Category Archives: Second Course

Baked salmon steaks with balsamic vinegar sauce

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I like fish but we have never been so fond of cooking it in my family until I met my husband and things changed drastically. He loves fish, he loves to fish too as he used to go fishing all year long when living in Minnesota. As a matter of fact he wants to bring me ice fishing this winter, but I’m not so sure I’ll have the courage to go on a frozen lake with the car. Anyway when we moved to Italy he was amazed about all the fresh fish he could find, and we decided it was time to learn how to cook it, or at least learn to cook something different than the usual trout and cod fish. We bought a nice book, complete with instructions for cleaning fish because I didn’t know how to clean any kind of fish. I started by cleaning a squid and after I finished with it I didn’t want to eat it anymore. The squid salad I made with it wasn’t so appealing after I eliminated its brain, eyes and beak. I managed to taste it and finally eat, and after that first experience I started to think about something else while cleaning fish. I’m glad I didn’t give up or I would have missed some amazing dishes that we have prepared since then. Continue reading →

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 →

Spezzatino di soia

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Texture vegetable protein (TVP) or, textured soy protein as it’s called in English, sounds like a chemical by-product. In Italian it has a better name, bocconcini di soia , soy chunks. What is TVP exactly? Textured soy protein is a food product made from soybeans. It’s produced from soy flour after the soybean oil has been extracted, then cooked under pressure, extruded, and dried.

It comes in small dry chunks or bits and has to be re-hydrated before you cook it. It’s usually consumed as a meat substitute, and due to its texture it makes good ragù, “meat” stews. It can be also used in many other preparations thanks to its versatility. Its texture resembles meat so not all vegetarians or vegans will appreciate it.

I actually like it but as I discovered you have to find the right quality as not all the brands taste the same. I always buy organic as a start, I don’t want GMO in my food, no coloring and preservatives. I check the shape of the chunks. I find that when they have a regular shape and smooth surface, they are harder and when cooked they don’t blend in well with the other ingredients. On the other hand soy chunks with an irregular shape work much better. 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 →

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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