Sunnereedli (Pizzicotti) pastry

Ingredients

• 250 gr. strong flour
• 100 gr. butter
• 10 gr. dried yeast
• 1 dl. milk
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• salt, cumin or fennel seeds

Mix the flour, salt and the cold, diced, butter. Separately, melt the yeast in lukewarm milk, adding the sugar.
Add the mixture to the dough and stir until obtaining a soft and uniform mix, make a ball and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
Flatten the dough with the roll (5mm. circa) and cut in small rhombus. Place them on baking paper, and make some cuts on the dough (like in the picture), and brush them with the egg yolk previously stirred. Salt with thick salt and decor with fennel or cumin seeds.
Let them rest for 30 mins in a cool place, and then bake them in the preheated oven at 200°C.

Asparagus cup

 Ingredients (6 people)

• 3 slices of bread
• 6 slices of smoked salmon or cooked ham
• 36 asparragus tops
• mayonnaise
• parsley
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 6 small aluminium cups

Cut in half the bread slices, and with a kitchen brush lightly oil them, as well as the aluminium cups.

Cover the interior of the aluminium cups with the bread, both on the bottom and on the sides, compatting them a bit.

Cook in hot oven at 180°C for 10 minutes and let them cool down.

Cook the asparagus, cut the tops (~10cm long). Wash and mince the parsley, and mix it with oil, salt and pepper - mix this with the mayonnaise.

Remove the bread cups from the aluminium containers. Cover the interior of each bread cup with a slice of salmon (or cooked ham), add a spoon of mayonnaise on the bottom and fill the cup with 6 asparagus tops.

Cheese and Ham Semolina roll

Ingredients

• 250 gr. Semolina flour
• 1l milk
• 80 gr. butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 150 gr. grated parmesan cheese
• pinch of nutmeg powder
• salt
• 100 gr. cooked ham
• 100 gr. mild cheese like italian fontina or mild cheddar

Pour in a pan the milk, s bit of butter, the salt and the nutmeg; when boiling, add the semolina flour stiring continuously. Cook on low power for about 10 minutes, until the mix thickens. Remove from heat and add the 2 yolks and 100 gr. of Parmesan cheese. Place the mix on a sheet of wet baking paper (well squeezed), and level to 1 cm height obtaining a square. When cold, lay on the dough the cheese and the cooked ham, leaving a small border. Using the baking paper, roll the dough and place in the fridge for 1 hour. Baste a baking tray, cut the roll into 2 cm thick slices and place them in the baking tray. Pour some parmesan and
some butter on top. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven preheated at 180°C.

Courgette savory cheesecake

Ingredients

• 250 gr. crackers
• 100 gr. butter
• 250 gr. cream cheese
• 250 gr. feta cheese
• 50 gr. dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 6/7 courgettes
• 1 onion
• 200 gr. grated parmesan cheese
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg white
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Wash the courgettes and cut them in very thin slices. In a big pan, heat the olive oil with the onion, and let it fry for a few minutes - until the onion becomes transparent - then add the courgettes, salt and pepper and cook until done. In another pan, melt the butter and let it cool down. 

Blend the crackers in a food processor, place them into a bowl, add the melted butter, the grated parmesan cheese and the egg whites and mix by hand until well blended. Transfer the dough into a 26cm baking tray, which has been covered with wet baking paper, level and press it a bit. Let it rest for approx. 1hr in the fridge. In a bowl, mix thoroughly the dried tomatoes (cut in small pieces), the cream cheese, the feta, the remaining grated parmesan and the 4 eggs. Add the courgettes previously cooked and stir well. Pour the mixture over the base prepared before. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180°C for approx 30/40 minutes. Serve lukewarm.

