Israeli cous cous with grilled eggplants and capsicums

I cannot wait for summer, capsicums and eggplants! Nearly there, in the meantime I use char grilled veggies preserved in oil, they are very versatile for a quick meal. For this dish I cooked a packet of Israeli cous cous (but fregola pasta is perfect too) with just water and salt, then I drain it and rinse it under cold water to cool it down and separate the 'grains'. I added extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, and finely chopped herbs and garlic. Then I mix it with the eggplants. Finally I filled some of the capsicums with it. It needs to rest for a few hours at room temperature, so that the cous cous gets more flavour. Easy and quick, and it makes such an impression!

And now just some pretty things I saw: loved this wallpaper with plates, + real plates!

Cans and tins look good on tables, although I wander if this mackerel was also on the menu too… I don't eat fish so I wouldn't know, and the restaurant, albeit rustic, was not a cheap one!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Two easy and filling Italian style vegan dishes: quick Fregola (or Israeli couscous) di verdura and quick Risotto di verdura

These recipes are so simple that I wasn't even sure if to publish them, but sometimes we need simple, quick and filling food, and since these dishes taste great and are very healthy too, I thought that some readers may like them. Also FYI, in NZ it is very difficult to find fregola, but Israeli couscous is readily available in many shops now, and can be a great substitute. 

Quick Fregola di verdura

1 small onion

1 capsicum (any colour)

1 celery stalk with leaves

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

400 g fregola (or Israeli cous cous)

1 cup Italian tomato passata

1.5 l vegetables stock

Parsley and cherry tomatoes to decorate (optional)

Chop the onion, capsicum and celery, then sauté with olive oil. Add the fregola and stir, when hot add the Italian tomato passata and then, ladle by ladle, the vegetables stock, stirring constantly like when making a risotto. When the fregola is cooked and all the liquid absorbed serve, decorated with parsley and cherry tomatoes (optional).

Quick Risotto di verdura

1 small onion

1 small carrot

1 celery stalk with leaves

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped parsley

400 g carnaroli rice

1 glass white wine

1.5 vegetables stock

1 portion of frozen spinach

4 tbsp frozen peas

Chop the onion, carrot and celery, then sauté with olive oil. Add the parsley and rice, then a glass of white wine. Add the vegetable stock ladle by ladle, stirring constantly. Halfway through cooking add the spinach, and 5 minutes before finishing add the peas. Serve hot.

And now for something completely different: I visited the Teatro Solis in Montevideo today, April 10, and Chris Terrio was the special guest. Just in case you wander, no I didn't meet him.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Fregola with zucchini and halloumi

Yesterday I had another record page views: 2,060. Funny, as I don't have much time to post these days. The most clicked post is always this one, with around 1000 hits each month, so I though that perhaps the word halloumi is a good one to have :-). Well, regardless of which post is more popular of not, thank you all for visiting!

Fregola with zucchini and halloumi

Ingredients:

2 zucchini

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp olive oil

1 block of halloumi cheese

1 cup fregola pasta

500 vegetable stock

chopped parsley

lemon to decorate

Wash the zucchini and cut into thick strips. Peel the garlic and cut into two pieces. Heat the olive oil and the add the garlic, zucchini and the block of halloumi. Sauté stirring constantly and turning the halloumi often. When the houllumi start to become golden remove from the pan and set aside. Add the fregola and stir with the zucchini until toasted. Add a little vegetable stock, lower the heat and cover. Stir from time to time, adding more stock when necessary, until cooked (about 20 minutes). Cut the halloumi into slices and place back over the fregola, then add chopped parsley and lemon slices. Serve hot. If you don't have fregola use Israeli cous cous or risoni pasta.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©