Balsamic beef with rosa di Gorizia on a bed of lettuce

There is one dish that is very typical for the town where I come from and this is the chicory called rosa di Gorizia (rose of Gorizia). It's a vegetable with a long tradition and lots of work is hidden under those tender leafs that form a tiny rose, but the flavour is just something you need to try.

Our rosa di Gorizia it's been long forgotten and only some farmer families still ate it and produce it by themselves, but a few years ago some farmers stepped together and tryed to add some value to this amazing vegetable, that's now been very popular among the finest restaurants in the north-east region in Italy Friuli.

The special flavour of this radicchio is also coming from the long procedure before it comes from the land to the plates on our tables. There is a lot of work behind every rose of this radicchio. More about this lovely plant on this website, unfortunately only in italian: rosa di Gorizia. 

Ingredients:
300 gr beef meat
25-30 leafs of radicchio(rosa di Gorizia)
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
3 leafs of sage (salvia)
olive oil
water
salt
pepper
4 leafs of lettuce

Heat some olive oil in the pan with the sage, add the radicchio leafs. Stir for a minute, then add balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper and mix well until the vinegar evaporates. Add some water and continue to stir until it evaporates. Slowly add the beef meat, that you've previously cut into slices. Add just a few slices at time and cook them for a few minutes, then mix them with the radicchio. Continue until all the meat is ready, mix well and put everything on the top of 2 leafs of lettuce. (If you want, you can also use radicchio.)

Enjoy the meal.

Spicy garlic spaghetti

Today I came home from work "starving" (can't really use this word in our part of the world though) and I just wanted to eat as fast as I could. What is better than a really quick pasta? 

Ingredients:
spaghetti (80-100 gr per person)
salt (a tablespoon)
2 cloves of garlic
1 fresh chili
1 egg
some olive oil
pepper (a pinch)

Boil the water, add salt and cook the spaghetti. (Check on the box for the cooking time, all the types of pasta are way better if they're cooked "al dente".) Stir the chopped garlic and chili on some olive oil. Add the cooked pasta and crack an egg of the top. Mix well while it's still hot and put some pepper on the top. Serve and enjoy your really quick meal.
I was in such a hurry I didn't really bother about the pics.. Next time better! ;) 

Pineapple smoothie

After monday workout I craved for something delicious and... I made a smoothie
I've decided to give a try to some raw foodism recipes, but before I've got time to try any of those I invented my own smoothie.

Ingredients:
1/2 pineapple
1 banana
1 orange
1 lemon

Cut the banana and pineapple into slices and put them in the blender. Blend for a while, then add fresh juice from one orange and one lemon and voilà... your smoothie is ready! Easy, right?
If you want it less thick, just add some water.

Jam cookies with puff pastry

Ingredients:
450 gr frosted puff pastry
75 gr jam

Defrost the puff pastry. Use some flour, so it doesn't get sticky and roll the pastry into squares. Spread a little bit of jam on the top and roll them into a sausage. Cut the slices and put them on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 200°C.

Pan-cooked potatoes with sausage

 A simple recipe for those rainy autumn days, when you just neer more warm and nutritious.

Ingredients:
4-5 boiled potatoes (with the skin)
1/2 onion
1 sausage
olive oil
salt
pepper
water

Peel the potatoes while they're still warm and cut them into cubes. Chop the onion and cut the sausage into cubes. Fry the onion on some olive oil until golden, then add the sausage and fry for a few minutes. Add the potatoes. Put some salt and pepper according to your taste and stir well. Cook for 15 minutes and add some water, so that it doesn't get burnt.
Eat with some vegetables or meet. 

French toast

I can't believe I didn't know what french toast is, until I went to India. Our kitchen ladies used to prepare a different kind of egg every morning for breakfast and when they did french toast my room-mate was particulary happy! I found out later that I like it as well and that the recipe is quite easy! 

 

This recipe serves 2 people

Ingredients:
4 slices of bread
2 eggs
120 ml milk
pinch of salt
butter
honey or naple syrup






Mix the eggs in a jar, add the milk and salt. Put the bread slice in the mixture and let it retain it. Heat a non stick pan with a little bit of butter and place all the bread slices on it. When it's cooked on one side, flip it over and then serve still hot with some honey or naple syrup. 

Red chutney

This is a good chutney to serve with a dosa, but don't put it too much! It's spicy!! 

 Ingredients:
2 tbsp roasted lentils
4-5 garlic cloves
2-3 red chillies
1 onion, roughly chopped
salt as required
water

In our store you usually don't get roasted dal, so for the roasted lentils you can just fry them with some oil in a small pan, until they're brown.
Blend all the ingredients and add some water until you have a smooth paste.
This chutney keeps good in the fridge for 1-2 days.