healthy
Food for thoughts #3
Spinach cakes
This is a super easy recipe for a quick lunch or even for breakfast. You must know how to make a good spinach omelette or frittata by now. This is a healthier version as we cooked them in the oven instead of frying them and we added a bit of salted ricotta for a richer taste.
You will need a few cupcake tins to bake the small cakes . We used silicone baking cups cause it is the easiest solution to take the small cakes out once they are cooked. If you use some metal ones I advise you coat them with butter and dust the inside with flour to avoid them sticking to the surface.
For the props styling I decided to play with lines and patterns. It reminded me of the intricacy of the human brain or how I like to imagine it, as a thick weave of connections.
After a short journey to my local props house, Backgrounds prop hire I found what I was looking for!
We all started this new series with the idea of creating some recipes to boost your mental health. If you have been following us you must know that my blog partner Giulia is an professional nutritionist and she will tell us a bit more about why we choose to cook this recipe. Check below:
“On our last post we talked about the important connection between gut health and mental health. The intestine and the brain communicate with impulses via nerves and chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) such as serotonin and GABA. This last neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid has the function to inhibit/block certain signals in our brain and reduce activity in our nervous system. Therefore, GABA and GABA deficiency are linked to symptoms like stress, anxiety, insomnia, ADHD… but also Parkinson’s disease and seizures.
There are not many foods that contain GABA —the only ones are fermented foods, in fact we added apple cider vinegar to our side salad— however, some vitamins such as vitamin B6 are required co-factors for GABA synthesis. Foods rich in B6 are first of all spinach (together with cabbage, broccoli, garlic, peppers, bananas…), so we decided to cook one of the most famous Italian recipes with spinach — frittata (di spinaci).
Spinach is also high in folate and mineral magnesium which both have been seen to be essential for optimal mental health. “
Spinach cakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
4 medium eggs (about 60g each)
100g spinach
70g leeks
60g salted sheep's ricotta
5ml olive oil
black pepper
SALAD
5 radish
300g Mixed salad leaves
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt
a twist of black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 170 ºC
2 In a small bowl beat the eggs
3 Grate the ricotta into the egg mixture
4 Sauté the leeks and spinach in a small pan with olive oil until tender (2-3 min)
5 Pour the content into the cupcake tins
6 Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes
7 For the salad: wash the radish, discard the leaves and slice thinly.
8 Mix all the ingredients together into a salad bowl
9 Once the cakes are ready you can plate them with a bit of salad on the side.
Food for thoughts #2
Conta-bollita soup (a combination between Ribollita and Contadina soup )
Giulia and I started with the idea of a Ribollita, a thick vegetarian soup from Tuscany dated as far back as medieval times. Ribollita literally means re-boiled — noble family's servants used to reheat the left-over food with the addition of bread. The bread would soak in all the delicious flavours.
But since we thought some of you might not want to eat bread, the recipe would no longer be a genuine ribollita but more of a contadina soup. They are both very similar as they both contain lots of beans but the contadina doesn't have any bread.
So this recipe is sort of like a hybrid between two regional Italian recipes that we renamed Conta-bollita. It is a very comforting dish, perfect for cold wintery days. It would make a great addition to your diet as it is a very healthy one.
It needs a bit of advance preparation as the beans need to soak overnight or for at least 24 hours.
It takes a fair amount of time to make this soup so I recommend doing a large amount and freeze the rest if you wish.
Foods that are full of fibre and contain a wide variety of vegetables can have a fantastic impact on our gut health, and therefore on our mental health. Recent studies have brought to light the synergistic and important connection that exist between gut and brain. Our digestive system and our brain interact both physically and biochemically in a number of different ways.
The vagus nerve, for example, a long nerve which connects the intestine (and other organs) to the brain, sends signals in both directions. Therefore if you are stressed you may not digest very well, and if your stomach did not agree with certain foods, your concentration may not be as good as normal.
