Sole Fillet Rolls with Prosciutto and Asparagus

Ready to wow your guests with these elegant and delicate sole fillets wrapped around prosciutto and asparagus?!?

Here is an easy and quick way to impress your guests. These sole fillets are quite simple to prepare, following this step-by-step recipe. The delicate taste of the sole fish perfectly combines with the savory aroma of the prosciutto and the beautiful and unique flavor of the asparagus. Sprinkled with white wine and chopped Italian parsley, these rolls are baked (not fried), making a super healthy dinner.

Ingredients: serving 4

• 8 dover sole fillets
• 8 slices of prosciutto
• 16 asparagus (if thick) or 24 more if thin
• 1/2 cup, plus one tablespoon, of plain bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove (optional)
• salt

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Remove the bottom part of the asparagus stalk, sanpping it with your hands as close to the bottom as you can. Boil the asparagus in a pan with salted water for 5-8 minutes based on how thick the asparagus are.
Step 2: While the asparagus are cooking, in a bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, with two tablespoons of parsley and the egg. Add some olive oil (maybe one or two tablespoons) to make the mixture come together.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Over each sole fillet, place a slice of prosciutto, some of the bread crumb mixture and two asparagus. Roll the fillet as shown in my picture.

Step 4: Place all the rolls into an oven pan, seams down. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of bread crumbs and one of parsley. Add the white wine, and salt to taste. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until the sole fillets are fully cooked.

Enjoy!

Risotto with Cuttlefish

Satisfy your craving for a delicious Italian primo piatto with this rich cuttlefish risotto

I have not prepared a risotto in quite some time. And with this chilly and rainy day tonight I really felt  in the mood for a deliciously tasty, rich and creamy seafood risotto with cuttlefish. It's easy, quick and a great one-dish family dinner.
Cuttlefish is a mollusk, similar to squid and octopi in taste and texture, not as common here in California, as in Italy. I bought mine frozen at the local fish market. Cuttlefish ink is used in many Italian dishes, like risotto al nero di seppia or also black seafood pasta. Both really delicious!
Tonight I did not have any ink to make my risotto black. But as soon as I find and buy some, I will post a recipe.

Ingredients: serving 4

• 1 lb (450 gr) of clean cuttlefish
• 2 tablespoons of extra olive oil
• half onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• half cup of white wine
• 1 and half cups of fish stock (or vegetable) or water
• 1 tablespoon of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1.5 cups of arborio rice

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: In a large sauce pan, saute' the garlic and chopped onion in the olive oil.

Step 2: As soon as the onion are softer and slightly golden, add the cuttlefish cut in pieces. Salt to taste, and cook for 10 minutes or so.

Step 3: Stir in the wine, and after one minute add the rice. Let cook for a couple of minutes and add some stock or water.

Step 4: Cook the risotto, stirring every few minutes, and adding water or more stock when necessary. The risotto should be ready in about 15-18 minutes.

Add the parsley and serve immediately.

Veal Stew with Potatoes

Hearty, fork-tender veal stew with potatoes and other veggies.

Perfect one-dish dinner for these chilly and rainy fall days!

Here is an authentic Italian recipe for an unbelievably tender and savory veal stew with potatoes. It's a one-dish meal perfect for a cozy family dinner. You can serve it with a big green salad on the side, if you like. Or simply with a slice of your favorite bread.
This recipe is easy and approachable for everyone. It's made using few, simple, wholesome ingredients. No crazy ingredients or too many spices. Just the mouth-watering aroma of the rosemary makes this stew fragrant and delicious.

Ingredients: serving 4

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 4-5 sage leaves
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1.5 lb (680 gr) of veal (2 shoulder chops)
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 qt (950 ml) vegetable broth (I used Trader Joe's organic, low sodium)
• 3 medium potatoes, about 1 lb (450 gr)
• salt

Preparation time: 10 minutes to prepare, about 90 minutes to cook
Directions:
1. In a large pan, saute' the chopped onion and carrot, with the olive oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary and the sage.

2. Add the meat cut in pieces to the pan and cook for a few minutes, turning the meat around until most of the pink is gone.

3. Stir in the flour, and add the broth. As soon as the broth starts to boil, reduce the flame to medium-low, cover the pan and cook for about one hour. Check and stir once in a while.

4. Peel and cut the potatoes in cubes and add to the pan. Cook for about 30 minutes covered, or until the potatoes are soft. Add more broth or water if necessary. Salt to taste.

