For a summer evening, when you don’t want to turn on the oven or stove, here is a light starter that can also be transformed into a main course.
On crackers or pieces of bread, crumble a little feta and a spoonful of fresh Peperonata.
San Lorenzo Whole Porcini Mushrooms in Oil are a real delicacy: small, ultra-fleshy, delicious porcini mushrooms - all thoroughly cleaned and still whole.
The best way to use them as an accompaniment to ham and cold meats.
But they’re also great in savoury pies.
1 jar of San Lorenzo Whole Porcini Mushrooms
1 roll of puff pastry
2 eggs
250 g ricotta
Salt and pepper
A sprig of rosemary
Preheat the oven to 180° C.
Drain the mushrooms and wash under running water to remove as much oil as possible.
Roll out the pastry and lay the mushrooms on top. Beat the egg into the ricotta, add the salt and pepper and cover the base of the flan. Garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden.
Turn out and serve warm or cold.
San Lorenzo Chilli Peppers with Anchovies and Capers are the perfect pairing for mature, hard cheeses like Pecorino, Cheddar or Beaufort.
They also go very well with roast meat, chicken, or in salads.
But you can also eat them by themselves, to whet your appetite!
Remember that roast from a while ago? If there’s some left over, here’s what you can do with it!
Blend it with 1 or 2 eggs, depending on how much is left over, some grated Parmigiano Reggiano salt and pepper. Use your hands to form walnut-sized meatballs.
Heat some San Lorenzo Peeled Tomatoes in a pan, press with a fork and when hot, add the meatballs. Cover.
After about ten minutes, take the lid off and shake the pan so as to turn the meatballs without touching them with any utensils. Cover again and leave to cook for another 20 minutes. Add some fresh basil leaves, cook for a few more minutes and serve, either as pasta sauce or by themselves, with a little couscous or boiled rice.
A fast and very easy appetiser – but its simplicity gives it a rather vintage appeal.
5 prawns per person
A few spoonfuls of Organic Pesto alla genovese (traditional recipe)
Boil the whole king prawns for a few minutes.
Shell and remove the heads (give the rest to the cat or use them to make fish stock for risotto).
Arrange on a plate and dress with a few spoonfuls of pesto.
If you can, use really fresh broccoli (still crunchy), separate the flowers and eat them raw, dressed with San Lorenzo anchovy fillets in olive oil, sautéed in a little oil, garlic and chilli pepper.
The perfect accompaniment to mozzarella (the burrata variety if possible) or grilled meat.
If you’re not keen on raw broccoli, blanch them for 4-5 minutes in plenty of boiling salted water, and dress them as above. You can also use them as a condiment for pasta.
We all know what a fan I am of verrines, and this is no exception! These colourful little glasses are perfect for springtime and are bound to be a hit :-)
Serves 6
250 g ricotta
Tuma dla Paja
1 bunch of asparagus
Salt and pepper
Trim and wash the asparagus. Eliminate the white, hard part at the bottom. Cut the stalks into small pieces and keep the tips to one side.
Blanch the stalks in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
Also blanch the tips but for 5 minutes only, drain and put to one side.
Blend the stalks with a little pepper. Divide the mixture into 6 glasses.
Blend the ricotta with _ or half a tuma, depending on how strong you like the flavour. Then pour gently on top of the asparagus mousse. Decorate with the asparagus tips and serve.
A perfect match with Vermentino Riviera Ligure di Ponente d.o.c.
I know, I’ve got a thing about timbales, but they’re always worth the hassle. You blend, bake, and there you go! :)
500 g ricotta
1 egg
grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
Coppa ham
Mix the ricotta with the egg, plenty of Parmesan, salt and pepper. Cover some muffin moulds with the slices of coppa, add the ricotta mix and bake in a hot oven (180° C) for 30 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool slightly, turn out and serve with salad.
Glasses have long been a passion of mine! They’re so convenient I’d never give them up - except for something even more convenient. They look great, are very elegant and contain individual portions - what more could you want? :)
These particular ones are French, from a lovely book, Verrines toutes fraîches !: a constant source of inspiration!
They’re very easy, because they are simply made from a layer of ricotta mixed with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese, a layer of sliced apples cooked for a short time in the microwave (“Surely not!! You cooked them in the microwave???” Yes, you can also cook them in a frying pan, but they don’t turn out the same!), with a little lemon juice, then covered. The last layer is made from slices of seasoned goose breast: a typical delicacy commonly found in France, but hard to come by in Italy! But we, obviously, have managed to get our hands on some!!!
Easy peasy, for an evening when you just want a couple of boiled potatoes (I love boiled potatoes and I could eat them ALL THE TIME!) but you fancy changing them a little and adding a different flavour…
So what better plan than to open the larder door, look at your collection of San Lorenzo jars, and take out the one that inspires you the most?
I let myself be inspired by the roasted peppers, pepper halves preserved in their own liquid! Manna from heaven!
