Spelt salad, tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese

 Spelt salad, tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese

Spelt salad, cherry tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese is a cold first course that on hot summer days represents a valid alternative to the usual pasta. It doesn't take long to prepare and can be enjoyed the next day, proving to be an excellent idea for a healthy lunch break at the office.

NGREDIENTS

• 300 g of husked spelt
• 20 black and green olives
• 250 g of cherry tomatoes
• 50 g of semi-mature Tuscan pecorino cheese
• 1 pinch of dried oregano
• 1 spring onion
• 1 garlic clove
• extra virgin olive oil
• a few basil leaves
• salt

Spelt salad, tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese is a first course which is particularly appreciated on hot summer days, because it should be eaten cold or at room temperature. Preparing it is really simple, although it takes about an hour to cook the spelt. But this operation does not require any attention and it can be sped up by using a pressure cooker. 

The protagonist of this dish is a very ancient cereal which has been abandoned for a long time because cultivating it was not so convenient in economic terms. Luckily, thanks to its numerous nutritional properties, spelt has been rediscovered and today it is used in many preparations, both hot and cold. Excellent in soups mixed with other cereals and legumes, it is often preferred to rice, bulgur and amaranth to make salads because it is more aromatic and consistent.

It goes well with fish as in spelt and shrimps salad, as well as with meat. It is excellent with cheeses and vegetables as in spelt salad with provolone cheese and sauteed vegetables and in spelt salad with celery, peppers and scamorza cheese. It can be combined with an infinite number of other ingredients in order to adapt the recipe to the needs of every diner and to create healthy and balanced dishes to bring to work, to enjoy outdoors or to eat at home for a light lunch or dinner.

The first thing to do to prepare the salad of spelt, cherry tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese, is to soak the spelt for 12 hours. After this time, rinse it and cook it in abundant salted water, flavored with a clove of garlic, for about 45 minutes, then drain it, dress it with 4 tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt and oregano and let it cool. Then add the cherry tomatoes cut in half.

Clean the spring onion and cut it into thin slices. Dice the pecorino cheese. Add both of these ingredients to the farro and mix. 

Add the olives and a few basil leaves, chopped according to taste. Finish with a splash of oil and stir again. The spelt, cherry tomatoes, olives and pecorino salad is ready to be enjoyed.

Pan-fried cherry tomatoes

 Pan-fried cherry tomatoes

The recipe for preparing tasty cherry tomatoes in a pan is quick and easy. In just a few minutes, with just garlic, rosemary and oil you will obtain a tasty and aromatic side dish, perfect to accompany with taste and simplicity meat or fish dishes, cold cuts or mixed cheeses.

INGREDIENTS

• 400 g of piccadilly tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 3-4 sprigs of rosemary
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt flakes
• black pepper

How can you not take advantage of the last of the tomato season? The recipe of tasty tomatoes in the pan allows you to easily and in a few minutes make a healthy, light and tasty side dish. 

An even simpler, and decidedly faster, version of the equally tasty Pomodorini confit. Soft and juicy, the tasty tomatoes in a pan are the ideal accompaniment to main courses of meat and fish, roasted or grilled, cold cuts and cheeses. Prepared in this way, they are also excellent for flavoring pasta dishes, mixed salads or for dressing bruschetta and friselle.

Tomato is the vegetable symbol of summer, source of precious nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium and vitamin C. Its red color is due to lycopene, a carotenoid with antioxidant properties. Raw or cooked it is the protagonist of countless recipes, from the simplest and most traditional like Panzanella to the most original like Tomato and Peach Salad: here is our selection of the 50 best recipes with tomato. 

To make the tasty tomatoes in the pan, devote yourself first to the chopped herbs: on a cutting board finely chop the rosemary needles with peeled garlic and salt flakes. Set aside.

Wash the cherry tomatoes, dry them with a kitchen towel and cut them in half. Heat a large non-stick frying pan greased with a drizzle of oil and place the cherry tomato halves in it with the cut side down. Leave them in this position over very high heat until they are just "caramelized". At this point, turn them over with the aid of a fork, dress them with more oil and the aromatic mixture prepared.

Continue cooking for a few minutes, until they are completely softened, then serve the tomatoes in a pan hot or cold.

Vegetarian Ragout

 Vegetarian Ragout

The recipe for vegetarian meat sauce that we propose here is a very simple alternative to the classic meat sauce. Carrots, shallots, celery and tomatoes for a tasty vegetable sauce, very easy to make and suitable for the most traditional pasta dish as well as for other more elaborate recipes.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 shallots
• 3 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 90 g of tomato paste
• a few bay leaves
• rosemary
• cloves
• juniper berries
• salt
• pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Shallots, carrots, diced celery and tomato paste are the ingredients of our simple vegetarian ragout, a tasty and perfect alternative recipe to the classic meat sauce. It is proposed in line with the healthiest and most correct dietary indications that recommend alternating (as often as possible) vegetable products with those of animal origin.

