You may have used honey, maple syrup or agave nectar to naturally sweetened your baked goods or morning bowl of yogurt, but now I will tell you about apple saba, a natural sweetener:: dolcificante naturale that many of you might never have heard of but what the Romans commonly used over two thousand years ago.
I met a lot of great artisanal producers at the Cibustradeshowa few months back. Among them was La Vecchia Dispensa, a producer of traditional balsamic vinegars and other delicious products likefruit condimentsand organic apple saba,just to name two. So, what is apple saba and how is it used? Apple saba is a thick sweet syrup made from 100% apple must. It is commonly used as a condiment drizzled over fresh cheeses :: formaggi and gelato or to naturally sweeten baked goods or pasta fillings.
In the region of Emilia Romagna, grape saba (which is made with 100% grape must) is commonly made in-house and used to flavor ice and snow— the original and all-natural slushie or snow cone. I remember doing this as a child as well, but our version was less healthy as we would add milk, sugar and food coloring :: colorante per alimenti to the snow. I’m glad to know that a healthier version exists and can’t wait for the snow to fall to try out both grape and apple flavors :: sapori. In the meantime, I couldn’t resist inventing a recipe with this organic apple saba that La Vecchia Dispensa was so kind to send me, and therefore came up with one of my new favorite bruschetta recipes: pear, walnut and burrata bruschetta with organic apple saba.
I’ve already eaten three of these bruschette today. One in the morning for breakfast to test out the recipe then two alongside a side salad for lunch after photographing them. You think I would be satiated? Not even close. As I write this, I secretly am thinking about toasting another slice of sesame Sicilian bread, piling it high with creamy burrata cheese, layering on a few thin pear slices, arranging walnuts :: noci on top so I have a piece in each bite and drizzling the whole delicious masterpiece with organic apple saba. Oh, I’m being tortured as I write this post. Resist, Mrs. Italicana, resist! For now, at least. Tomorrow, I know exactly what I will be having for lunch…and maybe even dinner. 🙂
Note: This post is not paid by La Vecchia Dispensa. I promote companies who products I like and think you will enjoy. La Vecchia Dispensa was kind to give me some samples of their high quality products to use in my recipes.
Pear, Walnut and Burrata Bruschetta with Organic Apple Saba
2 slices rustic Italian bread, toasted (I used a sesame Sicilian bread which was divine)
Instructions
Divide the following ingredients in the order given on top of the two slices of toasted bread: buratta cheese, pear slices and walnuts. Drizzle the apple saba on top and serve alone or alongside a side salad.
This marinated feta, basil, taggiasche olive and sun-dried tomatoes is one of the easiest appetizers ever to make and is the perfect fuss-free hor’dourve when entertaining guests.
Why is this appetizer :: antipasto so great? Well, for starters you may already have many of these ingredients in your refrigerator or panty and most importantly, this appetizer only takes about 5 minutes to prepare. All you need is a cute wide mouth glass jar (I adore mason jars) then line the bottom sides with basil leaves followed by cubed feta, half of the taggiasche olives and half of the sun-dried tomatoes.
Repeat these steps and top with a few capers :: capperi if desired. Fill the jar with the sun-dried tomato oil and oil from the taggiasche olives and top with additional extra virgin olive oil if needed in order to cover everything. You can store in the refrigerator to marinate or serve immediately with toasted bread or crackers.
After your guests have gobbled up the appetizer, if there is extra oil in the jar :: barratolo set it aside to use later when cooking. It’s great splashed over veggies or fish on the BBQ.
Here are five other of my favorite fuss-free appetizers:
4. Mini Cheese Balls— Another appetizer that only takes a few minutes to whip up.
5. Savoury Vegetable Pie—Hearty and filling, this vegetable pie is an instant crowd pleaser.
In Italy, spring :: primavera is in its prime, from warm hot summer-like temperatures to rainy days that make our garden vibrant shades of green. I adore this time of year. It’s the time when we all come out of our winter slumber to enjoy the breathtaking nature around us and live the day to its fullest.
It’s the time of picnics and barefoot walking on grass, of BBQ’s outside with friends and long evening strolls with a loved one. It’s the time to breath in the fresh spring air and be thankful and grateful for everything we have in this moment. Life is fleeting, so enjoy each precious second :: secondo prezioso.
