CousCous with vegetables and shrimps recipe

I love couscous and I almost always order it in restaurant. Do you know why? Because I like the consistence, when I make it at home it never came in the same as in restaurant. Of course, there are restaurants where they don't know how to cook couecous, but it is rather an exception) 
The idea to cook couscous in moroccan way home I had in mind for a long time, so long ago I took up the study of materials on this subject on the Internet. And you know what? Today I made perfect couscous, like in moroccan restaurant)) That's why I decided to share with you the secret I found. Of course, this complicates a little a process, but believe me,the result worth it.

So our ingredients for a couple of servings:

• couscous, a glass
• onion
• carrot
• celery
• garlic
• Bell pepper
• fresh or frozen green peas
• frozen peeled shrimps
• pepper
• salt
• olive oil
• butter (optional)

You can take different vegetables, as well as the proportion of vegetables, the only thing - don-t use tomatoes. You can put a leek instead of onion. I think it all depends on your personal taste and what is available at home. By the way, if you don?t put shrimps this will be a vegetarian couscous.

A traditional Moroccan pot features a large base (called either a barma, gdra or tanjra) for stewing meats and vegetables, and a steamer basket (kesskess) which fits snugly atop the pot for steaming couscous, rice or even vermicelli (seffa).
Couscous is traditionally steamed three times over a rapidly simmering stew. Steaming the couscous makes each grain plump and tender without being wet, and therefore better suited for absorbing the tasty broth from the stew.

I divided a process in two parts. The first part and the second should be getting ready at the same time, you can start preparing the vegetables a little later then couscous.

The first part - the couscous.

So, for my adapted version without Bormio you need colander or stainer and the pan where the colander you can place well over. You can place damp tea towel or a piece of fabric in colander  (so couscous don't go down) You can also use a double boiler, but I have not tried it. Put the water in a pan, but better to use vegetable broth and boil it. While the broth is boiling, place the couscous in a bowl and pour a little water and just few drops of oil. Toss, rub and stir the couscous with your hands to distribute the oil and water. The oil helps prevent clumping, allowing each grain of couscous to remain separate as it steams.

When couscous absorbs water, transfer it in a double boiler or in a colander over a broth.  The first steaming is finished when vapor rises through the couscous. At that point, dump out the couscous into a very large shallow bowl or a roasting pan, breaking up clumps with a spoon to release heat. 

When the couscous has cool enough to handle, rub the granules to aerate and separate them. Put couscous in colander and repeat like first time leaving it over boiling broth for some minutes (totally repeat 3-4 times).
I will take the couscous with fire for the last time, immediately add to it a some salt (if you didn't added it into the broth), 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter. Or without butter. 

The second part - vegetables

We will cut all the vegetables into small pieces. Garlic is optional, you can fry a whole clove and remove it, mince it and put with vegetables. I fried and then removed the garlic. Then put the onions, then carrots, then you can add the remaining vegetables, and after 5 minutes add the shrimps. Let stew for 5-7 minutes on low heat, covered.

 

When the couscous is ready and vegetables, too, put the couscous in vegetables, stir and cover the pan for 5 minutes to give him a time to tasty.

That is what we have - a tasty and healthy dish, also suitable for diets.

Italian seafood salad recipe

One of my favourite antipasto/ appetizer is Italian Seafood Salad. Sometimes I think the perfect supper would be just 3 or 4 amazing appetizers with a side of wonderful  whole whead bread.

Ingridients

• 1¼ cups (250 grams) cleaned calamari or squid or both 
• 1¼ cups (250 grams) cleaned octopus 
• 1½ cups (100 grams) mussels (without the shell)
• 1¾ cups (200 grams) small shrimp cleaned 
• 1 stalk celery chopped finely -optional
• ¼ cup (8 grams)  parsley chopped - optional
• ¼ cup (56 grams) extra vingin olive oil
• juice from ½ lemon
• salt and pepper

In a large pot of boiling water, boil for approximately 55-60 minutes the calamari, squid. In other pot put octopus, it requires a much longer cooking time, so if you choose to include it, you will need to add an additional hour or so to your preparation time. Remove them and boil mussels and shrimps for about 10 minutes. If you have mussels with shell - bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil in the same saucepan and toss in the mussels. Return to a boil, cover, and steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until they're all opened. (Discard any that remain unopened after 5 minutes.) Remove the mussels from the shells and discard the shells.

