Flavours of the World ~ Italy Part 2

 

Hello dear friends!  I do hope you are having a simply lovely day...

I am so excited to share part two of Flavoursof the World ~ Italy with you!  I know you have been waiting very patiently for the recipes...

And thank you all for your kind comments left on part 1 – it seems it is the dream of many of my readers to visit Italy and delight in all its wonderful flavours and beauty...

I hope these recipes will leave you inspired to don your apron and begin creating a delicious Italian masterpiece for your family!

Buon Appetito!

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{Recipe One}

 PIEDMONT GARLIC DIP

{Recipe courtesy:  Floyd on Italy}

100g (4oz) butter

8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

100g (4oz) cloves of garlic, very finely sliced

100g (4oz) anchovy fillets, preferably salted ones, but drained canned ones will do

Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter and olive oil together in a saucepan and add the garlic.  Chop up the anchovies, and add them to the pan.  Cook over a low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring whenever you remember, so that you end up with a wonderfully fishy, garlicky sauce.  Season to taste.  Keep the sauce warm over a spirit lamp, while you dip and dunk into it with fresh raw vegetables like celery, carrots and spring onions, and hunks of crusty Italian bread... 

And with breadsticks, this is really good!

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{Recipe Two}

RUSTIC BRUSHETTA

{Recipe Courtesy:  Easy Italian in Minutes}

1 ciabatta loaf, sliced into 1cm (½ inch) slices

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large red peppers

1 small red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

8 plum tomatoes, chopped

50g (2oz) black olives

1 tbsp dried basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.  Place the ciabatta slices on baking trays, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the oil, and bake for 5 minutes until golden.  Sprinkle the remaining oil over the peppers, place in a roasting tin and bake for 15 minutes.  While the peppers are still hot, place them in a plastic bag or a large bowl covered with clingfilm and leave to steam until cooled, then peel off the skin, deseed and roughly chop the flesh.  Place the peppers in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Heap the salsa on top of the toasted bread and serve immediately.  For garlic lovers, rub the ciabatta slices with a cut clove of garlic before adding the topping. 

Absolutely delicious as a lunch or starter!

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 {Recipe Three}

 ITALIAN MEATBALLS WITH TAGLIATELLE

{Recipe courtesy:  Woolworths TASTE magazine, June 2014}

For the tomato sauce:

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

200g leeks, washed and roughly chopped

2 onions, roughly chopped

Salt, to taste

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 sprigs rosemary

4 sprigs thyme

1 cup white wine

1 cup beef stock

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1x 800g Italian whole peeled tomatoes, blended

3 tbsp tomato paste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the meatballs:

3 slices white bread, crusts removed

1 cup milk

500g lean beef mince

500g pork mince

1 red onion, grated

4 tbsp Italian parsley, roughly chopped

50g Parmesan, finely grated

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To serve:

1x 500g tagliatelli pasta cooked al dente, for serving

Parmesan, for serving

Basil, to garnish

To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat.  Add the leeks and onions and cook until soft, seasoning with salt.  Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for 3 minutes, then pour in the wine.  Reduce the wine by half, then add the beef stock, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and tomato paste.  Season with pepper.  Cook, covered, over a low heat for 45 minutes. 

To make the meatballs, preheat the oven t 180 degrees Celsius.  Soak the bread in the milk.  Squeeze out any excess milk and place in a large bowl.  Add the mince, onion, parsley and Parmesan and season to taste.  Mix together using your hands.  Roll into 20 small balls or 15 slightly larger ones.  Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat.  Brown the meatballs in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the pan.  Arrange the meatballs on a baking tray and finish in the oven for about 10 minutes. 

Place the pasta in a serving dish.  Mix the meatballs and tomato sauce, then spoon over the pasta.  Serve with Parmesan and garnish with basil. 

A wonderfully comforting meal, ideal served with homemade pasta!

Recipes for Tiramisu and Italian Pastry Twists to follow in part 3 in a few days time!