Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Makes: 12 polpette, baby meatballs & enough meat for a small meatloaf Spaghetti dinner for 2   I’ve been making spaghetti and polpette (meatballs) since I was seven years old, when my mom would be working long days.  The great thing about meatballs is that you can make them with anything in them.  Today, I made a big batch so I could have some for this spaghetti and meatballs recipe, and for the freezer; six meatballs, baby meatballs for soup a

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 6, plus rice for next day   I love stuffed peppers and this recipe with sausage, veggies and rice then infused with scamorza cheese is absolutely delicious.  Served with some sautéed green beans and cheesy garlic bread makes this a complete meal.    Note: I purposely made twice as much as I needed for the peppers as I put the rice with some mozzarella cheese in the oven and we had a new meal the next day.    Ingredients 350 gr basmati

Scorri a basso per l’Italiano   Makes 12 mini cheesecakes   Mini cheesecakes are always loved by everyone, and I made this one for a special friend who loves cheesecake and can’t get it here in Italy.  Simple to make and absolutely delicious.   These are best made the day before you need to serve as they will set and absorb all the wonderful flavours.   Ingredients 250 gr ground Biscoff cookies 95 gr melted butter 1 tbsp sugar 450 gr softened cream cheese 135 gr Greek yogurt

Scorri a basso per l'Italiano   Makes: 45 - 70 cookies depending on size you make them   Lemon, pistachios and coconut make this cookie delicious and very soft.  I promise once you start eating them, you can’t stop.  They make a great addition to any cookie platter.   Ingredients 225 gr butter 300 gr sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla Zest from 2 lemons Juice from 1 lemon 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 440 gr flour 80 gr shredded coconut 50 gr finely chopped pis

Scorri a basso per Italiano   Makes: 24 mini loaves     In this recipe I’m making a batch of eggnog mini loaves, which 12 loaves will be plain eggnog and the other 12 I’ve added chocolate chips.  Of course, in Italy there isn’t eggnog therefore I created my own Eggnog Recipe  to use for this one.    These loaves are a great addition to any holiday baking you give away.  Wrap them separately and they are a big hit.  I used cardboard preformed cups which the loaf remains in.  I

Scorri a basso per I’italiano   Serves: 4 Today I let my good friend and neighbour in Arona, Loredana, make this incredible meal. She wanted to learn something new and after we cooked our full meal, our husbands Luciano and Gianni sat down for a delicious dinner. This easy and delicious layered eggplant brings eggplant parmigiana to the next level.  Served with rice, makes it a full hearty meal that everyone will love.  If you want to make it vegetarian, don’t add the roast

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 4   Tomatoes with fresh mozzarella cheese is a traditional Italian salad that I absolutely love.  It is light and refreshing and is great as a side to any meal.    Ingredients 3 tomatoes 2 fresh mozzarella balls Olive oil Salt Dried oregano Good balsamic vinegar   Directions Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella about the same thickness Place tomatoes and mozzarella alternately on a plate Sprinkle the tomatoes and mozzarella with olive oil,

Scorri a basso per l’italiano Serves: 4 - 6   Green beans are so good for us because they are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They can contribute to heart health, digestive health, and even help with weight management because they are low in calories and high in fiber.    This cold green bean salad is a great side dish to any meal.   Ingredients 1 kg green beans, cleaned, cut into pieces and boiled until cooked 115 gr thinly sliced pancetta 1 large shallo

Scorri a basso per l’Italiano   Serves: 3   My granddaughter Ariana loves to help her nonna bake and cook and at 2 years 8 months old, she is a great little helper and understands the baking and cooking process.  I love having her help me.   Today she made this simple red sauce pasta, which is delicious for little ones.  She is our little pasta monster and got to love her hair!!!   Ingredients 210 gr crushed tomatoes 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp garlic salt or salt and pepper to ta

Scorri a basso per l’Italiano   This funny looking Christmas tree is a great appetizer during this holiday season.  It is simple to put together, and it cooks up in 20 minutes.  I used a Thai Hot Chili Sauce as the dip, but you can use whatever your favourite dip is.   Ingredients 2 rectangular puff pastry dough Herbed cream cheese, to taste 4 – 6 large ham slices Sliced pimento stuffed olives, as required 2 egg yolks, beaten Thai Hot Chili Sauce   Directions Roll out the fir