Drain all ingridients in the medium-sized bowl a second time just to remove excess liquid and let cool. 

After 30 minutes cut calamari, octopus and squid, put shrimps and mussels. 

Add chopped celery and parsley , olive oil and lemon juice. Gently mix to combine well.

Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to let the flavours to mix well.

Before serving add extra virgin olive oil, pepper and salt if necessary,

Classical recipe we cook at home is without mussels. And from time to time we cook it without celery and parsley too just because we don't have them at home)

It's very important to have fery fresh ingridients and we never use frozen ingridients for this salad, freezing change the taste, be sure.

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Quinoa with vegetables and shrimps recipe - healthy and gluten free.

Today I will write you about the recipe, that will be enjoyed by all who like healthy eating. This is quinoa with vegetables and shrimps recipe.

Quinoa - is pseudocereal culture, originated in the Andean region of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. It has been an important staple in the Andean cultures but relatively obscure in the rest of the world. The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to it as chisaya mama or "mother of all grains"

Why eat quinoa?

• Quinoa is Incredibly Nutritious - Very High in Protein, With All The Essential Amino Acids That we Need
• Contains Potent Bioactive Substances Called Quercetin and Kaempferol
• It is Very High in Fiber… Much Higher Than Most Grains
• Quinoa is Gluten Free and Perfect For People With Gluten Intolerance
• Low Glycemic Index

I think if you are interested, you'll find yourself something to read about quinoa in the Internet.

Ingridients:

• quinoa, about a glass
• onion
• carrot
• tomatoes
• celery
• garlic
• frozen peeled shrimp
• paprika
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

You can take different vegetables, as well as the proportion. For example, today I forgot to buy a carrot, and instead of onion I put the leeks. I think it depends on your personal taste and what you have available at home. By the way, you can not put shrimp too.

In the same way you can cook delicious couscous.

Chop all the vegetables into small pieces. You can fry garlic a little and then take it off, or chop it and put together with all vegetables.

I fried and then removed the garlic. Then you have to add other vegetables, and after 5 minutes add the shrimps. Leave it to stew for another 5-7 minutes on low heat, covered.

When the tomatoes are soft and gave the juice, you can add quinoa. I have not soaked quinoa, because I have white quinoa, other types it is better to soak.

Then, for every glass of quinoa add a  2-2.5 glasses of water. Close the lid, salt and pepper a little and leave the stew to simmer. If necessary, add water. Usually quinoa is ready in about 20-25 minutes. If you turn off the heat and leave it for another 10-15 minutes with the lid closed, it it will be more tasty. 

That's what we've got - tasty and healthy dish that dietary and gluten free.

Shrimps and scampi tartare italian recipe

Finally I returned after summer... I worked a lot and really didn't have a time for my blog. I'm really sorry )) But now with new breath I'm ready to write a lot of interesting articles!!

Today I present you one particular recipe - raw shrimps and scampi tartare with pink pepper and passion fruit. It's easy to make and very tasty, great for starter!  I ate this plate in one very good local restaurant and after that I tryed it at home. Now I prepare this tartare for every dinner with friends and it always has a success)

You will need:
- raw fresh scampi 
- raw fresh sea shrimps (better red ones)
- passion fruit (half of big one for every portion)
- pink pepper
- scissors

If you are going to eat raw seafood - You have to be sure that you buy from a reliable source. If you do not catch your own seafood I highly recommend that you get to know your local fishermen and fish mongers.  

You have to buy shrimps and scampi, or only shrimps, or only scampi - it depends what you find. I bought 7-10 medium shrimps and 3 medium scampi per person. To clean I use scissors. Cut the head of the scampo then the tail, and after that cut along the middle part first belly then back. In this way carapace will be devided in two parts and you can easily take the meat. In the same way but making only one cut I peel shrimps. 

When you peeled all shrimps and scampi, cut them in small parts and mix. Cut the pink pepper in half and get out the seeds. Mix the passion fruit seeds with crostacean meet and leave in refrigerator for half an hour. Put all in one plate so everybody can take or make portions on small plates, then overstrew with pink pepper.
The combination of pink pepper and passion fruit is really great and delicate. 

