Frittata, fresh from Tuscany

Ciao from beautiful Tuscany where G and I are fortunate to be able to enjoy Alvina and Umberto's excellent food and hospitality, at the same time picking up a few hints.   From the website www.timeintuscany.com .  Vegetable frittata to come but first some photos of this fabulous vista.



Podernouva - Tuscany

"A visit to Podernuovo is the perfect opportunity to experience some of the Italian food lifestyle. There are several butcher shops in Castel del Piano which sell locally grown produce including prosciutto, capocollo and a variety of fresh and cured sausages along with excellent beef (bistecca fiorentino), cinta senese pork and chicken. There are a numerous local vegetable shops, a fresh pasta shop (open 7 mornings a week) and bakeries and pasticceria including the internationally renown Corsini which was founded in 1921 and is a major producer in the village. Of course great gelato and coffee can be found at any number of local bars."
Alvina and Umberto's choice of food for the day depends on what can be harvested from the garden and the farm so frittata was an ideal choice using the freshest eggs and zucchini.   Like many experienced cooks, they use a basic method but rarely follow a recipe as such so the ingredients are approximate.

Vegetable Frittata  - a perfect lunch or picnic dish

Vegetable Frittata
2 eggs per person beaten with a little milk (optional but makes for a lighter result).
Slice some onion and garlic and in a ovenproof pan, fry gently in olive oil.  Add a little sliced and chopped panceta or bacon if desired.

Slice potato and zucchini and add to pan. (Potato can be quickly boiled for a few minutes if you are in a hurry.)

Add the seasoned egg mixture and some chopped parsley, and cook in pan until cooked around the outside but still liquid in centre.  Finishing the dish in a moderate oven for about 10 to 15 mins, with the top grill on, results in a light, fluffy dish which is golden on top, but alternatively you can continue to cook it on the top of the stove, placing it under a grill for the last few minutes.

The sliced frittata,  garnished with chives was served by itself,  followed with a salad using seasonal vegetables. 
Thanks Alvina!

Tasty angel hair nicoise ticks all the boxes

 This tasty pasta dish ticks all the boxes - easy, healthy, and quick. Tinned tuna can be substituted. 

Fresh tuna with pasta



Cooked tuna is sliced



Lime juice, garlic, anchovies and olives



Blanched beans

Angel  hair pasta

 



 

Angel hair pasta is a long, thin noodle with a round shape. It is also known as capellini or capelli d'angelo. The extremely fine pasta is excellent with light, delicate sauces as well as seasonal fresh vegetables.

Angel hair niçoise

400g (13 oz) fresh angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons chilli oil
550g Tuna Steaks
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
6 anchovy fillets, chopped
200g ~ beans, blanched
3/4 cup olives
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat~leaf (Italian) Parsley


In a large saucepan of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan over high heat. Add the chilli oil and sear the tuna for 1 minute on each side. Remove the tuna from pan and slice into pieces.  Reduce the pan heat to low, add lime juice, olive oil, garlic olives and anchovies and cook for 1 minute.  Return tuna to pan to rewarm in the dressing.
Drain the pasta and place in a bowl with tuna, beans, olives and parsley and toss to combine.