This vegetable ragout is excellent in this way, to season the most classic of pasta dishes, but lends itself to become the precious ingredient of many other preparations such as vegetarian or vegan lasagna. Prepare it and let it rest for some hours before using it, it will be even more tasty.

Ragout of lentils and Ragout of soybean and sunflower seeds are also two very good and tasty proposals if you want to prepare a vegetarian sauce for your first courses.

Preparing this vegetarian ragout is simple. First, cut the vegetables into cubes and obtain about 90 g of tomato paste. Then devote yourself to sautéing: pour a few tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Stir and cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Add some water if you notice that it is too dry. 

At this point, add the concentrate, stir and pour in water until the vegetables are completely covered: they should cook for at least 2 hours. As the water is absorbed, add more water. Not too much, because it should not have the consistency of a broth. After an hour and a half, add the aromas: juniper, cloves, bay leaves and rosemary and season with salt. Let it cook for another 30 minutes. 

At this point the vegetarian ragout is ready and can be used as a condiment for an excellent pasta. 

Spicy Chutney

Spicy Chutney

Spicy chutney is a sauce originating from south east Asia. It is a sort of jam with an intense and aromatic flavor, with a sweet and sour taste, which is used to accompany meat and cheese main courses.

INGREDIENTS
400 g of apples peeled and cut into cubes
250 g pears, peeled and diced
200 g of onions cut into strips
100 g of raisins
230 g brown cane sugar
400 ml apple vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
10 g salt
A little bit jam, a little bit mustard, but different from both, chutney is a very common sauce in Asia, typically in India. There are many variations of chutney, with different ingredients, from coconut to mint, from chickpeas to peppers and mango.
Prepare the spicy chutney to season meat or cheese, if you want to give an ethnic touch to your dinner. If you are familiar with the preparation of jams and marmalades, you will have no difficulty in obtaining a delicious chutney.
In this recipe it is important to make sure that the sweet and sour taste is balanced, strictly following the doses of vinegar, which gives the sour note, and sugar, which adds sweetness to the fruit. The spicy mix of ginger, turmeric and cinnamon will fill the kitchen with fragrance.
Don't give in to the temptation to taste the chutney right away, it needs a few days in the jar to mature a rounded flavor.
To make the spicy chutney, gather the fruit, onion, raisins and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil until the pulp appears cooked, but not undone. Add the spices, salt and sugar.
Turn down the heat and stir for about 40 minutes until a teaspoon of chutney is placed on a flat slanted plate and the jam falls out. Pour the spiced chutney into sterilized glass jars with an airtight seal and let it rest for at least ten days before tasting to allow the flavors to blend and enhance each other.

Lentil Ragout

 Lentil Ragout

The lentil ragout is a totally vegan alternative to the classic meat sauce, great for dressing pasta, gnocchi and lasagna is also delicious served on hot croutons. An easy recipe, rich in vegetable proteins.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g small lentils
• 25 g of dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 carrot
• 1 small golden onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 500 g of tomato puree
• 1/2 glass of dry white wine
• 3 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 500 ml of hot water or vegetable broth
• salt
• pepper

Lentil ragout is a tasty and very versatile recipe. Not only is it a delicious, totally vegan condiment, an alternative to the classic Ragù alla Bolognese, for tagliatelle, gnocchi and lasagna. Its rich flavor and dense, full-bodied consistency make it exquisite also simply served on warm bread croutons or as an accompaniment to polenta and for all the uses of traditional ragù.

Prepared in this way, the vegan lentil ragout is ideal for family meals but also for a dinner with friends. It is also a perfect idea for those who follow an omnivorous diet but like to alternate the intake of vegetable proteins with those of animal origin. A choice that makes our diet more sustainable and healthy. With advantages for everyone. And recipes with legumes are, in this sense, very valuable.

The procedure for this vegetable ragout is very simple and fast: the cooking must be carried out over a gentle flame and for a period of at least 1 hour and a half, so that the lentils cook perfectly without flaking but enriching their taste. Choose preferably small green lentils, such as those from Castelluccio. If you like them, you can also opt for larger ones, while small hulled red lentils are to be excluded.

Tasty vegetable alternatives are also available for the soy and sunflower seed ragout or for a real vegetable ragout as in the Green Lasagna with vegetarian ragout. 

To prepare the lentil ragout, first place the dried mushrooms in a bowl with warm water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, clean the vegetables and chop them finely with a knife. Fry them over low heat in a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of oil.

When they become translucent, add the drained, squeezed and finely chopped dried mushrooms and the bay leaf. Leave to gain flavor for 2 minutes, then add the well rinsed lentils and fry for a few minutes over medium heat. Deglaze with the white wine and allow to evaporate.

Add the tomato paste, the passata and the hot water. Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper, cover and cook over low heat, as you would for a classic ragù, for at least 1 and a half or 2 hours, adding more hot water if necessary. When cooked, the lentil ragout should be creamy and thick.