Gut and brain also communicate with neurotransmitter, chemical messengers produced mainly in the brain which control feelings and emotions. Our gut, though, also produces certain neurotransmitters like serotonin (which works by making us feel happy), and our gut microflora can produce a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps control feelings of fear and anxiety.
This show us how connected the health of our digestive and nervous system is —no wonder that “adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with better mental and physical health”
In order to promote our mind well-being even further, for this recipe we added black beans to the mix of pulse are traditionally use in the recipe since black beans are one of the top foods for folate, and “Folate deficiency and low folate status have been linked in clinic studies to depression, persistent depressive symptoms, and poor antidepressant response.”
When changing the recipe we also made sure the soup was going to have a good amount of leaf vegetables which are packed with calcium, vitamin K and magnesium, essential for energy production, heart and brain health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4393509/
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/68692
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2382.short
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-019-01943-4
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/adherence-to-the-mediterranean-diet-is-associated-with-better-mental-and-physical-health/0C91627A98D6ABB078EFBA47B0573EC8
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/mediterranean-diet-and-depression/67F265CA11470ADC1C9AD2838B7340B7
Prep Time: 25 minutes +
10 hrs to soak the beans overnight
Cook Time: 1h 45 minutes
Serves 6 people
INGREDIENTS
80g dried green lentils
150g dried cannellini beans
150g dried black beans
2 garlic cloves
20ml olive oil
1 rosemary stick
1.5l water
salt
pepper
olive oil 5 ml
70g onion
2 chillies
70g carrots
1 celery stick
120g potatoes
250g savoy cabbage
250g kale
250g swiss cabbage
200g tinned plum tomatoes
black pepper
1-2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Start by soaking the beans overnight. If you don't have time or you want to speed up the procedure you can just buy precooked canned beans.
2 To prepare our conta-bollita you must cook the beans first as they take a fair amount of time. In a large deep pan heat up the olive oil with the rosemary and garlic for about 2 minutes. Drain the beans and pour them in. Cover with 1.5l of boiling water and cook for about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Take out the rosemary stick. Then blend in half of the beans in a mixer and pour it back into the pot.
4 Now prep your veggies.
5 Peel the onion and chop it finely.
6 Remove the strings from the celery sticks and chop them finely.
7 Peel the carrots and cut them into small cubes of about 1/3 inch.
8 Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes of about 1 inch.
9 Chop the chillies finely, taking care to remove the seeds if you don't want the soup to be too spicy.
10 In a small pot heat up the olive oil and cook the onion, celery, carrots and chilli for about 5 minutes.
11 Wash the savoy cabbage, kale and Swiss cabbage. Then remove the middle stems from the hardest leaves, and roughly chop them into large pieces of about 2”
12 Now add in the potatoes followed by the tomato sauce and cook for about 10 minutes.
13 Pour in all the content into the larger pot with the bean soup previously made .
14 Add the lentils, cabbage, Swiss chard and kale leaves. Bring the soup to the boil and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes.
15 Season with salt and pepper.
16 Taste and serve with bread if you wish.
I like to eat mine like the original ribollita with a lot of bread soaking all the delicious soup.
Enjoy!"
Healthy January 0.3
Sourdough wholemeal focaccia with onions and radicchio
Like many, I have been playing with sourdough since the beginning of the first lockdown in England. It kept me busy as it is like a pet to care for. Anthony Bourdain in his book Kitchen Confidential mentioned several chefs giving names to their starter. One of his colleagues used to call it the B****
Have you given a name to yours yet?
This recipe is sort of an adaptation of a regional recipe from my area in Sardinia, Pratzira with onions (Onions focaccia). Pratzira comes in different flavours and shapes, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms and so on.
I absolutely love the onions version with its sweet taste and slippery texture. Add some tasty radicchio leaves and you are in for a treat!
If you do not know how to make natural yeast, there are many resources online bit I will share the recipe with you in the near future. Check this space.
