White asparagus with hard boiled eggs Venetian style Recipe

This exquisite recipe is so easy and quick to prepare you can hardly call it a recipe. It consist of gently boiling the asparagus and dress them with oil, sea salt and pepper to allow the delicate and mild sweet taste of white asparagus to be fully enhanced and appreciated. Asparagus prepared this way can be served as a starter, main course or as a side dish and is a great meal for vegetarians.

White asparagus grow with the absence of sunlight which prevents the photosynthesis to take place and therefore stops the asparagus turning green in colour.

Back home, where I come from, on the Slovenian coast, this dish, (Beli beluši s trdo kuhanimi jajci / Beli šparglji s trdo kuhanimi jajci) among other asparagus dishes, is very popular during the fairly short asparagus season and the locals make the best of it.

My nona shared with me a very touching story about white asparagus. She very modestly confessed to me that when she was a little girl, her father was the first farmer in the village (Marezige), and the first in the surrounding area to grow white asparagus. She also told me the story that when the asparagus were almost ready to be harvested, he would guard them during the night as these vegetables were very precious source of income for the family and were almost never consumed for domestic use. Only a very small amount of the asparagus, the ones that broke during the harvest, were used by the family for cooking, and this was a real treat for everyone.

White asparagus were, and still are, more difficult and more laborious to grow, therefore they fetch a higher price when they are sold on the market. The asparagus would be taken by my great grandmother to Trieste, just across the border, a big port city with Imperial style cafes, and important theatres where a fairly high number of wealthy noble families used to live, families that could easily afford to buy this type of vegetable and appreciate its gastronomic use.

My nona also told me that the locals used to say that the white asparagus were so cherished they were considered to be vegetable fit for the queen.

Even nowadays, white asparagus, although more accessible, are still pricier compared to the green ones, and they are enjoyed as a “festive food” especially around Easter celebrations when they are in season.

There is a very close geographical proximity between my home town and the Italian region of Veneto, where this flavoursome and elegant dish is typical, (Asparagi bianchi con uova sode alla Veneta) and where in the foothills of the town of Bassano, and along the whole stretch of the river Brenta, the best, renowned, plump white asparagus are produced in terms of size and flavour.

I am sharing here this simple and very much loved family recipe which traditionally calls for white asparagus, and is a very much anticipated vegetable in the spring season. However, if you have difficulty buying them, then just use green asparagus, the dish will be equally delicious.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1kg white asparagus (you can use green asparagus)

• 8 eggs, soft or hard boiled and quartered, sliced or chopped

• extra virgin olive oil (sunflower oil or a neutral tasting oil of your preference)

• sea salt

• black pepper

• red or white vinegar, optional

Method

First of all prepare the asparagus. Chop off the ends which are normally hard, woody and fibrous.

With the potato peeler, peel the asparagus starting from just underneath the tips.

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Place the asparagus in a pan with a small amount of boiling water.

Gently boil for about 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Test by inserting the tip of a small sharp knife into the end of the asparagus as this part takes the longest to cook. The cooking times will vary according to the size and thickness of the asparagus.

With a slotted spoon gently remove the asparagus from the pan and place them, one next to each other, on paper kitchen towel. Allow the asparagus to drain and cool.While removing the asparagus be careful not to break the tips, they cook quicker than the ends and will be much softer, if they do break, however, it is not the end of the world, they will just not look quite as nice on the plate.

Alternatively, you can steam the asparagus or cooked them tied in a bundle and placed upright in a tall pot with two thirds of their length immersed in cold water. Bring the water to boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes (the steam will cook the tips). Remove and untie the bundle.

Transfer the cooked asparagus and lay them on a serving plate.

Place the soft or hard boiled eggs on the top or between the asparagus.

Dress liberally with oil, sea salt and black pepper.

Serve with crunchy bread to soak up the juices.

Just a thought

You can use the water in which you cooked the asparagus as a stock. Just add the ends you cut off the asparagus and the peels and add them to the water, gently boil for about half and hour and strain.

You will end up with a delicious and delicate asparagus flavoured stock to be used for asparagus risotto, minestrone primavera or asparagus soup.

If you are not using the stock straight away it is perfect for freezing.

