Peppers Tomatoes and Onion Stew: Peperonata - Real Italian Kitchen

Peperonata is a traditional italian dish from southern Italy, but it's widely prepared all over, even in Tuscany, which is where I'm from! 

On my last trip home my grandmother (Nonna Mimmi'), shared with me her recipe, and I would like to share it with you! 

If you've never made it before I suggest you follow the step by step video tutorial, it's really helpful. 

I hope you enjoy it and if you try it don't forget to post a picture of it in the comment section or on our community FB page Facebook.com/realitaliankitchen

Enjoy! 

Valentina

RealItalianKitchen

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

How to make the perfect french fries at home - Real Italian Kitchen

Have you ever tried to make french fries at home from real potatoes?
For the longest time they came out just soggy and sad.

BUT FROM NOW ON THEY WON'T ANYMORE!

I've come to save the day, and dinner..!

Ingredients: 

2 large potatoes
3 spoons of sugar
Your choice of Sunflower seeds, Coconut or Peanut oil for frying (stay away from corn, olive oil and canola)
Water

Utensils: 

- Cutting board and a knife
- Large, deep, frying pan or sauce pan or pot (I always prefer non stick)
- A bowl

Step By Step:

1. The secret is to remember that you want to make french fries a couple of hours before lunch or dinner time.

2. Peel the potatoes, wash them, cut them in long even strips. Start with even slices and then proceed to turning them into strips.

3. Prepare a bowl of room temperature water, stir the sugar in. Place the potatoes in the bowl and let them soak for up to 2 hours before frying.

4. Heat the oil in the pan. It's important that the oil is at its maximum temperature, but don't burn it! Keep an eye on it: when it just starts smoking throw the potatoes in. This is what it will look like!

5. Fry till golden.
Keep in mind that when the potatoes are frying they will look lighter in color then what they actually are. I don't know why, but that happens. So don't wait for them to be brown in the oil, cause that means they're burned.

6. Set them on a paper towel and dry the oil off.

7. Enjoy!






Valentina
RealItalianKitchen

Home made Strawberry Sorbet with Kitchen aid Ice Cream Maker Attachment - Real Italian Kitchen

I couldn't be more thrilled about my purchase of the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid.
I found it on Amazon for a fair price and I couldn't resist, I love Gelato and I'm never satisfied with the one you buy at the grocery store!

I bought it with my own money, this blog and the video are not sponsored by Kitchen Aid, so you can rest assure that my review is honest! 

A FEW TIPS...!
- The attachment comes with a manual, make sure you read the instructions before you start the process!
- Practice mounting the attachment on the Kitchen Aid, for me it wasn't easy and the instructions on the manual are not clear.
- Keep the bowl in the freezer overnight
- Any ice cream maker recipe will work, but you might want to start with small doses, the ice cream tends to grow a lot while it churns.

Utensils:

Obviously you need a Kitchen Aid with the whip attachment and the ice cream attachment
A bowl with a spout or a silicon measuring cup or a tall container with a spout.
A plastic spatula (don't scrape the ice cream churner with metal..!)

Ingredients for the Strawberry Sorbet (Sorbetto alla Fragola)

200ml or 1 cup of water
250gr or 2 cups of strawberries 
150gr or 1+1/2 cup sugar
The juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 egg white, whipped

All my ingredients were organic. It made a difference.

CLIC HERE AND Watch the video for step by step instruction!


Enjoy!

Valentina
Real Italian Kitchen

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Kitchen Aid attachment - Real Italian Kitchen

I couldn't be more thrilled about my purchase of the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid.
I found it on Amazon for a fair price and I couldn't resist, I love Gelato and I'm never satisfied with the one you buy at the grocery store!

I bought it with my own money, this blog and the video are not sponsored by Kitchen Aid, so you can rest assure that my review is honest! 

A FEW TIPS...!
- The attachment comes with a manual, make sure you read the instructions before you start the process!
- Practice mounting the attachment on the Kitchen Aid, for me it wasn't easy and the instructions on the manual are not clear.
- Keep the bowl in the freezer overnight
- Any ice cream maker recipe will work, but you might want to start with small doses, the ice cream tends to grow a lot while it churns.

Utensils:

Obviously you need a Kitchen Aid with the whip attachment and the ice cream attachment
A bowl with a spout or a silicon measuring cup or a tall container with a spout.
A plastic spatula (don't scrape the ice cream churner with metal..!)

Ingredients for the Vanilla Ice Cream

4 yolks
200gr or 1+ 3/4 cup milk
200gr or 1+ 3/4 cup heavy cream
150gr or 1+1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

All my ingredients were organic. It made a difference.

CLIC HERE AND Watch the video for step by step instruction!


Enjoy!

Valentina
Real Italian Kitchen