PEAS & CORN MEDLEY

A colourful side dish to go with many chicken, beef and veal entrees.

                                                         Serves 4

1 large onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, whole 
1 can of peas, drained & rinsed
1 can of corn, drained & rinsed
1/4 piece of a bouillon cube
1/2 cup of water
1/2 tbsp of butter
salt & pepper to taste (optional)

In a skillet sauté garlic, onions & butter, until onions are soft. Then add the cube with water and add the peas, corn, salt and pepper. Simmer on low until water has almost evaporated, stir occasionally. Serve hot! 

STUFFED CHICKEN FILLETS

A good way to dress up chicken, also it was very fast and simple.

                                                         Serves 1-2

2-3 chicken breast fillets
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
mustard, as desired
smoked cheese that will melt easily, cut into thin slices
6-8 slices of pancetta

Pre-heat oven at 400F. In the centre each chicken fillet put slices of cheese, onions and squeeze some mustard. Once the chicken is rolled, place the pancetta slices on top of the chicken fillets. Then use toothpicks to hold the pancetta and chicken together. Place in an oven dish and cook for 20 –25 minutes. 

LENTIL SALAD

When it’s just to hot to cook, let alone eating a hot dish, like it is here in Naples, Italy. This main or side dish is perfect and nutritious. Also you can add more vegetables (there is no limit, go crazy!). Can be served with good crusty bread or garlic bread and treat yourself to a nice glass of wine.

                                                   Serves 2 –4

2 cans of lentils
2 carrots, chopped or shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 of red pepper, chopped
1/2 of a beet, chopped
parmesan cheese, shaved
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
5 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

Add all the ingredients together, tossed. Taste to see if it is missing anything. Let sit for at least an hour for all the flavour to incorporate.   

MY STORY

After 8 months here in Naples Italy, I've decided to write a food blog on my ventures in my small Italian kitchen. My journey in Italy has been interesting to say the least. At the moment I don't care to get into my new Italian life but I will write this......I've never really cooked before coming to Italy, and having my husband enjoy my cooking is gratifying!

One day my mother spoke to Cris and asked him, in her Italian-English accent…..”how is the cook doing”, his responses was…..”I’m not dead yet!” It makes me laugh ever time I replay it in my head!

Ok so here I am not really sure where this food blog will take me but what else do I have to do here in Naples except for cooking, cleaning, enjoying a nice cappuccino and a warm croissant filled with Nutella at the local cafe bar?!….. With this blog, I’m going with the wind. Goodness I love that song “She’s Like The Wind”, even more I LOVE the movie “Dirty Dancing”. See what I mean, going with it!

The recipes I enjoy were given to me from family and friends as well as new ones I’ve concocted. I hope you will relish in these and perhaps come up with a new recipe, with your own twist!

I hope to hear your comments and views!

Ciao Ciao,
The Bean

VEGETABLE RICE

This recipe is so simple & tasty. It’s great the day after, it remains moist. Don’t forget to grate parmesan cheese on top!

                                                                  Serves 2

1 cup of rice                                                             1 cup of water
1/2 bouillon cube & add 1 cup of water
1 tsp worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 tsp salted butter

Add all ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally until rice is done.

In a skillet add all,

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 onion sliced
1 1/2 – 2 cups of mixed vegetables, chopped

Sauté garlic then onion with oil or butter. After onions have soften add the veggies, Cook on medium heat until they are soft and no moisture remains. Then add to rice and mix together. Enjoy! 

MUSHROOM GRAVY RECIPE

I’ve used this gravy on veal, fried pork chops and on baked chicken.

2 1/2 tbsp of butter, divide in half
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup diced zucchini
1/4 cup of white wine
1 cup of vegetable broth
1/4 tsp pork seasoning
1/2 cup of milk, room temperature
salt & pepper

Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large pan, add onion. Sauté until soft, then add the mushrooms & zucchini, until there is almost no moisture. Remove mushrooms.

Melt remaining butter in the same pan and stir in flour. Cook on medium high, keep stirring until it has browned. Whisk in vegetable broth, let simmer for 5 mins or until thick. Stir in seasonings and milk. Then stir in the mushroom mixture. Once everything is incorporated, pour over meat dish.

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

These cookies are chewy and great with a cappuccino! I have added more zucchini, up to 1 1/2 cups because i wanted the taste and to make them softer.

3/4 brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 to 1 1/2 cup zucchini shredded
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat butter, egg, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Than add all dry ingredients, including oatmeal until smooth. Once everything is smooth stir in coconut, chips and zucchini. On an ungreased pan put spoonfuls of the batter on to cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 F for 10 –12 mins.

