ITALIAN FOODIES

Not much to offer this week but this little gem of a soup recipe as I’ve been working my “little” (I wish) a– off!;) Our pizza chef had to return home due to a death in family so I was drafted into the kitchen for the last 2 weeks. I normally tend to work on the counter in La Cucina but it was nice to work in the kitchen for a change. I’ve decided to spend more time in there as I do really enjoy it but it’s pretty hard work, when we change the place around I’ll probably be in there anyway so I might aswell get used to it. The only thing I find is that after cooking all day, the last thing you want to do is cook when you come home so the recipes might be a bit lacking over the next couple of weeks. I have been taking pictures of the daily grind in La Cucina so I’ll probably do a couple of posts on behind the scenes.

Soup is really popular in La Cucina and we can’t keep up with the demand at the moment. During the last week we had, roast pumpkin, potato and Italian sausage, cannellini bean and parma ham and today I made this roasted tomato recipe. I often make this at home and have to say it’s absolutely delicious.

 

what you need:

 - 500g cherry tomatoes cut in half.

 - 1 red onion cut into large chunks

 - 2 cloves of garlic

 - 500ml chicken/veg stock

 - 10 basil leaves

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

 - olive oil

what to do:

 - pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees.

 - place your tomatoes, garlic and onion in an oven dish, season and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

 - cook for about an hour and a half until the tomatoes are nice and soft. Add your basil leaves about 5 mins towards the end.

 - add your stock and liquidize.

 - serve with some crusty bread and a drizzle of chilli oil if you like.

buon appetito!!

p.s. we’ve been listed in this great new comprehensive list of food blogs from around the world, check it out here

    

My little sis, I have 3, is pregnant and due her baby in a few weeks. She’s had the toughest time but has been so strong and positive, we’re all really proud of her. She’s in the nesting period and pottering around the house cooking and cleaning like a little housewife and I’m getting texts everyday about what she’s cooked off the blog and how her ”chicken eating simpsons and cops loving hubby” has loved everything she’s cooked. I got a request for this recipe to be posted today as she is craving it since I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago and another regular reader bigtree asked for it too so here it is:

          

what you need:

 - 1 litre meat stock, I used Kallo stock cubes. Meat stock does make a big difference to the taste of this soup but veg is fine too.

 - 1 onion chopped finely

 - 1 carrot chopped finely

 - 1 celery stick chopped finely

 - 250g spinach washed and chopped

 - 1 400g can chickpeas

 - 100g soup pasta (fine without if you can’t get any but it really makes the soup lovely and filling)

 - salt and pepper

 - olive oil

what to do:

 - heat some olive oil in a pot and cook your celery, carrot and onion over a low heat until softened for about 10 mins. Do not let them colour so stir regularly.

 - add the spinach, season generously and cook until softened for about 5 mins.

 - add the chickpeas and stock and let simmer for about 30 mins.

 - add the pasta and cook until al dente.

 - serve with Parmesan cheese.

         

I have to say this was one of the nicest soups I’ve made and I’ve made a lot:) It was bursting with flavour and really comforting,  perfect for the wintry day that is out there today.

buon appetito!

         

I’ve gone a bit soup mad the last 2 weeks, I made 3 new soups and loved them all. First up was this roast pepper soup followed by a spinach and chickpea soup and finished off with a roast aubergine soup tonight. I picked up some sweet peppers in Dunnes and Superquinn not knowing what I was going to do with them so I just threw them into the oven with some basil, red onion and garlic and hey presto!!!

      

what you need for 2 people:

 - pepper chopped into large chunks - I used 3 large sweet red peppers from SQ and a 4 pack of small sweet peppers from Dunnes.

 - 250g cherry or plum tomatoes cut in half.

 - 2 garlic cloves peeled

 - 1/2 red onion chopped into large chunks

 - basil

 - 500ml chicken or veg stock. I use Kallo stock cubes(gasp)

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - olive oil

        

what to do:

 - heat your oven to 180 degrees

 - put all our veg into an oven tray, season and pour in some olive oil and cook for about 30-45 mins. Don’t add the basil until 5 mins towards the end.

 - add your stock, season and blend using a hand blender.