This appetizer is simple and can be made by any level of cook :: cuoco and makes the perfect excuse to organize a get together with friends and family. Enjoy and I hope you make a lot of memories surrounded by this delicious and healthy appetizer.
Marinated Feta, Basil, Taggiasche Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes
This marinated feta, taggiasche olive, sun-dried tomatoes and basil is one of the easiest appetizers ever to make and is the perfect fuss-free hor’dourve when entertaining guests.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
¼ cup (45g) pitted taggiasche olives or kalamata olives in olive oil
¼ cup (30g) chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 block (200g) Feta, cubed
10 basil leaves
5 capers (optional)
Instructions
Put 5 basil leaves against the sides of a wide mouth mason jar or similar container, line with half of the feta cubes then top with half of the olives and half of the sun-dried tomatoes. Repeat. Top with capers if desired. Fill the jar with the remaining sun dried tomato oil, oil from the taggiasche olives and top with extra olive oil if needed to cover the feta.
Serve with toasted rustic bread or a sea salt and oregano toasted tortilla. If stored in the refrigerator, take out the jar and set at room temperature 20 minutes before serving so the oil liquefies.
There is one important rule to cooking great Italian food: simplicity. Due to its short list of natural ingredients, there is no question why this roasted radish and leek burrata bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers.
Most Italians will be content to dine on a simple chunk of artisanal bread, block of locally produced cheese and freshly cut meat, like the renowned prosciutto crudo (cured ham). There is no need for mayonnaise or some kind of fancy dip. All you need is a knife :: coltello to cut the bread and cheese, then everything is eaten by hand. Simplicity at its finest.
Mr. Italicano asked his grandfather :: nonno once why he ate the cheese, meat and bread in separate bites instead of creating a sandwich.
““A vöi vèdar cüs’ aghé dèntar!” He responded in Reggiana dialect, meaning, “I want to see what’s inside!”
Wise man. Often times we Americans pack in so many ingredients and sauces with preservatives inside of a sandwich that it no longer exists being a simple meal but a caloric artery clogging bomb.
It makes me laugh when I go to a Subway when I’m in the States and the “Italian sub” contains three types of meats. Where did this idea come from? In Italy it is almost viewed as sacrilegious to combine multiple cold cuts in one sandwich, and therefore you will see that Italian sandwich counters typically only offer sandwiches that are composed of bread and one kind of cold cut with the addition of cheese or tomatoes :: pomodori at the maximum. Italians want to taste each separate ingredient.
For those of you who want a vegetarian option, this roasted radish and leek burrata bruschetta will be your taste buds best friend. Made up of wholesome toasted bread topped with creamy burrata cheese and roasted radishes and leeks coated in a sweet honey :: miele vinaigrette, how can your mouth not be watering? Mine is. I simply can’t write any longer, I’m off to devour one. Buon appetito!
An easy bruschetta recipe made up of wholesome toasted bread topped with creamy burrata cheese and roasted radishes and leeks coated in a sweet honey vinaigrette.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 bunches fresh radishes, sliced thinly
2 leeks, green part removed and sliced thinly
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces (230g) fresh burrata
1 garlic clove
4 large slices of rustic artisan bread
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425* (220°).
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and layer the sliced leek and radishes in one row.
Combine the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well then drizzle over the radishes and leeks.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, keeping eye that they don’t begin to burn. Stir once or twice while baking.
In the meantime, rub the garlic clove on one side of the slices of bread. Toast in the toaster, in a pan on the stove or in the oven. Distribute the burrata among the 4 slices, top with the roasted radishes and leeks (separate like the photo or mixed together.) Serve immediately.
The arrival of Spring brought a multitude of fresh and colorful produce to the vegetable and fruit market. As I patiently stood in line waiting for my number to be called I admired the early morning rays of sun that beamed down on the crates overfilled with plump mushroom caps, dark purple artichokes and mounds of long skinny light green peas, which I thought were Edamame at first but soon came to find out that they were called fava beans (or broad beans) and are a staple to Mediterranean cuisine.