A bit about nutrition…
When I consulted my blog partner Giulia about this recipe for our healthy January. She said “Ok, we are halfway through our detox month and, therefore, we can allow ourselves to cook something scrumptious and slightly higher in carbs than our previous recipes. “
The star of these focaccine, though, are the veggies — radicchio and onions. The purple-and-white type of leaf vegetable can be eaten raw, mixed in into salads and contorno, but it is AMAZING also if cooked. Radicchio, also known as Italian Chicory is packed with plant compounds —especially in its red part— which act as antioxidants on free-radicals and can improve circulation.
Onions have been seen in research to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, to act as a prebiotic on our gut flora, and to be able to balance the immune system and improve heart health.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224407002282
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2011.646364
Prep Time: 45 minutes +
leavening time about 14 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 15 hours 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH
210g strong wholemeal flour
150ml water
10ml olive oil
5g salt
70g sourdough starter
360g white onion
170g radicchio
60ml olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
First thing you will need to activate your sourdough starter by feeding it on the night before using it.
The second step is often called by the experts as “autolyse”.
In a small bowl, mix the water, wholemeal flour, and oil. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set aside for 1 hour. This is to allow the enzymes in the flour to activate.
Then add in the natural yeast and knead for 5 minutes to form a smooth dough. Now add in the salt and knead for another 2 minutes.
Let it rest for 8-12 hours or until it is doubled in size. This time can vary significantly depending on the temperature in your kitchen and of your ingredients, and how active is your starter.
A generall tip is to check the consistency of the dough, it should be bouncy and light.
Slice your onions into thin rings. Then cook them in a pan with 30ml of olive oil for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
Stir constantly to avoid burning them.
Let the onions cool down. Keep some aside, you will need these to decorate your focaccine. Then gently incorporate the rest into your dough, folding the edges of the dough on top of it a couple of times.
Put the dough onto a floured surface and portion it into 8. Then shape each one into a small ball, tucking the sides in with your hands. Dust some flour all around and on the top of each ball rubbing it genlty with your hands. Cover them with a cloth and let them raise again for about one and a half hours.
Preheat the oven to 220 ºC
Now place each ball into a greased baking tray and flatten each one using your finger tips. Pressing genlty and avoiding knocking out all the air.
Cut the radicchio into small wedges to fit into your focaccine. Place some of the radicchio leaves on the top of each focaccina.
Bake for 10 minutes. Then drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top and cook for further 10 minutes or until is gold.
Healthy January 0.1
Italian-style Zucchetti with lentil 'meatballs'
After a well deserved break I am back with a new series of images and recipes Giulia and I created for January.
I am aiming to post one recipe a week every Friday.
This months theme is Detox. As we know January is for many “Veganuary”, for others “Dry January”. I have never been a great fan of these trends, because it is like saying that you can feel at peace with yourself by being a good person only for 30 days, when you have been bad all year round.
I think we should try to do be moderate most of the times, but I understand many of us have been naughty throughout Christmas and NYE and we are desperately trying to recover the damage done both to ourselves and the environment.
So for these reasons we created some fun recipes to give a break to your body, eat something nice and tackle climate change at the same time.
For this recipe we played on the concept of spaghetti meatballs but using lentils ‘meatballs’ and spiralised courgettes instead of spaghetti.
You will need a spiraliser for this recipe to make your courgettes look like spaghetti.
Giulia is an expert nutritionist and she gave me some insight about the ingredients used here.
“Some great plant-based foods that are rich in proteins are nuts & seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp, linen seeds, etc… almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios…) and legumes such as beans and lentils, but also eating whole grains can help you reaching your daily protein intake which is 0.8g per kilogram of body weight.
We prepared these lentil polpette (balls) with tomato sauce and zucchetti (zucchini spaghetti) as we wanted to show how easy it is to cook vegan and still use some of those comforting flavours which remind us of home.
