Showing posts with label Cirio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cirio. Show all posts
Some days are just busy. The last few days this week I have been busier then a "Hen hauling wood" as my old friend Leona would say! Writing articles, doing laundry, appointments, etc. They say there is no rest for the wicked! I must have been rather naughty lately I guess!
Just because you are busy and don't have a lot of time that doesn't mean you can't get something tasty on the supper table! These Maple Baked Beans on Toast are the perfect light supper entree for when you have a bit more on your plate to handle than normal.
With a little bit of pre-prep, they basically cook themselves! Its amazing what you can do with a few store cupboard ingredients!
This tasty recipe uses things I generally have in my larder at all times . . . tinned cannellini beans, a good bottled tomato passata . . .
Maple syrup, a good balsamic vinegar. Today I used a Maple Balsamic from ilGusto, but you could us any good Balsamic vinegar. Since I also use pure Maple syrup I felt the Maple Balsamic would add a nice touch and more maple flavour. It did.
I used a bottle of Ciro Passata Rustica today . . . it is lovely and thick and has a nice tomato flavour. If you can't get that you could use ordinary passata or even tomato sauce. I don't think that it will taste as rich and luxurious however as this does . . .
You will still end up with a terrifically tasty dish however!
I started by softening some thinly sliced shallots in a bit of light olive oil along with some crushed garlic.
Try not to let them brown . . . you just want them softened . . .
After that you just stir in the passata, the vinegar and maple syrup. Let that cook for a few minutes and then stir in the beans. If you think its too thick, you can add a bit of boiling water, but you shouldn't need much.
Bring to the boil, cover and then pop into a warm oven where they can braise away for a time until you are ready to serve . . .
At that time the flavours will have melded beautifully and you will have a dish fit for a king! All you need is some buttered toast to ladle it onto!
These always go down a real treat. Vegetarian. Delicious. High fibre, low in fat. You can't lose!
Maple Baked Beans on Toast
Yield: 3 - 4
These are delicious. If you can think of it, do try to make them the day before. The flavours get even better overnight, but they are still really delicious on the day!
ingredients:
- 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 fat clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- a splash of olive oil to fry
- 200g tomato passata (3/4 cup, sieved tomatoes)
- 200g tin of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (14 ounce tin)
- 1 TBS Maple Syrup
- 2 TBS Maple Balsamic vinegar
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- hot buttered toast to serve
instructions:
How to cook Maple Baked Beans on Toast
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
- Heat the oil in a medium oven-proof casserole dish over low heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, without browning, until softened. Add the tomato passata, vinegar, and maple syrup. If you think it is too thick, you can add a couple TBS of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the drained beans. Cover and place into the preheated oven.
- Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you think they are getting dry, you can add a bit of water.
- At this point you can either transfer to a container, cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight, reheating gently over low heat when you wish to serve.
- Make some toast, butter it and ladle the hot beans on top.
NOTES:
If you can't get Maple Balsamic, you can use ordinary balsamic vinegar. Also if you are not fond of maple you can use honey or soft dark brown sugar in an equivalent amount.
I used a good whole wheat bread today as that is what I had, but a rustic sour dough also goes very well. It also goes without saying that the leftovers taste even better when gently reheated a day afterwards. In fact you could make them ahead and then just reheat when you are ready to eat. Happy days!
I adore Pizza, in any way shape or form. Generally speaking, I like to make my own. Of course when I was younger, that usually involved using a pizza kit/mix from the shops, either Chef Boy Ar Dee or Kraft and we always enjoyed them. In fact that was the first kind of pizza I ever had. I had a boyfriend when I was 16 who introduced our family to it and we all really enjoyed it.
Those mixes are not something you find readily available over here in the UK, so I now make everything from scratch. I have a favourite pizza dough that I like to use. A few years ago I tried a Deep Dish Pizza recipe that I also enjoyed. Todd also enjoyed it and he is not a pizza lover!
I discovered a Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza Dough on Pinterest the other day from Cafe Sucre, which I thought I would like to try and so I printed it out, and yesterday was the day I finally got around to trying it!
I have to say that this was one of the easiest pizza doughs and pizzas I have ever made. The dough went together really quickly and rose beautifully. I did use my Iron Skillet, but you can also use a heavy based round cake tin of a comparable size. (10 inch skillet, 9 inch cake tin)
It was lovely and thick and beautifully flavoured. I kept the toppings simple. Cirio Passata Rustica crushed tomatoes . . .
Italian garlic herbs spice . . . and some crushed fennel seed. I do love fennel seed on a pizza.
I sprinkled the top of the sauce with some grated Parmesan cheese and then torn Mozzarella . . .
Finally I tore up some fresh basil leaves and scattered them on top . . . I kept it all very simple.
