MEMORIES OF A JOYFUL CHILDHOOD

When I was a child I didn't eat anything. Nothing, nothing, nothing at all.

I was a member of that category of enervating children able to chew food for ages rather than give you satisfaction.

Just a few things were to my taste, exactly four : thin soup with cream cheese, boiled spinach with oil and lemon, roasted chicken breast with potatoes purèe.
But, sometimes,  I let myself be fascinated by exotic compositions like the superfamous "fled fowls".
"Are them true fowls, grandma? They don't look like. Awww, they are not? It's bettere if they are not, i was already  impressed.... but.... are they good?"

And I fell in the cage.....discovering that the misterious dish was also delicious. Maybe this trend of giving strange names to food  thanks his birth to those indolent malnurished children.
Anyway..... everybody likes rolls. They are gorgeous, superlicious, and you can do them in a billion versions.....
Everybody is happy with rolls!
Now that I'm an adult I don't eat just 4 things anymore...but "fled fowls" are a must and...You do them in a minute so...why not?

CHICKEN ROLLS

difficulty: easy
time: 20 minutes
for 4 persons

I need:
-400 grams of chicken breast  in slices (4 slices)
-50 grams of ham
-12  sage leaves
-6 cheese slices (cheddar or fontina or emmenthaler)
-salt and pepper
-2 spoons of olive oil
-half glass of milk


tools:
-kitchen knife and cutting board
-a 26 cm diamenter pan
-toothpicks
-a meat pestle 


First of all beat the chicken with the meat pestle until it's flat. Cut each slice in three parts and fill each part with ham, half slice of cheese and a sage leaf.
Roll the slices and fix them with a toothpick. Heat the pan with the oil and when it's hot put inside the rolls, cook them for 3 minutes high flame, turn them, put pepper and then the milk. After 2 minutes lower the flame and cook other 5 minutes covered. you will notice that the melted cheese has done a sauce mixing up with the milk. Stop cooking, put half small spoon of salt, mix and serve....
Delicious!!!!!!!

THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!

Tha's not fair! It's easy, when you have a 10 years old boy , getting back in those elementary school moods and starting speaking like a child...it's unfair, i didn't do it on pourpose.... with my 8 months old girlie around, if I start soiling please tell me somethin'.
Anyway, "that's not fair " is the first thought that comes to my mind when I see (and eat) what I cook and recall  that I'm on a diet and above all that  these dishes fit perfectly in my diet's parameters, and that I'm losing weight!But...how savoury! So...that's not fair! ahahahahhaah!
So, this one is so good and nice to see, here at home everybody loved it so.... why not?

SAVOY CABBAGE "LASAGNE" WITH SMOKED SALMON, EMMENTHALER AND POMEGRANATE
difficulty: easy
time: 20 minutes plus 15 in oven
for 3 people

what I need:
-200 grams of smoked salmon
-150 grams chopped emmenthaler
-50 grams grated pamigiano cheese
-300 grams of clean leeks
-400 grams of savoy cabbage leafs
-2 spoons of olive oil
-salt and pepper
-150 grams of pomegranate 


tools:
-a cutting board
-a kitchen knife
-a stock pot
-a 26 cm diameter pan
-a big plumcake pan ( 25cm lenght)


First of all  boil the cabbage leafs  in salted water for 10 minutes then drain them. Put the oil in the 26 cm pan  heat it ;cut the leek in small slices then put it in the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook it for ten minutes low flame mixing it sometimes and adding just a drop of water if it needs it. Until it cooks  you coul hull the pomegranate, why not?Then clean your hands with lemon or they will get stained.
Preheat the oven 180°.
Cut the big rib in the middle of the savoy leefs , put a layer in the plumcake pan, then a layer of salmon, one of mixed cheeses, the leeks, and restart until you finish the ingredients. The last layer will be of cheese.
Cook in oven for 15 minutes then portionate and garnish  with pomegranate (that's perfect on it!!!)

