''Granita Siciliana'' - Orange
Granita (in Italian also granita siciliana) is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings. Originally from Sicily. It is consumed after a meal and at breakfast, along with a traditional brioche that has little to do with the croissant that is consumed in other regions of the country.
Ingredients:
400 g of oranges
200 g of sugar
a lemon
First take the oranges and peel them to live thus eliminating all the white part of bitter taste. Cut only the orange part of the peel, into strips and wash well in water. Put the granulated sugar in a saucepan, add the strips and dilute the whole with a glass of water. Stir with a wooden spoon and put the pan on the stove over low heat. Cook the mixture for about half an hour, stirring frequently.
As soon as the mixture has completely cooled, strain it through a sieve and put the syrup in a bowl. Add the orange juice, the lemon and add a glass of water. After stirring, pour in a container made of plastic for food and put it in the freezer for three hours. Every thirty or forty minutes, resume the pan and break the ice that forms on the surface, stirring well with a fork to prevent the formation of a single block of ice.
At this point there will remain nothing more than to serve up your tasty orange granita.
PASTA WITH PIECES OF FRESH TUNA, TOMATO AND MINT
ingredients for 4 people:
- 200 grams of tuna (fresh or canned)
- 400 grams of tomatoes
- 400 grams of pasta
- 100 grams of pitted black olives
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt
- chili
- fresh mint leaves
Take the tomatoes and cut them into small pieces. Then, pour the olive oil in a frying pan, and when it is hot, let fry garlic and onion. When they are golden colour, add the tomatoes cut in earlier and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Next, add the tuna, olives and a pinch of pepper. Season with salt and let it cook for about a quarter of an hour.
Bake the pasta and when it is cooked 'al dente', sauté in a pan with the sauce. Before serving, sprinkle the dough with a few leaves of fresh mint.
ITALIAN BRUSCHETTA
The Italian bruschetta is perfect to serve either as an appetizer or as tasty appetizer for happy hour. They are made with slices of toasted homemade bread on the hot plate seasoned with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkled with a lot of fresh diced, seeded tomatoes . to add flavor to this simple but tasty preparation, can be flavored with some fresh chopped basil with your hands.
This kind of toasted rustic bread is more suitable to realize, and it's made with durum wheat flour because it has a stronger taste than the common bread.
There are those who also adds some black olives, pitted and cut into slices that will not only add flavor, but they contribute to give to preparation a much better looking and more inviting aspect.
In general, everyone likes bruschetta and it is always advisable to prepare at least one pair for each diner present.
The contrast between the crispy toasted bread and the softer texture of the tomato, this dish makes it interesting to the palate. And it's better if served freshly prepared but after some time it will start to become less attractive.
You can prepare the bruschetta for an Italian-style buffet or simply to make the meranda to your older children.
Dishes for children
Cannot make your kids eat vegetables? Try to create them authentic and colorful dishes such as these smiling potato and chicken breast. Kids will be fascinated and will be convinced that eating vegetables is like a fun game.
Ingredients:
- 50 g of peas
- Two sprigs of cauliflower
- A dozen baby carrots
- 100 g of potatoes
- 60 g of boiled chicken breast
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- One egg
- Bread crumbs
First, carefully wash all the vegetables you have on hand and boil them separately in lightly salted water.
Put the potatoes and the chicken meat in a blender and blend together until you get a puree. Pour it into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, one egg and 30 grams of bread crumbs. Mix everything well with your hands and then create a burger with a round shape. Pass it quickly in the bread crumbs and cook in the oven or in a frying pan for about ten minutes.
Arrange the vegetables previously boiled in the pot and flavor them with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the burger on the plate above the bed of vegetables and create a smiley face employing carrots and peas to form the eyes, nose and mouth.
At this point it remains nothing more than serve your face surrounded by colorful vegetables.
Fillets of grilled salmon
The salmon fillets on the grill are a very tasty second dish to prepare on the grill in the terrace or in the garden for a summer dinner with friends.
The ingredients are simple:
for 4 persons as well as fresh salmon fillets,
it takes extra virgin olive oil,
salt,
pepper,
lemon and
a bit 'of rosemary.
The preparation is very simple:
just peel the fillets and rinse under running water. Then prepare a bowl containing oil, salt and pepper to spread on the fish during cooking on the grill.
The brace fits to cook the salmon and other fish, usually it is ready when the flame of the fire has diminished and is a white haze on the embers. It's time to put the grill on the fire to heat it, clean it with a wire brush and put the four salmon fillets on the grill. Place the grid on the barbecue and brush fillets with the oil that you have prepared until they are cooked. The cooking must be on light fire, turning the fillets in a while and the cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillets. At the end of the cooking time place each fillet on a slice of lemon and a sprig of rosemary for flavor. Serve hot. For the salmon fillets you can combine the fresh green vegetables grilled or cooked vegetables, such as peppers or eggplant.
Cookies puff pastry filled with fresh strawberries
These delicious cookies puff pastry filled with fresh strawberries are very simple to make, especially recommended in spring, when fresh strawberries are available; great as a dessert, it's also delicious for breakfast or as a snack, and much loved by the youngest.
Ingredients for four biscuits are:
- 2 packages of puff pastry
- 2 baskets of strawberries (about 500 grams)
- 400 grams of fresh cow's milk ricotta is not (or well drained)
- 5 tablespoons strawberry jam (preferably homemade)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- Lemon juice, cinnamon powder to taste
After spreading the dough on the work surface, with a special cutter, cut six baskets in the shape of flower to bake in a preheated oven at two hundred degrees; prick from the bottom with a fork and cook for a quarter of an hour, until the dough will appear lightly browned. Once it's cooked, leave to cool. In the meantime, clean, dry and slice the strawberries, season with sugar and lemon juice. Prepare a creamy sauce, stirring with a whisk of ricotta, jam and icing sugar, then fill each basket with a tablespoon of cream and a handful of strawberries into chunks.
Spaghetti with seafood
Spaghetti with seafood is a typical dish of the Mediterranean. It is prepared especially in summer, with fresh fish. If not you can also use frozen fish or the appropriate preparations. Frozen fish, or from the supermarket.
Ingredients for four people:
380 g of spaghetti restaurant-type (or, alternatively, linguine)
200 g of canestrelli
200 g of mussels
200 g of clams
200 g shrimp
Two ripe tomatoes, two cloves of garlic
A bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
About two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Pepper, salt and pepper to taste
After putting water on to boil for the pasta, start cleaning fish, wash and put in a pan, large enough to hold the spaghetti. In a sauté pan make it ready with some garlic (whole, slightly crushed) and oil and fry for few minutes, then add the diced tomato and chilli, salt and pepper according to your own taste, cover with a lid and cook for about ten minutes, holding the flame low. Drain the pasta and add the fish sauce with a few tablespoons of cooking water. Allow to cook uncovered for a few minutes, add the fresh parsley and mix, serve the dish hot.
