Spinach Frittata : a family recipe

When I was a  child,  our  mother used to prepare  frittata  several times a month :sometimes   with freshly  prepared  ingredients, sometimes with leftovers of vegetables  or pasta. Anyway we were always happy to eat  it .Now  I know while we had it  so many time: best  way to recycle  leftovers…

Frittata di Spinaci

• 300 gr. spinach
• 3 eggs 
• 2 spoons parmigiano reggiano
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil     1 spoon 

Cook the spinach in water with a pinch of salt. When they are cooked, squeeze  them well and chop them  with a mezza luna. In a bowl, beat the eggs, add the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Add spinach and mix them well in.

In a pan heat the oil, pour the mixture and cook for 10 minutes until the mixture is well cooked on one side. 

Turn it into the pan and cook the other side for 5 minutes.

Serve hot or cold. A slice is also excellent in a sandwich!

Tuscan Week Menu

An idea for a Tuscan menu from Toscana Mia cooking classes last week


Apetizer/Starter  Antipasto

Black Olives Crostini  
Crostini alle Olive Nere

http://toscanamiacooking.blogspot.it/2011/12/italian-black-olives-apetizer.html

First course Primo Pasta

Tuscan Spaghetti with  Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes  
                           Pici all' Aglione 

http://toscanamiacooking.blogspot.it/2011/12/how-to-make-pici.html

http://toscanamiacooking.blogspot.it/2011/12/cherry-tomatoes-garlic-sauce.html

Second Course  Secondo 
Balsamic Vinegar Scaloppine Scaloppine all' Aceto Balsamico

http://toscanamiacooking.blogspot.it/2012/03/scaloppine-balsamic-for-poultry-day.html

Contorno
Beans Tuscan Way   Fagioli al Fiasco

http://toscanamiacooking.blogspot.it/2009/01/cooking-cookery-typical-tuscan-cooking.html

Dessert  Dolce 
Panna Cotta with Chocolate and Safron Panna Cotta con Cioccolato e Zafferano

http://toscanamiacooking.blogspot.it/2009/10/panna-cotta-in-tuscany.html 

Black Olives crostini

Pici with Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes

Fagioli al Fiasco

Pici all' Aglione

balsamic Vinegar with Beans

Panna Cotta with chocolate

Panna Cotta with Safron and Chocolate

Aromatic Herbs and Tomatoes Crostini

Aromatic herbs in the garden ? Mint, Tarragon , parsley and tomatoes for a fresh summer appetizer

Crostini Empoli

• 3 spoonfuls of parsley
• ½spoonful of tarragon
• 5 mint leaves
• 3 spoonfuls of capers
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 2 tomatoes
• ½small glass of olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Chop up parsley, tarragon, mint, capers, egg, add a spoonful of oil and salt in a bowl.

 In another bowl, cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Then mix them with the rest of the oil, salt and pepper.

 Place the two bowls in the fridge for one hour. Then, mix the two sauces .Place them on some slices of bread and serve.

This recipe was also named on Cooking Light by the editor.

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Tuscan Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an Italian starter whose origin dates back to the 15th century and earlier. It consists of roasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive, salt and pepper. Variations may include  different toppings the most popular involves basil and fresh tomato. In Tuscany it  is also called fettunta and it is usually served without toppings, in November, to taste new oil.

Bruschetta 

• Tomato
• Bread
• Oil
• Salt
• Garlic
• Pepper
• Basil

Cut the tomatoes in pieces, add basil, oil, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for ½ hour. Toast the slices of bread on the grill.  

Rub both sides of the bread with garlic, sprinkle with salt and season with the oil. Place the marinate on the slices of bread and serve hot. 

Italian Green Pistachio

For friends who requested a recipe not so typical Tuscan, but know we like to “go out of home” sometimes, we talk about  Pistachio.

In Italy pistachio coltivation has its  niche: the most famous pistachio are from Bronte and  Adrano ,on the slopes of Etna, protected by the DOP "Green Pistachio of Bronte." Pistachios  are used  peeled , often roasted and salted, but also in confectionery, ice cream, creams, drinks, for the production of cured meats (Mortadella  from Bologna, for example), or as a condiment for pasta and meat dishes.

Crostini di Pistacchio

50g peeled pistachio nuts
  walnuts  30 grams.
  4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper q.b.(as much as you like)
fresh basil - a bunch
40 g parmesan cheese.
1 clove of garlic
-
 In a mortar grind  pistachios, nuts, basil leaves, garlic. Add the grated Parmesan, a sprinkling of pepper and salt, then blend in the oil,  and stir  to obtain a uniform and consistent sauce.