Wine suggestione

Collio Sauvignon DOC 2020 - Schiopetto

Green Asparagus Risotto Venetian style Recipe

Green asparagus risotto with its pale green colour, is elegant in appearance, sweet and nutty taste of the asparagus makes this classic risotto delicate, simple, and clean in flavour, but a surprisingly tasty rice dish. It is creamy and very satisfying. This risotto celebrates the best of spring vegetable, making it a perfect choice for a quick week night dish.

The preparation and cooking of this risotto is particularly simple and quick, perfect for just about any occasion. It covers informal and more rustic eating settings, where risotto is served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon, as well as more formal settings, where risotto can be placed onto big white plates with maybe Parmiggiano Reggiano shavings, which can impress your slightly more demanding quests.

Asparagus risotto is very popular on the Slovenian coast, where I was born and grew up, and this is no surprise as the Veneto (region in Northern Italy) is where the greatest variety of risotto dishes can be found, and is a short car drive from my home town.

Asparagus back home is a very much celebrated spring vegetable and used to make a lot of different dishes, minestrone primavera, asparagus frittata, cooked asparagus with hard boiled eggs, sautéed asparagus with scrambled eggs, just to mention a few. Very frequently the bought variety of asparagus would be replaced by the wild variety since like mushrooms, it is also found in nature (without any concern about poisonous varieties!), and is very keenly foraged by the locals during their pick season in mid spring.

As a child I have vivid memories going with my mother to the market and seeing beautifully displayed bunches of asparagus which were than purchased to make the risotto.

I am sharing here my mother's recipe for the asparagus risotto with which I grew up, she told me that when I was little I used to pile a substantial amount of cheese on my risotto, making a mountain of cheese, apparently, I loved it that way, maybe not so appealing now...

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 200-300g green asparagus

• 300g risotto rice (like Vialone Nano, Arborio or Carnaroli)

• 1 onion or shallots (about 80g) peeled and finely chopped

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 litre hot vegetable or chicken stock (you can use Instant vegetable or chicken stock powder)

• fresh flat leaf parsley, a handful (about 6g), finely chopped (plus some extra for garnish, optional)

• sea salt

• Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated (about a generous handful or to taste)

Method

Before starting making risotto have your boiling hot vegetable or chicken stock ready to hand for later.

Wash the asparagus and pat dry them with the kitchen paper towel.

Cut off the tips of the asparagus and set aside.

Chop the stalk sections of the asparagus.

Put extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add finely chopped onions, a pinch of sea salt and sauté for a few minutes on a gentle heat until soft.

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Add chopped sections of the asparagus, not the tips, and cook for a few minutes together with the onions until they soften a bit and deepen in colour

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Add the rice and toast for a bit, stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the pan.

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Pour or ladle ½ litre (500ml) of hot vegetable or chicken stock and add chopped parsley.

Cook until the first amount of liquid is absorbed then start gradually adding ladles of hot stock, one at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.

Cook on a medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is cooked al dente, meaning fully cooked but still a bit firm when bitten, it should roughly take between 15 -18 minutes for a risotto to be cooked.

Add the tips of the asparagus a few minutes before the end of cooking time.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt, but this might not be necessary since the stocks that come from the store generally speaking are salty already!

Serve immediately while the risotto is still hot and rather liquidy.

Ladle the risotto onto the plates, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese and garnish with some roughly chopped fresh parsley.

Just a thought

For even creamier texture, you can finish cooking the asparagus risotto with a typical Italian mantecare phase. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add grated cheese and a bit of cold butter or cream to the risotto when is almost finished and stir with a wooden spoon quite vigorously in order to develop that delicious creamy texture.

Dandelion Salad with hard boiled eggs, boiled potatoes and crispy pancetta Recipe

This very healthy and nutritious but incredibly tasty salad is made from young and tender dandelion leaves and enriched with hard boiled eggs, cooked potatoes and crispy pancetta that give us extra energy for the long spring walks in the nature and for completing all those chores in the garden and inside the house.

This salad can also easily become vegetarian and vegan friendly by simply omitting some of the ingredients.

Dandelion leaves, with their verdant colour, can be eaten cooked (customary on the Slovenian coast) or raw, they have a pleasant bitter taste, a bit like peppery rocket salad, and they should be picked small and tender before the plant blooms, then they turn seriously bitter.