It was beautiful. I could easily have eaten two pieces . . . but I promise you I didn't! (I wanted to though!)
This is now going to be my "Go-To" deep dish pizza dough! Its amazing! (And I don't say that lightly!)
Yield: 6 servings
Easy Deep Dish Pizza Dough
This is not only quick to make but delicious. If you are a fan of deep dish pizza, this is sure to become your go-to dough!
ingredients:
- 3 TBS light olive oil
- 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
- 180ml hot tap water (3/4 cup)
- 2 TBS caster sugar
- 280g strong flour (2 cups, bread flour)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- Toppings as desired
instructions:
- Have ready a heavy duty 9 inch round cake tin, or a 10 inch iron skillet. Pour 2 TBS of the olive oil into the skillet or pan and set aside.
- Warm a clean bowl with some hot tap water. Let it sit for a bit and then pour it away. Add the 180ml hot tap water, sugar and yeast. Give it a stir and then let it sit for five minutes. At that point it should be bubbling and active. Add the remaining TBS of olive oil, stirring to combine. Stir in the flour an salt with a wooden spoon, stirring until all of the flour has been incorporated and you have a shaggy dough.
- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so until you have a smooth dough. Shape into a ball. Drop it into the pan/skillet and turn to coat with oil. Cover the pan tightly with cling film and set aside in a warm place for 15 to 20 minutes.
- At the end of that time, uncover and press the dough out to cover the base of the pan, making little dimples with your finger-tips. Spoon on the sauce and whatever toppings you are using. (I used rustic passata crushed tomatoes, Italian garlic spice, fennel seed, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella Cheese and torn basil leaves.) Cover again and set aside for a further 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 8. (220*c/425*F gas mark 7 if using a cake tin.) Cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil. Pop into the oven on the lowest oven rack and bake covered for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges of the pizza are golden brown and crusty.
- Lift out of the pan onto a wooden board with a large spatula and cut into wedges to enjoy!
Of course any pizza is only as good as the crust you use and the toppings you choose. The Ciro Passata Rustico was perfect to use as a sauce for this purpose!
Cirio’s unique experience and expertise has resulted in the finest Italian Passata. Perfectly smooth and velvety with a sweet, delicate flavour, round Italian tomatoes are peeled and passed through a fine sieve to produce a creamy Passata that will enhance the taste of any dish. I know my tomatoes, and I am a huge fan of the Cirio products as you know. Their Passata Rustica comes in several sizes and packaging, including tetrabriks and handy glass bottles. It has a beautiful flavour and texture that I really enjoy and worked very well as a pizza topping.
I loved this deep dish pizza so much, I am already thinking of making it again. This crust was so easy and quick to make and really no trouble at all. I give it the English Kitchen two thumbs up sigh of approval! 👍👍
As anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows, the Toddster
is really not very fond of pasta at all. I do make it from time to
time, but more often than not I make something completely different for
him, or he has the sauce, but on a potato instead. I adore pasta myself and cannot imagine anyone not loving it, but then again, I would never eat snails or frogs legs, but there are a lot of people who adore them. I guess we all have our own likes and dislikes, and its okay!
Today I cooked a simple spicy tomato cream sauce to have with some cappellini. I chose this for a number of reasons . . . one . . . I quite
simply adore simple tomato sauces, using tinned tomatoes. (I always
use a really good Italian brand myself, Ciro brand . . . especially when it's a sauce
that isn't going to be cooked for a long time period.) You want to use a tinned tomatoe that has a really nice flavour, and Cirio are the best tasting in my opinion. (You probably get tired of hearing me say that I know!)
Two, this is a really quick, QUICK sauce to make. It's done in
approximately the same time as it takes to cook your pasta, 10 minutes
tops.
*Cappellini with a Spicy Tomato-Cream Sauce*
Serves 4Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil over high heat. While you are waiting for it to boil, heat the oil in a large deep saute pan. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and some salt. Cook, stirring, just until the garlic becomes very fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer until fairly thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Keep warm. Add your cappellini to the boiling water, stirring to separae the strands, Cook according to the package directions. Drain well, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Toss the drained pasta in the hot sauce, along with some of the cooking water and the parsley to combine. Top with some cheese and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.
Note - if you are watching the calories, you can use an equivalent amount of undiluted low fat evaporated milk in place of the cream. You can also cut the amount of olive oil in half with no problem.
I am one of those people who always has to have garlic bread with my pasta. I am not sure why that is, only that it is. I like to make my own. The ready made ones you buy in the shops just taste really foul to me. Yes, I AM a garlic bread snob.
