Italian Recipes

Fivenations

Ingredients

• 1 pearled barley, soaked
• A handful of dried borlotti or cannelini beans, soaked several hours ( or add a tin of beans near the end of the cooking time.)
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 leek
• 2 leaves Savoy cabbage
• 1 carrot
• 2-3 celery ribs
• 2 potatoes
• 500 g smoked or cured bacon - optional but recommended. Offcuts will do fine
• 2 litres cold water
• Butter
• Chopped parsley

Begin by slicing the vegetables as finely as possible and placing them in a pot with the water and a pinch of salt. Add the meat and the soaked beans.

Bring the mixture to a boil and when the beans are half cooked add the barley. Let simmer for a couple of hours, stirring frequentlyto prevent mixture sticking. You may need to add more water. When the meat has almost fallen apart and the soup is quite dense, stir in a generous knob of butter, garnish with parsley, and serve.

You could probably cook this in the slowcooker after boiling the beans for 10 minutes though I'm not sure at what time you would add the barley.

Fivenations

One last recipe before I go to work

If you've been to Austria you will have come across pancake soup which is also very popular in the South Tyrol. This is fancy enough to serve at a dinner party. All the children I have made this for have loved it.

Pancake Soup

Make 5 or 6 pancakes with the following ingredients.

• 125g plain flour
• two large eggs
• salt
• 250ml milk
• 5 tbsp of chopped chives (or more)

No need to keep them warm. When they are all done roll them up and slice into thin ribbons. Then heat some a good broth - preferably homemade but a quality stock cube will do at a pinch - and add some chopped chives. Place a handful of pancakes in to your soup plates and ladle over the hot stock. This becomes Italian when you sprinkle over some parmesan!

belfastgirl23

This is such a great thread!

I have a couple of summertime recipes to add for when tomatos are tasty and cheap

Bruschetta (pronounced brusketta not with a 'sh' sound)
This takes about five mins and is reasonably light
Ciabatta (or other bread if preferred)
Garlic
Ripe tomatos
red onion
Olive oil, salt and pepper.

Finely chop the tomatos and the onion. Mix together and add some olive oil and salt and pepper. let sit for a little while. Toast the ciabatta, cut the garlic in half and rub over the bread. Pour the tomato and onion mix onto the bread, making sure to pour over the juices as well. Eat You can vary the amount of oil etc according to whether you're calorie watching, of course it's better with more

Panzanella (bread salad)
Peppers (pref red/yellow/orange)
Tomatos
Old bread
Tomato juice or puree
Olive oil
Garlic red wine vinegar (leave vinegar in the fridge with cloves in it)

To make the dressing mix the tomato juice (or puree mixed with a little water), olive oil and vinegar.
For the salad, quarter the peppers, then roast or grill them till the skin is blackened. I prefer to peel the black bits off then but not everyone does. I usually then marinate them overnight in a little bit of the vinegar and oil but you can use straight away if preferred. Then pull your bread into chunks, drizzle with some olive oil and pop in oven till it goes a bit crunchy. Cut up tomatos to about cherry tomato size. Mix all together and pour over dressing.

I love italian food!

ellie14

Ooooooh I am enjoying these posts ,great site keep it up ,just love ITALY

nikibella

Hi all,
you can also check this site for original Italian recipes http://www.mangiarebene.net

angelfairy

loving all the recipes...would like a good meatball one....

my grandmother put me off meatballs when i was younger as she didn't cook them properly.

would really love to learn how

Fivenations

Meat balls
INGREDIENTS

• 450g (1lb) minced beef or a mixture of minced pork and turkey or chicken
• 2 slices bread with crusts removed
• handful of parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• flour
• 8-10 tablespoons milk
• salt and pepper
• 1 jar sieved tomatoes
• Oregano

METHOD
Soak the bread in the milk and then mash with a fork to make a thick paste. Don’t make it too runny. Place the meat, garlic, parsley or oregano, salt and pepper, grated cheese, egg and bread mush into a large bowl and mix everything thoroughly but gently.

Place some flour on a plate then wet your hands and start forming round balls as big or as small as you like. Do not squeeze the mixture or they will harden. Roll the meatballs in the flour.

Heat enough oil to cover a large frying pan and cook the meatballs over a medium heat, browning them all over, being careful not to break them as you turn them. You can also bake them in a hot oven or place them under a hot grill to cut down on fat.

As they cook, transfer them to a large pan in which you have started to heat the sieved tomatoes, add a good pinch of oregano and cook for about 30 minutes, taking care not to break up the meatballs. You may have to add a little water as the meatballs suck up the sauce.

In Itay they serve the sauce with pasta and meatballs as a seperate course with some vegetables. Sauted spinach goes well.

You could use this recipe to make rissoles with left over cooked meat.

fluffalo

Fivenations wrote: »

Hi Fluffalo
Post number 21 has a link to a recipe for Strangolapretti which sounds like what you had. They are espcially nice with a sauce made from melted butter, a touch of cream or milk and some gorgonzola or dolcelatte - good hearty mountain food!

That is it exactly! Thank you!

Fivenations

Not sure what this is called and dont even have a recipe but this is what my mother used to make. She grew her own "rape" - a thin stemmed brocolli - but can it can aslo be made with any other bitter green veg, which are very popular in Italy. Calabrese or spinach works well, as does chicory and dandelion leaves or mixture.

Ingredients
3 or 4 cupped handfuls of bitter greens - see above
4 or 5 thick slices of french or Tuscan style bread
6-8 tablespoon olive oil. The more the better!
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
Chilli flakes - optional

First cook your veg until just tender in a pan of boiling, salted water. Drain, reserving some of the water for later. Roughly chop and set aside. Drizzle a cup or so of water over the bread cubes in a bowl. You want just enough to soften the bread.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently saute the garlic then add the greens. Mix well and fry gently so that the veg is infused with the garlic. Then add the bread, and keep mixing. Taste for seasoning , adding some chilli flakes if you want it hot. You may also need to add a little more of the cooking liquid. The dish is ready when everything is heated through.

teedy23

I didnt think Italians cooked anything in a hurry, thats why it,s all so good.
I,m going to enjoy this thread!