When foraging for dandelion try to avoid the areas close to busy roads, lanes popular with dog walkers (no need to go into too much detail as to why), and fields close to farms that have potentially been sprayed with pesticides or fertilizers and antibiotics which get absorbed into the plant.

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To pick dandelion you can use a small knife and cut around the plant root and then pull it out of the ground or just simply tear the leaves off the plant.

Dandelion is very rich in vitamins and minerals, very good for our body, and yes it might be a bit bitter, but it is this bitter substance in the dandelion leaves that helps to optimise the function of the gallbladder and the liver. They contain a lot of potassium which is very beneficial for the kidneys, and iron which enriches our blood and helps to purify it. .

This is of no coincidence since dandelion salad is very popular in early spring (around Easter), not only because this is the right time to pick the leaves, but also because this salad is also traditionally eaten with eggs, a symbol of purity, rebirth, and rejuvenation.

In Slovenia, where I come from, picking dandelion leaves in spring time during long walks and returning home with a free lunch or dinner is a great pastime, and almost an obsession.

But there is another tradition that is deeply rooted and much anticipated, especially with the children. It is colouring and decorating Easter eggs, and lots of them, they would be beautifully displayed in small wicker baskets and than used, yes, you guessed it, in the dandelion salad and of course other dishes.

I am sharing here the family recipe, that includes the use of crunchy pancetta or ocvirki (very commonly used in Slovenia, they are small pork cracklings in lard, usually home made, kept in glass jars in the fridge).

A small amount (about 2Tbsp) of pork cracklings in lard will be placed in a small frying pan and warmed up, by doing so, the lard melts and the cracklings get very crunchy, all of this would then be added to the dandelion salad substituting the oil and the pancetta.

If you never have this salad before, try it and play around with the ingredients to suit your taste, keep the ingredients you like and omit the ones you are less keen on. You can also forage a smaller amount of dandelion leaves than indicated in this recipe and mix with other salad leaves.

Have a go and make this super salad, next time you look at the dandelion you will not see it as a annoying weed...

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 100-150g freshly picked young dandelion leaves, trimmed and picked through

• 4 eggs, hard boiled

• potatoes (about 400g) cooked and peeled (you can use baby potatoes or new potatoes with the skin on)

• 150g pancetta rashers (sliced pancetta) or streaky bacon, smoked or unsmoked

• extra virgin olive oil (or other type if prefer)

• vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar, you can use red or white wine vinegar or cider vinegar works well too)

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and very finely chopped, optional (I did not use garlic I this recipe)

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Start by preparing all the ingredients needed for the salad.

Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, bring to boil and simmer until cooked.

Cut pancetta rashers or streaky pancetta into small pieces, place them in a small pan and gently fry until very crisp. Remove them from the pan, and place on to kitchen paper so they can drain, and the excess fat can be absorbed. Let the rashers cool and set them aside.

Cook the eggs in a small pan of simmering water until hard boiled, cool, peel and cut into quarters.

Clean dandelion leaves, wash and dry thoroughly (use salad spinner if you have one).

Wine suggestion

Collio Friulano DOC 2021 - Pighin

Squid Risotto Adriatic style Recipe

Squid or calamari risotto is very delicate in taste, yet flavoursome, hearty and filling, very quick and easy to make, which makes it a perfect choice for a light lunch or dinner and a staple mid-week dish.

Fresh squid (not cleaned yet)

This risotto is an absolute winner, it will delight the whole family, and it is very pleasant to eat with its creamy texture and sweet and tender squid. It is simply delicious, and it is packed with Mediterranean ingredients that recall holidays by the sea.

I grew up on this type of risotto, it has been made in my family since as long as I can remember. My mother told me I was partially weaned on this risotto, she obviously made sure the squid chunks were cut in miniscule pieces to make it safe for me to eat. I loved it, apparently, and I still do.

The frequency with which this risotto, among many other types of risotti, has been made should come as no surprise. The area where I was born and grew up, the Slovenian coast, it is just under two hours drive from northern region of Veneto in Italy, where the greatest number and variety of risotto recipes can be found.

Squid risotto is very often prepared and cooked in the households, and regularly printed on the menus in the local restaurants, where you will find it as Rižota s kalamari or Rižota z lignji.