Lentils can be a great alternative to meat. They are definitely high in protein, containing about 9g of protein per 100g, and they are also rich in fibre which make them a good food for our digestion and blood-sugar balance.
Courgette spaghetti instead of regular wheat spaghetti for reducing refined carb consumption as well, on top of increase fibre intake.”
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Serves 2 people
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE LENTIL BALLS (32-35 balls)
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp paprika
1 shallot
1 tsp oregano
80g potato
100g dry lentils
2g salt
one twist of black pepper
a handful of parsley
50g oat flour
TOMATO SAUCE
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 onion (45g)
1 garlic clove
1 red chilli
3g salt
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 small courgettes spiralised
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the lentils in water for about 1-2 hours.
Fill a pan with water and bring to a boil. Cook lentils for about 30minutes or until they are soft.
For better results taste your lentils to check when they are ready.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. In a separate pan cook the potatoes previously cut in boiling water for about 25 minutes.
Now in a food processor blend in the lentils to form a smooth cream, then mash your potatoes and incorporate them into the mix together with the rest of the ingredients.
Using your hands shape the mix into balls of about 3cm diameter. Then roll the balls into the oat flour to form a coating.
Arrange the lentil balls in a large tray previously covered with baking paper.
Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until they fully cooked and crunchy on the outside.
To make the tomato sauce, finely chop the onion and the chili and slice the garlic in a half.
Take a small pan to cook these ingredients together in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes.
Then pour in the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Season to taste.
Then lightly blanch your spiralised zucchini in boiling water for 30-60 seconds.
Now you can assemble the plate with all your ingredients.
We hope you will enjoy it!
Cassola. Sardinian Seafood Soup.
If you are a seafood lover you can’t miss this seafood soup typical of my area in Sardinia, Italy.
With my family we generally cook a seafood based meal for NYE. Because of the pandemic, like many of us, I will not be able to spend time with them this year, but hopefully this comforting soup will bring you some warmth.
As we always do, Giulia and I cooked this main by making a few small changes in the list of ingredients, in order to offer a healthier alternative. However, the star of this dish was (typically) and still is seafood. Also following Giulia’s advice in terms of nutrition “Mollusks and crustaceans are a great source of proteins and minerals, especially if you compare them with the most popular protein-rich foods like chicken or beef. Prawns, for example, are high in an easily-absorbable form of selenium, an essential mineral that protects our body from free-radicals.
Mussels also contain good levels of selenium, zinc and other vitamins such as B12 and betacarotene. I really hope you love sea food as much as we do!
The first thing we added to this recipe in order to give this soup a small amount of fibre was celery. This vegetable is very low in calories, but full of health-promoting benefits such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds which have been seen to support the function of our heart and digestive system.
We then used red mullet a small-size fish instead of a big one such as sward fish, which is traditionally added to this dish. Small fish contain less mercury and toxins from the sea, so they are for sure a better option! (We decided not to add any oily fish to this soup as their distinctive strong flavour would overpower the delicate taste of the other ingredients).”
With our bellies full, we wish you a very relaxing New Year’s Eve and a positive start with the New Year.
Prep Time: 20 minutes + 2 hours to soak the clams and mussels
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 small squid (160g)
6 tiger prawns (shell on)
200g mussels
300g clams
1 small red mullet (200g)
100 ml white wine
1 chilli
2 garlic cloves
400ml tomato passata
150g cherry tomatoes
a bunch of parsley
1tbs olive oil
1 celery stick
FISH STOCK
450ml water
prawn shells
red mullet bones
1 celery stick
1 garlic clove
1tbs olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
To start we will be prepping our ingredients.
The first thing to do as soon as you buy the clams and mussels, is to place them in water for a couple of hours. This is done to help the clams release all the sand. Also if there are any open clams or mussels, lightly tap them to the side of the sink. If they do not close, discard them.
Clean the prawns by cutting the shells along the back slicing into the flesh a tiny bit too to expose the vein. Pull the vein out and rinse the prawn in water. Repeat the procedure for each prawn.
