Oh, how I love the feeling of a looming summer!
As the weather gets warmer, nature starts to transform and wake up. It is so wonderful to see how the color green starts to flourish everywhere! I wanted to feel the fresh air of Spring and setup a spontaneous picnic for my close ones.
I was wondering what I wanted to serve this time… My mind was flooding with tons of delicious ideas, so many that it was near impossible to make a decision!
So I figured to trust my gut, which is actually a very typical way for me to function. My kitchen is a place where I can be creative and try something new. I want to keep my mind open and curious, childlike, no limitations! All my friends have a laugh at the ‘’slight’’ chaos that often takes place in my kitchen. Give it ago! Get messy in the kitchen, you can always clean it afterward! Oh, la bella libertà!!
As she often does, Mother Nature tried to interfere with picture taking – as the sun was peeking through the clouds, everything was set up beautifully outside… All of a sudden we found ourselves rushing to take everything inside because some rain was able to sneak up on us out of nowhere. This all adds its own flavor to this memory and I find myself smiling as I look back on that day!
Italian sandwiches aka Tramezzini, Potato salad, Lemon cake, Lemonade, champagne, and strawberries…
ITALIAN SANDWICHES, TRAMEZZINI
16 pieces
16 slices of light bread
2 dl of mayonnaise (don’t get a ‘’light’’ version)
1 can of tuna loins
2 large tomatoes, cut into thin slices
4 hard-boiled eggs
A bunch of lettuce leaves, torn into smaller bits
Salt
Pepper
Boil the eggs and slice them into nice even pieces.
Tip: Place the eggs in a pot filled with cold water. When the water starts to boil, lower the power and let the water boil lightly for about 8 minutes. To get the shells off easily, pour the hot water out, let the eggs dry for a moment, and place them under cold water.
Use a fork to mash the tuna loins into smaller bits and mix in a bowl with the mayonnaise. Flavor with salt and pepper.
Cut the crust off the bread.
Tip: Let the crust dry up and grind into breadcrumbs. Store them in a glass jar for future use.
Spread about a total of 1dl of mayo on the 16 slices of bread
Start by spreading the tuna-mayo mix, tomato slices, lettuce, and sliced egg on 8 slices.
Place the remaining 8 slices on top of the prepared ones, press lightly, and cut into triangles.
Place the sandwiches on a platter and place a plastic wrap on top until serving them so that the bread doesn’t dry.
POTATO SALAD WITH AN ITALIAN TWIST
What you’ll need:
1 kg of potatoes
20 half-dried cherry tomatoes
Oiled strips of paprika
Both tomatoes and paprika strips can be bought readily at the store or made by yourself – you can find the recipe in my blog!
1 can of oiled artichoke
Black Olives
Salsiccia raw sausage
Pepper
Salt
Bundle of basil
Balsamico di Modena
Instructions:
Boil the potatoes, unpeeled, in salted water
Let the potatoes cool down, peel them, and cut them in 4 pieces
Poke small holes in the salsiccia sausage and boil them in water for about 30 minutes
Drain the water, split the sausages in half longitudinally, and cook them on a pan with some oil
Add 1 dl of white wine and let the wine evaporate
Cut the sausages into smaller pieces
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix them up
Add extra flavor with a high-quality balsamico
The Lemon Cake recipe can be found on the inspiration page!
Abbracci,
Cristina
