How to make Frittata with Zucchini and Potatoes

A simple frittata can really get you all set for a great light lunch or dinner! Or breakfast... I guess...!

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I enjoyed making it and eating my grandma's Frittata!

 Valentina and Mimmi'
Real Italian Kitchen

Tuna Tartare - Real Italian Kitchen

Tuna Tartare

Some of our friends gave me and my husband a bottle of vintage Dom Perignon as wedding present. What an awesome gift! I promised them that to thank them I would prepare a dinner to go with the Champagne, and what better then raw fish to pair with such wine artistry? 

There are many ways to prepare Tuna Tartare. The one I make has vegetables in it, cause eating raw tuna in a bowl makes me feel like a cat. A spoiled cat. 

 Ingredients for 4 people: 

-One small tuna filet, if fresh freeze it overnight to kill all the bacteria and avoid food poisoning.
(If you're not close to the see, every fish you buy has been previously frozen, just so you know…)

-Half a red pepper
-Chives
-The juice of one lemon
-Extra virgin olive oil
-salt and pepper

Step by Step

1. Cut the tuna into cubes, following the natural lines that are already present in the fish.

2. Put it on a strainer and pour the lemon juice over it. You want to marinate it lightly in the lemon, not cook it in it, and citrus is not a main flavor of this dish.

 3. Once the outer part of the tuna has turned "grayish" you can start adding the other ingredients:
the pepper also cut into squares, the chives.

4. Fix with salt and pepper.

 5. Serve on a leaf of lettuce, on a beautiful serving plate. I'm in love with the rectangular plates I got at Pier 1. I know you can also find them at Ikea, and pretty much anywhere nowadays.

Simple right? And delicious! Good things are meant to be shared with the people you love, I hope you will try this recipe soon! 

ENJOY!! 

Valentina

RealItalianKitchen

Fall salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Feta, Dried Cranberries and other goodies of the fall

Fall Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Feta, Dried Cranberries, Pumpkin seeds, Yellow Tomatoes and Cucumbers. 

There. I think those are all the ingredients! 

A little tip for those people who are always in a rush and can't cook two days in a row: if you're making one salad, it takes very little effort to make two of them. Leave the cheese and the seeds out or put them in a separate container, and put the salad dressing on right before you eat it. You can put it in tupperware and leave it in the fridge for about a day and a half. 

I do this all the time, the vegetables won't spoil and it will make you so happy to see that you have a nice healthy meal waiting for you in the fridge! 

 Ingredients*: 

For two salads:
Half a butternut squash**.
10 yellow cherry tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
a handful of colorful dried cranberries
a generous block of your favorite feta cheese
seasonal organically grown greens
pumpkin seeds, toasted, unsalted

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE: Oil and lemon. No salt. The feta is usually salty enough, but if yours is not feel free to add some sea salt.

STEP BY STEP: 

1. Cut the butternut squash as best as you can leaving the skin on. You can even just cut it in half. If you're lazy you can buy the pre-cut one. 

2. Turn the oven on 375 F or 200 C and bake the squash till you can squish down the pulp with a fork (about 20 minutes)

3. Now the skin will peal right off! 

4. While the squash cooks prepare the rest. Put the salad (washed and dried) at the bottom of the bowl, cut the yellow cherry tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber in thin slices. Cut the butternut squash in cubes and add it to the salad. 

5. Crumble the feta cheese with your hands (which we have throughly washed, right?), and add the dried fruit and seeds. 

6. Prepare the vinaigrette in a separate small bowl with 1 and 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and a tsp of lemon juice per salad. Whisk the two together with a fork and pour on top of the salad. 

7. Stir the salad before eating. 

Enjoy!!! 

Valentina

RealItalianKitchen

*About the ingredients: these are all things that are still in season in the area I live in. Feel free to substitute any of these for whatever is in season in your area.  

**About the butternut squash: I usually bake the whole thing, and then keep it in the fridge for all my squash needs of the week. When I made my salad the squash was cold and it was very firm and easy to cut. Perfect and delicious for the fall salad. When is still warm I usually make soup with it.  Clic here to learn how to make home made Ravioli with squash from scratch! 

