· 

Some fabulous Ferragosto Menu options for a great Italian holiday start!

The fabulous August holidays have started in Italy, which we have been planning for many months. Where to go for our holidays, what to eat and cook, what to wear, and what to see and experience. Today, we will have a look at a typical Ferragosto Menu. Starting with a drink and a little welcome, continued with Antipasti, then the first course, second course and a light dolci or dessert.

Hope you find some inspiration for your summer holiday menu!

Antipasti - Bruschetta with Courgettes

Ingredients: 

10 slices of Apulian bread; 3 courgettes; ½ clove of garlic

½ lemon (juice and zest); salt to taste; black pepper to taste; extra virgin olive oil to taste; parmigiano reggiano flakes to taste; balsamic vinegar to taste

Preparation:

First, coarsely chop the courgettes, after having washed them. Then grate the zest of half a lemon and squeeze the juice onto the courgettes, while placing them in a bowl. Add the grated zest and finely chopped garlic and leave to marinate, seasoning with extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper. Blend everything. Now toast the slices of bread and spread them with the courgette sauce, if you like, garnish with a teaspoon of fresh goat cheese or flakes of parmesan and a few drops of balsamic vinegar.


Spaghetti Al Limone

Spaghetti Al Limone, is a very easy and fragrant first course - perfect for a Ferragosto Lunch.  

Ingredients:

320 g Spaghetti; 1 lemon (untreated); 60 g butter; to taste salt; to taste chives

Preparation:

Let's start preparing the spaghetti with lemon, pour some salted water into a pan, put it on the heat and when it boils, pour in the spaghetti and cook them al dente. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce, wash the untreated lemon well and grate the peel into a saucer and keep it aside. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice, pour the butter into a large pan and let it melt, and the grated peel, let it flavor for a few minutes and add the spaghetti,stir well, stirring continuously and adding the spaghetti cooking water little by little, thus you obtain a cream, finish with chives.

Sgombro alla rucola con pesto di erbe e olive - Mackerel with herbs and olives

These mackerel fillets are out of this world, colorful and tasty they will attract the attention of your guests and will surely be appreciated by all. 

Ingredients: 

90 g olive pâté; 40 g cleaned rocket; 4 mackerel; 2 eggs; extra virgin olive oil; marjoram; salt.

Preparation:

For the mackerel with rocket recipe with herb and olive pesto, harden the eggs by cooking them for 7 minutes after boiling. Cool them, shell them, recover the egg yolks and pass them through a sieve, obtaining the mimosa.

Clean and fillet the mackerel; remove all the thorns.

Blend the rocket with 40 g of oil and pour it into a saucepan with another 300 g of oil. Heat it up to 60°C and immerse the mackerel fillets in it. Let them cook at a constant temperature for 10-15 minutes, then turn off.

Mix the olive pâté with 1 spoonful of chopped fresh marjoram. Serve the fillets drained of oil and salted, completing them with the egg mimosa, olive pâté and a few leaves of fresh rocket.

Grazie alla Cucina Italiana!


Saltimbocca di maiale con crema di melanzane

If you prefer a meat dish - here a delicious recipe with Pork: Pork alla saltimbocca with aubergine cream

A revisited version of the classic Roman saltimbocca that will win you over with its aromatic freshness, Mediterranean aromas and flavors.

Ingredients:

600g  or 1 violet aubergine; 450g 4 slices of real pork; 120

g breadcrumbs; 30g fennel; parsley; basil; extra virgin olive oil; garlic; salt

Preparation:

For the recipe for pork saltimbocca with aubergine cream, chop the fennel, also finely chopping the stems.

Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pan with 1 clove of garlic in its peel; add the chopped fennel, mix, cook for 1 minute, then remove the garlic, season with salt and add the breadcrumbs. Leave to flavor on the heat for another 30 seconds, then turn off the heat and leave to cool.

Beat the slices of meat, reducing them to a thickness of 3-4 mm; distribute 1 tablespoon of fennel flavored bread on half of each slice, then close them like a wallet. Distribute a little more breadcrumbs on the surface of the saltimbocca, close them with a toothpick and season them with a drizzle of oil. Cook them on a hot grill for 8-9 minutes, turn them over and continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes, adding salt to taste. Cut the aubergine in half, cut it with lozenge cuts, oil it well and cook it in a hot non-stick pan over a moderate heat, with a lid, for 10-12 minutes, then turn the two halves and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so. until the pulp is soft (check with the tip of a knife). Turn off and leave to cool with the pan covered. Peel the half aubergines and blend the pulp with an immersion blender, adding the water that they have released into the pan during cooking, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, a few chopped basil leaves, a pinch of salt, 1 slice of garlic and 2 spoons of oil. Serve the saltimbocca, even at room temperature, with the aubergine puree, accompanying, if desired, with a salad of cherry tomatoes, basil and fennel. Grazie alla Cucina Italiana!

Dolci - Dessert - Lemon Gelato (without ice cream maker)

Lemon ice cream is the ideal flavor for any occasion: both as a snack, but also for after dinner because it is fresh and digestive. We are not talking about sorbet, but about creamy, enveloping and soft ice cream.

Did you know that you can also prepare it at home, even without an ice cream maker?

Ingredients

500 ml of fresh cream; 70 g of lemon juice; 400 g of condensed milk

Preparation:

Squeeze the lemons and add the filtered juice to the condensed milk, mixing well. Whip the cream and add it, mixing slowly. Transfer everything into a freezer container and freeze for 6-8 hours. Take the ice cream out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving it, or even less if it is very hot. You can store it covered with cling film or a lid in the freezer for up to a month. 


Write a comment

Comments: 0