This sauce is at its best used on bread, or  as a dressing for pasta or gnocchi.

This pesto  can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, frozen or kept in a glass container as long as you add oil enough to cover it.

Pistachio Crostini

Italian Black Olives Apetizer

After harvesting the olives for the oil, let some black olives in glass jars with coarse salt .Wash them  after a month, mix with a little olive oil and store. We can then serve by themselves or in various recipes . 

Crostini di Olive Nere

150g pitted black olives 

40g butter

2 spoons breadcrumbs

½ lemon

1 spoonful oil

Salt and pepper 

Bread

Leave the butter to soften at room temperature. Chop the olives with the “mezzaluna”(Italian chopper).Add  a spoonful of grated lemon peel   to the olive paste. Squeeze the lemon and mix it with the olive paste. Then add the breadcrumbs, one spoonful of oil and the butter. Season with a pinch of salt and some pepper.Mix thoroughly and form into a salami. 

Wrap in aluminium foil and place it in the refrigerator for approximately 3 hours. Serve the olive paste spread on  slices of bread.

Giardiniera Granma recipe

 Holidays are approaching  and so are  gifts for friends and relatives, why not  something homemade ? We can prepare something to eat every day that goes well with vegetarian friends:  la giardiniera (the gardener), who is one of the most popular  traditional Italian pickles. It can be prepared with different vegetables depending on the season.

Oh, it’s called “gardener” because when  prepared with different vegetables  it’s a feast of colours like a garden!

Giardiniera 

The ingredients that we used:
Black pepper 1/2 teaspoons
 Water: 1/2 liter
 4 tablespoons coarse salt
 Vinegar 2 liters
 4 tablespoons sugar
 Laurel leaves 3
 200 g red peppers
 Cauliflower 200 gr

but you can make it with onions, celery, carrots, peppers of various colors, green beans, peas, cucumbers,cauliflowers

Clean and wash all the vegetables, cut into small pieces, peppers and cauliflowers into thin strips
Put the vinegar  and water in a pan on the fire  with the bay leaves, salt and sugar.
When the vinegar boils, throw in the carrots, green beans and peas and let simmer for around 10 minutes.

Then add the cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers and continue cooking until all the vegetables are ready: they’ll be tender but not soft.
Drain the vegetables well and leave to cool.
Then toss gently and place the pickles in jars, close them, sterilize by boiling for half an hour in a pan covered with water.

Wait 30 days before you eat your pickles.

Tortino Tricolore

It 's a colorful savoury cake , with   a fresh Mediterranean taste.In summer  we like serving “caprese”, but in winter it is delicious  to serve  this  warm dish .

Tortino with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil

Ingredients (for a loaf pan by 24x10x7cm)

250g of bread for sandwiches

250 gr. mozzarella, preferably buffalo

300g firm tomatoes

40g of grated grana or parmesan cheese 

12 basil leaves

2 eggs

150ml milk 

Olive oil as much as needed

Salt  3 pinches 

We wash the tomatoes, divide into two parts and, in a bowl, dress them with salt, cheese, oil and  chopped basil leaves. 

In a bowl, beat eggs with milk, dip the slices of bread cut appropriately to coat the bottom and the edge of the pan,previously lined with parchment paper. 

We distribute half of the seasoned tomatoes  into the pan, then place over the well-drained mozzarella,  then cover it with the other tomatoes  and end with a layer ofslices of bread.

Bake at 200 C° for about 40  minutes or until golden brownWhen baked , leave the cake to cool and decorate with basil leaves and tomatoes.

Crostini di Salsiccia

Italian dishes are extremely simple: the important thing is the quality of the ingredients used.

Crostini alla salsiccia, called crostini if made with a small slice of toasted bread, and crostoni  if done with a large slice of bread,  are beloved. You can eat them raw if the sausages are fresh, up to the day before, and if you can trust the butcher, or cooked. Very good and beloved, just look at those who are on FB group "Crostini di salsiccia e Stracchino"

Crostini di Salsiccia 

2 sausages                  

100g stracchino cheese

parsley

salt,pepper

bread

Chop the sausages and mix them with the stracchino until you obtain a smooth cream.

Mix in the parsley,salt and pepper. 

Spread the cream on bread slices.

Then place in the oven at 180° C  for 5 minutes. Serve them immediately.