 - serve with some parmesan cheese and grilled ciabatta.

I gave it to the princess with some soup pasta and she declared it to “be nice and like it mammy” which is a first:) She is so anti veg at the moment, it’s not funny!! It amazes me how much she loves junk when she  never even got a piece of chocolate until 14 months but would now happily live on ”ips”(chips), ”bottons”, “ice-ceam” and “inup”(7up). Grandparents have a lot to answer for these days me thinks!!!!! When we were younger we were lucky to get a packet of eclairs or a dairymilk between 4 of us once a month but the other day when she went to the shop she came back with a bag of buttons and a bag of jelly tots, she’s not even 2 yet!! I couldn’t even eat 2 bags of sweets, needless to say I took one bag and a tantrum ensued but it’s gotta be done. In the meantime I will keep making soups and hiding veg and fruit to make sure she eats ok when she’s not with the GP’S!!!

      

buon appetito
 

                                          

I know it’s June and I’m posting a soup recipe but although the sun maybe shining down on the lovely people at Wimbledon it ain’t shining anywhere near Ireland. Once again like last year we have a band of rain just doing a little “jig” over us and having a great time going round and round and round with no signs of heading over to the rest of Europe who deserve it for a while with the beautiful weather they are having at the moment - me bitter??? NEVER!.

As a result we are all sick again with the flu and I had great intentions of making beef stroganoff from the Silver Spoon but 3 sick “italian foodies” put a stop to that so rather than waste my mushrooms and cream I had bought I made a quick soup to warm the bones. Mushroom soup is one of my favourites and if I had known how simple it was to make in my college days of Campbell’s tinned mushroom soup, life would have been a lot different:) There is nothing fancy about this recipe, it’s just a bowl of simple, fresh goodness.

                                               

what you need:

 - 500g mushrooms sliced

 - 1 small onion finely diced

 - 1 clove garlic finely chopped

 - 4 tbsp plain flour - I didn’t measure so this is a rough estimate.

 - olive oil

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - 1 litre veg stock

 - double cream  - hey I was sick, I needed cheering up!!

what to do:

 - fill the base of a pot with olive oil and cook your onions and garlic until softened but not coloured.

 - add your mushrooms and cook until soft and season.

 - add your flour to thicken the soup, I love my mushroom soup thick.

 - add your stock and leave to simmer for about 10/15 mins.

 - add some cream and liquidize with a hand blender.

 - serve and enjoy!

                                         

buon appetito!!

p.s. I know there is a problem with the comments section, so apologies to all of you out there in your 1000’s who have tried to comment;) and haven’t been able to but I’m harassing blog.com at the moment to fix this blog. An email a day doesn’t seem to be working though:(

                                    

There seems to be a bit of a competition going on in the Italian foodie house at the moment as to who is the sickest, the princess is definitely winning in the moaning section followed closely by me and then a little bit behind surprisingly is Bru!! The 3 of us picked it up on our trip to Canterbury for the “wedding of the year” from the bride, father of the bride and mother of the bride, yes we were all sick on the day of the wedding!! My poor sister was so sick I don’t know how she got through the day, all I can say is thank god for fake tan and false eyelashes, she looked stunning, and the 3 of us “brideslaves”;) scrubbed up pretty well too so I heard anyway:). I will do a post on it when I have some pics, the venue was fab even though it didn’t stop raining once that day which was such a disappointment as the hotel was set on the most amazing grounds, lake, swans, you name it, it had it but more of that later!! In case you didn’t know we’re off to Italy on Sunday and a really bad flu is not something I had planned on packing so there is no fancy recipe today just a big pot of minestrone soup to try and fight this flu along with every drug possible;) There are so many different minestrone recipes out there, I’ve already posted one here but this is the one I normally make!!

what you need:

 - 1 onion finely diced

 - 1 clove garlic finely chopped

 - 1 carrot diced

 - 2 sticks celery diced

 - 1 large potato diced

 - 1 courgette or 4 baby courgettes diced.

 - tenderstem broccoli(optional)

 - sprig of thyme

 - bay leaf (optional) it was too wet to go down the back garden to the bay leaf tree, hey I was wearing my new white Nike’s!!!!:)

 -  200g frozen peas

 - 1 litre chicken or veg stock

 - olive oil

 - knob of butter

 - sea salt and black pepper.