Aubergine strudel

Ingredients

• 1 roll of puff pastry
• 2 aubergines
• 150 gr. mild cheese (scamorza or medium cheddar)
• 80 gr. bread guts
• 30 gr. fresh basil leaves
• 30 gr. pine nuts
• salt

Wash the aubergines and cut them in half. Pre heat the oven to 180°C and bake the aubergines - pinched with a fork - for approx. 40 minutes.
Let them cool down and dig the aubergine pulp. Place the basil leaves, the guts, pine nuts and the cheese in a food processor and mix until obtaining a smooth texture. Lay the puff pastry on baking paper, cover it with the aubergine pulp and add the mix on top. Close to obtain a pastry roll, well sealed. Make some cuts on the top of the roll. 

Bake for approx. 25 minutes in preheated oven at 200°C.

Fish roll

Ingredients  (6/8 people)

• 350gr. seabass thinly sliced (carpaccio)
• 700gr. salmon steak
• 250gr. spinach
• 2 egg whites
• extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

Cut the salmon in small dices, keep aside 1/4 and chop the other part. Mix the minced salmon with the egg whites, half of the spinach roughly cut, salt and pepper. 

Prepare a sheet of kitchen foil, and cover with a sheet of oiled baking paper. Lay down the seabass slices to form a rectangular shape, cover with the minced salmon, the spinaches and the remainder salmon dices. Roll the rectangle with the help of the baking paper and foil, seal the roll in cylindric shape.

Put the roll in a deep pan with cold water, let it boil and cook for 30/40 minutes.

Drain and let it rest until lukewarm.

Serve with mayonnaise or mustard sauce.

Chicken and courgette cake

Ingredients

• 1kg chicken breast
• 2 courgettes
• 100gr speck or bacon stripes (thin)
• 1 egg white
• pitted black olives
• 1 spoon of Pesto sauce
• salt and pepper

Cut the chicken breast in thin strips and then in small dices, put them in a bowl and add the olives.

Add the Pesto, the egg white, salt and pepper and mix well by hands. Prepare the courgettes, thinly cut on the long side. Cover a loaf baking pan alternating a courgette slice and bacon/speck slice. Pour the mix prepared with the chicken in the mold, press a bit and cover with other courgettes and bacon slices.

Cook in the oven at bain marie at 180°C, for 40 minutes.

Let it rest until lukewarn, turn upside-down and serve.

Baked Tuna Loaf

Ingredients (4/6 people)

• 120 gr. tuna in olive oil
• 4 mid-sized potatoes
• 100gr. dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 1 egg
• oregano
• 2 spoons of grated parmesan cheese
• breadcrumbs
• extra virgin olive oil, salt

Boil the peeled potatoes in salted water for about 30 minutes, drain them and let them cool down.

Mix in a bowl the potatoes with a fork until well mashed, then add the dried tomatoes (cut in small pieces), some oregano, the egg, the tuna (drained from the olive oil), Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and stir well, adding some bread crumbs to make it more compact.

Cover with bread crumbs and put in a plum cake shaped mold, which you oiled beforehand.

Bake for 30 mins at 180°C. Serve lukewarm or cold.

Polpettone di tonno al forno

Ingredienti per 4/6 persone

• 120 gr. tonno sott'olio
• 4 patate medie
• 100 gr. pomodorini secchi sott'olio
• un uovo
• origano fresco
• 2 cucchiai parmigiano grattugiato
• pangrattato
• olio, sale

Sbucciare le patate e lessarle in acqua salata (circa 30 minuti), scolarle e lasciarle raffreddare. Tagliare a pezzettini i pomodorini, sfogliare i rametti di origano e mettere il tutto  in una ciotola con le patate ben schiacciate con la forchetta. Unire l'uovo intero, il tonno sgocciolato, il parmigiano ed un pizzico di sale. Amalgamare bene il composto ed unire la quantità di pangrattato necessaria a tenere compatto il polpettone. Spolverare con altro pangrattato e mettere in forno caldo (180°C) in una teglia unta (tipo plum cake), per 30 minuti. Servire tiepido o freddo.