Filled Zucchini Flowers "Fiori di Zucca Ripieni"

 Ingredients for 4 people:

    * 300 grams of minced meat
    * 300 g tomatoes
    * 16 zucchini flowers
    * 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
    * 1 egg
    * 1 slice of bread
    * 1 clove garlic
    * 20 g parsley
    * 4 tablespoons olive oil
    * Salt and pepper
 
Place the slice of bread to soak in water, then squeeze and crumble. Peel the garlic, peeled and washed parsley together and chop finely. Put in a bowl, bread, chopped garlic and parsley, Parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, minced meat and mix them. Gently wash the zucchini flowers, and green wires Privatel pistil without tearing it, fill with the mixture you have prepared, taking care not to break them.
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the zucchini flowers and fry over low heat, leaving brown, washed and sieved tomatoes and add them to flowers with a pinch of salt.
Cook in the oven  for 15 minutes at 180°, then serve

Fresh Peas & Ham (Piselli Novelli al Prosciutto)

Ingredients:

For 3-4 people

1 Large Onion Finely Chopped
1 Cloves Garlic
2 Clove (Chiodo di Garofano)
1/4 Lemon Peel
70g Chopped Tomato
90g Tuscan Ham
500g Fresh peas
3 – 4 tbsps olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and then fry the ham, onion and garlic together gently in the pan until the onion is soft which will take approximately 15 minutes. Add the clove, tomato and lemon peel.

Add fresh peas to the cooked mix in the frying pan, add a full glass of water and cook for 20 minutes
over medium-low heat

Serve with some fresh crusty bread.

Garmugia Lucchese (Soup)

Garmugia is a traditional recipe that dates back to the 16th century and can be pinpointed to Lucca and its province. Its origins are poor although the fact that some ground veal is present gives the recipe a certain richness. Peasants had loads of vegetables and very little meat, this is why they would add some dried pancetta (belly bacon – non smoked) and a little ground meat. If you’re vegetarian and want to keep it meatless it’s just as good. 

Ingredients:

1 Brunch Spring Onions
50 grams of  Ground Bacon
150 grams Ground Beef
4 Table Spoon of Broad Beans
4 Table Spoon of Fresh Peas
4 Table Spoon of Asparagus Tips
4 Artichokes
1-1/2 Litre 1 of beef stock
Oil for frying

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped onions, ground bacon and beef. Cook for a  5 minutes and add the prepared chopped vegetables.
Mix well and cook for about 15 minutes stirring well. Add the stock and bring to the boil, allowing the
mix to simmeter for a few mins or until the vegetables are tender. Serve hot with toasted bread

Tagliolini with Wild Asparagus

A quick and easy pasta dish inspired by my Italian grandmother "Nonna Ida"


Ingredients:

1 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil 1 Small Fresh Onion 1 bunch wild asparagus, trimmed and coarsely chopped salt to taste grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to serve Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat. Sauté onion and asparagus, until asparagus is bright green and tender but crisp. Toss with tagliolini and sprinkle with grated cheese before serving.

Wild Asparagus

It's that time of the year again: spring is springing in bounds and leaps, back and forth and roundabout. What used to be April weather now passes as March, at least in this neck of the woods. Elsewhere winter is still tightly holding on, while in other regions it never really settled in, in the first place. One of the most wonderful spring things to sprout at this time of the year (to my taste, anyhow), is wild asparagus. Regular cultivated asparagus bolts in May, but the wild variety pops up a little earlier. They are much daintier, but a delicacy nevertheless. Foraging for asparagus is not like ordinary foraging. It is more akin to mushroom hunting, for asparagus has a great talent to hide itself among the briars and bushes and often you won't see them at all until they are way too old and have started to sprout their feathery fronds. But once you have developed a 'nose' for the right season and the right places where the elusive spears might be found, hunting them down is an exquisite, fun-filled adventure, which may land you in some very strange places...