Shelling vegetables from our garden was one of my chores growing up, however it never felt like an obligation as long as there were fresh peas :: piselli in my queue which I could alternate from dropping them into the yellow plastic bowl on my lap or popping them into my mouth when no one was looking. Sometimes I would open up a pod and use my teeth to scrape them out; they were crunchy and burst of Spring.
These fava beans were fun to shuck :: sbaccellare. Not only did it bring me back to my childhood days, but since they were so big they were easy to open and had a delicate inside that reminded me of the thin Styrofoam that electronics are sometimes wrapped in. Good thing Mother Nature is taking extra care of these delicious beans. Later I found out that the smaller fava beans are typically eaten whole or cut up like regular green beans, shells and all.
A lot of my recipes come together when I open my fridge. I often buy fruits and vegetables randomly and when it’s time to cook I just stand in front of the open refrigerator door like a sculptor in front of a slab of marble :: marmo waiting for inspiration to hit. Sometimes it come easily, other times I need to close the fridge and brainstorm for a moment or two while I set the dinner table. If I’m really at a mental block I look at photos on pinterest or search for inspiration on some of my favorite blogs.
This recipe, however, came quite easily. I needed an appetizer for a dinner party and I wanted something healthy. Just like my classic guacamole recipe, you can really play around with the level of spice :: spezia and ingredients to alter this dip so it is suitable to your taste buds. Enjoy!
This fava bean and avocado dip is healthy, versatile and incredibly easy to make.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 cup (160g) fava beans
1½ ripe avocados
2 tablespoons light cream cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¾ lime, juiced
½ green chili pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1 pinch paprika
1 pinch garlic powder (o ¼ of a fresh clove, finely chopped)
1 pinch salt
Instructions
Bring a small pot of water to boil and blanch the fava beans until they begin to rise to the surface, about 2-3 minutes.
Using a blender or immersion mixer, combine all ingredients together in the order listed above, tasting and adjusting the seasoning to how you see fit. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, crackers or toasted crusty bread, or conserve in the refrigerator covered tightly with plastic wrap or in a airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
Stuffed mushrooms are the perfect solution when you want an elegant appetizer that is easy and quick to prepare.
I have a weird dinner party obsession: I need to make a 5 course meal when entertaining. I have this sinking guilty feeling that I am a horrible host if I don’t at least offer an appetizer, main dish, two sides and dessert. I’m sure my guests would be just as content with a pizza or a plate of spaghetti, but I just can’t get myself to be a minimalist cook :: cuoca. Not bad when you only have a few guests, but it gets a bit challenging when you try to pull it off with 10-15 people. Plus, a stressed out and irritable host dressed in a saffron cream sauce stained shirt is no fun.
Having spent many hours trying to cook up complex dinner party menus, I am finally getting a bit wiser (about time). Instead of 5 difficult and time consuming dishes :: piatti I now opt for four simple recipes and one that is a bit more adventurous in order to keep my sanity. I know…not brain surgery. However, if you’re like me when you have guests, you want to impress them with lavish dishes that have a killer presentation and you therefore think that you need to cook complex recipes.
And, now to add to this list are these stuffed mushrooms :: funghi ripieni. They are quick and effortless to prepare and frankly anything stuffed just looks gourmet. What are your favorite no-hassle, stylin party recipes?
Artichoke, Sun-Dried Tomato and Black Olive Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed mushrooms are the perfect solution when you want an elegant appetizer that is easy and quick to prepare.
Serves: 3-5
Ingredients
10 button mushrooms
½ cup (125g) light cream cheese
½ cup (90g) chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
½ cup (150g) chopped artichokes in oil
½ cup (50g) breadcrumbs
½ cup (56g) chopped black olives
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C)
Clean the mushrooms well and carefully break of the stems.
Chop the stems in small pieces and place in a small bowl. Add the light cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, breadcrumbs and black olives. Mix well.
Place the mushroom caps in a casserole dish and distribute the mixture among them.
Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft.
Notes
Note: I often bake the mushrooms earlier in the day then right before the dinner party, pop them back into the oven until reheated.
