost peas, dice eggs, drain and crumble tuna, thinly slice bell peppers, drain and roughly chop artichokes and reconstitute capers: rinse them, soak them in lukewarm water for about 10 minutes, then squeeze excess water away.

Arrange all these ingredients in a bowl along with all the vegetables.

When al dente, drain rice, quickly dip in cold water to stop cooking and spread on a kitchen towel until it reaches room temperature. Transfer it to a bowl, season with olive oil so it won't stick.

Assemble the salad: spoon equal quantities of rice and vegetable mixture, little by little, in a bowl big enough to contain all ingredients. Add mayonnaise and mix well to coat evenly.

Refrigerate for 2 hours at least.

This recipe serves 6-8


- It's gluten and lactose free and can be vegetarian, if you avoid tuna
- You can virtually add anything you like: beans, cheese, carrots, zucchini.... just use your creativity.
- You can lighten mayonnaise using half light sugar free yogurt.
- It's a complete meal, can easily fit in an appetizer. It's great in buffet style meals and it's perfect for summertime.

EASY PUFF PASTRY APPETIZER

Appetizer - Vegetarian

Puff pastry (refrigerated or make your own)
5 oz swiss cheese, shredded
1 can Italian peeled tomatoes, without juice, chopped
Mustard
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper (optional)


Roll puff pastry, on a lightly floured surface, to a 1/4" thickness.

Drain peeled tomatoes and chop them; reserve thier juice to use in other preparations.

Preheat oven to 375F

Line a baking pan with parchment paper (or grase lightly with butter and dust with flour), then line with puff pastry and poke it with a fork.

Spread a thin layer of mustard on pastry, then top with cheese and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt (and pepper if you like it) and drizzle with Italian olive oil.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, then cut in wedges and serve.


- You can use other cheeses or a mix of them (mozzarella or Asiago or provolone or more)
- It can be used in a mixed appetizer or as "pizza"

LEGUMES, TUNA AND ONIONS SALAD

Salad - lactose and gluten free - Vegetarian (see bottom notes)

This is a very easy recipe, perfect for summertime because no cooking is required.

1 14-oz can Italian cannellini beans
1 14-oz can Italian borlotti beans
1 14-oz can Italian ceci (chickpeas)
1 14-oz can Italian lentils
3 5.8-oz cans high quality tuna in olive oil
1 can baby Italian onions in balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp Italian Extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Italian balsamic glaze
1 clove garlic, few rosemary and sage leaves, chopped
Salt


Mix chopped garlic, rosemary and sage with olive oil and balsamic glaze.

Drain and rinse all legumes, this will remove salt in excess.

Drain tuna and onions; crumble tuna and cut onions in 2-4-6 pieces depending on their size.

Arrange legumes and onions in a salad bowl and dress them with olive oil seasoning and salt. Toss well to coat, then add tuna and toss again to combine all ingredients.

Serve with a mixed green salad.

This recipe serves 6-8


- Do not overdo with salt, both beans and tuna have it.
- You can add other vegetables to it, like cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots and more.
- If you like it, you can add boiled farro to this salad.
- This is a gluten free, lactose free and vegetarian (remove tuna!) recipe.
- We carry all the ingredients, except for garlic and fresh herbs.

DITALINI PAELLA WITH CHICKEN

Entree - complete meal - lactose free - gluten free and vegetarian (when bottom notes are followed)

1 lb Ditalini Italian pasta
4 oz. ham, diced
2/3 lb chicken thighs, boneless & skinless diced
1 14oz can Italian San Marzano peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp Italian tomato paste
2 cups peas
1/2 cup Italian dried black olives
1 tbsp capers, packed in salt, rinsed
2 shallots, chopped
2 tbsp basil and parsley, freshly chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups (at least) vegetable broth, boiling
salt and pepper


In a non-stick skillet (big enough to contain all ingredients) warm up olive oil on medium-high heat and sautee shallot, ham and chicken together, stirring, for about 4-5 minutes.

Add wine and let evaporate; now add tomato paste: don't dilute it, mix it slowly so it will combine like a cream with the other ingredients; when it's well combined, add 1 cup broth.

After a couple minutes, add peas and pasta RAW, mix to combine all ingredients (except for the herbs), stir in half of the broth: cook risotto-style, stirring constantly in order to avoid sticking to the bottom. Add broth when needed.

Season with salt and pepper (if needed), and continue cooking, stirring constantly.

When pasta is al dente, remove from heat and stir in the herbs.

Serve immediately


This recipe served 4-6


- Cooking pasta risotto-style take longer. To shorten the cooking time, precook pasta 5 minutes in salted water and start preparing the sauce. Drain pasta and finish cooking it risotto-style. You'll need less broth.
- If you want a vegetarian version, replace ham and chicken with zucchini, bell peppers and eggplant.
- If you use Italian corn anellini, instead of ditalini, it will be gluten and lactose free.

MEDITERRANEAN TROUT

Fish entree - Gluten and lactose free - diet friendly


2 or 4 trouts, cleaned and possibly skinned
1 onion, sliced
1/3 cup Italian dried black olives
1/4 cup Italian capers, preserved in salt, rinsed
1 28 oz can Italian San Marzano peeled tomatoes, julienned
3 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
1 clove galic, finely minced
Salt and hot pepper flakes (optional)


In a large saucepan with lid, over medium heat, warm olive oil and sautee minced garlic. When lightly golden, add onions, carots, celery and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes

Add tomatoes, olives and capers, stir, season with salt and, if desired, hot pepper flakes, then add trouts.

Lower heat to medium-low and cover with lid, cook until touts are cooked though, turning them at half cooking time.

Serve immediately with a green salad and toasted bread.

This recipe serves 4


- Choose 4 single serve trouts or 2 bigger ones
- Use yellow, red, orange bell peppers (or a mix of them)
- Cooking time should be around 20 minutes (depending on the size of your trouts)