Place the shells in a small pan that you will use to make a fish stock.
If your fishmonger hasn’t filleted your red mullet then this is the time to do it. I suggest watching videos on the internet if you do not know how to fillet a fish. As a summary instruction, you must cut the head and tail of the fish. Then with a sharp knife slice along the back and keep slicing the rest of the flesh. You must feel that the flat part of the blade is rubbing against the bones underneath.
Keep the bones and place them in the same pan with the prawn shells. Add in the garlic clove peeled and sliced in a half and the celery stick with 1 tbsp of oil. Cook at high heat for 1-2 min until the shells have changed colour.
Add in the water and 1/2 tsp of salt and bring to the boil. Then cook at low heat for at least 20-30min.
Start by cleaning your mussels by removing the “beard” often found hanging off the shell. Place the mussels in a colander in the sink and run water over them, using the tip of a knife to clean off any debris that could be on the shell.
Drain the clams. Cut the squid into rings of 1/2 cm thick.
Now in a large non stick pan. Heat up the olive oil, then cook the garlic, celery and chilli for 3 minutes. Pour in your clams and mussels. Cook for 2 minutes. Then add in the white wine. until it evaporates completely.
Cook at medium heat for a few minutes. Shake the pan a few times to help the clams and mussels to open. Mine started to open after just 4 minutes and were all open within 6 minutes.
If you find any stubborn ones that do not want to open, then wait an extra minute for them to open. Avoid opening them with a knife but just discard them instead if they stay closed.
Set the clams and mussels aside.
Now cook prawns, squid and red mullet in the same pan with all the flavours of the mussels and squid. Cook for 2 minutes on each side for a total of 4 minutes and set aside.
Pour the tomato sauce in the same pan where you cooked the fish, season to taste and cook for 5 minutes. If your fish stock is ready then drain it with a fine sieve over the pan with the tomato sauce. Cook until you reach the consistency desired. I cooked mine for just about 10 more minutes.
Then place all the seafood back in to warm up for a further 2 minutes.
Sprinkle some parsley on the top and enjoy!
TIPS:
This recipe can be simplified if your fishmonger does part of the job for you. Such as asking him to clean the squid and fillet the red mullet. But remember to keep the red mullet bones that you will use to make your fish stock.
Alternatively if you want to save yourself some time, most of the fishmongers sell pre-made fish stock.
Check that the clams and mussels you are buying are not closed or broken.
“The food of the Gods”
Polenta cakes with mushrooms sauce and kale
Once I read that the ancient Romans believed mushrooms were the “food of the Gods” and I think most of us (Italians) still see mushrooms in the same way.
The properties contained in mushrooms are slightly different depending on each variety. For this recipes we used chestnut mushrooms which are rich in vitamin K —an essential nutrient to ensure healthy blood and bones—B vitamins and minerals such as copper and selenium. These succulent vegetables are also an amazing source of antioxidants and immune-boosting compounds such as beta-glucans.
“What I have realised during over three decades of dinner parties and, particularly, Christmas parties is that we all often start binging on appetizers and starters—high-calorie foods, made with refined ingredients and almost zero fibre— to find ourselves feeling full before the main meal even arrives on the table. For this reason, I like to inspire my guests with low-calorie vegan or vegetarian starters, and to share with you the recipes I tried.” says Giulia
Polenta is a delicious food, typical from Italy. In my region, Sardinia, people used to eat polenta as a primo, often served with a tomato sauce. In Lombardia instead, Giulia said “there is no party without polenta, but this corn-flour pudding gets generally served as a side dish (contorno), together with roasted or stewed meat.” Since polenta is very light, gluten-free and has a delicate flavour that works well with pretty much everything Giulia and I decided to use it as a base for our Christmas starters.
The combination of vegetables we used as topping also has the traditional flavours of Italy. However you could potentially use other veggies if you don’t like mushrooms or cavolo nero.