5. Serve hot with a few slices of French or Italian bread, and a green salad if you'd like.

Buon appetito!

Creamy Pasta with Butternut Squash and Mascarpone Cheese

A delicious combination of sweet butternut squash, creamy mascarpone cheese, crispy crumbled bacon, and sage infused butter sauce, makes this pasta worth a try!

This pasta has it all: a balanced, nutrient-rich dish that will make you feel happy and satisfied.
It has sweet and nutty butternut squash, which is a great source of vitamin C, fibers, magnesium and potassium. It has all the calcium and proteins that you need, from the mascarpone and the parmesan cheese. And the carbs and fibers form the pasta.
And then, there is bacon. Sinfully crispy bacon.
You can always make this pasta without it. But, what can I say? Dinner should not only be wholesome and balanced, but also fun and tempting. And bacon is an amazing addition to the taste.  The sweet and rich flavors of the squash and cheese is really only complete with the crunchy and smoky  aroma of the bacon.
And note, this recipe is fast and quite easy. A bowl of this pasta will leave you full and happy, so make sure to add it to your list of one-dish dinner recipes.

Ingredients: serving 4

• 1 lb (450 gr) of butternut squash, cleaned, peeled and cubed
• 5-6 leaves of sage
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 4 oz (110 gr) of mascarpone cheese
• 4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 slices of bacon, thick cut (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 12 oz (340 gr) of pasta, I used Barilla casarecce pasta

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel, clean and cut in cubes the butternut squash. As soon as the water boils, cook the squash for about 5 minutes.

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the sage. After the 5 minutes remove the squash from the water. Don't throw away the water - you will use it to cook the pasta! Add the squash to the skillet and saute' for another 5-10 minutes until soft.

3. Cook the pasta in the boiling water, using the same water you cooked the squash in. And cook the bacon in a separate pan until crispy. Cut the bacon in pieces.

4. Mash some of the squash with a fork, and add the mascarpone to the skillet. Add several tablespoons (a few at the time) of the boiling water to help the cheese melt, and make a creamy sauce. Adjust with salt if necessary.

5. Drain the pasta and toss in the skillet with the mascarpone and squash sauce, adding the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with pepper.

Serve immediately with crumbled crispy bacon on top. Enjoy! 

Quiche with Asparagus and Speck

Perfect recipe for this Sunday brunch: savory, rich and creamy quiche with asparagus and speck

This recipe is not only great for Sunday brunch, but also for your next picnic, or a light family dinner next to a big green salad. And assuming there are any leftovers, a slice of this quiche is great for your kids lunch box. Or to pack and take with you to the office on Monday.
For this quiche, I used frozen puff pastry which is one of those things that I always have in my freezer. I promised some of my friends to write a post of  things-you-should-always-have-in-your-freezer/fridge/pantry. Ok, this is one!
It's not complicated to do a pie crust, but it's definitely more time consuming. What's not to love about frozen puff pastry anyways? It's easy. It's quick. It's mess-free. And it's consistently delicious.
This quiche is really fast to assemble. And if you don't find speck, you can always substitute with thin-sliced pancetta, prosciutto or ham.

Ingredients: to make an 11 inch pie

• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed (I used Pepperidge Farm, frozen)
• 4 eggs
• 1 bunch of asparagus (12 oz, 350 gr)
• 3 oz (85 gr) of speck or pancetta
• 3.5 oz (100 gr) gruyere cheese
• 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
• 12 fl oz (350 ml) whipping cream
• salt

Preparation time: 60 minutes (15 minutes to prepare, 45 minutes baking)
Directions:
1. Thaw the puff pastry if you haven't done it yet.  Remove the bottom part of the asparagus breaking the bottom with your hands (as close to the end as possible). Wash, cut in pieces about an inch in length, leaving longer tips (about 3 inches). Boil for about 5 minutes in slightly salted water.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease the quiche or tart pan with butter and flour. On a clean counter, sprinkled with flour, stretch out the dough to fit into a 11 inches quiche pan. Cut the edges. Using a fork, poke holes to the bottom of the crust.

3. In a large bowl beat the eggs with the cream and salt. Drain the asparagus, and add to the bowl, saving most of the tips for decorating.

4. Sprinkle the bottom of the pie with the gruyere cheese and the speck cut in strips.

5. Pour the egg mixture on the pie crust. Decorate with the asparagus tips. And sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake for about 45 minutes until golden on top.

Enjoy!