Blood orange, fennel and black olive salad (Insalata con arance siciliane, finocchi e olive nere)
Ingredients
- 4 medium blood oranges, peeled and thinly sliced as circles
- Zest and juice of one blood orange
- 2 whole fennels, cleaned and thinly sliced*
- 100 g of juicy black olives such as the taggiasca variety
- 50 ml of olive oil
- Salt to taste
How to clean and prepare fennel bulbs
- Wash the bulb
- Using a sharp knife remove the stalks and fronds from the bulb
- Retain the fronds for decorating your salad
- Slice away the root end
- Remove the tough outer leaves until you have a shiny white fennel heart
- Slice thinly
Method
Place the fennel and olives in a bowl and pour over the olive oil, orange juice and zest and mix gently.
Arrange the slices of orange on a large serving plate.
Pour over the fennel and olives and juices and decorate with chopped fennel fronds.
Serve immediately.
Stuffed Tomatoes (Pomodori Ripieni)
Ingredients
- 6 large beef tomatoes, ready to eat
- 200 g of parboiled rice
- 1 crushed clove of peeled garlic
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into thick chips
Serves 6
Method
Using a sharp knife remove the top of the tomatoes and set aside, they will be used to as caps to close the tomatoes prior to baking.
Remove the pulp from inside the tomatoes and place the pulp in a bowl.
Place the empty tomato shells upside down on a tray.
Wash the rice in a colander and add to the bowl of tomato pulp and mix.
Add oregano, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of EVO and mix well.
Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for an hour
Pre-heat the oven at 190 degrees
Line an oven tray with parchment paper.
Fill the emptied tomato shells with the rice mixture and close with the tomato caps.
Pour the remainder of the olive oil over the potatoes
Place your tomatoes on the baking tray and scatter the potato chips around.
Bake for 45 minutes until golden. Leave to cool and serve at room temperature.
Sgroppino (Venice)
Ingredients
- 200 g lemon sorbet or lemon ice cream
- 200 ml prosecco, chilled
- 60 ml vodka, chilled
- 1 lemon, sliced
Serves 4
Method
Place all the ingredients, excluding the lemon slices, in a blender and give a quick blitz to obtain a creamy texture.
Divide the mixture between four glasses (champagne glasses provide a touch of elegance), and decorate with lemon slices, serve immediately.
Children's version can be created using white lemonade instead of prosecco and vodka.
Burrata and cherry tomato salad with gremolata and toasted pine nuts (Insalata di Burrata con pomodorini, gremolata e pinoli tostati)
Ingredients
- 4 x 150-200 g fresh burrata
- 150 g of cherry tomatoes
- 20 g of pine nuts
Ingredients for gremolata
- 1 large bunch of parsley
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- Zest and juice of one medium size lemon
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Serves 4
Method for Gremolata
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz to a creamy texture
Method for salad
Toast the pine nuts on a hot dry pan for 30 seconds
Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
Divide the burrata parcels and tomatoes between four plates
Spoon over the gremolata and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts
Serve immediately
Rice Salad (Insalata di Riso)
Ingredients
- 300 g of long grain rice
- 250 g of cherry tomatoes, halved,
- 250 g of mozzarella, sliced
- 250 g of tuna preserved in olive oil (tin or jar)
- 120 g of sweet corn (tin or jar)
- 120 g of olives
- Handful of fresh basil, washed
- 250 g of artichokes or aubergines in olive oil
- (remove the artichokes or aubergines from the jar and slice thinly)
- 150 g of Parmigiano shavings (or mature cheese)
- 250 g of cooked ham, cut into cubes
- 150 g of cooked peas (optional)
- 150 g of cannellini beans (optional)
- 40 g of toasted pine nuts (optional)
- 100 to 150 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Serves 6 to 8
Method
Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet.
Meanwhile place all the ingredients in a large serving bowl excluding the mozzarella, parmigiano and olive oil.
Pour in half of the olive oil and mix.
Drain the cooked rice in a colander and add to the serving bowl while hot.
Mix well and leave to cool.
When cooled, cover and place in the fridge.
Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before serving and add the mozzarella, parmigiano shavings and the remainder of the olive oil, stir and serve.
Insalata di Pasta (Pasta Salad)
Ingredients
- 500g of penne pasta
- 500g of fresh mozzarella, chopped
- 200g of ripe cherry tomatoes, chopped
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- 150ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 50g of black olives
- Salt to taste
Serves 6
Method
Cook the pasta one minute less than the instructions on the packet.
Make sure to cook your pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water.
Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.
While the pasta is hot, add the tomatoes, basil, olives and half of the olive oil.
The pasta absorbs the taste of the tomatoes and olives more effectively while it is
hot.
Allow to cool and cover and place in the fridge until serving time.
Remove the pasta from the fridge 10 minutes before serving and add the mozzarella and the remainder of the oil
Mix and serve.
Optional: Dilute a tablespoon of pesto with olive oil and drizzle over the pasta salad.