Clic here to learn how to make a beautiful Quiche! 

Pasta with Tomato Sauce

Ok, you have spent DAYS preparing your homemade tomato sauce, now it's time to season it and put it together with some of your favorite pasta!

This is my favorite variation, there are obviously many ways to spice up your tomato sauce.

Ingredients for 2 people:

half of a small jar of tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic
hot red peppers to taste
extra virgin olive oil
salt
a teaspoon of sugar
160gr of pasta

Utensils:

a large pot where you can boil some water in and cook the pasta with
a non sticky pan to prepare the sauce.

For the step by step watch the video tutorial, right here!

Enjoy!

Valentina
RealItalianKitchen

Italian Fast Food: Tomato Salad Variation no 1.

What's the fastest and healthiest thing you can put on your plate?

A salad. With all those tomatoes laying around the house I decided to make this fast, simple delicious meal!

Ingredients for 2 people:
5 medium size plum tomatoes
1 mozzarella
a bunch of baby spinach
two spoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt

Cut the veggies in big chunks and put them in a bowl with the mozzarella cut in cubes and some baby spinach that you have ripped with your hands.
Add oil and salt. Eat with bread or crackers.

Enjoy!
Valentina
Real Italian Kitchen

Minestrone Recipe- Authentic Italian Style - Winter seasonal vegetables

Yesterday I made an awesome Minestrone.
In the best spirit of the original recipe I used all the leftover vegetables that I had in the fridge!
The only vegetables that I tend not to put in Minestrone are peppers and eggplants because their taste is too strong and it would dominate over the other veggies.

I change the ingredients to my Minestrone with each change of season, according to which vegetables are available. Using seasonal vegetables is a cheaper and healthier way to go. I also make a tun of it and then freeze it for when I feel lazy and I don't want to cook! Minestrone makes a complete meal, especially if you add some protein to it like beans or lentils.

For 8 servings
Winter vegetable choices (because in Philadelphia PA right now is winter):
1 small Fennel
1 green or yellow squash
1/4 cabbage (any kind will do)
1 cup green beans
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 mushrooms
1 large potatoe
1 cup of lentils previously cooked and reduced to a cream
4/5 carrots
1onion
2 stalks of celery
Extra vergine olive oil
Salt

Put some olive oil in a large soup pot. Chop all the vegetables into even cubes, leave the leafy ones whole. Put everything in the pot with the oil. Cover with homemade broth or water. Adjust with salt. Cover and let it cook on medium to high heat for about 20 minutes.

Add some toasted rustic bread for your dose of carbs.

Buon Appetito. Writing this made me hungry, I think I'm actually going to go get myself a cup of my delicious Minestrone!

Valentina
www.youtube.com/realitaliankitchen

Tuna Steak with Basil/Caper sauce and a light salad

Thank goodness I remembered to go to the store this week before the snow started coming down!

Today I put together an awesome meal. I'm sorry. I'm never full of myself. But today I'm proud. I finally cooked a tuna steak to perfection!

Tuna Steak with Basil and Caper sauce and small fresh Arugula Salad.

Ingredients:
Fresh tuna steak, 1 inch thick (I like to buy the ones that are particularly red)

for the sauce:
20 big leaves of fresh basil
2 table spoons of capers
white vinegar
1 slice white bread no crust
extra vergine olive oil
salt
1 table spoon of water

for the salad:
fresh rainbow carrots
fresh arugula
organic multicolored cherry tomatoes
1 table spoon of oil per serving
1 tea spoon of balsamic vinegar per serving
salt

How to cook the steak:
Get a non sticky pan very hot, so hot that smoke starts coming out of it. Put the steak in and cook 4 minutes per side. If you're buying a thinner steak, cooking times are going to be 3 minutes per side.
Do not season the steak before it goes in the pan.

How to make the sauce:
Wet the bread with the white vinegar and a spoon of water, add the capers, the basil, oil and salt and mix everything until smooth and creamy.

Arrange in a beautiful presentation: top the steak with a teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper, put the salad on the side of it and leave some room for the sauce.

Amazing.

Enjoy!