italian cooking made easy

Do you know this vegetable? Ironically speaking we could call Brussels sprouts a "children's nightmare". In countries like Holland or Germany they are usually steamed and served with a little nutmeg sprinkled on top. I would like to propose something a little more "Italian" : "Brussels sprouts with olive oil, garlic , origano and pistache." Clean the sprouts and cut them in half. Simmer in olive oil together with the garlic, a little chili, salt, origano and 10 pistache nuts for about 15 minutes,adding a little water if needed. Don't overcook, they are nice if they are still a bit crispy!!!

Today i prepared chicken legs in tomato sauce. for 2 persons; I fried 1/2 onion, 1 pc. garlic and some chili. After a few minutes added 2 tbl. spoons of red wine and cooked until evaporated. Then added 1/2 liter tomato passata plus a tbl. spoon of origano, 1 bay leaf, some rosemary and a little salt. Bring to boil and add chicken legs (4 to 6). Simmer for at least 45 minutes, until the sauce is not watery anymore, but dense. I served with rice, garnished with 1 tomato and we drank a glas of good cabernet wine from our Veneto region. Buon appetito!!

Pork tenderloin is a very good cut of meat, and less expensive than beef. There are many recipes: this is my latest creation, really delicious! I used a filet of 550 grams, I marinated with mustard, black pepper, a glass of prosecco, and slices of red onion, sliced thin. After about an hour of marinating,   I cooked the onions over low heat to create the sauce, adding a little water if needed. In another skillet, over high heat I   browned the pork on all sides.   Then I added the sauce, lowered the heat, covered, for 20 minutes. The meat must be pink inside; check before you serve. I usually add salt when the meat is done! Then cut in slices, cover with sauce, and rejoice ! peter

OOPS, I did it again!!! Once more i didn't have time to prepare a whole dinner, so i took everything i had available in my fridge; I started with a bed of rucola, but could be any other lettuce. In Italy we have canned beef called "Simmenthal", it's actually very good and low fat! Futher I added artichok, olives, (any kind will do), sliced tomato and some olive oil. Garnished with a little mayonese, pepper and some lime juice. Together with a slice of toasted bread it was an excellent and light summer meal. Buon appetito!!!

This is a wonderful recipe for a quick, healthy and tastful dish. We used green asparagus and steamed them 40 minutes, but if you are really in a rush, you can use the white canned ones. We used only the top part, so the softer part of the asparagus. The shrimps we use are deep frozen, so it takes only 5 minutes to boil them. you can use also the pre-boiled ones. Boiled eggs, that's an easy one. We used iceberg, but any lettuce will do. Garnish with a little mayonese and pepper. Buon Appetito!