Stuffed eggplants "greek style".

It's not a greek recipe, it's just what I had in the fridge last week :)

I used to live, when I was a student, with greek and english people and even now, after more than ten years, in my home there always are feta and tea :D

This recipe is a perfect vegetarian second course or single course, it's easy to make and quick to bake.

2 servings:

2 medium eggplants

1 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup peeled almonds

1 garlic clove

extra-virgin olive oil

oreganon

salt & pepper

Wash eggplants, cut them on the long side and dig the pulp untill you empty the halves.

Dice the pulp and sautee it in oil with the garlic clove. 

When the pulp is cooked and golden put it in a mixer with feta, oreganon, breadcrumbs and almond.

Ground the mixture but not too finely, just a bit to mix everything well.

Fill the eggplants halves with the mixture then pour some extra-virgin olive oil.

Bake at 360°F for about 20 minutes.

Serve warm.

Buckwheat pancakes (gluten free).

This is an healthy recipe really easy and quick, averything depend on the seasoning you choose.

The rough taste of buckwheat is, according to me, great with honey or maple syrup but if you want you can indulge in chocolate too of course!

Buckwheat is gluten free and it's used a lot in the north of Italy, especially in a mountain zone of Lombardia called Valtellina.

I've not tried yet but I think a savoury version (no sugar and a pinch of salt added) could be great with sour cream and bacon would be great.

And I was talking of healthy things uh!?

Here the recipe for 10 small pancakes or 5 big.

1 cup buckwheat flour

2 eggs

1 cup milk (any kind: cow, rice, soy...)

1/4 cup raw sugar or white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

oil or butter to grease the pan

Mix eggs with sugar untill smooth then add, little by little, flour and baking powder then milk untill you have a perfect mix with no lumps.

Let it rest for about 20 minutes, grease and heat a pan then start making pancakes.

Serve them hot with the seasoning of your choice.

Lemon & feta zucchini rolls.

Time for a new post!

It's sunday afternoon, my son is playing alone (miracle) with his Legos and I had the time to post this on my Italian blog La mora Romagnola, now I hope to have spare time enough to translate and post the recipe here too.

These rolls are easy and tasty, vegetarian (or vegan if you avoid feta cheese) and gluten free if you use GF breadcrumbs.

I loved them and I must admit I've eaten almost half before dinner. B)

4 servings:

3 big and long zucchini

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup feta cheese

zest from 1 organic lemon

5-6 mint leaves

extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Using a vegetable slicer slice zucchini the long side, you have to end with long and thin "ribbons" made of zucchini.

Put them on a soup bowl, cover with a dinner plate, put in a microwave and microwave 2-3 minutes at medium power.

In a mixer put breadcrumbs, feta, lemon zest, mint leaves, salt and pepper and oil enough to have a crumbled mixture.

Once zucchini ribbons are cold put them 3 in a row on the short side to make a longer ribbon, spread the mixture then roll carefully.

Fasten the roll with a toothpick.

Do the same with all the zucchini ribbons, put them on a baking pan, if you have spare mixture add it on top of the rolls then bake untill golden at 350°F (about 15 minutes).

You can serve them warm or cold, I'm sure you'll like them!

Fake fish ( finto pesce).

This is an old recipe often made on Christmas holidays, it comes from Genoa and it's a classic lowly dish but it's so easy and tasty!

Don't mind if you don't have a fish mould, I don't too but I used a simple plum-cake pan.

You can serve it with green salad and have a perfect lunch/dinner.

You can use less mayonnaise or a light version or even no mayo at all, just some milk.

36 oz potatoes

10 tablesp.  mayonnaise

2 cans of tuna in oil (drained)

1 tablesp. capers

6 anchovies

1 bunch of parsley

lemon zest to taste

salt and pepper

2 boiled eggs

Boil potatoes untill tender, peel them and mash with a potato masher.

In a mixer blend anchovies, tuna, capers, lemon zest, parsley and eggs, when potatoes are cold add the mixture and the mayo, then salt and pepper to taste.

If it's not creamy enough just add more mayo or some milk, pour in a mold or a pan covered with a baking sheet and then cover with cling.

Let it rest in fridge for at least 6 hours (but not more than 24 as it's easy to spoil because of mayo).

Mozzarella cheese and eggplants' patties.

We are in season for eggplants, we love them and we often eat them.

These patties are easy, healthy and loved by children too: they can be served with tomato sauce but I prefer to eat them plain.

3 servings:

1 big round eggplant

1 cup breadcrumbs plus some to roll the patties in

3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 egg

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 garlic clove

5-6 basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Dice the eggplant and stirfry in a pan with olive oil and the garlic clove untill tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste, when it's cold put it in a blender with diced mozzarella, parmesan, basil leaves, breadcrumbs and egg.

Blend untill well combined, if the mix is too soft you can add some breadcrumbs.

Make small patties the size of a ping pong ball, roll them in the breadcrumbs and cook untill golden in olive oil.

I love them hot so the mozzarella form strings :D

Bell peppers rolls.

It's been a long time since the last time I've written on this blog.
I had a lot to do in real life and I'm always more into my Italian cooking blog mainly because it took me a while to write in english and I'm always afraid to cut a poor figure.
Now and then, anyway, I feel the need to come back and share something: today it's time for bell peppers rolls.
It's the right time of the year for bell peppers and it's a recipe you can serve as appetizer or side dish, it's quite easy but you have to turn on the oven :D

For about 6-7 rolls:

2 bell peppers ( I did one red and one yellow)

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon unsalted capers

2 canned anchovies

1 garlic clove

3 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put in the oven, pre heated at 390°F, the bell peppers.
Let them roast untill they're soft then put them into a sealing bag while they're still hot.
When peppers are warm peel them and cut them in large stripes.
In a mixer put breadcrumbs, capers, garlic, anchovies, salt and pepper and olive oil. Blend untill everything is pulverized.
Put some mixture on the peppers stripes and roll them.
Put all the rolls on a baking pan, sprinkle with the rest of the breadcrumbs mixture and put in the oven just the time to brown the bell peppers.
Let them cool down and serve.