Another delicious recipe from the cookbook “Delices d’Italie” by Loukie Werle.
Italian bell pepper salad
A delicious salad, found in an Italian cookbook (Délices d'Italie by Loukie Werle).A recipe that will please everyone, vegetarian or not. The peppers are roasted under the grill and then mixed with a tomato. An appetizer that is best eaten cold, so it can be prepared ahead of time.
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers (of different colors)
- 1-2 tomatoes
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 handful of basil leaves chiseled
- 1 handful of mint leaves chiseled
- 1 Tbsp capers (rinsed)
- Salt and fresh pepper
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat grill.
- Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds and membranes.Place peppers on a broiler rack, skin side up
- Roast until the skin is blackened. Remove the peppers from the oven and put them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into small cubes.
- Chop the garlic cloves. Chop the basil and mint leaves
- Remove the skin from the peppers and cut them into strips
- Put all the chopped ingredients in a serving bowl. Add the capers. Season with salt and pepper then drizzle with olive oil.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for about one hour before serving.
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This post was posted in Salads
Avocado Boats With Balsamic Vinegar
You are missing out if you haven’t made this incredible snack from ripe avocados. Anybody can make it, even my 7 year old makes it when she comes home from school. This is her favorite way to eat avocado. Split it in half and fill the center stone hole with some balsamic vinegar. Enjoy this healthy, delicious snack or appetizer.
Avocado boats with balsamic vinegar
Eat avocado halves with tea spoon.
Ingredients
- 3 avocados
- salt and freshly ground pepper optional
- 6 tsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove pits but do not peel them. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar in each hole, and serve.
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This post was posted in Appetizers
Chickpea Salad with Feta Cheese
The chickpea Salad with Feta Cheese is a very simple salad, composed of canned chickpeas and feta. The tomatoes and bell peppers are not necessary, but provide more flavor and vitamins, as well as a vibrant color.
Chickpea Salad with Feta Cheese
The feta cheese is already salty enough, so salt the salad lightly.
Ingredients
- 400 g (1 can) garbanzo beans drained
- 150 g feta cheese cubed
- 15 cherry tomatoes, or 2 medium tomatoes sliced
- 1 bell pepper cored and sliced
- 1/2 red onion cut into thin slices
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- Fresh or dried herbs (cilantro, chive, dill) chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon (juice only)
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a salad bowl, mix the chickpea, feta, tomatos, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs.
- Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with freshly pressed lemon juice and olive oil. Serve right away or keep it in the refrigerator.
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This post was posted in Salads
Pan Fried Salmon
This Pan Fried Salmon has crisp skin and moist, tender flesh. It only takes salt and pepper to prepare this fresh salmon fillet.
The cooking time will vary with the fillets thickness.
Pan fried salmon
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter (or olive oil)
- 4 salmon fillets or salmon steaks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet with butter over medium-high heat.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper.
- Place the salmon (skin side down) in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until fish turns golden brown.
- Carefully turn the salmon over with spatula and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- As soon as the fish is ready, transfer it to a flat plate and serve as desired.
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This post was posted in Main Dish
Cucumber Bites With Boursin Cheese and Salmon
The freshness of the cucumber and the bite of Boursin cheese in this smoked salmon roll will hit all of your taste buds.
Cucumber Bites With Boursin Cheese And Salmon
If you are not familiar with Boursin™ cheese or you don’t have any, don’t worry. A good substitute for Boursin is Philadelphia cream cheese or farmer cheese with some garlic and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 1 english cucumber
- 8 thin smoked salmon slices
- 90 g Boursin cheese
- some fresh dill (optional)
- 2 pinches paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber into slices (1/2 cm). Cut each slice of smoked salmon in half lengthwise (smaller than your cucumber slice).
- Spread 1tsp of Boursin™ cheese on each salmon strip and roll it up.
- Top each cucumber slice with a salmon roll. Insert a wooden stick down the center to keep everything together. Garnish with finely chopped fresh dill and paprika. Serve at once or keep refrigerated until needed.
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This post was posted in Appetizers
Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimps
The reason I love making Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimp so much is the simple ingredients. And because I almost always have frozen shrimp and puff pastry left in my freezer!
Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimps
Ingredients
- 20 medium peeled shrimps
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season shrimp with salt, pepper and seasoning.
- Roll out the pastry dough and cut into 1 cm wide strips.
