Dinner with friends.

After a busy weekend re-arranging the house it was nice to have my friends over for dinner and have a relaxing evening. Since all of them are very careful with their weight I wanted to prepare a meal with many fresh and light courses but at the same time rewarding without making you feel heavy.

Mini Clafoutis smoked with Pine nuts and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

Serve 4

200g Cherry Tomatoes
100g Smoked Bacon in cubes
2 Eggs
45g All purpose flour
150ml Milk
100ml Heavy Cream
50g Parmigiano Reggiano grated
20g Pine nuts
mixed salad
Olive oil
Salt

Wash and dry the Cherry Tomatoes. In a pan put 2 tablespoon of oil, add the tomatoes and cook them for 5 min. Add the smoked bacon and the pine nuts, cook them for other 5 minutes until all the flavors come together. Adjust the salt and keep them aside to cool.
In a bowl beat the eggs with 35g of flour, a pinch of salt, Parmigiano Reggiano, heavy cream and milk. Brush with some olive oil and flour with the remaining flour 8 non stick molds with a diameter of 5-6 cm.
Preheat the oven at 180°C. Divide in the 8 molds the cherry tomatoes and pine nuts and add the batter on top. Bake for 35min. Serve them warm or cold with a bed of mixed salad dressed only with olive oil and salt.

Panzerotti with Ricotta and Spinach

Ingredients:

Serve 4

250g bread dough (or puff pastry )
250g Fresh spinach
100g Ricotta
20g Parmigiano Reggiano
450g Peeled Tomatoes in can
1 Garlic clove
4 leaves fresh Basil
Olive oil
Salt

In a pan fry the garlic with 4 tablespoon of Olive oil. Add the tomatoes, basil and a pinch of salt. Cook it in a low fire for 20 minutes. Eliminate the garlic clove and set aside.
Wash the spinach, put them in a pan with half glass of water, a pinch of salt and cook them for 4 min. Drain the spinach, cut them in small pieces and set aside to cool. In a bowl mix the ricotta, spinach, parimigiano and a pinch of salt until all the ingredient are well combined. With the mixture make 8 small balls and put them in a tray to cool in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven at 200°C.
Meanwhile roll out the bread dough or puff pastry and cut 8 squares with each side of 8cm, set them aside. Now cut other 8 squares with sides of 6cm, in the middle put some tomato sauce and the ricotta and spinach ball, cover with the 8cm square and seal the panzerotto. Cut the excess with a shaped round cutter. Bake the Panzerotti for 20min at 200°C and serve them warm or cold with the dip of the remaining tomato sauce.

Smoked salmon and Grapefruit bites

Ingredients:

Serve 4

200g smoked salmon
2 grapefruits
2 pita bread
100g sour cream

Peel the grapefruit and cut it in slices. Cut the pita bread with a flower shape biscuit mold. Cut the salmon in stripes and fold them to make small squares. In a bamboo skewer alternate the salmon and the grapefruit. Place them in a serving plate with the pita bread and the sour cream as a dip.

Chicken Tonnato with green beans

Ingredients:

Serve 4

500g chicken breast
200g green beans
2 anchovies filet
1egg
60g tuna solid pack in water
12 kalamata olive
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon caper
8 cherry tomatoes
10 fresh basil leaves
olive oil
salt

Grill the chicken, once cooked add some salt and set aside. Meanwhile boil the egg in a pan with cold water, when the water start boiling cook the egg for 7 min. Peel the egg and set aside to cool ( we will use only the yolk in the recipe).
Wash the green beans, cut them diagonally and boil them for 5 min. Drain them, keep half cup of their water aside and cool them in a bowl with cold water and ice.
In a food processor add the yolk, tuna, basil leaves, caper, pinch of salt, lemon juice and 4-5 tablespoon of Olive oil. Mix all the ingredients until you get a smooth sauce. If it is too thick add some water of the green beans that you have aside to get the consistency that you like.
In a plate arrange the green beans, tomatoes, olives, the chicken in stripes and the sauce. Serve it cold.

Mixed rice with avocado and shrimps

Ingredients:

Serve 4

200gr. mixed organic rice
1 avocado
16 shrimps
1 cup cube sliced celery
100ml white while
1 orange juice
1lime juice
cayenne pepper
Olive oil
salt

Boil the rice in salty water. Once cooked (about 15minutes) keep aside to cool. Meanwhile in a pan boil 200ml of water. Clean and wash the shrimps. Add the white wine to the boiling water together with the shrimps. Cook them for 2 minutes and drain them.
Season the 12 shrimps with the orange and lime juice add the cayenne pepper (choose the quantity depending if you like your salad spicy or mild). Cut the avocado in small cubes dip it in lemon juice to avoid that it become black. Drain it and add it to the shrimps. Add also the rice, celery a pinch of salt and 5 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving it.