EVERYBODY LOVES MEATBALLS

Today I woke up early even if it was saturday (the baby wakes me up at 7 with no problems!!she is the perfect alarmclock) and after breakfast I instantly got down to work... in the afternoon we would have gone to a rugby match with our son and I wanted to prepare a mountain of meatballs to give some verve to our guys.
In the meantime I thought, why not, I could also think about a videorecipe so I made up a little bit and started.
So, the result is that in the videorecipe I made four beautiful big meatballs and then.....other 3 chilograms of dough in balls as big as olives....a mountain!
Children freaked out for this delicious snack and everybody was wandering asking "who made this??that's delicious! " wowowowow!
Children's compliments are always true so it's double score!! 3 chilograms of meatballs disapperaed in a sec.
So, let's see how I did this miracle!!!!


SILVIA'S BOLOGNESE MEATBALLS

difficulty: easy
time: 30 minutes plus 10 for frying

for 2 people (you can expand the doses as you want...for 100 people too!)

what i need:
-400 grams of fine chopped meat (beef and chicken)
-70 grams of Mortadella (bologna)
-30 grams of bread crumbs plus other 50 to bread the meatballs)
-1 egg plus another one to bread the meatballs
-30 grams grounded parmigiano cheese
-1 garlic clove
-a handful of parsley
-salt and pepper
-500ml frying oil

tools:
-a big  mixing bowl

-a kitchen knife
-a cutting board
-a garlic press
-a dish
-two small cups, one for bread and the other for the egg

Soo...first of all finely chop Bologna and parsley togheter with the knife (or the mixer if yuou want to do faster but i think it's better to practice with the knife) then put it  in the mixing bowl together with  meat, smashed garlic,egg, cheese and  bread crumbles, a little bit of pepper and a small spoon of salt then mix well with your hands. When it's perfectly mixed form some balls big as golf ones. Beat the other egg in the cup with a pinch of salt and then pass the balls in it, then in breadcrums and repeat another time. Heat frying oil and when it's hot fry the meatballs until they golden. Olive size: 2 minutes: golf balls size: 5 minutes.

...ABOUT WHY I'VE CHOSEN PARMIGIANA AND WHY I SAY IT'S SAINT

Eggplant's parmigiana is a passepartout dish. Everybody likes it. And when I say everybody I don't exceed.
Even  fussy children love it.
In its countless versions it is perfect for every occurrence, so it became my piece de resistance and I usually prepare enormous ones for birthdays, parties, every kind of meetings....and people is clearly moved and thanks...and asks... "who made those gorgeous aubergines?".Me, obviously! Saint parmigiana.
That's because Parmigiana is always good, it is delicious hot, cold, the day before....so, I guess it's time to reveal how to make this delicious plate, and if you want to discover, also the other ones I prepare day by day for family and friends.

PARMIGIANA FOR TWO
difficulty: medium
time: 40 minutes plus 20 in oven

what I need:
-1 aubergine (400grams)
-125 grams of mozzarella cheese
-70 grams of flour
-2 spoons of  grated parmesan cheese
-1 can of tomato pulp
-1garlic clove
-4 basil leaves
-1 spoon of brown sugar
-half spoon of olive oil
-300 ml frying oil
-salt and pepper


tools:
-2 ceramic ramekins
-a sharp knife
-a cutting board
-a skimmer or tongs as you prefer, to pick up fried slices
-a wooden spoon
-a garlic press
-a big bowl
-a dish (for flour)
-another dish (to put fried slices)
-kitchen paper
-a 24cm frying pan
-a small sautepan


Cut the aubergine in 0,5 cm slices with the sharp knife and put them in a bowl with a pinch of salt. In the meantime put the olive oil in the bigger pan with the smashed garlic and cook for a minute medium flame, mixing with the wooden spoon.... Watch out don't burn the garlic please! Then put tomato in the pan, mix and add sugar , a small spoon of salt and basil. Cook for 15 minutes medium flame mixing sometimes. When it's ready add some black pepper.
Preheat the oven 180°.
Pour frying oil in the smaller pan and heaten it... dry the aubergine slices with kitchen paper, pass them in flour and fry  in boiling oil for 2 minutes per side until they golden, then pick them up and dry them in kitchen paper. Put a spoon of tomato sauce in  the cocottes, then a slice of aubergine, then a layer of mozzarella cheese and go on four times. The last layer will be covered with parmesan cheese.

Cook the Parmigiana for 20 minutes until they golden in the topping. When they are warm decorate them with a fresh basil leave then serve!!!!!!!!