Gnocchi with tomato & fennel

For ➋

1 vegetable stock cube

pepper & salt

1 ts rosemary

1 large fennel

250 g gnocchi

130 g raw ham*

1 toe garlic

150 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil

60-70 g Parmigiano, finely grated

Bring a cooking pot with water and the stock cube to the boil.

Place the fennel on the side, cut off the lower end and then cut it in half. Cut into fine rings. Keep the fennel greens aside. Cut the ham into rough slices.

Cook the fennel and gnocchi in the pot for about 2 m until tender and drain. **

Put the same pot back on the fire and add a spoonful of tomato oil. Fry the ham until crispy.  Fry  the gnocchi, fennel and garlic together. Add the tomatoes a little later. Add baked ham.

Serve and sprinkle generously with poor man's parmigiano and fennel greens.

* Or try chorizo ​​sausage, cut into cubes.

** Or steam the fennel almost done in the microwave (5-7 m per 500 g).

Pasta with samphire tapenade & sea spinach

For ➍
tapenade:
100 g samphire
1 handfull unsalted cashew nuts
1 clove garlic
4 tbs olive oil, extra virgin
juice ½ lemon (or more to taste)
pepper
pasta:
500 g spaghetti
100 g sea spinach
1 clove garlic
3 hands of sun-dried tomatoes
olive oil
shaved lamb's cheese or pecorino

For the tapenade, wash the samphire and cut the garlic into large pieces. Pour the olive oil into the food processor, adding a handful of the samphire. While turning, add the rest of the samphire, the garlic, and the lemon juice. Also add the cashew nuts and turn into a coarse pasta. Season with pepper.
Wash the sea spinach and cut the garlic into small pieces. Put the wok on the fire and let it get well hot. Pour some olive oil in the pan and add the garlic. Then quickly sprinkle the sea spinach in the wok and stir-fry very briefly while constantly stirring.
Cook the spaghetti al dente. When the spaghetti is ready, stir in the tapenade. Put the spaghetti on the plates and carefully mix the sea spinach and the sun-dried tomatoes into the pasta.
Toss small pinch of pepper and possibly some olive oil and some cheese on the pasta

Pesto omelet

For ➊
3 egg whites
1 large egg
salt & pepper
35 g cooked chicken breast, into small cubes,
2 tbs goat cheese, crumbled
1 tbs sun-dried tomatoes, packed (dip off all oil)
1 tbs pesto, green or red
fresh basil

Spray a small 10 cm pan with cooking spray and heat on medium-low heat for 2 m.
While the pan heats, whisk together the egg whites and egg and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture unto the pan and cook, making sure you occasionally tilt the pan and lift up the set egg, letting the uncooked egg run underneath it to cook. Cook until the omelet is just set, about 3 to 5 m, you don’t want the bottom to become too brown!
Spread the chicken over half of the omelet, followed by the goat cheese. Finally, sprinkle the sun dried tomatoes on top. Flip the other side over and on top, so it covers all the fillings. Let cook for a few s so the goat cheese gets warm and melty.
Spread the pesto on top of the omelet and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Rucola soup

For ➍
1 large shallot
1 garlic
2 small loose potatoes
1 l chicken broth
150 g rucola
2 tbs of cream
50 g sun-dried tomatoes
olive oil
marjoram dried
pepper & salt

Peel and chop the clove of garlic and the shallot coarsely. Fry in a dash of olive oil until the onion turns translucent. Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Add to the onion and put immediately with the chicken broth. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 15 m.
Finely chop the arugula. Add once the potato cubes are well cooked. Allow to warm up and lower the heat. Mix into a smooth soup. Season with pepper, salt and some dried marjoram. Add 2 tbs of cream and warm on a low heat. Meanwhile slice the sundried tomatoes into fine strips.
Serve the soup with a slice of sundried tomatoes in each plate. Serve with toasted bread.

Creamed chicken with mushrooms

For ➍
2 chicken breasts, cut in half
75 g mushrooms
2 tbs flour
2 tbs grated + 35 g Parmigiano cheese
1 ts salt
1 pinch pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs olive oil from dried tomatoes
2 ts garlic, chopped
200 g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
37.5 cl cream
2 tbs fresh basil
2 ts Italian herbs

Mix flour, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Coat 2 chicken breasts in this preparation.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil.
Add the chicken breasts, cook for 5 to 6 m, or until the fowl is browned on both sides. Keep warm.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil, and add dried tomatoes, the sliced ​​mushrooms and 2 ts chopped garlic.
Cook for a few m. Reduce heat, and add cream*. Leave to simmer. Add fowl. Simmer for 20-25 m, or until chicken is weel cooked..
Simmer until thickened. Add 35 g Parmigiano cheese and 2 tbs Italian herbs.
Serve with the chicken. Sprinkle 2 ts fresh basil on top.
Serve with good pasta al dente or  warm bread.