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Makes: 15 cutlets, serves 4 plus 8 cutlets for freezer   These cutlets cooked in butter and broth then baked with ham and cheese on top of them are juicier and delicious and of course healthy.   Ingredients 400 gr breadcrumbs 1 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic granules 1 tsp onion flakes 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp paprika 3 eggs 2 tbsp herbed cream cheese 700 gr turkey thin filets Cauliflower florets – as much as you want Broccoli florets – as much as you

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 3   A fresh sandwich with a simple green salad is perfect for a summer night.  Through all the ingredients into the oven and let it create magic.  I cheated and bought some store made meatballs because here in Italy they are delicious and healthy.   Ingredients 95 gr sliced onions 250 gr sliced red and yellow peppers 350 gr turkey meatballs 1 tbsp minced garlic (I used one in oil) Garlic salt or salt and pepper to taste ½ tbsp dried ore

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 2   Baked baby gnocchi are great in this simple bacon and zucchini sauce.  Great any time of day.   Ingredients 500 gr fresh packaged gnocchi 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil Garlic salt or salt & pepper to taste 1 tbsp vegetable broth 150 gr bacon 1 tbsp vegetable broth 160 gr diced zucchini 50 gr diced onions Vegetable broth as required Garlic salt or salt & pepper to taste Hot pepper flakes to taste Grated pecorino Romano cheese to taste   Direc

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 3   I made Caesar Dressing, and I wanted to create something other than a Caesar salad with it therefore I put together this baked Caesar turkey and potatoes meal which was absolutely delicious.    You need to marinate the turkey for at least 2 hours before putting this meal together therefore account for time to do so.   Ingredients 450 gr sliced turkey breasts 100 ml Caesar dressing ( My Recipe or store bought) 650 gr baby potatoes 1

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Makes: 220 ml   The Caesar salad dates back to July 4, 1924 when Italian born Caesar Cardini the owner of Caesar’s restaurant in Tijuana Mexico had run out of kitchen supplies due to a rush of customers for the 4 th  of July holiday.  He took whatever he could find in the kitchen and with dramatic flair put together the salad for his customers table-side.    Ingredients included; romaine lettuce, croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, eg

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 4   I had several zucchini and ham in the fridge, added some eggs and cheese and made this amazing zucchini bake.  I served it with my simple Tomato Bocconcini Salad which was a perfect light meal.   Ingredients 400 gr thinly sliced zucchini 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 3 eggs 75 ml milk 50 ml Greek yogurt 2 tbsp grated parmigiano cheese 1 tsp paprika Cooking spray Grated parmigiano cheese to taste Cooked ham slices cut into pieces, to

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 2   This light and fresh tomato and bocconcini salad goes well with any meal.  I’ve paired it with my Zucchini Ham Bake and it was delicious.   Ingredients 2 tomatoes, diced 150 gr baby bocconcini sliced in half Olive oil to taste Dried oregano to taste Salt to taste Aged balsamic vinegar to taste   Directions Add tomatoes, bocconcini, oil, oregano and salt in a bowl and mix well Serve next to any meat and drizzle as much vinegar you w

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Makes: 32 cookies   These thin cookies that go great on top of dessert cups are called cat’s tongue because they are thin, elongated with a rough surface just like a cat’s tongue. Really simple to make and they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Absolutely delicious! I added them to my Citrus Mousse desserts.   Ingredients 100 gr egg whites (3 eggs) 70 gr icing sugar 100 gr 00 flour 70 ml sunflower oil 1 tsp vanilla Sugar gran

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Serves: 2 – 3   Gianni wanted something that was easy to swallow yet hardy as his appetite is getting better.  This one is full of veggies with some pastina to make it a full filling meal.  What is wonderful about these kinds of soups is you can add whichever vegetables and however much you want.    Ingredients 100 gr frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out 1 medium carrot, diced 100 gr cauliflower, diced 225 gr canned red kidney beans 1

Scorri a basso per l’italiano   Makes: 18 tarts   When you have guests over for dinner, why not make individual apple tartlets filled with apple filling and topped with a nutty crumble.  Then serve warm with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream.  Delicious and loved by all.   Ingredients 2 large apples ¼ cup (50 gr) sugar 2 tbsp (20 gr) flour 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla ¾ cup (68 gr) Harvest crunch oats with almonds 1/3 cup (42 gr) flour 1/3 cup (75 gr) brown sugar Pinch