Cavolo Nero, also known as Tuscan Kale, is just an Italian variety of kale, but with dark green-blue leaves —here the adjective “nero” which means black.
Kale belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family, known for its high amounts of phytonutrients which help promoting detoxification and protecting against cell-aging. Like most leafy green vegetable, kale is also high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin K and minerals, especially manganese.
These polenta cakes are perfect served as a starter either for Christmas or NYE.
They are really easy to make, provided that you buy the instant polenta, or the task will become way longer.
For a more luxurious version you can use Porcini mushroom which have a stronger taste.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
POLENTA
200g Instant polenta
800ml vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
MUSHROOM SAUCE
200G chestnut mushrooms
1-2 cloves garlic
15g butter
30ml red wine
100g tomato sauce
a few leaves of kale (Cavolo nero)
100ml water
5g butter
1/2 lemon squeezed
TO SERVE
a bunch of parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
For the polenta I recommend using Instant polenta unless you want to spend your day cooking. For best results follow the instructions on the package. I used De Cecco polenta for mine (This is not a sponsored post). It just needs about 8 minutes to be ready.
The procedure is more or less the same for every polenta though, it consists in boiling your vegetable stock in a large pot, add in some salt to your liking.
Then remove the pot from the stove and pour in the polenta slowly into the water while stirring.
After you poured it all in, bring back the pot on the stove and cook at low heat stirring continuously for about 8 minutes or until the water is fully absorbed.
Take a large flat tray and pour in your polenta. It should form a layer about 1 inch thick. Leave to cool down.
In the meantime we can work at our mushroom’s sauce.
First thing clean your mushrooms using the tip of the knife to scrape the stalk a tiny bit and use a kitchen towel to clean the top of the mushroom.
Slice your mushroom into small pieces.
In a small pan heat up the butter and when it is melted add in the garlic cloves. Cook for 2-5 minutes or until they have some colour. Add in your mushrooms previously cut, add half a glass of water and cook with the lid on for about 10-15 minutes at low heat. Your mushrooms are ready when they are soft.
Spoon in your tomato sauce and cook at low heat for another 10minutes. Season to taste. Sprinkle some parsley on the top.
Now we will quickly prep the kale that will form a base for our mushroom sauce to seat on top of the polenta. Wash the kale, then on a chopping board shred it into 1 inch wide strips.
Bring to the boil 100ml of water with salt, add in the butter and lemon juice and cook your kale for about 5 minutes or until tender. Drain it well and set aside.
Cut the polenta into circles with a cookie cutter or squares if you prefer.
Heat up a pan and heat-up the polenta for about 2 minutes per side.
Place the circles on a serving tray. Then place some of the kale leaves on top of each one and spoon in some your mushroom sauce.
The polenta cakes are now ready, they are also delicious served at room temperature.
Immune boosting
#5 Creamy broccoli soup
When I was a kid I absolutely hated broths or soups of any kind so much that I used to have nightmares about it. It was a thing that I always associated with being ill. It is not until I become an adult that I started to appreciate the health benefits and enjoy the nourishing side of soups.
Chicken broth has been considered a remedy for cold and viral symptoms for centuries, that’s why Giulia and I decided to create a soup that would contain this delicious ingredient.
When we get a cold, our body reacts to the virus by creating an inflammatory response. Chicken soup may have an anti-inflammatory action on our immune system which stops our white blood cells from migrating in the affected area. Another great bonus about eating soup when you are ill is that they help keep your body hydrated.
We chose broccoli as the main vegetable for this soup as it is high in vitamin C and antioxidant compounds such as lutein, zeaxanthin and carotenoids. Broccoli are also rich in vitamin K and vitamin A which are known to improve vitamin D metabolism. As we mentioned in the previous posts, vitamin D is an essential nutrient for our immune system health.