 
 

what to do:

 - fill the base of your pot with olive oil and heat with your butter.

 - add your onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and cook for about 10 mins until softened but not coloured.

 - add your stock and potatoes, season and cook for a further 10 mins, add your courgettes, peas and broccoli and cook for another 5-10 mins until all your veg is soft.

 - check your seasoning and serve with grated Parmesan or pecorino and some flat leaf parsley on top.

                                               

buon appetito!!

p.s. the fabulous Marie and Maryann are hosting a great blogging event called “Festa Italiana” which I had planned on making something “fabulous” for this week but that’s obviously gone out the window so sorry “Ladies”. You can have my pot of “wholesome goodness” if it’s not too boring???:)

p.p.s. I shall be thinking of you all while eating and drinking my way through the south of Italy, don’t worry I’ll take lots of pics just to rub it in a little more:)

Ciao

L
xx

                                    

I don’t think there is anything more simple than vegetable soup, you can basically use up whatever veg you have in your fridge!! I’ve noticed recently that the convenience soup section in the supermarket seems to be getting bigger and bigger and even the chilled soups are overtaking the chill cabinet!! I know a lot of people do make soup from scratch but I get the feeling that they are way out numbered by the amount of people that don’t!! I think people assume that soups are a lot more difficult to make than they actually are and I know the food purists would have my head but just use stock cubes if you don’t have time to make fresh stock, if it means that you will make your own soup I’m all for it!! Now there is nothing groundbreaking or gourmet about this recipe but if it gets somebody who reads this blog to make soup who doesn’t normally, my work for the people is done:) You can use any veg you want and just roughly chop them as you will be liquidizing them anyway, this is the way I normally make mine!!

what you need:

 - 1 carrot peeled and chopped

 - 2 leeks chopped

 - 1 onion chopped

 - 1 garlic clove peeled and chopped

 - 1 courgette chopped

 - 2 potatoes peeled and chopped.

 - broccoli - I use the tender stem broccoli if I have it or else just use a head of regular broccoli!

 - 1 litre chicken or veg stock (I use the Kallo chicken stock cubes)

 - olive oil

 - sea salt and black pepper

what to do:

 - heat some olive oil in a saucepan and cook your garlic and onion until soft but not coloured.

 - add the rest of your vegetables, season and cook for 10 mins to soften.

 - add your stock and leave to simmer for 20 - 30 mins or until all your veg is cooked.

 - take off the heat and liquidize.

 - serve with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

                                         

On another note just to let you know that Eoin Purcell has just launched a great new foodie site called OUR GRANNIES RECIPES which aims to collect 101 of Ireland’s favourite traditional recipes!! The recipes will be collected into a book for publication in October 2008 and the royalties will be donated to Age Action Ireland. The great thing about the whole idea is that we can all be involved by submitting our favourite traditional recipes and judging the final cover for the book!! Best of luck Eoin and we’ll definitely be buying a copy in October, now let me see what recipe I’m going to submit, it will have to be “nonna’s” recipe in our case:)

buon appetito!!

p.s. a big “grazie” to Val who did a great article on food blogging in this weeks Limerick Independent which included a nice big piece on Italian foodies and La Cucina!! Thanks Val:)

                                          
I’m going to apologise in advance for the amount of soups that will be on this blog over the next few weeks as I have  decided to make a new soup every Monday!!! I just find it so handy to have a container of soup in the fridge both for myself for lunch and for the princess. She’s loving soup at the moment and it’s a great way to get some veg into her, I just add some baby pasta and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and she nearly licks the plate clean. We always add Parmesan to soup when serving as it gives it that extra flavour, I highly recommend you do it, you’ll never go back:) I know you have all seen leek and potato soup a million times and it has definitely been over used and abused here in Ireland but it is still one of my favourites!! This recipe can also be served like a minestrone but I’m still liquidizing for the “boss”!!!

what you need:

 - 5 medium potatoes peeled and chopped into cubes!! I like this soup really thick!!

 - 3 leeks, white parts only sliced.

 - 1 onion finely chopped.