Fried calamari rings are a popular and much loved appetizer in the United States, yet when you want to eat lighter definitely try out a healthier Italian version that is stuffed with herbs and simmered in a fragrant tomato sauce.
It wasn’t until moving to Italy that I ate stuffed calamari. In reality, up until five :: cinque years ago I didn’t even know what whole squid looked like, I just knew that the fried ring variety found on the appetizer list in many restaurants was pretty dang good. Little did I know that I was missing out on a multitude of other delicious variations scarcely found in the states (at least in WA state and in the restaurants I frequented).
In Italy, squid and octopus dishes are abundant. From grilled to baked or boiled to stewed, you can find a multitude of varied recipes that are easy :: facile to make and healthy to eat.
I’ve read in a number of recipes that calamari must either be cooked on high heat for less than 2 minutes or more than 1 hour and that any amount of time in between will yield a chewy meal. I followed the instructions my Italian fish monger gave me, and would like to add that the 20 minute cook time in the red sauce :: sugoproduced a perfectly cooked squid that was neither gooey nor rubbery, but tender and firm.
Some people chop the tail into tiny pieces :: pezzettini, cook it for 5 minutes then add it to the stuffing mixture. I, however, attached it with toothpicks to the whole calamari, as the long tentacles add a gourmet appeal to the plated presentation.
This recipe is for two as an appetizer but can easily be turned into a meal by doubling or tripling the portions. Whole calamari is a relatively inexpensive :: economico fish to buy and since the recipe calls for a minimal list of ingredients, it is an affordable seafood dish for entertaining guests (or a hungry husband like Mr. Italicano!)
A healthy Italian calamari recipe that is stuffed with herbs and simmered in a fragrant tomato sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or main course.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the stuffing:
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 whole calamari, cleaned with tail set aside
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup tomato purée
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the stuffing:
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir until combined then divide the mixture and stuff the calamari leaving a little room at the top.
Close each calamari with a toothpick. Then take another toothpick and attach the tail to each calamari.
For the sauce:
In a medium skillet over low heat, add the olive oil, heat for 1 minute then add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent, stir often.
Remove the garlic then add the tomato purée, salt, pepper and calamari. Simmer for 15-20 until the calamari is white and firm and the sauce has thickened. Serve warm.
You may have used honey, maple syrup or agave nectar to naturally sweetened your baked goods or morning bowl of yogurt, but now I will tell you about apple saba, a natural sweetener :: dolcificante naturale that many of you might never have heard of but what the Romans commonly used over two thousand years ago.
I met a lot of great artisanal producers at the Cibus tradeshow a few months back. Among them was La Vecchia Dispensa, a producer of traditional balsamic vinegars and other delicious products like fruit condiments and organic apple saba, just to name two. So, what is apple saba and how is it used? Apple saba is a thick sweet syrup made from 100% apple must. It is commonly used as a condiment drizzled over fresh cheeses :: formaggi and gelato or to naturally sweeten baked goods or pasta fillings.
In the region of Emilia Romagna, grape saba (which is made with 100% grape must) is commonly made in-house and used to flavor ice and snow— the original and all-natural slushie or snow cone. I remember doing this as a child as well, but our version was less healthy as we would add milk, sugar and food coloring :: colorante per alimenti to the snow. I’m glad to know that a healthier version exists and can’t wait for the snow to fall to try out both grape and apple flavors :: sapori. In the meantime, I couldn’t resist inventing a recipe with this organic apple saba that La Vecchia Dispensa was so kind to send me, and therefore came up with one of my new favorite bruschetta recipes: pear, walnut and burrata bruschetta with organic apple saba. 
I’ve already eaten three of these bruschette today. One in the morning for breakfast to test out the recipe then two alongside a side salad for lunch after photographing them. You think I would be satiated? Not even close. As I write this, I secretly am thinking about toasting another slice of sesame Sicilian bread, piling it high with creamy burrata cheese, layering on a few thin pear slices, arranging walnuts :: noci on top so I have a piece in each bite and drizzling the whole delicious masterpiece with organic apple saba. Oh, I’m being tortured as I write this post. Resist, Mrs. Italicana, resist! For now, at least. Tomorrow, I know exactly what I will be having for lunch…and maybe even dinner. 🙂
