Author Archive for Lucina

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Salmon fish cakes

Published by Lucina, on 22 giugno 2012 in English Recipes and fish. 4 Comments

salmon fish cakes

These have got to be one of the easiest fish cakes around. I love salmon (as you can tell from the many salmon recipes I’ve already blogged) and this is a nice way to have it. I’ll definitely make them again. They have a really delicate taste. I saw the recipe on the BBC Good food magazine and , as they looked rather appealing and pretty straightforward to make, I decided to try them out. I steamed the fresh salmon using the Jamie Oliver tip which is to wrap the salmon fillet in foil together with some herbs and pop them on top of the potatoes while they are steaming (for the last ten minutes). It worked a treat. Of course you can poach the salmon, if you wish, or even cook it in the microwave. Only make sure not to overcook it. In fact it should still be a bit pinkish in the middle. Continue reading ‘Salmon fish cakes’

Mushroom orzotto

Published by Lucina, on 11 giugno 2012 in English Recipes. 2 Comments

mushroom orzotto

And what on earth is an orzotto, I hear you ask…Well, I had never made it before but it is basically a risotto made with pearl barley (which is called orzo perlato in Italian). I tried it for the first time tonight and I have got to say I really liked it. Texture wise it’s very interesting as it has got more of a bite than rice, which is riso in Italian. Riso: risotto. Orzo:orzotto.  Get it?:-) All of a sudden the name makes sense! By the way,Candi, have you ever made it? The reason why I tried it was that recently I came across two orzotto recipes so I decided the time had come to broaden my culinary horizons. Apparently pearl barley is easily digestible and has many nutritional properties. It is, for example, a source of fiber (although much of it is removed in the pearl barley variety to make it easier to cook with) and selenium, and a good source of phosphorus, copper and manganese. I read that it is cholesterol lowering so perhaps not a bad idea to introduce it in the diet. Plus it makes a nice change from the usual risotto. The one I made tonight had a combination of field mushrooms and dried porcini. I’d definitely make it again! Continue reading ‘Mushroom orzotto’

Parmesan biscuits

Published by Lucina, on 6 giugno 2012 in Antipasti, sfizi, finger food..., biscuits and English Recipes. 0 Comments

parmesan biscuits

Last time I blogged some sweet biscuits , today I’ve decided to share with you these savoury ones. They are ideal to serve with an aperitif, or as a starter together with olives, ham, artichokes, etc. That’s exactly how I served them tonight, when I had a girlie night at my house. I had never made them before but they were really easy to bake AND they looked professional. I decided to have a go as I absolutely ADORE parmesan cheese. If you want to make me happy come to my house bearing a chunk of it. I have always loved this beautiful, strong cheese.  It is, without doubt, the king of all cheeses! I used to drive my poor mother crazy by stealing huge slices of it when I was living at home. Continue reading ‘Parmesan biscuits’

Polenta cantucci

Published by Lucina, on 1 giugno 2012 in biscuits and English Recipes. 2 Comments

Polenta cantuccini

These maxi cantucci made with polenta flour, amongst many other ingredients, are delightful to have with a nice cup of coffee during your morning break. And by the way, for those people who don’t know: cantucci  or cantuccini are a typical Tuscan biscuit, twice baked . They have roasted almonds inside and traditionally you dip them in a very sweet wine, called vin santo….which means “holy wine” in Italian. The ones I am blogging here are lighter than the traditional cantuccini you can buy ready made. My friends and colleagues will testify how airy and deliciously crumbly they are (I took a few in the office to test the ground). I have seen them called “biscotti” in the UK, which is the general name for biscuits (or cookies if you are American)  in Italian. The polenta flour gives them a nice crunchy bite. They are easy to make and keep well in an airtight container. As you can see from the picture they can look very nice too if put in a transparent bag and tied with a nice ribbon or some rafia. The first time I made them my husband thought they came from the delicatessen shop, so professional they looked! I guess they could make a nice home made present to a foodie friend. By the way, you can’t gauge this from the picture but they measure approx. 10 cm. in length. Continue reading ‘Polenta cantucci’

Irish soda bread

Published by Lucina, on 18 maggio 2012 in bread and English Recipes. 0 Comments

Irish soda bread

I love soda bread but for some bizarre reasons I had never thought of making some. Until last weekend, that is. God knows why I never tried before  as it’s got to be one of the easiest breads EVER to make. Honest!Unlike other traditional yeast based breads it doesn’t require any proving time. So basically, if you have the right ingredients (which are pretty standard), you can knock one up in no time at all. It’s nice warm from the oven with butter spread on it and perhaps some jam, or maybe as an accompaniment to soups , but I found it’s equally nice the day after toasted. I used white flour for this particular one but next time I want to try wholemeal or spelt flour, or perhaps half and half. Continue reading ‘Irish soda bread’

How to be a domestic slut

Published by Lucina, on 18 maggio 2012 in Chiacchiere/Chatting. 2 Comments

How to be a domestic slut (during cooking)