Creamy broccoli soup
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Total Time: 40 min
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN STOCK
2 garlic cloves
3-4 chicken wings
1 carrots
2 celeries stalks
1 onion (100g)
bayleaves
2 tsp peppercorn
1 tsp salt
BROCCOLI SOUP
200g broccoli
200g potatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 onion (70g)
2 celery stalks
butter 10g
600ml chicken stock
a handful of rosemary
salt
pepper
GARNISH
thyme
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the chicken stock, chop the carrots, celery and onions in big chunks. In a big pot place all the ingredients and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 hours.
To make the creamy broccoli soup, finely chop the onion and crush the garlic cloves first. Then chop the celery into small cubes. Heat up the butter in a deep pot and fry the onions, celery, garlic and rosemary for 2 minutes.
Slice the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Chop the broccoli of approximately the same size as the potatoes as well. Add it to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Filter the chicken stock through a fine sieve and place it a separate pot. Strip some of the chicken from the chicken bones. You will add this to your broccoli soup later on. Bring the chicken stock to a boil.
Pour the chicken stock into the broccoli’s pot and cook it for approximately 25 minutes at medium heat.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Save some of the broccoli in a small plate to use as a garnish later on. Blitz all the remaining content and bring the pot back to the stove to reduce further more.
Portion the soup into two small bowls. Add in some thyme, a drizzle of olive oil and pepper if you wish.
The soup is also great cooked served with croutons.
Buon appetito!
Immune boosting
#3 Homemade oat & wheatgerm granola with goat’s yogurt and berries
The world is divided into two, between people that love breakfast and people that skip it all together.
I get very grumpy if for some reason I can’t have breakfast, it is my favourite meal of the day! My breakfasts vary from unhealthy options such as buttery croissants and ultra sweet jams every now and then, to healthier ones to redeem myself from my gluttony sins.
It is not until I arrived in London that I discovered granola, and I really liked it, although now you can find it anywhere in the world even in Italy. The problem with granola brands you find in supermarkets is that they often contain high amounts of refined sugars. That’s why me and Giulia decided to make our own recipe.
We put a spin to this recipe using rolled oats and wheatgerm. Wheatgerm is literally the germinating part of the seed that turns into a plant, it is often discarded during the milling process although it is a very nutritious ingredient, packed with minerals such as zinc —an essential nutrient for our immune system.
Nuts and seeds were also added to the mix for their beautiful texture and their vitamins, minerals and healthy fats content.
Yogurt is a great source of probiotics, those friendly microorganisms that help support our gut health and our immune system. If you are ok with dairy or you only have a mild sensitivity to it, you may want to try goat’s yogurt instead of a regular yogurt. According to research, goat’s milk contains less casein and lactose than cow’s milk, and it is high in nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, omega-3, vitamin B12, vitamin D.
Note: In case of a proper dairy allergy or a strong sensitivity, please use a plant-based yogurt alternative.
Fresh fruit is a very important part of a healthy breakfast —and you could add potentially more fruit to this recipe. We chose a variety of berries since they are rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and they are low in sugar.
Try out this version and let us know what you think!
You can make a large batch of it if you wish. If placed into an airtight container, it can last as long as one month.
Homemade oats & wheat germ granola with goat’s yogurt and berries
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 20 min
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS
GRANOLA
30g wheat germ
30g oats
20g mixed seeds
20g almonds and walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1tbs honey
10ml water
25ml coconut oil
240g goat’s milk natural yoghurt
mixed berries
1 tsp honey
INSTRUCTIONS
For the granola. First thing preheat the oven to 200ºC
Roughly chop the walnuts and almonds. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, wheat germ, mix seeds, honey, almonds and walnuts, cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, honey and water. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, and mix until evenly blended.
Spread the compost on a baking tray covered in parchment, to form an even layer. Cook for about 15minutes.
Split the yoghurt into two bowls and add in the berries.
Sprinkle some of the granola. Drizzle some honey on the top if you wish for extra sweetness.