- Starting at the top, wind one pastry strip around one shrimp, slightly overlapping the pastry and ending just before the tail. Repeat with each shrimp.
- Place shrimp onto the baking sheet. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, to make egg wash. Brush the shrimp pastry with egg wash.
- Bake for about 12 min, or until golden brown. Do not overcook.
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This post was posted in Appetizers, Puff Pastry
Pumpkin Soup
French recipe for a silky and smooth Pumpkin Soup with two main ingredients. Healthy, colorful, and easy to make. If you have a blender, you have to try this recipe as soon as pumpkins are in season.
To impress your guests, serve this soup in individual pumpkins.
Pumpkin Soup
This soup is delicious and silky even without any cream. I add very little, just to make it look beautiful.
Ingredients
- 2 leeks (white part only)
- 1 medium pie pumpkin or sugar pumpkin (about 1.5 kg)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Some heavy whipping cream or sour cream (optional)
- Some fresh herbs (cilantro, green onion, parsley) to garnish
Instructions
- Wash and chop the leeks.
- Wash the pumpkin and cut it in half horizontally. Scrape the inside of the pumpkin clean with the spoon or ice cream scoop (you can use the seeds for another recipe).
- Peel and cut into regular cubes.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook and stir leeks until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add pumpkin cubes and cook for 5-7 more minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Transfer the veggies into a large pot. Add just enough water to cover them, and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Simmer about 15 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Add a little more boiling water if the soup is too thick. Taste for flavor, and feel free to add more salt or pepper.
- Serve hot, with sour or heavy whipping cream and fresh herbs.
For a special presentation:
- Cut off the top of a small pumpkin and scrape the inside.
- Before adding the soup, heat the pumpkin for few minutes in the oven, then add the hot soup and serve immediately.
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This post was posted in Soups
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges
Roasted pumpkin wedges are a simple and healthy dish that pairs well with fish and meat. This recipe is easy as pie and requires just basic ingredients like pumpkin, salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil and some fresh herbs.
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges
Ingredients
- 4 wedges of a big pumpkin
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt and black pepper
- Some olive oil
- Some fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or scallions)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F (200С). Line your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Wash the pumpkin thoroughly, cut into two parts and remove seeds with a spoon.
- Cut the pumpkin into wedges. Keep in mind that this kind of pumpkin doesn’t need to be peeled. Season the wedges with salt and pepper. Next, mince or grate finely some garlic. Coat the wedges with a mixture of olive oil and garlic.
- Place the wedges on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes (depending on the kind of pumpkin and wedges size). When the wedges are soft, remove from the oven. Make sure they are not overdone.
- Sprinkle the roasted pumpkin wedges with fresh herbs and they’re ready to be served!
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This post was posted in Main Dish
Boursin™ Stuffed Mushrooms
Tasty and very easy recipe with only 2 main ingredients that you can find in every store: mushrooms and Boursin.
Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms
The Boursin™ Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese is aleredy salty enough so don’t add more salt.
On the other end, if you like spicy food, season with pepper.
Ingredients
- 30 small mushrooms (Cremini or Button Mushrooms)
- 1 block Boursin™ Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
- Some fresh herbs (cilantro, green onion, parsley) finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Wash and dry mushrooms. Remove stems. (You can use them for another recipe),
- Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Fill each mushroom’s hole with 1-2 tsps of Boursin™.
- Bake about 25 minutes until mushrooms are golden and cooked through.
- Sprinkle the baked mushrooms with fresh herbs and they’re ready to be served!
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This post was posted in Appetizers
Chickpea salad with bell pepper
Cans are usually pretty handy at home or on the go; there is no need to go to a store and they are quick to prepare. This chickpea salad is a great example of the usefulness of cans. Just open a can and mix it with other ingredients available at home.
There are multiple recipes of salads with this legume: here is one of them with bell pepper, olives and fresh cilantro.
Chickpea salad with bell pepper
This salad can by served immediately or chilled for few hours to get all of its flavors.
Ingredients
- 400 g (1 can) garbanzo beans drained
- 1 bell pepper cored and slices
- 80 g olives (black or green), drained and sliced
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 1/2 red onion cut into thin slices
- Fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley), finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- 3-4 Tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all veggies in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with freshly pressed lemon juice and olive oil. Toss gently.
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This post was posted in Salads