I am sharing here my mother's recipe, and do not be put off by the task of cleaning the squid, ask your fishmonger to do it for you and try this fantastic risotto dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500g roughly, fresh squid, cleaned and cut into smaller pieces or rings (keep the tentacles). For this recipe you can also use frozen raw already cleaned squid tubes available in most bigger supermarkets.

• 1 small onion (about 80g), peeled and finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Tbsp tomato purée

• 300g risotto rice (like Vialone Nano, Arborio or Carnaroli)

• fresh flat leaf parsley, about a handful (roughly 8g), some extra for garnish

• 1 litre hot vegetable stock or hot water

• sea salt

• ground black pepper

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Method

Before starting making risotto, it is a good idea to have your boiling hot stock or hot water ready to hand for later.

Put extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add finely chopped onions and sauté on a gentle heat until soft.

Add crushed garlic and cook for about a minute together with the onions.

Place clean pieces of squid in a pan and cook for about three minutes or so, until opaque.

Add the rice, mix well with the onion, garlic and squid mixture, and toast it for few minutes stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the pan.

Add tomato purée, pour in the pan all the hot stock or hot water and add chopped parsley.

If you have made a risotto before and have a clear idea of how moist you like it to be, you can control the moisture of the risotto by gradually adding ladles of hot stock or water, one at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more, rather than pouring the whole quantity of liquid over toasted rice, like I did in this recipe.

Cook on a medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is cooked al dente (fully cooked but still firm when bitten). It will generally take about 15-18 minutes for a risotto to be cooked.

There should be enough liquid just to cover the risotto, the Italians say that risotto should be smooth and runny enough to be described as all'onda, on the wave. Quite right, eating dry risotto is not particularly enjoyable.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and ground pepper.

Serve hot and garnish with roughly chopped fresh flat parsley.

Just a thought

You can add to the risotto a small amount of chilli to give it an extra kick, but in small amounts, as you do not want to overpower the delicate flavour of the squid and of the dish in general.

Wine suggestion

Colli di Luni Vermentino “Etichetta Nera” 2021 - Lunae

Whole baked Sea Bream with fresh rosemary Recipe

Whole baked sea bream in the oven with fresh rosemary is a simple and tasty main fish dish that takes little effort to prepare.

Cooking the whole fish on the bone gives it a better flavour, and this delicate white fish is best cooked simply and gently in order to give it the full respect it deserves.

Baked sea bream is a perfect choice for a light meal option, traditionally served with spinach or chard cooked with potatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

Sea bream is a great choice to include in your diet as is rich in iron and vitamins and easy to digest.

This fish as a main course is unpretentious and understated in its simplicity, but it is elegant, and full of flavour.

I am sharing here this incredibly simple way of cooking the fish, that also represents the most common method of preparing and eating the fish along the Slovenian coast in restaurants as well as in many households.

This recipe has been in the family, well, since forever. Give it a go, there is nothing complicated about it, and if you are slightly intimidated by the task of cleaning the fish, the fishmonger will be more than happy to do it for you. Give a fish a good rinse, pat dry it, and follow the easy preparation steps, and off it goes in the oven, how difficult can that be?

Ingredients

Serves 4-8

• 4 fresh whole sea bream (each weighing between 300g – 400g), cleaned, scaled and gutted

• extra virgin olive oil, generous drizzle

• 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C static or equivalent.

Line a baking tray with non stick baking parchment and drizzle a bit of olive oil.

Wash the fish thoroughly inside and out under cold running water and pat dry well the fish with the kitchen paper.

With the sharp knife, slash the fish 3 to 5 times through the flesh, about 5mm deep, almost to the bone.

Place the fish on the oiled baking parchment, side by side.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and rub with the olive oil.

Put a small sprig of fresh rosemary into the body cavity of each fish and drizzle the fish with a little more oil.

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Cover the baking tray with aluminium foil and place in the oven.

Bake for about 30 minutes then remove the aluminium foil and bake further for about 10-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and comes away from the bone easily.

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One way of checking that the fish is cooked thorough, insert a small knife into the thickest part of the sea bream, the flesh of the fish should be nice and white in colour.

Discard the skin, bones, rosemary (from the cavity) and serve.

Wine suggestion

Vermentino "Tuvaoes" di Sardegna DOC 2020 - Cantina Cherchi