And WHO is this domestic slut, I hear you ask? Or perhaps slob would be a bit kinder…Well, none other than yours truly! Ok I’m a bit harsh on myself. My title is a bit tongue and cheek aimed to grab the reader’s attention. In truth I simply want to share with you a few amusing thoughts about house keeping….or more precisely cooking. First of all, for the Italian people who don’t know (the English people will immediately recognize my hidden reference) the play on words derives from a very famous chef here in the UK called Nigella Lowson. She has appeared in many a television cookery series . One of her cookery books is entitled How to be a domestic goddess. And a goddess she certainly is…at least to the male population. She is rather beautiful and curvaceous and she flirts with the viewers in a rather overt way. I’m not a prude, don’t get me wrong, but I DO confess I get a bit irritated at times after the umpteenth flutter of her eyelashes and conspiratorial looks while she is opening her MASSIVE fridge (I want one of them!) and talking about yet another of her nightly food forays. Not to mention the way she unashamedly flaunts her boobs. Am I harsh? Perhaps… Anyway, what I want to chat with you about has got nothing to do with Nigella. Continue reading ‘How to be a domestic slut’

Kohlrabi, carrot and cumin salad

Published by Lucina, on 12 maggio 2012 in English Recipes, salad and vegetables. 5 Comments

kohlrabi, carrot and cumin salad

What on earth is kohlrabi? I hear you ask….Well, I confess I didn’t know myself until I got one in my veggie box (if you don’t know what it looks like scroll down. I took a lovely pic of it to show you). The thing is I can’t choose the vegetables I get delivered in my season box. This has its downsides, the main one being that when it’s cabbage season you get it EVERY week (different ones, I grant you)…and let’s face it, there is a limit to HOW MUCH cabbage a human being can cope with (or his/her intestines to be more precise. Sorry for being blunt). The upside of not being able to choose, however, is that on occasion you get some vegetables you just would not buy but which turn out to be not too bad after all (see my comment on beetroot). And other times, like in the case of the Jerusalem artichoke or indeed the kohlrabi, you get something which you just haven’t got a clue in hell as to A) WHAT it is and B) HOW to cook it. In the case of the mysterious kohlrabi I discovered a few interesting facts. The first one being that although it is pretty unknown here in England, and I gather in Italy too (Candi, please confirm or deny the allegation) in Germany and Eastern Europe it is very common. How to describe its taste? Continue reading ‘Kohlrabi, carrot and cumin salad’

Linguine with purple sprouting broccoli, goat’s cheese and walnuts

Published by Lucina, on 5 maggio 2012 in English Recipes and pasta. 3 Comments Tags: .

linguine with purple sprouting broccoli

Yes I know, what a long title for a recipe! But that’s the name the Riverford people (the organic vegetable company I buy my veggies from)  gave it . Every week I get my seasonal vegetables box delivered to my door, which includes a leaflet with recipe ideas. I have tried quite a few already over the months and I must say they are usually very nice indeed. This one is what I made last night as in the last box I got I found a bag of purple sprouting broccoli (they are called cime di rapa in Italian). I really enjoyed it so here I am presenting it to you. If you knew what time I’m writing this you would think I have looped the loop, so to speak. It’s exactly 4.08 in the morning to be precise (according to the computer) and it’s still dark outside. But what can I say? I couldn’t sleep so instead of tossing and turning in bed I decided to share my recipe. If that’s not dedication to the foodie cause tell me what is! And by the way Candi, I’m curious to hear whether cime di rapa is a common vegetable in Italy. My mother never made it for us, for example. Continue reading ‘Linguine with purple sprouting broccoli, goat’s cheese and walnuts’

Due italiani golosi

Published by Lucina, on 29 aprile 2012 in Chiacchiere/Chatting. 7 Comments

Hello England, I’m not here to blog a recipe but to chat. About the Two Greedy Italians (= Due italiani golosi), to be precise. I’m curious to hear people’s opinions. And Candi, to enlighten you: this is a programme broadcast by the BBC (the second series is under way now. It’s on BBC on a Thursday at 8 o’clock.There has already been one series) about these two Italian chefs, called Antonio Carluccio (he is very famous. He has opened a chain of restaurants in London) and Gennaro Contaldo, who have both lived and worked in England for donkey’s years (there’s a nice idiom for you to learn). For the programme they went on a tour of Italy to see whether things have changed since they were there all those years ago (the simple answer: oh yes!). They also show you some regional recipes while on their travels. For the first two episodes in series 2 they were down in Calabria and in Liguria. In truth it is also a bit of (a lot of) a comedy: Continue reading ‘Due italiani golosi’

Pollo ai peperoni

Published by Lucina, on 28 aprile 2012 in chicken, English Recipes and Meat. 1 Comment

pollo ai peperoni

Once again I’m “cheating” by using the Italian name for the dish I made last night. It sounds much more chic and sophisticated in Italian (despite the photo which doesn’t really do it justice! The peppers look distinctly pink. Yuk! But I guarantee these are not the true colours. Honest! It must have been the artificial light) . Your attention, English people! Peperoni in Italian doesn’t mean “pepperoni” (which is a horrific spicey, hard sausage I haven’t had the courage to try yet!) but peppers! So the boring English translation of the title would be: chicken with peppers. Anyway, this is a simple, no  fuss, mediterranean dish which is ideal to make when you haven’t got the time to be  messing about in the kitchen (read: nearly always in my case. Busy lives, see? COME ON! Who has the time to be making home made pasta and the likes after a hard day in the office? Or teaching Italian to students, in my case?). It was my good friend Carmelita who suggested this recipe to me. Continue reading ‘Pollo ai peperoni’