Pronto!
in Immune boosting, Pasta
Immune boosting series
#1 Pumpkin gnocchi with aromatic herbs
I started my first collaboration with Giulia, a lovely human being and a knowledgeable nutritionist. It feels lonely working as a freelance sometimes and it is good to get inspired by people that do something different from what I do. It helps to open my views and learn something new. If I can then bring that something into my photography is a plus!
Together we joined forces to create a series of healthy Italian inspired recipes. All the nutritional info here have been written by Giulia, together we created the recipes and photographed them.
We decided to prepare this primo piatto, since gnocchi are a traditional Italian dish that we both remember making them with our grandparents.
We used zucca (pumpkin) instead of just potatoes as pumpkin is a great source of antioxidants and beta-carotene, precursor of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for cellular growth and for maintaining a healthy and responsive immune system. Research has also linked this vitamin to lung function improvement in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is an excellent reason why we should start eating more vitamin A -rich food during these times.
The sauce we created for our pumpkin gnocchi has several health-boosting ingredients! In extra virgin olive oil, we infused garlic, oregano, rosemary and sage which can all help fighting microbes. Then we used a combination of seeds as a healthier substitute for Parmesan cheese, since pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are rich in zinc which plays a key role in immune function, and because dairy products could be quite inflammatory on the body.
“Autumn is all about pumpkin and chestnut from where I am from, near Lake Garda in Northern Italy. From October to December, homes and restaurants start cooking pumpkin-everything: soups, ravioli (tortelli di zucca, a typical recipe from Mantova), salads, cakes, even gelato — which is incredibly tasty.
The flavour of pumpkin brings me back to my childhood in Italy, and the fact that this vegetable is also packed with health-promoting properties makes me feel glad to consider pumpkin one of my comfort foods! “ said Giulia.
You can find Giulia on Instagram under @Cromonutrition
Pumpkin gnocchi with aromatic herbs
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1hour 20minutes
Servings: 2 serves
INGREDIENTS
GNOCCHI
300g pumpkin
200g old potatoes
40g corn starch
100g flour
1 medium egg
a few twists of ground black pepper
5g salt
AROMATIC OLIVE OIL
60ml extra vergin olive oil
10 sage leaves
3 crushed garlic cloves
a few rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
To sprinkle
2 tbs ground sunflour and pumpking seeds
10g grated parmesan
To cook the gnocchi
2.5l water
2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
For the sauce, start by placing all the ingredients in a bowl with the olive oil.
For the gnocchi. Pre-heat the oven to 220 ºC
Cook the potatoes in the oven wrapped in tinfoil for about 50 minutes or until soft.
Cut the pumpkin into cubes, remove the seeds, filament and skin. Place on a tray with baking paper. Sprinkle some salt on the top and cook them in the oven for about 40 minutes or until soft.
In a large bowl peel the potatoes and mash them so they completely smooth. Then mash the pumpkin. It is essential to mix the ingredients together while they are still warm to obtain a compact dough. Put in the flour and the corn starch and mix lightly together using your hands.
In a separate bowl whisk one egg. Then make a hole in the middle of the gnocchi dough previously made and place half of the whisked egg, mix lightly until fully incorporated. The dough should be firm and compact and not too moist but not too dry and hard. If it is dry add more egg, if it is too wet add more flour. For best results try not to touch the dough too much.
Put it into a container, cover with clingfilm and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Dust a flat surface with flour. Take a third of the dough and roll it into cylinder of about 1 inch thick. Then cut it into small pieces of about 1 inch long.
Place the gnocchi on a tray dusted with flour and covered with a cloth to rest for 10 minutes.
Boil about 2.5 liters of water in a large and deep pot. Add in the salt. Bring to a simmer and cook the gnocchi in batches. They are ready when they start to float.
Divide into two portions. Drizzle the herbal olive oil on top of them and finally sprinkle the ground seeds and parmesan on top.
If you wish to use the gnocchi in a separate occasion they can be frozen for up to three months or in the fridge they can be used up to 3 days.