ITALIAN LENTIL SOUP WITH RICE

Soup - Vegetarian - Lactose and Gluten free

1 14-oz can Italian lentils, drained and rinsed
1 cup Italian Carnaroli rice
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Italian peeled San Marzano tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage and rosemary
8 cups vegetable stock, hot
Freshly chopped parsley

In a saucepan (with lid) warm olive oil over medium heat and sautee garlic until golden, then add San Marzano tomatoes and herbs and cokk for about 2-3 minutes, stirring.

Stir in rice and add 4 cups of the simmering vegetable stock; season with salt (and pepper if desired). Cook about 10 minutes, then add lentils and cook 10 more minutes, until rice is al dente.

If the soups thickens too much, add vegetable stock in small batches, until you reach desired consistency.

Serve in individual bowls sprinkled with fresh, chopped parsley and drizzled with Italian extra virgin olive oil.

This recipe serves 4-6

- You can use Italian farro, instead of rice
- Carnaroli is the best rice for risotto and soups because it holds the "al dente" very well
- San Marzano tomatoes are the best peeled tomatoes (and the ones we carry have no salt - no "nothing" added!!!)
- If you don't want to use chopped garlic, you can use Italian extra virgin garlic infused olive oil
- This soup is great also at room temperature. It can also be frozen, in order to have a good quick AND HEALTHY dinner
- It's vegetarian, lactose and gluten free!!!

GRILLED VEGETABLES DISH

Side dish or appetizer - lactose and gluten free - vegetarian (read bottom notes) - light

1 Red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 eggplant
2 zucchina (zucchini is a masculine plural, but zucchina is feminine - zucchine for plural)

For the green "sauce"
1 bunch fresh parsley, leave only
1/5 cup Italian capers, packed in salt and rinsed
3 Italian anchovy fillets, packed in olive oil
2 cloves garlic, cut in 3-4 parts
High quality Italian extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Over the open flame, sear the bell pepper; remove stem, seeds, skin and inner white ribbing. Halve them and cut each half in 4-6 slices (lengthwise) and set aside.

Slice eggplant and zucchine in 1/4" slices lengthwise, brush all vegetables with olive oil and grill them to desired doneness.

Prepare the green "sauce".

Arrange capers, garlic, anchovy fillets and parsley in a blender (or an immersion blender tall glass); pour olive oil in a thin stream and start blending until you obtain a "pesto"-like consistency.

Spread on grilled vegetables.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

- You can use it also as a pasta sauce
- I wouldn't use green bell peppers: the other colors (yellow, orange and red) are sweeter.
- You can add some dried Italian black olives to your green "sauce"
- It's lactose and gluten free, light and vegetarian (if you don't use anchovies)

MASTER CHEF'S BAKED PENNE

Entree - complete meal - vegetarian and gluten free (READ NOTES AT BOTTOM)

This recipe has been gently provided by our friend Fabio.

1 lb Italian penne pasta
3 big eggplant
8 oz mozzarella, diced
2 1/2 cups true Italian San Marzano peeled tomatoes with their juice, crushed
5 oz smoked salmon
4 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp feshly chopped basil
Salt, pepper, ginger

Preheat oven to 400F

Bring to a boil a large pot of water, when it boils, add salt and cook pasta.

In the meantime, wash eggplant, trim the extremities and cut them lengthwise; scoop out pulp, reserving it leaving about 1/2" all around, creating a
"boat". Sprinkle inside with a pinch of salt, place them, cutside down, in a lightly oiled baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

Dice the reserved eggplant pulp. In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, warm up half of the olive oil and sautee 1 garlic clove until golden,
then add eggplant pulp and sautee for about 10 minutes, stirring; add a few tbsp of hot water if necessary. Add the tomatoes and their juice and cook
for 10 more minutes, then season with salt, pepper, basil and ginger.

In the same time, in another skillet, warm the remaining olive oil, sautee the other garlic clove, add salmon and season with salt and pepper; stir in wine and let
evaporate, then transfer to the skillet with the eggplant sauce.

Drain pasta al dente and transfer to the skillet with the sauce, toss to coat evenly.

stuff the eggplant boats with the pasta and sprinkle with mozzarella, return to the baking dish and broil for 3-4 minutes, until mozzarella is melted.

Serve immediately!

This recipe serves 6

- You can have a vegetarian dish, if you avoid salmon; and it can be gluten free it you use Italian corn penne (or other cut).
- You can use crushed Italian tomatoes, if desired. Italian tomatoes are the best (Italian STYLE does not mean Italian).
- A fresh mixed salad complements this meal perfectly!
- You can find the photo (and the original recipe in Italian) here: http://fabiomasterchef.cucinare.meglio.it/pennette-dei-fans-di-master-chef-di-fabio-del-buono/

SWEET CREPES WITH SPREADS

Dessert - vegetarian

For the crepes:
2 eggs
1 cup 00 Italian flour
1 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
Salt

For the stuffing:
orange & onion sauce
fig spread
Nocciolata hazelnut spread

To finish:
Confectioners' sugar
fresh fruit


Prepare crepes: in a bowl beat eggs with all ingredients, until you obtain a smoothe batter. Warm a 7" non-stick skillet and grease it with a little olive oil. When warm, pour a ladle of the batter and tilt the skillet until all bottom is covered. When top side begins getting firm, flip it over and cook the other side. It usually doesn't take more than 2 minutes per side. Arrange it on a dish and repeat until you finish the batter.

Spread 1-2 tbsp of spread on your crepes and fold as you prefer (make enough for each spread to satisfy all "eaters").

Lightly grease a baking pan, arrange the folded crepes sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and broil for about 5-10 minutes.

Serve with some fresh fruit.


- If you have plain crepes left you can freeze them with parchment paper between them.
- You can add 2 tbsp of sugar in your crepe batter, if you want a sweeter taste.

TURKEY BREAST ROLL

Meat entree - Lactose and gluten free - light (dietetic)

1 1/2 lb turkey breast, in a single slice about 1" thick
3-4 slices prosciutto di Parma (if slices are small, consider enough to cover the meat)
1/4 cup Italian dried black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp chopped almonds
10 oz spinach, cooked and squeezed
2 oz smoked pancetta, diced
5 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1/8 cup Marsala
Warm vegetable broth
1 clove garlic, crushed
Rosemary and sage
Salt and pepper

Pound meat in order to obtain an evenly thick slice.

Mix together olives, almonds and 2 tbsp olive oil, spread on the meat and line it with prosciutto slices.

Sautee spinach, in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, with 1 tbsp olive oil and garlic, then transfer over prosciutto; roll meat and tie with butcher's string.

In a deep saucepan with lid, warm the remaining olive oil and brown the roll until golden on all sides. Remove it from the saucepan and sautee pancetta until golden, then return the roll into the pan and and Marsala. Let evaporate and repeat with wine.

Add rosemary ad sage; cook the roll on medium-low heat, covered with lid, for about 1 hour, adding warm vegetable broth (from time to time, as needed), turning the roll occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

When cooked, wrap your roll in foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.

In the meantime, reduce the sauce, if to thin, or add some broth, if too thick.

Unwrap the roll, untie and slice it, serve with it's cooking juice and fresh salad.

This recipe serves 6-8


- This is a light preparation: only 274 calories per serving (if calculated on 8 servings).
- You can add some cheese, on top of the spinach, but this will raise your calories count.
- It's gluten and lactose free.
- It's great at room temperature, also!
- It becomes a complete meal if served with some bread, breadsticks or taralli.