Its such a simple thing really, making your own, and it tastes a bazillion times better! Mix together the butter, herbs,
seasoning and half the cheese and spread it on the cut edges of a loaf
you have cut in half horizontally. Then sprinkle on the remaining
cheese, cut almost all the way into 2 inch thick slices, wrap in foil
and bake. So yummy!
Its perfect for anytime really . . . with your pasta dinners,
or even as an appetiser while you and your family or guests wait for the
main course to be done. Oh, its even great with salads! And, simple
really. Such a simple thing to do.
*Herbed Garlic Cheese Bread*
Serves 8
125g of butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
90g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
1 TBS finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp fresh oregano leaves
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large french loaf or sourdough loafPreheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready an oven tray and two very large sheets of aluminiun foil.
Cream together the butter, garlic, 1/2 of the cheese and all the herbs, salt and pepper. Cut your loaf of bread with a serrated knife in half horizontally through the middle. Spread half of the butter mixture onto each half loaf. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Using the same knife make cuts two inches apart down through each half loaf about 3/4of the way down, leaving it attached at the bottom.
Cover with the aluminium foil, leaving a gap at the top so that the cheese mixture doesn't touch the foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, open up the foil and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Note - You can use dry herbs if you wish, just use roughly half of the amounts listed for each.
Pasta with a great sauce and crisp hot bread . . . this is heaven on earth to me. I dare say I am not alone in that! Bon Appetit!
I think if I were to have to pick a favourite kind of soup for myself out of all the soups, tomato soup would be right up there near the top. I adore soup, and I especially like homemade soups.
As I have told you in the past my mother made really good soups from scratch, but one kind she never did make from scratch was Tomato Soup. We always had tinned tomato soup, and I was always very happy with that. I still am, having a particular liking for the Heinz brand of tomato soup.
I don't think it ever disappoints. I am trying harder though, these days, to cook everything that I can from scratch and that included Tomato Soup. This Tomato & Rice Soup is a particularly nice one!
It is simple, using nothing at all out of the ordinary, in fact I am guessing that you would have everything in the house right now to make it. Good tinned plum tomatoes. I like Cirio myself.
In a soup where the tomato is the star, you want really good ones and I have never made any secret for my love of Cirio Tinned tomatoes. They are . . . simply put . . . the BEST. You can almost taste the Italian sunshine on them . . .
So . . . good tinned plum tomatoes in tomato juice . . . along with some vegetables. Carrots, onions, celery . . . nothing too fancy . . . a clove of garlic . . .
These are sauteed in a bit of butter and olive oil until golden. I then stir in a bit of whole wheat flour and leftover cooked brown rice . . .
I cook that until the rice just begins to brown and then I add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon, into nice chunks.
A bit of chicken stock and some dried herbs . . . basil and oregano . . . salt and black pepper, and my secret ingredient, a splash of hot sauce. Not a lot just a splash.
It then gets simmered, covered . . . for about half an hour.
You could add a handful or two of baby spinach leaves. Its very good with those as well, but today I did not have any to add. Frozen spinach would also work.
At the end of that time you simply stir in a bit of light cream. I tend to use skimmed evaporated milk because it is lower in calories and fat and to be honest you can't really tell the difference.
All in all this is a lovely soup. Toothsome, wholesome, and quite quite delicious!
*Tomato & Rice Soup*
Serves 4 - 6
Heat the butter and the oil in a large saucepan until the butter begins to foam. Add the celery, onion, carrot and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally over medium low heat until the onion is golden. Stir in the flour and rice, breaking up the rice.
Continue to
saute until the rice begins to brown a bit. Add the tinned tomatoes,
breaking them up with the back of a spoon, the chicken stock, brown
sugar, oregano and basil and a splash of hot sauce if using. Bring to
the boil, then reduce to a very slow simmer.
Cover and simmer over low
heat for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with some salt
and black pepper. Stir in the cream and heat through without boiling.
Serve immediately.
I of course enjoy mine with crackers. My husband favours a roll. I tried to tempt him with some hot buttered toast instead today, but he wasn't having it. It was a roll all the way.
I had some nice big whole wheat rolls and he thoroughly enjoyed. I think you will too! This is very diabetic friendly with the use of the brown rice and whole wheat flour, and the extra protein they provide. Bon Appetit!
Some other soup recipes you might enjoy are:
Soup with dumplings? Count me in! Especially cheese dumplings. Simple to make and using simple everyday ingredients. It's also a great way to use up what's in the fridge. This is a deliciously hearty soup with plenty of vegetables, ham and fluffy cheese dumplings. I guarantee your family will love this!
A fabulously tasty soup filled with ham and white beans. You do need to plan ahead as the beans need soaking. One word describes this perfectly. Delicious. This is gorgeous ladled into heated bowls and served hot with some crusty bread.
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