Saturday, August 30, 2014

My Debut Novel


I wrote a book!!!
See? That's me!



Amazon.it link Take (English Edition) 


The secret is not a secret anymore: I'm a first-time Indie author! I've a book on Amazon! 
I'm scared to death!!!

So, pretty please  

and leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads ;-)


Friday, August 29, 2014

Kids and Meatballs. A perfect match ;-)

This happened in my kitchen a few minutes ago:
#TheNakedBiker asked, "Wadda doin'?" (What are you doing?)
"Meatballs," I replied, arranging ingredients on my countertop. 
Noise of footsteps approaching the kitchen. "Which kind?" #TheSweetTalker asked suspiciously.
"Mini Meatballs in Tomato Sauce," I whispered.
"YEAH!" they yelled, jumping up and down like I'd just offered them an ice-cream.


Yup. I've two very carnivorous kids. Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor they call themselves when I try to offer them a bowl of Vegetable soup without a treat on the side (Focaccia, Bruschetta,...).
By the way, today I'm going to give you my super-secret recipe for Mini Meatballs from scratch. Enjoy! ;-)

First of all Meatballs:
400  gr 1st quality ground beef
1 Italian sausage (ca. 100gr)
1 large egg
100 gr Parmesan
100 gr Bread crumbs 
1/4 cup Milk or less
Spices: Dried Onion, or garlic, and/or parsley (If you like it), and/or chili pepper (If you like it spicy)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand (Use your bare hands!). Roll meatballs to about the size of a chestnut ball, the smaller are the meatballs the better they will taste. Fry the raw meatballs in a large pan wit four tablespoon of olive oil until they are golden brown.



Tomato Sauce:
700 gr Ripe Organic Tomatoes
1/4 Onion
Basil
Celery
Salt

Slice the onion and gently cook it for three minutes in a large pot. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the onion, with basil and celery (I used two small pieces that I removed once the sauce was ready). 
Cook for half an hour then use an handblender to obtain a smooth sauce.




Add the meatballs to the sauce and let all simmer for a hour.


You can eat the Mini-Meatballs with bread or you can use the sauce to dress up your Spaghetti your choice!



Tuesday, August 19, 2014

TANDOORI CHICKEN BURGER

I was looking for a low-fat, easy and tasty recipe and eventually stumbled over this post BakedBree: tandoori-chicken-burgers. My older boy appreciate spicy Indian food so I decided to give it a try, modifying something here and there.

BURGER
Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken breast
2 teaspoon Tandoori Spices Mix (I bought it in an Indian shop)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water

TZATZIKI SAUCE (Greek cucumber yogurt dip)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup finely-chopped cucumber (It's best to remove the seeds of the cucumber so the sauce doesn't get too watery.)
1 finely-chopped garlic clove
Salt
I teaspoon Fresh dill (If you like)

EASY-FAST NAAN
200 gr All purpose flour
100 gr yogurt
60 gr water
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

HOW TO...
Put the chicken and all of the spices in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Prepare the Naan bread mixing the ingredients in a bowl and letting the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. Preheat a large pan to medium. Form four balls and then roll the dough balls out quite thinly, ideally in a round shape. Place a naan into the hot pan and cover with lid. Grill each side for just 1-2 minutes, or until lightly browned. Fold the naan in the middle and cover it with a tablecloth to keep it warm.
Mix the Tzatziki yogurt sauce in a small bowl.  Set aside. 
Form into four patties. Cook the Tandoori burgers on a preheated grill over medium-medium high grill.  About 5 minutes per side.
Place the burger in the middle of a naan, top it with a tablespoon of Tzatziki sauce and a slice of fresh tomato.
Enjoy it!