Italian Food Recipes With Passion

We can look at TV anytime right?

Sometimes I think Baz watches it when it’s turned off!

But there’s one cooking programme we won’t miss, and that’s Nigel Slater’s “Simple Suppers” I’ve been a fan ever since I read his autobiography called “Toast
”

Last week was “Stuffed Butternut Squash”. We’ve done this before with mushrooms and rice, but this time Baz favoured the spicy approach as demonstrated on the programme.

I wasn’t entirely sure about this, but hey it works!

We only get a few shows a year and it leaves you hungry for more, perhaps that’s the plan.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 4
Prep Time 20mins
Cooking Time 1 hr 15mins
Ingredients

• 2 Butternut squash (cut in half length ways, seeds removed and discarded)
• 2oz/56g low fat spread or butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the stuffing

• 2oz/56g low fat spread or butter
• 2 Onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 20g fresh root ginger, julienne (cut into matchsticks)
• ½ Tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ Tsp cumin seeds
• ½ Tsp garam masala
• Pinch paprika
• 2oz/56g sultanas

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6
• Place the squash (skin side down) in a roasting tray
• Using a sharp knife, score the flesh of the butternut squash in a criss-cross pattern
• Dot each half of the butternut squash with a ¼ of the spread/butter
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Place in the preheated oven for 1 hour
• While the butternut squash is roasting, prepare the stuffing
• Heat the spread/butter in a large pan or wok
• Add the onions, turn down the heat and cover the pan with a lid
• Cook gently for 15 minutes
• Add the remaining ingredients, continue to cook until the onions have started to caramelise
• When the butternut squash is ready, remove from the oven
• Place equal amounts of the stuffing mixture on top of the roasted butternut squash
• Place the butternut squash back in the oven for a further 10 minutes
• Serve

Equipment

• Large pan or wok with a lid

Shopping List

• 2 Butternut squash
• Low fat spread or butter
• 2 Onions
• Fresh root ginger
• Ground cinnamon
• Cumin seeds
• Garam masala
• Paprika
• Sultanas

{ 8 comments }

I have to say out of all the Tuscan soups we’ve had, this has to be at the top of the list!

Our son and daughter-in-law gave us Jamie Oliver’s cook book Jamie's Italy
for Christmas and we found the recipe for Pasta e Ceci which we’d had in Florence.

Although the Tuscans don’t normally use tomatoes in this recipe, we did have it with them in Florence.

Instead of using chicken stock we used ham, only because we wanted to make another Italian soup.

I loved this soup, and with the freezing cold weather we have at the moment, this goes down very well with a lump of warm crusty bread.

Here’s the recipe:

Serves 4
Prep Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 35 mins
Ingredients

• 1 Small onion
• 1 large celery stick
• 1 Large clove of garlic
• 2 X 400g Tins chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 X 400g Tin chopped tomatoes
• 500ml Ham or chicken stock
• Small sprig of rosemary
• Handful of basil, chopped
• Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 100g pasta (see Cook’s tips)
• Rock salt and ground black pepper

Method

• You can either finely chop the onion, celery and garlic or blitz them in a food processor
• Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a heavy casserole dish
• Add the onion, celery and garlic
• Season with rock salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Gently cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently
• Add the chopped tomatoes and sprig of rosemary
• Pour in 500ml of ham or chicken stock
• Bring to the boil and add the chick peas
• Simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally
• Strain the soup, reserving half the chick peas and tomatoes in the sieve
• Pour the remaining chick peas and tomatoes back into the soup and bring to the boil
• Blitz the soup with a hand held stick blender or use a food processor
• The soup now becomes a creamy mixture
• Add the other half of the chick peas and tomatoes along with the pasta (see Cook’s tips)
• Bring back to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the pasta is al dente
• At this point, if the soup is to thick, you can add more boiling water if necessary (your choice)
• Stir in a handful of chopped basil and flat leaf parsley
• Remove the sprig of rosemary
• Season to taste
• Serve with warm crusty bread

Cook's tips

• Any kind of pasta can be used, but the smaller the better

Equipment

• Large flame proof casserole dish
• Hand held stick blender or food processor

Shopping List

• 1 Small onion
• 1 large celery stick
• 1 Large clove of garlic
• 2 X 400g Tins chick peas
• 1 X 400g Tin chopped tomatoes
• Small sprig of rosemary
• Handful of basil
• Handful of flat leaf parsley
• 100g pasta
• Rock salt and ground black pepper

{ 10 comments }

It’s not only the taste of Italy; it’s also the aroma and the different textures of Italian food and cooking that I love so much.

Having cooked and eaten so much meat over the last few weeks, a change was needed.

Simple, quick, easy.

Looking through the early days of cookingwiththejoneses I found a reference to a “bowl of stodge”
One that Les had promised to blog on at a later date.



Memories came flooding back; the restaurant was set amongst the Tuscan hills, a huge open fire that was used to cook the meat, old friends, new friends, red wine……….

“Bowl of stodge” the taste was amazing, stale bread, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil.

Here is my recipe for Pappa al Pomodoro.

