Category Archives: Gluten free

Tofu with curry coconut sauce

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This is one of my favorite tofu dishes. Golden tofu in a creamy curry coconut sauce enriched with green bell peppers and roasted peanuts. I never tire of this dish, and whenever I’m craving it, I usually have all the ingredients on hand. There’s always coconut milk in my pantry, and tofu in the refrigerator, the only thing that I might need to get is the bell pepper. I think that even persons not too fond of tofu will find this plate delightful. The recipe is inspired from the Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone cookbook by Deborah Madison a great book, that in my opinion, all vegetarians and non should have. Deborah’s recipes are always so precise that you don’t need to adjust them. My version of this recipe is different from the original one mainly for the lack of certain ingredients but I found a good balance of flavors anyway.

The dish is so easy to prepare that after the first time you won’t need to follow the recipe anymore. It takes about 20 minutes to make. I like to serve it with steamed white parfume Thai or basmati rice but any long grain rice is also fine. Continue reading →

Frittata with trombetta di Albenga

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Have you ever heard of Trombetta di Albenga (Cucurbitmoschata Duch.)? It’s an Italian summer squash, light green in color and 1 to 2 feet long. Trombetta means little trumpet, it takes the name from its shape which is a little bit curved and enlarged on one end. It’s a common vegetable around the Albenga area in Liguria, but it is not so well known in the rest of the peninsula. In the last few years the plants started to disappear and Slow Food enlisted it among the vegetables to save in the Liguria area and started promoting it as an important product of our territory.

This year I had the great, or maybe crazy, idea to plant Trombetta di Albenga in our garden. I remember my cousin had a plant in hers, but I actually didn’t recall the size of the plant just the taste, which is more delicate and sweeter than zucchini. Last spring when buying other seeds I was happy to find a packet of trombetta di albenga’s seeds. I bought it and planted them only to discover later, how much space the plant was going to occupy, and how big its fruit* was going to be. Thanks to my tenacious husband the plants are not invading us yet, they’re leaving not too much space for the barbecue, but we are still living in harmony. Continue reading →

Zucchini and Swiss chard soup

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This year my garden is fantastic. I should really thank my husband and my child for the efforts they put in, and the great results they achieved. As some of you might know I find myself full of zucchini and zucchini flowers everyday.  While I’ve decided to let “some” of the flowers go, I still have to find a way to eat my zucchini, and at the same time not get tired of them. So far I prepared fried zucchini flowers, pasta with flowers and zucchini, zucchini in tegame, risotto with zucchini flowers, zucchini salad, zucchini in carpione and so on. The recipe I liked the most though, is this simple zucchini and Swiss chard soup that I often make for my son. He loves vegetable soups, especially if I turn them into a minestrina with small pasta. This latest soup is one of his favorites, so as long as we have fresh zucchini in the garden I’ll prepare it often. Continue reading →

Millet balls with cucumber salad

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I usually eat carbs for lunch and a salad or vegetables, but I easily get bored of the same old pasta or rice so I like to vary my diet with different grains. During the summer it’s easier to prepare interesting and fanciful dishes thanks to the wide range of vegetables in season so the challenge not to prepare the same dish over and over again becomes easier.

I usually don’t plan my meals in advance and when it’s almost time to eat I have to come up with an idea and a FAST one if I don’t want to hear my hungry child yelling “I’m hungry I want to eat NOW”. I can’t help it but I sometimes risk and decide to prepare a more elaborate time consuming dish at the last minute like this millet balls with cucumber salad and he just has to wait though it’s definitely worth it. Continue reading →

Hummus with crudités

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Hummus is a Middle Eastern specialty commonly served together with a variety of appetizers, dips, salads at the beginning of a festive meal and they are called mezze or meze.
The dip is now known worldwide and it’s eaten accompanied with fresh or toasted pita bread or fresh vegetables. It’s a great snack or appetizer even if I often eat it as a main course with fresh vegetables. It’s very healthy and tasty and I never tire of it.

The first time I ate it was about 12 years ago when a take out Syrian restaurant opened in Verona. It was a small family restaurant the first of its kind in the city. They made pita bread from scratch and all the dishes were well selected and lovingly prepared. Unfortunately the restaurant didn’t take off and after awhile they closed. I’m still dreaming about those dishes: kebabs with falafel balls, hummus or Baba Ghannoouj and other appetizers whose names I unfortunately don’t remember. They were particular to me because they used unusual ingredients like pomegranate juice to season the meat or a yogurt garlic sauce to add in the kebabs. I’m pretty sure that in Milan, Rome or in other larger Italian cities I could find the similar dishes, but then that is too far to go for lunch.  In the meantime I’ll try to make my own sometimes with success and sometimes not, and sooner or later I’m sure the restaurant I’m looking for will open again here in Verona. Continue reading →

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