*Or use  half milk, half creamy goat cheese.

Pasta salad with grilled halloumi & asparagus

For ➍
500 g penne
400 g halloumi cheese
250 g cherry tomatoes
500 g white asparagus
6 spring onions, sliced finely
80 g rucola
a bunch of basil
50 g sun-dried tomatoes
pepper & coarse salt
tomated cold sauce:
10 cl yogurt
100 g Parmigiano cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 clove of garlic, peeled
juice of ½ lemon
40 g tomato paste
1 tbs (sharp ) mustard
1.5 dl peanut oil
a dash of Worcester sauce
few drops of Tabasco
salt

Bring a large quantity of water to a boil in a large pot. Add a pinch of salt.
Cook the penne al dente. [Read tip]. Drain. Plunge in a colander and cool under running cold water.
Put the pasta in a large mixing bowl.
Peel the asparagus. Remove ends.
Fill a pot with enough cold water and add a pinch of salt.
Place the asparagus in cold water. Heat the pot over medium heat and bring the water up to boiling point. When the water bubbles, put the fire out. Keep the asparagus in the warm water for 5-10 m. [Or use microwave].
Drain the vegetables to drain on a clean cloth or paper towel. set aside.
Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a tall mixing cup. Discard the egg whites.  Add a little spicy mustard, and a  clove of garlic.
Add the lemon juice and a tiny splash of water.
Blend the ingredients with a mixer. Trickle the oil in until you are left with a hefty amount of bound mayonnaise.
Add the yogurt and mix. Add the tomato puree, with a dash of English and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Add the Parmigiano and mix.
Spoon some of the dressing over the cold pasta and mix to cover all pasta.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Add the finely diced onion and tomato wedges into the bowl with pasta and sauce.
Cut the drained sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips.
Rinse the rucola and basilicum.  Sprinkle the torn basil and sun-dried tomato pieces on top of the pasta salad. Add some pepper from the mill and some coarse salt.
Mix the pasta salad and put them in a large serving bowl.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the asparagus.
Cut the solid halloumi into slices about 1 cm wide. Move the asparagus and halloumi to the hot  BBQ grill of grill pan. Turn the slices of halloumi after 1 m. Remove the asparagus when they have some colour.
Cut the grilled asparagus in 3-4equal pieces. Divide the grilled halloumi into bite-sized chunks.
Arrange the pieces of grilled cheese and asparagus pieces on top of the pasta salad and serve immediately. Put the rest of the sauce on the table.

Shrimps & Brie linguine

For ➍ as main course, ➏ as starter
225 g Brie cheese, cubed
5 tbs sun dried tomatoes in oil, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded & chopped
6 tbs pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 tbs chopped fresh basil
½ ts freshly ground black pepper
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
225 g linguine pasta
450 g shrimps, peeled & deveined
Parmigiano, freshly grated

Combine Brie, sun dried tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, olives, garlic cloves, basil, pepper and olive oil in a bowl. Cover and let stand 1 h.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water. 2 m before pasta is al dente, add shrimps*. Cook 2 m or until shrimps are done.

Drain pasta and shrimps.

Toss with Brie mixture.

Serve immediately with fresh Parmigiano.

*Otherwise, sauté or wok the shrimps in a little bit of oil and add them to the drained pasta.

Read tip on drying tomatoes in the oven.
Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: a quick spaghetti, spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti with vegetables, shrimps fra diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, spaghetti alla puttanesca, Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes & mint, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.

Tuna & sun dried tomatoes & white beans salad

For ➍
200 g can tuna in olive oil, drained & flaked*
1½ tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove
5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
400 cl can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
5 tbs oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained & sliced**
4 tbs finely chopped red onion
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley or basil

Whisk lemon juice, garlic, ¼ ts salt, and ⅛ ts freshly ground pepper in bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil.

Add beans, tuna, tomatoes, onion, and parsley. Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors, about 2 h.

Remove from refrigerator about 30 m before serving.

Serve at room temperature as a main course, or as a salad bar antipasto.

*Replace with 200 g sliced salami, or cold roasted chicken.
*Use broiled fresh tuna steaks instead.
**Grill sliced Roma tomatoes for a few m, with some salt. Sprinkle with olive oil.

Read tip on drying tomatoes in the oven.