Category: Food

Category Archives: Food

Baked Salmon with Dijon Breadcrumbs

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Nothing could be more easy, more elegant, or more tasty than this recipe!!!

1 side of Salmon, filleted
Bread crumbs
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

I didn’t have bread crumbs so I toasted a couple of pieces of bread and finely chopped them, then added enough of the other ingredients to taste and make a bit of a paste to put over the flesh side of the salmon. I placed the skin side on a piece of foil on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until salmon flakes with a fork. Delicious!

Aperol Spritz

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Italian taste palettes tend toward the bitter and sour flavors. Some love it and others not so much. This drink, which I absolutely love in the Spring and Summer is refreshing with a punch! You will see its colorful presence in cafes and bars all around Italy in warm weather.

You only need 3 ingredients, and sometimes I only use 2. An orange is used for the garnish.

Aperol
Prosecco (sparkling wine or champagne-Prosecco is the Italian version-make sure it is dry and not sweet)
Soda (or not-I usually leave this out!)
Orange slice for garnish.

Mix in equal parts or to your preference after experimenting a bit. If the Aperol is too bitter, use less of it. I usually serve it in a wine glass. You will love it!

Don’t Forget the Caprese

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Excuse me if I have written about this a time or two before, but I eat this several times a week, so in comparison, I don’t write about it often! This time of year, when the great Italian tomatoes become even more excellent (is that possible?) and the fresh basil is at its most lively and fragrant, it seems I just can’t get enough of it.Folks often top this salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but I find that the balsamic is too heavy on this flavorful healthy beauty, and mars the colors of the Italian flag (red white and green).Put these 3 tasty ingredients on your shopping list: Fresh basil (buy a whole plant! It will be tastier and last longer) tomatoes (get whatever looks the best, cherry, grape or the larger sized tomatoes) and Fresh Mozzarella (Bufalo if you can afford it, but the other is good also). Cut and mix together and drizzle with some tasty olive oil (extra virgin of course) and a little salt and pepper and enjoy without guilt!
In Italy, this salad is usually served as a “primi piatti” (first dish) instead of a side dish.

Slow Food Festival-Santa Maria Novella

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This is always one of my favorite events, but it never seems to be advertised or published anywhere! Thankfully because it is in the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, I stumble across it every year.I even looked for something on the internet to write this article and found nothing! Oh well, I have to say it is always delightful to wander into an unexpected event in the piazzas, but I am always overcome with fear of the possibility that I might have missed it!I think this Piazza is the perfect place for this event. It is large and wide open with some greenery (new!) and sidewalks for strolling and setting up the booths. Most of the vendors seem to be from the South…Sicily and Naples, which is fine by me.The Sicilian pastries are phenomenal and the olives, dried tomatoes and olive drenched artichokes are phenomenal. This year I treated myself to a mushroom paste with truffles that I will use to make wonderful bruschetta (pronounced brus keta, by the way!)We tried some of the artisan (micro brewery beers), sampled cheeses, sauces, marmalades and honey, and finally settled down at one of the tables to enjoy a glass of wine. What better way to spend an afternoon. If you visit Florence, make plenty of time in your itinerary to visit all of the piazzas, especially on the weekends.This is where events and life happens in Italy, and to find out about these things, sometimes you just have to be there!

Penne Pasta with Fresh Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

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Enjoying the incoming crops of Spring veggies is another great perk of the changing seasons and seasonal produce! Right now, its asparagus season, and it seems that there are always excellent tomatoes in Italy. This recipe is simple and delicious! A great combination.

Ingredients

Penne Pasta
Cherry Tomatoes
Garlic
Olive oil
1 bunch of Asparagus
Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Remove the stems from the asparagus and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half. Put the Asparagus into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil until tender but still with a little firmness. Don’t overcook or they will become mushy. Drain and set aside. Put the tomatoes and garlic into some olive oil in a skillet and simmer at a low heat until the tomatoes start to break down just a little. Add the asparagus, pasta and parmesan cheese into the tomato mixture with a little of the cooking water from the pasta. Cook for a minute or two more to mix the flavors and serve. Yum, yum!