Granita al caffé

6 demitasse of espresso coffee (about 250 ml)

250 ml water

70 g sugar

Put the sugar and the water in a saucepan over moderate flame. Stir and bring to a boil and let cook for about a minute. Remove from the heat and add the coffee. Let cool and then transfer the mixture in a steel or glass container, with the aid of a fine mesh strainer.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. After about an hour, remove the granita from the freezer and, with the help of a  whip or fork, finely break the ice crystals that have formed. Put the mixture back in the freezer and repeat this process every 30 minutes, until the granita is ready (about 4 times).  You can serve granita topped  with some whipped cream. 

Stewed borlotti beans

Ingredients:

500 grams of borlotti beans

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1 carrot

1 onion

½ celery stick

1 sprig rosemary

1 bay leaf

Olive oil

Salt, pepper

Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery and fry gently in a pot with 4 tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the fresh beans and cover with water. Add the tomato puree, rosemary sprig, bay leaf, salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Cook in a large half-covered pot, over medium heat for about 50 minutes, checking occasionally and adding hot water if needed. When the beans are tender, uncover the pot and let the sauce thicken a little. Remove the rosemary and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.

Cheese and sausage quiche

Savory pastry crust

250 g  #asiago cheese

100 g of sausage

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

nutmeg

salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Cut the cheese into cubes and the sausage into small pieces and collect them in a bowl. Add the egg yolks, parmesan, a pinch of salt, some grated nutmeg and the oil and mix well. Divide the dough into two parts in the proportion of two thirds and one third, and roll it into two sheets with a thickness of a few millimeters. Line with the larger sheet of dough a greased pan, leaving  any excess dough hang over the edge of the pan.  Prick the dough with a fork and pour over the cheese mixture. Cover with the other disc, pinch the edges with your fingers to seal well and prick the surface with a fork. Bake in preheated oven at 180 ° C for 45 minutes

Savory pastry crust

250 g flour

150 g butter

salt

½ cup cold water

Pour the flour into a bowl, cut the fridge cold butter into small pieces and add it to the flour. Add a pinch of salt and the cold water and knead quickly. Form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the

refrigerator for half an hour.

Fried zucchini flowers

16 zucchini flowers

125 g flour

2 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

200 g sparkling mineral water (or beer)

Peanut oil for frying

salt

In a bowl mix the flour with the eggs, salt, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sparkling water or beer. Mix well and form a batter that you will let stand in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Meanwhile, wash the zucchini flowers, discarding the stem and the pistil and let them dry on kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a pan  over medium heat. Dredge the flowers in the batter until they are completely coated  and, when the oil is hot, fry a few at a time, turning them a couple of times. When they are golden, drain and let them dry on absorbent paper. Sprinkle with a little salt, put them on a serving dish and serve immediately.

Vegetable sauce for short pasta

Ingredients for 4 people:

1 carrot

1 stalk celery

1 small onion

1 small eggplant

1 zucchini

4 ripe plum tomatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Basil leaves

Peel the carrot and the onion and chop finely along with the celery. Wash and trim the zucchini, then cut into small cubes. Do the same thing with the eggplant.  Blanch the tomatoes for 10 seconds in boiling water. Peel them, cut them into 4, remove the seeds and water and cut roughly. If you prefer, you can use ready made tomato puree. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Fry for a few minutes the chopped carrot, celery and onion, stirring frequently. Add the eggplant and let it brown,  turning often. Then add the zucchini and stir again. Let the vegetables brown, then add the chopped tomatoes and lower the heat. Add salt, cook over low heat for about 20 minutes and then add  some fresh basil leaves.

Eggplant and mozzarella towers

Ingredients for 4 people:

2 round violet eggplants

200 g mozzarella

200 g  tomato puree

1 clove garlic

Some fresh basil leaves

Olive oil

Dry oregano

Salt, pepper

Cut the garlic in half, remove the core and fry it gently in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil.   Add the tomato puree, salt, pepper, and let thicken on low/medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the basil leaves, torn by hand. Cut the eggplant horizontally into slices about 1 cm thick. Brush some olive oil on both sides of the eggplant slices, grill them in a pan or skillet and season  with some salt.  Cut the mozzarella into slices and let them dry on paper towels. Now you can start layering the tower,  alternating in a baking sheet covered with parchment paper a slice of eggplant, a spoonful of tomato sauce, a sprinkling of oregano and a slice of mozzarella and repeat the layers. Drizzle with some olive oil, add a few basil leaves and bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° C for about 10 minutes, until the mozzarella begins to melt.