ROASTED PEPPERS IN OIL & GARLIC

This is a classic in my mothers home. It’s a simple healthy starter! Make sure to toast some Italian bread and drizzle the oil from the peppers onto the bread. Yummy!

3 bell peppers, washed
2-3 garlic cloves, cut in halves
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste (optional)

Turn oven on at 400F,
On a baking sheet, place a piece of aluminum foil. Put peppers on baking pan & place in the oven. I turn the peppers every 10 to 15 minutes, until they have blackened. Once they are done, place in a bowl and cover it, so all the flavour and juices remain. Once they have cooled, for about 15 minutes, peel the chard skin. Pull the stem and clean the inside of the peppers. Cut the peppers into thin strips and place in a bowl with garlic, oil and salt. Mix all together. Also add a bit of the remaining juice from the roasted peppers.  Let stand for a least 3 hours in fridge. Keeps up to 1 week.

PASTA WITH A ROSE SAUCE

250g Linguine pasta
100ml of Panna Da Cucina or heavy cream
1/2 can of peas
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 or 5 mushroom, thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp butter
2-3 slices of cooked ham, coarsely chopped
1 cup of tomato sauce
salt & pepper (optional)

In a skillet put mushrooms, onions & butter on medium heat. Sauté until soft. Then add peas and ham for about 10 minutes to incorporate all the flavours. Then add the tomato sauce & panna for another 10-15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. Taste to see if it needs salt or pepper. Keep it on a simmer until pasta is done.

In the meantime, in a large pot add water and salt. Once water is boiling add the linguine pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain and put it back in the pot, then add the rose sauce and mix together. Serve hot!    

SHOWCOLATE

What a great way to spend an evening at a chocolate show. So many types and flavors of chocolate, from cardamom flavor to dried fruit dipped, also chocolate pasta ( we just had to buy some!!). We had a great time trying so many different types.   

                      A wonderful Christmas tree!            I couldn’t believe some of the stuff they made.

                       Another Christmas Tree

   Slabs of Torrone. Italian hard or soft nugget with glorious nuts caught in the middle of this candy.

                     Chocolate wedding cakes

     This wedding was made out of white chocolate!  

COCONUT THAI SOUP WITH MUSSELS

We were having friends over for dinner one evening and I wanted to make another cuisine besides Italian, we eat Italian every night and so do our friends.  So this soup was a hit, well actually the meal was! We also made jasmine rice and bok choy for the side. If you want, you can add the mussel soup with the jasmine rice.                                  

                                                     serves 4

1 can of coconut milk                                
1 tbsp red thai paste, (more if you want it spicy) 
1 tsp fish oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 kg  fresh mussels, cleaned & washed
good healthy bunch of  fresh basil

Slightly fry the thai paste with olive oil, then add milk & fish oil. Let simmer for 10 minutes and stir occasionally. Then add the mussels and cover with lid, stir occasionally to incorporate all the flavors. Cook mussels until they have opened.    For the jasmine rice……1 1/2 cup of jasmine rice with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, than reduce heat, cook until rice is ready.

CHEESE CHEESE CHESSE!

On our adventure in London, we took a walking tour. These tours are not bad if you pick the right one and the right tour guide! On this particular tour, our guide was very small and very animated, she made us smile the whole 2 hr tour. As we are walking she tells us stories and performs little skits. On our stroll we noticed a cheese shop!

  This was our tour guide her with her red beret hat.

  As we were walking we pass by a cheese shop, massive cheese! We didn’t have time to go in and the pictures don’t do justice but we can hope.

MUFFIN TIME!

We were in London for a weekend and we loved all the colorful shops and pubs the city had to offer. On one of our many walks, we came across a muffin shop. Our eyes were transfixed on all the colors and rows of muffins, so we decided to go in and treat ourselves to a delicious muffin.  This was our choice of the day, a Lemon Poppyseed Muffin!! It went down well with the tea I had bought earlier!

SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE

This basic tomato sauce can be used for lasagnas, pasta, meat and rice. You can freeze the whole batch or freeze in portions.

1 garlic clove, whole
2 tbsp olive oil
1 jar of strained tomato sauce
1/4 piece of green pepper (optional)
3/4 – 1 cup water
3-5 leaves fresh basil
1/2 onion, minced (optional)

In a large pot add garlic, onion & oil, sauté until lightly brown. Add tomato sauce, water & pepper. Let it simmer for about 1hr, cover the pot with the lid. Taste the sauce to see if it needs salt, if so add just a pinch. Then add the basil, cook until sauce thickens. If the sauce isn’t ready and the most of the liquid has evaporated, add more water, about 1/2 cup, place the lid back on the pot and let it simmer a bit longer. The longer you cook the sauce the more flavors are incorporated.