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Conchiglioni stuffed with ricotta, shrimps and zucchini

Once I bought the pasta in a store close to home and for big order received box with two huge conchiglioni. Conchiglione is the pasta in the form of shells, can be of different sizes, our were really giant. Such conchiglioni you can even eat one for two persons) 

In general, after searching on the internet and asking friends (oh yeah, Italians love to talk about food, men and women tak about recipes and restaurants), we chose a recipe by which never cooked. But I will tell you right now that it so delicious that we will cook it when we have guests. 

Ok, What you need:

• Conchiglioni (big ones - then one per person, medium - it can be two or even three, if you have a giant like in the photo - for two Conchiglioni all the ingredients have to be multiplied by two) 
• ricotta, about 200-250 grams 
• 200g of prawns 
• 1 medium zucchini 
• 1 clove of garlic 
• dry white wine 
• pinch of turmeric 
• olive oil, salt, pepper 
• cheese for sprinkling on top and bake in the oven (what you like, I took Parmigiano) 

So, to start, put the water in a large saucepan and when it boils put conchiglioni. They have to swim freely in the water. Boil them "al dente" - is very much !!! it is important because you have to put them then in the oven. Usually on the package you can find indicates (we boiled our conchiglioni 20 min)

Grate zucchini, chop peeled shrimps (leave one for each of the shells), clean the garlic. 

While the shell is cooking, fry the garlic and then remove it from the oil. 

Then add shrimps, after a minute pour a bit of wine. And a minute later put the zucchini, salt, pepper, and a couple of minuted you can turn off. If you poured a lot of oil (as my husband loves), then strain through a sieve into a bowl and let it cool. 

 Mix with ricotta. 

The remaining shrimps you should fry in olive oil for a minute, add a pinch of turmeric.

 Then take away shrimps and add a little of wine. Stew it for 1-2 minutes.

By this time, your shells have to be ready. Put them in a baking dish, pre-greased and Stuff. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven at 200 degrees until golden crust.

Serve on a plate, first pouring the sauce with turmeric. Then put the shell and decorate it with the prawn. 

Bon Appetit)) 

South italian markets. Part two - fish market

Welcome to read the second part of my story about south italians markets - Fish market
Brindisi without sea urchins I can't imagine) in season when the picking of them is permitted you can find sea urchins everywhere - in the border of the streen, on the market, in avery fish restourant. I like to eat them freshly picked on the yacht of out friends dangling feet in the sea)

These are fish from the sea near rocks, we call them Rock fish. They are perfect for "Zuppa di pesce" of Fish soup or with pasta. The fish is very fresh and often it's alive and you can see its movements.

This is anglerfish (at least this name I found in internet) - terrible to see but delicious to eat)

Sea urchins and mussels and giant octopus

This one was still alive

Fish shop where you can find every fish from our sea and also from other places too like sword-fish or tuna

The owner always scale fish for customers

They are always ready to pose) The seller of shrimps

Scampi

Cicale di mare - Small European locust lobster

These are vey small anchovy, 

but in winter there are much smaller called "Schiuma di mare" - Sea foam. Usially it's eated raw with lemon or mixed with eggs and fried.

Potato gnocchi with cream of shrimps

Potato gnocchi with cream of shrimps - Gnocchi di patate con crema di gamberi. This is easy to make recipe that don't need many time to cook. Hope you will like it)


You will need for two person:
3-4 garlic cloves
0.66-0.77 lb (300-350 gr) of fresh potato gnocchi 
0.33-0.37 lb (150-170 gr) of peeled shrimps (or 3-4 medium scampi)
3-4 tomatoes cherry
2-3 big spoon of cream
Olive oil



Put a pot of water for gnocchi ( When water will boil put gnocchi and cook them abou 3-4 minutes.)
Put some oil in pan.  Fry garlic a little. Then take away garlic. 

 Put shrimps (scampi) and fry a few minutes.

Then put cutted tomatoes and stew a few minutes again.

When tomatoes became soft, add cream, mix and stew during 1-2 minutes.

Add gnocchi and mix all. Add a few of sliced parsley. Stew for about 1-2 minutes.

Buon appetito!