Serves 4
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 55 minutes
Ingredients

• 500g Ripe plum tomatoes(cut in half length ways)
• 1 x 400g tin tomatoes
• 20 Basil leaves (roughly chopped)
• 2 Cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
• 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 250g stale bread (I used Ciabatta)
• 400ml water

Method

• Put 2 tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil into a roasting dish, stir in half the basil and all the garlic
• Lay the cut tomatoes in the roasting dish, skin side up and brush the skins with the extra virgin olive oil mixture



• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Place on the middle shelf of a pre-heated oven 200°C/400°F gas mark 6 for 30 minutes
• Transfer the tomatoes to a large heavy saucepan, add the tin of tomatoes and water
• Use a fork to break up the tomatoes
• Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes
• Break the bread up into roughly 1"/25mm squares and add to the saucepan
• Gently stir in the remaining basil
• Simmer for a further 10 minutes
• Serve

Equipment

• Roasting dish
• Large heavy saucepan

Shopping List

• 500g Ripe plum tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin tomatoes
• 20 Basil leaves
• 2 Cloves garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 250g stale bread

{ 11 comments }

You don’t need to go to pastry school to make these pies!

For a simple switch, use the same mincemeat, but with filo pastry, instead of short crust.

I always buy the filo pastry from the supermarket store, and freeze it, and then it’s at hand when you need it, and it’s much lower in calories.

I’ve made both this year and as you can see from the photo’s I use indoor sparklers for the mincemeat parcels, (kids love them) which you can buy on line from http://www.thelastdetail.co.uk/


They’ve got loads of good ideas for the Christmas table. I’ve only done one Christmas shopping trip this year (and that was for cards) everything else was done on line.
It’s so much less stressful and cheaper!
Merry Christmas!

Makes 16 Mince pies
Prep Time 30 mins
Cooking Time 20 mins

Ingredients for the mincemeat pies with short crust pastry

• 250g Plain (all purpose flour)
• 125g Low fat butter spread (I used "I can’t Believe it’s not Butter") cut into small pieces
• 50g Caster Sugar
• Zest of one orange
• Juice of one orange
• 170g Mincemeat (any brand will do)
• 50g Glace cherries, finely chopped
• 25g Cranberries, finely chopped (shop bought in packet)
• 1 Apple, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
• 15g Flaked almonds
• Milk or beaten egg for glazing

Method

• Mix the cherries, cranberries, apple and flaked almonds into the mincemeat, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes
• Meanwhile make the pastry
• Sieve the flour into a large bowl
• Add the sugar and low fat spread
• Lightly rub the spread into the flour and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs
• Add the orange zest and finally the orange juice a little at a time to bind it all together in to a ball
• Place in a bowl and cover with cling film, refrigerate for about 30 minutes to rest
• Lightly grease a 16 hole bun tin
• After 30 minutes the pastry is ready to roll out
• Sieve a little flour onto a clean work surface
• Cut one third of the pastry off and set aside
• Form the remaining two thirds back into a ball and roll out fairly thinly
• Cut 16 bases out and lay in the bun tins, pressing gently into place
• Roll out the last third of pastry and using a slightly smaller pastry cutter, cut out the 16 tops
• Spoon a teaspoonful of mincemeat into each pastry case
• Brush a little water around the edges and press the lids on top
• Brush the pies with milk or beaten egg
• Make one or two slits in the top to allow the steam to escape
• Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top
• Bake in a pre heated oven 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 for 15 to 20 minutes

Topping

• When pies are cool, sprinkle a little icing sugar over the top

Cook's tips

• Check the pies at 15 minutes, if not golden bake for another 5 minutes

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• 16 hole bun tin

Shopping List

• 250g Plain (all purpose flour)
• 125g Low fat butter spread
• 50g Caster Sugar
• One orange
• 170g Mincemeat
• 50g Glace cherries
• 25g Cranberries
• 1 Apple
• 15g Flaked almonds
• Milk or egg

Makes 8 Mince pies
Prep Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 20 mins

Ingredients for the mincemeat pies with filo pastry

• One packet 270g Filo pastry
• Mincemeat as previous recipe

Method

• Sieve a little plain (all purpose flour) onto a clean worktop
• Unroll the pastry sheets and cut into 15cm/6 inch squares
• Take 3 sheets and lay each sheet on top of each other to make a 12 pointed star
• Spoon a dessertspoonful of mincemeat in the centre of the pastry
• Brush a little melted low fat butter spread on the edges
• Carefully bring the edges together to form a parcel shape and pinch together
• Transfer the pies to a baking tray
• Brush a little low fat butter spread over the pies
• Bake in a pre heated oven 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 for 15 to 20 minutes until golden
• Allow to cool, then sprinkle a little icing sugar over the top
• Gently insert a sparkler into the top of the pie and light

Cook's tips

• You’ll find you have some odd shapes left after you’ve cut the 15cm/6 inch squares out, just use these to make up more 15cm/6 inch squares, you won’t notice when they form a parcel shape

Equipment

• Baking tray

Shopping List

• One packet 270g Filo pastry
• Mincemeat as previous recipe
• A little melted low fat butter spread for glazing

{ 6 comments }