Lumaconi with Parmesan and Eggplants

The "lumaconi" are a main dish with Parmesan, unusual and very tasty. The main ingredients are eggplant and mozzarella that can be buffalo  or cow mozzarella.

Lumaconi  with Parmesan and Eggplants

For the pasta 

• Basil ,20 leaves
• Salt ,3 pinches
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese ,120 gr
• Lumaconi Pasta 500 gr 
• Eggplant ,two medium 
• Mozzarella , 400 g
• Olive oil ,3-4 tablespoons

For the sauce

• Garlic ,2 cloves
• Salt ,3 pinches
• Tomatoes ,1200 g pulp
• Black Olives ,50 g 
• Olive oil ,4 tablespoons

Mince the garlic and slice the olives into rings . Fry garlic and olives in a pan .

Add the chopped tomatoes. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon .

Prepare the eggplant, cut them  rounds about 2 cm thick and then cut into cubes : fry in a pan . 
Once the cubes are fried, drain from the oil and put them  on a plate covered with absorbent paper .Dice mozzarella .

Cook the pasta in salted water, drain it  “al dente”. 

Fill  the lumaconi with some of the sauce and then  season with some . 

Sprinkle bottom of pan with oil and place a layer of pasta, continue with half of  the eggplant and  with the diced mozzarella ,   cut  the basil leaves in half with your fingers. 

Finish with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese . Continue with another layer of pasta to which you add all other ingredients and finish with the sauce .

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 160° C 

Grate  Parmesan cheese on the lumaconi  and serve immediately.

Neapolitan Timbale

The film Big Night of 1996 presents a timbale Neapolitan 

"The ear drum is a drum ... 

and inside there are good things in the world!": 

First prepare the recipe as Pelaggi, the cook chariot Night

It 'a recipe for a while' complex, which requires two days of preparation. 
It is commonly cooked as well as being complex is a rich dish, for many people

Timballo Napoletano

To prepare it for 6 / 8 people
8 dl wet sauce
500 g macaroni
50 g butter
400 g of diced mozzarella
100 g of grated parmesan cheese
500 g of meat patties

for wet sauce
1.5 kg of pork (walker)
500 g of chopped onions
900 g bacon, cut into slices
1 dl of olive oil
50 g of lard
1 / 2 dl dry and full bodied wine
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bunch of basil abundant
500 g of tomato paste
1 l of tomato puree
Salt and pepper

for meatballs
1 / 2 kg of cooked meat sauce, stewed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 egg
Salt q.b.
flour
Oil for frying

for the pastry
500 g of flour
250 g of sugar
250 g of lard
6 egg yolks

The day before

You begin to prepare the sauce by placing the wet rosemary and thyme over the meat. Then wrap with slices of bacon and tie tightly with kitchen string. Choose a saucepan that is neither too broad nor too narrow for the volume of meat. Put on the bottom of the oil and lard, then add the onions, lying over the meat and cook over medium heat until the meat acquires a dark amber crust. 

You must do this constantly checking the cooking, adding a little wine when necessary, and stirring constantly. When the meat is very colorful and onions dried completely, remove the meat from the sauce and keep warm without teasing. Lower the temperature for cooking at low heat, add the tomato paste to the gravy and stir with a wooden spoon slowly. When the sauce starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, pour a little wine and continue stirring. This work must be done until the sauce becomes thick and creamy, it will take about two hours of continuous presence. Now put back the meat, cover with tomato sauce, salt slightly, stir, cover the pan, leaving a small gap between the edge and the cover, and simmer slowly on fire sweet sauce. Will be ready when he bought a thick syrup, about 1 hour. Remove the meat from the sauce and add basil. The walker is left to cool and removed the wire from the kitchen, chop finely and then prepare the meatballs.While the sauce is cooking, prepare the dough by kneading with your hands quickly all the ingredients to make a thick dough and let rest for at least an hour in the refrigerator covered with a cloth. Then prepare the meatballs, the size of hazelnuts, with 500 g of minced meat mixed with 1 egg earlier, the chopped parsley and a pinch of salt. Fry in hot oil and keep aside. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

On the same day: the big day!

Cook the macaroni al dente, drain, toss with sauce moist, butter, parmesan and let cool. Grease a cake tin and pull the top ring of 30 cm in diameter and cover the bottom and edges with a third of the dough you've stretched thin, about 1 / 2 cm. It is important that the pasta po'dai a protruding edges so that you can easily close the pie with the other disk of dough. Disponeteci over half of the macaroni, distribuiteci over the meatballs, mozzarella into cubes, sprinkle with the Parmesan advanced, then cover with the remaining macaroni. Cover the pastry with tympani advanced pressing down the edges to hold onto the first. Brush surface with beaten egg her and cook for about 45 minutes in the oven to 180 degrees. Before removing

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.

Easter Lunch in Tuscany 2

Today we talk about our Pasta recipe : we have decided for filled pasta cooked in the oven , all the family like it very much.

Conchiglioni Ripieni

300g large pasta shells(ca.40pcs.)

200g tuna fish in oil
200g mozzarella
500g tomato purée
50g green olives
100g grated parmigiano
40g capers
Oil

Salt and pepper

Boil the pasta and drain when it is 'al dente'. Chop the mozzarella, tuna, capers and green olives and mix them with the tomato purée. Season with oil, salt and pepper. Fill the pasta shells with this mixture and then place them in a greased ovenproof dish. Pour a little oil onto and sprinkle with the grated parmigiano. Place in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes.