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Savoury muffins

Make a batch of savoury muffins for a snack or an appetiser. They are also great for a light lunch or dinner with a bowl of salad. They are easy to make and you can use a plethora of vegetables and cheese or a combination of these.

prep time 10 min     cook time 25 min
ingredients for 12 muffins
  • 125 g butter
  • 2 eggs
  • dash of salt
  • 200 g plain yogurt ( or ricotta)
  • 150 g flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 50 g sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 spring onion or a small onion
  • 100 g feta (or blue cheese)
  • 1 Tbls fresh thyme
  • 75 g grated cheese

1. Pre-heat oven at 200C and grease a muffin tin.

2. Melt the butter and let cool. Beat the eggs, salt and the yogurt lightly into the butter.

3. Mix the flour and baking powder and then add this to the batter with a spoon just until combined. Do not beat.

4. Drip the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and mince them. Dice also the onion, crumble the feta and add all this to the batter.

5. Add the thyme (you can also use dried thyme) and half of the grated cheese.

6. Fill the muffin tin and add the remaining cheese.

7. Bake at 200C for 15-20 min until the muffins have a nice golden crust. Serve lightly cooled.

Tip: try chives, celery, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, leek,  button mushrooms, baby spinach ( I had a few zucchini flowers that I tossed into the mix), different kinds of cheese, bacon, sausage or ham, fresh (or dried) herbs like oregano, basil, lemon thyme, marjoram.

Tip: these freeze well.

BUON APPETITO!

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Stuffed zucchini, bell peppers and eggplants

I love stuffed vegetables either filled with ground beef or ricotta or other vegetables. They are best eaten lightly cooled when the flavours have had time to set.

prep time 15 min     cook time 50 min
ingredients for 4
  • 2 eggplants
  • 2 zucchini
  • 2 bell peppers (red or yellow)
  • 500 g ground beef
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • 200 g mozzarella (provola is ok too)
  • 4-5 Tbls bread crumbs
  • 3-4 Tbls grated Parmigiano
    1. Preheat oven to 180 C
    2. Wash and pat dry eggplants, zucchinis and peppers. Cut them in halves and empty the eggplants and zucchini of their flesh trying not to poke holes to the skin.

3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the vegetables on the tray. Cut the eggplant and zucchini halves just slightly and sprinkle some salt on all the vegetables.

4. Bake for 15 minutes.

5. In the meantime heat oil in a large pan and sauté the onion. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and zucchini flesh to the pan.

6. Cook for another 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool.

7. Add the mozzarella cut into cubes, 2-3 Tbls of bread crumbs and fill the eggplants, zucchini and peppers sprinkling some more breadcrumbs and grated Parmigiano on top.

8. Cook for abut 50 minutes and let them cool on the tray.

9. Serve with crusty bread and a nice glass of wine.

BUON APPETITO!

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Apple loaf cake

Easy peasy soft and moist apple yogurt cake coming up.

prep time 15 min     cook time 55 min
ingredients
  • 250 g flour
  • 250 g plain yogurt
  • 3 small or 2 big apples
  • 160 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 130 g melted butter
  • 16 g baking powder
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 Tbls cinnamon
    1. Pre heat oven to 180 C
    2. Grease and lightly flour a loaf pan. (10cm x 30cm)
    3. Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and fluffy. Add the zest, yogurt and  melted butter (cool) and beat for additional 2-3  minutes.
    4. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and stir into the wet batter mixing just until combined.
    5. Peel 2 small apples (or 1,5 if you have big apples), slice them thinly or cut into small cubes and add to the batter.
    6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and add one apple (or the half of the big one) thinly sliced on top of the batter. Sprinkle little bit of sugar and cinnamon on top.
    7. Bake for about 55 minutes at 180C or until the toothpick comes out clean. The yogurt and the apples make the cake very moist. You can garnish the loaf with some confectioner’s sugar.

BUON APPETITO!

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Pasta with pomodorini confit, anchovy and mozzarelline

In this recipe I’m using the pomodorini confit from my previous post.

prep time 5 min     cook time 10-12 min
ingredients for 4
  • 400 g orecchiette pasta (farfalle, penne, rigatoni)
  • 4 anchovy fillets in oil
  • 400 g pomodorini confit
  • 150 g baby mozzarella
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil
  • a few basil leaves

1.  Cook the pasta al dente.

    2. In the meantime heat the oil in a large pan and add the garlic clove and the anchovy fillets. Let cook until the anchovy “melts”, then remove the garlic. Add a ladle of cooking water.
    3. Drain the pasta 2 minutes before it’s cooking time, add to the pan and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
    4. Transfer to a serving bowl, add the pomodorini and the baby mozzarella (you can also use a mozzarella cut into cubes), toss and add the basil leaves on top.

 

    BUON APPETITO!