 - 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock - I used vegetable stock cubes from La Cucina!!

 - olive oil

 - 25g butter (optional if you are on a diet or healthy eating plan)

 - sea salt and black pepper.

what to do

 - heat some olive oil and your butter in a pot and add your onions and leeks and cook until softened but not coloured.

 - add your potatoes and stock and leave to simmer until all your vegetables are tender.  This takes about 30 mins.

 - take off heat,  liquidise(optional) and season.

 - serve with freshly grated Parmesan!!!

                                      
buon appetito!!!

p.s. just looking for new ideas so would love to know what your favourite soup is????

                                       

Everything is slowly getting back to normal in the Italian foodie house, the princess is getting better, Thank God, you never realise how important sleep is until you have a sick baby!!! We’re moving house in the next few weeks as well so blogging might be taking a hit for the next month or so, but I’ll post as regularly as I can!! Like everyone else I’m on a healthy binge after my “complete” over indulgence during Christmas so there will be lots of healthy recipes featuring a lot of soups especially with the cold weather we are having. My sister is getting married in March and I’m bridesmaid so it would be nice to fit into the dress, even though being part of an Italian family doesn’t help!! The MIL called in this morning with 2 Italian cakes for our breakfast so I can say goodbye to the Cheerios for a few days:) I’m actually heading over to London in February for the fitting so my sister is trying to get us a reservation in Locanda Locatelli’s which I have been dying to try so fingers crossed, It’s impossible to get in there without booking months in advance but she knows people who know people who know other people etc etc;)

This is probably the simplest soup I have ever made and it is so full of flavour it’s definitely worth trying especially when you need something fast that’s still healthy and nutritious.

                                                              

what you need:

 - 3 to 4 courgettes sliced

 - 1 onion thinly sliced

 - 1 garlic clove thinly sliced

 - 1 Lt chicken or veg stock

 - 25g butter

 - sea salt and black pepper

what to do:

 - melt the butter in a pot and add your courgettes, garlic and onion and season. Cook for 15 mins.

 - add your stock and cook for another 15 mins. Check your seasoning and add more if required.

 - liquidize with a hand blender or a food processor and serve.

                           

buon appetito!!

                                                       

                                  
Every year the debate begins around now as to where we will go on Christmas day, last year we went to Bruno’s house as the princess was only 6 weeks old and his house is closer so it was the obvious choice. Bru’s parents always go to Italy every second year for Christmas so that normally makes it easier so we had planned to go to mine this year but they have decided to stay as they want to be with the grandchildren so “what to do”?? The problem is the feast put on the table on Christmas day in Bruno’s, actually it starts Christmas Eve with a feast of fish and then the grand finale on Christmas day. I mentioned in my last post that they don’t have turkey and ham on Christmas day but we do in my house but like Bru I’m not a big lover of turkey and ham so I think we will probably do both houses, Bru’s for the “feast” and mine for the turkey sandwiches that evening. The “turkey sambos” are my job anyway in my house, there is just something so good about turkey sandwiches on Christmas night - lots of mayo, lettuce, turkey, stuffing, salt and pepper and a little bit of cranberry for those who like it and we always have a packet of C&O crisps for me and S&V for Bru on the side and a beer to wash it down of course -  gourmet cuisine it’s not but damn enjoyable;) I shall report back on the feast after the event:)

This Aldo Zilli recipe is a real winter warmer and great for the weather we are having at the moment. It is actually served in a restaurant called Latini in Florence, they don’t have a menu and they serve this soup as a starter before it’s famous Florentine steak, if I ever get to Florence again I will have to check it out. You do need a piece of ham or knucle bone, I used the end of the parma ham in La Cucina, maybe you could use a bit of the leftover ham at Christmas or ask your local butcher.

                                             
what you need:

 - 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 - 350g piece of ham or knuckle bone, thick skin trimmed.

 - 2 red onions sliced into fine rings.

 - 1-2 garlic cloves crushed

 - 6 plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped.

 - 1 red chilli finely chopped.

 - 1.2 litres water.

 - 675g fresh barlotti beans or 2  x 400g cans drained and rinsed. We have tinned barlotti and cannellini beans in stock in La Cucina.

