STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST

Entree - Meat second course - Can be gluten free (READ notes at bottom)

2 big chicken breasts (or 4 smaller ones)
1 fresh tomato, ripe but firm, sliced
mozzarella, sliced
1/3 cup brandy
about 1 cup milk
3 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
Italian sea salt
Italian 00 flour for dredging

Cut a deep pocket in the chicken breasts, you can halve them widthwise, if they're really big.

Lightly salt mozzarella and place it in the pocket, along with tomato slice. Secure with a toothpick (or more)

In a big non-stick saucepan with lid, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, dredge the pocket into the flour, shaking away the excess, and sautee until lightly golden on all sides.

Deglaze pan with brandy and let the alcohol evaporate. Pour milk. Lower heat to low and let simmer, covered, until cooked through; remember to turn pockets every once in a while.

Serve immediately with your vegetable of choice.

Serves 4.

- You can cook peas together with the pockets
- You can season the stuffing with oregano or fresh basil, for added flavor.
- For a gluten free version, use corn starch instead of flour.
- You can find the video for this recipe here

How to prepare Italian stuffed chicken breast

Here is our new video recipe. Written version coming soon!!

CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS WITH BELL PEPPERS, OLIVES AND CAPERS

Entree - Complete meal - It's lactose and gluten free

8 chicken drumsticks
2 bell peppers, inner seeds and ribbings removed
1 cup Italian dried black olives
1/2 cup Italian capers, packed in salt and rinsed
1/2 cup dry white wine
Italian extra virgin olive oil
Chicken broth
Sage and rosemary

Cut bell peppers in strips and set aside.

In a large saucepan with lid, over medium high heat, warm the olive oil and sear the drumsticks on all sides. Deglaze pan with wine.

Stir in bell peppers, olives and capers, then add warm broth enough to cover ingredients. Add sage and rosemary (just a few leaves of both)

Cover with lid and simmer until cooked, turning meat and stirring every once in a while. If the cooking juice is too thin, remove the lid and bring heat to medium and cook a few more minutes to thicken.

serve immediately.

Serves 4 people

- Use red, yellow or orange bell peppers (or a mix of them)
- Instead of wine, I used the liquid left from making ricotta and it turned out fantastic.
- It's lactose and gluten free

ITALIAN CHICKPEAS AND RICE SOUP

Soup - Vegan & vegetarian - Gluten & lactose free

1 14-oz can Italian chickpeas (ceci), drained and rinsed
3/4 cup Italian Carnaroli rice
1 cup Italian peeled San Marzano tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium potato, quartered
1/2 small onion, diced
2 leaves sage and a few rosemary leaves
8-10 cups vegetable stock, hot
Italian extra virgin olive oil
Italian sea salt

In a saucepan (with lid) pour 6 cups of the stock (keep the remaining one warm), with potato, onion, chickpeas and herbs. Season with salt and cook for about 15 minutes.

As soon as it boils, stir in rice and the chopped tomatoes. Cook about 10 minutes; remove the potatoes and continue cooking until rice is al dente.

In the meantime, blend potatoes with a few tbsp of the warm stock, until you obtain a creamy consistency. Stir this cream in the soup a couple minutes before rice is cooked, and adjust with salt, if needed.

Serve in individual bowls drizzled with Italian extra virgin olive oil.

This recipe serves 2-3

- If, while cooking, you see that the soup becomes too thick, add a little warm broth. Do that every time you need.
- 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!!!)
- 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/vegan, lactose and gluten free! If you use farro it will no longer be gluten free!!!

How to prepare Italian farro stuffed bell peppers

And here is the video of our weekly recipe!!

FARRO STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Entree - Complete meal - Can be vegetarian and gluten free (read notes at bottom)

2 red or yellow or orange bell peppers, halved, seeds and ribbings removed
1 cup Italian farro, partly cooked and drained
1 cup ricotta (1 1/2 if very soft)
1 14-oz. can Italian peeled san Marzano tomatoes, with their juice
2 Brat links, casing removed and crumbled
1 egg (if ricotta is really thick as homemade is)
Italian Extra virgin oilve oil
Italian sea salt

If you don't have some ready, boil farro in lightly salted water, drain and bring to room temperature. Chop the San Marzano tomatoes and set aside, with their juice.

If ricotta is too thick, like mine that was handmade, thin it a little with milk, then transfer to a big bowl. Add brats and the egg (if needed). mix nicely to combine.

Then add farro and stir nicely to combine all ingredients; stuff your bell peppers.

In a large saucepan with lid over medium heat, warm up 2-3 tbsp of Italian olive oil and pour the chopped tomatoes. Stir and season with a pich of Italian sea salt.

Arrange the bell peppers (with stuffing upside) and lower heat to low, cover with lid and simmer until bell peppers are tender.

Serve them immediately.

- This is a perfect item for work lunch, since it's a complete meal and it's great at room temperature or warm.
- You can bake them, at 350-375F until bell peppers are done.
- You can avoid tomatoes, and cook with broth.
- This recipe can be prepared with rice, making it gluten free. If you leave bratwurst out, it is vegetarian too.
- You can find the video to this recipe here