 - 200g ditalini pasta or maccheroni. You can use any short pasta, I used Mezzi tubetti lisci which we have in La Cucina.
 
 - 4 basil leaves torn.

 - sea salt and black pepper.

 - freshly grated parmesan cheese.

what to do:

 - heat 2 tbsp of oil on a large pot and brown the ham or knuckle bone for 5 mins, turning regularly. Stir in the onions, garlic, chilli and tomato and saute for another 5 mins.

 - pour in the water and bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 45 mins. If you have any scum on the surface just skim it off.

 - remove the ham or bone and scrape the meat, trimming the fat off. Chop the meat and place it in a food processor with the soup and blend until smooth. I used a hand blender.

 - return the soup to the pot and bring back to the boil, add the beans and simmer for 10 mins. Add the pasta and basil and cook for 5-6 mins until the pasta is tender.

 - stir in the remaining olive oil and season to taste.

 - serve with parmesan cheese and some crusty ciabatta.

                               

Buon Appetito!!
 
p.s. where are you going for Christmas and what’s on the menu???

p.p.s. are you a S&V or C&O crisp lover???:) I always find men are the S&V and the ladeees C&O but correct me if I’m wrong!!!

              

Spinach was fairly unpopular in Ireland until recently, I know I never ate it as a child as it didn’t feature much in the Irish kitchen - the closest I got to it was watching Popeye;). It’s only in the last couple of years that I have begun to like it especially since being introduced to the ricotta and spinach combination - these 2 ingredients work so well together! We used to make tarts in La Cucina filled with spinach and ricotta mixed together with lots of Parmesan cheese and they were quite popular and of course the most popular way of eating it has to be in Ravioli. We’ve started selling the mixture in Calzone now and they are selling really well, I do love the broccoli and Italian sausage option too though - mmmm “torn between 2 lovers”…..! We eat it a lot more at home now, we normally have it as a side to a piece of fillet or chicken by just wilting it in the pan with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a pinch of nutmeg - delicious!!

We all know how nutritious it is as it contains large amounts of vitamin A and C and is full of iron, it does require careful cleaning which takes a little time but it is worth the effort as it is so good for you!!! In Italy it is grown in the North and the centre where the climate is mild but not too hot. Spinach is available all year round now due to modern cultivation techniques whereas before it was only produced in the autumn and winter.When buying spinach the leaves should be firm, fleshy and green with no signs of yellowing, to check for freshness, look at the stalks, they should be firm with no sign of floppiness. Another favourite way of cooking with spinach is in soup and we often have a spinach and potato soup on the menu in La Cucina, this recipe is from the Silver spoon and fresh or frozen spinach can be used

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 1 litre of veg or meat stock

 - 40g butter

 - 2 onions finely chopped

 - 40g plain flour

 - 500g frozen chopped spinach, thawed. If you are using fresh just blanch it in hot water, drain and squeeze out excess liquid.

 - 3 tbsp lemon juice

 - 2 tbsp double cream

 - salt and pepper

WHAT TO DO:

 - bring the stock to the boil

 - melt the butter in a pot, add the onions and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 mins until softened.

 - stir in the flour and cook, constantly stirring for 2 minutes, then gradually stir in the hot stock.

 - add the spinach and simmer for 20 minutes.

 - stir in the lemon juice and take off the heat. Liquidize with a hand blender or use a food processor.

 - return to the heat, season with salt and pepper, stir in the cream and simmer briefly.

 - serve with some Parmesan and black pepper on top and a little swirl of cream or olive oil!!

Buon Appetito!!

On the subject of soup - WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE???? Mine would have to be minestrone hands down, it’s just so nourishing and warm on a cold wintry day:)

p.s. There is a new Irish blog on the horizon, the lovely Rachel has taken the plunge and started her own blog “Fairycake Heaven“, most of you would know her from here as Ciao Bella, she always leaves lovely comments on my blog and I’m looking forward to reading her fabulous recipes. Welcome to the blog world Rachel:) 

Today’s Random Cooking Term - “Acidulate”
 - to add vinegar or lemon juice to water for immersing some vegetables, such as globe artichokes to prevent them from turning black before cooking!!